Adventure Awaits

  This is the Viridian Forest, home to many forest type pokémon such as, Weedle…, Beedrills…, Pikachus [pika pika]…, and Kakuna… Huh?!? Oh my, you’re right! I forgot all about the very SPECIAL pokémon who live in this forest as well. ODDISH! Hahaha. Oh course I’m kidding. The Viridian Forest is home to none other than Icy, the great Bug Pokémon Master, and his favorite pokémon of all, CATERPIE! Caterpie, Metapod, and Butterfree all roam free here in the Viridian Forest, which is why Icy built his gym there a year ago. The Bug Gym, a now official gym under the Indigo League after his return from the Spectral Islands, has become a new stop for many trainers on their journeys.
  Since their return, Icy applied for becoming an official Indigo League gym giving trainers a new badge to work for if they wanted. But while the thrill of gym battles is great, Icy longs once again for adventure. But where would he adventure to?

{New Intro plays with screen shots of some scenes from later episodes and new pokémon}

  The phone rang. “Icy, can you get that, I’m busy feeding the caterpies.” Sara had on the counter nine bowls with each caterpie’s name written on the side and was cooking up a delicious blend of cooked leaves and berries. Well, you’d like it too if you were a Caterpie. The phone rang again with Icy nearly tripping over Sandy, one of the nine caterpies standing in the doorway.
  “Whoa, look out guys!” Making a daring leap over the rest, he grabbed the phone on the third ring. Panting, he answered, “Hello, Viridian Forest Gym, Icy speaking.”
  On the other end, he heard a familiar voice. “Icy, good to speak to you again.”
  “Hello professor, how is everything down south.”
  “Modern I assure you. Ehem, I was calling to see what you were up to and if you’ve discovered any new information about Suihou.”
  “Oh yea, that bubbly pokémon. Nothing except he’s impossible to carry. That thing is made of pure water, I don’t even think it has organs in there. But it does eat, so I guess it must.”
  “Hmm, it would be nice to know all about its anatomy as well.”
  “Whoa, hold the phone professor.”
  Sara interrupted, “Bad pun…”
  Icy jokingly made a face at her and continued, “You aren’t even thinking of operating on this little guy. Seriously, its all water, you cut him open, he’ll all spill out I bet.”
  Oak replied laughing slightly, “No no, I would never do that. Hahaha. We could always do an x-ray or something. In any case, I have heard about a technology corporation based out of Dark Cove, a region on the eastern continent, called PokéPowers Inc. They are the east’s equivalent to Sliph Co. here. Their chairman and CEO is Willis Powers, an extremely wealthy billionaire and pokémon fanatic. I was wondering if you’d be interested in meeting with him to see what they could do in determining Suihou’s origin.”
  “The East continent huh… That’s a long journey. I hope you’ve got a safe transportation in mind.”
  “Oh, well… The only ship going across any time soon is the S.S. Anne II.”
  “The S.S. Anne II???” Icy flashbacked to his memories aboard the original S.S. Anne and Clan Caterpie. Then he remembered the doomed ship blew up! “Did they HAVE TO name it that?”
  “Heh heh, I know the name’s not great, but they say this ship won’t go down. Besides, Team Rocket is no more, thanks more or less to you and many other gifted trainers. I don’t think there would be any trouble.”
  “What about icebergs?”
  Sara looked up from handing out the bowls to the caterpies. “Icebergs??? What are you and the professor talking about?” Suddenly she felt a slight nibbling on her finger and realized Verde had decided to eat more than his share. “Aghhh!!! Verde, ask for more, don’t eat just eat the hand that feeds you.”
  Icy made another face at her and went back to talking on the phone with Oak. “Ok, if it’ll help find out about Suihou, I guess we’ll do it. So when’s this party get started?”
  “Party??? Oh yes, come to think of it, there will be a party on board too.”
  “Yippie, déjà vu…”
  “I beg your pardon…”
  “Nothing, go on.”
  “Yes, well all the great trainers are being invited… umm,” Oak stopped.
  “AND I WASN’T!!!” Sara flinched back, startled by Icy’s sudden loud tone. “Oops, ehheh, that’s ok, I was away, that must be why.”
  “No, they don’t generally invite gym trainers. You guys aren’t supposed to leave your gyms…”
  “Heh, have I ever listened to them?”
  “Yes, you have actually, on multiple occasions.”
  “That… wasn’t the answer I was particularly looking for. So you’ve made special arrangements I presume.”
  “Oh course. You might not be above the league, but as official Indigo Pokémon Professor, I can bend the rules as I please.” Oak couldn’t help but smile at the power he had. Too bad he rarely exercised it.
  “You’re great professor.”
  “Thanks. I’m transmitting the info to you now. Please read it over carefully. I wish you all luck in finding some answers. Please don’t forget to call me once you arrive there.”
  “We will professor. Thank you.”
  “My pleasure Icy. Good day.”
  Icy hung up the phone and turned to see Sara covered by nine grinning caterpies. “Umm, you look busy, I’ll tell ya later.” Sara pouted as Icy left the room.
  Trinity was busy playing with Chonchii and Suihou. She was running a small experiment on Suihou’s ability to absorb electricity. “Chonchii, spark.” Chonchii sent his electricity at Suihou who again absorbed the bolt. “That’s simply amazing. Usually water should be harmed by electricity, but you aren’t even fazed. Must be the Oddish DNA in you.” Suihou smiled happily. “Strange thing…” Icy entered the room.
  “So, what crazy mad scientist scheme are you pulling this time Trinity?”
  “Whaaa? Who are you calling crazy mister caterpie lover how’s gotta have a billion of those crawly creatures wiggling all over the place!” The caterpies found Trinity to be yet another, fun to play games with, human, and would do so quite often.
  “Ok ok. Any progress on Suihou?”
  “Well, electric attacks are useless against it. It just absorbs it all, watch. Chonchii, spark!” Chonchii once again tried futilely to electrocute Suihou but failed.
  “That’s really odd.”
  “Oddish is more like it. Suihou has Oddish DNA mixed in with the Poliwag and Ditto DNA. That must be how it grounds itself. It’s a very strange pokémon.”
  “It’s strange that the scientists who created it would simply allow it to get away.”
  “Maybe it ran away. Besides, isn’t genetic testing on pokémon banned?”
  “Here yes. But maybe not in other places. Oh, by the way, that reminds me, Professor Oak just called. He said there’s a pokémon technology company located on the east continent in Dark Cove called PokéPowers. He wants the three of us to go there and see if they can help determine more info on Suihou.”
  “The Dave Cove, sounds creepy. My kinda city ^_^.”
  “Great. We even get a free cruise aboard the S.S. Anne II.”
  “Two? Why can’t we take the original???”
  “I dunno about you, but traveling above the water is much safer on an open ship, than traveling along the ocean floor.”
  “Huh???”
  Icy sweatdropped. “It sank a year ago. This is its sister ship. But the professor says there’s nothing to fear.”
  “HA! Only wimps like you fear silly superstitions like that. I’m not afraid of some ship. Besides, I like swimming.”
  “You’re amazing Trinity.”
  Trinity bowed replying, “Thank you.”
  Sara walked out, nine sad little caterpies following her. “Oh stop that you guys, I fed you, perk up.” Sara turned to Icy. “You really should teach them that my hair is not food…”
  “Sorry Sara. You gotta admit, you do look cute in caterpie ^.^”
  Sara pouted again and turned to Trinity. “Any luck on Suihou?”
  “No… Icy was just telling me about that PokéPowers company in Dark Cove that may be of some help to us. Guess it’s another fun adventure for us all huh?”
  “Nothing can top what Janus and the Dark Lord put us through…” said Icy.
  “Oh c’mon, what about Techor and Livy?” Sara responded jokingly.
  “Ha ha, those two were annoying too.”
  The fax machine buzzed and Icy went to see what had come through. The cover page had a large pokéball in the center with Professor Oak’s signature underneath. “This looks like the info on where to catch the S.S. Anne II.”
  “Where’s it stopping?” Sara asked. Trinity joined the two.
  “Looks like we can catch it in two days at the Vermilion City Docks.”
  “Vermilion City. That’s not a short distance. It’ll take at least a day to walk there.”
  “Longer for me, I don’t even know where Vermilion City is,” Trinity said.
  “Ladies ladies, please. The noble Icy would never have his girls tire their delicate legs walking. Cyber will fly us there in no time.” Sara blushed while Trinity gave a reserved smile.
  “Icy, since I’ve never been there, would either of you mind if we left tomorrow. I’d like to see it.”
  “Sure thing Trinity. Sara, that’s alright with you?”
  “Uh huh,” Sara said nodding.
  “Ok. Make sure you’re all packed in the morning. We’ll get there by afternoon so Trinity can see the sights.”
  “Are ya gonna show her the pokémon gym there Icy?” Sara asked nudging Icy.
  “Ehheheh…”
  Trinity just stared at the two, totally missing the inside joke.
  Sara looked at the clock. “Hmm, it’s getting late. We outta get some sleep so we got lots of time to recharge for an electrifying day in Vermilion City tomorrow.” Icy gave her a friendly shove in the side to which Sara whimpered softly. Trinity was still as confused as ever. The three went to sleep.

=====

  The next morning, Icy and Trinity woke to smell a wonderful breakfast being cooked by Sara. “Oh, you two finally woke up. ‘Bout time. I made us all some breakfast before we go.” Icy lifted an eyelid when he saw the lightning and pikachu shaped pancakes Sara has so tediously cooked. “I thought it would get us in the ‘mood’.”
  Icy simply laughed and the three sat down to eat. “What’s with all the electric jokes and stuff between you two?” Trinity finally asked. Icy sorta choked on the pancake he was eating.
  “Hehehe, oh nothing. I’m just bugging Icy cause he lost the first time he fought Surge.”
  Icy finally swallowed what was in his mouth. “I got back at that Raichu. Hey, wait, I didn’t lose. I did win… he just got the upper hand first.”
  “Uhh, you make it sound so personal,” Trinity said.
  “Well, it kinda was, seeing I was the one battling that Raichu. I showed him not to call pikachus inferior.”
  “Right, ok… I’ll just go pack now.” Trinity finished and packed her stuff. “Loco…”
  “Are you already packed Sara?”
  “Yes. How about you? I wanna head out too. I’ve never been to Vermilion either.”
  “Oh, that’s right. Don’t worry, I’ll only need a few minutes.” Icy scarfed down the rest of his pikachu-shaped pancakes and packed. Sara cleaned up everything and by the time she finished, Icy and Trinity were ready to go.
  “Alright! Vermilion City, here we come!”
  “Ready, here we go, Icy calls, Cyber!!!” Icy’s Porygon, Cyber, materialized. “Cyber, initiate automobile transformation program now.”
  “Ack, WAIT!!!! Not inside!!!”
  “Oh yeah, let’s do that outside Cyber, ehheheheh…”
  The three stepped outside, locking the gym on the way out. Cyber transformed into a fair sized car for the three. They placed their luggage in the trunk and Cyber sped off towards Pewter City.
  “From Pewter City, we can fly over Mt. Moon to Vermilion City.”
  “Fly???” Trinity asked.
  “Yes, Cyber here can be a jet plane too ^_^”
  “Wow cool.” Trinity then remembered about the visit they made to Data Island in the Spectral Island Chain.
{Flashback}
  “It was a few years ago. We were working on a new prototype Porygon version 1.1. This Porygon had the original computer code but mixed with Ditto DNA to allow for shape shifting and re-writable Porygon code.” The scientist went on about porygon and then about the new porygons…
{End Flashback}
  “Yea, we can take off at Pewter City International.”
  “Ok, great.”
  As they neared the exit of the Viridian City Forest, a slight bluish flash caught Icy’s eye. “STOP CYBER!!!” Cyber came to an immediate stop sending the three flying out. “Oww… not like that… oooohhh…”
  “Oww, Icy… You better have a good explanation for this,” stormed Sara.
  “I do, look there.” Icy pointed into the bushes. Sure enough, a blue sparkle was seen from behind them.
  “Wow, pretty. Hey look, it moved.”
  “Do you think it’s a pokémon?”
  “Yes.” Trinity pulled out some binoculars and sure enough, it was a very small pokémon, a Pichu.
  “What type is it?” Sra asked.
  “It’s a Pichu, but it’s really small. You can have it if you want.”
  “Trinity! That’s harsh.”
  “Hey whatever. Oh, if ya want it you better get running, cause there it goes!”
  “After it!!!” Sara shouted and called out her butterfree Aura. “Aura, chase it down and tackle!!!”
  Pichu glanced back and grinned. “Chuu!” It dashed forward again. Aura was having a tough time keeping up with it. As Aura began slowing down, Pichu looked back again. “Pihehehe, you can’t catch me.” She flew down the forest faster and faster still looking back. “PiheheheOWWWWWW” SMACK!!! Pichu’s body went cold as it fell back from the tree it had just collided with.
  “REEEE!!!” Aura flew ahead to see if the little pichu was still alive. Sara was close behind.
  “Oh my Goddish, the poor thing.” Sara arrived at the tree the little pichu had run into. “Oh thank Goddish, its still breathing.” She picked up the pichu noticing small blue gems lining its black fur like a collar, but they were natural. “How strange.” She tugged on one of the gems.
  “PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII” the little pichu cried out and shocked Sara good.
  “AGHHHHHH!!!!” Sara screamed dropping the pichu.
  “CHUUU.” Pichu shook her head and inspected the human that had hunted her down. She looked as if she wanted to go with Sara.
  “Sara? Are you and the pokémon alright?” Icy called. Trinity was close behind.
  “Yes, we are both fine. I found a Pichu. I think I’ll capture it ^_^.” Sara took out a small pokéball and expanded it. “Pichu, you are mine now. Pokéball GO!” The ball smacked the little pichu in the head, as if the tree hadn’t done enough damage to that area yet, and she was captured. The ball floated back into Sara’s hand. “Well, that gives me three pokémon. Maybe I should join a pokémon league too.”
  “Yeah right Sara,” said Trinity.
  “Hey, I wouldn’t be the one to talk. Remember, I still beat you back there.”
  “Don’t remind me… C’mon, let’s get going.”
  “I agree, come Sara,” Icy said kindly extending his hand to her.
  Sara blushed and took it and the three returned to the Pory-Car.
  Cyber drove the three trainers into Pewter City. “Do we have time to watch gym battle here?” Sara asked.
  “What for, you know what’ll happen. Brock will try intimidating some young trainer and quickly get his butt whooped. Sorry, but you’ll recall even my Caterpie beat him…” Icy replied.
  “Hmm, you’re right, Surge is MUCH better. He and Raichu, wow,” Sara taunted back. Icy sank his head and drove to the Pidgeyport.
  “We have our own plane, may we take off?” Icy asked the control tower people.
  “Certainly. Please taxi to runway 4 and you are clear for takeoff. Safe flight.”
  “Thank you.” Icy turned to Cyber. “Cyber, initiate jet transformation program now.” Cyber rematerialized as a jet plane and the three hopped in. “Prepare for takeoff!” 3… 2… 1… GO!!! Cyber zipped down the runway and was airborne in no time. “Vermilion City, here we come!”
  “WOW!” said some unimportant bystander.

  And so, as our heroes fly into the afternoon sky, what new adventures await them, just over the horizon?

Tour de Vermilion

Last time, on The Adventures of Icy & Sara…
  We saw our heroes back in the Viridian Forest when Professor Oak called Icy to tell him about a pokémon research company called PokéPowers, located in Dark Cove across the ocean. Eager to unlock the mysteries of the genetic pokémon Suihou, Icy, Sara, and Trinity agree to head for Dark Cove on the S.S. Anne II. Along to way to Vermilion City to catch the boat, Sara ran into a wild Pichu and captured it. And now, our adventure continues…

  High over Pewter City, Cyber speeds past Mt. Moon. The three trainers catch a short glimpse of the tallest peak in the distance as they travel south to Vermilion City.
  “I’ve seen peaks like that all over the Red Island,” Trinity pointed out.
  “Yea, I remember those. Lots of volcanoes…” Icy didn’t like being reminded of volcanoes, or fire for that matter. It was too painful to think about how much Buttercup suffered through his attempts to win during the Indigo League. But he had moved on from that, and now, was ready to face new challenges.
  “How long until we see Vermilion City Icy?” Sara asked.
  “It shouldn’t be too much further.” Icy clicked a button on the center console inside the Pory-Jet. A GPS opened up displaying their current position. “See this dot, that’s us. And that yellow dot there, that’s Vermilion City. We are getting close. Maybe 5 minutes give or take.”
  Suddenly, out of nowhere, a giant flock of Pidgeys swooped by. “AGHHH,” the group yelled as Cyber attempted to maneuver away from the incoming Pidgeys. “What’s going on!!”
  “Cyber, get us out of here, quickly!” Cyber descended a little to escape the Pidgeys, which seemed to have no end. “Shew, wonder what that was all about.”
  “Look ahead!” Sara said.
  “Oh no, not more Pidgeys,” Trinity said.
  “No, it’s the Vermilion City Pidgeyport. We made it!” Sara said joyfully.
  “You just said it WASN’T more Pidgeys,” Trinity remarked.
  “Can you two save it for later, Cyber needs to concentrate on landing. It’s been a while since he’s flown.”
  “WHAT!!!” the two girls screamed together.
  Cyber touched down on the runway and slowly came to a stop. It was a perfect landing. “Good job Cyber.” The Pidgeyport crew was stunned to see such an elaborate jet, and was even more shocked to see it transform back into a little Porygon.
  “Amazing!”
  “Cyber, thanks, time to return.” Cyber returned to Icy’s pokéball and the group headed into the city.
  “Wow! This place is neato,” Trinity said. She kinda felt at home in a harbor city.
  “Well Icy, since you are the only one of us who’s really been here and stuff, why not show us ladies around hmmm,” Sara said elbowing him.
  “Ehheheh, sure thing. Anything for you Sara,” Icy said blushing. Sara’s face turned red as well while Trinity stood there pouting.
  “Ok ok, break it up you two lovebirds!!! Are you gonna show me around or what?”
  “ICY!!!” said a familiar voice.
  “Mike?” Sure enough, the same young trainer Icy had met two years ago when he first left Saffron City was calling his name and running towards him. A large Raticate followed close behind.
  “Icy, wow! It’s great to see you again! I haven’t seen you for so long. Oh, who are the two cute chicks?” Mike said turning his attention to the girls.
  Trinity fumed. “You wanna battle mister? Cause you keep that up, that’s what you’ll get. Grrrrr,” Trinity shouted.
  “Whoa, settle. Sorry ehehheeh, I was just making a compliment. Oh course, a battle would be fun, but after we chat and have lunch.”
  “Mike, you don’t have to,” Icy began saying.
  “Hey, who are we to pass up a free lunch,” Sara interjected.
  Mike smiled. “Oh, and you are?”
  “Oh… hehehe, how stupid of me. Mike, this is Sara,” Icy grinned introducing her, “and this is Trinity.”
  “Ok. Please to meet both of you. Well, c’mon, I’ll treat you all to lunch, then you and me can have our battle Trinity.”
  “It’ll be my pleasure to kick your butt,” Trinity said. And with her skills, she definitely meant it.
  They followed Mike into town to his house. Mike’s parents greeted him, Icy, Sara, and Trinity and accepted Mike’s invitation to them for lunch. For lunch, Mike’s mom had made fish sandwiches fresh from the market that day. Everyone enjoyed the meal.
  While they were eating, Sara’s Pichu stood on the floor peering feverishly at the food above. Sara took note and broke a small piece off to feed to the hungry Pichu below. Pichu took the morsel in her tiny paws and gobbled it down stating her approval with a, “chaaaa.”
  “Thank you very much m’am,” Icy said kindly. The others thanked her as well.
  “Mom, is it alright if I hang out with Icy and his friends for a little?” Mike asked.
  “Sure honey, but don’t stay out too long, remember you have work tonight at the gym.”
  “Ok, I won’t.” The four kids left and went to a park in the city.
  “You work at Lt. Surge’s gym?” Icy asked.
  “Yea. I don’t get to battle, but I may soon. I just handle paperwork and stuff. Sometimes referee. It’s ok money, and good experience cause I get to see lots of battles and learn new techniques.”
  “Sounds like a cool job.”
  “Yea, I’ll take you over there later if you want.”
  Sara elbowed Icy really hard. “Oh, I’m SURE Icy wants to go, don’t you Icy?” Sara had the most evil grin on her face and Icy could only give a reserved laugh and nod.

=====

  “Ok then, well, first things first.”
  Trinity stepped into position. “Yea, let’s battle! One on one ok?”
  Mike nodded and gave the order, “Raticate, go!”
  Trinity thought about what to use against the Raticate. “Ok then, I choose, Cyndaquil!” Her tiny fire-mouse pokémon leapt onto the grass and eyed its rat-type opponent. “Cyndaquil, ember attack.” Cyndaquil fired its flames at Raticate.
  “Get out of the way Raticate, counter attack with hyper fang.” Raticate evaded the fires and lunged for Cyndaquil to use its hyper fang attack.
  “Oh no,” Trinity gasped. Cyndaquil, sensing danger approaching him, curled up and as Raticate was about to use its attack, Cyndaquil blew fire out from its back burning Raticate. “Alright! Good work Cyndaquil. Tackle attack!” Cyndaquil uncurled and tackled Raticate for the victory.
  “Good job, that was close. Raticate, you did great, return.” Mike went over to take a look at the Cyndaquil. “I haven’t seen one of these before. You said it’s called Cyndaquil? It’s pretty cute.” Mike was about to pet it when flames erupted from its back again. Mike backed away.
  “It’s ok, he won’t hurt you, but maybe I should hold him anyways. Yea, I’m not from this area, I’m from the Spectral Islands. These guys are kinda common there,” Trinity said holding Cyndaquil out to Mike.
  “Ok.” Mike carefully took Cyndaquil from Trinity. “Cool.” He handed it back, not trying to press his luck not being burned in the face by Cyndaquil.
  “Let’s head over to the pokémon gym. Mike, will you take us,” Sara said happily. Icy sighed as he followed. Sara’s Pichu happily pranced about while her two Butterfree fluttered overhead letting her try to grab them.
  “That’s a cute Pichu Sara. You’ll have to show her to Surge when we get there,” Mike said. Sara nodded and the group walked down towards the Pokémon Gym. As they walked through the entrance, two Jr. Trainers greeted them.
  “Hey Mike. Who are those three losers? Surge’s next victims?” They both laughed. Icy, Sara, and Trinity especially, tried to contain their anger.
  “No, I brought them here just to see Surge. They are friends of mine.”
  “Ok. He’s in his office.” One of the Jr. Trainers noticed Pichu walking with them and whispered something to the other. “Look at that puny pokémon, hahaha,” he said quietly. Pichu’s ears perked up as she growled. Sara quickly took hold of her before she tried anything hasty. The two trainers laughed to themselves again.
  “Ok, here we are,” Mike said then knocked on the door. When it opened, a huge man dressed in an army uniform was standing in the doorway. “Lt. Surge, these are my friends Icy, Sara, and Trinity.”
  “Friends eh, or my next victims, hahaha. So, which of them wants a battle with me, the cutie here perhaps,” he said eying Trinity.
  “Oh please… Watch your step mister,” she retorted scoldingly.
  “Ahh, a feisty young missy. Well, don’t think I won’t go easy on ya.”
  “I didn’t come here looking for a battle. We came here just to meet you, that’s all.”
  “No battle. Humph.” Surge shifted his attention to Sara, which got Icy’s attention as well.
  “Don’t even think about asking her Surge,” Icy said before Surge could speak.
  “Hey, I know that voice. You’re that Pikachu trainer aren’t you, Icy!”
  “Yes. Been a while since I toasted your Raichu there,” Icy said smiling. Surge didn’t look as excited. His Raichu came out from behind him and seeing Icy, growled. Somehow it too recognized the once Pikachu trainer.
{Flashback}
  “How does he do that? Pikachus aren’t psychic! Snap out of it Raichu! It’s a Pikachu! It’s inferior to you! You’re the better and stronger evolution!” Icy became infuriated.
  “PIIIIIII-KAAAAAAAAAA-CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!” Icy sent enormous amounts of electricity throughout the gym so the field was enclosed in lightning. “What are you doing Icy?” Insanellama wondered. Using his psychic powers, he directed all the lightning at Raichu. Raichu could only look in each direction as the lightning moved closer. “Rai… Chu…???” The lightning decimated Raichu and he fell hard to the ground.
{End Flashback}
  Both Icy and Raichu got into a staring contest, growling at each other. One could have easily mistaken Icy for a Pikachu as this point. Sara’s Pichu hopped down and joined in, staring at the Raichu. Raichu focused its attention on Pichu as Surge noticed it as well.
  “Hahaha, what’s that puny toy? Is that, a Pichu??? HAHAHAHAHA!!!” Surge laughed and Raichu did the same. Pichu’s eyes narrowed as she glared at the Raichu laughing at her. “Oh, the toy wants to play huh? I like toys, hehehe.”
  “No, Pichu don’t,” Sara said as she went to grab Pichu, but the pokémon refused and lunged at Raichu full force. “PIIIIIICHUUUUUUUUUUU”
  Raichu was a little stunned for a moment but got back up and took a swing at Pichu. Pichu easily dodged Raichu’s fist being much faster and thundershocked Raichu. Surge was in awe. “Impossible. That little Pichu beating my Raichu. Some toy you got there.” Everyone was impressed and Pichu turned around to face Sara and the others giving a small victory sign.
  But Raichu refused to give in, and while Pichu had her back to him, he made a sneak attack, belting Pichu to the ground with a body slam. Pichu cried as she hit the ground but managed to squeeze out from under the larger mouse pokémon. Little tears flew from her eyes as she leapt for Raichu’s tail and bit it hard. Raichu shrieked and attempted to shake the little Pichu off. Pichu got angrier and shocked Raichu just before being thrown off. Raichu grabbed his throbbing tail only in time to see the tiny mouse lunging at his face and scratch it to pieces. When Pichu finally finished, Raichu was left in tears and Pichu smiled having dealt her revenge.
  “That’s it, no one makes a fool of Lt. Surge like that, cutie or not. GET OUT!!!” The four ran as fast as they could while Surge comforted his battered Raichu. The Pokécenter would finally have a new victim to heal.
  Once outside, everyone looked at Pichu inquisitively. “I just don’t know what’s gotten into that Pichu???” Sara said. Just then, out of nowhere, a Meowth resembling the Friskies’ Cat ran by and vanished mysteriously. The four pretended to ignore the strange event and walked down to the harbor.
  “Well, Mike, it sure was fun seeing you again. We are headed to a city called Dark Cove on the S.S. Anne II.”
  “It was great to run into you again Icy, not to mention meeting your cool friends. Have a safe cruise and don’t forget to write.” Mike waved goodbye as the trio made their way on board the luxury cruise liner. What adventures are in store for our heroes next? And, what HAS gotten into that Pichu??? We’ll just have to wait and see what lies ahead, across the great ocean…

