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[pacman000]

Still trying to catch up. I read Ch. 17. When I read the bit with Raticate, I thought you were going to just rip-off the TV show. I'm glad you didn't. I liked the bit with Garados. No one ever thinks of grabbing and throwing a Pokeball away, good job.

EDIT: I'm now caught up! The Lavender Town-inspired chapter is good. h Poke is creepy, and you handled the atmosphere well. I hope you get the next chapter done soon.

[Missingno. Master]

I am caught up now. I think Missingno. should stay uncaptured because it seems like a legend.
Speaking of Truant Durants, I raised a Muscle Band Atk. Haxorus with Dual Chop that swept from Brycen to Alder. Then comes the fateful day where you get Shiny Arceuses that only know Splash…
EDIT IN PROGEESS
RANK UP!
EDIT ENDED

Yeah, Missingno. won't be captured. Well, this one won't, anyway. I can't speak for any others that might appear... To be clear, I intended Missingno. to be more along the lines of how the anime would treat the likes of Dragonite early on- not a legendary, but something rare and powerful all the same. There will be at least one Glitch Pokemon portrayed as a legendary at some point down the road, though, count on that.

Still trying to catch up. I read Ch. 17. When I read the bit with Raticate, I thought you were going to just rip-off the TV show. I'm glad you didn't. I liked the bit with Garados. No one ever thinks of grabbing and throwing a Pokeball away, good job.

EDIT: I'm now caught up! The Lavender Town-inspired chapter is good. h Poke is creepy, and you handled the atmosphere well. I hope you get the next chapter done soon.

Glad you liked it, thanks! And I'm glad I did a good job on the Lavender Town-inspired chapter. I had caught an h Poke in Red not long before that chapter, and after having some experience using its HM02 move, when you really think about it, it was hard to believe it wasn't intentional- I mean, HM02 has no animation, and it's a very powerful move that drains the opponent's health, and the only thing that learns it just happens to be a Ghost-type... that bit practically wrote itself there. I couldn't not do that for a Halloween chapter.

I'm working on the next chapter right now. It's coming along decently, and will most definitely be out within the week. Maybe even sometime this weekend.

[Missingno. Master]

First, just let me apologize for the lengthy wait for this chapter. This has been a busy month for me, between schoolwork, chores at home, and all kinds of stuff. Doesn't exactly help that during any free time I had, I rarely felt motivated to write, either. But I promised you guys a chapter by the end of the month, and damn it, I keep my promises!

