Day 232

[from The Ember Stone]

"Firstly, even if you do somehow take it from me - and you won't - it'd be Vaz'qui's, not yours," Erica began. "And secondly…" Clutching the Shard tightly in her hand, Erica assumed a combat stance. "-you're forgetting that the Ember Stone increases my power. Just this one Shard gives me enough power to fry you alive. So bring it on, bitch. I'm more than ready for you."

"We'll see about that!" said Viridia, and with a wave of her hand she sent the room's entire ceiling crashing down towards Erica. Erica was able to propel herself backwards with a jet of flame, retreating backwards into another corridor a split-second before the sandstone roof came crashing down. Although she was safe, she was now trapped in the darkened corridor, and though the darkness was no issue to her, the mountains of rubble between her and the exit most certainly was.

"Nicely dodged," Viridia remarked. "But now there's nowhere for you to go. I already took the liberty of sealing all the exits, so now you're trapped in here with me!"

"Maybe," said Erica. "Or could it be that you're trapped in here with me?"

"Your mind games won't work on me, Ember Guardian!" said Viridia. "I have the upper hand! It's just a matter of time before I squash you like a bug!"

Viridia fired a couple of pieces of rubble into the corridor at high speed, but Erica was able to dodge both easily. "Alright then," said Viridia. "How about a game of I Spike? I'll go first!" Viridia began blindly firing spikes of earth up from below, puncturing through the floor of the corridor and protruding up towards the ceiling, hoping to hit Erica and skewer her. [AUTHOR NOTE: This is the first and only time I will apologize for one of my puns… I am truly very sorry]

Each stalagmite missed Erica, some by only a few inches, but each one forced her to retreat a little further backwards down the corridor. Nonetheless, she remained as undaunted as ever. "Your puns are more deadly than your attacks!" she taunted.

Being so focused on dodging the spikes and dishing out witty ripostes, Erica did not pay attention to where she was going. Suddenly, as she took another step back, Erica felt her heel tug against another tripwire. From outside the corridor, Viridia heard a brief squeal, a flash of fire, and then the whistling of dozens of arrows being fired from the walls, punctuated by a thud. The Ember Guardian, surely, was dead. Nobody could have survived such a ferocious barrage.

With her opponent seemingly defeated, Viridia heaved a sigh. "How boring," she remarked. "Here I was hoping for some epic battle, and you go and get yourself killed by some ancient booby trap. Unless of course, you're still alive somehow… well, either way, I guess I'd better go check. Vaz'qui will want to see your dead body for himself." As Viridia was about to start shifting the rubble, she paused. "…why am I talking to a dead body?"

Erica was, in fact, not dead. She had been lucky: the lowest of the arrow traps had been about a foot off the ground, and so by shooting out a quick burst of fire, she had been able to fall backwards over the tripwire and land on the ground just in time to dodge the first wave of arrows. Hearing that Viridia had thought her dead, she had remained on the ground, eyes closed, listening with intent as the rubble blocking the corridor began to shift.

It was not long before the entrance was clear, and Viridia stepped into the corridor to see Erica's body for herself. The sight of the Ember Guardian lying on the dusty floor was enough to convince her. "So you really are dead," she remarked. "Darn it. I was hoping I'd get to kill you myself, but then again, I don't think Vaz'qui will care either way." She paused once more. "There I go again, talking to dead people… all this villainy must be getting to me. I need to see a shrink…"

Viridia made her way through the corridor towards Erica, still none the wiser about the Ember Guardian having survived. Indeed, she did not realize Erica was still alive until, as she knelt down to pick her up, the seemingly vanquished girl suddenly sprang up in a burst of fire. Viridia reeled back, howling as the searing flames licked at her skin."You tricked me!" she cried out.

"It'll take more than that to kill me," said Erica. "And by the way… you really do need to see a shrink." With that, Erica unleashed a blast of fire so powerful it knocked Viridia straight through the wall of the corridor and into an adjacent room.

Viridia struggled to her hands and knees, clearly wounded. "You're strong, Ember Guardian," she gasped. "I should have just finished you when I had the chance. But don't think this is over. My fellow Mistresses are still out there, and they will hunt you down. There's nowhere on this planet you can run to."

"Who said anything about running?" said Erica. "I'll fight them head-on, and beat them just like I've beaten you."

Viridia managed a feeble grin. "You haven't beaten me just yet," she said.

Suddenly, the ground around Viridia began to crack and splinter. The cracks headed sharply in Erica's direction, spreading across the walls and ceiling as well. "Not good, not good, not good-!" said Erica.

Propelling herself forwards on a jet of fire, Erica got out of the way just in time as an entire section of the temple collapsed, kicking up a large dust cloud. Fortunately, Erica had had the sense to propel herself back into the room she had found the Ember Shard in, and towards the exit, meaning she would not be trapped by the debris. The same could not be said for Viridia, though of course she could just use her earth powers to free herself, assuming she had survived. Given the day's events, Erica felt it was best to assume that she had, for the time being.

"Well, I guess that's one Ember Shard down," she remarked to herself. "Now to get the hell outta this temple." No longer caring for booby traps, Erica rushed back towards the exit with the Ember Shard clutched tightly in her hand.

Day 231

[from StarLight]

Upon arriving back at her house, Sanae tossed the Emblem onto her bedside table and then gratefully flopped down onto her bed. "Finally," she groaned, "I can get some sleep."