High Seas Peril

Last time, on The Adventures of Icy & Sara…
  Icy, Sara, and Trinity made it to Vermilion City and met a familiar face, Mike. After having lunch at Mike’s house, Trinity challenged Mike to a battle and won. The four kids then visited Lt. Surge’s gym only to be kicked out after Pichu had a slight, disagreement with Surge’s Raichu. As Mike and Icy say their good-byes, our heroes get ready to board the S.S. Anne II, and continue their journey to Dark Cove. And now, our adventure continues…

  The trio arrived at the dock seeing lots of different trainers gathering and boarding. “There it is!” Sara shouted with joy. Icy and Trinity were equally impressed but forwent expressing their awe verbally.
  “It’s magnificent, I’ve been on tons of ships, but none that looked THIS nice,” Trinity said.
  “I just hope this one is more sea worthy than the last S.S. Anne,” Icy said quietly. Flashbacks of Mewtwo and the group Anti-Team-Rocket flashed before him. He saw in his mind the proud S.S. Anne explode and sink as thousands scrambled to lifeboats. He had been lucky to have been warned my Mimic, the Ditto. But with Team Rocket out of the picture now, nothing could possibly go wrong, could it?
  Not more than a few yards behind our heroes, two shady characters were acting rather suspicious. The one took another sip from her cup of coffee and spoke to her teammate, “That’s them is it not?”
  Her teammate varnished a blue rose and then placed it on his black uniform. “Yes. A little late, but none-the-less, they have arrived.”
  “We should eliminate them now,” the female said to her partner.
  “Patience dear, not in this crowd. I admit, we should focus on eliminating them as soon as possible, but we cannot blow our cover.”
  The female grunted under her breath. “We will not have many opportunities once on board either.”
  Her partner rested his head on his fist. “We could always make it look innocent. A battle, as we always do.”
  “Right. Defeat him, steal a pokémon or two, and lure them into a trap.”
  “Exactly what I was thinking. Ok then, let us introduce ourselves to those little runts.”
  The two dark teammates put down the newspapers they were concealing themselves with and became approaching Icy and his friends. Beside them, a dark Eevee-like creature followed.
  “Icy, do feel like we are being watched,” Trinity said.
  “Watched? No. C’mon, let’s get on board!” Icy, Sara, and Trinity continued walking towards the entrance plank. Before they could get on, a hand tapped Icy on the back. “What the,” Icy turned around swiftly. “Who are you?”
  “My apologies, where are my manners. I am Wisp, and this is my friend Willow.” The dark pokémon growled at Icy and his friends. “Ah, and this is Umbreon. Beautiful pokémon do you not agree?”
  “Yes, now what did you want, we are getting on the ship.”
  “Oh, please, you seem to be an experienced trainer. My friend and I would like to interest you in a battle. I can, make it worth your while.”
  “Icy, the ship.”
  “It’s ok Sara, these two don’t scare me the least. I can beat them. I accept your challenge, but it’s one on one. Let’s keep it short ok.”
  Willow muttered under her breath, “It’ll be short all right…”
  Wisp took position as well as Icy. They were battling right by the docks. “Prepare to lose worthy foe, Steelix GO!” Wisp throw a dark colored pokéball out and released the steel serpent Steelix.
  “Whoa, I’ve never seen a pokémon like that before.” Icy selected his pokéball and threw it. “Ready to fight, come in sight! ICY CALLS!!!” The ball opened revealing a Gloom. “LEAFY!!! GO!!! Sunny Day now!” Leafy’s pedals brightened as it created more sunlight. It blinded Steelix temporarily but it recovered.
  “Cheap tricks shall not defeat me and my Steelix. Iron Tail Steelix.” The massive serpent swung its tail at Leafy. Leafy was too slow to escape the attack and get pounded hard. Meanwhile, Umbreon was sneaking towards the two girls.
  “Leafy! Ok, you asked for it. Solar Beam!” With the power of the sunlight Leafy already created, she immediately fired her solar beam at Steelix. When the dust settled, Steelix was still standing and Leafy looked pretty drained. “No way!”
  “HAHA! You aren’t even making this a challenge. Steelix, Slam attack now.” Steelix slammed Leafy back towards Icy and she fainted. “Like I said, not even a challenge. My partner would have crushed you in the first attack I’m will to bet.”
  “How???” Icy said perplexed. “Leafy return!” Icy turned around and froze.
  “And now, you must ante up dear Icy. We’ll take that little Pichu of yours. I’ve never seen one with jewels before, it must be very rare and valuable.” Umbreon snatched Pichu away from Sara and took her over to Willow.
  “How cute. I like its taste. Sapphires are at least my second favorite gem after emeralds.” Willow held Pichu. “And now, we shall be off.”
  “NO! Stop thieves!” Icy, Sara, and Trinity began to give chase. Just then, Pichu began to glow.
  “What’s this?!?” Willow said as she dropped the little Pichu. Pichu stood up and electrocuted the two trainers, then, jumping high into the air, she made a diving kick sending both of them into the water.
  “No way!!!” Wisp shouted just before splashing into the water. Umbreon dove in to aid them.
  “Those twerps. They will pay.” Willow clicked a button and the trainers and Umbreon vanished, small bubbles where all that was let which seemed to travel away from the coast.
  “C’mon, let’s get on board,” Icy said not worrying about the mysterious thieves.
  “Icy, aren’t you the least bit curious who they people were? I mean, they were obviously waiting for you and intended to steal our pokémon. Could it be Team Rocket’s trying to reorganize again?” Sara asked petting her Pichu.
  “No way. Team Rocket’s gone for good. Those two were probably just a couple of punks looking for a pokémon to snatch. You know how they are today…”
  “I hope you are right…” Sara and Icy took hands while Trinity followed close behind as they boarded the luxurious ship.
  “Your tickets please,” said the ticket taker.
  “Certainly,” Icy replied handing over three tickets to the man.
  “Ah, Icy, what an honor it is to meet you.” Icy sweatdropped. “My son is really into bug pokémon, please please, can I get your autograph for him?”
  “Sure…” Icy said rubbing the back of his head. He signed his name on a Caterpie Trading Card and the man let them all pass. “It’s amazing so many people know me when I’m hardly EVER at the gym.”
  “Yea, that’s right. We’re always too busy adventuring, but it is nice to be recognized as the coolest bug trainer,” Sara said.
  “Hey, what am I, dirt???” Trinity butted in.
  “Haha, no, I’m sure people have heard of you. The Spectral Islands competition was shown her too I heard. People musta seen you.”
  Trinity’s eyes lit up and became little stars. “Ahhhhhh, fame, glory, I love it!”
  “She’s nuts,” Sara whispered to Icy.
  “Eh, looks normal to me,” Icy whispered back chuckling a little.
  A steward approached the three and offered to take their luggage to their cabin. “I will take those for you. Please follow me.” The three nodded and followed the steward. As they walked down the rows of rooms, they saw a few trainers and their pokémon playing or training. “Ah, here we are.” Oak had been quite generous and got then a small suite.
  “WOW!!! Thank you Professor!” Icy said happily as he saw the room.
  “Oak sure knows how to treat friends,” Sara said.
  “Yea, I’m starting to like this old geezer more and more,” Trinity added.
  “If there’s anything you need, please use that button there to call for us. We will cater your every need. Good day.” The steward bowed and returned to the front of the ship to greet more trainers.
  “Now this is the life, I love pokémon cruises,” Icy said as he jumped onto the fluffy sheeted bed.
  “Yea, you just love to sit back, relax, and be lazy,” Sara said jokingly. She sat on the side of the bed next to Icy. “But hey, dis is free, so might as well enjoy right,” she added winking.
  “I’ll leave you two be. There’s gotta be some interesting trainers on board and I wanna battle every last one!” Trinity gave a somewhat evil grin as she cheerfully marched out.
  “That girl’s got spirit, I give her that,” Icy said.
  “Is something bothering you,” Sara asked lying down beside Icy.
  “Those two trainers we saw on the docks… If they don’t work for Team Rocket, who do they work for?” Icy asked to no one in particular.
  “Mewtwo???” Sara answered.
  “Oh please, I don’t even wanna think oh that pokémon ever. Ugh… I think I’d rather be put in a blender than face him…”
  “Do you really think he’ll leave us alone?”
  “We can only hope Sara…”
  Meanwhile, Trinity was making her way to the ground floor where the convention was just getting underway. The last of the trainers had boarded, and the S.S. Anne II was off! She walked down the isles of merchants, totally ignoring the silly Magikarp salesman who somehow managed to have survived the last S.S. Anne crash. He of course was up to his old tricks, but no one was buying, as usual.
  Trinity decided it was still too early for any “real” trainers to be out and returned to the room.
  “Back so soon?” Icy asked.
  “Ugh… just amateurs out there now. The real trainers are probably taking care of their pokémon now, so I shall too. They are gonna have battles tonight!”
  “Cool, Icy, you should do that.” Icy grinned.

Elsewhere…
  “You failed your mission to even steal a pokémon from them?” said an unknown male voice.
  “We have no excuse sir,” replied a somewhat familiar male voice.
  “Seeing you two have the greatest track record, I will overlook this. I will get many more opportunities to acquire his pokémon later. Return to Dark Cove immediately and await instructions.”
  “Aye sir…”

=====

Back aboard the S.S. Anne II…
  “C’mon Icy, let’s check out the convention!!!” Sara yelled tugging his arm.
  “I’ve never seen someone sleep that much,” Trinity noted almost out the door already.
  “I’m up…” Icy yawned. He grabbed his pokéballs and went with Sara and Trinity to the main deck.
  On the main deck, hundreds of pokémon trainers were gathered and perusing the merchants and watching the pokémon battles taking place. As they walked down the rows of merchants, Icy remembered the first time he’d been on the S.S. Anne. “This is where I got Cyber, my Porygon. I also met the Ditto, Mimic, who warned me about Mewtwo’s plans to destroy the ship and all trainers. Unfortunately, he didn’t tell me how to stay alive when meeting Mewtwo ehhheheheheh… That was back in my Clan Caterpie days.”
  “Clan Caterpie?” Trinity asked. She began laughing. “Hahahaha, imagine, a group whose mascot is a little Caterpie, hahahaha! Oh right, you like those little guys don’t you, I’m sorry.” Icy was fuming but calmed himself.
  “C’mon, let’s see some battles,” Sara said taking Icy’s hand. Trinity followed close behind carrying Suihou in her arms.
  “Laserbeak, fury attack!”
  Icy’s ears perked up when he heard the sound of someone shouting a pokémon’s attack. Quickly discerning the direction of it, he pushed through a few crowds with Trinity close behind, and Sara wanting to make sure that Trinity wasn’t alone with Icy, wanting to see what was going on. After finally pushing away two people in the way, the three finally saw the battle. There was a Fearow up high, releasing multiple darts out of its wings at the Sneasel on the ground.
  “Fury swipe them away!”
Trinity and Icy didn’t look at the trainers’ faces. Their eyes were completely entwined in the battle as the Sneasel slashed away the darts with ease. The Sneasel leaps into the air, attempting to slash at Fearow. The Fearow named Laserbeak dove to the side, and Sneasel missed by an inch.
  “Drill peck!”
  The Fearow flew back a little, and then charged at Sneasel with intense speed. It glided now, spinning like a drill and glided at the Sneasel, who was now floating down.
  “Faint attack!”
  Sneasel shimmered for a moment, then disappeared. Fearow stopped in the air, trying to discover what had happened. Sneasel reappeared behind Fearow and slashed at it’s back. Fearow snapped around, but Sneasel once again disappeared. Anticipating attack, Fearow flew forwards, turned around, and drill pecked at Sneasel as he suddenly reappeared. Still drilling, Fearow drilled Sneasel right into the ground, slamming him into it hard.
  “Not bad. I’ll have to challenge whoever that was.” Trinity says, raising an eyebrow.
  “Sneasel, return.” The trainer said. Sneasel was hit by a red beam of light, and was converted into the energy as it returned to its pokéball.
  “You played a good fight, but I’ve raised my pokémon well. They are more intelligent than they look.” The first trainer said.
  Trinity and Icy were paying close attention to the trainer who had lost, for a person was in the way of their view of the other trainer. Sara was looking at the Fearow, noticing the sharp beak and glistening feathers.
  “We shall battle again, sometime. And next time, I WILL defeat you.”
  “And I will see to it, that that day never comes. Good day.”
  The losing trainer walked off into the crowds. The crowds also began to disperse, but Trinity, Icy, and Sara finally saw a glimpse of the winning trainer. He had short, dark brown hair and blue eyes. He was about 14, just a little taller than Icy. He wore an olive green T-Shirt and a green, white, and blue plaid flannel shirt over it. He wore blue jeans and recalled the Fearow named Laserbeak to his pokéball. He then shrunk it and placed it in his pocket.
  “Not bad looking… He’ll lose to me, however.” Trinity said, smiling.
  Icy and Sara could only gawk as he slowly began to realize who it was. Icy’s eyes widened, and he shouted his name. “LEWIS!”
  Lewis stopped, and then turned to see who had called him. His smile disappeared, and he gaped at Icy and Sara. “Oh. My. God.”
  Icy, Sara, and Trinity slowly walked towards Lewis. Lewis didn’t even glance at Trinity; he just gaped at Icy, and then smiled. “Aren’t you dead?”
  “Either that, or you’re talking to a couple of ghosts, and I don’t believe in ghosts.” Sara said.
  “I thought you died when that temple was collapsed on you…” Lewis said.
  “It didn’t, well it kinda did, but Sara and I were frozen, but our pokémon managed to free us. Then we have gone through the most exciting adventure that you are not going to believe!” Icy said.
  “I just went through a crisis involving a future version of myself trying to turn me evil, battles against this glitched-up freak pokémon, and I didn’t even manage to complete the Johto League. Try me.” Lewis replies. “And who is this lovely lady?”
  Surprisingly enough, Trinity slammed her fist right into Lewis at that comment, who stumbled to the ground.
  “Trinity!” Icy exclaimed.
  Trinity glanced down and said, “Thank you for the compliment.” Suihou giggled as she retrieved the bubbly pokémon from the ground.
  “You have a very strange way of expressing thanks. Ow…” Lewis said, feeling his face.
  Later that evening, the four trainers met in the café. “You met with Insanellama?!?” Icy asked, placing down his teacup.
  “Yep. The Pokémon League games were at a standstill for a little bit, and I went on a ride on my Pidgeot. And there he was, riding on the back of his horse, trying to evade Team Rocket. Apparently he’d been unconscious since November of ’99.” Lewis explained, taking another sip from his teacup.
  “Who’s Insanellama?” Trinity asked, raising an eyebrow.
  “Back in the days when I was with Clan Caterpie, Insane used to be one of the members. I haven’t heard from him since I really left the group with Sara to go out on my own.” Icy explained.
  “But unfortunately, I lost the League Games in round five. After that, well, it gets a little bit confusing.” Lewis says.
  “How confusing?” asks Sara.
  Lewis takes in a deep breath and says, “A spirit who was imprisoned in the back of my friend, Tiki’s, mind and invaded me, driving me to point of insanity where I imprisoned my fellow members of the Pokémon Detective Agency within my own room, but the spirit was driven out by that baby Jigglypuff I had who turned out to have a hyper beam attack, and then I joined up with Clan Caterpie 2000, and sort of died, but came back to life a year later in the Johto League and-…”
  Lewis stopped when he noticed the three of them were more frozen than a Slowbro. “Am I going too fast for you guys?”
  “A little.” Sara says.
  “Well, enough about me, what have you guys been doing?”
  “Well, we had just returned from stopped this insane Serebii from destroying the Spectral Islands and found this weird bubble-type pokémon called Suihou who we are taking to PokéPowers Inc. to try to figure out where it came from. We believe it was created.” Trinity displayed Suihou to Lewis and as he went to take it from her, it slipped through his hands and its foot landed in Lewis’ tea cup.
  “SSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII,” it shouted being burned and knocked over the cup jumping into the air.
  “Suihou!” Trinity sprang up and went after it.
  “C’mon guys,” Icy said and he, Sara, and Lewis, chased too. In all the confusion, poor Pichu got left behind!
  “Chu?” The little Pichu blinked then decided to go off exploring.
  Suihou bounced over a few trainers’ heads, splashing water was it went until it reached the end of the room. Trinity scooped it up and tended to its burnt foot. “Aww, poor thing. You gotta be careful holding it, it’s like a water bubble, very very slippery.” Lewis only nodded.
  “Oh my gosh, where’s my Pichu?” Sara said. Icy looked around. “Oh no, Icy, where is she!” Suddenly, from the other end of the café, they heard a loud, “PIIIIIIIIIIICHUU” and as a few sparks.
  “She’s over there, and not alone it sounds.” The four rushed to save the little Pichu.
  Pichu’s cheeks sparked again, but the Sandslash whose tail she stepped on earlier wasn’t scared the least. It was set on teaching the young Pichu a lesson. Sandslash took another swipe at Pichu but she dodged the attack easily. Pichu retreated through a door and Sandslash followed.
  “She went in there.” Icy looked up. “Engine Room.” They rushed in to save Pichu.
  Sandslash took another swipe and missed. It was growing more and more angry by the minute. Not only had this tiny Pichu smashed its tail, but now it was making him look like a fool by dodging each of his attacks. Sandslash’s fury was rising.
  Pichu dodged again and was now with her back to the ship’s hull. She stared at the Sandslash and began taunting him. “Piiiiii piiiii piiiii CHUUUUU” Sandslash became furious and made a fast running swipe at her but missed Pichu. Instead, its claw tore through the ship’s hull. Pichu landed behind Sandslash but didn’t see his tail coming as it knocked her onto the floor. She stared up at him now sorta afraid.
  “PICHU!!!!” Sara cried out. Pichu glanced to the side as Sandslash made a deadly swipe to the little electric mouse’s ear, cutting it badly. “NOO!!!”
  Pichu’s eyes watered. Her ear stung was the incoming water splashed it. Her eyes became as red as her cheeks as they sparked. “PPPPPPPPPPPPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII—CHUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!” she screamed sending the strong electric spark she could create at the cruel Sandslash. Sandslash quivered in pain while the electricity shocked him good. But it also was conducted by the water now filling the room and electrocuted Icy, Sara, Trinity, and Lewis along with the ship’s engines. One by one, they exploded as passengers rushed to the lifeboats. Pichu had used up all her energy and fainted, floating on the water surface as the once proud S.S. Anne II went to meet it’s sister ship, at the bottom of the sea.
  Aboard one of the escaping lifeboats, some unimportant individual said, “Well that was so predictable.” Another unimportant individual lighted pushed the first off the boat and left him to drown.
  Is this the end for Pichu and the others? As the S.S. Anne II sinks to the bottom of the sea, so do the chances of us ever seeing our heroes again! Find out next time on The Adventures of Icy & Sara! [dun dun dunnnnnn]

Rainbow Island Rescue

Last time on the Adventures of Icy & Sara…
  Our heroes were taking a nice cruise aboard the S.S. Anne II when they ran into a familiar face, LEWIS! After exchanging greetings and getting caught up, things got a little outta control. In all the confusion, the battle between Sandslash and Pichu caused the S.S. Anne II to take on water and sink to the bottom of the sea, with our heroes trapped inside!!! This doesn’t look good. And now, our adventure continues…

  The ship sank further into the depths of the ocean. Survivors were already being picked up by a nearby patrol ship, but none were aware the four trainers were still trapped inside. The patrol ship left the area assuming all survivors were accounted for.
  The ship finally stopped descending when it balanced on a rock ledge underwater. The impact threw our unconscious heroes against a bulkhead. Icy slowly came to and realized their predicament very quickly. He woke the others.
  “Sara, are you alright?” Sara whined a little but nodded.
  “Yeah. I guess the ship sank huh? Oh, where’s Pichu???” Sara rose to her feet but fell limp. Icy quickly caught her. “Ughh, my leg, I think it’s broken.”
  “It’s ok, I can carry you. But right now, wait here and rest.” Icy sat Sara down softly against a bulkhead and turned to search for Pichu. Just then, a bright light shined into the ship. “Huh, what’s that?”
  The light was coming from a high-powered flashlight being carried by a scuba diver. The diver was accompanied by two others. Noticing Icy and the others, he signaled his friends.
  “You said there weren’t any stranded. What are we gonna do with those guys?” said the first diver.
  “They’re alive??? The ship must not have filled up totally with water yet,” his partner said.
  “This isn’t good. We can’t risk anything. Let’s help the sea claim its prize shall we?” suggested the third.
  “Ehh, fine by me, let’s just get to the mission ok,” the first diver said motioning to his partner on the left.
  “Right. This ought to do it.” The other diver loaded a small rocket launcher tube and fired at the glass porthole.
  “Oh ****!” Icy said as he jumped back to protect Sara. The small torpedo exploded and water began rushing in. Icy didn’t get a very good look at the three mysterious divers before the water knocked him out.