Chapter 20: Fatal Error
~~~~~~~~

"GET OUT... GET OUT..." came a low, echoing voice, seeming to resonate from the spectral Marowak's skull.

"Send out a Pokémon, one of you," Missingno. advised them. "As long as I'm blocking its frightening illusions, they won't be too scared to attack."

"Got it," nodded Orange as he tossed a Poké Ball. "I choose you, Q!"

In a flash of light, Orange's Q materialized. "Kyuuuu," it sang softly as it hovered in midair, right between Orange and the Marowak ghost.

The dead Marowak made the first move, zooming furiously through the air. She then swung the bloodstained bone gripped in her right hand and smacked Q with it. The Deep Sea Pokémon reeled from the Bone Club, but seemed relatively unhurt.

"Come on, Q," urged Orange. "Fight back with Double Kick!"

"Kyu kyu kyu kyuuuuu," replied Q as a pair of blocky feet sprouted out of its sides, one foot protruding from each side. Q then spun around in midair and charged at Marowak, kicking at it repeatedly. Marowak grunted as it was slammed by the Fighting-type move, and seemed to involuntarily let go of its bone. As the bone soared through the air and made an abrupt u-turn, however, Red began to suspect that this was an attack.

"Q, look out for the Bonemerang!" Orange shouted in alarm, but it was too late- the bone slammed into Q, and the Deep Sea Pokémon fell to the floor. Though it was able to get back into the air, it did so very unsteadily. Marowak wasn't finished, however; Orange only got as far as "Use BubbleBe-" before the deceased Marowak slammed its cracked, bloodstained skull into Q's body. The Headbutt attack was too much for the Water/Psychic-type to handle, and Q fainted on the spot.

"My turn," Violet stated as Orange withdrew Q. She threw a Poké Ball of her own and called out, "Migraine, go!"

The ball opened up, and Violet's Psyduck made its appearance, clutching its head as usual. "Psyduck psy," it said as it looked up at the ghostly Marowak, and then proceeded to slowly back up.

"Come on, Migraine," said Violet. "Hit it with your Water Gun attack!"

"Psy! Psy aye aye aye aye aye aye!" Migraine replied as it unleashed a stream of water from its mouth. Marowak deflected the attack by holding the bone in front of it and spinning it around rapidly, diffusing the stream and sending the water flying in every direction.

"Don't give up, Migraine!" Violet encouraged her Psyduck. "Try Submission!"

"Psy! Duck!" grunted Migraine as it lunged at the Marowak and wrestled the surprisingly solid specter to the floor. Marowak was caught off-guard and for a moment could do nothing as the headache-prone Water-type wrestled with it. When the Psyduck let go, Marowak floated back into the air, looking rather worn, but still able to fight. Migraine wasn't looking so hot either, the recoil damage from the Submission attack clearly presenting itself. Marowak then threw its bone forcefully towards Migraine.

"Migraine, deflect it with your head!" Violet ordered.

"Smart move," Orange remarked approvingly.

Migraine ducked down, putting its head in the path of the bone. However, a purple light appeared to flash in Marowak's eye sockets for a second, and the bone swerved almost comically in midair, missing Migraine's head completely. Before anyone could react to this, the bone returned, striking the Psyduck right in the back, knocking it to the floor.

"Oh, come on, that was cheating!" Violet protested.

Marowak then dove down and swiftly delivered a Headbutt attack, sending Migraine skidding backwards, where it stopped at Violet's feet, unconscious.

"Migraine!" Violet exclaimed in concern.

"Let me try," Red offered, as he threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Raticate!"

In a flash of light, Red's Raticate materialized, front teeth bared as usual as it glared at its deceased opponent.

Marowak made the first move as she dove in for a Headbutt attack, streaking down towards Raticate.

"Raticate! Water Gun!" Red ordered.

"Raaaati... caaaaaaaaaaaaate!" Raticate screeched as it unleashed a forceful stream of water from its mouth, striking the Ground-type directly. This slowed the Ground-type considerably until she pulled out of the Headbutt attack, just to evade the Water Gun.

"OK, Raticate, use your Quick Attack now!" Red commanded.

"Raaaaaticate!" replied the Normal-type as it darted forward at blinding speeds, and leapt into the air- at which point Marowak swung its bone like a baseball bat, sending Raticate flying in the opposite direction, crashing to the floor. Before Red could react, Marowak swooped down and delivered another Headbutt, this one decidedly more successful than the last, as it sent Raticate skidding across the floor, coming to rest at Red's feet, knocked out.

"Now what?" Orange asked nervously as Red recalled Raticate.

"GET OUT... GET OUT... BEGONE... INTRUDERS..." came the low, echoing voice once again. Though clearly unnerved by this, Red, Orange, and Violet simultaneously each readied a Poké Ball... and then Missingno. floated forwards, hovering between Marowak and the trio.

"I believe it's my turn, now," Missingno. said. "Red, you command me."

"Why Red?" Orange asked.

"I feel this would be a good learning experience for him," replied Missingno. "His first opportunity to battle using a Pokémon native to Tanko, such as myself. Red, your Pokédex should provide you a list of my moves."

Red consulted his Pokédex, and his eyes widened as he scrolled through the screen. "This... This is a lot of attacks," he remarked weakly.

"I've been around," Missingno. replied modestly. "Longer than most of my kind. I pick things up along the way. Attacks, attacks, more attacks... the power of human speech... That sort of thing."

"Well, OK, then," Red said with a trace of uncertainty in his voice as he continued to scroll through the sizable list of Missingno.'s moves. "Um... OK, Missingno., use your Water Gun attack."

"Let's get this party started," Missingno. replied as it blasted a stream of water from its mouth, which Marowak had to swoop down to evade before throwing its bone at Missingno.

"Missingno., try your Double Team attack!" Red called out as the Bonemerang flew ever closer. In response, illusory copies of Missingno.'s ghostly form materialized out of thin air, the clones surrounding the Marowak ghost. The Bonemerang passed through what was obviously a Double Team copy, right where Missingno. had been seconds before, as the clone vanished as the attack hit. Marowak caught its bone, and glanced around in all directions, trying to identify the real Missingno.

"Now's your chance, Red," hissed Orange.

"Missingno.! Petal Dance now!" Red ordered.

"I'm on it," came the reply as Missingno., and all of its copies, proceeded to spin around in place. Then, a large quantity of pink flower petals materialized seemingly out of nowhere, surrounding all the Missingno., and then suddenly flew at Marowak, the floral assault coming from all directions. Marowak gave a creepy, echoing groan as the Grass-type attack met its mark. Once the Missingno. all stopped spinning, they looked rather dizzy.

"...Whoa..." Missingno. said in a dazed voice. "That... wild move... Whooo... Yeesh... I... I aim for the one in... in the middle, right?"

"Missingno. is confused," Violet remarked. "Petal Dance will do that to you."

"I figured it'd be enough to take Marowak out," Red sighed. Just then, Marowak charged one of the Missingno. with a Headbutt attack, but merely passed through another copy.

"Missingno., use your Ice Punch!" Red commanded.

"Punch... Ice... Got it, boss..." mumbled Missingno. as a sizable chunk of frost formed over its right fist. Missingno. raised the fist high... and brought it down on its own head, as its copies all mimicked this action. Orange facepalmed.

"It hurt itself in its confusion," Red said.

"Yeah, you think?" snapped Orange.

"Wha... Whoa!" Missingno. exclaimed suddenly, its voice no longer sounding dazed. "OK, I'm good now. We're good."

"Looks like that Ice Punch did one good thing," Violet remarked. "Snapped Missingno. right out of it."

"Sorry about that," Missingno. said as Marowak took a swipe with her bone, wiping out another Double Team clone. "Petal Dance always leaves me reeling for a while."

"It's fine, as long as you're OK," said Red. "Now use Ice Punch, OK?"

"Will do," agreed Missingno. as its fist charged up with ice once again. This time, Missingno. plowed the icy fist right into the Marowak's stomach, and the ghostly Ground-type fell to the floor, where she seemed to be struggling to rise into the air.

"Should we finish it?" Red asked, noting the specter's pitiful condition.

"She'll only get angrier if we leave her like this," responded Missingno.

Red nodded. "Then use your Hyper Beam."

Missingno. nodded back, then turned around and opened its mouth wide, creating an orb of brilliant golden energy within. Then, a beam of the same kind of energy exploded forth from the orb, slamming into the Marowak ghost, and plowing it into the floor. When the beam vanished, however, so did the ghost!

"What the-" began Orange, but he was cut short as the Marowak ghost rematerialized before them, floating in midair- though now her eyes were visible, and her bone hung limply from her hand at her side. She gazed at the trio plus Missingno. for a few seconds, then bowed her head and floated upwards, her form looking more and more transparent, until it vanished completely before it reached the ceiling. A silence followed this occurrence.

"...So," Orange said at length, "does that mean that she-"

"She has passed on," nodded Missingno. "The Marowak's spirit has departed to the afterlife."

A brief silence followed this statement. Indeed, even the atmosphere in the tunnel was starting to feel a little lighter.

"So what now?" asked Red.

Just then, they could hear a commotion coming from the floor below them- minor arguments breaking out, in which the words "...no, we are Team Error, damn it, we have no use for the rest of the Cubone!" could be clearly heard.

"That answer your question?" said Orange as he started down the stairs.

"Best of luck to you all," Missingno. stated. "I will not follow- should those fools learn that my kind can be found in this place, it will only strengthen their resolve. Besides, I have complete confidence in the three of you." After saying this, Missingno. disappeared into thin air while Red and Violet followed Orange down the stairs.

"OK, you Team Error slimeballs!" Orange exclaimed as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

In response, half a dozen men in purple and orange outfits slowly turned to face Orange, who was swiftly accompanied by Red and Violet.