Not a moment later, Sanae was jolted awake by a terrible crashing sound coming from outside. "Another monster attack!" she cried out. "I'll take care of this!" Snatching up the White Star Emblem, Sanae transformed into White Star for the second time that night and threw open her window ready to fly out, only to realize that the crashing sound wasn't coming from a monster, but from a set of roadworks right next to her house. She couldn't remember the roadworks being there before; maybe she'd just been so tired during her first excursion that she just hadn't noticed them.

Quietly putting down the White Star Emblem and powering down, Sanae leaned out of the window and shouted, "Hey! Would you mind keeping it down? Some of us are trying to sleep!"

"Sorry," called out one of the workers in response, shutting off his jackhammer. "This is the only time we can work without causing any major travel disruption."

"You're causing some major sleep disruption!" retorted Sanae.

"Sorry," said the man, "but we're not stopping work just for one person."

Sanae pouted angrily. "Well, fine!" she shouted, slamming her window shut. "Have fun escaping from the next monster attack, because I won't be helping you!"

As Sanae stormed back to her bed, the crashing sounds started anew. Kousen felt that she should probably try and calm her master down. "Sanae-" she began.

"Not now, Kousen," said Sanae, before flopping back down onto her bed. "Ugh… I'm sure if I get tired enough, I'll fall asleep no matter how loud it is…"

***

Sadly for Sanae, this did not transpire, and the sound of the roadworks kept her up all night long. By the time the infernal crashing sound finally ceased, it was morning, and sunlight was streaming in through her curtains. The exhausted girl had bags under her bloodshot eyes, and her hair lay in disarray. As the glorious silence washed over her, she let out a weary sigh.

"At least they've finally stopped working," she groaned, closing her eyes. "Now maybe I can get a short nap in before my-"

A shrill beeping noise interrupted Sanae as her alarm clock went off. Jerking upright, Sanae shot a tired glare at her alarm clock and then slammed her hand down on the Snooze button. "Stupid monster," she snarled. "If it hadn't showed up last night, I could've slept through those roadworks and gotten a decent night's sleep! But nooooo, it had to show up at two in the morning! Now I gotta go through the whole day on just two hours of sleep! Sure, maybe I shouldn't have stayed up so late playing Medal Gear Salad V, but-"

"Uhh, Sanae?" interrupted Kousen.

"What?!" barked Sanae. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of an angry monologue here?"

"My apologies for interrupting you," said Kousen, "but shouldn't you be getting ready for school?"

Sanae let out a grunt of discontent and slipped out of bed. "Today is not going to be a fun day," she said.

***

Sanae managed to get ready for school as normal, and met up with Amaya at their usual spot. Amaya seemed shocked to see her friend in such a state. "Damn, you look terrible," she remarked. "Were you up all night playing Medal Gear Salad V?"

"No," said Sanae. "Well… I was up late playing it, but then I got kept up by roadworks for the rest of the night."

"Wow, that sucks," said Amaya. "Well, remember a couple of episodes ago when I was super-tired and had to sleep in class? You should just do that!"

"Yeah, I guess I should," said Sanae. "Say, that reminds me. Wouldn't your mother have been playing Medal Gear Salad all night as well?"

"Nah, she already completed it somehow," said Amaya. "I think she must have played it for about three days straight without sleeping. I dunno how she does it."

"Me neither," said Sanae bitterly. "I'd love to be able to go one day without sleep, let alone three."

"Trust me," said Amaya, "no you don't. It's not worth it."

Sanae nodded lazily. "So… sleep through class, eat lunch, sleep through lunch, go home, sleep some more… sounds like a good day to me."

"Yeah," said Amaya. "Sounds good to me too. I just hope we don't get a-"

***

"Pop quiz!"

The whole class groaned as Inaba-sensei started to hand out the surprise test papers, and Sanae groaned loudest of all. While this would mean fifty minutes of peace and quiet for her, it would also mean she'd have to be awake for the whole lesson in order to fill in the paper, and she was not very pleased about being kept awake yet again.

Actually, she thought to herself suddenly, I don't have to stay awake for the whole lesson! I just have to stay awake for as long as it takes me to complete the test! In other words, if I just fill in whatever answers I want without looking, I'll get it done in five minutes tops and I can sleep in silence until second period starts! Sanae, you're a genius!

With a flourish, Sanae put her plan into action. Her pen danced across the answer sheet with unwarranted gusto as she scribbled whatever nonsense came into her head into each answer box in turn. [AUTHOR NOTE: imagine Light writing in the Death Note, but every word is "cabbage" or "tissue paper". That's what I'm going for here] In a matter of minutes, the paper was complete. It's done!, Sanae thought triumphantly. Now I can rest… Without a second thought, Sanae folded her arms across the desk, rested her head upon them, and fell fast asleep, certain that when she woke up, she would be feeling refreshed and ready to face the day.

***

"Ugghh…"

This, suffice it to say, was not what transpired. Instead, when Sanae woke from her nap at the start of second period, she felt even worse than she had done beforehand. She now felt groggy, thirsty, and had a throbbing headache, and her exhaustion felt like it had merely intensified. How could this happen…? she thought to herself. How could sleeping actually make me feel worse? What kind of hellish nightmare am I trapped in…?!

Day 230

[from Vanishing Point]

"So," asked Mizuki, "what do you wanna know?"

"Let's start with the last thing you remember before your disappearance," said Kamui.