  “You know Marril, you really should try this. It’s actually quite tasty,” said a young male as he slurped up the last of whitish-pink colored food. He wore a green shirt and headband. His Marril stared back at him with disgust. Another male, this one a bit older walked up to the first.
  “Tracey! Oh man, that’s the second today! They’re gonna disappear if you eat em like that. Besides, it’s really disgusting.”
  “Whatever Brock. You should try one before you bash it so much you know,” Tracey retorted. His head met Geodude’s rock-hard fist and he was out for the count.
  “I’ll bash you if I see you eat one more of those. We are here for research got it.”
  Tracey, though seeing plenty of Jigglypuffs dancing around his head, mumbled, “Yeah, researching the locals, and I guess I’m the only one taking the pokémon.” Tracey shook his head a bit. “Ughh, musta been something I ate.”
  One of the local women ran up to them. “Please, come quick, I need you right away,” she said panting. Brock of course was already head of heels for her.
  “What’s wrong young lady? I’m sure I could help you with anything,” Brock said in his pimp voice.
  “Huh, ummm, Tracey, you can help. Please hurry, we haven’t much time. Huh, TRACEY!!!!! LEAVE IT ALONE!!!!!” Tracey quickly put away a small needle and accompanied the girl. Brock meanwhile was on the ground, totally out of it. He finally pulled himself together and ran down towards the beach with them.
  “Hey, you’re not a local here,” Tracey said as he pulled of the fake headdress the girl was wearing. “MISTY!!!!!”
  Brock facefaulted. “Misty?!? What the heck are you doing here? I thought you and Ash were going on a cruise?”
  “Well, we were, until it sank. Ash had to totally blow it and instead of sailing us towards the rescue boat, he got us stranded here,” Misty said, clinching her fist.
  Ash appeared outta nowhere and joined them. “Hey, it’s not my fault we got lost.”
  “Oh can it. Sometimes I really wonder what I see in you, you know that…”
  “Ok you two, fight later, didn’t you say you needed our help urgently?” Brock asked.
  “It’s still not my fault…” Ash muttered. Misty’s fist connected with his head and he fell into the sandy beach.
  “ARRRGGHHH, SHUT UP!!! C’mon you guys… Ash wouldn’t be of much help with this anyways…” Misty, Brock, and Tracey all ran to the coast were the locals were reviving some trainers who washed up on shore.
  “Like, I think they might make it man,” said the first local.
  “Groovy,” said the other. They were wearing tye-dyed ponchos with a Sunflora picture on the back. PokéHippies.
  “What did you find?” Tracey asked as they made it to the beach.
  “Like, these two trainers, they just washed up on shore.”
  “Ooooookay.”
  Suddenly, one of the trainers moved. It was Icy, and lying next to him was Sara. “Ughh, where am I?”
  “Try not to move,” Misty said as she helped him up. ‘Hmm, kinda cute, but I bet that girl there is his girlfriend… Oh well, guess I’m stuck with Ash still…’.
  Sara slowly woke up too and Icy helped her up. The two gave each other a big hug, happy to have once again thwarted death. “Ugh, what the heck happened???” Sara looked around at the surroundings. “Oh great, we’re trapped on an island aren’t we…?” Suddenly, she realized something was missing. “AGHH!!!! Pichu!!! Icy, Pichu’s missing!!!”
  Ash quickly rose. “DID SOMEBODY SAY PIKACHU!!!???!!!”
  Misty snarled. “No, she said Pichu, and YOU are gonna help us look for it.”
  “Ok ok Misty, jeez…”
  “Hey, umm, you didn’t happen to see a young girl trainer yea-high and a boy trainer with her did you?” Icy asked, referring to Trinity and Lewis.
  “No, the locals say they’ve only found you two. Do you mean to say there were others trapped on the boat when it sank?” Misty asked.
  “Yes, our friends Trinity and Lewis. We must have been separated after the explosion.”
  “Explosion???” Brock asked.
  “Wow, you two ought to get some rest, hey, wait a sec, did you say Trinity???” Misty asked Icy.
  “Yea, why?”
  “Oh my gosh, then you and you, you’re Icy and Sara! I read all about your heroics against that Janus guy and Frosterpie after that generator thingy almost leveled my gym.”
  “Hey, that wasn’t our fault, blame Giovanni for that,” Sara answered.
  “I hear this Trinity girl’s not that bad a trainer, not to mention really good looking,” Brock stated.
  Misty pinched his ear. “Oh no you don’t. She’d kick your butt in no time flat and you know it.”
  “Fine, no one introduce me,” Tracey said kicking sand.
  “Stop that! Why don’t you make dinner for everyone? AND DON’T EVEN THINK OF COOKING THOSE …”
  “Ok ok ok, I won’t. C’mon Marril,” Tracey said walking off.

Meanwhile,
  On a remote part of the island, two other trainers washed up on shore. The female coughed up a little water then tended to the male trainer. “Hey. Hey, are you ok? C’mon man, speak to me.”
  Lewis finally woke up looking somewhat disappointed. “Darn, I was so hoping you’d give me mouth to mouth resuscitation,” he jested. Trinity however was not laughing. “Hey c’mon, I’m only kidding. I don’t see Icy or Sara around here, do you think they made it?”
  “Huh? Yea, I’m sure they did.” Trinity began walking towards the forest area.
  “Hey wait up Trin. You’re just gonna walk into that forest all alone?”
  Trinity stopped. She turned around. “Look you, I’m not some little girl who needs protection got that.” She began to storm towards Lewis. “You are just like every other guy who talks to me, all of you thinking you can have a battle with me, take me to dinner, think I’m just a pretty little schoolgirl who desperately needs a man.” Lewis had to begin backing up, as Trinity got even closer. “I can take care of myself so can the stupid mushy jokes alright.” She stopped and slammed her foot into the ground. Grunting, she turned back around and headed back into the forest.
  Lewis was almost frozen. “I am SO GLAD Ivysore isn’t here right now…,” he sighed and followed Trinity. “Hey, at least let me follow you, we’re more effective if we stick together.”
  “Oh alright…” Trinity wasn’t mad at Lewis really, she just was tired of guys treating her like a fragile little baby. It reminded her too much of her past, her parents, upbringing. She stopped thinking about it. “We are gonna need some light, so I’ll have my Cyndaquil lead the way.”
  “Bright thinking ehheh,” Lewis said, his voice softening as he finished his statement thinking Trinity would surely bash his head for the corny joke.
  Trinity however smiled briefly to herself. ‘Then again, he is kinda funny, knows how to have a good time… I guess I could try not to hate him so much for his little remarks…’ “Cyndaquil, come out!” Cyndaquil cutely yawned a little as Trinity knelt down next to it. “I know it’s kinda late, but would you do us a favor and light the way. I promise to make you a special treat when we find a place to camp out ok.” Cyndaquil nodded and lit its back flames and took the lead.
  “You handle that Cyndaquil quite well,” Lewis stated.
  “Thanks. We’ve been together for quite some time, and we always train equally as hard.” Trinity blushed. “Heh, I sound like a philosopher now… But don’t think I’m sweet just because of the way I treat my pokémon. It helps them grow stronger by strengthening the bond between us. Well, anyways, we should find a cleared to camp the night.”
  “I agree. I’m sure Icy and Sara are alive too. Hopefully, they managed to land on this island as well. Tomorrow morning we can look for them.”
  “Yup.” Trinity kept walking with Cyndaquil lighting the way. It had to be careful of the lower branches otherwise it might start a forest fire. Finally, after a few more minutes of hiking, the two trainers came across a clearing. Trinity recalled Cyndaquil quickly and stopped, motioning to Lewis to be quiet.
  “I know, this clearing belongs to a group of Chikorita, I can sense them.”
  “How did you?”
  “I’ll explain later. We can sleep here, the Chikorita won’t mind us using their clearing for the night and we can thank them in the morning…”
  Trinity was still a little confused, but nodded. “How did he know what I was thinking? How could he just… sense the Chikoritas?” Trinity thought. She made herself a place to sleep and Lewis did the same.
  Unbeknownst to them, a small glimmer shined in one of the trees.

  When day finally arrive that next morning, Icy and Sara woke up together. The next room down, Ash and Misty were still asleep.
  “Good morning Sara,” Icy said yawning just a little. Sara smiled back and yawned too.
  “Morning Icy.” Sara was trying to hold back the sadness of losing her little Pichu but Icy could still tell.
  “We’ll find her Sara, I promise.”
  Sara smiled again. “Thank you Icy. I just hope she’s alright.”
  “Yea. When we go out looking for Pichu, let’s keep our eyes peeled for Trinity and Lewis. They must have washed up on shore too, just further down.”
  “Uh huh. I hope they are alright too. But who were those guys who made the explosion? Didn’t you get a look at them?”
  “I only had a second or two before the torpedo hit. I couldn’t make out any details about them. Hopefully they weren’t after us.”
  “But if they weren’t sent to kill us, what were they doing?”
  Just then, a hippie busted into the room. A large Sunflora followed him in. “Like, rise and shine young trainer dudes. We like made you all a gnarly breakfast.” Before either Icy or Sara could respond, the hippie took both their hands and brought them into the main lounge.
  “Wow! Look at all the food they made!” Icy and Sara sat down at the table and some other hippies served them up some Sunflora shaped pancakes and fruit juice, grown fresh from their gardens. They both ate the awesome meal and thanked the hippies from everything.
  “You two dudes are gonna go looking for your friends aren’t you? That’s a far out decision, so we packed you some stuff to help. But please be careful in the forest, it’s like almost never been visited by humans. I heard there are some gnarly psychedelic pokémon living there.”
  “Riiiiiiiight. Well, thanks again for everything.” Icy and Sara took off as fast as they could.
  “Peace and love little dudes.” Icy and Sara both exchanged nervous glances and quickened their pace.

=====

  “Lewis get up.” Trinity prodded Lewis again and he finally rose.
  “What is it?” he asked.
  “We gotta leave the clearing.”
  “Why’s that?” Lewis took a quick look around. “Oh, I see.”
  “Yea, they didn’t seem to mind us spending the night, but now we seem to be camping on their meal grounds.”
  “Well, I guess if we don’t wanna be the main course, we may as well leave them be.”
  Trinity and Lewis both went back into the woods. “Strange colors on those Chikorita don’t you think?” Lewis asked Trinity.
  “Yea, it’s like someone splashed tons of different colored paints all over them.” Just then, Trinity noticed a slight glimmer shining from within the Chikoritas. She ran out of the woods to get a closer look. This angered the Chikoritas, and they quickly formed a blockade in front of her. “Lewis, it’s Pichu!”
  Sure enough, the glimmer she saw was the sun reflecting off of the jewels around Pichu’s neck. The Chikorita must have mistaken her for one of them. And now, they were ready to defend their newfound friend at all costs.
  “Hey, easy there, I’m only gonna bring that Pichu there back to it’s owner ok.” Chikorita growled showing its disagreement. “Grrr, look, that Pichu there belongs to my friend Sara, and I am going to take it back to her.” Chikorita stood its ground and growled again.
  “Trinity, I have more experience with Chikorita, why don’t you let me handle this,” Lewis said beginning to move in.
  Trinity turned to face him and angrily stamped her foot. “Oh no you aren’t. I can take care of these Chikorita, you just sit back and watch.” She took a small pokéball from her pack and got it ready.
  “Trinity, throwing a pokéball at them isn’t gonna help the situation,” Lewis warned.
  Trinity stood straight and beamed. “Not gonna capture one, yet… This pokéball contains my Cyndaquil. You see, I can handle a few grass pokémon easily.”
  “A few yes. My Cyndaquil, Ravage, could probably do the same, but they might have more than what we can see.”
  Trinity became angry again. “I didn’t ask for your help Lewis. New leave me alone. I’m gonna rescue Pichu, and probably capture one of those neato Chikorita too. I could use a grass-type pokémon anyways.”
  “Angering them is not going to help the situation! You have to think this through logically.”
  Trinity was becoming more and more furious now. “I’ll have you know, I was a top trainer in the Spectral League. Me and my Cyndaquil are very strong together and those Chikorita do not stand a chance against us regardless of any secrets they are hiding.”
  “In case you haven’t noticed, we are not in the Spectral League. Why don’t you let me talk to them and try to work something out peacefully?” Lewis began to walk towards the Chikoritas.
  Trinity stood directly in front of him. “Ahhhahhahah, I see what you’re trying to do. You still think I’m a little baby girl and you can just push me out of the way with your stupid lectures while you go and capture that Chikorita for yourself!”
  Lewis stood his ground and retorted, “What I think is you are acting like an egotistical fool who can’t see past her own shadow!” Trinity froze suddenly, stunned by Lewis’ words. Lewis sighed. “We need to do this calmly and controlled. Openly attacking them might also frighten Pichu.”
  Trinity snapped out of it and returned the pokéball to her pack and pulled out a new one. “Ok, that does it. I’m gonna show you how strong I am first, then that should prove to you I can defeat a few Chikorita.”
  Lewis stepped back cautiously. “Trinity, I really don’t think…”
  “C’mon Lewis, I know you’ve been itching to battle me ever since we met so let’s go at it,” Trinity said furiously. She readied her pokéball.
  Lewis smiled. “Very well young lady. I accept your challenge.” They both took positions inside the clearing as the Chikoritas gathered around forming a circle. “You may have been number one in the Spectral League, but I’ve been through Indigo, Orange, and Johto. I’ve even taken a few rounds with Mewtwo, so you Trinity, you are definitely out of your league!” Lewis snapped his fingers and a pokéball expands off his belt and releases Laserbeak, a Fearow, into the field.
  Trinity thought to herself, “A psychic trainer… show off…” She expanded her pokéball and threw it. “For your flying type pokémon, I’ll fight back with one of my own. GO!!! JUMPLUFF!!!”
  “Jumpluff?” Lewis took out his pokédex. “Jumpluff, the evolved form of Skiploom. Once it catches the wind, it deftly controls its cotton-puff spores to float, even around the world.” Jumpluff floated gently with the small breeze. “I don’t know this one. Fearow, attack pattern Delta!” Fearow nodded and used Double Team, creating multiple copies of itself upon the field.
  Trinity seemed to not care the least. In battle, her anger seemed to subside and she became as stiff as a Geodude, her voice taking on a more apathetic tone. “Hmm, an old trick using double team. We’ve trained for that so many times…”
  “Really? Did you train for this?” All of the Fearows open their mouths powering up a hyper beam.
  Trinity didn’t shift face, while inside she knew this could be bad if Jumpluff made the wrong move. “Jumpluff, sleep powder.” Jumpluff charged its spores and released a massive wave of sleep powder around itself. Instantly, several dozen Fearow vanished.
  “Very nice. People usually don’t get that far. Of course, I prepare for just in case. Now, Laserbeak!” The real Laserbeak dived down from above Jumpluff using its drillpeck attack on it.
  Trinity became slightly angered but collected herself. “Jumpluff! Giga drain NOW!” Jumpluff took the upper hand by sapping Fearow’s energy as they descended. Finally, Jumpluff slipped out to the side and was free at last.
  “Attack pattern Gamma!” Laserbeak’s eyes grew red as its rage attacked powered up.
  Jumpluff’s spores began glowing as it took in sunlight, getting itself ready to attack. The two pokémon were very close meaning an attack of this magnitude could be devastating. Fearow finally released its rage in the form of a fury attack sending hundreds of little darts for Jumpluff. The small cotton-puff pokémon’s eyes widened as it floated helplessly watching the darts close in. Two of the darts pierced the spores as Jumpluff cried out in pain.
  “OH!” Trinity gasped. Just then, to both trainers surprise, Jumpluff’s spores exploded letting out a spherical solar beam. Fearow cried out as it was nearly roasted and then collapsed on the ground. Jumpluff weakly floated back to Trinity. “It’s ok, use Synthesis to recover.” She looked back over to Lewis who recalled Fearow. “Is that all you got?”
  Meanwhile, the Chikoritas and Pichu were cheering happily, all of them enjoying to fun battle. Some had even brought little snacks too!
  “You are a fool Trinity. You forgot the first rule of war: Never underestimate your opponent. RAVAGE!!!” Lewis released his Cyndaquil, Ravage into the field next.
  Trinity remained calm. “I’m not forgetting a thing. Jumpluff return. Chonchii, I choose you now.”
  “A water type, what a predictable response.”
  “Hmm, Chonchii rarely wins using water. Chonchii, ZAP CANNON ATTACK!”
  “Attack pattern Alpha,” Lewis commanded Ravage. The Cyndaquil quickly evaded the attack and began running circles around Chonchii, creating a ring of fire.
  Chonchii started to get dizzy keeping track of Cyndaquil. “Chonchii, don’t concentrate on Cyndaquil that way. Use your bubble attack to surround yourself.” Chonchii made itself a bubbly shield and tracked Cyndaquil using sonar. The Chikorita moved back slightly not wanting to get too close to the Cyndaquil’s flames.
  “Very nice. Attack pattern Upsilon.”
  “Chonchii stay alert and get ready to use your attack the moment you sense it.”
  “Now my friend!” Lewis commands, smiling devilishly. Chonchii is caught off guard as Ravage leaps up from the ground right below Chonchii striking deep into its underside and firing a flamethrower as well. Little sparks flew off Chonchii’s body as it sailed through the air landing fainted. Ravage spun around and leaped into Lewis’ arms. “Nice work,” he said hugging Cyndaquil.
  Trinity’s eyes turned red with anger. Her fist balled up and she held her arm with the pokéball in it out straight. “Chonchii, return.” She breathed very deep, anger filling her. She pulled out a new pokéball from her pack and released Sneasel. “Sneasel, avenge Chonchii.”
  “Flamethrower Ravage,” Lewis ordered.
  “Sneasel… Fury swipes attack…” Although she was definitely ticked, Trinity still kept her battle face on as Sneasel easily managed to evade the flamethrower, freezing some parts of the fire. The ice cat finally leapt at Cyndaquil taking a few swipes and finally finishing up with an ice punch.
  “Ravage!!! Return.”
  “Hmmph…” Trinity grunted as Sneasel quickly appeared by her side again. “Now have you seen enough…”
  It was Lewis’ turn to be royally pissed off. Ravage was his favorite pokémon, and Sneasel had easily cut through it like a knife through butter. “I’ve only just begun Wonder Girl!!! I refuse to lose, so Rumble, it’s all up to you!!!” Lewis sent out Donphan.

  Meanwhile, in another portion of the forest, Icy and Sara were making their way towards the source of all the sound. The explosions of the battle had echoed throughout the forest. “C’mon, there might be trouble.”
  “You don’t think Pichu’s in danger do you Icy?” Sara said worried.
  “Nah, but just in case, we should hurry faster.” Icy grabbed Sara’s hand and together they continued making their way towards the sounds.

  “Sneasel…” Sneasel waited patiently, sitting on the field as if it were meditating.
  Donphan truck the ground hard, angry for what the dark kitten had done previously to his friend Ravage. “Omega,” Lewis called. Rumble looked back at his trainer, unsure of the command. Lewis nodded. “It’s our only chance.”
  Sneasel suddenly rose. “Shadow Ball,” Trinity called out. Sneasel quick hurled the dark attack at Rumble, following it close behind to get in a second shot as well.
  “Hidden Power!” Rumble glowed and energy balls formed around him just as the shadow ball collided and shielded him from the effects.
  “Sneasel, use faint attack now.” Sneasel, already within range, went at Donphan with her faint attack, slicing right through his shield and causing a fair amount of damage. “Finish this Sneasel, fury swipes!”
  “Rollout Rumble!” Lewis called quickly. Donphan narrowly escaped Sneasel’s sharp claws.
  Trinity frowned slightly, upset she wasn’t able to end the match there. “Sneasel, blizzard attack. Give Donphan the slip.” Sneasel takes aim at Donphan’s course and freezes the grass with her blizzard attack.
  “Now!” Donphan, still rolling, used the ice to jump into the air and back around Sneasel. Sneasel however, was fully alert and promptly slugged Donphan with her ice punch. Lewis smiled as Donphan hardly felt the impact only knocking it back a few feet before Donphan countered with tackle attack.
  Trinity sneered as Sneasel quickly did a back flip avoiding the attack. “Shadow ball…” she commanded, pleased with Sneasel reflexes and agility.
  “Rollout.” Donphan jumped into the air and came crashing down through the ground, narrowly avoiding the shadow ball.
  Sneasel gracefully landed on the ground near where Donphan had dug into. It began to meditate again, the ground around it turning to ice slowly. Suddenly, as if it could feel the vibrations in the ground, Sneasel leapt into the air, but this time, no ice crystals followed it. It seemed to pause in the air, almost floating.
  “Now!” Multiple Donphans emerge from the ground, all using their hidden power on Sneasel as she descended.
  “Sneasel… go…” Sneasel emerged from her hiding place with claws aimed for the real Donphan.
  “Clever…” Lewis said. The Donphans targeted the real Sneasel as she went for the true Donphan.
  Sneasel made a quick pass by Donphan, using her strongest swiping attack and appeared a short distance from Donphan, resting very still. Donphan paused for a moment, then, in an instant, the fake Donphans vanished, and Rumble collapsed. Sneasel, pleased with her job, returned once again to Trinity’s side.
  “Return, Donphan.”
  “Sneasel, good job. Trinity smiled petting her cat pokémon on its head. You fought extremely well, now you’ve earned a long rest. Return Sneasel.”
  Lewis smiled. “I think I like you even more. It’s been a while since I lose. Congratulations.”
  Trinity snapped out of her battle persona and almost blushed at his compliment. “You, aren’t that bad yourself Lewis really.” She extended her hand to him.
  Lewis extended his hand to hers and shook. Meanwhile, all the Chikoritas and Pichu were on their feet jumping and cheering and in a total frenzy from the awesome battle they got to see. “Hey, aren’t we forgetting something?” Lewis said.
  Suddenly, all the Chikoritas paused. {Blink} {Blink} Then, Pichu let out a cute little, “Chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.” All the Chikoritas and Trinity and Lewis facefaulted.
  “Oh yeah, Pichu!” Lewis said.
  “Oh right! Chikorita, if you won’t give Pichu to us, I will battle you for her.”
  “As will I, Ravage is still quite charged.” They both send out their Cyndaquils as a few Chikorita take position.
  “FLAMETHROWER ATTACK!!!” they cry in unison. Their Cyndaquils send out a massive fireball attack burning two of the Chikoritas and sending the others running. Pichu remained alone where she was as Trinity throws an empty pokéball at one of the Chikoritas.
  “Chikorita, you’re mine!”
  “Mine too,” Lewis adds. They both capture a Rainbow Chikorita each, and Trinity goes and collects Pichu. “Awesome! We got Pichu, and Chikoritas. Let’s find Icy and…”
  “No need Lewis!” calls a familiar voice.
  “ICY!!!” Trinity and Lewis both shout.
  Sara comes rushing ahead upon seeing Pichu. “PICHU, you’re ok!” Pichu, glad to see Sara again leaps from Trinity’s arms over to her. Sara gives Pichu a big hug as the group is finally reunited.
  “Oh man, you are not gonna believe the battle you two just missed, right Trinity?”
  Trinity was still a little red and happily nodded. She revealed her colorful new Chikorita to Icy and Sara. “We caught some really funky colored Chikoritas. Just a souvenir for the cruise.” Everyone laughed and they made their way back to the town.

  “Hey, like, I think I see them coming out of the forest dude,” said a local.
  “Far out, they found their buds too.”
  “Groovy”
  Just then, out of one of the huts, another local pokéhippie shut off his MP3 player. “Heh, sorry dudes, it’s a Groovy song, Groovy! Whooouuuuuu.”
  “He’s definitely hang’n with those Vileplumes too often.”
  “Right on man.”

  Icy, Sara, Trinity, and Lewis finally make it back to town where Tracey and Brock are making dinner for everyone.
  “Smells good,” Icy says.
  Brock serves everyone a helping. “But of course it does Icy, I am the world’s best cook and breeder.” Meanwhile, Tracey had managed to sneak in some of his newfound favorite snack.
  Ash and Misty were seated next to each other, Ash with bandages over his head from all the times Misty had knocked him out during the day. Tracey finally joined them. “Let’s eat!”
  Everyone suddenly dropped their jaws seeing what Tracey was eating. “OH MY GOD TRACEY!!! THAT’S SICK!!! GET OUT!!!” they all shouted chasing Tracey as he and Marril flew off. They got a good enough distance before everyone turned back.
  “Shew, wow, they sure are rude aren’t they Marril.” Marril, still disgusted by Tracey’s choice of cuisine simply looked away. Then, out of the bushes, Tracey spotted a slight pinkish hue. “Look Marril, there goes another one!!!!!” he said chasing after it with needle ready.

  And so, as Tracey, that sick, twisted nut job chases his dessert, we find our heroes safe and sound on Rainbow Island. But who were those mysterious divers, and what were they looking for on the S.S. Anne II? Something’s definitely fishy here, and I don’t think it’s the Magikarp.

Ore or Lure

Last time on the Adventures of Icy & Sara…
  After sinking to the bottom of the ocean and nearly being blown up by mysterious divers, our heroes found themselves castaways on Rainbow Island. While Icy & Sara spent the night with the local hippies, Lewis and Trinity camped out in the woods only to have an amazing battle to save Pichu. Finally, our group was reunited as they prepare for their next adventure. And now, our adventure continues…

  {blink}.

  {blink} {blink}

  {blink}

  There were dozens of them. Still dark, only their enormous eyes could be seen with any clarity. Their giant, hate-filled eyes blinked through the night, trained on that cabin. Tomorrow, tomorrow would be the day of reckoning.

  “Ahhh,” Icy said as he stretched. Sara rubbed her eyes and turned to face him. It didn’t mater what time of day it was, her smile, her face, her eyes, they were all more beautiful than anything to Icy. He sat down beside her to give her a hug.
  Sara cooed happily in his arms. “Hehe. What time is it Icy?”
  Icy sat back with Sara still snuggled up to him. “It’s about ten o’clock. We really should get things together and head out.”
  “You don’t wanna stay here either hehe.”
  “Actually, that wasn’t the main reason. I heard some really strange voices last night.” Icy yawned. “Ahhh, best sleep I’ve had in a bit though.”
  Sara nodded, blushing ever so slightly. Her Pichu had hopped onto her head and was making itself cozy. “Aww,” Icy said admiring Sara’s new headdress. Sara couldn’t help but blush more.

  “Chiii…”

  “Kaaa…”

  “Chiii…”

  “Kaaa…”
  Two Chikoritas slept on the wooden floor of the adjacent cabin. Trinity, having won the earlier pokémon battle, claimed the top bunk hers and was still fast asleep when Lewis woke up.
  “Hey,” Lewis said kicking the bottom of the bunk bed with his foot. Trinity was not pleased with this action and threw an extra pillow at Lewis.
  “Let me sleep dangit. It’s only what, quarter to eleven, that’s still too early.” Trinity fell back asleep as Lewis simply sighed to himself.
  “Man… Well, she does look pretty good while she’s asleep…” he said silently to himself.
  “I heard that,” Trinity muttered, smashing another pillow in his face.
  “Mphhff. Geez, now I know how Ivysore musta felt.”