"Hey!" exclaimed one of the grunts suddenly. "Aren't they those meddling kids that screwed with our plans at Moon Canyon?!"

"They are!" another grunt confirmed. "Hey, I owe you three a good thrashing! The boss took that failure out of our salaries!"

"Yeah, yeah, whine about it to someone who cares," said Orange. "Now stop going after those Cubone, and let go all the Pokémon you're stealing!"

"It ain't stealing, they're wild Pokémon!" one of the grunts objected.

"It is if you don't use Poké Balls to catch them," retorted Violet.

"Which brings us back to the whole salary problem-"

"OK, OK, we get it," Red interrupted. "Just back off before we force you to!"

"Heh," sneered a grunt as he took a Poké Ball off his belt and enlarged it to its full size. "He says that like he actually expects us to listen to him."

"Oh, I didn't expect you to listen," Red replied as he too readied a Poké Ball. "I just didn't want to waste my Pokémon's time against you clowns if I didn't have to. Doduo!" he shouted as he threw the ball.

"Tombstone!" yelled Violet as she also threw a ball.

"Go, Nidoking!" exclaimed Orange as he launched another Poké Ball.

The balls opened up, and in triple flashes of light, there appeared Red's Doduo, Violet's h Poké, and Orange's Nidoking. Several of the grunts let out low hisses at the sight of Doduo and Nidoking, but all six of them readied Poké Balls of their own, one for each grunt, and they threw them all at once. Bright light filled the chamber, momentarily blinding everyone present, and once it faded, there were three .4, an LM4, a pPkMnp, and an 'M, all hovering between the trio's Pokémon and the Team Error grunts (except for LM4, who sat on the concrete floor).

"OK, so that's how we're doing it, then?" Violet asked as she took another Poké Ball and held it up, with Red and Orange mirroring this action (except they took theirs off their belts, whereas Violet extracted hers from her fanny pack). "OK, then. Chompy, go get them!"

"Charmeleon, go!" Red shouted.

"I choose you, Q!" exclaimed Orange.

Three more flashes of light, and another trio of Pokémon appeared- their starter Pokémon; Orange's Q, Red's Charmeleon, and Chompy, Violet's Weepinbell.

"Attack!" the grunts shouted as one.

"Use TM28!" three of the grunts yelled simultaneously.

"LM4, Rolling Kick!"

"pPkMnp, use Sludge!"

"'M, Water Gun now!"

"Chompy! Razor Leaf attack now!" Violet called. "And Tombstone, use HM02- take your pick of any of your opponents!"

"Charmeleon, hit pPkMnp with your Flamethrower!" shouted Red. "Doduo, go in there with a Skull Bash!"

"Nidoking, a Rolling Kick!" ordered Orange. "Q, use your Confusion attack!"

The melee ensued. The trio of .4 zipped forward and promptly exploded, though this did not deter Doduo, who leapt forward, smashing its heads into two of the .4, sending them flying right into a wall. Though they were both still conscious, they flew forward rather shakily now. The third .4, meanwhile, was looking slightly paler as it slowly descended to the ground, cluing Violet in on who Tombstone chose as the target of its HM02 attack.

Chompy, Violet's Weepinbell, moved next, swinging its leaves wildly and sending razor-edged foliage flying at its adversaries- the LM4 that sprouted a foot and was currently spinning its way towards Charmeleon took the brunt of the Grass-type move, and crashed to the floor. Charmeleon grinned its appreciation of this, then blasted a stream of fire from its mouth, colliding with pPkMnp's Sludge attack.

In the air, 'M was moving around, trying to strike down Nidoking with Water Gun, but the Poison/Ground-type was moving too quickly, trying to take out its adversary with a Rolling Kick. 'M was evading these kicks with ease, and the two appeared to be at a stalemate. Then, a ray of blue light struck 'M in the back, causing the Shoreline Pokémon to shriek in pain. This also had the added effect of distracting it as Nidoking plowed its foot into the Bird/Normal-type, sending it crashing down to the floor.

While the fight was unquestionably going well for the good guys, Team Error was by no means ready to give in yet. Two of the .4 were still able to fight, though clearly lacking most of their usual energy, and Charmeleon and pPkMnp were still matching Flamethrower with Sludge.

"OK, Charmeleon!" Red exclaimed. "Slash attack now!"

"Char!" growled Charmeleon as it stopped its Flamethrower, leapt out of the way of the Sludge attack, and took a vicious swipe at the Fortress Pokémon with the now-glowing claws on its right hand. In spite of the Poison-type's formidable Defense, it fell to the floor as the attack landed, and moved no more. Then, Chompy leapt into the air, grabbed one of the .4 with its leaves, and forcefully threw it down to the floor before expertly landing next to it.

"Cool," Orange remarked as the Weepinbell looked rather pleased with itself. "What was that move?"

"That was a Slam attack," Violet replied, a grin creeping up her face. "Chompy's learned Slam!"

"Bell bell Weepinbell," Chompy added proudly.

"Gah!" one of the grunts exclaimed. "Enough of this! .4, take them all out! TM09 now!"

"No you don't!" Violet exclaimed. "Chompy! Razor Leaf!"

"Charmeleon! Flamethrower!" Red called out.

"Q! BubbleBeam!" shouted Orange.

Their orders, alas, came far too late, as the grunt's .4 let off a catastrophic explosion, blasting everyone backwards. As Violet hit the floor with a thud, she felt something fall out of her still-open fanny pack, but in the dust cloud the explosion caused, she couldn't see what it was. For a moment, all was still and quiet. Red, Orange, and Violet slowly climbed to their feet, each of them checking for injuries and thankfully finding none. The dust was far from settling, though, and they were all concerned for their Pokémon. And then, suddenly, rays of bright yellow light started shining through the dust cloud.

"Wait... What- I think one of our Pokémon is evolving," Red stated as he squinted, trying to see the evolving Pokémon through the dust. This squinting was made unnecessary, however, as the dust finally started to settle, revealing not one, but two glowing figures, changing shape and size. Before Violet could conduct a quick headcount of the present Pokemon to determine which ones were evolving, the glowing stopped, revealing the pair of newly evolved Pokémon. One was an upside-down yellow bell with a pair of leaves that seemed to function as arms. A large leaf sat atop the mouthlike opening, though did not hide the four vicious fangs it now sported. From the stem of the leaf sprouted a thick, brown vine. The other one was a majestic orange dragon with large wings, and a roaring fire on the tip of its tail. The former screeched menacingly while the latter roared triumphantly.

"Chompy?!" Violet exclaimed. "So it was the Leaf Stone that fell out of my fanny pack!"

"Ch-Charizard..." Red murmured, awestruck by the sight.

"Chompy and Charmeleon evolved!" Orange exclaimed as Red and Violet dug out their Pokédexes and pointed them at their newly evolved starters.

"Victreebel, the Flycatcher Pokémon, and the evolved form of Weepinbell," droned Violet's Pokédex. "Though rumored to live in colonies deep in the jungle, nobody who has gone to investigate has returned to confirm this. Anything it swallows is digested within a day."

"Charizard, the Flame Pokémon, and the evolved form of Charmeleon," said Red's Pokédex. "Spits fire hot enough to melt boulders. Has been known to accidentally start forest fires."

The Team Error grunts exchanged slightly panicked glances as every single one of them withdrew their unconscious Pokémon. Orange withdrew Nidoking, as he had not been lucky enough to escape the blast unscathed, but Charizard and Chompy both looked ready and raring to fight, along with Q.

"...We should go," one of the grunts said meekly.

"Not so fast," Violet grinned. "You guys aren't going anywhere until you let every single Pokémon you got in cages go free. And those Cubone skulls? Don't even think about taking those with you."

"And what if we don't want to?" one of the grunts asked defiantly before being slapped upside the head by one of his colleagues.

"Don't want to? OK," shrugged Red. "Charizard, use your Flamethro-"

"OK, OK, we'll do it, yeesh!" the grunt snapped.

Red, Violet, and Orange oversaw the grunts as they grudgingly unlocked each and every cage lining the walls, letting all the h Poké trapped within go free. The Victreebel frisked them, checking their pockets with its vine and retrieving countless Cubone skulls. There were no Cubone anywhere around, skull-less or otherwise, however, so the skulls merely piled up on the floor next to Chompy. Once the grunts had all grudgingly filed up the stairs, Red noticed the figure of an old man, kneeling before a tombstone at the far end of the room.

"Hey," Red called out to the man. "Excuse me, who are you?"

Slowly, the man lifted his head, stood up, and turned to face the trio. "Ah," he said. "Forgive me, I haven't introduced myself. You can call me Mr. Ujif. I must commend the three of you for forcing those Team Error folks to leave this place. I came here to pray for Marowak's spirit... it seems that she is finally at peace."

"And the Cubone-" began Orange, but Mr. Ujif bowed his head somberly.

"The ones whose skulls were stolen, they did not survive," he said quietly. "I buried them myself- Team Error had no objections to this, all they cared for were the skulls. I have not yet filled in the graves, so I can add the skulls now... I think you three should head out. Go to the Pokémon Center and get some rest, it has likely been a trying day for you."

"I'll say," Orange replied. "All this has been a lot to handle... Ghosts, and everything..."

"Tell you what, stop by my house tomorrow morning," Mr. Ujif offered. "I will be able to thank you all properly then."

"Sure," Violet responded. "OK, c'mon, let's go, you two."
~~~~~~~~
The ascent back up Pokémon Tunnel was far easier than the descent. No possessed Channelers barred their path, no unruly ghosts tried to tangle with them, and the atmosphere, while still noticeably somber, was definitely lighter than it had been before. Once they were back outside, it took the group all of seven minutes to locate the Pokémon Center- as it transpired, it was right down the street, and they had in fact walked right past it, which Violet and Orange were quick to blame on each other. After they had all eaten a good dinner and healed their Pokémon, night had fallen. The trio were just getting ready to go to sleep on the bunk beds provided by the room they had taken for the night.

