Moving On

[Haileyvoir]

I always thought Alto Mare was one word. Altomare. Alto Mare...Meh, same dif.

Anyways, great chap and I can't wait to see the battle.

 

[Chibi]

*flexes fingers*

Stop keeping meh in suspense dangit!!! *headdesks and sighs* I loved the garden walk thing, that was my favorite.

Now, I'll take after Brian and listen to Lugia's Song. ^^

 

[Carmen Lopez]

"This is a one on one battle between Carmen Lopez and Madalyn Scott!" shouted the male referee. "Let the battle begin!"

Carmen took a deep breath while Madalyn made the first move. She let every thought in her head be wiped away. The only beings that existed were herself, Madalyn, and their Pokémon.

"Ready to go, Neve?" she said. "Use Ice Shard!"

Everything slowed down in Carmen's eyes, but she could tell this was the fastest Weavile she had ever seen. Ice Shard was a fast attack in general, but this was unbelievable. The span of time between the formation of the icy sphere between Neve's claws and the attack's launch couldn't have been more than a split second. Shards of ice from the shattered orb hurled toward Porygon-Z. But Carmen had a counter.

"Z, use Agility and then Aerial Ace!"

In the blink of an eye, Porygon vanished and was in Neve's face in the next moment. The Weavile's eyes narrowed as it took the brunt of the attack. Madalyn contemplated her next move. She was by no means arrogant but she knew she was a powerful trainer.

"Crush Claw! NOW!" yelled Madalyn.

"Dodge it using Double Team!"

Porygon-Z appeared to split in five. Neve hit the middle Porygon-Z but it was only a fake. Neve slammed into the ground but was unharmed, and in fact, her attack made a huge crack in the arena floor. Without missing a beat, however, she also used Double Team as well, making two additional copies of herself.

"Foresight and Beat Up," said Madalyn easily.

Neve's eyes began to glow red and she zeroed in on the next to last Porygon-Z—the real one. She raised her right claw in front of her and shadowy, demonic form of the head of a Meganium enveloped it. Meganium head opened it's mouth and used what looked like a black colored Solar Beam.

"Evade Porygon-Z!"

Using Agility again, Porygon-Z looked as though it teleported to avoid the attack. After Meganium, Electivire's head appeared in the same fashion with a negative Thunderbolt attack. Then came the heads of Ninetales, Xatu, and Qwilfish all with ghostly versions of an attack. Porygon-Z was able to dodge them all, but on the last hit, Neve's aim was true. Golem's head was the last up to appear, and the shadow Giga Impact was a direct hit. Porygon-Z staggered backward a bit like a robot, its face not showing the damage it had taken.

"Again, Neve use Crush Claw!"

Carmen countered at once. "Z use Discharge!"

Neve's claws glowed white once more as she leaped into the air. Her attack came crashing down on Porygon-Z right as it released electricity and the entire arena temporarily glowed in its intensity. Carmen felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. And then something rather curious happened. It appeared that Neve was actually stuck to Porygon-Z because the electricity and wasn't freed until the Discharge attack stopped. Both Pokémon took damage from the others' attacks, but still Porygon-Z showed no emotion. On the other hand, the fact that Neve, who had taken the harder hit, was giving it her all and was making a valiant effort to shake off the damage was etched into her eyes.

"Impressive, that was one the strongest Discharge attacks I've ever seen," said Madalyn her green eyes fixed on Carmen. "But what say you this? Night Slash, Neve, rapid fire!"

Quite frankly, Carmen was surprised she was still standing, let alone attacking. Neve's claws darkened as it made brutal swipes at Porygon-Z who did its very best to dodge. Carmen's silver eyes seemed to flash. She loved this fast paced battle. Neve never stayed still for more than a second at a time.

"I say this! Protect powered by Psychic, Z!" Psychic power itself may not affect Neve but she could still be touched by something that was being manipulated by it.

Instead of dodging, Porygon-Z remained in one spot. Wherever Neve's attack would've made contact, an electric blue wall of zeroes and ones would appear at the very point of impact. And to add to Neve's problems, the psychic power actually turned Protect's barrier into a moving wall, pushing Neve back whenever she hit it. Porygon-Z's Protect was one of Carmen's favorite moves to use because it looked so cool and could easily be manipulated by other attacks as well. At this point though, Carmen was nearly intoxicated by the adrenaline of battling a power opponent and what a darkly sweet feeling that was. It was even better than a gambling spree.

"Now, that's really…inconvenient," Madalyn said politely. "Taunt it, Neve!"

Neve stopped attacking and landed herself right in front of Porygon-Z. She rapidly blinked her eye lashes while she beckoned it claws; the expression on her face clearly asked "Is that all you got?" But to Neve's and Madalyn's great surprise, Porygon-Z remained completely motionless.

"My Porygon-Z doesn't exactly show emotion in battle, so attacks like Taunt won't work," Carmen explained.

"Of course," said Madalyn. "You can't rile the emotions of a Pokémon that doesn't have them. On to plan B then. Use Brick Break! They can't keep up the Protect forever!"

She was right. That was the nature of Protect: the more it is used, the less effective it becomes. Neve's claw began to glow just as it did with Crush Claw, but this time she prepared to Karate chop. Carmen knew that if the attack hit Porygon-Z, it was done for.

"Use Tri-attack to ward it off!" Carmen called out.

Porygon-Z produced three beams of light in red, blue, and yellow which cork screwed around each other. Now it was Neve's turn to be on the run because the neither the possibility of being paralyzed, burned, nor frozen solid were appealing.

"Now use Charge Beam!" Carmen shouted. An orb of blue electricity began to form at the place where Porygon-Z's mouth should've been.

Madalyn's eyes seemed to burn. "Oh no you don't! Use Snatch, Neve!"

Neve was able to dodge the Charge Beam by rolling. Then, she soared upward again and made a wild grab at Porygon-Z grabbed onto what looked like the ghost of the Charge Beam attack. Neve looked energized and enhanced. Carmen's eyes narrowed; this wasn't good. Neve had Snatched the boost in power that sometimes followed Charge Beam.

"Dark Pulse!"

The now strengthened ball of sinister energy was released almost a split second after it was formed. There was no way for Porygon-Z to dodge the attack this time. It was hit and sent flying back to Carmen's feet. But it wasn't over yet—these were her very last coins to put into the slot machine and as every gambler knows, it can go either way. Madalyn wasn't holding her breath either. She'd seen enough battles to know how they could turn on a dime.

"Porygon-Z use Recover!" said Carmen to her weakened Pokémon. White spheres of light surrounded Porygon-Z and gave it their restoring energy.

"No matter. Now you use Agility in combination with Double Team, Neve!" Madalyn said.

This was one of the oldest techniques in the book. Carmen had seen this one many times before and yet she'd also seen many people fall to it. Carmen didn't even try to follow the pink and black blur that was surrounding her Pokémon and she didn't even need to tell Porygon-Z to use Lock-On next. The attack that would follow would put a stop to Neve's physical game.

"Thunder Wave!"

"But that won't hit—ah!"

Porygon-Z let loose a weak blue electrical charge. The attack actually wrapped around and went to the side of Porygon-Z to hone in on Neve who was to its right. The Thunder Wave was a direct hit thanks to Lock-On and Neve was effectively stopped in her tracks thanks to the paralysis. Because she knew Neve's long range attacks and Ice Shard attack were still usable, Carmen pondered what attack to use to finish her…and sure enough—

"Ice Shard, once more!"

"Porygon-Z, use Hyper Beam!"

The Pokémon turned toward Neve. A massive white beam tore across the arena and hit the Weavile who was no longer able to dodge…and just like that, the battle had ended returning Carmen to reality. The crowd was screaming and clapping wildly. Carmen felt the adrenaline rush fade but she was calmer than she'd been in very long time. She and Madalyn recalled their Pokémon, thanking them for an excellent battle.

"I had a fun time," said Madalyn. "And that pretty much settles it. I'm heading off to Sinnoh!"

The crowd shouted their approval, perhaps wanting Sinnoh to see the best Johto had to offer. Madalyn bowed to Carmen who in turn bowed back, because her father had told her that was what powerful trainers sometimes did in Johto after a good battle. Johto's Pokédexes had been upgraded to function the same way as Sinnoh's—including in the dispensing of prize money. Carmen collected her money from Madalyn and they exchanged trainer's profiles with one another.

The crowd began to simmer down as Madalyn and Carmen said their goodbyes. Madalyn probably had no idea just how grateful Carmen was for her. It was now that Carmen understood that her idea of wandering around looking for strong trainers was actually pretty sound. The rush and the high from the challenge of a tough battle were simply amazing.

"Carmen, you were amazing," squealed Kerry when they were all together again.

"Thank you," said Carmen. Unlike her sisters, she always felt a slight tinge of awkwardness whenever someone complemented her.

"Porygon-Z is very interesting," said Cate. "And a little unsettling as well. It can't be easy to face down an opponent that shows no emotion."

"I used to be like that," Carmen admitted. "People would tell me that they got chills just from being around me."

"What made you change?" asked Kerry. "You looked as though you were having the time of your life in that match."

Carmen shrugged. Remembering those days was always hard for her. "I didn't find battling fun then. I loved my Pokémon but it was all about winning and gaining power and absolutely nothing else. Heh, at least until the day Gardevoir was stolen from me. I realized just how screwed up my priorities were…" A far away look crossed Carmen's face and no one decided to question her. Ramón looked especially concerned as he glanced at Carmen until she spoke again."Hmm. Is there anyway for us to go to Goldenrod City?"

"Oh no," said Ramón, the concern fading slightly. "You still have that horrible urge? Why must you insist on gambling after a tough battle?"

"Why not?" said Carmen. "It's not like I'm addicted. I just like to follow one adrenaline rush with another."

On the very rare occasions that Carmen saw Ramón get frustrated, it was for two reasons: when he and their father didn't see eye to eye and whenever Carmen's gambling came up. His demeanor changed as he turned to Cate, Nemo, Kerry, and Zara. "After she won her battle to become a Sinnoh League Champion, you know what she did? She went off to the Veilstone City Game Corner."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Carmen complained. "I actually doubled my money that night!"

"That's not the point," scolded Ramón. "I've seen you when you get in one of those trances and it's scary."

"Not much scarier than when you start getting carried away in your mythology studies," Carmen shot back.

"Hey! We were talking about you not me—

Cate and Kerry giggled.

"This is the most normal I've ever see you act," Nemo said to Ramón flatly.

"Normal? How is this normal?" Ramón wanted to know. Carmen knew he was sincere but that still didn't mean she wished he hadn't asked.

"You aren't being spacey and you're arguing with your sister," said Nemo.

"All right then," said Ramón his vacant smile returning. "If that's what you call normal, fine then. But Carmen, really, it was a good battle. The crowd here was more reminiscent of one in Veilstone City than Ecruteak City."

"I think I saw a camera man as well," said Cate. "So your battle will likely be on TV and on the radio."

"Wow," said Carmen. She never thought a simple battle would land her on TV. That was always more of Reina's thing than hers, though. "And Ramón, to compromise I might fly later instead of gambling."

"I like that idea," Ramón replied. "Are we ready to leave now?"

"Wait, wait, wait," said Nemo, shaking his head. "I haven't had my battle yet! And we haven't seen THEM battle either," he said, pointing at Kerry and Zara.

"Haven't I told you that pointing is rude?" Ramón reminded Nemo. "And how do you know Zara and Kerry even want to battle?"

"It's true," said Kerry. "Zara and I don't battle…" she trailed off, as though unsure if that was a good thing.

"I don't really like to battle much either," said Ramón. "But my Pokémon know moves just for safety's sake. That's what my father always told us anyway."

"So you don't like to battle, but you can?" asked Nemo and then before Ramón could respond, "Practice with me then!"

"Hmm, fine then," Ramón responded. "Nendoru and I need the practice anyway. I also noticed that your Espeon needs a bit of help with her psychic powers and I love to be of assistance."

"You think you could help?" asked Nemo who looked a bit skeptical.

Carmen smiled. "He helped out my Gardevoir before she evolved. She couldn't access her psychic at all and now it's second nature to her."

Nemo didn't need convincing anymore. "SCORE! I'm going to sign up right now. You just wait in the reception area!" said Nemo excitedly as he scampered off.

The others followed Nemo's figurative dust back to the reception area and had a seat. It was much more crowded now and it seemed like everyone was talking about Carmen and Madalyn's battle. Fortunately, no one spotted Carmen so she was able to remove her ring and put it in her pocket. She really didn't feel like being questioned at the moment, not when she was feeling so reflective. Ramón pulled out a Coordinating magazine from his bag and began reading.

"I didn't know you were into coordinating," said Cate, surprised.

"I'm not, but my twin sister Isabel is," said Ramón as he rifled through the magazine. "She's an excellent coordinator, even winning the Sinnoh Grand Festival a while back. She said she'd come to Johto soon, so hopefully we'll get to see each other."

"My older brother Shaun is a coordinator as well," said Kerry. "He's going for a win at the Grand Festival this year."

"Nice," said Carmen. "I think Isabel is going to challenge the contests in Kanto next. At least, that was where she was the last time we talked."

"Ha," said Ramón. "Look at this." He handed the magazine to Cate and she held it between her and Carmen.

It was the magazine's spotlighted coordinator and it was none other than Isabel and her Gallade, Carmelo and her Altaria, Mariah. They were posed to look as though Carmelo were asking Isabel for a dance while Mariah serenaded. There was her coordinators profile of how many ribbons she'd won and her Grand Festival win. As always, she looked flawless. Her long black hair flew behind her and her silver eyes, even sharper than Carmen's, commanded the photo though she wasn't looking at the camera. The red dress she wore showed off her perfect figure and her long, long legs.

"She's really…gorgeous in this picture," said Cate. "You never told me she modeled."

For a split second, Carmen thought she saw a frown crease Cate's serene face. Could she actually be jealous? It was hard for Carmen to believe because Cate had seen Isabel in a photograph and a vision. But before she could put anymore thought into it, Nemo came back.

"Okay, we have practice room number two. LET'S GO!" he said.

He led them to the room which turned out to be slightly smaller than the arena in which Carmen battled and didn't have the stands for spectators. There were only two benches along either side of the field and some practice dummies.

"Seeing that picture of Carmelo reminded me of how frustrated Isabel was at me," said Carmen as she, Cate, and Kerry, sat down on the bench on the right side of the room. Ramón and Nemo were discussing battle plans. "Carmelo and my Gardevoir are brother and sister. And she named him Carmelo after me. It wasn't until a long time afterward that I found that she expected me to then name Gardevoir after her."

"And you still haven't," said Cate, smiling.

"I never bothered," Carmen said nonchalantly. "She's going to bring it up again and get upset with me once more. But I am thinking about humoring her because Anabel sounds like a really pretty name for Gardevoir."

"Why don't you name here that?" asked Kerry. "It really is a beautiful name."

"Maybe I will," said Carmen. "I'll have to see what Gardevoir thinks."

"Right," said Ramón. He and Nemo were on opposite of the field now. "I noticed something change in your Espeon and I want to see."

"You think?" asked Nemo. "We'll see then." He took out Espeon's Pokéball and released her.

Ramón held out Nendoru's Pokéball on his left hand. Whether it was by Ramón's power or Nendoru's, the Pokéball levitated and opened revealing the enigmatic Pokémon within. It was a strange Pokémon in not just looks; Carmen felt that the Pokémon was much older than anyone could imagine and because of that it was very powerful. The Claydol's abilities always astounded her. Beside her, she felt Kerry and Zara shudder slightly.

Nemo swallowed as he stared down Nendoru—perhaps feeling the vibes that many people got from the Pokémon. "That Pokémon even creepier than you, but it's cool."

"Thanks," said Ramón while Nendoru made a raspy rattling sound in thanks as well.

Nemo thought to himself for a second. "It's a psychic type so use Shadow Ball, Espeon."