Mizuki thought for a moment. "The last thing I remember… well, I was visiting a studio representative to discuss a new album deal," said Mizuki. "I left the building to walk home, and… that's it. The next thing I know, I'm in the middle of Akihabara and I don't remember a thing."

"Do you always walk home?" asked Cobra.

"Well, the record company's building was only a ten-minute walk away," said Mizuki. "I didn't see the point."

"Fair enough," said Cobra. "You said you regained your memories… how?"

"I'll get to that," said Mizuki. "You see, it wasn't long before people around started to recognize me," said Mizuki. "They started coming up and saying things like 'I'm your biggest fan!', or 'Can I have your autograph?', or 'I loved your performance last week!' And of course I had no idea what they were talking about, and for someone who only woke up five minutes ago with no memory, it was all rather scary. So I ran, and I managed to get away from them, and found a police station. I dunno how I remembered what a police station was, but somehow I knew they could help me.

"I told the person at the front desk, 'Look, I woke up just now, I can't remember who I am, and all these people are running after me trying to get my autograph or something. Can you help me out?' They didn't believe me at first, they thought it was some kind of hidden camera prank. They did a little investigating, realized that I really had lost my memory, and then they told me who I was."

"And that's when you remembered?" asked Cobra.

Kiyoko was about to quietly object when Mizuki spoke up for her. "Nope," she said. "Still couldn't remember a thing. I refused to believe that I was someone like that - I think it was all just too much for me. Anyway, they took me to the hospital, to check there was nothing wrong with my brain, and then they called my manager to let him know what had happened. When he arrived at the hospital, he was pretty shocked that I didn't recognize him, and I think he probably panicked. I was his star lady, he couldn't lose me. So he pulled out his phone and started showing me all these clips of me on YouTube, hoping they'd jump-start my memories."

"And it worked?" asked Cobra. She, like Hanako, was now hanging on Mizuki's every word.

"Not at first," said Mizuki. "I got bits and pieces, but nothing much, until he played me a clip from one of my more recent concerts, thanking my fans for all their love and support. Then it was like… I dunno, it was like a floodgate opened in my mind somewhere, and all my memories came flooding back at once. The next thing I know, my manager's shaking me and there are nurses rushing into the room. Apparently I'd collapsed or something."

Cobra was fascinated by this information. "So all it took was a strong enough trigger?" she asked. "Something with a strong enough connection to your past?"

"I guess so," said Mizuki. "How come you're so interested in my memory loss, anyway? Is this to do with that info you said you had for me?"

"Partially," said Kamui. "I have one last question for you, though. This might sound a bit strange, but have you demonstrated any… unnatural abilities since your disappearance?"

"Unnatural abilities?" Mizuki repeated. "You mean like this?"

Mizuki glanced over at Hanako and suddenly her eyes began to glow brightly once more. Hanako's sparkling eyes glazed over, her look of enraptured joy replaced immediately with a serene expression. Kamui, Kiyoko and Cobra all looked at her with alarm. "Hey! Hanako!" said Cobra, waving a hand in front of Hanako's face. When this had no effect, she turned to Mizuki. "What did you do to her?"

"Hypnosis," said Mizuki, her voice echoing. "I can hypnotize as many people as I want, as long as I have eye contact with them, and I can make them do whatever I want. I think. Watch this. Hanako?"

"Yes Miss Sato," said Hanako. Her monotone voice was very much at odds with her usual boisterous tone.

"Go and fetch us a pizza," said Mizuki.

"Yes Miss Sato," said Hanako. Without a word, Hanako walked off back towards the heart of the party.

As Mizuki's eyes faded back to normal, the three remaining escapees looked on in astonishment. "Now that was creepy," said Kamui.

"I know," said Mizuki, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck. "I don't really like doing it, but… well, you did ask…"

"We did," said Cobra, "but I wasn't really expecting anything like that. This is not good."

"Why?" asked Mizuki. "I think it's your turn to answer some questions. How come you know about my ability? What do you know about my disappearance?"

Kamui and Cobra glanced at each other uneasily. "What we're about to tell you might be very hard to believe," said Kamui. "You'll just have to trust us. Alright?"

"Alright," said Mizuki. "Let's hear what you have to say."

Kamui took a deep breath. "Like I said, this might be hard to believe, but… you didn't just randomly disappear. You were kidnapped. By Shinsuke Corporation."

"Shinsuke?" repeated Mizuki. "The people who make the City Patrol mecha?"

"That's them," said Kamui. "They took you to a secret research facility, experimented on you, then released you back into Tokyo. Those experiments gave you superpowers, but also wiped your memory. It might sound far-fetched, but it's the truth."

Mizuki still seemed sceptical. "And how do you know all this?" she asked.

"Because three days ago, I broke into that research facility and rescued the three girls who came here with me today," said Kamui. "They're test subjects just like you." He turned to Kiyoko. "Show her, Kiyoko."

With a nod, Kiyoko turned invisible. Mizuki's eyes opened wide with shock. "Wh… where did she go?" she gasped.

"She turned invisible," said Cobra. "I'd demonstrate my power for you as well, but let's just say it's a little too… destructive. As for Hanako, we managed to rescue her before Shinsuke could experiment on her. Now we're tracking down the other test subjects - including yourself - and trying to work out what it is Shinsuke had planned for us."

Mizuki still seemed fairly taken aback. "I see," she said.

At this point, the hypnotized Hanako arrived, carrying an open pizza box containing an entire pepperoni pizza. "I have your pizza Miss Sato," she said.