"OK, so what's the plan for tomorrow?" Red asked.

"After we visit Mr. Ujif, I'm thinking we head right for Nodacel City," said Orange. "If we start early, the Gym Leader should be able to get in a battle with at least one of us tomorrow."

"That's a pretty long walk," Violet remarked. "You sure we'll have enough time tomorrow?"

"Sure I'm sure," Orange said confidently. "With me leading the way, what could go wrong? Don't answer that," he added sternly as Violet opened her mouth. Chuckling at this exchange, Red popped his earplugs into his ears and dozed off to sleep, though he was so tired out by the day's events that he doubted that even Orange's cacophonous snoring would be sufficient to wake him.

~~~~~~~~
End of Chapter 20.

[Moonlight Amaryllis]

Freaking finally ...and first review

Anyways, I felt that Marowak simple "passing on" was a little creepy; so, she just leaves to the afterlife and that's that? I have a bad feeling about that theory, Missingno...That brings me to something else, though. Missingno. is a weird Pokemo--thing. How many attacks can it learn at a time? 0_0;;

The battle(s?) against Team Error felt...explosive *shot*. Not one, but TWO evolutions? And a Charizard, of all things? *dies* But the part where "something" fell out of Violet's fanny pack...I honestly thought it was going to be PokeBall for something. You caught me by surprise. Good boy *pats on head* *shot*

Anyways, good chapter, though certain places would've appreciated more detail. Keep writing, Missingno. Master~

[Missingno. Master]

Anyways, I felt that Marowak simple "passing on" was a little creepy; so, she just leaves to the afterlife and that's that? I have a bad feeling about that theory, Missingno...That brings me to something else, though. Missingno. is a weird Pokemo--thing. How many attacks can it learn at a time? 0_0;;

I don't think there's much to have a bad feeling about. Marowak's spirit is at rest now, that's all there is to it. And in this fic, there's no four-move limit. The ghost and skeleton forms of Missingno. are capable of knowing just about any move, based on Pokemon that are on your team when you catch it, and can learn every TM and HM (not all at once, but their TM and HM compatibility changes to match the last Pokemon the game loaded data for, in addition to stats and types).

The battle(s?) against Team Error felt...explosive *shot*. Not one, but TWO evolutions? And a Charizard, of all things? *dies* But the part where "something" fell out of Violet's fanny pack...I honestly thought it was going to be PokeBall for something. You caught me by surprise. Good boy *pats on head* *shot*

It seemed appropriate to me for their starters to reach their final forms simultaneously, even if 44Hy evolved much earlier. Glad the part where the Leaf Stone fell out wasn't completely expected, too!

Anyways, good chapter, though certain places would've appreciated more detail. Keep writing, Missingno. Master~

Thanks!

[Knightfall]

Hope you're happy Moonlight Absol, you got the first review. Anyways, my review.

I liked this chapter, though some of the battle scenes looked rather scrunched together into one block paragraph and it made it somewhat difficult to read. So, I suggest spacing those out just a little bit.

Other than that, I enjoyed the Missingno. battle with Marowak as well as the Team Error grunts. And two evolutions?! I was expecting Charmeleon's, but not Chompy's. So kudos to you for putting in the unexpected.

Well, not much else to say aside from I can't wait for the next chapter. Keep up the good work.

Knightfall signing off...

[SneaselFTW]

Very good chapter, liked the way Missingno. could learn lots of moves and was 'loaned' to Red. Found one error though:

The melee ensued. The trio of .4 zipped forward and promptly exploded, though this did not deter Doduo, who leapt forward, smashing its heads into two of the .4, sending them flying right into a wall. Though they were both still conscious, they flew forward rather shakily now. The third .4, meanwhile, was looking slightly paler as it slowly descended to the ground, cluing Violet in on who Tombstone chose as the target of its HM02 attack. Chompy, Violet's Weepinbell, moved next, swinging its leaves wildly and sending razor-edged foliage flying at its adversaries- the LM4 that sprouted a foot and was currently spinning its way towards Charmeleon took the brunt of the Grass-type move, and crashed to the floor. Charmeleon grinned its appreciation of this, then blasted a stream of fire from its mouth, colliding with pPkMnp's Sludge attack. In the air, 'M was moving around, trying to strike down Nidoking with Water Gun, but the Poison/Ground-type was moving too quickly, trying to take out its adversary with a Rolling Kick. 'M was evading these kicks with ease, and the two appeared to be at a stalemate. Then, a ray of blue light struck 'M in the back, causing the Shoreline Pokémon to shriek in pain. This also had the added effect of distracting it as Nidoking plowed its foot into the Bird/Normal-type, sending it crashing down to the floor.

I think this is meant to be Flying/Normal, but I don't know the typing of glitches.

[Rotomknight]

How did you get Mr. Ijif

[Missingno. Master]

I liked this chapter, though some of the battle scenes looked rather scrunched together into one block paragraph and it made it somewhat difficult to read. So, I suggest spacing those out just a little bit.

Yeah, I'll fix that. Though if you think about it, it sort of makes sense that a chaotic melee of a battle would be somewhat hard to follow... But yeah, I'll fix it.

Other than that, I enjoyed the Missingno. battle with Marowak as well as the Team Error grunts. And two evolutions?! I was expecting Charmeleon's, but not Chompy's. So kudos to you for putting in the unexpected.

Thanks!

Well, not much else to say aside from I can't wait for the next chapter. Keep up the good work.

Knightfall signing off...

Thanks, I will.

Very good chapter, liked the way Missingno. could learn lots of moves and was 'loaned' to Red. Found one error though:

I think this is meant to be Flying/Normal, but I don't know the typing of glitches.

Believe it or not, that's no error. 'M is Bird/Normal. The Bird-type has no weaknesses or resistances, and is only found on 'M and the normal form of Missingno.

How did you get Mr. Ijif

Supposed to be Ujif. It was to be an anagram of Mr. Fuji's name, but I made a rather stupid typo there that inexplicably stuck. I'll fix it shortly.

EDIT: Block paragraph has been spaced out, and typos have been fixed.

I've started to work on the next chapter right now. No telling when it'll be ready.

[Ga'Hooleone]

Nice chapter like always, Missingo. Master.

It seems that the Adventure of Adventureness Missingno. Master wasn't even your final form. Back to silent reading for me anyway, and add me to the PM list.

Orange exclaimed as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

...Meowth that's right?

[Jonah the Slaking]

Oh look, I didn't miss this.

Isn't it a bit early for Charizard? I mean, I didn't get to level 36 in ANY Pokemon game until Gym 4 at the earliest. And that was when all my training went to one Pokemon. Victreebel I get, though. Chompy gon' wreck stuph.

[ESPNfanatic35]

This chapter was definitely worth the wait. I loved the Missingno. character and how it interacted with Red during its battle. I think that's the only time you'll hear "I'm on it" from your battling partner after commanding an attack!

"Kyu kyu kyu kyuuuuu," replied Q as a pair of blocky feet sprouted out of its sides, one foot protruding from each side. Q then spun around in midair and charged at Marowak, kicking at it repeatedly.

Oh my, this put quite the image in my head! Just awesome! Violet and Psyduck definitely brings back great memories of Misty and Psyduck from the anime in the 90s (I feel so old!!!!) And Orange, being my favorite character, is hilarious as always.

The only question I have is about this:

As the bone soared through the air and made an abrupt u-turn, however, Red began to suspect that this was an attack.

"Q, look out for the Bonemerang!" Orange shouted in alarm

Did you mean to put "Orange began to suspect" instead of Red? I just ask because it was Orange who said "look out" instead of Red so I didn''t know if that was intentional or if you just meant to put a different name.

Fantastic chapter and I can't wait for more!

[Missingno. Master]

Nice chapter like always, Missingo. Master.

It seems that the Adventure of Adventureness Missingno. Master wasn't even your final form. Back to silent reading for me anyway, and add me to the PM list.


...Meowth that's right?

Heh, thanks. And consider yourself added to the PM list.

Oh look, I didn't miss this.

Isn't it a bit early for Charizard? I mean, I didn't get to level 36 in ANY Pokemon game until Gym 4 at the earliest. And that was when all my training went to one Pokemon. Victreebel I get, though. Chompy gon' wreck stuph.

Well, they're not very far from Gym 4 as it is right now, but you do make a decent point. Then again, I have a tendency to bend the game rules a little bit every so often.

This chapter was definitely worth the wait. I loved the Missingno. character and how it interacted with Red during its battle. I think that's the only time you'll hear "I'm on it" from your battling partner after commanding an attack!



Oh my, this put quite the image in my head! Just awesome! Violet and Psyduck definitely brings back great memories of Misty and Psyduck from the anime in the 90s (I feel so old!!!!) And Orange, being my favorite character, is hilarious as always.

The only question I have is about this:

Did you mean to put "Orange began to suspect" instead of Red? I just ask because it was Orange who said "look out" instead of Red so I didn''t know if that was intentional or if you just meant to put a different name.

Fantastic chapter and I can't wait for more!

Thanks! I'm glad you like it, and yeah, I think I meant to put "Orange" there instead of "Red". I'll fix that now.

[Missingno. Master]

Sorry for the wait, but things have been pretty busy for me lately. But you didn't come in here to read my excuses, I'm sure, no, you came in here to read...

Chapter 21: The Rematch With Red
~~~~~~~~