Espeon obeyed and but before she could launch the attack, Nendoru Teleported away. Carmen had to marvel at how long Nendoru could stay vanished during a Teleport move. The Sun Pokémon looked around, wondering where it had gone. If anything had changed in Espeon, it was certainly her demeanor. While she was still far from graceful, she seemed a lot less angry, and more alert. The fur on the base of her neck stood up and her eyes scanned the field. Carmen immediately saw what change Ramón had sensed.

"She's finally using her psychic power for more than just Psybeam and barriers now," said Ramón triumphantly. He looked as though he knew the reason behind Espeon's change but Nemo still looked clueless.

Suddenly Espeon sidestepped to the right—right out of the line of fire of a powerful Signal Beam attack. Claydol had appeared right in her blind spot and fired an attack.

"I had Claydol stay vanished for an extended period to see if Espeon would actually use her powers," Ramón explained.

Nemo looked puzzled. "I never knew she could predict attacks like that. Can we try that again?" he added eagerly. "But wait, how did you tell your Claydol—

"Sure. I want to see if she can predict faster," said Ramón, cutting Nemo off, smiling.

Nendoru vanished again, but this time it reappeared much faster than before. Espeon was still able to predict where Nendoru would appear next and even prepare to defend, but when Nendoru got faster it was another story. Espeon could see what was coming but she could not defend herself had Ramón commanded Nendoru to use an attack. It was the same strategy that Carmen often used again Reina's Lucario: hit her with something she can't avoid.

Nemo was silent for a few seconds then he smiled. "THAT WAS AWESOOOOOOOOME ESPEON!" he shouted, while Espeon shrieked in happiness at her trainer's happiness which made everyone flinch. "You know, if we practice more we'll have this prediction thing down!"

"Pretty good," Ramón agreed. "But I have one more thing I want to see. Has your Espeon ever used the attack called Psychic before?"

Espeon and Nemo looked at each other and then he spoke. "I don't think so. I'm not even sure what the attack does."

"Oh?" said Ramón. "Then let's demonstrate, Nendoru."

The Claydol turned toward one of the alloy dummies on the side of the field and both Nendoru and the dummy began to glow in a sinister red color. A second later the dummy, which was about five feet tall, was crumpled into the globe the size of a basketball. Nemo's eyes grew wide. Carmen was amused as she remembered her first time seeing Nendoru, then a Baltoy, perform that very attack. Their mother had spent the half a day organizing Ramón's messy room as a surprise. When he finally arrived home from school, he took one look at it and told Nendoru to destroy his room with Psychic. He claimed he couldn't concentrate in an organized room, but needless to say, Abigail wasn't happy when she saw Ramón's room looking a mess again.

"Can you do that, Espeon?" Nemo asked.

Espeon looked uncertain, but she turned to another dummy and resolved to try anyway. Carmen felt her brain hurt just watching Espeon try to perform the attack, and because every bit of her struggle reminded her of Gardevoir. She was focusing as hard as she could and the strain was causing her entire body to shake, although at first it was all in vain. Finally a weak, quivering purple aura of psychic energy surrounded her, but the exertion was taking its toll. With one final shriek, Espeon released all the power she could, but the dummy barely twitched. Espeon collapsed from exhaustion and Nemo rushed over to her.

"Are you all right?" asked Nemo anxiously. Espeon responded back weakly. Nemo fed her some spicy berries to help her regain her strength. "But she can perform Psybeam perfectly! Why is Psychic so difficult?"

"Because Psychic requires a different level of control of her abilities," Ramón said. "It's closely related to being able predict things. Some Pokémon just have more trouble with it than others as my sister found out…"

And then a strange and frightening feeling overcame Carmen. Her brother's voice faded to a distant place and Kerry and Cate seemed miles away when they were sitting right beside her. Everything began to die away around her and she felt herself falling…

[size=18pt]Freak[/size]

The warped, maniacal voice seemingly came from the depths of Carmen's own mind. It was far worse than the voice that haunted her nearly every night because it chilled her to the bone and made her sick to her stomach. She closed her eyes to make the feeling go away.

Carmen?

Nnh…

Carmen! "Carmen! What happened? What's wrong?"

She opened her eyes to see Cate, Kerry and Zara, and even Nemo and Espeon surrounding her with Ramón kneeling in front of her. Everything was still blurry but she could feel the fear of every being in the room.

"You don't look well it all," said Ramón. "We should—

"No, no I'm fine," said Carmen faintly.

Ramón shook his head. "Stop it. You're not fine!"

His voice caused Carmen's vision to sharply return to its normal clarity. Finally she saw the concern and worry in his brown eyes; it was the same expression their mother gave whenever she was anxious about one of her children and at the moment it was making Carmen feel even worse than she already did. Without warning, she rose unsteadily to her feet.

"I'm going to…" She couldn't even get her destination out before she pushed past Ramón and bolted. Even in her state, she was slightly surprised he didn't stop her.

"Is she going to be all right?" asked Nemo anxiously. It was the most concern he'd ever shown to a human being since he'd been with them.

But Carmen didn't hear his question let alone the response. She ripped open the door to the room and ran out—not knowing where on earth she was going. Her instincts guided her steps as she wove her away around the many people in the Dojo. It was a miracle that she didn't crash into anyone though many people gave her strange looks. The next thing she knew, she was in the largest stall of the bathroom. Carmen put her back to the wall and slid down to the floor taking in heavy shuddering gasps to steady herself.

Where did this come from? Carmen thought to herself. Just a short while ago she was on cloud nine—elated that her battling spirit returned. She was thoroughly invested in watching Ramón and Nemo practice together. The voice sounded so familiar yet so evil, but it wasn't the first time she'd heard it. In fact, Carmen had had this experience before—right after her battle with Cynthia. Fortunately she had hid that experience from everyone though Ramón could tell something was wrong even if he couldn't put his finger on the exact reason. Carmen felt cold sweat droplets on her face and her breathing didn't slow…she was very glad she didn't have to vomit this time.

Out of the blue, two of the Pokéballs at Carmen's waist expanded and Blaziken and Gardevoir released themselves. They had been with her the last time this happened.

"I need…to get out of here…" said Carmen weakly. The chemicals they had used to clean the bathroom and the loud voices of the other girls were finally getting to her.

Blaziken and Gardevoir looked at each other and contemplated. They weren't sure if they should give her what she wanted or alert the rest of the group. Blaziken wanted to leave immediately but Gardevoir wasn't so sure, however to prevent a potential argument, she went along with them. They looked at each other once before Gardevoir put her hands on her human and her teammate and teleported away.

Carmen felt her herself flying through a world of psychic energy before finally landing. The wall of the bathroom she had been leaning against had been replaced by a huge tree and the smell of chemicals was replaced with the clean scent of fresh air. The soothing sounds of the wind calmed her slightly though she was still exhausted.

"Thanks guys," said Carmen quietly. She closed her eyes and fell unconscious…

~ ~ ~​

Carmen slowly stirred awake at the Pidgey chirp high in the trees of the forest and the sun shining down on her. Her head was still hurting but she no longer had the nauseated feeling for which she was relieved. She looked around and saw her self looking at Gardevoir and Blaziken who were relieved to see her awake.

"Thanks again for watching over me, Gardevoir and Blaziken," said Carmen with a small smile. Both Pokémon said you're welcome in their own language.

Before she could say another word, Nendoru and Ramón Teleported in their midst. Carmen had a sneaking suspicion that Ramón had been there before because her Pokémon showed no sign of surprise.

"Carmen, I'm so relieved you're awake." Ramón said as he sat down on the ground beside her. It hurt Carmen to look him in the eye because they still had that worry in them.

"Where is everyone?" asked Carmen. She was trying to stave off the questions that Ramón would eventually ask her.

"I wanted to be the one to find you first and Cate knew that," he explained. "So I sent everyone else off in a different area of the city while I came straight here."

"And you can sense my exact location now?"

"Yes," he answered simply. And when Carmen couldn't come up with any more questions to delay the inevitable, he began speaking again. "Carmen, you have to tell me what happened back there. Both Cate and I felt something really dark and sinister."

"It was nothing," she said resolutely. "I'll be fine."

"Stop lying to me—

"Ramón, please, not now," Carmen groaned. "I don't want to talk about it now."

"Then when do you want to talk about it?" he asked. "And don't just say later," Ramón added.

"Fine, tomorrow," said Carmen to shut him up. At times he could be just a little too perspective! "I'm feeling a bit better now, so you can call the others now."

Ramón shook his head and held his hand out for her phone. "And remember, we're going to talk about this tomorrow." After he made some phone calls, Nemo showed up in about five minutes, Cate in ten while riding Hakan, and lastly Kerry and Zara came in twenty minutes.

It was an uncomfortable scene for Carmen because all the attention was on her. Unfortunately, she had no idea how she could explain this away. There was no way she could tell them about the nightmares or the voice she'd heard while she was having the spell, but she couldn't lie either. When she couldn't take it any longer, Carmen spoke. She had no idea what effect it would have but she had to say something.

"Sorry about scaring you all earlier," said Carmen, standing up. "I haven't been feeling well, and I guess the high emotion of the battle didn't help. I'm fine now."

She looked around at everyone and saw that no one bought it, yet no one said anything. No one dared to say anything that could upset her while she was already not feeling well.

"Even so," said Kerry gently, pulling a bottle of rich crimson juice out of her bag and handing it to Carmen. "You should take this. The Shuckle we keep in our dorm made this juice and it'll really pick you up!"

Carmen opened the bottle and took a sip. "It's really good," she told Kerry. "It's just like the juice my mom makes with her Shuckle.

Cate looked around at Gardevoir and Blaziken. "I see your Pokémon helped take care of you," she noted.

"They did," said Carmen, grateful for the conversation. "Gardevoir and Blaziken were like my protectors and made sure nothing happened to me."

"And that reminds me of how Zara pushed me out of the way of a Poison Powder attack from an angry Oddish for me," said Kerry. "But even though she took a face full of toxic dust, she didn't seem to be harmed. To this day I have no idea why…"

"Your Clefable has the Magic Guard ability," Carmen said, but Kerry only looked confused, so she explained further. "That means that Zara will only take damage from direct attacks. She won't be hurt by burns or poison or anything like that. It's a very useful ability."

Nemo nodded. "Okay that settles it. She seems fine for now. And since we're out here, can we get back to our training," he asked Ramón. "Espeon should be rested now."

"All right, why not," said Ramón. "And Carmen, may I borrow Gardevoir for a little bit?"

"Sure," said Carmen. She was really starting to feel better now that everyone attention was getting focused elsewhere. Even her headache was starting to lessen.

Nemo released Espeon who seemed to be happy that Gardevoir was joining them. Ramón seemed to pick up where he left off when Carmen's spell interrupted them earlier. Meanwhile, Cate, Carmen, and Kerry sat down on a felled tree while watching the practice session. Zara was attempting to overcome her shyness and speak to Blaziken because she was impressed by how much he cared for his trainer.

"I feel almost ashamed that I didn't know about my own Pokémon's ability," said Kerry awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it," said Cate. "It was a while before I knew about Hakan's Flash Fire ability."

"Wait, don't tell me," said Kerry brightly. "That ability makes a Pokémon immune to fire type moves right? My brother said his Ninetales had it."

"Right," said Carmen. "That's another really handy ability."

"I must say," said Kerry. "Thanks to you, Carmen, and our run-in with those goons, I've been inspired to start battling with Zara. Not competitively or anything like that, but enough to protect ourselves. I'll be spending more time at the Dojo now!"

"Sounds like a good choice," said Cate.

Carmen pulled out her Pokédex and showed Kerry Clefable's entry. "This can give you more information about Clefable like its attacks.

"Interesting," said Kerry mesmerized as she thumbed through the entry.

The group stayed in the forest for most of the day training, talking, and spending time with their Pokémon. Nemo and Espeon seemed especially zealous about practicing and Ramón had to tell them more than once to take it easy. Kerry grew especially interested about the move Protect when she found out Clefable could learn it as well. Carmen gave her the Protect TM and challenged Kerry to learn how to use it herself. They ended up eating both lunch and dinner outdoors. Nemo claimed to want to practice more after dinner, both he and Espeon passed out asleep in the middle of dinner after revealing they'd been awake since 4:30 in the morning.

"Well, as it's nearly sunset, it's time for me to go again," Kerry managed to choke out after she finished laughing at Nemo. "You'll be leaving in the morning, right?"

"Correct," said Ramón, making Kerry blush scarlet again. "We're heading out to Olivine City tomorrow morning. And thanks again for turning my sister into a believer," he added as Carmen rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it was very nice meeting you," said Cate, giving Kerry a hug.

"Same to you," Kerry responded graciously.

Carmen rummaged through her bag. "And as thanks for showing me around this gorgeous city, here's a Life Orb." She gave the pretty, yet powerful, purple orb to Kerry.

"Wow, what does this do?" she asked curiously.

"It powers up a Pokémon's moves in battle but at the cost of its energy," Carmen explained. "But with Zara's Magic Guard, she doesn't have to worry about that cost, so it's essentially a free boost. I know it's generally only used by competitive trainers, but I think you'll find use for it."

"Thank you so much!" squealed Kerry. "But did you ever use it?"

"I used to," Carmen admitted, "back when my battling style matched my gambling lifestyle. Now I'm certain you can get better use of it than I can."

"I do hope we see each other again," said Kerry bowing. "I want to show you how much Zara and I will have grown stronger."

"And I'm sure we will see that," said Carmen smiling.

"Bye everyone!" said Kerry as she and Zara turned and walked away. "Come back to Ecruteak sometime!"

"I guess we should get our Pokémon to the Pokémon Center," said Cate after Kerry was out of their sight. Carmen recalled her tired Pokémon and thanked them again.

Nemo proved to be quite a deep sleeper. When Ramón tried to wake him, he only mumbled something about asparagus before becoming silent again. Espeon was just as unresponsive

"He's not waking up," said Ramón amused. "I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." He carefully pulled Nemo onto his back and stood up while Cate pulled Espeon on Hakan's back. The boy looked so peaceful it made both Cate and Carmen smile.

After they were satisfied that they'd left nothing behind, they began walking back to the city. Carmen was very content with how the day ended. She really enjoyed helping Kerry and watching Ramón and Nemo practice with Espeon. But when Ramón fixed Carmen in his gaze, she knew he wasn't done with her yet. He was going to press her for answers the next day and Carmen wasn't at all looking forward to it.

 

[Plapti]

Amazing.

Love how you did the battle scene and the scene with Carmen. It' so intriguing.

Excellent job.

 

[Chibi]

Amazing. Just amazing. I just love Blaziken and Gardevoir's concern, and Ramon's.

"Wait, wait, wait," said Nemo, shaking his head. "I haven't had my battle yet! And we haven't seen THEM battle either," he said, pointing at Kerry and Zara.

"Haven't I told you that pointing is rude?" Ramón reminded Nemo.

Funniest line ever.

 

[Pheonix]

I love it Carmen! Excellent battle descriptions, great teasing character development, wonderful way of showing how someone can explain complex methods of pokemon abilities to those who don't really know much about them. In any case, keep up the good work, I can't wait to find out what is going to happen with the plot.

 

[Cody]

Write more. Now.

It's awesome Carmen, and you know that. Everytime I read your fic, it makes me more eager to write more.

Thanks for that, and for the awesome story.

 

[Magpie]

I don't really have much to say other than...

You. Are. Awesome.

Great story, chapter, descriptions, everything! You are a wonderful storyteller.
*Waits fr more*

 

[Psycho Monkey]

Enjoyable as always Carmen. The battle scene was described so perfectly it was like watching an actual video.

So when's the next chapter?

 

[Carmen Lopez]

OOC: I'm really sorry this took so long. I got a tiny bit of writer's block and then school and work interfered. So here we go ^^

The clean smell of grass was carried on the spring winds as they passed the western boundary of Ecruteak City. Ramón said it would take about three days to reach Olivine, but there would be a lot to see on the way there. And Carmen hadn’t forgotten that Cate said they would have an adventurous encounter of some kind. Johto was in full bloom as they traversed the path between Ecruteak and Olivine Cities. The three days were lazy, tranquil, and wonderful days, but Carmen wouldn’t be able to enjoy them at first.