"What? Oh, right, I almost forgot about that," said Mizuki. She took the box from Hanako and greedily took a slice. "Thanks, Hanako!"

With the order carried out, Hanako's eyes returned to normal, and she blinked with confusion as she found herself standing eight feet away from where she had been. "Huh? What happened?" she said. "Where'd that pizza come from?" A moment later, Hanako shrugged and took a slice for herself.

"Well, that rather spoiled the mood," Cobra remarked.

"I'd say it rather lightened the mood," said Mizuki through a mouthful of pizza. "This was getting pretty serious, huh?"

"It was?" said Hanako, who of course hadn't heard the previous conversation.

"It was," Kamui reassured her. "We told her everything."

"And?" said Hanako. "Do you believe us?"

Mizuki swallowed a mouthful of pizza and took a moment to contemplate what she had been told. "I guess so," she said. "I mean, I saw your friend turn invisible! I never thought that there might be others out there with abilities! But then again, kidnapping young women and experimenting on them... why would Shinsuke be doing something like that?"

"We don't know," said Cobra. "That's what we're trying to establish, but whatever it is, it can't be good."

"I agree," said Mizuki. "If they did wipe my memory and give me superpowers, it probably wasn't for a good cause. Is there any way I can help you guys? I mean, I am a rich, influential idol, after all."

"If we need help with anything, we'll let you know," said Kamui. "Thanks for your co-operation. You've been very helpful to us."

Cobra nodded. "You most certainly have. Now I know there's a way I can get my memories back."

Day 229

[from Pokémon: Shattered Crystal]

The morning after arriving at Violet City, I head back out to Route 31 to get some much-needed training. I can't rely on just Firebrand to win the battle: I'll need Dusk, Banshee and Dizzy to do their best for me as well. I'll have to be careful while training them, though, as they're currently pretty weak, and if I push them too hard, it'll end in disaster.

Over the course of the training session, my Pokémon and I knock out some thirty wild Pokémon¹. Their unconscious bodies start to litter the area, and some even wake up only to be beaten back into submission. I feel kind of sorry for them all, being beaten so ruthlessly, but with no trainers in sight, it's the only way I can make my Pokémon stronger. I at least have the decency not to kill any of them. I don't want to get stronger at the cost of others' lives.

Early in my training, I'm interrupted by a phone call from Joey asking for a rematch. Eager to break up the monotony of training, I agree, and head back to Route 30 to face him. While my team has improved since our last meeting yesterday, his Rattata still seems to be at the same strength, and Dusk dispatches it in two hits without sustaining any damage in reply. With Joey defeated once more, I head off to resume my training.

In the end, the only major incident is when a Spinarak poisons both Dizzy and Dusk, and I'm forced to use up two of my Antidotes on them. Other than that, the training goes without a hitch. I make regular trips back to Violet City to heal my Pokémon at the Pokémon Centre, in order to conserve my Potions for the battle ahead. While this approach helps protect my Pokémon from danger, it also slows down my training somewhat, and it takes me a solid hour of training² before I feel that my entire team is ready to face the first Gym.

After healing my team once more at the Pokémon Centre, I head towards Violet City Gym in pursuit of my first Gym Badge. I'm quietly confident about my chances, but it seems that before I'm allowed to take on the Gym Leader himself, I must defeat two of his pupils. Undaunted, I prepare my strategy and then make my way inside.

The first trainer ambushes me soon after I make my way inside. "Let's see if you're good enough to face Falkner!" he says. "Go, Spearow!" The bird Pokémon bursts out of its Poké Ball, and I can tell at once that it's a more formidable opponent than any I've faced before now. Nonetheless, I send out Dizzy and put my plan into action.

"Dizzy," I call out, "use Hypnosis!" Dizzy promptly uses hypnotic suggestion to put the Spearow to sleep, and I take advantage of my foe's slumber to switch in Firebrand. Just as Firebrand charges in to land his first hit, however, Spearow wakes up and dishes out a hit of its own. This really is going to be a formidable fight.

Firebrand and the Spearow fight hard, matching each other blow-for-blow. Soon both Pokémon are limping, and I'm forced to use one of my precious Potions on Firebrand, just to pull him through. It works, and with one last blow, Firebrand knocks the Spearow out, and my first challenger is defeated. "Pathetic," he sneers. "Losing to a rookie trainer like you… you still don't stand a chance against Falkner!"

"We'll see about that," I retort, before making my way on to the second trainer.

This second trainer has two Pokémon, the first of which is a Pidgey. I put the same tactic into action, sending out Dizzy to send the Pidgey to sleep with Hypnosis before switching in Firebrand to deal the damage. It backfires again, however: Pidgey wakes up before Firebrand can land a blow, and doles out one of its own. Firebrand is still a little wounded from the last fight, and I'm forced to use a second Potion to pull him through. Re-energized, the Pidgey is defeated, and I sense Dizzy and Firebrand both grow stronger from their combat experience.

The second Pokémon turns out to be merely another Pidgey. With my strategy called into question, I keep Firebrand out and opt for all-out attack this time. It works: a powerful strike to Pidgey's weak spot cripples it, and a second blow is all it takes to finish it off. Now Falkner is the only one standing between me and the first Gym Bdge.

The second trainer takes defeat about as well as the first. "Don't get cocky just because you beat me, kid!" he says. "Falkner's skills are for real! He'll show you!" The trainers here really seem to believe in Falkner's skills. I'll just have to believe that my own skills are stronger.