The next morning went by with little event. Orange woke the other two up at around 5:00 AM, insisting that they needed to get going if they were to reach Nodacel Gym today. Groggily, Red woke up and looked over as Violet was glaring over at Orange, clearly wanting nothing more at the moment than to smack him upside the head for waking them up at such an unMewly hour.

Once they had eaten their breakfast (with Orange and Violet having their usual argument over whether or not the latter was an evenetarian), the trio headed out.

"OK, which way was it to Mr. Ujif's house?" asked Red.

"This way," Orange said confidently as he turned right and started walking. Red made to follow him, but Violet put her hand on his shoulder to stop him. Red turned to look at Violet questioningly, and in response, she pointed to the sign on the house next to the Pokémon Center (the exact opposite of where Orange was going), which seemed to be made of rusty sheet metal, with the words "Mr. Ujif's house" carved into it. Minutes later, Orange returned, fuming mad. "You know, one of you could have told me I was going the wrong way!" he snapped.

"Yeah, but the way you tend to not listen to anyone, I figured it'd be a waste of breath," chuckled Violet as she led the way up to the dying hedge that seemed to serve as a door. Red hesitated, then gingerly knocked on the suffering shrubbery. Within moments, it swung open, and Mr. Ujif was standing there in the doorway.

"Ah, hello," he said. "Please, please, come in." Violet followed him inside, with Red and Orange following.

The inside of Mr. Ujif's house was at odds with the general feel of Vandeler Town, in that it was brightly lit and almost cheerful. Red noticed a number of Pokémon roaming around the single room- a Psyduck was waddling around, an LM4 swam in a large tank of water over in a corner, and there was also a Venonat wandering around, looking up curiously at the newcomers.

"These were abandoned by their trainers," explained Mr. Ujif. "I take in any abandoned Pokémon I find and help nurse them back to health. I have volunteers who come in and help me with this, but it's rather early, none of them are here just yet. Anyway, once the Pokémon are back to full health, I give them the option to leave if they should choose... some of them do leave, but some of them prefer to stay with me. This Venonat here in particular doesn't want to leave at all. And then, sometimes you get those trainers who didn't abandon their Pokémon, but instead were accidentally separated from them. I get some of those stopping by on rare occasions, and their Pokémon are always so happy to be reunited with them. Ah, yes, but I don't think I got your names?"

"I'm Violet," said Violet. "This is Red, and Mr. Early Bird over here is Orange."

"A pleasure," Mr. Ujif replied courteously. "Now then, I wanted to thank you three for your actions in the Tunnel last night. Come over here." He led them over to a small wooden desk, where he opened a drawer and withdrew three items from within. "These items should be rather helpful to you three on your journey." He handed a gray disc to Violet, a Poké Ball with a yellow and black top to Red, and what appeared to be an odd cross between a Poké Ball and a flute to Orange.

"That is Hidden Machine number two," Mr. Ujif explained. "It will teach Fly to any Pokémon able to learn it. Unlike Technical Machines, Hidden Machines, or HMs, are reusable. A Pokémon with Fly will be able to safely and comfortably transport passengers across the skies, and it is also a useful technique in battles. Red, I gave you an Ultra Ball. It's a rather rare item, an improvement on the regular Poké Ball, even surpassing the Great Ball. It has a much better chance of catching a wild Pokémon. And Orange, that is a Poké Flute. Any sleeping Pokémon that hears it will wake up instantly."

"Thanks," Red grinned as he placed the Ultra Ball in his backpack.

"Er... yes, thanks," Violet said as she looked at her newly acquired HM, though the idea of a Flying-type propelling her through the air did not excite her, to say the least.

"Awesome!" exclaimed Orange as he accepted the Poké Flute. "I've heard of these! Lemme try-" and he took the flute and tried to play a tune on it. Immediately, Red was subjected to the most horribly, off-key, out of tune screeching it has ever been his displeasure to have slither its way into his ears, and that was counting Orange's snoring. Red and Violet clapped their hands over their ears immediately, while Mr. Ujif didn't seem to react to it.

"Oh my Mew, stop it!!" Violet bellowed, though Orange didn't seem to hear her. As she realized that her shouts were falling on deaf ears, this seemed to annoy her, for she then kicked him in the shin. This got him to stop.

"Ow!" Orange exclaimed, clearly annoyed. "What the hell was that for, Vi?!"

"'What was that for'?" Violet repeated incredulously. "Could you not hear yourself? You're a musical menace! I've heard Screech attacks that were easier on the ears!"

In response, Orange held the Poké Flute back up to his mouth again and resumed playing, this time gleefully taking in Violet's reaction. This lasted several seconds before Violet suddenly reached out and swiped the Poké Flute from Orange's hands. "Hey!" Orange exclaimed. "Give that back!"

"Sure," smirked Violet. "As long as you never play it again. Ever."

"Well, what's the point of that?!" Orange spluttered. "What the hell, Vi?! I'm not that bad!"

"No, you're not- you're worse," retorted Violet. "Now promise me you won't play it or I'll feed it to Chompy."

"Fine!" Orange snapped. "I won't never play it again, happy?"

"Try again," said Violet. "Think you can slip a double negative past me like that?"