For much of the first day of their journey Carmen dreaded Ramón’s interrogation. She really didn’t want to tell him about the nightmares—particularly the one she had the night before because it was nearly as bad as her spell at the Dojo. The dream was as usual but the after-effects were even more ominous than normal. She felt like a monster as usual, but instead of despising it, for a few minutes after waking she enjoyed the feeling. It was a sadistic feeling but after the spell had passed, she felt worse than normal. Was she finally losing it?

“Carmen!” said Nemo, breaking Carmen’s trance. For some reason she just knew he was going to start asking a string of questions.

“Yes, Nemo?” she asked.

“How old were you when you started Pokémon training and when you became the Sinnoh league champion?” he wanted to know.

“Four years ago when I was 13,” she answered. She glanced down at the elaborate silver ring on her middle finger. “And I became champion last year.”

“Cool…” Nemo breathed. “I can’t wait until I compete in the Johto Pokémon league. What was it like battling the Elite Four?”

“Intense,” said Carmen. “The whole thing lasts for five days at the minimum because your Pokémon may need extra rest. You battle one Elite Four member per day and then the last day is reserved for the champion. From what I know, it’s the same in every region.”

“That…does sound intense,” said Cate who was walking along with Ramón behind them. “I’m guessing very few people become champion.”

Carmen nodded. “I know before Madalyn came along, Johto went a very long time without having a champion. But that’s partly because Kanto and Johto shared a Pokémon league and in my honest opinion it was a little biased against Johto.”

“I agree,” said Nemo. “You just can’t change the rules and locations of things so that they screw things up for one of the regions. But anyway, back to the subject. What’s the Sinnoh Champion like?”

“Really, really powerful,” said Carmen. “It’s still the toughest battle I’ve ever fought. Her name is Cynthia and she’s definitely champion for a reason. In particular, her Lucario gave me the most problems. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many attacks on one Pokémon.” Carmen added, laughing slightly. She enjoyed reminiscing about past tough battles she’d fought. That compounded by her thoughts of her battle with Madalyn the day before, almost put Ramón’s interrogation out of her mind…almost.

“Cynthia,” said Ramón. “She’s really awesome for more than just her battles. I actually got to meet her in Celestic Town and she’s really interested in legendaries. She even said she’d like to meet Dialga and Palkia.”

“I’m not going there,” Carmen said sighing.

As they continued walking, Ramón went into more details about his encounter with Cynthia in Celestic Town. Nemo also seemed genuinely interested in what they were talking about but it was probably because Cynthia was one of the most powerful trainers in Sinnoh. Carmen was getting paranoid that Ramón was just lulling her into a false sense of security.

“Let’s take a break,” she heard Cate say. “We’ve been walking for most of the morning.”

They had stopped near a peaceful, clear lake where a couple of trainers were already resting. The late morning sun reflected off the waters—once again reminding Carmen of Lake Verity in the morning. Carmen walked over to the water’s edge and saw Goldeen and Seaking along with the ever-present Magikarp. Because the lake was deep, other Pokémon could also be hiding in the depths. 

“I’m glad we found water,” she said. Carmen released Nerissa, her Milotic, and Dragonite who were also glad to see the lake. “We’ll be in Olivine City soon, so you’ll get to be the in ocean for the first time in a long time.”

Nerissa and Dragonite both made noises of thanks before Nerissa sank beneath the waters and Dragonite flew off to the opposite bank. Neither Pokémon minded lakes because that was where the primarily grew up, but as the ocean was a rare treat, they were looking forward to it.

“It looks like you’re the only one who has Pokémon with an affinity towards water,” Ramón noted. “Though I wouldn’t mind going swimming, we’re not staying here long.”

“Carmen, let me see your Pokédex,” said Nemo.

No one said anything for the longest time. In fact Carmen imagined a tumble weed blowing past.

“Hellooooooo?” said Nemo as he rolled his eyes.

“You forgot the magic word,” said Cate serenely.

With his most pronounced eye roll yet, “Please may I see your Pokédex?”

“Sure,” said Carmen brightly. She handed her Pokédex to Nemo who looked slightly disturbed that it was pink. “Ha! My sister felt the same way when she got her Pokédex and saw it was pink. But she was too afraid of Professor Rowan at the time to complain too much.”

“Despite the fact that it’s pink, you’ve seen a lot of Pokémon!” said Nemo excitedly. And without another word he sat down at the lake’s edge and began looking through it.

Carmen looked up to see that her Dragonite had returned. “Dragonite, would you fly me to the other side of the lake?” she asked him.

Dragonite was more than happy to oblige as Carmen climbed aboard. The dragon Pokémon flew so low to the water’s surface that Carmen’s feet were nearly touching it. She looked down into the clear water and saw the reeds waving back and forth in gentle waves.

“Thank you,” said Carmen when they’d arrived at their destination.

The dragon smiled with his eyes as he dived into the water to join Nerissa. Carmen was attached to Dragonite from the first time she met him as a Dratini because she could feel his loyalty. He was always the cheerful one of her team, the one who could always brighten the day. But Carmen also knew that he could sense that something was wrong with her even though he didn’t show it. Carmen sat down and leaned her back against a tree to look across the lake.

“Don’t tell me,” she groaned, closing her eyes, knowing what was coming.

She could see Ramón’s grin from were she was as he stood next to Nendoru. He raised his left hand and waved once before putting his hand on one of Nendoru’s cannon-like arms. Within a second, they teleported and within another, Carmen found herself in her brother’s presence.

“I couldn’t resist,” he said brightly at the look on Carmen’s face. “I mean, you’re over here being antisocial. Seems like the perfect opportunity.”

Carmen didn’t say anything.

“Now you can tell me what happened yesterday,” Ramón said, his voice growing more concerned.

“Ramón, it’s…” she started but couldn’t finish.

“Don’t say it’s nothing,” he said. “Both Kerry and Cate said your eyes rolled back in your head. And later Cate told me she felt a sort of disturbance from you…a sinister disturbance at that. This isn’t the first time this has happened, has it?”

The silence appeared to stretch on forever. Carmen could hear Nemo screaming something about a battle at an amused Cate on the opposite shore. Ramón was forcing Carmen to admit the very thing she’d slightly hoped to take to her grave, but she couldn’t remain silent forever…

“Yes,” she said, defeated. “It’s happened before. After my battle with Cynthia…”

“I knew it,” said Ramón. “I knew something was wrong. But I also see that something else has been wrong too, ever since Gardevoir got Pokénapped.”

No! I can’t admit to the nightmares, too! Carmen screamed in her head. Was Ramón really doing this to her? And if he was, why was he doing it now? But she had long since learned it’s better not to question him about his idiosyncrasies. “Oh, something’s been wrong all right,” she managed to say.

“Like what exactly?” he asked.

“No more prying,” Carmen said shaking her head.

Ramón sighed. “Weren’t you always the one who said you should be honest with what’s going on? What, does that only apply to people who aren’t you or something?”

He had her there. If she chose not to say anything now, she’d go for a long time feeling like a hypocrite. “I’ve been having nightmares ever since the day after Gardevoir was Pokénapped,” she finally revealed. “And I have no idea where they came from.”

“That’s really odd,” said Ramón. He looked more concerned than ever. “Unfortunately, I’m as mystified by this as you are.”

“Oh,” Carmen said in a small voice. There had been a part of her that wished her brother would know exactly what was wrong. And while he didn’t make everything magically all better, “It did help to tell someone though,” said Carmen, smiling faintly.

“I can imagine so,” Ramón agreed. “That’s a really long time to keep something like that to yourself. But there is one last thing I wanted to ask you: do your nightmares affect your actual feelings when you wake up?”

Carmen thought for a moment. “Mostly I just feel terror when I wake up. However last night, there was a sadistic feeling in my nightmare and when I woke up, I also felt sadistic. But that faded in seconds…”

“Hmm,” Ramón said. “Also interesting and I want to help. Can you start telling me what your nightmares make you feel like when you wake up?”

“Okay,” said Carmen. “And I’ll also go into…detail about what my dreams are like. I just don’t feel up to it at the moment.”

“All right,” said Ramón bracingly. “I didn’t want to pry that information out of you. Just tell me when you feel you’re ready. Is that fine?”

“It’s just fine,” Carmen responded back.

Ramón smiled and stared back over the lake at Cate. “I’m going to reveal my secret to Nemo tomorrow,” he said off-handedly.

“Wait, what?” said Carmen. She was thrown for a loop at the abrupt change in both the subject and the mood. “But what if he reacts badly? Then what will you do?”

He laughed lightly. “I have a good feeling about this,” he said simply.

Carmen brought her hand to her forehead. Whenever Ramón had a good feeling about something, it was never a guarantee it would go well. Once, he had a “good feeling” about wandering off the main road in near blizzard conditions in north Sinnoh and he ended up finding a gorgeous cave with a frozen waterfall and an elaborate shrine. But another time he had a good feeling about wandering off the main path near Stark Mountain and was nearly killed by flaming rocks.

“Fine, Ramón, have it your way. But what does Cate say?” Carmen asked.

“She agrees with me,” he said. “Both of us are tired of hiding our powers from him, so we’re going to reveal them to him. Don’t worry, Carmen. Even I wouldn’t do something like this without consorting with her first. We talked as we left Ecruteak.”

“Talked as you left? How? We were together!” said Carmen.

“Oh, Cate and I have ways of communicating,” said Ramón with a mysterious smile. “And we can steal moments away to ourselves, too.”

“Uh huh.” Carmen had to resist the temptation to raise her eyebrows, but she still had an “all righty then” expression on her face.  The last part of that statement was totally unnecessary but very telling…

Nerissa poked her head above the water to survey her trainer with her beautiful eyes. Out of all of Carmen’s Pokémon, Nerissa was the most peaceful—something she had in common with her species in general. But, like her trainer, Nerissa tended to shy away from too much attention. She preferred to be either alone or with a couple of others, however she never seemed standoffish the way Suna did.

“Hello, Nerissa!” said Ramón brightly.

Nerissa responded back in her musical voice. Then, she began to emanate a soft blue glow that slowly expanded to immerse both Carmen and Ramón. As with Lugia’s Song, Carmen almost immediately felt calmness spread over her body. As what was characteristic of Milotic, Nerissa had the ability to soothe negative feelings. With practice, this ability got more potent but Nerissa still couldn’t match Gardevoir’s prowess with emotions. But that didn’t matter; Carmen greatly appreciated the gesture.

“Thank you, Nerissa,” said Carmen as she reached out to pet her. She sank back into the water and swam to the other side to join Dragonite.

“Ready to go back?” Ramón asked her. “We can both teleport with Nendoru.”

Teleporting with Nendoru was always an odd experience. When people teleported with Gardevoir, they flew through a world of psychic energy and aura. Nendoru on the other hand, teleported into an inky black void. This, coupled with the fact, that the Claydol could stay in this world for an extended period of time, made the experience unnerving and very creepy.

“You know, I always forget how much I hate teleporting with Nendoru,” said Carmen, once they’d joined Nemo and Cate again.

Unsurprisingly, Ramón said, “I find it interesting.”

“You would,” said Carmen as she narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Are we leaving now? We’ve been here forever!” said Nemo impatiently. Absentmindedly almost, he made a motion to grab at something invisible over his shoulder. He dropped his hand as soon as he realized what he was doing, but it didn’t go unnoticed.

“Did you used to have long hair, Nemo?” Cate asked.

“No!” he said defensively, turning red again. “Why would you ask something like that?”

Ramón laughed. “No need to get upset. It just looked like you were reaching for hair that used to hang at or below your shoulders. It takes a long time to get out of that habit, as Reina and I found out when we cut off our hair.”

“Either way, you’re both too observant! Sheesh!” he said irritably. He turned his back on them and stomped off.

“Well, that was very interesting.” Cate said calmly. “But we should really get going and catch up to Nemo though. Hey, Ramón are we still telling him tomorrow?”

“Yes,” he said simply. “We could even tell him tonight if you want.”

Carmen was still skeptical. “Are the both of you sure you want to tell him?”

“Absolutely,” said Cate. She looked as though Carmen were crazy for even hinting that telling him could be end badly. My visions are difficult to hide sometimes so I’d rather have this out in the open.”

“If you’re sure…” said Carmen, dropping the subject.

After Carmen recalled her Pokémon, they headed back to the main path to Olivine once more. Surprisingly, it didn’t take them long to reach Nemo who was kneeling on the ground observing some pretty flowers growing alongside the path. He hastily got up and started walking again as though nothing had happened when he discovered that the rest of the group had caught up to him. Cate and Ramón looked at each other and smiled but they didn’t tease Nemo this time.

The day was for the most part peaceful after that. They passed through a small village whose spirit greatly reminded Carmen of her own home village. There, they picked up lunch in the form of sandwiches and Miltank milk. For the first time, Carmen saw first hand why Johto was considered the breadbasket of the world. Farms large and small seem to dominate the path to Olivine, and the food in the surrounding villages was fresh and delicious. Nemo used the map function on his Pokégear to inform everyone that they were a third of the way from Olivine City. By then, night had fallen. Ramón had spotted an empty campsite where they could rest for the night so they could begin their journey again.

Carmen and Dragonite built the fire that they sat around. In the absence of manmade lights, the stars shined brightly in the sky overhead. They pulled out the rest of the food they had gotten in that village and peacefully ate while sitting in front of the fire. Carmen noticed that Nemo was oddly subdued as he stared at the fire, the flames illuminating his face. He wasn’t hyper or loud as he usually was, nor was he asking Carmen a million questions.

“Is something wrong, Nemo?” Carmen asked him.

“No, I’m just thinking,” he muttered.

Cate and Ramón watched him intently as though looking for the right time to tell him. When he didn’t speak for several minutes, they looked at each other and nodded.

“Nemo,” Cate began. He broke his gaze toward the fire and turned to her. “We—Ramón and I—have something to tell you.”

He perked up slightly at these words and something stirred in his eyes. “Yeah? What is it?” he asked.

“Hmm,” Ramón said. His already warm brown eyes softened further. Carmen knew the words would slide from his lips as easily as they did when he told her. “What if we told you we were psychic?”

“What if you did?” Nemo retorted back. “It isn’t like the two of you can get any weirder.”

Carmen frowned slightly. She wasn’t sure if Nemo’s reaction was good or bad, nor could she tell if the fact that Ramón and Cate were unfazed was good or not. Ramón glanced at Carmen and smiled and it only took her two seconds to figure out what he was about to do.

“No, Ramón wait!” Carmen said frantically. “I don’t want to be in your demonstra— GAH!”

The next thing she knew she was being hoisted ten feet into the air with her brother’s psychic power. The sensation completely pushed Teleporting with Nendoru aside as one of the scariest feelings she’d ever experienced. It felt as though Ramón’s power’s hold on her was strengthening and waning—as though he might drop her at any moment. Carmen was greatly relieved to be put back on he ground and very irritated at Ramón. She had to resist the urge to pick up her phone and throw it at his head.

“I just gained the ability to lift heavy objects a not to long ago,” Ramón explained to Nemo. “I guess I shouldn’t have tried to lift my sister that high,” he added sheepishly. “She’s a lot heavier than I thought.”

It’s a good thing I’m not sensitive about my weight, Carmen said to herself as she thought of her curvier frame.

“And I also have heightened senses when I’m in danger and heightened emotional perception,” Ramón finished.

“I have the ability to clairvoyance and pre-cognition,” Cate added.

But Nemo had turned back to the fire without saying a single word, and it was this silence that bothered Carmen most of all. It was heavy and oppressive, most unlike Nemo’s usual presence of vibrant energy. It seemed as though he were a completely different person. His eyes looked flat; the only light they had was the fire reflected off of them. Nemo seemed to be wrestling with a decision he had to make and only snapped out of it when he made a choice.

“I’m going for a walk,” he said. Nemo got up abruptly and walked off toward the woods. He said nothing about what he was just told and what he’d seen.

“He’s turning out to be a good mystery story,” Cate noted once Nemo was out of earshot.