Before facing Falkner, I head back out of the Gym and heal my Pokémon once more at the Pokémon Centre, before heading to the Poké Mart and buying some more supplies with the winnings I got from beating Falkner's students. You can’t be too careful. I can't imagine this Falkner will be as shy about hurting my Pokémon as I was about hurting the wild Pokémon in Route 31.

Heading back into the Violet Gym, I make my way toeards the back, where Falkner waits for me. He is a young man with blue hair that drapes over one eye, hiding it from view. The one visible eye is a steely grey-blue. I can expect no mercy from this man. Swallowing my nerves, I step forward to face him.

"Congratulations on making it this far," Falkner says, as he steps forward to meet my challenge. "I'm Falkner, the Violet City Pokémon Gym Leader. I'm a staunch believer in the power of Flying-type Pokémon. They say you can clip a Flying-type's wings with a jolt of electricity, but I believe they are much stronger than that. I won't allow such an insult to them!" He sweeps an arm dramatically at me. "Prepare yourself, challenger! I will show you the true power of the magnificent bird Pokémon! Go, Pidgey!"

Falkner sends out his first Pokémon, Pidgey, and I send out Dizzy. I don't intend for Dizzy to send it to sleep this time; merely to deal some damage and take a few blows before I send in Firebrand. It's a risky strategy, but what isn't? "Dizzy," I call out, "use Bubble!"

To my surprise and delight, Dizzy is able to hold its own against Pidgey, resisting its blows and dishing out powerful Bubble blasts of its own. In the end, Firebrand is not needed: Dizzy dispatches the Pidgey all on its own, though not without taking some punishment in return. "Nice job, Dizzy," I say. "Come back!"

Falkner isn't happy about one of his Pokémon falling. "Not bad," he says. "I guess I don't have to hold back against you, then." He plucks the second Poké Ball from his belt with a smirk. "Go, Pidgeotto!"

This is not good. Pidgeys I could handle, but I'm now up against Pidgey's evolved form. I've come this far, though: I have to try. "Go, Firebrand!" Firebrand bursts from his Poké Ball and immediately lands a strong hit against Pidgeotto. A mere Pidgey would have been crippled by the strike, but Pidgeotto remains standing. This is so not good.

"Pidgeotto, use Gust!" says Falkner. The wind attack catches Firebrand off-guard, and sends it tumbling backwards. Staggering to its feet, Firebrand defiantly launches another Tackle, but again it seems to just bounce off. Pidgeotto sweeps its wings in another Gust attack, sending Firebrand skidding away. "Not bad at all," remarks Falkner. "But your Cyndaquil's attacks are weak."

"Its defences aren't," I retort. "And neither were my preparations." Firebrand, on cue, proceeds to take out a Berry I'd given it beforehand and happily munch it down, restoring its vitality in a jiffy. It then heartily resumes the struggle against Pidgeotto, and after sustaining another strike to its vitals, the bird Pokémon's resistance finally cracks. It lets out a cry of pain and staggers backwards, clearly on its last legs.

"Firebrand," I command, "finish him off!" With its power now peaking, Firebrand forgoes Tackling the Pidgeotto and instead finishes it off with a blast of flame. The exhausted Pidgeotto collapses to the ground, and Falkner is defeated. Victory is mine.

Falkner is left speechless by the defeat at first. "My bird Pokémon…" he mutters in disbelief. After taking a moment to compose himself, he takes a deep breath and smiles at me for the first time. "All right," he says. "It seems like I underestimated you, youngster. Here. Take this." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small badge in the shape of a pair of wings. "It's the official Pokémon League Zephyr Badge," he explains. "This Badge proves that you've defeated my Gym. It will also raise your Pokémon's attack power."

As the thrill of my victory starts to wear off, I take the badge from Falkner and pin it to my lapel. My first Pokémon League Gym Badge. The first of many, I hope. But Falkner is not done with me yet. "Here," he says. "Take this too." He hands me what appears to be a small CD in a case. "This is a Technical Machine, or TM," he explains, sensing my puzzlement. "It can be used to instantly teach your Pokémon a new move, but think carefully before using it - TMs can only be used once. This one contains Mud-Slap, which reduces the opponent's accuracy while dealing damage. It's useful both defensively and offensively."

"I see," I say, taking the TM disc. "Thank you. I'm sure this will come in handy."

Falkner nods. "I assume you are taking the Gym Challenge?" he asks.

"I am indeed," I tell him, as I put the disc away.

"Good," said Falkner. "You should continue to test your skills. As for me…" He recalls his unconscious Pidgeotto and places its Poké Ball back on his belt. "I'm going to keep training to become the world's greatest bird master!"

"Good luck with that," I tell him. "And… thank you."

"You are welcome, trainer," says Falkner. "Now, go. There are gyms all across Johto that are waiting for you."

I nod, and take my leave. As I step outside, the Violet City air tastes that little bit sweeter. Now that I've defeated one Pokémon Gym, my confidence is sky-high. I know I can take the other seven now. It's just a matter of training.

[FOOTNOTES]

¹Yes, I counted.

²It only took me 45 minutes to beat the Gym itself and write the 1400-word summary of its events. I hate grinding.

Day 228

[from Pokémon xTreme]

By the time the group landed outside the entrance to the Mt. Moon cave system, Emma's erratic flying had made Taylor extremely dizzy and she was close to vomiting. "That settles it," she said, as she staggered off of Charizard's back, trying not to topple over. "Next time we have to go anywhere, I'm taking a taxi."