Orange grumbled under his breath, and finally, with gritted teeth, hissed, "Fine. I will never play it again. I promise."

"There, now, was that so hard?" said Violet, smugly grinning at Orange's furious expression.

"Of course it was!" Orange roared as he took his Poké Flute back and stuffed it deep into the depths of his bag. "C'mon, let's get moving, we want to get to Nodacel City today, don't we?"

"Ah, is that dreadful noise over?" Mr. Ujif asked suddenly, adjusting an unseen something in his left ear. "I turned my hearing aid off once you started playing, Orange."

Orange scowled as Violet flashed an "I told you so" kind of look to him, and grumbled his goodbyes to Mr. Ujif. Red and Violet also bid him farewell and followed him out of the house.

They walked down the drab and dismal streets of Vandeler Town, and after some time, found themselves on a noticeably brighter and less depressing road, albeit one that appeared to be made of an odd combination of rocky patches of land, tufts of tall grass, square puddles of water, and a bunch of 3s and 8s, with two or three freeze arches strewn around the area. It seemed to lead right out of town.

"Alright," grinned Orange, already in noticeably better spirits. "We should be on Route -8 right now. This'll lead us to Fansfor City, and we should be able to take the bridge over that unless we can reason with the gatekeeper... " Orange snorted in laughter at the idea. "Like that'll happen," he added.

"We gotta try, at least," Violet stated, a faint note of desperation in her voice.

"Oh, yeah, right, you don't like heights, do you, Vi?" smirked Orange.

"Orange?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"We'll try the guardhouse first, though, anyway, right?" asked Red. "I mean, if there's a Gym in Fansfor City, we'll need to get in there at some point anyway."

"Good point," conceded Orange as he turned around to continue going forwards. "I guess- WHOA!" For standing right in front of Orange was a boy who looked to be roughly Red's age, maybe a little older. He was clad in a brown t-shirt and matching pants, and his black hair was spiked up.

"We meet again, Red," smirked the boy.

"Who are you?" demanded Orange.

"Oh, yeah... Terrence, right?" asked Violet. "From the S.S. Nean?"

"Yeah, that's him," nodded Red. "What's up, Terrence?"

"What's up is that I want a rematch," Terrence stated. "Three Pokémon each sound good to you?"

Red shrugged. "Sure thing," he replied.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Orange interrupted. "We don't have time for that sort of thing! Red, have you already forgotten what we're hoping to get done today? Nodacel Gym?"

"It's still morning," Red replied. "We got time for a battle."

"That's what I like to hear!" Terrence exclaimed, grinning widely. "And you're going down this time, Red- you're going down hard!"

"We'll see about that," Red retorted. "Violet, could you please referee this?"

"Sure," Violet replied. "Oh, lighten up," she added as Orange scowled at her. "If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't gonna side with you in this one in any case."

"That doesn't make me feel better at all," snapped Orange.

"Yeah, didn't really think it would," Violet smirked.

Red and Terrence set a good distance between them as Violet stood at the sidelines, glancing between the two trainers as each of them prepared a Poké Ball.

"Three-on-three Pokémon battle between Red and Terrence is about to get underway," she announced. "Begin!"

"Sandslash! Go!" shouted Terrence as he heaved his Poké Ball.

"I choose you, Raticate!" bellowed Red.

In twin flashes of light, Red's Raticate appeared, along with a sand-colored creature with sharp white claws on its hands, and a mass of brown spikes all along its back. Red took out his Pokédex and pointed it at Terrence's Pokémon.

"Sandslash, the Mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Sandshrew," droned the device. "Curls into a ball when threatened. It is skilled at slashing with its sharp claws."

"Sandslash! Fury Swipes!" ordered Terrence.

"Raticate! Water Gun!" Red commanded.

As Sandslash brandished its long and viciously curved claws and ran towards Raticate, the Normal-type responded with a forceful jet of water from its mouth.

"Slaaaaash!" exclaimed Sandslash as it held its claws up to its face in an effort to block the super effective attack.

"Come on, Sandslash!" yelled Terrence. "Fight back with Poison Sting!"

"Quick Attack now!" said Red.

Sandslash leapt into the air, curled into a ball, and started rolling in place, causing multiple glowing purple needles to fly off its body. Raticate began dashing around, zigzagging back and forth, and changing directions constantly to evade the shower of spikes. Finally, it sprung up into the air and tackled Sandslash at great speeds, knocking it to the ground.

"Sandslash, Dig!" Terrence commanded.

"Raticate, quick, use Hyper Fang!" Red ordered.

Sandslash started to tear at the ground with its claws, but Raticate got to it in time and sank its prominent front teeth into one of its arms. Though Sandslash managed to shake Raticate off, it still slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"OK, Sandslash is unable to battle, so Raticate wins," declared Violet.

"Damn it!" exclaimed Terrence, holding out the Poké Ball. "Sandslash, return now!" Once Sandslash had been withdrawn, Terrence produced and threw another ball. "Let's go, Graveler!"

In a flash of light, what appeared to be a large, living boulder materialized. It stood on two stumpy feet, and possessed four arms, though two of them were drastically smaller than the other two.

"Water Gun now!" Red shouted.

"Graveler, Tackle it!" commanded Terrence.

"Graveler," growled Graveler as it folded in its arms and rolled forward, forcing its way through the stream of water Raticate was blasting it with.

"Dodge it!" Red shouted.

Immediately, Raticate stopped its Water Gun attack and darted out of the way, successfully evading Graveler's Tackle. Then, on Red's command, Raticate opened its mouth and let loose with another Water Gun. Graveler, however, was able to roll right out of the way of this one.

"Do it! Double-Edge now!" Terrence roared.

"Graveler!!" exclaimed the Rock/Ground-type as it increased the speed of its rolling and slammed into Raticate from the side, sending the Rat Pokémon skidding across the rocks, grass, and numbers. Raticate came to rest at Red's feet, clearly unconscious.

"Raticate can't continue," ruled Violet. "Graveler is the winner!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" grinned Terrence as Red withdrew his unconscious Raticate. "Next victim, Red!"

"Next? Sure," Red replied as he readied a Poké Ball. "But victim? I don't think so," he added as he launched the ball forward. "Parasect! Go!" he shouted, and in a flash of light, the Mushroom Pokémon materialized, scuttling forward, ready for action.

"Hah!" Terrence laughed. "Too easy! Rock Throw, Graveler! Now!"

"Grav Graveler grav!" rumbled Graveler as four glowing brown stones materialized, one in each of its hands. It then threw the rocks towards Parasect with great force.

"Parasect, Bide!" Red commanded.

"Sect!" hissed Parasect as it folded in its claws and focused hard, a faint white glow taking over its entire body. Even the rocks slamming into its large mushroom didn't break its focus.

"Crap..." muttered Terrence. "Don't attack anymore, not just yet," he added. "Use Harden!"

"Graveler," replied Graveler as its entire body took on a silver metallic shine for a brief second. At that moment, Parasect hissed loudly and fired off a massive white beam of energy from its entire body, which plowed into Graveler, sending it rolling backwards. Terrence jumped out of the way as Graveler rolled right over where he had been standing moments before, and then the Rock/Ground-type crashed into what appeared to be a large tree shoddily constructed out of sheet metal and roof shingles. Violet glanced over at the Graveler, now as unmoving as actual rock, and called out her ruling.

"OK, looks like Graveler's out of the match," she declared. "Parasect wins this round."