  Pikachu woke up Ash and Misty the usual way. “PikaCHUUUUU,” it cried shocking them. This method proved to be not only efficient, but cost effective as well. No longer was coffee the required morning pick-me-up. Ash and Misty were up and at em, and Pikachu would get his breakfast early.

  All the trainers assembled in the main lounge where Brock had already begun cooking them an awesome brunch. The hippies were all outside doing, well, hippie stuff. Something to do with praising Sunflora or whatnot, it’s best we not get into it. Anyways, back to Brock.
  “Ah, I’m such a great chef, yet no girls ever notice. I know, I’ll open a restaurant on this island too!” Brock exclaimed as he beat the E-G-G-S. Misty always felt just a tad uneasy whenever Brock would make E-G-G-S. Togepi however, never seemed to pay it any attention. It simply cheered and chirped as the world and its problems passed it by. Such is the life of an overly cute baby pokémon.
  “I’ll have my eg, er, E-G-G-S scrambled please Brock,” Trinity said.
  “May I have my E-G-G-S sunny side up?” Lewis asked.
  “I’ll take E-G-G-S over easy please,” Sara requested.
  “Scrambled E-G-G-S here too Brock,” Icy said.
  “I’ll take a hard boiled E-G-G,” Ash said.
  “I’m not having any,” Misty said stubbornly.
  “Any what Misty,” Ash said snidely as he poked her in the side.
  “I’m not having any E-G-G-S!!! Gawd…” Misty fumed. “Moron…” she muttered silently under her breath.
  Togepi smiled, chirped, nearly cast metronome, and then sat back in Misty’s lap as she fed him some of Brock’s TogepiChow. “Here Togepi, try some of this.” Togepi munched happily on the food and replied with a, “Preeiiiiiiii.”
  Tracey finally joined them. He was met by… nothing, the sound of eating, more specifically, the sound of all the trainers but him, and Misty, munching on the E-G-G-S Brock had cooked. “Hey, did you save any E-G-G-S for me?”
  “Oh yea, you can make yourself some. They’re in the fridge.” Tracey sweatdropped for a second then went to the kitchen to make himself some E-G-G-S.
  “So Icy, I hear you are Sara have traveled quite a bit,” Misty said to Icy.
  “Yea. We’ve been to some pretty interesting places: Pokélantis, Gi Desert, Spectral Islands, lots of cool places.” Trinity didn’t bother to announce the Spectral Islands were her home. She still rather move on to a new place then dwell in her past life there.
  “Yea, how many badges did you get?” Ash said with his mouth nearly full.
  “Ash!” Misty said scolding him.
  “It’s ok. Well, I got all 8 badges in each league I competed in and almost won the Spectral League. I own a gym back in the Viridian Forest.”
  “The Viridian Forest. It’s been quite a while since I was there. You remember the Viridian Forest, don’t you Misty,” Ash said poking her again. He was really acting brave this morning.
  Misty slammed her fist into Ash’s head. His bravery had become quite the annoyance now. “YES, I remember that forest. And all those creepy bug pokémon too.”
  “They aren’t creepy,” Icy said sounding a little upset.
  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to upset you Icy. I just don’t like bug pokémon.” She turned to Ash, “And I don’t like people who remind me about them either!” Ash, meanwhile, was looking at all the Pikachus dancing around his head.
  Meanwhile, back outside, the hippies were now praising a local Vileplume who had been so unfortunate as to walk up to see what they were doing. It now found itself the center of attention, though it didn’t feel all that happy. It used its pollen to try warding the hippies away but they simply stiffed in the sweet aroma and went about their praising. Vileplume finally gave up and took a nap while the hippies went on a trip.
  Tracey joined everyone with the O-M-E-L-E-T he had just cooked up in the back. They were relieved to see nothing pink in it. “So Icy, is there any chance I could sketch that Frosterpie you found. It’d really be a great pokémon to add to my collection of sketches.”
  “Well, I dunno. Frosterpie’s just another Caterpie really, there’s no need to sketch him.”
  “Nonsense. It’s a frozen blue Caterpie. You don’t see those everyday.”
  “I’m not heading back to my gym for a while. We are headed for Dark Cove, as soon as possible.”
  “Dark Cove? What are you going there for?” Brock said, some concern in his voice.
  “Why? We are headed to PokéPowers Inc. Professor Oak believes they will be able to tell us something about Suihou.”
  “Suihou???” the other four asked.
  Trinity called Suihou out and presented him. “This… is Suihou. It’s a water bubble type pokémon who’s very slippery and doesn’t like being dropped into hot liquids.” Lewis could have sworn she smiled after finishing that phrase.
  “Well, it sure is an interesting looking pokémon. Where did you find it?”
  “It found me. I was on my way to a match when I noticed this little guy following me. I confronted it and finally captured it. But we aren’t sure where it came from, or what kind of pokémon it really is.”
  Brock took a closer look at it. “Hmmm. Very strange. What do you feed it?”
  “Nothing actually. I found it hard to believe at first myself, but this little guy appears replenish its energy on its own. It can soak in water and use it to keep its leaves healthy and can gather energy from the sun like a plant.” Suihou stared blankly at the trainers as Trinity described everything there was to know about himself. Nothing was private anymore it seemed…
  “Hey, you know, Suihou sorta looks like my Marril.” Marril normally would have called out its name now, but it was nowhere to be found. “That’s strange, I wonder where Marril went. Hang on, I think Suihou and Marril could have a fun time talking to each other, lemme just find him.” Tracey cleaned his place and then went off searching for Marril.
  “Ughh, I thought he’d never leave,” Brock said.

  “Marril?” Tracey called. “Where did he run off too?” Just then, Tracey noticed some footprints that resembled Marril’s and followed them.
  Marril was wandering into a small brush. When Tracey noticed him, he walked toward him. “Marril mar?” asked Marril.
  “Marril, what are you doing out here? C’mon, I wanna show you something.” Suddenly, Tracey got the feeling he wasn’t alone. Marril became worried and quickly made a run for it leaving Tracey a little perplexed. Just as Tracey was about to run after Marril, something tripped him from behind. “Ughh,” he grunted as he fell on the ground.
  Through the bushes, large eyes glared at Tracey. They were angry eyes, filled with revenge and hate. Tracey tried to crawl back away from them as he saw what they were. “No way, oh my Godish!!!”

  “AAAGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!” was the last sound he made before his voice was drowned out by a constant slapping sound.

=====

  Back at the lounge, Icy and Sara were finished eating and about to get things packed so they could depart. Trinity was with Brock, discussing with him various things about Suihou. Lewis was having a good time bending the hippies’ record albums. “This kinda music just shouldn’t be allowed to exist,” he said as he bent another with his psychic power.
  “Music?” One the hippies dragged them all outside. They were all getting ready to SING!!! “Hit it dudes!”

  "Kum ba-yah my lord, Kum ba-yah!" A hippy sang as a few others joined in. "Kum ba-yah my lord..."
  "ChhhhhhhhAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!" Pichu screamed in horror as she held her paws over her ears.
[This section has been translated for the non-speaking pokémon audience]
  "This is a song," Pichu proudly stood and cleared her throat.

"Now that you are out of my life,
I'm so much better
You thought that I'd be weak without ya,
but I'm stronger
You thought that I'd be broke without ya,
but I'm richer
You thought that I'd be sad without ya,
I laugh harder
You thought I wouldn't grow without ya,
now I'm wiser
You thought that I'd be helpless without ya,
but I'm smarter
You thought that I'd be stressed without ya,
but I'm chillin'
You thought I wouldn't sell without ya,
sold 9 million" She gave the hippies her little stuck-up attitude look.

"I'm a survivor,
I'm not gonna give up
I'm not gon' stop,
I'm gonna work harder
I'm a survivor, I'm gonna make it
I'm a survivor, keep on survivin' " Sara stood by smiling at her little pichu.

"Thought I couldn't breath without ya,
I'm inhalin'
You thought I couldn't see without ya,
perfect vision
You thought I couldn't last without ya,
but I'm lastin'
You thought that I would die without ya,
but I'm livin'
Thought that I would fail without ya,
but I'm on top
Thought that it would be over by now,
but it won't stop
Thought that I would self destruct,
but I'm still here
Even in my years to come,
I'm still gonna be here
I'm wishin' you the best,
pray that you are blessed
Much success, no stress, and lots of
happiness
I'm not gonna blast you on the radio
I'm not gonna lie on you or yo family, yo
I'm not gonna hate on you in the magazine
I'm not gonna compromise my Christianity
You know I'm not gonna diss you on the
internet
('Cause Sara taught me better than that)" Pichu stuck her tongue out at the Hippies right before they tried to grab her. She let out a small shock to keep them away.

"I'm a survivor,
I'm not gonna give up
I'm not gon' stop,
I'm gonna work harder
I'm a survivor, I'm gonna make it
I'm a survivor, keep on survivin' (what)
After all of the darkness and sadness,
soon comes happiness
If I surround myself with positive things,
I'll gain posterity" She grinned, singing her little heart out.

"I'm a survivor,
I'm not gonna give up
I'm not gon' stop,
I'm gonna work harder
I'm a survivor, I'm gonna make it" Pichu grooved, shaking her little body around.

"I'm a survivor, keep on survivin" Pichu grinned and ran away from the mad looking hippies.
[<---end pokémon translation]

  Icy and his friends along with Ash, Misty, and Brock cheered and clapped while the hippies booed and hissed. “Like, that’s the music of Satan man, git off our island!” The hippies got up and began to chase everyone towards the shore. Pichu was still grooving to her song as Sara quickly scoped her up and ran.
  “Ah crap! Run everyone, hippie attack!!!” Everybody began screaming and running towards the coast.
  “Cyber, come in sight!” Icy’s Porygon, Cyber, materialized in the air and floated alongside him. “Get in the water, run marine-mode transformation!”

{Cut scene as really nifty music and 3D CG Animation plays showing Cyber transform from Porygon to Poryboat.}

  Icy, Sara, Trinity, and Lewis hopped on board and Cyber revved its motors. In a moment, he was off with the hippies shaking their fists.
  “Wow. It doesn’t get any more nuts than that,” Lewis said as they sailed over the horizon.

Meanwhilst:
[Scene is a very dark, rounded room.]
  Bits of data ran all over the sides of the room, which was in the form of a sphere. In the very center sat a man, covered in shadows. He raised his hand then typed some commands into the computer. In an instant, the data began to converge and form a map of the continent all around him. Through his jet-black sunshades, he watched as the map began to zoom in on the ocean sectors.
  “Sector 5H…” he muttered. Crosshairs formed around the sector he selected and brought it in front of him zoomed in. “Identify…” Bits of data began to write on the screen around him showing all pokémon, humans, and structures in the sector.
  “Identification complete. Sector contains offshore drilling platform. 4 humans on platform, 4 humans approaching from the north. Pokémon in area include: Chonchii and Lanturn.” The man grunted when he heard about outsiders entering the sector.
  “Data on incoming trainers…” The computer hummed in recognition and quickly displayed pictures of the four trainers and data on all their current pokémon. “Estimated threat to mission?” More data zipped along the screen from around him as the numbers were crunched down. The computer replied suggesting minimal threat. “Excellent.” He waved his hand and instantly, all the data in front of him was washed away, as if his hand physically dissipated it.
  Two other people entered from in back of where the original man was sitting. “You are ready for this mission? You will attack from the south. Collect as many of the Chonchii and Lanturn that you can. If they put up any resistance, you may damage the rig as you see necessary, but don’t draw much attention. There are 4 trainers passing through this sector. If they involve themselves, well… they should have known better.” He snickered prompting the other two to laugh quietly as well.
  “We shall succeed sir.” The two turned and exited.
  The mysterious man in shadows grinned evilly and lowered his hand to the black pokémon beside his chair. It snarled in a good way as he pet it. On the screen in front of him, he watched the rig, waiting for the mission to commence.

[Camera zooms into the screen which then becomes the reality]

  “M’am, this location’s dried up.”
  “Alright, send the Chonchii group A and Lanturn groups F and H to investigate the surrounding seafloor. I still think there are deposits down there.”
  “Yes m’am.” The worker went to carry out his orders. “Chonchii group A to the diving tanks, Chonchii group A to the diving tanks.” A small group of about 10 Chonchiis gathered by the worker in a diving tank. The tank was basically a cylinder that stretched deep under water and opened up near the floor so the Chonchii would not get lost. Lanturns must go down with the Chonchii in order for the Chonchii to see well at such deep depths. “Lanturn group F and H to the diving tanks and assist the Chonchiis.” As soon as all the pokémon were in position, the worker switched on the tank and the pokémon were jetted down to the ocean floor in an instant.
  Suddenly, the watchman shouted down to the captain, “Sir, ship approaching!”
  “There shouldn’t be any ships out this way,” the captain said. “Signal them to change course, quick. They could damage the pipes!”
  The other ship did not acknowledge their signals and continued on its course, heading straight for the main diving tank tube.
  “If we connect the suction pipe to that tube there, we should be able to reverse the tank and draw all the Chonchii and Lanturn into our ship without causing much fuss,” said an agent on the ship.
  “Excellent idea Seth.” Seth’s female counterpart, Julie, typed in the coordinates on the ship and the suction pipe spiraled out and headed towards the dive tank’s main pipe. “Alright, won’t be long now,” Julie said. Their ship positioned itself nearly 300 feet away from the rig, a dangerous distance to be sure.
  “What are they doing?” the captain asked herself. Suddenly, she noticed air bubbles rising from below the water. “What the!?! Sound the alarm; they’re tampering with the pipes. Get the Chonchii and Lanturn teams out of there immediately.”

Meanwhile,
  Images dimly lit the entire spherical room around him. He watched from all possible locations as his plan was being carried out. A small smirk came across his face. “Hmmhmmhmmmm.” He watched on the map as wavelike lines fanned over the rig’s position.

  “Captain, they’ve attached a suction device to the pipe. It’s gonna draw the pokémon out of the water and back up the pipe.”
  “This isn’t good. I can’t even get help on the radio. Alright, turn the pumps to full power. We can’t let them steal the pokémon, so let’s stop their suction pipe from drawing them up. Send our divers down to rescue the pokémon themselves.”
  “Aye aye captain.”

Meanwhile,
  Cyber was sailing along at top speed when Icy sensed trouble ahead. “Cyber, change course right 20 degrees. Something’s up, I can feel it.”
  “What is it Icy?” Sara asked. There were times she really did wish she knew what Icy was thinking about, even though many times it was of her, but obviously this wasn’t one of those times.
  “Something doesn’t feel right. Someone’s in danger, or some pokémon, I can’t quite tell.” They continued towards the rig and soon were just able to see it.
  “Whoa, what is that?” Lewis said seeing the massive steel structure emerging from the ocean.
  “That’s an off-shore drilling rig,” Trinity answered. “They use pokémon, usually Chonchii, to search for minerals deep below the ocean.” Trinity was all lit up as she talked about Chonchii’s role in it. Lewis was almost wishing he hadn’t asked, but did enjoy hearing the sound of her voice.
  “I think your Chonchii friends are in trouble Trinity,” Icy said pointing to the other ship.
  Trinity ran to the edge of the deck. “WHAT!!! HOW DARE THEY ENDANGER CHONCHII!!!” Lewis held her back so she didn’t try anything silly like jumping overboard. “Lemme at em!!! ICY!!! Get us closer. I’ll teach those jerks what happens when they mess with my fav pokémon.” Trinity’s usually apathy had subsided for the meantime, but only due to the fact that Chonchii were involved in this case.
  “ETA in 2 minutes,” Icy said reading the GPS on Cyber.
  “That’s too long to wait, I’m going in!” Trinity said calling out her Chonchii and Qwilfish.
  “Wait Trin, let me go with you,” Lewis said, even though he had no water pokémon with him.
  “Listen Lewis, that’s cute of you to wanna protect me or the Chonchii, but I can handle this myself.” Seeing Lewis wasn’t about to give in, she gave him a quick kiss on the head and dove in. Lewis was too stunned to move at all, as were Icy and Sara.
  “Did that ever work on you?” Sara asked. Icy simply sweatdropped.

  “Who are those people?” the captain said pointing to Cyber.
  “Not sure, but let’s hope they’re here to help us.”
  Trinity was swimming using Chonchii and Qwilfish. “Hey, where are the Chonchii,” she called.
  “Are you here to help?” one of the worked called back.
  “Yea! Those guys are hurting the Chonchii aren’t they? I’ll teach them.”
  The man threw down a diving suit. “You’ll need that to breathe and see underwater. The Chonchii and Lanturn are all on the floor, please help them.”
  “No problem. I’ll save them.” Trinity put on the helmet and her pokémon took her down.

Meanwhile,
  The man wasn’t pleased when he saw Trinity diving down to thwart his plans. “Zoom in on the girl.” The computer screen now showed Trinity on the screen. “Little girl, you won’t be a problem for very long…”

  “Sensors indicate two pokémon and a human approaching the sea floor,” Seth read.
  “Yea, boss just informed me. Let’s trash her.”
  “Heh heh heh, let’s.” Seth and Julie got their diving suits on. They looked very similar to the suits the divers who attacked Icy were wearing.
  “Huh, what’s that?” Trinity said looking up. Approaching her were Seth and Julie with pokéballs ready.
  “Sorry little girl, but you aren’t allowed to be here.”
  “I think it’s YOU GUYS who aren’t allowed to be here.” Trinity motioned to Qwilfish to be prepared.
  Seth checked a small device on his wrist. On it, statistics and other information about Trinity and her pokémon appeared. “We can take her. Pokémon battle!”
  Julie released her Vaporeon while Seth released Kingdra. “You are gonna wish you’d never come down here girlie.”
  “The name’s Trinity. Qwilfish, pin missile attack!” Trinity’s Qwilfish took to action, tiny sharp pins exploding from its body towards the two agents’ pokémon.
  “She’s got to be kidding. Kingdra use protect.” Kingdra stood in front taking the barrage but seemed to be fine.
  “What the?!?” Trinity gasped. A mass of air bubbles rose to the surface. “Chonchii, zap cannon!” Chonchii prepared to fire, but Julie had other plans.
  “No so fast… Vaporeon, acid armor!” Vaporeon’s water-like cell structure enables it to literally melt into water. Chonchii’s attack passed right though her. “Our turn.” Julie nodded with Seth. Together, they commanded, “Whirlpool attack!” Trinity knew there was no escaping this and recalled her pokémon and tried to swim to freedom but was caught.
  “Hey!” She struggled but quickly gave up to conserve energy knowing it was useless. “Let me go!” She was in very serious danger now.
  “Hmm, that’ll teach you to stay out of other people’s business, won’t it?” Seth revealed a small knife and swam over to Trinity. Her eyes fearfully watched as he prepared to cut off her oxygen. “Can’t let you spoil anything can we?” Just as he dug the blade into the tube, a heavy object hit his head.
  “Stay away from her you piece of crap!” yelled Lewis. His eyes were on fire. Seth took the opportunity to make his escape, but not without the Chonchii and Lanturn they’d captured. Lewis was about to swim after them but turned around, realizing Trinity’s air supply had been punctured. “Crap!” He swam back to rescue her instead letting Seth and Julie escape.
  Trinity opened her eyes to see Lewis holding onto her and swimming up to the surface. “Thank you…” she said then fell asleep from exhaustion.
  The two trainers splashed through the ocean surface and Lewis helped Trinity over to the rig’s ladder where the crew pulled her up and removed the diving suit so she could breath. Lewis stood over her once his diving suit was removed. “Trinity! Trinity can you hear me?” He bent down closer to her and asked again, “Please Trinity, I know you’re alive, wake up.” He breathed a sigh of relief as her eyes slowly opened.
  Trinity coughed a few times then saw where she was. “Ugghhh… you… saved my life Lewis…” She smiled and gave him a real kiss this time. “Thank you,” she said before getting to her feet. Lewis helped her up. Trinity then turned to the captain. “Captain… I’m afraid I wasn’t able to stop those crooks…”
  The captain wasn’t happy, but she was just glad Trinity was alright. “Trinity, it’s ok. I’d just glad you are ok now. The police will help us find those thieves, and in the mean time, I guess the company headquarters will just have to send out a new group of Chonchii and Lanturn for us. Thanks for trying though, as you can see, we did manage to rescue quite a few of our pokémon thanks to you.” Trinity smiled and nodded.
  “C’mon Trin, we’d best get back to the PoryBoat so Icy and Sara don’t start to worry too much.” Trinity nodded and they waved goodbye to the rig crew and Lewis teleported Trinity and himself back to the PoryBoat.

  “Everything alright?” Icy asked.
  “They were attacked by strange divers. They managed to steal a lot of their pokémon…” Lewis told them.
  “Didn’t you try to stop them?” Sara said.
  “I tried, but these guys were good. They caught me in a whirlpool and tried to kill my oxygen, but Lewis drove them off and saved me. They got away because of it…” Trinity said, back in her apathetic voice.
  “It wasn’t your fault Trinity. You heard the captain; your efforts did save many of the pokémon from being stolen. At least they didn’t escape with all of them. And at least you are still alive,” Lewis replied.
  “In any case, perhaps it’d be best we head straight to Dark Cove. I’ve a feeling whoever those divers were you encountered might be connected with the ones who torpedoed the S.S. Anne II after it sank. If so, we may be giving them more reason to hunt us down. We don’t want to make new enemies here, so let’s lay low until we get to Dark Cove ok?” The group agreed and Cyber set course once again for Dark Cove.

Meanwhile,
  The monitors in the spherical room displayed Icy’s PoryBoat getting underway again. “Trainer Identified…” said a computer voice. “Icy, age 14; origin, Saffron City. Extensive history located on this trainer. Data has been transferred to local memory banks.”
  “Icy… Excellent. I will have a look at the data later.” He waved his hand loosely and the screens vanished. Slowly, he got out of his chair and looked down to the pokémon beside him. “Let us hope this Icy does not pry further into my affairs. I should hate to find it necessary to have him eliminated.” The pokémon growled in response. With that, he exited the spherical room, his figure vanishing as it entered the bright light from outside the room.

  Who is this mysterious new character, and what purpose will he play in stories yet to come? Will our heroes EVER make it to Dark Cove? Find out more on the next, Adventures of Icy & Sara!

Unlocking the Mystery

Last time, on The Adventures of Icy & Sara…
  The group narrowly escaped the ticked off hippies of Rainbow Island after Pichu gave her own little concert. Back at sea, they run into an offshore pokémon drilling platform which was under attack. Trinity went to save the day, but she was not match for these new evil agents…

… And now, our adventure continues…

{Opening scene plays with all new pokémon and Dark Cove pics and the new villain still in shadows wielding a copperish ring.}

{A light violin plays some very eerie and foreboding music as the scene comes into focus – this will be the villain’s theme.}
  Images of the entire globe surrounded him as he watched data pour across the screen. It reflected perfectly off the jet-black shades he wore. “Sector 3H… Identify…”
  The scene quickly highlighted the sector and zoomed in on it. Within a few seconds later, hundreds of lines of data on the trainers in the area were displayed. “Over 200 trainers in sector.”
  “Narrow search to identify, Dragonair.” The computer hummed for a moment as each of the trainers not meeting the profile were deleted from the screen.
  “Warning, only one compatible trainer found. Current pokémon in inventory: Dragonair, Poliwag, and Charmander. Probability of success: 90%.”
  “Hmmhmmhmmhmmhmmmm,” he murmured to himself. “Willow, Wisp, enter.”
  “At your service sir,” Willow said.
  “You two disappointed me the last time, but we did manage to get what we needed. I am giving you a chance to bring me a very special pokémon.”
  “Special, sir?” Wisp inquired.
  “A Dragonair. They are more rare than Dratini, especially in these parts.” He pointed to the screen which now displayed a detailed area of the trainer’s whereabouts and every possible bit of information on the trainer. “This child is still very young. He doesn’t pose much threat, however, the Dragonair will help him and that is why I need my best agents to pull this off.”
  “We will not fail you sir.”
  “Excellent. Take whatever equipment you need. Please bring the Dragonair to the lab before closing. I want this one to be processed first thing in the morning.”
  “As you wish boss.”
  “That is all. You’re dismissed.” He sat back and Willow and Wisp exited the room. “Soon, we’ll have all we need my pet…” he said stroking the dark pokémon at his side.