"I'm sorry," said Emma, as she slid off of Charizard's back. "I didn't realize you had air sickness. I'll be more gentle next time."

"There won't be a next time…" Taylor placed her hands against a nearby tree to steady herself and bent over, holding back a retch.

Brandon shook his head with amusement. "Well, that at least oughta make our travel arrangements easier," he said as he withdrew his Charizard. "Emma and I can fly on Charizard while you take the cab, or whatever."

"Sounds good to me," said Emma, withdrawing Crobat and then latching onto Brandon's arm.

"Alright then," said Brandon. "As soon as Taylor's feeling better, we can get going. You'll be alright, won't you, Taylor?"

Taylor nodded, raising a hand. "Yeah, just… give me a minute…"

As Taylor continued to steady herself, Brandon watched on with mild concern. "Damn," he muttered to himself. "I've never met someone who hated flying so much."

"Don't take it personally, dear," Emma said. "Not everyone enjoys flying as much as you do. Some people just aren't cut out for it."

"Yeah, I guess not," said Brandon. "Don't take that personally either, Taylor."

"No offence taken," said Taylor, finally straightening herself and stepping away from the tree, albeit still a little shakily. "Let's go."

***

The caves within Mt. Moon had been illuminated by bright torches mounted on the walls, and so the trio were able to make their way through without any problem. "There should be other trainers in here," said Brandon. "Let me go ahead, see if I can smoke some of them out for you to battle."

Somehow, Taylor felt uneasy at the idea of being left alone with Emma. Maybe it was just the poor first impression she'd received, courtesy of the wild flight there. "No, that's okay," she said, "we'll find some eventually. Besides, there's plenty of Pokémon here to fight. Any worth catching?"

"Well, like I said earlier, we might be able to find a Paras in here," said Brandon. "Although now that I come to think about it, I don't think Paras learns any useful Grass-type moves for a while, so it wouldn't actually be of any use against Lisa."

"So… I shouldn't bother catching any of these Pokémon?" asked Taylor.

"Oh, you can if you want to," said Brandon. "Remember, the more, the merrier, and some of them might come in handy later on down the line. But yeah, none of them will be useful against Lisa, or the guy who comes after her."

"Why?" asked Taylor. "Who's the guy who comes after?"

Brandon grinned. "Trust me: if I tell you, you'll be shitting bricks from here to Vermillion," said Brandon. "I'll tell you when the time comes, but for now, let's just focus on preparing to face Lisa, alright?"

Before Taylor could answer, the group was suddenly waylaid by a man holding a tape recorder up to Brandon's face - apparently a journalist. "Mr. Wells!" he said. "Jonathan Oakes, Kanto Times. Care to comment on the rumours surrounding your relationship with Emma Williams? Is it true that you got her pregnant?"

Brandon pulled a pained expression and closed his eyes, as though trying to make the journalist actually disappear. "Fucking hell," he muttered under his breath. "Even in a cave, I can’t get rid of them."

Emma took advantage of Brandon's frustration to answer in his stead. "I can confirm that I am currently pregnant with Brandon's child," she said, smiling sweetly.

The barrage of questions was now directed at Emma instead. "Do you know how far along you currently are?" asked Jonathan. "And are you planning to bring the baby to term?"

"We most certainly are," said Emma. "And I'm about six weeks gone."

With her mentor and his girlfriend now occupied by the interview, Taylor sighed and slunk off to train by herself. It didn't take her long to spot a Zubat hovering nearby. She plucked Eevee's Poké Ball from her belt, but before she could send it out, the Zubat was suddenly felled by a bolt of lightning that shot from nowhere.

A familiar-sounding voice then called out. "Nice job, Elekid!" it said. "Come back!"

Taylor soon realized who the voice was. It was Kieran Anderson, the boy she had met and battled when she first got Eevee. Sensing that they would make better company than Brandon and Emma at the moment, not to mention the potential opportunity for a battle, Taylor quickly headed over to them.

Upon seeing Taylor, Seth waved genially to her. "Oh, hey, Taylor!" he said. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised to see you here. I heard you already took down Graham."

"That I did," said Taylor. She pointed to the Venom Badge pinned onto her lapel.

"Well, so did I," said Kieran proudly, showing off his own Venom Badge. "I reckon my Elekid's already strong enough to trash Lisa's Gym, but Seth's making me train already."

"I told you," said Seth. "Type advantages are great, but they ain't everything. A truly great trainer can actually overcome type advantages. Like Brandon does every time he beats me." Taylor couldn't tell whether he was praising Brandon, belittling himself, or simply embittered at having lost to Brandon during their last encounter. "Anyway," he continued, "speaking of Brandon, where is he?"

Taylor's expression soured a little. "Some journalist cornered him and his girlfriend," she said, "they're busy doing an interview."

"Damn, the paps are even following them around in here?" said Seth. "I'm glad I don't have his level of fame, I couldn't put up with that bullshit. So is it true then? That he knocked up Nicole's little sister?"

Taylor nodded. "Apparently," she said.

Seth was unable to suppress a grin. "Oh, man, he is so dead," he said. "Nicole is gonna fucking kill him. She already find out?"

Taylor nodded again. "Yeah," she said. "She wasn't very happy about it."

"Oh man!" Seth was holding back a chuckle at this point. "I bet she wasn't! Did she try to set him on fire?"