"Mew damn it!" Terrence spat as he returned Graveler to its Poké Ball. "OK, that does it! I! Will! Not! Lose!" he exclaimed as he took a third Poké Ball off his belt and enlarged it. "Nidorina, I choose you!!" he bellowed as he threw the ball.

In a flash of light, the pale blue form of Terrence's Nidorina appeared. Parasect and Nidorina glared across the battlefield at each other, ready for action.

"Parasect, use your Leech Life attack!" Red commanded.

"Para para Parasect!" Parasect hissed as it scuttled forward as fast as its small legs would carry it, its tiny fangs glowing green.

"Nidorina! Ice Beam!" roared Terrence.

"Rinaaaaaa!" screeched Nidorina as she opened her mouth wide and formed a light blue orb within. Then, from the orb exploded forth a dazzling beam of light blue, which struck Parasect's mushroom, causing thick patches of ice to form all over, spreading rapidly to cover its entire body. Parasect tried to muscle through the Ice Beam, but the super effective Ice-type move was far too much for the Bug/Grass-type to handle, and Parasect slumped to the ground in defeat.

"Parasect's unable to battle!" Violet declared. "Nidorina wins!"

"You did good, Parasect," sighed Red as he withdrew the Mushroom Pokémon. "Take a good rest." As he stowed Parasect's Poké Ball back on his belt, he took another ball and enlarged it. Pausing only to flash a confident grin across the battlefield, Red turned his hat backwards before throwing the sphere. "I choose you, Charizard!" Red exclaimed as the ball split open, unleashing the majestic Fire/Flying-type. Red's Charizard, upon fully forming from the burst of light, gave a loud roar, landed on the ground, and glanced down at the Nidorina it had fought some time ago.

"Not bad," Terrence remarked, nodding. "So your Charmeleon evolved. Cool. But not enough! Nidorina! Water Gun!"

"Charizard, use your Flamethrower!" Red commanded.

"Ri-naaaaaaaaa!" Nidorina bellowed as she unleashed a blast of water from its mouth. Charizard responded with a roar as a stream of flames exploded forth from its mouth. Unlike the evenly matched attacks from their initial battle, however, Charizard's Flamethrower overpowered the Water Gun completely- so hot were the flames that the Water Gun evaporated on contact, resulting in a lot of steam obscuring Red's view of Nidorina. He therefore didn't see as Terrence dug into his pocket and gently tossed something at Nidorina. He did, however, see the sudden bright light cutting through the steam. As the steam vanished, Red could see that the bright light was coming off of Nidorina as she changed shape and size- Nidorina was evolving.

"Hey, you can't make your Pokémon evolve in the middle of battle like that!" Orange exclaimed.

"Wrong as usual, Orange," said Violet. "It's usually frowned upon, but it is in fact not against Pokémon League regulations to use evolution stones on one's Pokémon during a battle."

As Violet said this, the glowing ceased, and a dark blue beast stood in Nidorina's place, built similarly to a Nidoking. The new Pokémon opened her mouth and gave a deep roar. Red took out his Pokédex, opened it up, and pointed it at this newest adversary.

"Nidoqueen, the Drill Pokémon, and the evolved form of Nidorina," droned the device. "Its hard scales provide strong protection. It uses its hefty bulk to execute powerful moves."

"Charizard, Flamethrower now!" Red commanded.

"Nidoqueen, Thunderbolt now!" shouted Terrence.

Both Pokémon roared loudly as they launched their respective attacks. A stream of fire was unleashed from Charizard's mouth as Nidoqueen launched a sizzling bolt of lightning from her body. The attacks connected at the same time. Charizard struggled as electricity coursed through its body, but stubbornly continued its fiery onslaught. Nidoqueen roared in pain as the flames ravaged her body, but continued to give off electricity. Once both Pokémon finished, they stood in place, eyeing each other warily, both of them charred and smoking. Then, after a long and tense silence, Nidoqueen slumped to the ground.

"Nidoqueen cannot continue! Red and Charizard are the winners!" Violet declared.

"GAAAAAAH!" roared Terrence as he held out the Poké Ball and withdrew Nidoqueen. "That's twice you've beaten me now, Red, but mark my words, THIS IS NOT OVER!" Without waiting for a response, he wheeled around and stormed off in the opposite direction, only to trip on a rock and stumble to the ground. Though Red stepped forward to offer to help him up, Terrence got to his feet by himself and turned back to face the group. "I may have tripped, but that does not diminish the impact of this exit!" he snapped before storming off once more, this time actually looking where he was walking.

Orange shook his head and made a disapproving noise as Red withdrew Charizard. "What a sore loser!" he said. Red and Violet exchanged exasperated glances at this, but nobody pushed the subject as they continued their walk.

"That was a pretty good battle, though, Red," Violet said.

"Yeah, gotta hand it to you, Red," Orange added. "Charizard's pretty powerful."

"Thanks, guys," Red smiled. "I just hope I do this well against the Nodacel Gym Leader."

"Well, might not be much longer before you find out," Orange stated as they came to a large building which seemed to be constructed out of concrete slabs, roofing shingles, chunks of rock, and pine cones. On either side of the building, a solid, if strange, fence constructed out of wooden planks, sixes, twos, and entire tree limbs, leaves and all. There was no way around the building, except for a staircase that seemed to be made entirely out of aluminum siding. The staircase seemed to lead to a bridge which stretched for a considerable distance. Violet barely suppressed a shudder at the sight, and instead led the way into the building.

Inside the building, there were merely two counters on either side of a single path leading to the opposite end. Behind one of the counters was a slightly overweight security guard. As soon as he noticed the trio, he shook his head. "Sorry, kids," he said. "Road's closed."

"Why?" asked Red.

"Because I'm hungry," he replied simply.

"And you're closing the road to Fansfor City because you're hungry?" demanded Orange.

"Yes, I believe I am," the guard replied, a distinctly smug look on his face. "See, they put me in charge of this gatehouse, and I can do what I like here. So whenever I'm hungry, road's closed."

"So go and get something to eat," suggested Violet.

"Hmmm... nah, don't think so," replied the guard, shaking his head. "If you're looking to get to Nodacel City, just take the bridge."

"I'd rather not," Violet said, her voice shaking ever so slightly at the thought of crossing the bridge. "I'd prefer it if you let us through."

"Ain't happening, missy," insisted the guard. "Now get out of here before I force you to," he added threateningly, brandishing a Poké Ball in his right hand.

"Fine," sighed Red. "C'mon, guys, let's not cause any trouble here."

Violet followed Red, though rather reluctantly. Orange made to follow them, but turned back to the guard and hissed, "This isn't over, tubby," before storming out of the small building. Red was already making his way up the spiral staircase, with Violet nervously following him. Orange took up the rear, and before long, the three of them were at one end of a long, narrow bridge, which stretched the entire way across Fansfor City, above the one they had crossed previously, which had stretched from North to South. This bridge seemed to be made completely out of wooden planks, and in place of handrails, there were simply chains made of countless eights linked together. Red started across, with Violet slowly following.

"Um... Red?" Violet said quietly. "Could you... possibly... go a little slower?"

"Sure," nodded Red. He stopped to allow Violet to catch up, then started walking again, albeit at a much slower pace. As with the previous time, this slow pace irritated Orange greatly. Every few seconds, he mimed the action of looking at his nonexistent watch, but as he was behind the others, this would go unnoticed every time. Then, one of the boards broke as Violet stepped on it. Though Violet was in no danger of falling through, she stifled a scream and wrapped her arms around Red almost instinctively. Red blushed at this sudden action, and Orange, noticing the whole thing, scowled.