{Scene change}

  We find our heroes cutting across the crystal clear waters on Cyber, Icy’s Porygon jetboat. It’s been a long time since they left Rainbow Island, and our heroes are famished!
  “Icy… I need some food,” Sara said looking exhausted.
  “I know Sara, we shouldn’t be too far from land.” He checked the GPS on Cyber again. “See, that should be Dark Cove there. We aren’t far away.”
  “Oh… Good. C’mon, you aren’t gonna just stay out here all day are ya?” Sara said tugging on Icy.
  “Huh? Oh. Hehehe, of course not.” He leaned down slightly and gave Sara a small kiss on her head. “I’ll be down in a minute ok.”
  Sara blushed a little and nodded. She went back down below. Icy meanwhile was thinking about the divers who attacked them, and then the ones who attacked Trinity. “Something about them seems wrong. They couldn’t just be criminals. More like…”
  “You know you think too much Icy…” said a voice.
  “…{sigh}… And you butt into my business far too often.”
  “Times never change, do they?”
  “No… I guess they don’t.” Icy looked at the GPS again. It was gone, yet Icy seemed to have predicted it would be. “You obviously had something important to tell me or you wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble bringing me here.”
  “Yes. You aren’t safe Icy. Your suspicions, they’re all true.”
  Icy put his finger up to stop him. “Hold it.” He turned to face the other voice. “Why are you telling me the future again? You have been there, or are you just giving me friendly advice?”
  “Icy, would I steer you wrong?”
  “Yes, yes you most certainly would; especially if you’ve got an alerter motive. Now spill it Mewtwo.”
  Mewtwo brought himself out of the shadows. “It’s advice this time Icy. I cannot tell for certain, but I know you are walking into a trap.”
  “Suihou? Does it have anything to do with Suihou? Something we might find out about him and where he came from? Tell me Mewtwo.”
  Mewtwo grunted. “And I thought you were finally going to keep your mind in the present.”
  “You started this conversation. Now answer my question Mewtwo. What is Suihou, what should we know?”
  “Suihou has something to do with this, but I truthfully do not know what. All I can tell you Icy, is to be alert. The balance of the world has not been right lately. Dark pokémon, not naturally dark ones, have been appearing on the continent you are traveling to. Some force is experimenting on pokémon, creating evil ones.”
  “Evil pokémon?”
  “Yes. I suspect you’ll hear more about them once you reach Dark Cove. Icy, this matter shouldn’t be taken lightly. Me and you have never been on such great terms, but I feel this time, we have a common enemy.”
  “I’ll stay alert Mewtwo.” Icy bowed. “Thank you Mewtwo.”
  “Be safe Icy. My life would be rather boring without someone like you to pester.”
  “Heh. No problem Mewtwo.” And with that, Icy found himself back on Cyber.
  Sara came back up on deck and grabbed Icy’s arm. “Your minute’s up mister.” Icy didn’t resist as Sara dragged him down below. They’d arrive at Dark Cove in only a few hours and she wasn’t about to just spend the time staring at the sea.

Meanwhile,
  Sam’s Charmander went back to practicing his flamethrower with Poliwag countering using Bubble Beam. For a trainer who’d only started a few months ago, Sam was already learning how to best train his pokémon to overcome even weaknesses. But his pride and joy was the very first pokémon given to him when he started his journey.
  “Dragonair, take aim! Fire!” His Dragonair stood up and fired a small hyper beam at the cans Sam had set up on a bench. It hit each one direct. “Awesome! You’re the best Dragonair.” Dragonair smiled and curled around Sam’s shoulders and neck. Sam giggled a little then saw two taller people approaching. “Hi there.”
{Play Hypnos Theme from Digimon Tamers – it just sounds REALLY good for this}
  The two people were dressed completely in black except for a blue rose on the male’s uniform, and wore dark shades. On their left hand, 2nd finger, they wore a small ruby ring. Behind them, a dark Eevee-like pokémon followed, Umbreon. “Greetings young trainer,” said the female. She sneered slightly.
  “H…hi,” Saw responded hesitantly. These two trainers were definitely suspicious and Dragonair thought so too.
  “Ah…” said the male seeing Dragonair. “There you are.” He looked at a device on his wrist. “Analysis…” It quickly displayed some information to him.
  “Well,” his female cohort asked.
  “No change. Let’s do this.” She nodded back to him. “Little boy, what is your name?”
  “I’m Sam, who are you? Are you both trainers?” Sam asked. His other two pokémon were now standing by his side.
  “You could put it that way,” the female said. “I am Willow, and this is my partner Wisp.”
  Her male teammate took his rose and saluted with it. “Yes, we are both trainers. We’d be very happy to have a pokémon battle with you and that Dragonair. Will you accept?”
  “Sure, why not. Is this field ok?”
  The female scanned the area then looked down at her wrist device. “Yes. Yes this field shall do nicely, it’s perfect.” She drew her pokéball from her pocket and released Murkrow. “I choose Murkrow.”
  “Ok. Dragonair, you’re on.” Wisp’s eyes narrowed, studying Dragonair’s every move, looking for when he’d get the best shot.
  Willow planned her attack. “Murkrow, shadow ball attack!” Murkrow cawed then launched the dark sphere towards Dragonair. It managed to slither away to avoid the attack.
  “Fight back Dragonair. Use twister.” Dragonair stood its ground finally and counter attacked using twister. Murkrow fought to stay in the air. After the attack finished, she was slightly injured but still able to continue. “You’ve trained it well. My Dragonair is really strong.”
  “I’ve got more experience young one. Murkrow, steel wing!” Murkrow made a rapid drive for Dragonair, its wings becoming razor sharp.
  “Oh no, Dragonair, agility.” Dragonair quickly dodged the attack but found itself now surrounded by darkness. “What the!!! HEY!!!”
  “Sorry kiddo. Like she said, we’ve got lots more experience. We’ll make sure Dragonair grows up to be stronger than ever. Tah tah! HAHAHAHAHA!!!” Wisp laughed sealing the bag with Dragonair in it. Willow recalled Murkrow and the two ran off with Sam and his other two pokémon close behind.
  “Get back here.” Tears flew from his face. Dragonair was a gift from his parents when he began his pokémon journey only several months ago. The two had grown so close, but now Willow and Wisp had stolen him. “Gimme Dragonair back!!!” Sam looked back at Charmander. “Charmander, please, stop them.” Charmander leapt into the air and fired a flamethrower.
  “Hmm hmm, not so fast barbeque breath.” Wisp whipped out a small device which created a barrier to protect him and Willow from the flames. “C’mon, let’s go Willow.”
  “Heh heh heh. I’m way ahead of you Wisp.”
  “Everything’s set?” he asked as they continued to run from Sam.
  “Yes. Just a little further. I’ll tell you when to get over.”
  Sam was started to fatigue but he knew Dragonair never would have given up on him. He had to save her. His pokémon followed behind him as well.
  “NOW!” Willow shouted. She and Wisp sidestepped slightly and Sam followed. He ended up falling into a patch of loose ground. It was a trap set by Willow before the battle.
  “Well well, so good of you to drop in like that.” Wisp looked up to see two very angry pokémon staring back, ready to attack. “You two weren’t invited. Darkball, GO.” Wisp threw a black pokéball at Charmander. It immediately captured him. “Your turn.”
  Poliwag was frozen with fear. His trainer was trapped, and now he had nowhere to run. His opportunity for a futile escape ended as he too was sucked inside one of Wisp’s Darkballs.
  Willow stood over the ditch and bowed to Sam. “Thank you very much. We’ll take exceedingly good care of your pokémon.” Sam broke into tears as Willow and Wisp escaped with all three of his beloved pokémon.

Back to our heroes,
  It had been almost 4 hours since they last checked their position. Lewis was snoring away while Trinity did likewise. Their Chikoritas were lying on top of each other and Suihou rested against them both. In the other cabin, Icy and Sara slept peacefully together with Pichu beside Sara, and nine little Caterpies at the foot of the bed. Buttercup slept beside Icy.
  Sara was the first to wake up. She poked Icy a few times to get his attention. “Hey, could you check if we are close yet,” she asked him softly. Icy yawned a little, give her a kiss and nodded. He stretched out and walked up on deck.
  “Oh.” He looked out over the horizon to see green peeking over. “Land.”
  Sara rubbed her eyes a little and joined him on deck. “Hey look, land hooo hehehehe.” She giggled adorably making Icy laugh too.
  “Arggg, you’d make a great poképirate ayee.” Sara turned red in the face from laughing so hard. Finally, Lewis and Trinity joined them, both wondering what was so funny.
  “Hey look, that must be Dark Cove up there,” Trinity pointed out upon seeing buildings peek over the horizon.
  “Yea, we’re finally there!” Lewis exclaimed.
  All four trainers watched as the land grew closer and closer and closer and… BOOM!!! Icy forgot to tell Cyber to slow down and they sailed right up onto the beach narrowly dodging beach towels and umbrellas but hitting a few unimportant shoebies. Finally, Cyber came to a halt and they all got off. Cyber then transformed back into Porygon shape and Icy returned him to his pokéball.
  “Hey, you kids ruined our sand castle!” said a very angry looking parent with a little boy whaling by his side. “Yea, and ya got sand all over me! How will I get a tan now!” yelled an angry looking woman covered in sand. More angry beach vacationers began to corner the four trainers.
  “Uh oh. Hey, is that a Gyarados out there?” All the people zipped around, cameras falling from nowhere into their hands as they all flashed pictures as quickly as possible. Icy and the others made their get-away while the tourists photographed the vacant ocean.
  “Shew… that was close,” Sara said panting.
  “At least we got away,” Lewis added.
  “So now where to Icy?” Trinity asked.
  “Well, before we go find PokéPowers, how about some food? I dunno about you guys, but I could really go for some KFP (Kentucky Fried Pidgey).”
  “Mmmm yea, let’s do it,” they all said.
  Trinity looked down at Suihou and said, “and after this, we’ll finally figure out just what you are.” Suihou simply blinked a few times.

(Camera pans away from our heroes to a scene showing the entire city. We can see the ever eye-catching PokéPowers Co. Tower reaching high above all the rest of the buildings.)

(Scene Switch – The bad guy’s sphere room.)
  The monitors of the sphere displayed current data on the entire continent. Suddenly, the door to the office opened, spilling light only temporarily into the dimly lit room. “Yes?” he asked.
  “Mission completed boss. I must say, this Dragonair is quite a pokémon. It’ll definitely make a fine addition.” Wisp brought Dragonair and the other two pokémon over to the man.
  “Excellent work. I knew I could count on you two.” Just then, a red circle began flashing on the screen. “Huh??” Small crosshairs blinked in an inwards pattern toward the center of the circle. “Magnify on location.” The sector the circle was located in became the entire screen.
  “Destiny Ring Located,” said a computerized voice. “Sector, 3K, Area 42. Minimal civilians in area. Three trainers in area. Gathering trainer pokémon data now.”
  Willow and Wisp watched as well. “Sir, we can retrieve it for you.”
  He raised his hand. “Wait. If the computer located it, it means humans found it and dug it up. You’ll have to steal this one again. But this time, we’ll get it before any research groups can learn about it.”
  “Analysis complete. Trainer 1, Name: Rosey, Pokémon include, Natu and Xatu. Trainer 2, Name: Harris, Pokémon include, Gliger and Zubat. Trainer 3, Name: Frank, Pokémon include, Scyther and Psyduck.” The circle began to move.
  “D***. They are taking it somewhere. Alright. You know the drill. Get the ring, no witnesses, period. Get it before they realize what they’ve found.”
  “As you wish boss,” Willow answered.
  “Another Ring of Destiny coming right up,” Wisp said. The duo exited and set out to recover the ring.
  The dark man laughed deviously to himself as he shifted his eyes from the screen to the small silver ring inside a glass case on his desk. “Once I have all five, the most powerful force on the earth shall be mine. Nothing can stand in my way now, hahahaha!!!”
(Camera: quick zoom out then slow zoom out, fade)

=====

(Scene Switch – KFP)
  “We’ll take the 10 piece meal please,” Icy said. He paid the employee as the others found a table to sit at. After a minute, Icy had the food and took it to the table.
  “Mmm, smells good,” Sara said.
  “Everyone eat up, never know if we’ll be on some other adventure without food for days again,” Icy said jokingly. With that, the four trainers had a well-earned lunch.
  “I hear Team DarkPoké struck again,” said a man at an adjacent table.
  “Yea, even sent their best two agents, Willow and Wisp. Musta been a major trainer this time,” replied his friend.
  “Actually, I heard it was some newbie kid. Can you believe it?” the first said.
  “A kid!?! Wow, those guys just get more and more despicable every day.”
  “Yea, but what’cha gonna do? The police have no clue who if anyone is running the whole show, but so far, none of their agents have ever been caught.”
  Icy took this chance to interject. “Excuse me, but do these DarkPoké agents wear black suits and a ruby ring?”
  “Huh? Yea, some do. You’ve been robbed by them too eh?”
  “Actually no, but they did try. We got lucky I guess,” Icy answered.
  “WHAT!!! You mean to say you actually beat them???”
  “Well, not really, but they didn’t steal any of our pokémon. Who are they?”
  “They are a group you certainly don’t want to cross ever again. You must have been lucky just to live; some of them have been known to kill. They are an organized band of ruthless pokémon bandits. Word has it, it’s a major organization run by some guy right here in town, but it’s just a rumor. I think everyone wants to have them based in their town because they are just so infamous. In fact, since you guys are just finishing up, why not come by my store, we got the latest Team DarkPoké action figures!”
  Icy facefaulted along with his friends. “Ahhhehehhehehe, no thank you sir. Actually, we are headed to PokéPowers Co.”
  “WHAT!!! You hear this kid???”
  His friend was in shock as well. “Kid, you don’t just walk over to PokéPowers Co. and ask to come in. You need to be invited.”
  “We were invited,” said Sara.
  “Yea, Professor Oak of Pallet Town got us an invitation,” Trinity added.
  “Oh my Goddish. You kids even know Prof. Oak!!!” The man was ecstatic now. He whipped out a notepad and shoved it into their faces asking for autographs.
  “Umm, we should go now ehheheh,” Lewis said. He winked his eye at Icy as if to tell him something. Icy nodded and suddenly the group was a few feet away from the building. “Now, let’s run!!!” The four trainers ran like Ponytas as the two men chased after them with paper and pen ready.
  “Man… I think we lost them finally.”
  “Note to self, don’t ever ask people in this city questions,” Icy said. He looked up at the building in front of them. “Ooohh,” he gasped looking up and up and up and up until he nearly fell backwards.
  Sara did the same but DID fall back. Icy reacted quickly to catch her. “Hehe, thanks.” She gave Icy a little kiss then got herself back standing normally. “Is this, PokéPowers?”
  “Yea, looks like it,” Lewis said reading the sign over the entrance.
  Icy approached the door. A cold breeze wisped across his hand just as he went to open it. The four trainers walked inside and hadn’t made more than three steps before meeting a security guard.
  “Excuse me children but visitors must have special permission to enter this building. I don’t know how you got inside without my disarming the lock, but since you did, I must ask you to leave now.”
  “We’re sorry sir, but we do have an appointment with Mr. Willis Powers,” Icy answered. The other three put on the most adorable smiles ever. The guard was not impressed.
  “Kid, that’s about the worst bogus story I’ve heard in my entire career. Now look, since you’re just kids, I’ll overlook this little incident, but scram before my superiors see you, uh?” Someone had his hand on the guard’s shoulder.
  “That will not be necessary Don, these, ‘children’ are my guests, I have been expecting them for a while.” The man removed his hand.
  “My apologies sir,” Don said. He turned back to Icy. “Forgive my earlier suspicions and enjoy your visit to PokéPowers Co. May I introduce to you the CEO of the company, Mr. Willis Powers.” Don quickly returned to his post, ready to pass out.
  “You’ll have to forgive the tight security here. As you may or may not already know, my company is one of the top, if not best, pokémon research companies in the world and we must take precautions to ensure our research is not stolen by thieves, namely those Team DarkPoké crooks.” Willis stood there dressed in a black suit and tie. He had short, light blond hair, and wore a small pair of glasses. He stood a good foot or so taller than any of the group.
  “It’s a pleasure to meet you sir, I am Icy, this is my girlfriend Sara, and my two friends Lewis and Trinity.” Each trainer bowed respectfully then Willis took them on a short tour.
  “Professor Oak notified me when you left his lab to tell me you were coming, but I hadn’t expected you to take this long. Don’t tell me you were off sight seeing,” Willis asked. He had a pleasant voice and even humorous.
  “Well, we were aboard the S.S. Anne II coming here and it sank mysteriously. We ended up on some island yada yada yada, ended up landing here this morning.”
  “Quite a trip. The professor did mention you were an adventurous sorta guy so that explains the delay. Ah, if you’ll look to your right you’ll see our pokéball research division. As you kids should already know, it was our research team that finally cracked the G/S case,” Willis said beaming. Pleasant, but certainly not modest. Willis continued showing them around until they reached one of the outer labs.
  “Excuse me sir, but you said you would try to discover some things about this pokémon of mine,” Trinity asked holding up Suihou. Willis stopped and stared at the bubbly pokémon with great curiosity.
  “I can safely say I’ve never encountered a pokémon like this before.”
  “We think it’s a genetically created pokémon,” Lewis said.
  “Ah, quite possible. In any event, please walk this way, we are almost to the lab where all those questions will be answered.”
  A man in a white lab coat greeted them by the door. “Good afternoon sir. Ah, is that the pokémon we will be researching today?”
  “Yes it is,” Willis answered. A lady came running up to him. “Huh?”
  Panting, she said, “Mr. Powers, thank Goddish I found you. The intercom system is down so I had to deliver the message personally. The stockholder’s meeting was moved up, it’s in 15 minutes sir. I’m very sorry for not informing you earlier.”
  “Ahh, no problem, call maintenance and have the intercom system fixed please.” Willis turned back to Icy. “I must apologize yet again. I cannot be late for the meeting. Please, go on with the tests without me, I hope we can find the answers you seek.” With that Willis walked back towards the center of the building while the lab scientist escorted Icy and his friends inside.
  Once inside, the scientist took Suihou and asked Icy and his friends to wait in a room next door. They could still see what was going on, but this way they wouldn’t be in the way. Sara’s Pichu was getting tired of sitting around and attempted to go off exploring, but Sara quickly scooped her up.
  “No no Pichu. You can’t just roam around. Stay here with us, they won’t be too long,” Sara said to Pichu. Pichu replied by pouting. Meanwhile, in the other room, the scientists conducted several tests on Suihou trying to understand his complex and confusing DNA.

{Scene Switch: Sphere Room}
  The screens showed Suihou and all the research data being recorded. Somehow, he had managed to access PokéPowers’ computers. “Hmm… Interesting pokémon, but… something about it…” He looked down at the ring. “Perhaps… It’s too soon to tell.” Just then, the screen flashed red and switched to a scene showing the four trainers in the waiting room. Quickly, the computer image zoomed in on Sara, focusing on Pichu. “Ohh…”
  “Trigger identified. Bio analysis shows match. High probability specimen is the primary trigger,” said the computer.
  The man was speechless. His eyes were transfixed on the image of Pichu. “Unbelievable. That little creature… She is the trigger,” he said as he looked down to the ring.
  Another alert went off. “Secondary trigger located. Genetic Pokémon Suihou. Exact match.”
  “Both of them…” He sat back in his chair almost limp. “I have them both right where I want them, heh heh heh heh.”

{Scene Switch: Lab}
  “Ok, we are done with the tests. As you suspected, Suihou is not a naturally occurring pokémon. It was created, but we are not sure by whom or what for. Anyways, the entire report is right here. One of the guards will show you out.” The scientist handed a folder to Trinity along with Suihou. Soon after, one of the guards escorted the group outside.
  “Well, they didn’t really teach us much did they…,” Lewis said.
  “No, I guess not…,” Trinity replied.
  “So now what?” Sara asked.
  “Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to explore this place,” Icy said.
  Suddenly, all was quiet.
  “What the? Where’d everyone go?” Lewis asked looking rather puzzled.
  Two shady figures emerged in front of them. “We’re sorry, but you won’t be going anywhere we’re afraid.”

  Who are these mysterious people and what do they want from our heroes? Find out next time on The Adventures of Icy & Sara: The Rings of Destiny!

Perspectives

Last time on The Adventures of Icy and Sara,
  Our heroes finally arrived in Dark Cove and go to the world famous PokéPowers Inc. to see if the scientists there could find out more about Suihou. But to their dismay, they really didn’t learn any new clues, but someone else did. And now, we meet our heroes outside of PokéPowers where Team DarkPoké is back for more!

… And now, our adventure continues…

{Opening scene plays with all new pokémon and Dark Cove pics and the new villain still in shadows wielding a copperish ring.}

  “We cannot allow you to leave here so quickly. Hand those two pokémon over immediately,” the one agent said pointing to Pichu and Suihou.
  “You must be joking,” Lewis said.
  The female agent gasped and broke into laughter. “Oh yea little boy, this is all a big joke hahahahahahaha!!!” After about a minute of her laughing, she cleared her throat. “I’m afraid this is no joke. Now hand those pokémon over at once.” Icy saw her and her partner reach back to prepare their pokéballs for battle.
  “You’ll have to defeat us all to get these pokémon. Pokéball, GO!!!” Icy shouted throwing Buttercup’s pokéball into the air. The small, green Butterfree appeared.
  “Pokémon battle it is. I choose you, Sandslash!” A black colored Sandslash appeared. It was different from normal Sandslashs, this one definitely more angry looking and stronger.
  “Buttercup, sleep powder NOW!” Buttercup flew overhead and used her sleep powder.
  “Hmm hmm hmm, Sandslash, fury swipes!” Sandslash didn’t seem to be effected by the sleep powder and leapt high into the air and began swiping away at Buttercup until she fell back to the ground.
  “BUTTERCUP!!!” Icy shouted running to her aid. “Oh Buttercup, I’m sorry. Return.” He looked up at the two agents nearly grinding his teeth from all the rage building inside him. “Hocus GO!!! Psychic attack!” Hocus materialized and blasted Sandslash with a quick psychic attack.
  While everyone was busy concentrating on the fight, no one noticed the male partner sneaking up on Pichu. “Pi??” Suddenly, he had captured Pichu in a special glass pokéball and was about to snag Suihou as well.
  “HEY!!!” Trinity scooped Suihou up and returned him to a pokéball. “Give Pichu back you jerk!”
  “My my, such an unladylike tone. You won’t get any dates that way sweet cheeks, hahahaha!” The two agents regrouped. “One’s good enough for now. Tah tah!” With that, the male agent tossed a small cylinder-like object at the group.
  “Oh my Goddish, RUN!!!” Everyone ran back as fast as they could and in a matter of seconds, a huge explosion rocked the ground and PokéPowers Building.

  “What the?!? Damn those DarkPoké terrorists. Security!!! Why aren’t you doing your jobs, we nearly got blown up a second ago. Get down there and investigate.” Willis went back to the head of the table. “Now gentlemen, where were we?” The panel was filled with gaping looks as Willis struggled to restore order to the board meeting.

  Sara ran back. “Pichu!!! Pichu!!!” She fell to the ground and began to cry. Icy ran to her side to comfort her. Twice she had lost Pichu; it was really beginning to devastate her. “Icy, she’s gone, and it’s all my fault,” she whined then began crying again.
  “It’s alright Sara, everything’s gonna be just fine. We’ll get Pichu back, I promise. Plus, she’s a tough one. I bet those two are gonna have a hard enough time just taming her hehe.” Sara tried to smile through all the sadness she felt but it wasn’t working. “Ohhh, c’mon Sara, don’t cry please.” Icy hugged her tight. “It’s not your fault. Something about all this… it was too well planned…” Sara hugged back and got out the rest of her tears. After the ordeal ended, they made their way back to the PokéCenter. A tall figure watched them walk off in the distance.

== SCENE SWITCH ==
== Location: The Boslin Mines ==

  “What a ride. Remind me not to volunteer us for these northern jobs again. I hate the cold.” A girl walked up behind the man speaking.
  “Quit complaining. The boss would have chosen us anyways, you know anyone better than us?”
  “Haha. Not a single agent on the team can beat us.”
  “Damn straight. Now let’s locate that ring. Hopefully these hillbillies are as dumb as they look and haven’t contacted others about it yet.”
  “And if they have?”
  “You heard the boss’ orders. No witnesses, what so ever. I got enough supplies to take out a 5-mile radius. We’ll be fine.”
  The two agents gripped arms as a sorta handshake mannerism. “Let’s do this,” they said together.
  “Wait.” Wisp held out his arm pointing at his watch (though this was no ordinary watch.) All Team DarkPoké agents had specially designed watch pieces which connected them all to their central computer, and their elusive leader. “Synchronize. If we split up, we can cover much more ground.”
  “Agreed.” Willow set her watch to Wisp’s.
  “Here.” Wisp handed her a black pokéball. “Take Umbreon. I will have Steelix with me.”
  “Ok. Contact me if you find anything. Oh, and since we are here, let’s steal a few pokémon for the boss as presents.”
  “But, he said no witnesses. We can’t very well snatch pokémon without people noticing they are gone.”
  “True, but they won’t worry so much about the silly ring missing verses the pokémon missing.”
  “Good point.”
  “Thank you. The computer said there were three trainers here.”
  “And six pokémon between them all.”
  “Let’s get each one of them.”
  “Hmmhmmhmm. I like the sound of that. Good luck Willow.”
  “You too Wisp.” Willow’s cheek grew red slightly as her teammate ventured off in the opposite direction. “Some day…” She looked down at her watch, a holographic picture slowly vanished. “Some day Wisp…” She placed her hand around the last pixels of the fading image.