"Tried to set us both on fire," said Taylor.

Seth's stifled chuckling abruptly stopped and he winced a little. "Ouch," he said. "Sorry to hear that. But… oh, man, I am so teasing him about this. Actually, I'll be right back. He's right over there, isn't he?" Seth pointed down the way Brandon had come.

"Yeah, he and Emma are over that way," said Taylor. "I dunno if they're still doing that interview, or… oh, no, here they come." Brandon and Emma were indeed on their way over, happily talking to each other. As far as Taylor could tell, they hadn't even noticed she had gone.

"Watch this, watch this," said Seth. With his grin once more firmly plastered across his face, Seth walked towards the lovestruck couple and began to sing "Cat's In The Cradle" at the top of his lungs. [For reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUwjNBjqR-c ]

Brandon facepalmed as he realized what was happening. "Oh, for fuck's sake," he said. "Could you… could you not, please, Seth-"

"Could you not swear in front of the baby, please?" joked Seth. "It shouldn't be hearing that kind of language at its age."

"It's a clump of cells at its age!" protested Brandon. "It can't hear shit!"

Seth did not relent with his jibes. "You're gonna name that clump of cells after me, right?" he asked. "'Seth Wells'… you gotta admit, it's got a ring to it-"

"Dude, just stop, please," said Brandon. "I'm not in the mood for your stupid jokes, alright? I'm still trying to get to grips with all this."

Seth, realizing he had pushed Brandon too far, raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, I'm sorry, man," he said. "It's just… damn! Of all the girls for you to knock up, it had to be Nicole's little sis, didn't it?"

"Tell me about it," said Brandon, shaking his head. "Oh, boy, was she ever pissed."

"I almost wish I coulda been there to see the look on her face," said Seth. "Probably looked something like this." Seth pulled a mock angry face which managed to elicit a laugh from his weary rival.

"Yeah, something like that," said Brandon. "Anyway, sorry about the disturbance there, Taylor," said Brandon, turning back to his protégé. "I tried to shake the guy off as quickly as I could, but Emma hasn't mastered the skill of ignoring journalists yet."

"But I want the world to know about us!" said Emma, looking cutely up at Brandon.

"Well, I don't want the world waiting outside my house at 5am to ask me the same questions a hundred times over," said Brandon. "Anyway, let's get back to what we came here for: training. Taylor, you ready to go?"

"Actually…" Taylor turned to Kieran, who had been staring expectantly at her for most of the time she had been there. "…you fancy a battle, Kieran?"

Kieran's expression immediately turned into an eager smile. "I thought you'd never ask," he said. "I've got a score to settle from last time!"

"We'll see about that," said Taylor. "Go, Eevee!"

Day 227

[from Aura of Chaos]

The girl led Xeron and Tara through the Lower Quarter, winding her way through the back alleys and skilfully avoiding any potential trouble. Once or twice a street ruffian would glance over at them, then see that the girl was with them and look away again with a nod, as though silently understanding the situation.

"So, uhh… what's your name?" asked Tara after a little while.

"Martina," said the girl.

"I'm Tara," said Tara. "My friend here is Xeron." She gestured in Xeron's direction.

"Pleasure to meet you, I guess," said Martina.

"So… I'm guessing this place is somewhere here in the Lower Quarter?" asked Tara.

"Well… kinda," said Martina. "It sorta is, and it sorta isn't. You'll see what I mean in a minute. It ain't that far now."

 Sure enough, only a couple of minutes later, Martina came to a halt outside what appeared to be an ordinary herbal remedies shop. "Alright, here we are," she said, lowering her voice. "I gotta tell ya, though, this place is top-secret. Tell nobody about it unless you know they're a Witch. Got that?"

Tara nodded. She was well aware of the need for secrecy among the Witch community, and the potential consequences if the secret ever got out. "Alright, good," said Martina. "Now, follow my lead."

The trio entered the shop. Even now they were inside, it still appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary herbal remedies shop. The air was filled with the scents of dozens of different wild herbs and spices, mixing together into a mild, soothing aroma. It was a very pleasant atmosphere, and much unlike the emporium of arcane books and artefacts that Tara had been expecting. Now that she thought about it, of course, the magical items were most likely kept out back, away from view; putting them on display would be suicide.

Martina strode purposefully towards the elderly man at the front desk, and Xeron and Tara silently followed behind. "Good afternoon," said the old man, bowing slightly. "How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for a spice that reminds me of home," said Martina. "You got anything like that?"

 The old man gave her a knowing smile. "I'm sure I can find something out back," he said. "Are your two friends after such a spice as well?"

Martina nodded. "We all miss our homes very much," she said.

The old man nodded, and pulled a hidden lever under his desk. A small passageway silently opened in the wall behind him, seemingly leading underground. "Then I hope you find what you are looking for," he says. "Go quickly."

"Thanks," said Martina, before heading through the passageway. Xeron and Tara also extended their thanks to the man, before heading in after her.

The passageway did indeed lead underground, and quite some way; there were no lights, and it was hard to see where they were going, especially after the entrance to the passageway slid silently shut behind them. "Will we be able to get back out again?" asked Tara.

"Oh, of course," said Martina. "There's a special knock you'll have to do; I'll show you that on the way out."

"I assume what you told him was some kind of secret code?" said Xeron.