After a good fifteen minutes, the trio finally made it across the bridge and down the stairs on the opposite end. Once they made it back down onto the ground (here, the ground was more rocks and grass than anything else, though there were several square puddles and at least one freeze arch), Violet sighed in relief.

"Oh, come on," grumbled Orange.

"You know, you could be a little more sensitive about my fear," snapped Violet.

"Oh, this from the person who caught a Caterpie just because I'm afraid of bugs," Orange shot back. Violet opened her mouth to argue, but no sound came out as she realized that Orange had actually brought forth a valid point.
~~~~~~~~
From there, it was but a mere half hour's walk until they reached a mass of concrete/metal/plastic skyscrapers- Nodacel City. It took them even less time to locate the Pokémon Center, as it was conveniently located in very close proximity to the entrance of the city. As they entered and handed their Pokémon to the nurse, Violet turned to Orange.

"Hey, Orange," she muttered. "I... maybe I didn't have to, you know, catch Flutters. I mean, I guess you were right back there... Even if you weren't all that sensitive about my fear of heights, I suppose I was no better..." Violet trailed off there, looking slightly awkward.

"Well... thanks," Orange said, somewhat surprised by what Violet had said. "Heh, it'd still kill you to give me a sincere apology, wouldn't it?"

"Orange?"

"What?"

"Shut up."

At that moment, the nurse returned, handing all the Poké Balls back to their respective owners. "All healed," she declared. "Though, Red," she added.

"Yeah?" said Red.

"That Charizard of yours was pretty worn out. Looks like it's been in a tough battle recently," the nurse informed him. "It's perfectly fine now, but just to play it safe, I wouldn't let it battle for another day or so, OK?"

"Fine," shrugged Red. "You're right, it was in a pretty tough battle, though," he added, grinning with pride in his starter.

"This is not good timing, though," Orange shook his head as they exited the Pokémon Center. "Nodacel's Gym Leader uses Grass-types. Charizard would have been your best bet."

"Well, I still got Doduo, Parasect, and Raticate," Red replied. "That's two with the type advantage, and one that's just all-around good. I'm feeling pretty good about this."

"I hear that, I guess," grinned Orange. "Fearow can probably take the Gym Leader's whole team by itself, though Nidoking couldn't hurt, either. And then there's .4, too."

"I think Flutters and Skulls can take this," added Violet. "Chompy, too- oh, look, looks like we're here."

Indeed, they had just arrived in front of a massive building that seemed to be constructed entirely out of various leafy plants, with a number of numbers thrown in as well. Carved into a giant piece of wood across the giant threes that made up the Gym's doors were the words "Nodacel City Pokémon Gym".

"Well, OK, then," Red said, determination on his face. "Let's do this."

~~~~~~~~
End of Chapter 21.

[Knightfall]

Nice chapter, nothing I found wrong with it.

It does seem like there's a lot that was going on in the chapter, and, well, there was. Mr. Uijf's house, and the battle with Terrence just seemed like a lot to have happen, but that was just me.

Now, Terrence, I figured we'd be seeing more of him after his first battle with Red, but I didn't expect that he'd grow to be even more of a sore loser. I mean, evolving your Pokemon in battle is just a shrewd move, very creative and useful, but still shrewd. Glad Charizard was able to put him in his place for now.

Well, I can't wait to see the gym battle next chapter. I hope you find time to write and enjoy yourself soon, things have been busy for me this time of the year as well.

Knightfall signing off...

[jeffdavid102]

I never really saw the problem of evolving a Pokemon mid-battle, except it always seems a bit too convenient. Maybe you could have shown him getting the Moon Stone last time they saw Terrence.

[Missingno. Master]

Nice chapter, nothing I found wrong with it.

It does seem like there's a lot that was going on in the chapter, and, well, there was. Mr. Uijf's house, and the battle with Terrence just seemed like a lot to have happen, but that was just me.

Now, Terrence, I figured we'd be seeing more of him after his first battle with Red, but I didn't expect that he'd grow to be even more of a sore loser. I mean, evolving your Pokemon in battle is just a shrewd move, very creative and useful, but still shrewd. Glad Charizard was able to put him in his place for now.

Well, I can't wait to see the gym battle next chapter. I hope you find time to write and enjoy yourself soon, things have been busy for me this time of the year as well.

Knightfall signing off...

Glad you liked it! And yeah, it was kind of an eventful chapter, wasn't it? In the past, I've been guilty of turning out short, uneventful chapters, and I try to steer clear of that now.

I never really saw the problem of evolving a Pokemon mid-battle, except it always seems a bit too convenient. Maybe you could have shown him getting the Moon Stone last time they saw Terrence.

Well, in this case, it was intended to seem convenient. Terrence is the kind of trainer who would resort to that kind of thing to win.

[pacman000]

Just read the last two chapters. I can understand why Violet's afraid of the bridges; I would be worried about going across a bridge made of aluminum siding.

[Moonlight Amaryllis]

The detail improved in this chapter, so that's a good thing, but I swear that the cussing was upped in this chapter, at least mor then in the previous. Am I wrong?

I admit, I cannot recall who exactly this Terrence fellow is, but from the looks of things, he'll be a recurring character who is critical to Red's battling growth in the story. He cracked me up in his final line, though; "I may have tripped, but that does not diminish the impact of this exit!"

The contridiction of Orange's scathing remarks at Violet's fear of heights and hers of his of Bugs was finally brought up. Honestly, Violet shouldn't expect Orange to respect her fear if all she does is put him down for his. Glad she got knocked down a peg or two.

Speaking of two, I find that using the word of a number ("eights") looks better then using the actual number ("8s"). Just a helpful hint.

Anyways, plenty of development in this chapter; keep up the good work!

[Missingno. Master]

Just read the last two chapters. I can understand why Violet's afraid of the bridges; I would be worried about going across a bridge made of aluminum siding.

True, though only the stairs leading up to the bridge were made of aluminum siding. The bridge itself was made of wood. Still, fair point, though Violet's fear is of heights in general. This will be addressed with the capture of her next Pokemon, by the way.

The detail improved in this chapter, so that's a good thing, but I swear that the cussing was upped in this chapter, at least mor then in the previous. Am I wrong?

Yeah, Terrence has quite the mouth on him, especially when a battle isn't going his way. And you all thought Orange was a sore loser.

I admit, I cannot recall who exactly this Terrence fellow is, but from the looks of things, he'll be a recurring character who is critical to Red's battling growth in the story. He cracked me up in his final line, though; "I may have tripped, but that does not diminish the impact of this exit!"

Glad you liked that line. And I'm not saying we haven't seen the last of Terrence... oh, wait, that's exactly what I'm saying.

The contridiction of Orange's scathing remarks at Violet's fear of heights and hers of his of Bugs was finally brought up. Honestly, Violet shouldn't expect Orange to respect her fear if all she does is put him down for his. Glad she got knocked down a peg or two.

Speaking of two, I find that using the word of a number ("eights") looks better then using the actual number ("8s"). Just a helpful hint.

Anyways, plenty of development in this chapter; keep up the good work!

I'll keep that in mind about the numbers, thanks. Glad you liked the chapter!