~ ~ ~​

Nemo’s silent response followed Carmen to sleep, accompanying her nightmares. It was her most vivid, surreal dream yet…it was completely dark and her legs were completely paralyzed. He arms and her head were the only things she could move. In spite of the darkness she could see the dark red blood flowing down the length of her arms. Tears flowed down her face and as she reached to wipe them away, she found that the tears were also blood. But suddenly the dream turned so cold that Carmen could see her breath. A feeling of foreboding came over her. She wanted to run but couldn’t. And out of the darkness appeared a demonic, horribly disfigured Mismagius.

The Pokémon looked as though she was melting. The parts of her that were supposed to be a lighter shade of purple where instead mirror-like and reflecting Carmen’s bloodied arms and face. Mismagius had no eyes under her hood and a malevolent presence surrounded her. Her mouth was the opening to a deep black abyss. She curled her mouth into an evil grin as she gave an unnaturally deep cackling laugh. Carmen had to stifle the scream.  She was relived to find the campsite mercifully empty.

Carmen was grateful for the sunshine as she went to look for Cate and Ramón. Johto’s weather was going to cooperate with them yet again. The temperatures were already warm and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. While her recent nightmare was just as scary as usual, she was comforted by the fact that the dream had no lasting effects this time. She didn’t wake up feeling horrible or sadistic which was a first. This improved her mood slightly.

She was about to ask Dragonite to help her scout the area until she came upon this ancient looking mansion. Aside from just looking abandoned, the house was in good shape structurally. The grass around the place had grown wild and very tall. It was almost up to Carmen’s waist. The weeds had overtaken the once neat flowerbeds and they reached as high as the first floor windows. Vandals had not yet gotten to the house so the windows were still in tact, yet grimy. Unlike the Old Chateau in Eterna Forest, this mansion was oddly tranquil and not eerie in anyway.

“Oh, hi Carmen!” a voice said brightly.

It was Cate and Ramón as they were coming around the house. Cate was dressed for the warmer weather by wearing knee length shorts and a sunshine yellow camisole and matching headband. Ramón meanwhile had on this horrible eyesore of a lime green t-shirt with a bright orange silhouette of a Solrock on it. Reina had bought it for him in an open air market in Sunyshore City and he’d been wearing it habitually ever since. Carmen hated it.

“Caaaaaaaarmen,” said Ramón in a singsong voice. “Look! I’m wearing your favorite shirt.”

“You’re as awful as that shirt,” said Carmen but she laughed nonetheless. “Are you guys just exploring?”

“We are,” said Cate as she pushed her white hair off her shoulders. “Why this house hasn’t been severely damaged yet is beyond me. It’s amazing really. “

“Almost as amazing is this,” said Ramón. He pulled a gorgeous pendant out of his bag. It was an exquisite, high quality pearl in an intricate gold setting. A beautifully cut diamond was attached to the top. However, it was dirty, as though it had been buried.

“Where did you find this?” asked Carmen, but she thought better of it. “Nevermind,” she said, cutting him off. “Ramón’s intuition?”

“And you say you can’t read me,” Ramón said, bowing slightly.

“THERE you are!” Nemo and Espeon emerged from the woods dramatically. He had to tear and rip at the weeds and vines to make his way over to them, tripping a couple of times. He disturbed an indignant Hoothoot who was apparently resting in the grass. “I saw that stupid shirt before I saw you.” Nemo acted as though the night before had never happened; he was back to his usual irritated, impatient self. “So what are you all staring at?”

“Nemo,” said Cate carefully as though she were addressing a person who was having delusions. “Do you remember anything about last night?”

He in turn looked at her as though she were crazy. “You mean the part where you and Ramón told me you both were psychic? Yeah, I remember. And it explains a LOT,” he said loftily.

“Well at least I don’t have to worry about hiding my powers anymore,” said Ramón. “But are you sure you’re all right, Nemo? You were acting…strangely last night.”

He locked eyes with Ramón. “Was not,” Nemo retorted. “And we should start moving again before it takes us four days to get to Olivine instead of three.”

“Oh now, this is interesting,” said Cate suddenly and everyone looked at her. Her eyes had that white film over them again. “But before you ask, Carmen, it’s a secret.”

“I think Ramón has rubbed off on you,” said Carmen. Since Cate was too dark to blush, she instead took on a glow. “But I’m not one to overly press anyone. Can you at least tell me who it involves?”

Cate said nothing, but she smiled and glanced at Nemo who was searching his pockets for something. “It’s starting now…”

“Oh no!” he muttered. “Where is it?” He began looking frantically along the ground. Carmen was about to ask what he was looking for when they heard a sound coming from some distance away.

“HOOT!” It was the Hoothoot that Nemo had bothered a few minutes ago, but now it appeared to have something shiny in its beak. The owl Pokémon was now taunting Nemo by hopping back and forth in front of him in a very “this is what you get for bothering me” way.

“GIVE THAT BACK NOW!” Nemo screamed and he and Espeon gave chase.

The Hoothoot hopped around in great circles with Nemo and Espeon on his heels. Cate, Ramón, and Carmen were all trying not to laugh, but it was hilarious. The Hoothoot looked like he was having the time of his life while Nemo’s face was crimson in anger. The vein in his neck looked like it was going to blow at any second.  Out of the blue, the Hoothoot turned around abruptly and fired a Hypnosis attack right at Espeon who fell asleep instantly.

“You. Are. SO. DEAD!” Nemo screeched getting, if it were even possible, more upset.

The Hoothoot laughed in his face before jumping into some bushes. Once again Nemo pursued the Pokémon, but as he was entering the bush, Hoothoot practically flew under Nemo’s right arm in fear.

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH” he yelled when he saw what had scared the Hoothoot.

It was three very angry Beedrill. The drills on the ends of their forearms looked lethal. This was the first time Carmen had seen one in person and she saw at once why they were the bane of a young trainer’s existence. The three Pokémon quickly surrounded Nemo. Ramón quickly released Nendoru but before he could command it to do anything, Nemo glowed in a bluish color and vanished, reappearing right beside Carmen. A moment of silence followed this stunning event, but before they could do anything about it, there was still the Beedrill to attend to.

It took a couple of seconds for the Beedrill to realize what happened, possibly because they’ve never seen a human just vanish. When they finally located Nemo and Hoothoot, the three bug Pokémon charged.

“Nendoru use Psybeam!” Ramón called out calmly.

The Claydol turned its cannon like arms toward the Beedrill and fired circular waves of red colored psychic energy to scare the Pokémon off. The Beedrill quickly scattered back into the forest without further incident.

“Espeon!” said Nemo rushing over to his still sleeping Pokémon with Hoothoot still under his arm. Carmen caught a glimpse of the gold locket in the Pokémon’s beak.

She stirred awake and looked around before looking at her trainer. “Espy…” she said, as if apologizing for not being there for him.

“Don’t feel bad, Espeon,” said Nemo encouragingly. “It was this things fault!” he said as he finally pulled the still cowering Hoothoot from underneath his arm. “You can stop being a coward now, the Beedrill are gone. And why didn’t you Hypnosis THEM like you did Espeon?”

“Hoot,” he sniffed.

“Gah, whatever,” Nemo groaned. He snatched the locket back from Hoothoot and put the Pokémon on the ground.

“Nemo,” said Carmen, “since when could you teleport?”

Nemo looked thoroughly annoyed as he stuffed the locket back in his pocket. “You didn’t see that,” he said plainly.

“Oh, but we did,” said Ramón. “Can you tell us more about your powers?”

He sighed deeply—hating the fact that he’d be discovered. “Well, the cat’s out of the bag now, I might as well,” said Nemo regretfully. “I’ve been able to Teleport since I was about ten. I have the ability to somehow know that where I’m about to land is safe from objects and people. I can also lock on to certain people. Remember how I found you and Carmen at your house? I locked onto to Carmen when we met in Goldenrod City and I was able teleport where she was,” he said in a flat voice.

“That’s very interesting and really amazing,” said Cate. “But why Carmen of all people?”

Nemo rubbed his forehead. “I can’t explain it. It’s like I’m drawn toward certain people or Pokémon and it’s like I have to act on it. And if I don’t, it just keeps bugging me and bugging me.”

“So you were destined to meet Carmen and then Cate and me,” said Ramón in awe. “That’s beyond cool. I knew there was something about you.”

“And now we know why you’re able to beat us places all the time or find us after you’ve run off,” said Cate. “Teleporting is really convenient.”

“It’ll be even more convenient when I can teleport across really long distances,” said Nemo. Then he smiled slightly. “And if you want to ask me anything else, you’ll have to find me first! Come on Espeon!” Without another word, they both teleported away.

Ramón laughed. “He really is something. This will be a good test of my ability to sense others with powers. Let’s go find him!”

“Can we just let him find us?” Carmen asked. “That’s worked well enough so far.”

Cate laughed and pulled Carmen by the arm. “But where’s the fun in that?” she asked. “And Hoothoot would you like to come too?”

“Hoot!” he said. The Pokémon seemed completely unperturbed by Nendoru and hopped happily on its head for a ride. Nendoru didn’t seem to mind the Hoothoot and indeed seemed a little pleasantly surprised.

“Now off we go Carmen,” said Cate cheerfully, like they were going on a treasure hunt.

Carmen had to admit even to herself that she welcomed this distraction. But she couldn’t help but think Nemo still had other secrets—his real name being one of the biggest ones. And what on earth was in that locket?

~ ~ ~​

By the time the third day had arrived, they had covered good ground on their trek to Olivine City. Though he wouldn’t admit it, Nemo had a good time practicing his Teleporting skills with Ramón and Cate. In addition to not being able to teleport across long distances, he also couldn’t teleport with a human being either, though he could with a psychic Pokémon. But that would change as he gained more power and control. Carmen had to assure Cate that she didn’t feel left out because she was the only one who lacked psychic power.

“I’m fine, trust me,” Carmen said to Cate. “I like watching you better. And after all, everyone has their “thing.” It was true; to Carmen’s eyes, psychic power looked like more trouble than it was worth. She was perfectly happy the way she was.

“Good way to look at things,” said Cate cheerfully. “Reminds me of someone else I knew,” she added on under her breath so that Carmen didn’t hear her.

Once they’d passed by a couple of more farms and passed through a village, they were back in a forested environment. The Hoothoot had now taken to following Nemo around to his great annoyance.

“Why are you still here?” Nemo asked rudely.

“Hoot,” said Hoothoot, as if to say “because I want to.”

“So Nemo now has a something following him around now?” said Carmen smirking. “Karma is something, isn’t it?”

“Shut UP!” said Nemo, turning red. “It’s not you don’t know why!”

“Calm down, I’m only kidding,” Carmen said laughing. “Besides, I think Hoothoot will make a good companion.

“Tch,” said Nemo, stalking off with Hoothoot fluttering behind him.

Meanwhile Ramón was finished training himself, so he trained with Nendoru by asking Carmen for a battle with Drapion.

“All right,” said Ramón, who was now wearing a t-shirt which was plain forest green rather than another eyesore. “I just want to test Teleport right as Nendoru is being hit with dark type move.”

“Works for me,” said Carmen.

“Dra-pi-on,” said Drapion enthusiastically in a low growl. He never passed up the opportunity of for a battle.

“Use Night Slash, Drapion!” said Carmen.

Drapion quickly extended his accordion like arms. His claws were enveloped in dark energy as he lunged at Nendoru. Right on cue, the Claydol use Teleport mere seconds before the attack was to strike, but then something rather odd and funny happened. Nendoru managed to vanish completely but Carmen and Ramón saw something black fly off and land at Nemo’s feet.

“What the heck is this?” he asked, picking it up. He had been training with Espeon and not at all paying attention to anyone else.

“Ah, that would be one of Nendoru’s arms,” said Ramón serenely.

“WHAT!” Nemo exclaimed, promptly dropping it on the ground. “Now that’s just creepy!”

“Now how would you like it if someone treated your severed arm like that?” Ramón said as he levitated the arm into his hands. “Good job, Drapion! You managed to disrupt the psychic power that Nendoru uses to keep its arms attached to its body.” Ramón didn’t have an ounce of sarcasm in his voice. “I’ve never seen that happen before.”

“Drapion,” said the scorpion Pokémon, flashing his claws in pride.

“So a strong Dark type attack can do that to any limbs that are attached to the body with psychic power, huh,” said Cate as Ramón helped Nendoru reattach its arm. “That’s informative to know. But I’m not sure—

Suddenly, Cate’s eyes flashed white. She made one fluid, graceful movement and dodged by mere centimeters the kunai that came out of nowhere. It hit the tree right where Cate’s head had been the second before. She and Carmen looked up to see who had thrown it and Carmen received a slight shock. It was Isidore and Sienna who still had her arm outstretched from the throw. Sienna smiled devilishly.

“I see your pre-cognition is as good as ever, big sister.”

 

[Chibi]

Oh great. I so want to see this duo get owned.

Awesome chapter, and that Mismagius in the dream was slightly creepy, even by my standards. And now with the long hair and flower-gazing you've got me thinking that Nemo is some sort of hippy.

 

[Cody]

"What the heck is this?" he asked, picking it up. He had been training with Espeon and not at all paying attention to anyone else.

"Ah, that would be one of Nendoru's arms," said Ramón serenely.

~~

I literally cracked up. I love Ramon and Nemo. And, of course, I love your writing. You know that. It's amazing, to tell the truth. I wish I had just about an ounce of the ability you did. Keep up the amazing work.

 

[Picnicker Virgil]

It may not bother Carmen, but it makes me sad that she doesn't have any powers. Unless those nightmares and stuff somehow relate to her powers growing in or something...

As usual, your writing was fantastic and the material was great too. I didn't think after CoGV you could outdo yourself but you've been proving me wrong with every chapter. Hope everything in your life gets easier so you have more time to write.

 

[Pheonix]

Amazing job yet again! Every little thing in here keeps me guessing at what the real overall plot is supposed to be. Keep up the great work!

 

[Plapti]

Interesting chapter Carmen. Very interesting and a very nice job.

 

[Tatile]

I was rather surprised, and a little disappointed, to get to this page and find no more story. However, if I know anything about Writer's Block, it'll probably be back in a bit, with it's friends Laziness and Work. That being said, I believe there is a famour Oliver Twist quote that would work here quite nicely.

 

[Carmen Lopez]

OOC: OMG! I'm so sorry that this took so long. You can blame school, life, Radiant Dawn, [size=3pt]Sem for getting me into Radiant Dawn[/size], and life. I hope it's good ^^

Cate and Sienna stared each other down. Cate regarded her sister with an expression full of concern while Sienna looked at her sister with burning hatred.

“Fancy seeing you here, oh magnificent Cate,” Sienna announced, her voice full of biting sarcasm. “I was sure you’d be off somewhere helping mankind with you “gifts.”

Cate said nothing.

“What’s the matter, dear sister?” asked Sienna scathingly. “Meowth got your tongue? Seems like some things never change." She turned her gaze to Carmen. "And look at who we have here! The world just keeps getting smaller and smaller doesn’t it?”

“You could say that,” said Carmen looking directly into the girl’s eyes. This time Sienna had on flat boots making her the same height as Carmen. Sienna took noticed the fact that Carmen was very much her equal when it came to physical strength. And so, they considered themselves as such.

“Is there anything we can do for you?” Ramón spoke up pleasantly like he was helping someone find something a in a store.

“As a matter of fact I think you can,” Isidore spoke for the first time. He brushed his black hair out of his face casually as he looked at Ramón with a curious, yet oddly disappointed expression on his face. “You have something in your bag that we want.”

“Really, now?” said Ramón. Carmen couldn’t tell if the surprise in his voice was sarcastic or not. “And what would that be?”

“I think you already know,” said Isidore menacingly. “The pendant! We know you have it!”

“And they call me the stalker,” said Ramón smiling. No one else dared to say a word. Drapion stood at the ready nearby and Hoothoot had dove under Nemo’s arm again and even he didn’t have anything to say.

“If you have any survival instinct, you’ll quit cheesing and hand it over,” said Sienna who had turned her focus to Ramón.