  Meanwhile, Wisp and Steelix made their way around the east side of town. “You blend in well Steelix. But keep moving slowly. Let’s not stir up attention, yet…” Wisp looked down at the town. “Look at those pathetic people. They have no idea what they’ve just discovered. Of course, in a few hours, it won’t really matter will it? Hahahahaha…” He looked down at the snowy ground and gave a small gasp. In his mind’s eye, he saw fragments of memories of his past, of the happy times he and… Wisp clinched his fist. “There,” he muttered as his wristwatch computer indicated an approaching object.

  Willow walked slowly through the snow. She had taken the opposite side of the city perimeter. This way, both agents could get better views of the land and possibly the location of the ring. As she walked, she was reminded of similar events, events occurring in her past. She recalled playing happily in the snow. Happily because she was with… Willow stopped suddenly. A light ping sound resonated from her wrist. “Trainer ahead,” she said to herself and Umbreon.

  Wisp got ready. The trainer wouldn’t mistake him for an agent since he was in full uniform, so Wisp needed the element of surprise to gain the quick upper edge. Steelix hid behind some snow covered rocks. They waited as the ping on his watch came closer.
  “Hmm, I coulda sworn I saw somebody up here.” The trainer cupped his hand and yelled, “Hello? Is someone there? Are you ok?” Getting no response, he proceeded forward, getting closer to Wisp.

  Willow faced a similar situation. “Hello? That’s odd. Is anybody there?” The trainer looked around but she saw nothing. She ventured forward, coming closer and closer to Willow. ‘Closer and closer to her undoing,’ thought Willow as she waited for the right moment.

  Wisp decided he’d waited long enough and signaled to Steelix. “Haha! Now!!!” Harris jumped back in fear as the giant steel serpent emerged from its hiding stop. Steelix roared loudly causing an avalanche.
  “Aghh!!! HELP!” Harris yelled running. Wisp was already ahead of him. Waiting, he recalled Steelix while Harris was preoccupied with the couple hundred tons of snow rushing down at him. Harris leapt into a small cavern in the mountainside as the snow rushed past him. “Shew… What a close call… Huh?” Harris looked up. His eyes widened…

  “3… 2… 1…” Rosey gasped as a girl dressed in black leapt out from her hiding spot behind a boulder. “You’re the one who’ll need help now, hahahaha!”
  “Aghh, who are you?”
  Willow landed perfectly in the snow and took a generous bow. “I am the dark trainer Willow. My name is the last name you and your pokémon shall ever hear.” With that, she crossed her arms reaching for two pokéballs attached to her waist. Grabbing them, she launched them straight at Rosey. Rosey cowered back as Umbreon and Murkrow appeared.
  The only thing going through Rosey’s mind now was fear and the question of if she’d survive this rescue attempt.

  Harris’ hand moved to his belt where 2 small pokéballs were stored, awaiting his commands. Wisp simply sneered. “Go ahead Harris. I don’t care which one you use, it’s useless to attempt to defeat Team DarkPoké. HAHAHAHA!!!”
  “Team DarkPoké? You’re a member of that gang of pokémon thieves!”
  Wisp was disgusted by the remark. Not at the word ‘thief’ but the very idea he’d refer to Wisp as simply a mere member. “I am not just any agent in DarkPoké. I am Wisp. I am the dark agent, and I am the last trainer you and your pokémon shall ever lay eyes on.”
  “You… you don’t scare me.” Harris expanded one of the pokéballs. Meanwhile, Wisp activated a small visor in his shades. Computer images formed detailing Harris’ current pokémon as well as the pokémon inside the pokéball he was about to use. Wisp appeared very pleased with the data. “Zubat GO!”
  “Oh please, this isn’t even a challenge!!!” Wisp jumped back. In midair, he released his great Steelix. Zubat was having some serious second thought about his trainer’s confidence let along his own luck. “Steelix, rock smash!” Steelix smashed his tail into Zubat completely devastating the tiny pokémon.
  “Zubat!!! Oh no, Zubat, speak to me.” Wisp stood still, apathetically looking on at the fallen Zubat and its pitiful excuse for a trainer.
  “Give in Harris. I don’t need to take your pokémon; they aren’t valuable at all to me. But on the same token, I certain shall not guarantee their lives if you continue this battle. You have lost Harris, now forfeit to me so I don’t need to… do away with your Gliger as well.”
  Harris looked up suddenly. ‘This man knows my every move, all about me, my pokémon, everything. Who is he???’ “How do you know so much about me? Who are you?”
  “I’ve already told you far more than you need to know.” Wisp frowned. “And now I’ve grown tired of this worthless battle. Dark Balls!! GO!” Wisp threw two jet-black pokéballs out. The first captured Zubat and the second stole Gliger from Harris’ pokéball.
  “What HEY!!! Give my pokémon back. You said you didn’t want them.”
  The dark pokéballs floated back to Wisp. He grinned slightly. “Who says I do want them.”
  Harris’ eyes teared up at the thought of what cruel and twisted ideas Wisp had for Zubat and Gliger. His two best friends, gone, stolen to be tortured or worse. Harris balled his fist and ran towards Wisp. “Give them BACK!!!”
  Wisp became angry and with a single wave of his hand, Steelix smacked Harris to the side. The blow was so strong that Harris blacked out. Wisp walked over to his motionless body and grunted. “Worthless…” He wondered what success Willow was having as he recalled Steelix and made his way towards the village.

=====

  Willow stood proud with Umbreon and Murkrow standing in fighting stances before her. Rosey was terrified. “You might as well give up now Rosey.”
  “Huh? How do you… know… my name?” Rosey managed to say as she reached for her pokéballs.
  “Forget it little girl. I can crush Natu and Zatu in seconds. For their sake, I suggest you simply forfeit now.” Willow sneered, scaring Rosey even more.
  “I have to try! Natu, GO!” Rosey released the small bird from its pokéball.
  “You should have listened to my advice earlier! Umbreon, confuse ray now!” Umbreon quickly blasted Natu with its confusion ray.
  “Oh no, Natu return, Zatu, I choose you!”
  “Useless!!! Umbreon, hyper beam!” Umbreon leapt into the air, its eyes narrowed, then glowed bright. All of the sudden, it let out a tremendous amount of energy. The hyper beam was more than enough to completely fry Zatu as it puffed out a ring of smoke before falling over with little spirals in its eyes. “Hahahaha!!! I warned you Rosey. It’s useless to battle me. I know everything you’ll try.”
  “Zatu! No way, but…,” Rosey wept softly as she went to return Zatu.
  “That… won’t be necessary…” Willow sneered again, revealing two black pokéballs in her fingers. “HA!!” She threw the pokéballs at Rosey. Just like Wisp’s pokéballs, they stole Natu and Zatu and floated back into Willow’s hands. “Two psychic bird pokémon. The boss will be pleased.” Willow bowed.
  “You horrible woman, give my pokémon back now!” Rosey gathered herself and ran at Willow.
  “Back little brat,” Willow commanded as Murkrow used its toxic attack. Rosey fell to her knees as the poison entered her body. “Serves you right. You better hope they send a rescue party up here for you now, hahahaha!!!” Willow laughed as Rosey coughed until she finally collapsed from fever in the snow. Not once did the fact Rosey could die from Murkrow’s attack cross her mind. The only thing she was thinking about was how Wisp was faring with his mission.

--== Scene Change ==-- {[ Team DarkPoké Sphere Office ]}

  The dark figure’s shades glimmered dimly in the dark sphere-like room. On the monitors, pictures of the battles Willow and Wisp had been in shown. He smiled evilly as he saw the results. “Excellent work. Just what I expect from my best agents.” He looked down as a holographic control panel appeared before him. Pressing a few buttons on it, he looked back up at a map of the area Willow and Wisp were currently in. Three pings were present. His eyes focused on the silver dot located inside the village. “Soon… Very soon, the second shall be mine.” He sat back as his dark pokémon growled happily by his side.

--== Scene Change ==-- {[ Boslin ]}

  “Rosey isn’t back yet.”
  “Yea, neither is Harris.”
  “Should we call the police?”
  “Give them a few more minutes. If they aren’t back in 10 minutes, I’ll go out there myself,” said Frank.
  “Ok Frank. But, I’m worried. There’s a snowstorm coming. If they get caught in it…”
  “Don’t worry. They are probably fine.”
  The other townspeople sighed believing Frank. What they didn’t know was that outside near the mountains, both Harris and Rosey were laying unconscious in the cold snow.
  Meanwhile, in the town hall, miners were inspecting the strange silver ring they had found.
  “What do you suppose it is sir?” asked a miner.
  “Hmm, there appears to be some sort of writing on it.” The village elder inspected the ring.
  “Elder, can you decipher it?”
  “Hush young one, give me time,” the elder spoke slowly, and I do mean slowly. He looked more closely at the ring but still retained the clueless expression on his face. “I am sorry… I do not know what this strange artifact is. But… since your discovery, the village has not been well. I believe that this object is an evil device and must be returned to where it was found.”
  “Are you sure sir?” the miner captain asked.
  “Captain! Do not question the Elder’s words. Confounded young ones, you must return this demonic tool before more disaster occurs,” the Elder yelled with fire burning in his eyes and fists waving in the air. The captain cowered back.
  “All right… As you wish Elder.” The miner captain called his workers together and they prepared to set out to the mines where they found the ring.

  Wisp examined his watch. “Willow… Hmm, the ring… They are moving it again. But… that can’t be right? It’s… coming this way.” Steelix slithered behind Wisp. “Steelix, we might have company again very soon. Willow is still not here, but the townspeople appear to be moving the ring this way. Let’s ambush them the same way we got that pathetic trainer.” Steelix nodded and found a strategic place to hide as Wisp did the same. “That’s right you fools… Bring the ring right to me.”

  Willow walked through the dense snow. “Geez… So cold…” Umbreon ran up to her, offering to walk by her side. “Umbreon?” The pokémon understood its master was cold and glowed emitting warmth. “Umbreon… thank you,” Willow said smiling.

**flashback**
  “Here.” Wisp handed her a black pokéball. “Take Umbreon.” Willow accepted the pokéball, her cheeks glowing a very faint hue of red. “Good luck Willow, we’ll meet up later.”
  “Yes. Thank you Wisp. Take care,” Willow said as her partner ran off…
**end flashback**

  She placed her hands around Umbreon’s body to warm them. “Thank you Wisp…,” she said softly. “Huh?” Her watch was ringing. “What’s this? The ring, it’s on the move again.” She looked at the location again. “Hmm, they are taking it towards Wisp. He’s going to have it brought right to him, how fortunate. Even so, I better get over there.” She looked at the town. “What’s that?” She pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked closer. “There’s the convey. I can help.” She collected herself and continued hiking towards the edge of town. Umbreon followed close behind with Murkrow flying overhead.

  “Getting warmer. Hahaha, those fools… They are walking right into my trap.” Wisp kept very still in his hiding place. He glanced down at his watch to see where the miners were. The ping got closer and closer.
  “C’mon lads, the mine’s not so far from here.” Suddenly, the miner captain stopped causing all the miners behind him to smash into each other.
  “Oww, hey why’d you stop?”
  The captain ran to what looked like a frozen trainer. “Lads, quick. It’s Harris!”
  “What! What happened to him captain?”
  “Shh…” The captain turned to Harris. “C’mon lad, wake up.” Harris slowly came to. “Harris, are you alright?”
  “Huh… Ughh… what happened to me… Oh no, my pokémon. Some guy ambushed me and stole my Zubat and Gliger.” Harris weakly got to his feet. “Aghh,” he moaned feeling pain rush through his still partially frozen body.
  “Save your strength Harris. Joe, Benny. I want you two to help Harris back to town. We’ll take this demon ring back the mine shaft before anything else bad happens.”
  Joe and Benny helped Harris up and led him back to town. Meanwhile, the others pressed on.
  Wisp clasped his fist. “Ready or not,” he whispered silently to himself. He came flying out of his hiding spot as did Steelix and caught the miners off guard.
  “Huh? Who are you???”
  “Who I am is unimportant. What you have is. Hand over that ring or face my wrath.”
  “You’re the madman who stole Harris’ pokémon aren’t you? You’re not getting anything from us.” Suddenly the wind kicked up.
  Wisp’s watch began beeping and flashing ‘ALARM’ on the face. “What the?” He clicked the front and a computer voice spoke.
  “WARNING: Snowstorm approaching. Seek shelter immediately.”
  Wisp twisted his head back. “No!” The words had hardly left his lips when the gust of icy wind blew him off his feet. “Gahhhh!!! Steelix!!! Return!” he shouted beaming the serpent back into its pokéball. “Damnit, the ring!” The miners were thrown by the gusts as well.
  “AAAGGHHHHHH!!!” they all shouted as nature took them into its violent storm.

  Willow glanced at her watch. It was beeping steadily. “WARNING: Snowstorm approaching. Seek shelter immediately.”
  Umbreon looked up to Willow. “What’s the matter?”
  “Um… Umbreon.”
  “Yea… I guess you’re right. Ok.” Willow recalled Umbreon and Murkrow to their pokéballs. “That’s strange, the signal is getting erratic.” She glanced to the side of the mountain. “Hmm… That storm could hit any moment. I better hide in that cave until it passes. I just hope Wisp is alright.” She made her way inside and a few minutes later, the wind kicked up. “Sheww… made it…” She looked at her watch. “Drats… nothing…” Suddenly, she felt a shivering sensation travel from her spine throughout her entire body. Instinctively, she grabbed the arm of the person touching her shoulder.
  “Aghh, easy Willow, it’s me.”
  “Wisp? WISP! You’re alive!”
  “What??? You doubted me? Willow, I’m shocked.” Wisp’s words met those of someone who should look playfully heartbroken, but his face showed otherwise, and not due to the fact he was nearly frozen.
  “Did you get the ring?”
  “No… I was about to when the storm hit and I got thrown into the air.” Willow gasped. “Hahaha. I didn’t see where the miners landed so I looked for a safe place to hide from the storm. I must have found another entrance to this cave. I’ve been walking for about 10 minutes.”
  “Really? Well, the storm may have died down on your side. Perhaps those miners didn’t fare as well.”
  “Let’s hope they lost the ring in the process. I really don’t want to have to hurt more of their pathetic pokémon today.”
  “I second that. Rosey wasn’t a challenge at all.”
  “Aye. Harris was alright. The kid’s got guts I can say that. But sad enough, there is no comparison to the two of us.”
  Willow smiled. “Yeah. Me and you. No one better.”
  “C’mon Willow, let’s get that ring.” Willow nodded and the two agents traveled back the way Wisp had come through the cave. As they came to the exit, they found themselves snowed in.
  “Uh oh. Not good Wisp.”
  “Yea. Hmm… I’ll try to get a fire type from HQ.” Wisp enabled the signal amplifier on his watch to cut through the snow and contact HQ. A holographic projection of a computerized PokéCenter appeared listing countless pokémon. Wisp had to search down the list for a minute just to find a suitable pokémon.
  “C’mon Wisp, don’t be choosy, just pick one and let’s get moving,” Willow taunted impatiently.
  “I need to select a good one. We can’t just download a new pokémon here. I didn’t bring any empty pokéballs for containing OUR pokémon. The Darkballs are incompatible. I’ll have to swap a pokémon we already have.”
  “Oh. Ahhehehe, I knew that,” Willow said blushing slightly.
  “Sure… Here’s one. How about we get that Magmar we stole last summer from that resort?”
  “Oh yea. He’s a good one. Put up quite a fight hehe. Who are you gonna exchange him for though?”
  “I’ll swap Steelix. He’s done his job for me. Umbreon will be more than enough to crush and trainers still here.”
  “Alright.”
  “Here goes.” Wisp held out Steelix’s pokéball and the watch zapped it. On the face, a small smiley face blinked and the words ‘Transfer Complete’ shined below it. “Magmar, come out!”
  The lava pokémon appeared in the cave lighting up the whole area. “Perfect, now I can see again.”
  Wisp grinned slightly then turned back to Magmar. “Magmar, melt this snow. It’s blocking the exit.” Magmar didn’t hesitate. With a well aimed flamethrower, he had cleared a path for Willow and Wisp in no time.
  “Good work Magmar.”
  “Yes, excellent job. Return now.” Magmar returned to its pokéball. “I’m picking up the ring. We’re close.”
  “Great, I don’t want to stay in this region any longer than we have to. I’m freezing.”
  “Oh c’mon. We’ve been to colder places. Tell ya what, after this assignment, granted the boss doesn’t find another ring for a while, I’ll take you on a nice vacation to the Gold Coast Resort.”
  “Really?!? You really mean it!?! Oh Wisp you’re the best.”
  Wisp couldn’t resist making a manly pose as Willow gave him a big hug. “Ok ok, ring first, sun and surf later.”
  “I’m on it. Umbreon, come out and help us search. You too Murkrow.” Her two pokémon appeared and helped them look for the ring.
  “I think we are just about on top of it now.”
  “It must be buried.”
  “Ok then, everybody dig. Here.” Wisp produced a pair of heavily insolated gloves and a pair for himself.
  “Thank you Wisp…” Willow said shyly.
  “C’mon Willow, pull it together. Put em on and let’s just finish this thing ok. I promise you, we will have all the time in the world together, alone, the way it was, before… One day, I promise it’ll be that way again.”
  “I… I know… I’m sorry. It must be the cold getting to me…”
  “Yes… the snow… it might be getting to us both…” Wisp looked down the snow for a second before digging. As he dug, he vaguely remembered those happy times when he’d dig in the snow…
  “Wisp?” Willow watched. Somehow, she could sense what he was thinking about. He knew too. “Oh? Wisp, here. Come help.” She continued to uncover the hard object.
  “I think you got it. Umbreon, over here.” Umbreon came over to help dig. Within a few minutes, they’d uncovered the chest containing the silver ring.
  Willow smiled, her partner doing likewise. “Well, two down, three to go?”
  “STOP!!! You there, don’t you move a muscle!”
  “Huh?!?” Willow said.
  “He can’t be serious…” Wisp added.
  “Just who do you think you two are?” asked the trainer.
{ Play Team DarkPoké Agent Theme }
  “Allow us to introduce ourselves…”
  “We are the dark agents of the notorious Team DarkPoké…” said Willow.
  “We are the shadow warriors yielding the evil pokémon…” said Wisp.
  “Our goal is to create chaos for the world…”
  “Those who oppose us, they will fall…”
  “We are the spirits of the forest, Willow and Wisp…”
  “Our dark wood shall crush all opponents…”
  “If you dare to oppose us, you shall suffer our wraith.” Willow and Wisp took on there evil poses.
  “You two don’t scare me. You sound just like those Team Rocket weaklings.”
  “I assure you little boy. Team Rocket are mere flies compared to us. You are better off forfeiting your pokémon to us now than allowing them to be harmed to the greatest degree. We will show you no mercy. Do you still wish to battle us?”
  “You’re not taking my pokémon.” Frank threw his pokéball into the air. “Psyduck go!”
  “A psyduck… Umbreon, faint attack now.” Umbreon zipped past Psyduck, clawing the headache-prone duck and causing it to faint.
  “Oh no, Psyduck, are you alright.” Psyduck was cut deep by Umbreon’s sharp claws. “Return Psyduck. I’ll teach you to play with sharp objects. I choose Scyther!”
  “I’ll handle this one…” Wisp uttered slowly.
{ Animation: Wisp’s pokéball throw sequence }
  Wisp launched the pokéball from his hands. “Pokéball go!!! Pokémon reveal!!! MAGMAR!!!” Magmar appeared in the snow, melting it instantly. “Bug pokémon are weak against fire pokémon… Magmar… FIRE BLAST!!!” Magmar leaned back then with all its might, spit out a huge fire blast attack. Scyther had no time to react as it was engulfed by the fiery inferno.
  “No way!!!” Frank said in disbelief. He gasped seeing Wisp slowly walk toward him through the smoke clearing from the attack. “No… no please…”
  “I warned you little boy,” Wisp uttered. His eyes almost looked like they were glowing. “It’s time to pay the piper child… Darkball, CAPTURE!!!” Two Darkballs flew out from Wisp’s jacket and stole Scyther and Psyduck from Frank’s pokéballs. They flew right back into Wisp’s waiting hands. Willow stood by quietly.
  Frank fell to the ground in tears. “Please… please give me my pokémon back. Don’t hurt them.”
  “You pathetic insect. You are not worthy of these pokémon. Team DarkPoké will train them to be strong. Now, leave if you know what’s good for you, or end up like your friends. Trust me, you would not want to suffer their fate.”
  Frank got to his feet and ran. Willow smiled slightly watching him run away.
  “Worthless people… C’mon Willow, we got what we came for.”
  “Oh… Yea…” Willow walked up to Wisp and held his hand.
  “Ugh huh?” Wisp looked slightly confused for a moment. “Willow…” Wisp’s eyes were normal again.
  “It’s ok… We can go now… The boss will be expecting us.” They walked together through the snow. At their destination, a helicopter slowly became visible.
  “Let’s go home.” The copter took off, leaving the once peaceful town of Boslin in despair.

  Well, our heroes are defeated and lose Pichu. Team DarkPoké's strongest two agents have taken another Ring of Destiny. They seem unstoppable. But what are the rings good for? And more important, what’s in store for poor Pichu? Those answers… on the next, Adventures of Icy & Sara.

The Fate of Pichu

Last time on The Adventures of Icy and Sara,
  Our heroes are still in Dark Cove but Team DarkPoké stole Pichu! Meanwhile, Team DarkPoké’s top two agents, Willow and Wisp, went to Boslin to steal another Ring of Destiny. What could they be up to?

…And now, our adventure continues…

{Opening scene plays with all new pokémon and Dark Cove pics and the new villain still in shadows wielding a copperish ring.}

  We find our heroes at the Dark Cove PokéCenter. Icy and Sara were sitting next to each other on the bench. Sara was still feeling bad about Pichu being stolen.
  “Icy, she’s gone…” Sara sobbed, crying on Icy’s shoulder. Icy put his arm around Sara to try to comfort her. Sara smiled just a little. She still felt bad, but she knew that Icy would never let anything bad to happen to Pichu.
  “Don’t worry Sara. We’ll save Pichu I promise.” Icy held Sara close to him and remembered when Sara had comforted him when Buttercup got injured fighting Magmar. Now Sara needed him more than ever. But where would they have taken Pichu.
  Trinity was holding Suihou in her lap. She looked over at Icy and Sara, then back down at Suihou. “They wanted both of them and nothing else…” Trinity wondered. “Don’t you think that’s kinda strange?”
  Lewis got his pokémon back from Nurse Joy and sat next to Trinity. “You ok?” he asked.
  “What? Of course I’m ok,” she answered turning her head away.
  “Oh right. Sorry.” Lewis looked at Suihou. “They were after him too,” he said.
  “Yeah, but that’s all they wanted. According to the people here, these thugs steal everything from a trainer. It just doesn’t make sense.”
  “Yeah, I know what you mean,” Lewis replied. “You know, I don’t think those scientists told us everything from their tests,” Lewis said looking suspiciously at Suihou.
  “What do you mean?” Trinity asked. She knew there was something strange about Suihou, but not knowing where it came from, she had nothing to base normal on. “Why would they not tell us something?” Trinity asked noticing Lewis beginning to move closer to her. “Grr…” she growled then placed her fist on Lewis’ head. “Down” she said coldly. Suihou giggled through the whole ordeal.
  “Icy. Would Mr. Icy please come up to the desk please? Your pokémon are all healed.”
  Icy went to the desk and took the pokéballs from Nurse Joy. He returned to the bench where Sara was still sitting with her head down. Icy sat down beside her again. “Sara c’mon. Everything’s gonna be alright.” Sara gave a little nod as Icy helped her up.
  “Are we leaving Icy?” Lewis asked.
  “Yeah.” Icy held Sara’s hand as the group left the PokéCenter.
  Once outside, the group started thinking where to begin looking for Pichu. All they knew was that Team DarkPoké was behind this and that Suihou was also a target. But where would they have taken Pichu?
  “Thank you sir,” said Lewis as a man walked away. “According to that guy, Team DarkPoké definitely has a HQ somewhere in town. I think Pichu may still be in Dark Cove. He didn’t tell me much more…”
  “That’s ok Lewis, at least we can be safe to assume they didn’t get too far,” Icy said, hoping to comfort Sara. “So now we just gotta find someone who knows where this HQ is.”
  “That won’t be easy. Seems they really terrorize this city. I don’t think many people would take the chance we are… Then again, we could always wait for them to come back for Suihou,” Trinity said looking at her bubbly pokémon. She didn’t want Suihou to be in unnecessary danger, but there had to be some way of finding Team DarkPoké.
  “Icy, what about those scientists? They said there was nothing special about Suihou, but Team DarkPoké only steals very rare and valuable things according to those people I spoke with. If Suihou is such an uninteresting pokémon, why steal just it and Pichu?”
  “Well, a Pichu isn’t exactly a rare pokémon,” Icy said.
  Sara interrupted him, “But my Pichu was a special one, remember? She had those really shiny gems around her neck. That’s not exactly normal for a pichu.”
  “True, but they were after both of them at once. Something just isn’t right here Icy. It feels as if we have been thrown into a situation predetermined, as if someone else is holding all the cards and knows our next moves. Think about it,” Lewis said while the group stared at him.
  “You may have a point there Lewis. As we were getting closer to Dark Cove, Mewtwo spoke with me.”
  The group gasped. “Wait, Mewtwo is involved in all this?” Lewis asked.
  “Possibly. But he didn’t seem like this was one of his schemes. He told me that he had come to warn me. Something about this whole continent has him on edge. He even mentioned something about Dark Pokémon, but not natural ones. He thinks someone is turning good pokémon into dark, evil pokémon. I bet this Team DarkPoké has something to do with it.”
  “Come to think of it, those uniforms did look familiar…” Sara spoke softly.
  “Huh? What did you say Sara?” Icy asked.
  “Well, remember when we were about to board the S.S. Anne II? Those two crooks were dressed very similar to those guys who just stole Pichu.”
  “Hey. And what about those two weirdoes at the off-shore mining rig? I think they had the same markings on their gear as those guys. This is really getting a little too weird now. I think Lewis might be right and we’ve walked into a trap. Something just doesn’t fit here…”
  “We need to figure out what’s really so special about not only Suihou, abut Pichu as well. Perhaps we are playing into somebody’s hand, but it’s time we start to change their luck. Let’s find those Team DarkPoké guys and get some answers!” Icy and the others nodded to each other and were about to get going when they suddenly stopped. “What? No way.”
  Everyone stepped back upon seeing who it was. “Well, not a very happy-to-see-me kinda group are you?” Mewtwo asked.
  “What are you doing here Mewtwo?” Icy said coldly. “If you just wanted to talk, you could always just take me, not all of them.”
  “I’m afraid that this time I must make an exception Icy. You and your friends are all involved now. I tried to warn you but as usual, you just never give up.”
  “Of course not. So what do all of us have to do with whatever it is you are thinking of?”
  “You already know the answer to that question Icy.” Mewtwo turned to Sara. “Sara, there is something special about that pichu you found. I can’t say what yet, but I do know that you and Icy must recover Pichu before it’s too late.”
  “Hey, hold on there… What about me and Trin?” Lewis asked. Trinity made a face at him for calling her Trin.
  Mewtwo looked down at Suihou. “Yes. You must ensure Suihou doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. I know we have had our differences in the past, but right now it would be in both our interests to work together.”
  “Well then help us Mewtwo,” Icy said. He looked over to Sara. “Pichu may have some really important power, but to Sara, she’s her friend, and we’ll do whatever it takes to get Pichu back. Maybe you could help us.”
  “I understand her feelings toward this pichu, so, I will attempt to find where she is. Please give me a moment.” Mewtwo glowed for a moment then spoke again. “She is still in Dark Cove. Those Team DarkPoké thieves have her. I can take you to them.”
  “Why not help us defeat them?” Sara asked.
  “I cannot. I no longer directly interfere with the world’s events. But I can still give you guidance. I will teleport you there. You should have your pokémon ready. Good luck Icy.”
  “Thanks I guess…” With that, the group found themselves standing outside a small warehouse.
  “This must be their hideout,” said Lewis.
  “Let’s just hope Pichu is in there and she’s alright.” Everyone nodded. “On the count of three.”