"The stuff about a spice that reminds me of home?" asked Martina. "Yeah, that's the entry code. It's shows you're a Witch… or at least, someone who can be trusted. If you don't know the code, this is just a place that sells herbal remedies. But if you do…"

Xeron and Tara noticed that the tunnel was starting to get lighter, and as the path levelled out, they suddenly found themselves in what could only be described as an underground marketplace, carved out into the rock and dirt several metres below the city. All around them were shops catering to both Black and White Witches, spelling spell books, potions, conjuring staffs, magical garments, and just about anything else a Witch could ever want. Dozens of Witches milled around the square, some carrying small sacks of goods, others clutching spell books or staves. The whole area was lit with blue torches that were no doubt magical in nature.

"…it becomes a whole lot more," Martina finished triumphantly.

Tara let out a gasp. "Wow… this place is amazing!" she said.

"Sure is," said Martina. "Welcome to the Reservoir: the greatest underground network of Witches in all of Albion. Whatever it is you want - books, staffs, whatever - you'll find it here." She turned to Xeron and Tara, revelling in the looks of awe on their faces. "So, we good now? All forgiven?"

Xeron nodded, an awestruck grin spreading across his face. "Yeah," he said. "We're good."

"Sweet," said Martina. "I'll go talk to my buddies, let 'em know you guys are off-limits. I'll leave you to your shopping; I'll be in the entrance tunnel waiting for you when you're done."

"Okay," said Tara. "Thanks, Martina. I don't know how we would have found this place without you."

"You wouldn't," said Martina, a hint of smugness passing into her expression. "Alright, see ya later then." With that, she headed off, and Xeron and Tara were left alone.

"So… you're the Witch here," said Xeron. "Where do you wanna go first?"

Tara had never been confronted with so many magical items for sale before. She had no idea where to start. She looked all around, taking in the various sights and smells of the Reservoir, growing more bewildered with every glance. "Uhh…"

Day 226

[from I Watch You Sleeping]

Compared to the morning homeroom session, the first couple of lessons pass rather uneventfully. During the short break after our second lesson, I decide to go outside to stretch my legs and go to the bathroom. As I head back towards the classroom, something suddenly collides with me with tremendous force, almost knocking me over.

"Aah! Sorry, sorry!" says a voice, that I soon recognize as Meiko's. "I should have known that was going to happen!"

Meiko turns round to face me, looking apologetic and a little embarrassed, and very quickly I realize three things. One, in order for her to have hit me with such force, she must have been running in the corridors, which is against school rules. Two, she's holding her camcorder in one hand, and a compact mirror in the other. She must have been filming something while she was running. Three, in order for her to have had to turn to face me after colliding with me, she must have been running backwards. The first seems normal for the rather energetic Meiko. The second is a bit of a stretch, but running backwards…?

"Are you okay, Ken?" Meiko asks me.

"Why were you running backwards just now?" I blurt out.

"Huh? Hey, I asked you a question first!" says Meiko.

"Yes, Meiko, I'm alright," I reassure her. "Now, why were you-"

"Running backwards?" says Meiko. "I'm experimenting!"

"Experimenting with… what, may I ask?"

Meiko seems pleased by my apparent interest. I wouldn't say I'm interested, per se, more confused. Nonetheless, she immediately launches into an explanation. "Well, you know those scenes in horror movies where the guy's getting chased by the monster through a dark forest or something?" she begins. "There's always a first-person bit where the camera angle looks ahead of him, showing the area he's running through. But I figured, wouldn't it be better to have it looking backwards while he's running? It'd place more emphasis on the fact that he's being chased by something, rather than just the fact that he's fleeing. Also, it'd make it seem like he's looking back over his shoulder at whatever's chasing him, emphasizing how scared of it he is. Add in some extremely fleeting glimpses of the monster - or monsters, or whatever - and you have one scary chase scene."

It really seems like Meiko has thought this theory of hers through. But… "Shouldn't you be testing that theory somewhere scarier, and with less people to bump into?" I ask. "Like a dark forest, for instance?"

"Well, I thought of the idea just now during second period, and I was so excited, I wanted to try it out right away!" says Meiko. "I reckon it'd work… assuming you don't run into anything while filming, of course. But then, that's what I have the compact mirror for." She holds up the mirror. It can't be more than three inches in diameter. There's no way she can see where she's going using that.

"Didn't exactly work, though, did it?" I point out.

Meiko lets out an awkward chuckle, rubbing the back of her neck. "Yeah, I guess not, heh…" She shrugs nonchalantly. "I'll work something out." She always seems so cheerful and carefree, so full of energy. It's like there's caffeine and candy floss flowing through her veins instead of blood. It's weird to think that there's still a chance she's my stalker.

"Well, I hope so," I tell her, "if it'll stop you from running in the corridors. There's rules against that, you know."

"There's rules against running forwards in the corridors," Meiko says with a mischievous grin. "Nobody ever said anything about running backwards!" I shake my head in disbelief at the sheer audacity of Meiko's actions. I don't think I'll ever meet another girl like her for as long as I live.

Before I can lecture Meiko any further, the bell rings to signal the end of break. "Oh crap!" says Meiko suddenly, her face turning pale. "I need to put the camcorder away, and then get to class, pronto! Well, anyway, it was fun talking to you, Ken! See you in class!"

Meiko dashes off, completely ignoring what I'd told her five seconds ago about running in the corridors being against school rules. Well, at least she doesn't run into anyone this time. I, meanwhile, head off for the classroom at a much more leisurely pace, arriving with plenty of time to spare before the bell rings again for the start of our next class.