“Stop it, you’re making me laugh! You’d kill me over this?” said Ramón. He then nonchalantly looked over his shoulder at the Claydol behind him. “Nendoru use Ice Beam!”

The Pokémon fired two icy beams behind itself, nearly hitting the Honchkrow that was attempting to steal Ramón’s bag. The bird Pokémon cawed loudly as she flew back to Isidore’s side.

“What the heck?” Isidore said in disbelief. “How did you know Doña Kurai was there? She wasn’t making a sound!” Carmen had to admire her brother’s abilities because she didn’t even notice the Pokémon was there.

“So…why do you want the pendant anyway?” asked Ramón, ignoring Isidore’s question.

“Let’s just say there are some powerful people who want it,” Isidore answered easily. “And you don’t ask them questions.”

“That’s right,” said Sienna fiercely. “So are you going to cooperate or will we have to do this by force?” She pulled out a Pokéball of her own and enlarged it. Her feelings of rage were bubbling just under the surface…

“Since you want it so badly, you can have it,” said Ramón and the duo was caught completely off-guard.

“You’re just giving it to us without a fight?” asked Isidore, his mismatched eyes slightly widened.

“Yes,” Ramón replied smiling. “I have no use for it and it most certainly isn’t worth the effort of fighting you over it.”

“You’re one tree short of a forest,” said Sienna derisively. “But hey, it works for us.”

He picked up his bag from the ground and pulled the piece of jewelry out of it. But just as Ramón was about to drop the dirty locket in Isidore’s hand, Cate spoke up. “Wait! Ramón don’t give it to them!”

“Oh?” said Ramón. He closed his hand over the locket once more. “Weeeell, if Cate says you can’t have it, you can’t have it.”

Both Sienna’s and Isidore’s jaw dropped. Then Sienna stomped over to her sister and stood right in front of her. “What the heck are you on about?!” she shouted at Cate who didn’t flinch in the slightest.

Cate folded her arms and looked her sister directly in the eye. “I just had a vision and you’re not getting that locket—I can guarantee that.”

Sienna looked as though her anger was about to boil over at any moment. “Oh really?” said Sienna as she raised her eyebrows. “We’ll see about that then! Go, Madura!”

Nemo’s mouth dropped open as he gasped. In a bright flash of light and sparkles, a shiny Pidgeot burst out of his Pokéball and landed next to Sienna. The Pokémon was golden in color which was most prominent in his talons and crest feathers. The sun shining on Madura only made him more magnificent. It was easily one of the most beautiful Pokémon Carmen had ever seen—even rivaling Hakan and in more than just looks. Pidgeot was enormous: he was even taller than Sienna and just as imposing.

“Madura is looking very well,” Cate noted. “But Sienna, really, do we have to do this?”

“Yes, and for more reasons than just the pendant,” she answered her sister.

“Would you care to explain what you said?”

Sienna’s eyes flashed. “Don’t play dumb, Cate.”

“I guess that’s the way it is. I’m not getting a straight answer from you” Cate sighed and released Jubilee.

“Ah, the holy bird. It so suits its holier than thou master!” Sienna said scornfully. Carmen could feel the woman’s fury began to bubble over.

“Would you like our help, Sienna?” Isidore offered.

“No, I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” said Sienna hungrily.

“Suit yourself then,” he said as he began to back away. “Just let me make sure Cecelia is safe.”

Carmen attempted to arrange her own thoughts as she looked at the two sisters who were about to battle. Cate’s vision about the locket was intriguing. It was already established why the locket was so important and even why they were battling over—even if the reason wasn’t exactly clear. But Sienna had already made it clear that this was matter was personal to her. Carmen remembered the vision Cate had back in Ecruteak—this was obviously the encounter she meant. She would merely watch to see what adventure this would lead to.

Sienna wasted no time. “Madura use Whirlwind!”

The golden Pidgeot took to the sky above them and whipping up a huge gust of wind with his enormous wings. The wind ripped through forest tearing leaves and branches from the trees. Pokémon dashed to find shelter from the vicious wind that sucked the air out of Carmen’s lungs. No one could hear anything over the sounds of the wind and the forest being ripped apart.

Perhaps because Cate and Jubilee were psychically linked was how Cate communicated an attack to her Pokémon. Jubilee formed a ball of nearly invisible, concentrated wind in her mouth and released it toward Madura. The Air Slash attack was powerful enough to get through Madura’s Whirlwind and struck the Pidgeot directly in the chest—stunning it. Madura stopped his attack because it was now all he could do to stay airborne. Sienna looked slightly impressed in a dark way.

“So…you’re using your Pokémon for more than just “companionship,” Cate?” she asked. “Maybe you have changed.”

“That’s life,” said Cate. Her soothing voice contrasted greatly with Sienna’s harsh tones. “Now Jubilee use Flamethrower!”

“Counter with Air Cutter, Madura!”

The attacks met each other in midair. The blades of wind that Madura created split the Flamethrower into embers that floating upward in the sky before vanishing. If it had been a Pokémon contest, Sienna would have won major points for the beauty of that move. Jubilee turned up the intensity of her attack. The fire attack absorbed oxygen from the air as it charged toward Madura. The Air Cutter attack was no longer effect—it was also swallowed by the Flamethrower. Madura has to dive steeply toward the ground to avoid being burned by Jubilee.

“Ha!” Isidore crowed.  He had returned with a Vulpix in his arms. “This battle is hot! Right, Cecelia?” The Vulpix mewed in agreement.

For the first time, Nemo turned his attention away from the sky battle and toward Isidore. “Why on earth does a guy like you have a Vulpix?” he said in a tone that pretty much said “guys like Isidore shouldn’t have a Vulpix.”

Cecelia growled and Isidore leered. “I dare you to come over here and say that close to Cecelia. Go on…I dare you.”

“Uh, I think I’ll pass,” said Nemo, for Cecelia’s eyes began glowing in a ghostly light. “I’ll just watch the battle.”

“You’d better,” said Isidore.

Nemo gulped and turned back to the battle. Madura and Jubilee took turns flying at each other and dive-bombing one another as the battle continued. The golden Pidgeot fired a Twister attack at Jubilee that turned an earthen color thanks to the leaves and branches it had taken in from the surrounding forest. In an awesome show of power Jubilee flew right into the heart of the attack and dissipated it with Psychic.

“Now Jubilee use Psychic on Madura!” Cate called to her Pokémon.

“TogeKISS!” said Jubilee as she began to glow in a soothing green color. Madura was now frozen in a greenish aura as well and winced as his mind came under attack. Soon the pain turned physical as Madura’s wings folded into his body and he began to shake violently. 

“Release!” said Cate.

Jubilee began using Madura as a battering ram against the trees of the forest. Bark flew off of even the heartiest of trees and still Madura was able to keep from fainting.

“Faint Attack Madura!” Sienna shouted.

The Pidgeot was surrounded by a purple and black glow—shaking off the Psychic attack. He spread his wings wide and dived toward Jubilee so quickly it was barely able to be caught by the human eye. The attack was, of course, a direct hit and Jubilee dropped a few feet in the air before she was able to regain her battle stance.

“Wait, Sienna!” said Cate. “I still don’t understand. What’s the point of this?”

“Use the power of your almighty visions to figure it out!” Sienna snapped. In response to his trainer’s anger, Madura began to glow.

“If it’ll end this nonsense…” said Cate under her breath. “You use Sky Attack too, Jubilee!”

And so Jubilee began to glow as well. Carmen knew it was one of the most powerful attacks in existence and had only seen it on one other occasion. The glow that both Pokémon possessed soon turned to a light so bright and harsh that it was hard to even look at the two Pokémon directly. Madura and Jubilee now resembled the stars in the night sky. 

“Let’s see your little saint birdy survive this!” Sienna yelled. “Attack Madura!”

Madura flew upward sharply while Jubilee remained completely still as she braced herself for the attack. Everything in the forest seemed to be silent for a split second like they were waiting for the two Pokémon to collide. With one loud battle cry, Madura dived with a spin at Jubilee with what seemed like the speed of a jet plane. Jubilee then rushed forward to meet the attack and the resultant collision rocked the forest. A wave of energy crashed over the forest and the two trees that were closest to the point of impact were completely incinerated. For a moment, no one could see anything in the cloud of dust…

“Hahaha,” Isidore laughed. “Looks like you underestimated your sister’s Pokémon, Sienna!”

When the dust cleared, both Pokémon were miraculously unharmed from the attack. Except for the fact that Madura was exhausted from using the attack, he had not one scratch on him. Jubilee on the other hand wasn’t even tired from the attack. Sienna’s mouth dropped.

“No way! That thing should’ve been burnt to a crisp like those trees!” said Sienna furiously. “What did you do?”

“You have no idea how powerful Togekiss are, do you?” said Cate with disdain. “They aren’t to be taken lightly.

Sienna clenched both of her hands into fists. “I demand a rematch dear sister! Ready for another go, Madura?” Madura extended his wings once more to show that he was raring to go.

Cate sighed. “Return to my side Jubilee. No, Sienna,” she said before her sister could say anything. “I’ve already humored you with a battle I knew you wouldn’t win.  Now it’s time for us to talk privately. All I want to do is help you.”

Sienna snapped—plain and simple. She let go of her anger and it exploded like a bomb. “You self-righteous little freak!” Sienna screeched. She was beyond irate; her brown eyes were so full of rage that it looked as though she could set fires with them. “Who do you think you are?”

“Sienna, please—

“Cate! SHUT UP!” Sienna yelled. “I’ve had enough with your preaching. Why don’t you go back to Violet City and continue being the golden child. Isidore, let’s just get that stupid pendant and get out of here before I really lose my temper!”

Isidore, who was looking amused by the whole scene, smirked. “We’re not getting after the pendant anymore.”

“What?” gasped Sienna who was clearly taken aback. “Is this another one of your crazy schemes?”

“You bet,” said Isidore. “This particular one is priceless. And I can guarantee you our commander will be pleased.”

Sienna thought for a moment. “Fine then. After all, your stupid schemes do always have a way of working to our benefit. Let’s just get out of this wench’s presence.” She added indicating her sister.

“As you wish, Sienna,” Isidore said easily, shifting Cecelia onto one arm. He pulled a Luxury Ball from his belt. “Doña Kurai, returned to your realm,” he said as he recalled his Honchkrow and pulled out another Luxury Ball. “And now, come on out Imani!”

It was a powerful looking Alakazam. Her mustache was much shorter than that of a male Alakazam and she appeared to be wearing an onyx cuff around her right leg.

“Madura, return and take a good rest,” said Sienna. She walked over to Isidore and Imani and threw one last look of disgust at her sister.

“Teleport, Imani!” said Isidore. The Alakazam’s eyes and body became outlined in a black as she teleported herself and her human passengers away. It was the first time Carmen had ever seen a Pokémon’s psychic power manifest itself in black—usually it was blue, red, purple, or pink.

Everyone was still stunned as they recovered from the tornado that was Sienna Valentine. Then, Cate fell to her knees and everyone rushed to her.

“Are you all right?” asked Ramón. He offered a hand to help her up which she accepted.

“I’ll be fine…” Cate replied. “And I hope the forest will be too. Sienna really did a number on it with that Whirlwind attack.”

Carmen looked around and saw that she was right. The forest looked as though it had been hit with a hurricane. Many of the smaller trees had been uprooted completely. Many more trees had lost their leaves which where now scattered all over the forest floor. Branches and flowers littered the ground. It was fortunate that the nearby shrine hadn’t been completely destroyed in Sienna’s rampage.

“I see her anger at me has grown even stronger," Cate whispered.

“She’s scary,” said Nemo, speaking for the first time since the battle ended. “And you all call me touchy.” He pulled the Hoothoot from under his arm and allowed him to flutter to the ground.

“Sienna has every reason to be angry,” Cate admitted. “Every reason in the world.”

“If you don’t mind telling us, why?” asked Ramón.

“It a bit of a long story,” she said. “I’ll tell it while we walk.”

They all recalled their Pokémon for the journey. Nemo however became completely annoyed at Hoothoot again.

“For the last time, STOP FOLLOWING ME!” Nemo said.

“HOOTHOOT!” If Carmen didn’t know any better, she’d have thought Hoothoot had said “Make me!”

“Nemo, please, keep it down?” Ramón said as he watched Cate put a hand to her forehead.

“Hmph,” said Nemo. “Fine, whatever, follow me. I don’t care.”

“Hoot,” said Hoothoot happily as he hopped along beside Nemo as he walked away.

Carmen was the last one to start walking because she was looking back at the damage Sienna had caused. For some reasons it evoked strange memories almost as if she was having déjà vu. But she couldn’t remember when she’d seen a forest get wrecked by something other than natural forces…

“Hurry up, Carmen!” she heard her brother call. “You’re going to be left behind!”

“Coming, coming,” said Carmen. She took one last look back and ran to catch up to the others.

“So, you said your sister wasn’t jealous?” she heard Nemo saying when she’d made it to them.

“No, in fact she was a lot like Carmen in that respect,” said Cate pensively. “She thought powers were more trouble than they were worth. But I should start at the beginning. Psychic abilities run in my mother’s family and they’re quite proud of it because we consider ourselves closer to the spiritual forces in this world.  Who inherits the abilities is completely random and having a psychic parent doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be psychic too.”

“Hmm, that’s…curious,” said Ramón vacantly.

“It really is mysterious,” said Cate. “But at any rate, my family can tell at birth whether or not the baby has, or will eventually develop abilities. It’s a glorious occasion when a baby with gifts is born—it’s like the greatest thing in the world to them. The child and the child’s parents are lavished and adored by the whole family. When I was born this was especially true.

“No one was more thrilled than my mother, who also has psychic abilities. She told me how people would come by the house everyday just to see me when I was a baby.” Cate exhaled deeply. “And I’m sorry to say that it went to my parents’ heads—especially my mom. And then Sienna was born a year and a half later, but she didn’t have the abilities. Her birth went virtually ignored by everyone.”

“Oh no….” said Carmen, who knew where that was going.

Cate nodded. “It was definitely an ominous sign of things to come. So even though Sienna was the new baby at home, I was still the one getting the attention from our parents and the rest of the family. Everyone would “ooh” and “aah” with every new development with my powers. They’d watch in amazement when I’d go into trances and were amazed when I would make predictions. No one really paid much attention to Sienna.”

“I thought you said she wasn’t jealous,” Nemo interrupted.

“And she wasn’t,” said Cate with a sad smile. “Looking back on it, it’s amazing how she wasn’t too fazed by the lack of attention paid to her. She’s changed now, but back then, she shied away from attention, so she was happy being left alone. When she and I were little, Sienna would follow me around when I wasn’t being swarmed by people. She thought I was the coolest thing ever. Back then, I thought it was because she liked my powers just like everyone else; I didn’t realize that it was only because I was her sister.”

“Wow,” said Carmen as she tried to picture Sienna as little girl following her sister around.

“I…thought I was superior over everyone else because of my powers,” said Cate. “And my parents really didn’t do anything to try and correct me because they thought my gifts were wonderful too.  I actually was self-righteous back then too. Sienna was my complete opposite; I was calm and in touch with my emotions and she was a wild child. I was constantly telling her she needed to change and how she should be living her life. To tell the truth, I surprised she didn’t snap before she did.

“Sienna’s personality began to change when she was about eleven and she became more aggressive and more power hungry. She lashed out more and instead of trying to reach out to her and be patient, I just preached at her and drove her further away. It got even worse after she met Isidore Alexander…

“The man we met earlier?” asked Nemo.

“Yes,” Cate said, nodding. “They became best friends but they brought out the worst in each other. Isidore is very manipulative and has ulterior motives for nearly everything he does. Sienna became even more of a bully and our relationship became even more strained. It was probably around that time that she and Isidore became involved in the Johto underworld.” Cate took a deep breath. “I remember that day vividly. Our parents were away that day. Out of the blue Sienna had grabbed her backpack and her Pokémon and was casually just about to walk out of the house. I asked her where she was going and she simply said she was leaving and wasn’t coming back. Of course I tried to stop her, but I…only enraged her.