=====

  They counted to three then with the help of their pokémon broke down the door.
  “Hey, you kids can’t just barge in uninvited. Let’s teach these children a lesson and steal their pokémon in the process. Attack!!!”
  “You better give my girlfriend her Pichu back. We aren’t normal trainers,” Icy said clinching his fist.
  “Strong words, but we are Team DarkPoké. We are the most powerful pokémon team in the world. Do you really think you can defeat us and save your little friend?”
  “What kinda question is that?” Lewis asked, almost laughing.
  “You think you’re funny young man? We’re gonna teach all three of you a lesson for messing with other people’s business. Attack!!!”
  Icy took out a pokéball as did Lewis and Trinity. “Ready to fight, come in sight, Icy calls… Buttercup!!!”
  Lewis took out a pokéball with a Cyndaquil. “Go get them.”
  “Chikorita, I choose you!” Trinity called sending out the rainbow colored pokémon.
  “Don’t despair Trinity, I shall save Pichu,” Lewis shouted attempting to appear brave.
  “It’s Sara’s Pichu Lewis,” she said as Lewis quickly facefaulted. @_@;;
  “Hey, I don’t mean to butt in, but you can both help get my Pichu back,” Sara was saying.
  “STAY OUT OF THIS!!!” Lewis and Trinity replied.
  Meanwhile, the Team DarkPoké agents were rubbing their heads in amiss for the altercation going on with the kids. “I don’t know if we scared em into discussing defeat or if they are actually having a fight?”
  “Let’s make the most of the situation. Attack!”
  “Aren’t you forgetting someone?” Icy asked standing beside the leader of the squad.
  “Arggg, get off of me you dumb kid.” He went to throw his fist at Icy, but he was too slow for Icy’s teleporting powers. “Try making a fool out of me will ya, see how you like this!” The leader threw out his pokéball containing a Muk. “Hahaha, get him!”
  “You gotta be joking. Buttercup!” Buttercup didn’t need even psychic instructions to know what to do with this toxic waste pokémon. She fluttered into the air and fired down a massive psybeam, defeating the Muk with a single hit.
  “Haha kid, next time watch the real battle, haaahahaha, huh?” The lead DarkPoké trainer was about make his get away when he found Sara and Trinity blocking his path. “You are all persistent children. You’re attempt to stop us is worthless. It’s already too late for you all to make any difference in what will come.” The trainer looked done at Suihou and grabbed it.
  “HEY!!!”
  “Tah tah, ouuhfff,” he said slamming into Lewis. Actually, he stopped only a hair’s length in front of Lewis who was using his psychic powers to hold him still.
  “I think you should give Suihou to me right now.” He used his psychic power to force open his grip so Lewis could get back Suihou. Then, he let the trainer go.
  “You stupid kids. You have no idea what you have walked into.” Finally, the trainer vanished.
  “Look Trin, tada!!!” Lewis proudly held out Suihou to Trinity and puckered up hoping for a kiss.
  “Jeez Lewis, you had the guy right there and didn’t even think about trying to get Pichu!” Lewis sighed… another attempt at winning Trinity’s affection… crashes and burns.
  “Trinity!!! I’m sorry,” Lewis cried out before dropping his head. Suihou giggled and flew into Trinity’s arms.
  “Humph… C’mon everyone, we better find out where they took her now.” Lewis was still sorta motionless so Trinity finally grabbed him and dragged him along. “You are coming too, maybe you can redeem yourself.”
  “You mean it!” Lewis hit the ground as Trinity grunted, letting go of his shirt. “Ouch.”
  “You are hopeless you know that.”

  So the four trainers decided to follow the DarkPoké agents down the hallway the saw them flee, but meanwhile, we find it may be too late.
  “Is our little test subject ready?” asked a dark voice.
  “Almost sir. She’s being more of a pain, these little pokémon are always such a handful…”
  “It’s nothing you can’t handle. She wouldn’t be such a bother if you hadn’t lost that bubbly pokémon to those brat kids.”
  The agent lowered his head. “Sir, forgive me…”
  “Worthless. Redeem yourself by making this test a success within the hour. You led those children here I suppose. That brat Icy is a very clever and persistent trainer. He’ll follow a Butterfree to the ends of the Earth and back. As far as we know, that Pichu belonged to his little girlfriend, so he’s gonna look for it. When he finds her… I want Pichu to destroy her old friends. Fwaahhahahahaha.”
  “Yes… Yes sir.”

What evil plans does Team DarkPoké have in store for poor little Pichu? Will our heroes save her before it’s too late, or is it too late for them? Find out on the next Adventures of Icy & Sara: The Rings of Destiny.

Lost Heart

Last time on The Adventures of Icy and Sara,
  Our heroes are still in Dark Cove searching for Pichu when Mewtwo appeared and gave the group a hand, sending them to a secret entrance to Team DarkPoké's hideout. After clearing out the agents, Icy and friends head deeper into the hideout, hoping that they are not too late to save Pichu.

…And now, our adventure continues…

{Opening scene plays with all new pokémon and Dark Cove pics and the new villain still in shadows wielding a copperish ring.}

  "C'mon. That agent fled into these tunnels. If we follow them, they should lead straight to Pichu." Sara was second in the group; Icy leading the way. Trinity and Lewis took up the rear; Lewis using his psychic powers to sense if they were being followed.
  "Pichu's gonna be alright, right Icy?" Sara asked.
  "I hope so Sara. Don't worry, just be alert, and no matter what happens, we can't give up. These guys are obviously pokémon terrorists, and it's up to us to stop them."
  "There you go again, playing the hero of the world. You really should retire from that Icy," Trinity jested. Icy laughed a little, but it was true.
  "Hey, he'll be my hero if he saves Pichu," Sara said.
  "Icy, look out ahead!" Lewis shouted.
  Two pokéballs landed only inches in front of Icy. "Aggh, now what?"
  "Haa haa! You're not gonna spoil our plans you little twerps," said an agent.
  "End of the line for you kids, heh heh heh," chuckled a heavier agent.
  A Machamp and Nidoking appeared from the pokéball. The two agents shouted together, "Get them!"
  "Ok then. Let's do this. Ready to fight, come in sight. Icy calls!!!" Hocus appeared from Icy's pokéball. "HOCUS!!!" Icy's Kadabra appeared.
  "A Kadabra?!? Grrr, we can't let them pass, let's stop them." The two agents' pokémon charged at Hocus.
  "This is gonna be a breeze. You know what to do Hocus."
  "Right master." Hocus turned to the charging pokémon. "This is my competition. You've got to be joking." Hocus raised his spoon to the star on his forehead. "This battle is over…" Hocus pointed his spoon at Machamp and let loose a massive psybeam.
  "No way!!!" shouted Machamp's trainer as it succumbed to the effects of the psybeam. "Get up you worthless pokémon, aghhhh."
  "Hey, just because you're a no good rotten crook doesn't mean you should treat your pokémon that badly too," Lewis said making a fist.
  "Lewis, look out," Trinity said pushing Lewis down. Lewis looked up past her to see Nidoking's claws narrowly miss them both. Trinity winced slightly from the rough landing.
  "Thanks. Lemme return them the favor though," Lewis said managing to ready a pokéball. "Go Fearow!" Lewis' Fearow soared from its pokéball. "Get that Nidoking!" Fearow cried out as it began a nose-dive towards Nidoking.
  "This is going badly. You head back. Call for backup. There's no way we can let those kids make it to the main test lab." The other agent handed the first his pokéball and ran.
  "Icy, one's getting away," Trinity said.
  "Not so fast little missy." The other agent blocked Trinity's path as the fleeing agent vanished into the dark hallway. The agent smirked as his pokémon came charging back towards him.
  "I think I can get you to move," Trinity said smiling. She grabbed his jacket and did a high back-flip over the two charging pokémon.
  "AGGHHHH!!!" The agent was run down by the stampeding pokémon. While Nidoking and Machamp rubbed their heads wondering what had gone wrong, Icy and his friends took the opportunity to pursue the other agent.

Meanwhilst,
  A tall, dark clothed man walked up to a set of bars with a lock. "I thought you might be interested to know the person you've been waiting so long for has finally arrived. And… you both will see the newest member of my evil pokémon army."
  "You… monster…"
  "Now now. You hurt me when you speak like that. You should be happy. I've kept up my part of the deal too. Icy is here. Right now."
  A small child stood up. A small distance behind him, another small set of eyes opened. "What are you doing?"
  The man sneered. "I'm doing what you could never have accomplished. No matter how many lifetimes you'd have spent."
  "This wasn't what I wanted. You've twisted my ideas, stolen my identity… and… you're after Frosterpie now too aren't you?"
  "Frosterpie? Hah, that pathetic creature. Willis… you were deceived. Don't you understand?"
  Willis gasped. He dropped to he knees with small tears dropping from his cold eyes.
  "Frosterpie is of no use to me, nor you. It can't bring your parents back, and no matter how much you try, they'll never come back. You must accept that or you'll go insane… oh… wait, you already… have…" The man got closer to the bars, glaring down at Willis.
  Willis cried more. "I trusted you…"
  "You trust people too easily Willis. That's not my fault. Then again, perhaps you've placed too much trust in yourself, hahahaha."
  "What are you going to do to them?"
  The man grinned evilly. His shades glistened as the tiniest drop of sunlight ran across them. "She'll kill them," he said softly pointing towards the lab. The man began laughing cruelly.
  "No, you can't." Willis grabbed the bars, pleading with all his heart. "Please just leave them out of this…"
  The man turned around. "You feel their blood is still on your hands? Yes… This is all your fault. But, like I told you, it's not Frosterpie I'm after. I want something much more powerful." Just then, red security lights lit up and an alarm began ringing.
  "Intruder Alert. Sector 53H. South Tunnel. Automatic security functions engaged."
  "It's going to ruin my fun…" The man turned back around and adjusted his shades. "But it'll be even more fun killing them after they've made it this far." He laughed as he walked off, shutting the thick cell door. Willis watched as the darkness suffocated the last drops of light.

  "Icy, watch out." Icy ducked, narrowly missing the spears falling from the ceiling. "This whole place is filled with traps." Lewis growled.
  "What's with you?" Trinity asked.
  "Damn Mewtwo. He led us straight into a trap. I hate that genetic freak." Lewis slammed his foot against the wall. After a loud scream, he began hopping on one leg.
  "Lewis, watch your words. Suihou might take offense," Sara said.
  "Huh?"
  "Suihou, it isn't a natural pokémon, that's for sure."
  "You don't know that. Those scientists lied to us Sara. For all we know, Suihou is some long lost pokémon species."
  "Lewis, get real. Suihou has common attributes belonging to several families of pokémon. That's not natural, and if it were, we'd have discovered others. Plus, the fact I found this guy wandering around cities in the Spectral Islands doesn't help the natural type case," Trinity said.
  "Hey, I don't mean to interrupt, but do you think we could keep walking and talk too?" Icy said. Sara was starting to become impatient as well, every second thinking about what horrors could be happening to Pichu.
  "Sorry… Let's keep moving."

  "Camera 22K sir. Four trainers inside the tunnels. They're headed this way alright. Shall I flood the tunnel?"
  "No…"
  "But sir, at this rate, they'll discover our experiments."
  "I want them to."
  "I… don't understand sir."
  The dark man sneered. By his side, a large dog pokémon with a skull on its head growled. "I want them to meet their old friend. But just in case…" The man picked up a small round device.
  "That's still not fully tested… There's no telling where it'll go to."
  "Anywhere but here will be fine in the event this reunion goes sour. Just make sure the police don't follow them in here. This is a very private meeting."
  "Yes sir."
  The man turned to the two agents standing at attention by the exit. "You two. Wait here. After this, I'll find a new assignment for you."
  "Sir…"
  "Calm yourselves. I can handle this myself. You two are my best agents. I'd trust you with my life. Wait here until I get back."
  "Use caution sir. We'd never doubt you, but those trainers are clever. Please don't let them ruin our goals."
  "Heh heh. I'll give you two another top-level assignment for sure." With that, the man walked through the doors towards the main lab.
  "He's taking too many chances with that kid," Wisp said to his female partner.
  "He knows what he's doing… It's not our place to question him like that." Willow turned to Wisp. "You… you'd support this until the bitter end won't you…"
  "I'll support what my heart believes in."
  "Yes… as will I…" Willow turned back, running her hand down the wall.

  The man swiped his access card and the lab door clicked open. The air seal discharged and the door slowly swung inwards. "How's our little test subject doing?"
  "She's a stubborn one sir… I can't say for sure if she'll obey you yet, but her mind's pretty mixed up at this point."
  "She'll obey… especially once I have the other trigger." The alarm flashed again.
  "Intruders approaching Laboratory X. Security override in effect."
  "Sir… those intruders are headed this way… Shouldn't the security grid be turned on?"
  "Make her obey…" The man walked up into a control room overlooking the lab. The windows were tinted very dark making it impossible to see in.
  Icy and the others were almost to the lights they say ahead. "Wait wait!!!"
  Everyone stopped. "C'mon Lewis, what is it this time?"
  "I really have a bad feeling."
  "I'm cold," Sara said shivering. She held onto Icy, shaking still. "It's cold…"
  "What's going on?"
  They walked further down the tunnel. Sara got closer to Icy, shivering. "It's so cold here…"
  "Sara get a hold of yourself," Icy stated saying. His words were interrupted by the automatic door opening as a rush of cold air poured out. Icy shivered too for a moment.
  "Welcome, welcome. I've been expecting you all," said a strange yet familiar voice.
  "Who's there?" Icy asked.
  "Wouldn't you like to know. I have an old friend of yours I'd like you to meet." The man snapped his fingers as the metal casing around the center of the room slowly came down. Inside a glass casing was Pichu!
  "PICHU!!!" Sara shouted running towards the glass.
  "Sara, don't!!!" Icy was too late as Sara got thrown back from a forcefield around the glass case.
  "Owww… What was that?" Sara rubbed her back and got up. "You let Pichu go this instant or I'll, I'll…" The man snapped his fingers again and the glass casing was lowered. "Yea, now that's more like it." Sara started once again walking towards Pichu.
  "Sara, stop." Icy grabbed Sara's arm and held her back.
  "Let go of me. Pichu's right there don't you see. I'm gonna take her back so we can get out of here. I hate this place." Sara struggled but Icy's grip was too strong.
  "Sara, this has to be a trap," Lewis said. Trinity nodded. Suihou meanwhile was starring at the still Pichu.
  "Suuiii?"
  "Chuu…"
  "Suiiihou???"
  "Pi…chuu…"
  "SUI!"
  "PIIIIII---CHUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!" Pichu summoned a huge bolt of electricity and fried the little bubbly pokémon.
  "Suuuuiii… @_@" Suihou fell back and mumbled to itself.
  "Suihou? Hey Pichu, what's the big idea." Pichu wasn't giggling or laughing, rather, smiling, but evilly.
  "Something's not right for sure. I don't feel well here. We've stumbled right into the devil's lab," Lewis said.
  "Lewis, you're not making any sense. Let's just grab Pichu and scram." Trinity started heading towards Pichu when she felt a tugging on her pant leg. "What?" Suihou stood softly holding her back. "Suihou???"
  "Suiii… Suiii hou."
  "But… We can't just leave her here."
  "Suuuiii Suuuiii SUIHOU!!!!!!" Suihou turned to Pichu and fired a bubble cannon. Pichu didn't bother moving and reflected the attack without making a single hesitation. Suihou once again was knocked down.
  "What's Suihou doing Trinity? Revenge isn't called for right now."
  "It's not that. It's almost like, it's trying to warn us… Guys, I think we should leave…"
  Up in the control room, the man with the shades grinned. "You always were cunning…"
  Suihou stood up again. His eyes narrowed, almost inviting Pichu to attack him once more. Pichu growled, "Piiiiiii…" She crossed her paws, scrunching up, sent a super strong lightning attack towards Suihou.
  "No Suihou!" Trinity shouted.
  Suihou stood there as the lightning came closer and closer. Suddenly, just as the bolt was only an inch in front of him, Suihou's body started glowing. In an instant, the lightning reversed course and doubled in size.
  Trinity was shocked. "M-M-Mirror Coat?"
  "Pi? PICHU!!!!!!" Pichu screamed as her attack came back twice as strong.
  "Grr… Those insolent fools…" the man in shades groaned.
  Pichu panted and didn't look so good. Sara began approaching her again. Pichu didn't attempt to resist her this time.
  "Stop…" a voice said.
  Sara stopped suddenly, her body unable to move.
  "You four are quite impressive." The man was walking towards Suihou.
  "I don't think so," Trinity said recalling Suihou to its pokéball. "Who are you?"
  The man grinned. He slowly walked up to her. "Heh, heh, heh… Somehow, I thought you'd have guessed."
  Trinity thought.
  "I guess I was wrong. Oh well, it wouldn't have mattered." The man raised his hand revealing a device he had hidden.
  "Sara, grab Pichu qu--"

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

  Trinity wasn't able to finish her sentence before she felt a slight chill. "What the."
  "That's what I wanna know too," Icy said walking up to Trinity. "Where are we?"
  "I don't know, but it's cold." Trinity shivered a bit. "Cyndaquil, come out. Keep us warm with your flames please." Cyndaquil emerged and lit up the fires on his back.
  "That's a good move. Hey, where's Sara, and Lewis?"
  "I don't know… I think whatever that guy used teleported us somewhere."
  "Well, how are we gonna get back?"
  "What are you asking me for? Aren't you the genius who's always getting us out of these messes… or into them?"
  "Hey hey, ummm…"
  "Exactly," Trinity sighed pacing around Cyndaquil.
  "Look… sorry… It's getting late and we should sleep. This place seems pretty safe so how about calling it a night. In the morning we'll figure out where we are."
  "Ok."
  "I just hope Sara is alright."
  "I'm sure she's fine."

Meanwhile,
  "ICY!!!!!!!" Sara yelled. Lewis covered his ears for the last time.
  "Enough already. We've been separated Sara. Instead of yelling out his name, let's try finding him."
  "How are we supposed to do that?"
  "I dunno, but since we are both psychics, maybe we can track each other."
  "You can do that?"
  "I think so."
  "Well, what are we waiting for."
  "Alright alright…" Icy focused his psychic strength on searching for Lewis.

Back in Dark Cove,
  "Sir, why did you let them in here? We've worked so hard to keep this lab a secret."
  "Those children are not gonna interfere with us anymore."
  "And what are you gonna do about that trigger? We weren't able to capture it while it was here."
  "It used an attack on Pichu. Surely you can find some DNA."
  "Well… yes, but, there's no way we'll find enough of the strand to reproduce it."
  "Are you saying the most brilliant scientist in Dark Cove can't even genetically engineer a simple water bubble pokémon?"
  "Sir, I can of course try, but the results are not guaranteed. You remember what happened when Giovanni had Mewtwo created. We are not meant to play God here."
  "Throw you petty ethics and ideas aside and begin the project."
  "Yes sir…" The scientists all got to work on creating the lab needed to perform genetic pokémon engineering while the head scientist scowered for DNA samples of the original Suihou. "Forgive me Mewtwo… Humans aren't meant to do these things…"

Meanwhile,
  Trinity shivered slightly. She was trying very hard not to show it too, but Icy finally had had enough.
  "Here, sit closer, I'll be fine further away from Cyndaquil."
  "Huh? What are you talking about?"
  "You're cold. I don't need my psychic powers to realize that."
  Trinity looked away almost embarrassed. "Thanks…"
  The two cold trainers sat quietly around Cyndaquil's warm flames for a few minutes before Icy finally spoke up again. "You miss him… don't you?"
  "Stop it…"
  "Why? C'mon, it's pretty obvious you two would really be right for each other if you'd both give it a chance."
  Trinity just grunted and turned to face Icy with a stern look. "What other thoughts do you read in people's minds you sick little boy."
  "EEH!!!!" Icy stood still, shocked at Trinity's accusation. "I… I… I didn't mean it like that, err, I don't read, aagghhhhh… Ok sorry, sorry, forget I brought it up…"
  "Ya, just… forget about it…"

  Sara was growing more bored by the minute as Lewis tried his best to locate Icy. She started to roll her fingers on the ground to further express her impatience. Finally, her negative aura was becoming too much for Lewis to ignore. But, as his attention shifted, something else bothered him.
  "Now that's none of your business," Lewis said almost in astonishment.
  Sara blushed. She was pretty good at masking her thoughts from Icy, mainly because he'd read her mind way too fast, faster than she could.
  "Hahahaha," Lewis laughed as Sara's cheeks became redder.
  "Oh stop it!!! You're so mean, no wonder Trinity doesn't wanna go out with you." Sara stuck her tongue out at Lewis.
  "Now that's quite unladylike isn't it? I apologize for eavesdropping, but…"
  "But…? I'm right aren't I? You really truly… have feelings for Trinity, don't you?"
  "I… well that is…"
  "It's ok, she's not a bad catch ne? Why don't you tell her?"
  "What?!? You must be joking. You've seen the way she treats me. She's too independent… and lately, she's got a lot weighing on her mind…"
  "You know, you can use your gifts to your advantage, well… not like that… umm, but like, you know what she likes and stuff and and… hmmmmm…"
  "Thanks Sara. I really appreciate your advice and all, but, really, it's fine."
  "Is it? You'd be fine without her? Is that why you're sweating right now?"
  "You know, I'm beginning to wonder how Icy puts up with you."
  Sara pouted harshly.
  "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, please don't hit me," Lewis said smiling as Sara hid the mallet she'd pulled out of nowhere. "Ok. You're right… but… lately, something's been bothering her, so I don't wanna become another burden."
  "What do you mean?"
  "I don't know for sure yet. From what I can tell, it has something to do with her brother. The feelings were really strong just before we all got separated."