“The argument was terrible; it felt like she shouted at me for an eternity. But one thing she said…it cut me deep. She told me the only reason my family paid attention to me was because of my psychic power. It was something I’d been anxious about that and she went straight for that insecurity. She then looked me straight in the eye and told me ‘go die you self-righteous jerk.’ Sienna turned and walked out of the house, never to return. And I was the one who had to tell Mom and Dad what had happened. That was five years ago when she was sixteen and I was seventeen.”

“I sense that you still sense that you blame yourself,” Ramón said.

“I’m getting better with that,” said Cate. “But yes, I do blame myself for that. After Sienna walked out, I had to do a lot of soul searching. I started focusing on changing my self-righteous attitude for one and I slowly began to realize that I was more than just my powers. My parents really helped me too.  But I decided to head out on the road and that is what I’ve been doing for the past two years. That was probably the thing that changed me the most. I met new people and I even found others outside of my family with powers, including Ramón here.”

“And your also still trying to help your sister,” said Carmen. It wasn’t a question.

“Correct,” said Cate smiling slightly. “This is only the second time I’ve seen her in the five years since she’s been gone. The first time, we didn’t get to even speak to each other. It was in Goldenrod City and we were standing on opposite sides of the street. I realized I wasn’t ready to confront her so we just stared at each other…Sienna’s eyes were full of anger then too. She didn’t yell or scream or anything. All Sienna did was shake her head and walk away from me. And you saw what happened this time. My self-righteous roots reared their ugly heads and I ended up making her angrier.” Cate closed her eyes and shook her head sadly.

“Don’t give up, Cate,” said Ramón encouragingly. “Just keep working at it. You of all people know that life is unpredictable.”

“I agree,” said Carmen. “And after all Cate, you aren’t the sole reason Sienna is the way she is today.”

“You’re right—both of you,” said Cate, smiling. “I will keep going and hopefully Sienna and I can have a good relationship someday.”

“That’s the spirit!” said Ramón.

“Hey, we’re almost to Olivine!” said Nemo as he looked at his Pokégear.

“Oh?” said Cate. “That’s good! Time flew by as I was telling my story. And Carmen, Ramón, thanks for the encouragement.”

“You’re very welcome,” said Ramón cheerfully.

Carmen said nothing but looked up at the cloudless sky and wondered what they would get into in Olivine City—their mother’s hometown. She didn’t have the ability to see into the future like Cate did but she knew they hadn’t seen the last of Sienna and Isidore. Isidore’s “scheme” especially bothered her…

 

[Pheonix]

Awesome as always, though it looks like you missed a few things in your edit. I will PM the stuff I noticed along to you later. Gotta love character development and backstory, and nice little battle in there too! I eagerly await the next chapter. ;D

 

[Stark]

Dang, the wait was worth it, Carmen

For the first time, Nemo turned his attention away from the sky battle and toward Isidore. "Why on earth does a guy like you have a Vulpix?" he said in a tone that pretty much said "guys like Isidore shouldn't have a Vulpix."

That line, was awesome. Made me chuckle

Great read, keep it up!

 

[Psycho Monkey]

I'm intrested in finding out what this scheme of Isidore's is. What ever it is I'm sure it will be something Carmen and friends need to stop.

Excellent work Carmen!

 

[Chibi]

And WHAT in the name of killer rabid bunnies is wrong with having a Vulpix? *glares*

Intresting chapter, Isidore's scheme is most likely going to anger tons of people I bet. But whatever it is, Carmen and co. will need to halt it, like Psycho said. I noticed a few missing things, but Pheo's taking care of that.

 

[Cody]

What's this? A new chapter? *outofplacefangirlscream* It's amazing, like everything you write, Carmen.

I especially love your battle scenes, you carry themm out so well.

 

[Plapti]

Swell. Swickedly Swell.

Your battle scenes are awesome and the descriptions are just as great. Well written, like always.

 

[Carmen Lopez]

OCC: Haha, the forum is yelling at me about replying in a topic that hasn't been posted in for at least 60 days. I sincerely apologize for a massive writer's block. So, yeah...

Gray, gray and more gray…

The weather had started out beautiful enough—the sun shining brightly, the weather was warm, and there was a pleasant breeze blowing in from the ocean. But by midday, that was all over with. The clouds had rolled in and seemed to suffocate everything. This abrupt change in weather pretty much described how things here could quickly go south…

Once bustling, this area was now desolate and a ghetto. Empty warehouses where workers once earned their living had broken, mismatched windows. The pavement of old parking lots had scrawny brown grass growing in its cracks. Paint that at one time separated the parking places had nearly faded into nothing.
Stores and restaurants were closed and boarded up. Whether the businesses left when the people fled to "better" areas or vice versa, no one seemed to know. The graffiti was the only source of color around here.

Yes, this was the part of Olivine City no one put in the tourist books. Not even the ocean view could help this place be any less depressing.

Isidore Alexander often thought about what this area was like in its prime—when the stores were all new and "respectable" people ventured here. He saw in his mind's eye the memories these old buildings still contained—of parents taking their children shopping, of men eating dinner at the restaurants after a long day's work, of people taking strolls around the city. That was all gone. This was now one of many openings to what people referred to as the Johto underworld in hushed tones. Isidore smiled to himself as he walked alongside Sienna with Cecelia in his arms. He could still appreciate the area for what it was and wouldn't change it even if he could.

As a place well known in the underworld, this area had all the shady dealings and underhanded happenings that came with the territory. Isidore had seen enough to write several books; the black market, the corruption, the manipulation, and everything else in between. Beside him, Sienna made another grunt of displeasure. It amused Isidore whenever she did that because she didn't even realize she was so terrible at hiding her emotions from him.

"Sienna, are you still sulking?" asked Isidore wryly.

Sienna stopped short and looked Isidore directly in his mismatched eyes. She looked as though she wanted to communicate her anger to Isidore through just her facial expression alone. Sienna was about to shoot a comeback at him but she merely shook her head and stalked off once more. "Look Isidore, don't start with me," she said, her voice breaking slightly.

Isidore chuckled. "I'm just saying. You don't need to feel so down just because your plan to break your sister in half didn't go so well. Sometimes these things just happen and we don't accomplish our goals." Isidore barely had time to dodge the punch Sienna aimed at the side of his head.

"I'd like to see how you'd react if you saw some of your family again!" Sienna shouted.

"Ha! I'd love to see some of my family in a place like this," Isidore said as he scratched Cecelia on the head as she growled in contentment. "Believe me, not only would it make my day, it'd make my life!"

"Easy for you to say!" Sienna said. "And what about this scheme of yours? Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to find out until I get there?"

"Because you're right," Isidore shrugged.

Sienna smiled slightly in spite of herself. "You always do this to me!"

"And have I ever let you down?"

"No, never."

"Good!" said Isidore with a half smile. Cecelia closed her eyes and sighed, comfortable to be in Isidore's arms. His smile grew as he looked at her.

"Isidore, I know I've asked you before, but what will you do if Cecelia's real owner tries to take her back one day?" asked Sienna. "Has your answer changed?"

"No, not at all," Isidore answered lightly. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason really," said Sienna. She felt most of her anger melting away and began to relax around the person who knew her best. "I was just asking."

"All right," said Isidore and he fell silent in contemplation again. This scheme of his would work; he was sure of it because their commander would get exactly what he wanted. But there was a part of him that wondered about the full extent of the consequences of what he was about to set in motion. There would be no turning back once the first domino had fallen. It was out of his hands. Isidore mused that his commander should really be careful what he wished for.

Sienna and Isidore passed by another warehouse and then turned the corner to face a dilapidated building in the distance. At one time this place was a hotel but had since fallen into disrepair. The windows were grimy and difficult to see through and many of them were boarded up. The paint was chipped all over; most people wouldn't have given the building a second look after seeing its shabby exterior but Isidore and Sienna knew better. They briskly and confidently walked up to the building's entrance and stood there for a second. Someone, a guard, peeped through a thin rectangular opening cut into the door before admitting Sienna and Isidore into the building.

The inside of the hotel reminded Isidore of a Vulpix—and how the exterior didn't necessarily represent the interior. It was impressive and everything looked like it was the best money could buy, the marble floors, the chandelier, the furniture, everything. The guard who had let them in was dressed plainly in a black suit and had a face like stone. There was only one other person in the room besides the three of them, and that was a scrawny, pimply brown haired boy dressed in what looked like his school uniform. He was leaning against one of the columns. Sienna gave the room a once-over before sitting down on the fancy sofa. The boy looked miffed that Sienna had completely ignored him. Isidore's eyes flashed.

"Ah Sienna!" he said in a would-be tough, yet smooth voice—it was too bad he was failing hard. Sienna looked irritated and Isidore smiled. "Didn't see me standing here, did you?"

Sienna leered slightly then she stood up to face him. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said sarcastically as she did a mock bow. "I didn't notice you there, Mr. Kiss-up."

Isidore snorted, while the boy turned bright red. "That's Mr. Killian to you," he said lamely as he settled back into his normal voice.

Sienna rolled her eyes and went back to ignoring him. Killian looked at Isidore in dislike and envy. "Isidore…pleasant seeing you here," he lied in a cajoling manner.

"Spare me," Isidore spat as Cecelia looked on haughtily. "Save your sucking up for someone else. You're only making me get that vomit taste in my mouth. Why don't you just go back to your mommy and daddy?"

Killian turned even brighter red and looked away—too embarrassed to face Sienna and Isidore. Isidore didn't hate the young man, but he didn't believe he had what it took to make it in the underworld. To put it simply, he was a bit of an idiot. Killian mumbled something about meeting someone and walked back out of the front door. Isidore pulled out another Luxury Ball from his belt and released Imani.

"Imani, dear, can you help Sienna and me with the commander's Hypno?" Isidore asked kindly.

"Ala…" she answered affirmatively, but Isidore could look in her eyes and tell she wasn't all that happy about doing it. "I'm sorry, Imani," he said. "I know you don't want to do it, but I promise to make it up to you."

Imani's eyes outlined in a black glow as she telepathically sent Isidore a message. It's a good thing we're such a good friends she said telepathically. Isidore strode over to the opposite wall and pressed a certain spot in a small indention in the wall which revealed a set of gilded double doors. The commander paradoxically loved to be stealthy yet liked to show off at the same time. Sienna came up beside him and pushed open the doors.

Darkness enveloped them as the doors closed behind them. The only light came from the computer illuminating the commander's face as he sat at his desk…and from the glowing eyes of his Hypno. Isidore hated that thing—and not only because of how ugly the Pokémon was. The commander ordered his Hypno to probe the mind of anyone in his presence. Honestly, the man couldn't let go of the past. It felt like a cold invasion of privacy while Hypno's swinging pendulum made people feel sluggish and sleepy. Ever since Isidore had experienced it the first time, he'd made sure to have Imani with him as she suppressed the effects of Hypno's powers.

"Sienna, Isidore! Welcome…" said commander in his rough voice. "Isidore, Isidore, why must you bring her here every time?," he said indicating Imani. "You know how she…affects Hypno."

At his words, Hypno turned to Imani—his glowing eyes feasting on Imani as if she were something to eat. Isidore could feel Imani's displeasure and disgust so he was going to get straight to the point. "I will tell you up front: we didn't get the pendant like you wanted." He paused before saying anything else to let the words sink in. Cecelia mewed sleepily in his arms.

The Commander's face was ever so slightly lined, and the deepest wrinkles included the ones he got from scowling so much. His nose and forehead creased as he looked at Sienna and Isidore. "You didn't, did you?"

"But we have something better," Sienna said even though Isidore hadn't revealed his scheme to her.

"Something better?" the commander repeated.

"Yes…" said Isidore. "We stumbled upon some interesting people…with connections to him."

The Commander's expression changed at once at Isidore's words. Realization had finally dawned on Sienna's face as she figured out Isidore's plan. Him referred to the man that haunted the Commander's past, the man the commander swore he'd get revenge on, the man whose name was rarely if ever spoken aloud in the Commander's presence…

"Well, do tell," he growled at Sienna and Isidore.

~ ~ ~​

Carmen took a deep breath and could almost taste the salt of the ocean. A day had passed since their encounter with Sienna and Isidore, and they were just now reaching Olivine City. Of course, they could've reached Olivine the day before, but they were caught by a sudden downpour and took shelter in a nearby village. After the storm had rolled out, the weather was once again beautiful.

"So Carmen," said Ramón. "How do you like it so far?"

"It's really gorgeous," Carmen breathed.

Easily the most prominent thing about Olivine's low skyline was the lighthouse. It looked to be one of few especially tall buildings as it overlooked the harbor like a guardian angel. From were they were, they couldn't actually see the ocean, but its presence was felt because a lot of the environment seemed to be related to it. The children's school uniforms were based on sailor outfits, plenty of people wore white clothing and straw hats, and they passed restaurants that catered to the sailors that delivered cargo. The first place they visited was the Olivine Harbor. There was an extensive system of boardwalks that crisscrossed close to the shore. Like in Goldenrod, everything was more laid back here and more lively too…

"Hah," said Nemo as Hoothoot fluttered behind him. "This is even more impressive than the harbor at Alto Mare."

"Yes, but I'm sure Alto Mare even surpasses this in beauty," said Cate, smiling. "And that's saying a lot."

"Yeah, sure," said Nemo hurriedly.

"Caaaarmen," Ramón sang. "Is there something wrong?"

"What? Oh, it's nothing," said Carmen. In truth, she had just had an intense feeling of longing and a feeling that she could conquer the world—neither of which belonged to her. It was quite different from the emotions she felt after her nightmares. No, these feelings were not as creepy or ominous or foreboding. Just…well, not hers. Maybe that was considered creepy.

Carmen could tell Ramón didn't believe her in the least, but he didn't say anything. He shielded his eyes as he looked out onto the ocean. "I wonder what Dad must have felt when he first landed here."

"Here?" Carmen asked. "He landed here? I thought it was Goldenrod."

"No, it was Olivine," said Ramón thoughtfully. "Goldenrod didn't start taking inter-regional traffic until pretty recently. Not that Dad ever talks about it, but he probably felt like Johto was a new world and his for the taking."

"Uh, huh," said Carmen. Ooooh dear, she thought. That wasn't just a coincidence. Carmen desperately hoped she was wrong…she didn't need this; really she didn't.

"Ugh, I'm so BORED," Nemo announced to everyone within earshot.

"That's nothing new," Cate replied. "So what do you want to do, oh bored one?"

"The beach," said Nemo. "I want to go to the beach."

"All right," said Ramón, then suddenly, his face became somber. "But, you'll have to tell us one thing before we'll let you go."

"And what is that?" Nemo asked, his eyes narrowed.

"You have to tell us your real name," said Ramón. He could no longer hold is stern expression and smiled.

"I can't believe I actually thought you were actually being serious," said Nemo in disbelief. Without warning he teleported away.

"I certainly hope no one saw him," said Carmen. "I can't believe he'd do that with so many people around."

"Maybe he's used to it," Cate said shrugging. "He's probably at the beach though."

And sure enough, he was. As usual he was glancing at his Pokégear in impatience. He was already in his swim trunks with Espeon now by his side. "Naturally, you're too slow. NOW HURRY UP!" he called out as he ran to the ocean.

"And to think I believed he was past yelling at us," Ramón said amused.

Ramón, Cate, and Carmen also changed into their bathing suits as well. Cate wore a simple white one piece with a red sarong wrapped around her waist. Carmen had on a tank top and some shorts and called it a bathing suit. She knew both Reina and Isabel would probably kill her for it, but like she cared. Ramón's swim trunks were black and decked out with…Blisseys?

"Ramón, I really want to go clothes shopping with you some day," said Carmen as she laughed at the Blissey trunks. "And honestly, why would you even buy those?"

"To make people smile," said Ramón.

Carmen shook her head as Cate and Ramón ran after Nemo who was dipping his toes in the water. Everyone released their Pokémon to enjoy the beach with them. Milotic and Dragonite were thrilled to be in the ocean again. Suna on the other hand did not look remotely pleased at being near such a large body of water and responded by being even colder than usual. No one even wanted to look at the Dragon Pokémon. And as always when there Pokémon, small children flocked; they made sure to steer clear of Suna though.

Yes, everything was normal—nothing at all out of the ordinary. Carmen sat down in the sand with her knees to her chest and watched the scenery. She didn't feel bored as much as settled and balanced. Beautiful women in bikinis waved at Ramón while they pretended not to be unnerved by Nendoru. Carmen closed her eyes and put her head on her knees for the briefest second, but when she opened her eyes, everything had changed.

The beach was completely deserted. All of the color was faded; the sky was not as blue and it was and the sand was an odd off-white color. Alarmed, Carmen stood up and looked around wildly. The only sounds that could be heard were the ocean waves and the distant sounds of the harbor. Or…she thought the beach was deserted. Standing some distance away was a dark haired man dressed in all black. Since he had his back turned to her, she couldn't make out who he was, but his silhouette and the figure next to him looked oddly familiar...

Carmen quickly closed her eyes again and this time when she reopened them, everything was back to normal. The beachgoers were back, and the colors were bright and vibrant once more. What just happened? Carmen thought as she watched Ramón hold Nemo down while Cate and the Pokémon buried him in the sand. No one appeared to have noticed anything, so Carmen put it at the back of her mind. Maybe it just was the sun getting to her. Porygon-Z drifted over to Carmen, but before it could indicate what it wanted, it froze up.

"Oh no, not again!" There were times when Carmen rather regretted using the Dubious Disk on Porygon-Z but she would rather die before admitting that to Ramón. Carmen quickly sent it to cyberspace—the only place it seemed normal. Carmen jumped when she heard someone shout through a megaphone—a someone who wasn't far from her at all.

"ATTENTION BEACHGOERS!" he shouted. "TO WHOM DOES THIS FLYGON BELONG?"

Carmen turned around to see a man standing in Suna's personal space and pointing at her. If she looked annoyed before, it was nothing compared to what she looked like now. Carmen thought she was about to fire an Earth Power right at the guy. Ramón stopped playing around and looked up. Carmen hoped he wouldn't humor the man, but of course that was just wishful thinking. Ramón stood up and raised his hand like he was in school.

"OH GOOD!" the man yelled. "YOU SHOULD BATTLE MY GLISCOR!" He put the megaphone down when he and Ramón were facing each other. The man had sandy blond hair and had on a Hawaiian shirt and orange shorts.

"Hey, how long has it been since you actually battled, Ramón?" Cate said as she abandoned Nemo to struggle to get himself out his sand cocoon.

"A while," he said simply before turning to the man. "What's your name anyway?"

"Just call me Tommy," he said pointing at himself. "And what about you?"

"Ramón," he answered. "But one thing though. Suna doesn't look all too thrilled about battling. Would you like to battle Nendoru instead?" The Claydol promptly teleported beside its trainer and spun once, producing a psychic charge out of one of its arms.

"Eh," said Tommy who looked slightly disappointed at not being able to fight a dragon. "Works for me. A battle is a battle." He threw an unusual Pokéball—a Level Ball—and produced a fearsome Gliscor.

"HEY! Does someone want to help me out here!?" It was Nemo whom Carmen and Cate had completely forgotten about. Cate ran and helped dig him out and they both sat on the sidelines to watch Ramón's battle.

"Come on Dragonite!" Carmen called. "We're going to watch this from the air!"

She climbed onto the dragon Pokémon's back as he rose into the air. The weird incident from before, along with the rest of Carmen's worries, were left on the ground as she watched the battle that had commenced. She liked watching battles as much as participating in them, and this one was reminding her of another battle on a beach—Giselle Valentine's first winning battle.

"All right Gliscor! Let's start this off with X-Scissor!" Tommy yelled.

Gliscor bared her fangs as she crossed her pincers which now glowed in a white light as she lunged at Nendoru. She showered any bystanders who were too close with sand as she lunged at Nendoru. But with no word from Ramón, the Claydol teleported to behind Gliscor. Nendoru wasn't done yet though; without warning, the Pokémon raised one of its disembodied arms and fired two twin beams of blue light that resembled a helix. The Ice Beam hit Gliscor in the back.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Tommy sputtered as his Pokémon roared in pain. "You didn't tell your Pokémon to use an attack!"

"Nice observation," Ramón who had no derision in his voice.

When Ramón didn't elaborate, Tommy just looked dumbfounded. "But…that means you've lost control of your Pokémon." Carmen saw the sand began to shift beneath Nendoru, but Tommy who was now accusing Ramón didn't notice.

"No it doesn't," Ramón corrected, smiling. "And you might want to focus on that Ancient Power that's about to hit you."

"What? OH SN— Gliscor use Sandstorm!" Tommy shouted.

Gliscor began to rotate but she couldn't stop the Ancient Power. The Sandstorm had begun but Gliscor was slammed by glowing rocks which made her drop a few feet before she was able to stop herself. Nendoru attempted to fire another Ice Beam, but thanks to Sand Veil, Gliscor was camouflaged perfectly in the Sandstorm. The Ice Beam missed her by mere centimeters; Nendoru would have to rely on its trainer and psychic power if it didn't want to waste its energy on attacks that just missed Gliscor.

"We got ‘em now," Tommy said shrewdly.

"Really now?" Ramón said.

"Yes, use Ice Fang Gliscor!" Tommy said.

Even from her vantage point, Carmen could barely see what Gliscor was doing. Her fangs encrusted with ice, she flew at Nendoru with her wings spread wide and mouth gaping open. It was a direct hit…or so it looked that way. For a instant Claydol became outlined in a red glow.

"Hey! What happened?" said Tommy.

"Protect," Ramón said cheerfully.

Carmen gasped. It was one of the fastest Protects she had ever seen—and one of the briefest, lasting only a few nanoseconds. Since when had her brother learned to battle like this? As the battle went on, Ramón continued to mess with Tommy's mind. To be honest, this battle was difficult to keep up with and not only because of the sandstorm. Ramón never verbally commanded Nendoru and Tommy was growing more and more desperate as he had to contend with the Reflect Nendoru had set up.

"Gliscor!" he said frantically as an X-Scissor barely dented the barely visible walls of the Reflect. "Use Brick Break to shatter that Reflect! If we can't get rid of it, your attacks won't do anything."

Gliscor's left pincer glowed white and with one jab, the Reflect wall became fully visible a second before it collapsed like an old building in an earthquake. "Now use Night Slash!" Tommy shouted. He was clearly trying to capitalize on the short moment before Nendoru could make its next move. And sure enough, the attack was a direct hit. Nendoru staggered backward away from Gliscor with all of its eyes closed in pain, but Carmen knew she saw the Claydol glow for a second. Tommy looked relieved that an attack managed to hit, but his relief was short lived.

Nendoru's left armed suddenly pointed toward Gliscor and fired an Ice Beam that neither Gliscor nor Tommy saw coming. It was unnaturally fast—for a Claydol anyway. Again, Nendoru's attack hit directly, but then a block of ice formed around Gliscor. She was frozen solid. The Sandstorm began to die down as Gliscor fell from the sky and landed in the sand with a muffled thump.

"What is going on with you?" Tommy gasped.

"What do you mean?" Ramón asked smiling. "Have you had enough?"

"Y-you haven't said anything even resembling a command for you Pokémon," Tommy said weakly.

Carmen suddenly realized how important hearing the opponent's commands were. That little bit of time made a huge difference, and without it, the trainer could become totally disoriented as Tommy had then.

Ramón made no move to respond to Tommy. Instead he pointed at Gliscor. "Look! Can you do anything about that Psychic?"

"What now? Oh geeze," Tommy said, defeated. Through the clear block of ice, Gliscor was being silently tormented. She was trying to move, but she was immobilized. Only her eyes let on to her pain. She couldn't fully close her eyes so people could clearly see her eyes bulging. Her trainer had had enough. Tommy recalled Gliscor before taking a hard look at Ramón.

"Before I take Gliscor to the Pokémon Center," he said falsely calm voice that couldn't mask the shaking. "Just tell me this: Did you use Trick Room at any point in the battle."

"Yes," said Ramón brightly.

"Heh, I really need to explore communicating nonverbally with my psychic Pokémon too," Tommy said. "Well, see you around!"

The crowd watched as he took off toward the city. "Don't worry about the prize money," Ramón called vaguely. Carmen shook her head as she and Dragonite landed next to him.

"That was WICKED!" Nemo shouted as he ran to Ramón. "Do you think you can teach me how to do that? Huh? Huh?!"

But Ramón didn't respond right away. His attention, as well as Carmen's, was focused on a man with stringy brown hair who was walking toward the group. The mysterious man looked to be in his forties with frown lines on his forehead. He looked very out of place on the beach with his all black suit and people were staring, but he just ignored them. Otherwise, the man was distinctly average; he was neither handsome, nor ugly.

"Hmm," said the man once he had reached them. "My little subordinate was right. You really do look a lot like him."

"Come again?" said Ramón.

"Heck, you even battle like him," the man continued as though Ramón hadn't spoken. "But you," he said turning to Carmen. "Those eyes…huh."

"Are you going to tell us what's going on?" Carmen asked. She couldn't explain it, but this man was giving her the chills. His very presence was making her feel as though there was a weight on her chest. The man seemed gentlemen enough but…

"I knew your mother and father," he said looking to his middle finger at an elaborate ring with a huge sapphire in it. "I must say, I'm a little disappointed he never mentioned me to you."

"Well, he doesn't exactly tell us anything about his past," said Ramón, shrugging.

"Ha!" the man laughed. "With all the stuff that went on, he has good reason. Anyway, I must be off. Business to take care of, I hope you understand."

"But we never got your name," Cate spoke up.

"Just call me Charles," he said with a slight bow. "We'll see each other again."

"I don't trust him at all…" said Ramón once Charles was gone; he had disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. "He seems like he's out to get us."

"Well, at least I'm not the only one feels that way," Carmen said under her breath.

A cool breeze blew off the ocean and played with Carmen's hair. She had already made up her mind to call her father later. Knowing him though, he wouldn't tell her anything, but it was still worth a shot.

"Are we just going to stand here all day?" said a voice from behind them. It was Nemo who had a purple slushie in his hand and Espeon and Hoothoot following behind him.

"And are you aware that no one even knew you were gone?" Ramón asked. "Where did you go anyway?"

"To get a slushie, duh," he said dismissively. "Anyway it doesn't matter where I went. I'm going back to watch another battle. Are you coming?"

"Sure, why not?" Cate said. "Then we can actually go swimming later. Can you swim?"

"That's a stupid question," Nemo said. "Of course I can! I'm from Alto Mare for goodness sakes! Sheesh!"

"Just thought I'd ask," said Cate laughing.

~ ~ ~​

"Dad, you're talking in circles again," Carmen groaned in frustration.

"I wouldn't have to talk in circles if you'd just give up," he said. Carmen could visualize his silver eyes narrowing.

They were staying on a house boat that served as a Trainer's House. It was quiet because Nemo decided that what he needed was a hotdog and had gone in search of one. The sea was beautiful and calm as Carmen look out the window, trying to dispel the irritation she was feeling.

"But Dad, we met a man named Charles today and—

"Charles? I haven't talked to him in years," he said. "Did he mention anything?"

Carmen rolled her eyes in disbelief. She was glad she decided not to use the video option on her phone. "No he didn't mention anything! That's why I'm calling you!" Her father and Ramón were opposites in personality but they were similar in their ability to frustrate Carmen.

He just laughed. "I'm still not telling you anything. Maybe Charles will if you ever see him again. I'd rather him tell the whole story anyway."

"The whole st—Dad, I'd rather hear it from you!" Carmen said.

"Well then I guess you're out of luck," he chuckled. "I've have a bit an emergency delivery to take care of so I have to go now. I love you Carmen."

"I love you too, Dad," Carmen sighed and hung up. She ran her fingers through her hair without thinking. What the heck could her father have done to make him not want to tell his children after all this time?

"No luck?" asked Ramón who had just walked passed her door. The ceiling was low so his head nearly touched it. In fact, he had to duck to get into the small room.

"Not at all," Carmen replied. "Same old, same old. Was he the same way with you? Talking in circles, I mean."

"He actually talked to you?" Ramón said in surprise. "You're already ahead of me. He usually just brushes me off and gives me the silent treatment whenever I asked."

"Good grief," said Carmen sighing.

Then, Cate appeared at the door with a slightly puzzled look on her face. "Ramón, Carmen? Charles is at the door."

Ramón seemed calm enough but Carmen had to work hard to hide her bewilderment as they walked to the boat's entrance. Sure enough, Charles was standing there in the same black outfit from earlier.

"What are you doing here?" Carmen asked.

"To ask you all to come with me," Charles said as he looked at the giant ring on his middle finger.

"And why would we do that?" Ramón asked. For the first time since they'd gotten to Johto, Carmen heard an edge to his voice—something she hadn't heard in a long time.

"I'm sad that you're suspicious like this," the man said with a slight pouty expression on his face. It was grotesque. "Here I am, nice enough to give you a chance to get your friend back and you're being mistrustful."

"What do you mean get our friend back?" Cate asked. "You can't mean—

"Oh yes," said Charles smiling. "You're not getting your red-haired friend back if you don't come with me."

OOC: I'm sorry it isn't so great but it gets the job done ^^;



Bad battle was bad....

Edit: fixed a slew of errors ^^;;

 

[Picnicker Virgil]

ffffffjalskdfjwhawrargarbleCARMENTOTALLYHASSUPERPOWERS

Carmen, I love you for posting again
This story is great, as I'm sure I've told you a bunch of times in Chat. It took me a while to get back into the story line but now I remember what was going on... Is it bad if I love Nemo as a character, even though he's annoying?

In all honesty, I'd pay to read your stories. They're amazing, and I can't wait to read more of this one and then that other one you were talking about with Reina... Hoenn

 

[Stark]

Wow. Totally worth the months of waiting for this! Great job Carmen as usual!



...

And also.

LOL Blissey trunks

 

[Psycho Monkey]

I love Ramon's sence of style. If it was possible, I'd get myself some Blissy trunks.

I'm glad to see you getting back to this, it really is a good story. Something tells me the next chapter is going to be 'Finding Nemo'ish (pun intended )

 

[Moonlight-Zelda]

Well, I've caught up with what you posted, and I must say that you spin quite a tale. ^_^

Your characters are really interesting, as is the increasingly growing plot. That, and there are some downright hilarious moments. *guestures to Blissey-swimtrucks*

It's safe to say that I'll be sticking around for the rest of your story.

 

[Carmen Lopez]

OOC: Oookay, if I end up regretting this, I am so retconning. But, it's been on my mind for a long time and you never know until you try, so here goes...

Nemo opened his eyes to a beautiful garden behind a large mansion. From the flowers in full bloom, Nemo knew it had to be summertime. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sunlight was being filtered through the leaves of the big tree he had his back against. The wind gently blew his hair; Nemo reached to touch it and discovered it was long again.

Wait. Nemo thought. What's going on here? He looked around quickly and saw the back of a woman kneeling at the edge of a pond in front of him. She had straw colored wavy hair that was held back by a headband. Her light green and white polka dotted cocktail dress was cinched at the waste with a pink belt. The woman was hand feeding the Pokémon at the water's edge; she seemed calm. At that moment, terror filled Nemo's heart. He remembered this day—it was last day he'd had any semblance of peace.

But why was he reliving this day? Was this another aspect of his psychic powers? No…this felt like something entirely different. But another shock of horror jolted him as he saw the woman stand up and come towards him. However with once glance of her clear blue eyes, Nemo felt all knowledge of memories of this day vanish. As suddenly as the ominous feelings came over him, Nemo was wondering why he was ever feeling scared in the first place. The woman smiled and Nemo stood up and ran to her.

"Finally, you're awake!" she said brightly as she fiddled with her hair. The sunlight glinted off the golden locket she wore—the one that matched his.

Normally, Nemo would've shrunk away from his mother's affection like this. But for some reason he felt grateful though he couldn't quite remember. His thoughts were very muddled…

His mother didn't appear to notice. She just turned and gazed back over the water. "The weather is so beautiful today. It's like Alto Mare wants us to have a wonderful last day here."

"It really is," Nemo said hesitantly. He couldn't fathom why they would be leaving home and to be honest, he wasn't too bothered at the moment…that is until he heard a voice from behind them.

"Last day?" the man said. "Why, do you think you're going somewhere?"

Both Nemo and his mother froze when they turned and saw a man with long auburn hair wearing a dark suit coming towards them. With his refined feminine face, he could've easily been mistake for a woman. A little smiled played around his lips. He walked over to Nemo's mother and cradled her face in his hands. Then Nemo discovered his voice still worked and he stood up to the man. Finally, a memory of this day has broken through the cloud of confusion—they were running from this man—Nemo's father.

"How did you find us Dad?" Nemo said harshly. His fists were clenched at his side in an attempt to look like he was less terrified than he actually was.

His father had always scared him. He never did anything overtly criminal, but Nemo could tell something was off about him—like he never really cared about him and his mother. Not to mention he reminded Nemo of a complete psychopath.

"Haven't we taught you anything?" his father responded callously. His brown eyes didn't have a shred of mercy. "You treat adults respectfully. And we're conducting adult's business here and you know better than to interrupt. Now…"He turned his attention back to Nemo's mother. "Woman, you've committed a serious crime trying to keep my son from me."

His voice sounded cruelly gentle. To an outsider looking on, it would've seemed like he was saying nice things to her, but in reality, she was paralyzed with fear.

"Hnn, you're so scared," he said sardonically. He dropped one of his arms to put it around her waist. "And you have every reason to be." Nemo's father pulled a Pokéball from his belt. "Come on out Jynx. I need you to restrain my dear son there. This could get messy."

And before Nemo could make a move, Nemo felt himself bound by the Jynx's psychic powers—her pouty lips parted as she smiled at the boy struggling against her. Nemo's mind went blank as he realized here was nothing he could do.

"Thank you dear," his father said to the Jynx who winked in response. He once again focused on Nemo's mother. He began playing with her hair. "You're going to pay dearly for your crime, but you knew that didn't you? Or else you wouldn't have had me running all over Hoenn trying to find you. And all that effort gone to waste." Then to Nemo's great surprise, his father began to kiss his mother like they were a young couple in love.

Nemo trued to scream but the Jynx's powers wouldn't allow it. He had never been so angry in his life—he couldn't see straight and he knew his face was as red as his hair. Nemo made a valiant effort to break free of Jynx's hold, but the Jynx waggled her finger at his futile attempts which only ticked him off further.

"Hmm," his father said after he'd finally stopped. The man thought about something for a second, and then to Nemo's horror, he put his long fingers around her neck and began to strangle her. The woman's eyes bulged as she tried to struggle against the man who was stronger than he looked. "Stop resisting. And for goodness sake stop trying to look at him! I want to be the last thing you gaze upon as you die… I wonder what it's like to be killed by someone you once said you loved. You'll never be able to say. Good bye.

After a few moments, the woman stopped moving and her body went limp. Nemo felt a numbness spread through his body. He didn't even know it was possible to feel nothing at all. Just a few minutes ago, she was alive and they were both enjoying the peace. So how did this happen? Of course, they both knew this could happen. When his father's behavior had gotten too disturbing, he and his mother picked up and ran away to places he wouldn't have thought to look. But today…they had failed.

His father laid his mother's body on the ground and pulled out a cell phone. "You can come to take her away now. I've satisfied my curiosity now…Don't worry. I'll let you take care of my son…"

But Nemo's anger was rising again and through sheer force of will, he broke through part of Jynx's hold and screamed louder than he'd ever screamed in his life. "HOW COULD YOU! YOU'RE A MONSTER!"

"Shut up," his father said yawning. Nemo looked into his brown eyes and saw that this man really didn't care about what he'd just done at all.

Then they both heard another man's voice. "My goodness, Feliciano, you weren't kidding when you said you sated your curiosity."

"Ah, Charles," Feliciano said. "I didn't expect you to get here so soon. This boy here is my dear son, and he's all yours."

"Thank you very much," Charles said. He had an oddly rough voice, but he was dressed like a gentlemen. A creepy looking Hypno was at Charles's side. The swinging pendulum was making him feel stupid… "The world needs ridding of people like him."

Ridding? Nemo thought. What the heck did that mean? Anxiety was affecting him nearly as much as the fear and anger did. He felt his breathing get deeper, heavier and his heart started pounding. His head was also aching now…..he had to get away, but the weight of the psychic power from both the Jynx and now the Hypno on him was too much….


Nemo jerked awake from the horrible nightmare. He couldn't believe he was reliving the day his father and found them and then killed his mother right in front of him. As his vision came into focus, he saw that he was in an empty room that resembled an asylum with its white walls and flooring. He looked up and saw a heavy iron door in front of him with a camera directly over it. Nemo tried to lift his arms and found that he was chained to the chair he was sitting in and the panic set in. He couldn't even teleport away. What had they done to him?

He looked around wildly. "What's going ON?" Nemo yelled, frightened.

And to his horror, a voice answered him. "Jyyyynx…." The Pokémon materialized out of nowhere and winked devilishly. This Pokémon had been screwing with his head the entire time; it certainly explained the fuzziness he felt. But he took a good look at the Jynx and realization dawned on him—it belonged to his father. And that could only mean one thing…Nemo groaned.

"No," he said, almost to himself. "No, this can't be happening! How did you find me again?"

Feliciano's sinister voice answered him. "I told you I'd find you eventually." He opened the door and entered Nemo's prison.

Any fear that Nemo felt was immediately replaced by annoyance when Nemo got a good look at his father. Finally his slightly off personality was showing in his choice of clothing. Nemo gawked.

"When did you start dressing like THAT?" he demanded, dumbfounded.

His father was wearing a sleeveless black a-lined dress with white polka dots. A red sash was tied around his waist into a bow at the back and red heels to match. Feliciano's auburn hair was in curls this time. It was especially galling to Nemo because the outfit seemed strangely familiar. Feliciano smiled at the look on his son's face.

"I feel more comfortable this way," he said lightly as he gave a slight little and curtsey. "Besides, I thought you'd appreciate the look. After all, I stole it from your mother's closet—along with this…"

He held up the locket he had in his hand—his mother's. Nemo's eyes began to burn as Feliciano gently put the locket around his neck.

"Y-you're evil," said Nemo. His voice was shaking as he struggled against his chains. "I hate you!"

Feliciano promptly turned around and punched Nemo in the face hard. "Is that any way to talk to your father, Adriano?"

Hearing his real name for the first time in a long time stunned Nemo more than being punched. He glared at his father with contempt in his eyes, but he said nothing.

"Adriano!" his father said sharply. "I'm talking to you, stupid brat. You should be lucky I haven't strangled you like I did your mother."

Nemo was shaking with rage now. "H-how did you find me?" It took a lot of effort just to hold his voice somewhat steady. "I teleported away before Charles saw me!"

Feliciano sighed. "You stupid, stupid child. Do you remember Isidore and Sienna?"

Nemo felt annoyed with himself. "Yes," he reluctantly admitted.

"Charles is their commander so of course they reported you to him soon after they encountered you," Feliciano explained. "We've been carefully tracking your little group ever since and hoped your friends' annoying abilities didn't ruin our plans. But tell me one thing: Why on earth didn't get far away from Olivine after you saw Charles?"

Nemo was silent at this. Truth was, he didn't know Isidore and Sienna were associated with Charles, and therefore he never thought they were being tracked. And because Charles didn't even get to see him, why should he have guessed that he would be found out? Nemo cursed himself for not being more careful.

Feliciano leered at his silence. "Well, I almost feel ashamed for having been evaded by you all this time. You're still an idiot."

"You shut your mouth!" Nemo shouted at his father.

He was about to raise his hand to his son again when the door opened once more. It was Isidore, and he did not look remotely happy to see Feliciano. Unlike in his last appearance, Isidore was wearing a simple black suit similar to the one Feliciano wore in Nemo's flashback. But like last time, he was carrying his Vulpix in his arms.

"Commander wants to transport our young prisoner," Isidore said in a bored voice. "And of course he just had to send me. Oh joy."

"Oh ho, my mismatched eyed friend," Feliciano said gliding over to Isidore and made to put his arm around his shoulders.

But Isidore immediately knocked him away and looked furious. "Don't touch me, you piece of trash."

Feliciano looked shocked. "Why you little brat! You don't talk to me that way!"

"I can talk to you however I want," Isidore fired back. "I don't answer to you and I won't think twice about dropping you where you stand if you ever touch me again." His Vulpix hissed in agreement.

For a moment, Feliciano and Isidore glared at each other, but Feliciano was forced to give in. "Fine, take him out of my sight. And I shall be speaking to Charles about how you've been treating me."

Isidore looked thoroughly indifferent. "You do that," he said in a dull voice. Then he walked over to Nemo and pulled out a syringe filled with liquid. "And since I can't have you just teleporting away…"

Nemo only managed one scream before Isidore shifted the Vulpix and plunged the needle into his arm. Within a few seconds, he was out.

~ ~ ~​

"You know I'm REALLY getting tired of this happening," Nemo complained when he had come to after being knocked out for the second time.

This time he was sitting on the floor of another white cell. Only this one had a glass wall that made him feel as though he were a Pokémon at the zoo. And indeed, both Isidore and his Vulpix named Cecelia were looking at him through the glass.

"Yeah, I imagine that gets a bit tiresome," Isidore agreed, smiling.

Nemo tried to clear his head. "Okay, okay, I know I got here because you reported me to Charles." Looking at the Vulpix, Nemo remembered something very important. "But what did you do with Espeon? You didn't hurt her, right?"

"She's fine," Isidore said holding out her Pokéball. To Nemo's surprise, he spoke gently. "I wouldn't let any Pokémon get hurt especially by that pathetic excuse for a human being you call your father!"

Nemo rolled his eyes and gave a slight humph. "I don't call him anything. I hate him and I hate you for bringing me to him." He stared icily at Isidore who sighed.

"Sorry about that," Isidore said. When Nemo continued to look cagey, he continued, "No, I really am. I can promise you I don't take orders from Feliciano or anyone else who'd senselessly kill the mother of his child."

"Oh, so you have morals or something?" Nemo asked scathingly. It was rather hard to be nice to anyone who'd just reunited him with the very last person he wanted to see.

But Isidore only smiled darkly through the glass. His eyes seemed far away. "Trust me, I know how you must feel; my father killed my mother too. Or rather, he had someone kill her. He'd never do the dirty work himself."

Nemo looked down at his feet. He was feeling conflicted; going through what he'd gone through, he had plenty of empathy. But on the other hand, Isidore's words only made him think of his own mother—something he generally avoided in order to keep his sanity. So he merely responded, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"My father is a greedy man who only cares about himself," Isidore said as if he hadn't heard Nemo. Anger was now in his eyes. "A politician. He'll do anything to get ahead which included hurting innocent people and Pokémon. He once bankrolled a ‘scientific endeavor' that involved doing these horrendous experiments on Psychic type Pokémon to try to see what makes their abilities tick. That's what he had my mother killed over; she was threatening to expose him, not to mention she didn't fit his ‘image.' So yes, I know all about bad fathers.

"It's a long story, and I won't bore you with the details," Isidore continued. He had that dark smile on his face again as he played with Espeon's Pokéball. "Maybe I'll tell you the full thing later because I think you'll find it interesting. But for now, I'm more interested in your story, kid. There are a few things I'd like to know."

"Like what?" Nemo asked defensively, still looking down.

"Like…how did you manage to escape and then evade Charles and Feliciano for so long?" Isidore asked, intrigued.

Nemo turned to face Isidore. Just like when the others had found out about his abilities, the jig was up. "They tried to restrain me with their Pokémon, but then I snapped and I overrode their control over me and I managed to teleport away. I…used to have long hair and I cut it off as a disguise. Basically, I just teleport randomly to throw them off my trail. Simple as that. I picked up Espeon along the way so I wasn't totally alone."

"Riiight," Isidore said slowly, suspiciously. "Then why were you traveling with Carmen, Ramón, and Cate?"

"I was drawn to them really," Nemo explained. "I tried to fight it, but even Suicune lead me to them. But it's just as well. The less they know about me, the better. They don't even know my real name." Nemo casted his eyes down again. "I'm just glad they didn't get hurt on the account of me."

That was all true. He had been afraid that they would've been caught up in his messy situation. It was the best he'd felt in a long time while he was traveling with them, but it couldn't last forever…

"Oh really?" Isidore said in surprise. "You say that like you were the main catch here when you were really the bait."

That caught Nemo's attention at once, and for the first time, he stood up to face Isidore through his cell. "And what is that supposed to mean? Isn't that why you turned me over to my father?"

"No…well…kinda?" Isidore said shrugging. "See, you and I both know why Charles and Feliciano are after you by now right?"

"My abilities," Nemo said, defeated. "They want to do all these weird experiments on me." Which will likely be the end of me, he thought.

"And are you the only one with abilities?" Isidore asked as if Nemo were about five years old.

"You know?" Nemo asked. His heart sank; was this somehow his fault too?

"Well, yes!" Isidore said brightly. "While I'm sure the Valentine family didn't expect treachery, but Sienna told the commander all about her sister's powers. And thanks to an incident with Carmen and Ramón's father Reymundo years back, he's been wary of abilities ever since."

"I-what?" Nemo asked incredulously. "Their father had abilities? Looks like I wasn't the only one keeping secrets."

"No, it was probably just you," Isidore informed him. "Commander told us that their father would rather take that what happened to his grave, so they didn't know either."

"So I wasn't the only one Charles was after," Nemo asked.

"Nope, not at all," Isidore answered calmly. "Commander wants to imprison everyone with abilities to prevent them from being a menace to the world. He's been feeling even more anxious about it lately after he found out Ramón and Carmen had inherited his abilities."

"Except that Carmen doesn't have abilities," Nemo pointed out. "She was the only one of us that didn't."

Isidore was silent at this. Cecelia was curled up on the floor asleep by this point. Her trainer smiled at how peaceful she looked; he picked her up and cradled her in his arms. "I can do tricks as well; I have the power to sense the psychic abilities of humans. And while I my ability isn't foolproof, I know I'm not wrong here. Her psychic abilities are way too strong. Perhaps they're latent?"

Isidore was surprised by that statement. Maybe she was indeed keeping secrets…or maybe she really didn't know she had them. Either way, Commander was about to do some serious experimenting on Carmen. Isidore had warned him that there could be hell to pay for doing that, but he hadn't listened. He was too wrapped up with his past with Reymundo. Oh well, he tried to tell him. That wouldn't be on his shoulders at least.

Behind him, Nemo exhaled a laugh. "You know, you really aren't that much different than your father after all."

Isidore turned to face him. Nemo, who thought that his big mouth had gotten him in trouble, flinched; that amused Isidore. But he didn't yell, or even get angry. That wasn't his style.

"You don't know anything about me," Isidore said as Cecelia yawned.

OOC: Apologies for it being dialogue heavy toward the end. Bigger apologies if you think it sucks. I promise the next one will explain stuff

 

[Cody]

.....

:'D

It's back! I love this so much. Carmen, you're a great author. This is really great ^^

Didn't really understand parts of it, maybe that's part it hasn't been explained, but it's also probably I need to reread.

but yeah. Its great. Don't end up regretting it

 

[Psycho Monkey]

*Glomps Carmen* I love it!!!

You've got the mysterious pasts, crazy plot twists, and Nemo's real name all at once! It was most definitely worth the wait and like Cody said, you have nothing to regret. I hope you get give us some more goodies in the coming year ^_^.

 

[Moonlight-Zelda]

Awesome chapter, Reina. Its a shame I didn't see that your thread had updated sooner, XD.

Nemo's/Adriano's character certainly seems even more interesting, too. I can't wait to read more. ^_^