Back in Dark Cove,
  "It's over for you now," the tall man said leaning up to the bars.
  "You're lying."
  "Heh, I won't be soon. They'll never make it back here in time, and now, I've got the final key to the puzzle."
  "Lemme go… You don't need me anymore."
  "I'd love to do that, I really would. But, you do realize, this is all your own doing. Hahahahaha, you've created this entire nightmare. But this time, I'm going to let the nightmare come to an end. No more endless searching, no more pain and sleepless nights. I'll put everything right."
  "You're crazy. And you don't make any sense at all."
  "You blind little boy. You've yet to realize what all this is, even though you yourself created it. So many times, we have grown, yet you come back here the same each time. Well, this time, I've decided to put an end to our little dream. While you continued your useless search to get Frosterpie, I've been looking for a greater power. You see, we started out the same, but now, one dream has become greater than the other."
  "What does that have to do with me!"
  "Heh heh heh heh heh. I can't let you mess up time any further. Every time I came close, you're futile attempt at capturing Frosterpie set me back. But if I keep you here, you can't change the past again. This timeline will be the dominant path, and my destiny will be fulfilled at last."
  "Change the past?" The boy stared at the little pokémon behind him.
  "I have work to do. Don't go anywhere, haaahahahahaha!" The man laughed evilly as he exited the dungeon.
  "Why can't I understand this??? Somehow, I feel I know more than I really do."

  "Sara… You really do think Trinity likes me? Even though she's always chewing me out?"
  "Huh? Well, I can't say for certain, but it kinda does. I think she's just too uptight to admit it face to face ya know."
  "Oh."
  "You could tell her first too."
  "What!?! That's crazy…"

  "Icy…"
  Icy was curled up tight, trying to stay as warm as possible. "Huh?"
  "You really think Lewis cares about me… like, as a person and such?"
  "He's not a bad guy Trinity. And yes, I truly think he cares about you, but he's not sure how to show it… That's normal," Icy said smiling a little.
  Trinity rocked back and forth a little. "Oh…"
  "You can't admit you like him back…, or… it's something else?"
  "…"
  "You have something much more important weighing on your mind right now. I don't want to pry, but, you should know I'm here to help if you need it."
  "…it's not anything you need to get involved in…"
  Icy shook his head. "Please, I know you don't want me involved, but it's a little late for that now."
  "You don't understand…" Trinity turned away. "I think there's more to this than I originally thought."
  "It's too late to be holding out on me, or the others. What's going on Trinity?"
  "…"
  "Trinity… I need you to just tell me. It has to do with Team DarkPoke right?"
  Trinity gasped. This was it, she'd tell him now. "That man we met… was Willis, my brother, Willis."

  "Searching Sector 65J… No trace elements found. Searching Sector 66J… No trace elements found." The computer voice continued to cycle through sectors of the continent as the man rolled his fingers along the desk.
  "You seem bored sir. Would you like us to capture some more valuable pokémon for your experiments while you wait?" Wisp asked.
  "It'll find it any moment. I don't give this task to anyone else besides you two. I trust you both more than anyone."
  "We're honored sir," Willow and Wisp answered.
  "Searching Sector 24K… Trace elements found. Magnifying sector." The dome was filled with a complete image of the area and a blinking light. "Multiple trainers detected in area." In a lower section, a data box appeared listing the trainers in the area. Among them was a particularly high-level trainer with Dugtrio and Sandslash.
  "There it is. You wanted to bring me back a present, go and steal this trainer's pokémon. According to the current images, it seems there are several other trainers in this area, so be sharp. That ring is the top priority. Don't make yourselves known until you've got it."
  "Yes sir. We shall not fail." Willow and Wisp saluted and exited the room to commence their orders.
  "Very soon, I will be the most powerful person on Earth!"

Legend of the Rings

Last time on The Adventures of Icy and Sara,
  Finally, our heroes found Pichu, but their reunion was all but a happy one. Team DarkPoke had already transformed Pichu into an evil pokémon. Suihou was able to learn mirror coat and temporarily stun Pichu, but just before Sara could recover Pichu, the leader of Team DarkPoke teleported the group to separate places! Now, not knowing where they are, or where their friends have gone, our heroes begin searching for each other.

…And now, our adventure continues…

{Opening scene plays with all new pokémon and Dark Cove pics and Willis wielding a copperish ring standing beside Houndoom.}

  "Any luck locating Icy," Sara asked Lewis.
  "C'mon Sara, you can't keep asking me every 5 minutes. I can barely concentrate. In any event, I think we should try to find our way back to Dark Cove."
  "Oh," Sara said. That would be what Icy'd have done, or at least, she hoped that was what he'd do.
  "Well. You coming?" Sara snapped to and hurried to catch up to Lewis.
  "Wait for me!"
  "I'll try to find a place with a lot of people. Someone should be able to tell us where Dark Cove is, or at least where we are."

  "We need a new plan…" Trinity grumbled.
  "Agreed. How about trying to get back to Dark Cove?"
  "We have no idea where Dark Cove is, let alone where we are."
  "Well… Let's find people. There's gotta be a town out here, or maybe a trainer around who can help us."
  "Fine."
  "Ok then."
  "Let's go," Trinity said grudgingly.
  "Ok ok…" Icy said starting off. The two trainers went into the snow covered landscape in search of someone to help them find their way back.

But meanwhile…
  "We're about 10 minutes away from the target. I'll set you down on the outskirts so you aren't seen. Call me at the usual time for a pickup."
  "Thank you," Wisp said.
  "Another standard mission really…" Willow said coldly.
  "What's with you lately? This isn't just another mission. Collecting those rings is the team's top priority and we should be honored the boss selects us to carry it out every time."
  "Yea… Still…"
  "Tell me what is bothering you. We can't have our emotions getting in the way of this mission got it?"
  Willow gasped. Wisp always got this way during missions, and at first she enjoyed the total attention to the goal, but now, he seemed too intense.
  "Willow???" Wisp barked.
  "I got it. I'll be ready," Willow replied.
  Wisp checked his pokéballs and jumped off the helicopter. Willow followed and the pilot flew away.
  "Ok then," Wisp said pulling out a device. "The ring is in one of the local caves. Unfortunately, we must assume that local residents will be hanging around these caves so we'll need to be very careful."
  "Understood. Murkrow, scout out the immediate area. Make sure you stay out of sight though." Willow's Murkrow flew out towards the caves while Wisp set up some other computers.
  "Umbreon, come out." Wisp released Umbreon. "Stand guard around this area to make sure we are not bothered." Umbreon barked in compliance and began patrolling the perimeter.
  "What are you setting up over there?" Willow asked.
  "It's a direct interface to our main systems. We'll be able to scan for any trainers faster with this."
  "Oh."
  "I know you are mad at me Willow," Wisp said softly.
  "Huh, I told you, I am totally ready for this mission."
  "No, it's not that, you are upset about all of this, I can tell."
  "I just want this to be over with soon. I don't doubt Willis, but I think he is beginning to act strangely."
  "You know that's not for us to decide."
  "What? Willis keeps that child and pokémon locked up down there. Are you telling me that a little boy and his pokémon are actually that much a threat to the boss?"
  "I told you. This is not something we will get into. Is that understood?"
  "Think for yourself for once Wisp."
  Wisp's eyes burned. He struggled to control the anger building inside. "Willow stop this… I will regret something for sure if this continues."
  "Fine. But, you must consider my words. After this mission, we must try."
  "After this mission." Wisp's monitor began beeping as a signal showed up. "We've got company." Wisp ran back and readied his pokéball.
  "Murkrow isn't back yet."
  "Use Umbreon. We don't have much time, the trainer is closing in." Umbreon showed up quickly, already sensing the incoming trainer. It growled as to signal its masters.
  "I know, you'll be fighting with me this time." Umbreon glowered and nodded quickly. "Alright then, we must capture the trainer for the duration of the mission."
  "Agreed. Until the ring is found, we are not to blow our cover."
  "I have just the thing," Willow said pointing to a bottle of Jigglypuff Sleeping Pills. "These will knock the trainer out for a few hours."
  "Get ready."

  A young boy came running up the hill followed by a Rattata. "Hmm, I was sure I saw that Murkrow flying in this area. That pokémon would be a great addition don't you think so Rattata?"
  "He thinks he can steal my Murkrow???" Willow stated angrily to Wisp.
  "Shhh, calm down."
  The boy looked around. "There's nothing out here." He started heading back when he paused for a moment. Rattata was sniffing around the site and heading closer to Willow and Wisp. "What the matter Rattata?"
  The rat came closer and closer until its eyes looked up at the severely displeased expressions on Willow's and Wisp's faces. "You stupid rat; you shoulda left while you had the chance." Umbreon lunged from behind Willow and tackled the Rattata hard.
  "Hey, what's going on? Rattata, oh no, are you alright?" The kid rushed over the Rattata to see if it was ok. He looked over to see Willow and Wisp, who were looking even more displeased. "You two losers should mind your own business."
  "Ok, that just does it." Willow stood up and pointed at the kid. Umbreon instinctively knew exactly what she wanted. It growled menacingly at the boy and lunged at him with incredible speed.
  "Aghhh!! Hey, hey, call it off! What the heck kind of trainers are you???" The boy ran in circles as Umbreon chased.
  "Willow, calm yourself." Wisp tried to calm his female partner down, but it was no use. Granted the kid had dug his own grave with the capturing Murkrow part, Willow was completely out of control.
  Umbreon finally hit the kid and he fell into the snow covered plains. "Oww…" Umbreon got up close, growling at the kid. "Oh my Goddish, don't eat me!"
  "Ha ha ha, I'm not gonna let Umbreon eat you. But you are going to have to sleep for a while." Willow forced open the kid's mouth and made him swallow one of the sleeping pills. Soon after, he was fast asleep.
  "His only pokémon is this Rattata," Wisp said with his boot holding down the rat by its tail.
  "Apparently so. Let's just release it."
  "Yea, I like that idea. Besides, it's of no use to us." Wisp released Rattata from the pokéball and destroyed it. "Alright you; scram or I'll let Umbreon here have an early dinner." Umbreon licked its chops. Rattata knew it was a definite entree and sped off into the mountains.
  "Hahahaha!!! Now, let's get that ring." Willow and Wisp began searching again for the ring.

  "HELLO!!!"
  "IS ANYBODY OUT THERE!!!"
  "Please Sara, you really don't need to keep doing that." Lewis tried to concentrate again.
  "Humph, and I suppose you are leading us in the proper direction?" Lewis shrugged then hopped out of the way of a speeding Rattata. Sara narrowly missed being knocked down by Rattata as it ran off into the distance.
  "What in the world?"
  "Something seemed to have spooked the little guy."
  "Maybe it was escaping from a trainer?"
  "Hey, that would mean there are people around here somewhere," Sara said happily.
  "Exactly."
  "Let's keep moving then."

  "What do you think?" Icy turned to Trinity.
  "It's them alright. I can't tell what they are up to, but they got lots of computers there."
  "Be careful. They have an Umbreon with them. It looks pretty well trained."
  "You telling me that I'd lose."
  "No, but those two agents rarely use their pokémon in battles."
  "Ok…"
  "Let's follow 'em but keep our distance."
  "Got'cha, let's move."

  Willow and Wisp continued walking along the snow-covered path in search of the ring as Murkrow came into sight. Willow raised her arm as Murkrow perched itself upon it. "What did you find Murkrow?"
  "Krowwww, murkrow mur mur murrrrkrow," the dark bird answered. Willow listened carefully until finally she turned to Wisp.
  "So?"
  "Murkrow says there's a mining facility not far from here. It's likely the ring is somewhere in that mine. What does your computer say?"
  "Looks like it's in the vicinity north of us. Does that match up?"
  "Murkrow?" Willow asked. Murkrow nodded its head. "Yea. Guess all that's left is making the steal now."

  Keeping their distance, Icy and Trinity backed away again. "They are headed north now?" Trinity said.
  "Did you catch what it was they are searching for?"
  "Something about a ring."
  "Never heard of any special rings…"
  "Me neither."
  The two peeked out to make sure they didn't lose track of Willow and Wisp. Icy's thoughts suddenly focused in on something else.

  "IIIIIIICCCCCYYYYY!!!"
  "Sara, please. What if there are evil trainers out here, or worse yet, those Team DarkPoke goons. You wanna give away our position?"
  "But…"
  "Look, I'm trying to locate Icy via telepathy; it's the safest… huh?"
  "What? What is it Lewis?" Lewis stood there silently. This required more. Taking out her thin-air hammer, she clobbered Lewis. "WHAT IS IT!!!"
  Lewis, seeing thousands of Cyndaquils and Fearows dancing around his head slowly got up. "Owww… what the heck?!? Where the hell do you keep that blasted thing?"
  "Well… maybe that'll teach you to answer next time."
  "Oh yea. I found Icy."
  "WHERE!!!"
  "Aghh, please don't hit me again. I think he's somewhere in that direction. I can't get a fix on the exact spot yet, but his brain patterns will become clearer as we get closer."
  "Yippie!!! Icy, here we come!"

  "Almost there. The ring definitely is in this cave." Willow was first to go in.
  "Halt!" a voice said.
  "What? Who's there?" Wisp shouted angrily.
  An old woman approached them. "You youngens. What business do you have here?"
  "Old lady, it would be a shame to hurt you, so please run along."
  "Young man, I do not think you take my advice seriously." An Alakazam materialized behind her. "Come with me… I shall teach you something about this cave."

  From a distance, Icy and Trinity listened. "Aren't you interested in knowing about this cave?"
  "Yes. But that old lady should see through those two… why isn't she?"
  "Wait wait."
  The old woman began leading Willow and Wisp away from the cave. Suddenly, the two agents and their pokémon vanished. "You two… come out."
  Icy and Trinity peaked out from the rocks. "Sorry m'am, we are not…"
  "I know who you two are."
  "Then you…"
  "Come with me," the old lady said to Icy and Trinity.
  "Where are you gonna take us?" asked Icy. The old lady said nothing as she continued walking. Icy and Trinity decided to follow her.
  Meanwhile, Sara and Lewis were getting closer to Icy and Sara. "Hold on Sara," Lewis said. "They aren't alone."
  "What do you mean?" Sara asked with a worried tone.
  "Not sure, but they are moving, towards that village down there." Lewis pointed at the small collection of houses at the foot of the hill.
  "So what are we waiting for? Let's go catch up to them."
  "Yea, ok." Lewis still seemed a little uneasy.
  The old lady led Icy and Trinity to a small house. "Please enter and rest. You both look like you've had a long journey." Icy thanked the lady for her hospitality and he and Trinity entered the house. From a distance, Sara and Lewis watched. Lewis had created a psychic barrier around them to keep hidden.
  "Are we gonna go in too?" Sara asked.
  "Let me try to talk to Icy first." Lewis focused his thoughts on Icy.
  
  
  
  "Ok. Let's go Sara." Lewis and Sara approached the house and entered. Sara immediately ran to Icy and hugged him.
  "Icy!!" she cried.
  "Oh Sara. I'm glad to finally see you again."
  "I was so worried when we got separated."
  "It's ok now."
  Trinity watched the happy reunion then looked over at Lewis. "H..hey, I'm uh, glad you are alright."
  "Oh, ya, well, you know me, heh heh heh," Lewis said rubbing the back of his head. Trinity blushed just a little.
  "Well, so these are your friends? Fine, I will share my tale with them as well."
  "I'm sorry m'am, but what is this tale about?" Lewis asked.
  "Just listen and you will understand." The old lady passed out cups of an herbal tea she'd made and then began.
  "As I said, I know who you all are." She pointed at Icy. "You, child, you have a very interesting history… Icy, the Pikachu trainer. And at one point, your path crossed with an ancient pokémon civilization - Pokétropolis."
  Icy thought back, recalling the search he and his friends went on the find Frosterpie.
  "You uncovered a very special pokémon, Frosterpie. But, that is not all that has survived since the fall of Pokétropolis." The old lady pulled out an ancient stone tablet with strange pictures and words on it. "Besides Frosterpie, the rulers of Pokétropolis sent out five special pokémon, each entrusted with special rings."
  "These pokémon are still alive today, like Frosterpie?"
  "According to legend, yes." The old lady pointed out the rings. "It is said that these rings, otherwise known as the Rings of Destiny, would bring forth a silver pokémon whose beauty and power exceed that of any known pokémon. But, the rings themselves were so powerful, the pokémon scattered them, entrusting these five pokémon Guardians to ensure their safety."
  "But… if the rings were scattered, this silver pokémon won't ever appear," Trinity stated.
  "True, however, according to the tale, the pokémon believed that the rings posed a serious threat to them, and keeping them separated was in their best interest."
  "So, one of these rings is here?"
  "Yes. We uncovered it a few days ago."
  "But… then why did those two crooks head to the cave?"
  "Ah, I may be old, but I still know some tricks. We placed a fake in the caves. Surely you've heard about the sinking of the S.S. Anne II."
  Icy froze. "W…What did you say?"
  "The S.S. Anne II. It sank about a month ago. Amongst its cargo was one of the rings."
  
  "You kids should really pay attention to the events in the world."
  "We were on board that ship. I saw the crooks who ended up stealing that ring. They are known as Team DarkPoke." Suddenly the lights went dim.
  "Sorry to spoil your story…" Willow said.
  "…but you already know it has a happy ending…" Wisp continued.
  "…For us!" they said in unison.
  "Team DarkPoke?!?" Icy reached for a pokéball.
  "Ah, not so fast kiddo," Wisp said. Sara struggled in his arms. "The ring or you'll regret ever meeting this girl." Willow stood still to the side. This really wasn't her taste, but Wisp had the perfect bait.
  "Let Sara go now." Icy's eyes angrily stared at Wisp.
  "Leave that child out of this you spineless coward. Really, using an innocent child to gain for yourself?" the old lady started.
  "Old bag, you may have delayed our capture of that ring, but even your parlor tricks are nothing compared to us. Very well, we shall settle this in a more reasonable fashion." Wisp shoved Sara into Icy caused her to fall over him. "Pokémon battle…"
  Willow and Wisp released there pokémon, Murkrow and Steelix. The old lady released her Alakazam. "You children, leave here. This battle is not yours."
  "But, m'am, these guys aren't to be underestimated. Allow us to help you," Lewis started.
  "I have everything under control!" Alakazam charged in with spoons ready.
  "Heh. Idiot…" Umbreon jumped in front of Alakazam and used its faint attack. Alakazam fell to the ground, struggling to get back on its feet.
  "The ring old hag, you have lost in a match you started. Honor your end as we have."
  "M'am, you can't. They already have two of the rings; what about the legend?"
  "I made my terms already. I cannot disgrace my name, even if it means giving up the ring."
  "Let us fight in your place," Icy said after checking to be sure Sara was alright.
  Wisp walked up to the group. "I want that ring now woman. Do not make me ask for it again."
  Lewis had had quite enough and charged at Wisp. "How dare you speak like that, you…" Wisp's fist stopped Lewis cold.
  "Ha. You pathetic trainers. All of you." The old lady gave Wisp the ring. "Excellent. Hahahahaha. And now, for being such a good sport, we will be taking your Alakazam with us as well. Dark Ball, GO!" Wisp released a dark ball from his belt and threw it at Alakazam. It immediately captured it and returned to Wisp's hand.
  "What! That was not part of this battle. Return my Alakazam at once."
  "Oh, I'm so sorry, but I forgot to mention we don't play fair. And just to show you how ruthless we can be, we'll be destroying this village now too." Wisp clicked a button and explosions began ringing out from all directions.
  "Everyone, hang on!" Icy said glowing. With all his energy, he teleported the group to safety as the village began going up in flames.
  Off in the distance, they saw Team DarkPoke's helicopter. "Thanks kids. Oh and good luck trying to rescue your little Pichu. She loves her new master, hahahaha!!!"
  Sara growled and balled her fist. "I'll kill you if you even touch her you horrible losers!!!" Had Icy not been holder her back, she'd have tried running after the helicopter all the way back to Dark Cove probably.
  "Our village…" the old lady said. "And my Alakazam…"
  "It's not your fault," Icy said trying to comfort her.
  "Icy… You have the key that could bring the Silver Pokémon here. You must not let them find the final rings. I fear the destruction that those rings are capable of would be much worse than my village."
  "I understand."
  "Please, you all. You all must stop them."
  The group nodded and Icy released Cyber. "We need to get back to Dark Cove and destroy that secret base this time. Cyber, mode change! Automobile program execute." Cyber glowed and transformed into a car. "Let's go everyone. To Dark Cove!"

  As our heroes speed off into the distance, we wonder just what this Silver Pokémon could be. Will Icy and his friends be in time to stop Team DarkPoke from completing their evil plot? Find out next time on the Adventures of Icy and Sara.

Suihou's Counterattack

Last time on The Adventures of Icy and Sara,
  Icy and his friends were reunited after being separated by the leader of Team DarkPoke. After arriving in a small village, an elder told them the legend about the Rings of Destiny. Then, Team DarkPoke attacked and stole the ring.

…And now, our adventure continues…

{Opening scene plays with all new pokémon and Dark Cove pics and Willis wielding a copperish ring standing beside Houndoom.}

[ Team DarkPoke Headquarters ]
  "How goes our experiment?" Willis asked the lead scientist.
  "So far, all the test clones are responding well, but we still have a long way to go before I can give you any definite answers."
  Willis wasn't pleased, but be nodded. "Very well, continue with the process and keep me updated." He turned and left the lab. "It won't be long now." He turned to Pichu. "Don't worry. I have big plans for you."
  Willis returned to his office where Willow and Wisp were waiting. "Sir, mission complete." Willow presented the ring.
  "Excellent work you two. Now all we need are the last two."
  "What about the second trigger, Suihou?" asked Wisp.
  "We no longer need to worry about him. Our scientists are already working on cloning it now."
  Willow decided this was far enough. She remembered the terrible events caused the last time humans cloned pokémon - Mewtwo. "Sir, I cannot avoid this any longer." Wisp looked at her, upset already knowing what she was about to say. "When you started this mission, it was as any of our other endeavors. But now we are holding a child and a strange pokémon prisoner, and now this - cloning? Sir, I mean no disrespect or mistrust, but I feel we should be aware of just what your intentions are."
  Willis stared at Willow, then at Wisp. "Very well… I can understand your frustration Willow." Willis turned to the monitors lining the spherical office. "Computer, show Project Destiny, document 3B." Strange writing appeared all over the walls.
  "That's ancient Pokélantian isn't it?" Wisp asked.
  "Correct. I wonder if you still recall that mission I had you two meet with the research team in Sepson."
  "Yea. You gave us a very special package and instructed us not to open it. So this was its contents?"
  "It's a pity those scientists weren't able to see things our way afterwards." Willis waved his hand across the screens and a translated version appeared. "Their research uncovered the existence of a power far greater than even Mewtwo."
  "The rings. But, why lock away that kid?"
  Willis lowered his head and closed his hand causing the screens to go dark. "He is a threat to this operation."
  "With all due respect, he's just a little kid."
  "You two are too nosey."
  Wisp was about to apologize when Willow continued, "No, We must know why you are having us do these things."
  Willis grunted angrily. Houndoom joined him. "Very well. That child is from the past." Willow and Wisp gasped. "In addition, he is my past, more like my forgotten self."
  "No way. How is that possible?"
  "The pokémon he has is named Chronos. It's a Celebi, a pokémon with the power to travel through time."
  "So that is why. But, how can your younger self be in this time period?"
  "That's not something I know nor do I care about." Just then the phone rang. "One moment." Willis answered the phone.
  Willow turned to Wisp who seemed displeased. "Are you satisfied now?" Willow nodded.
  "You two should come with me. I will show you why we are cloning." Willow and Wisp exchanged glances and followed Willis.
Meanwhile…
  "Cyber, how long until we get to Dark Cove?" Cyber hummed for a second then displayed a map with their position and destination.
  "Are we close?" Sara asked Icy.
  "Looks like we will be there in ten minutes. Don't worry, Pichu will be okay."
  "I hope so." Icy held Sara close to him. Lewis and Trinity sat in the back.
  "She really does care a lot about that Pichu," Trinity said out loud to no one.
  "I'm sure you'd feel the same if they had captured Suihou too."
  "Ya." Trinity could feel herself blushing and turned away.
  Lewis decided this was a good opportunity to prove himself to Trinity. "Hey, if they had taken Suihou, they'd have me to deal with."
  "I told you already; I can take care of myself."
  "I know that. But, you can't take care of both of you without a little help."
  Trinity's eyes widened. "How, oh… so you know too."
  "Since that first encounter in PokéPowers' laboratory, ya, I sensed your concerns."
  "You are prying into matters that don't concern you…"
  Lewis interrupted her. "…Your being happy concerns me," he shouted and then blushed.
  Trinity stared at him. Icy and Sara looked back to be sure everything was ok. "You… really mean that?" For the first time in a long while, she actually felt, almost attracted to someone.
  Lewis nodded. "Ya."
  Trinity was at a loss for words. "Thanks Lewis," she said in a quiet voice. This was different from someone babying her; Lewis' feelings were much more sincere.
  "Hey, we are almost to Dark Cove," Icy shouted to the back area. Lewis and Trinity both nodded.
  Sara wasn't saying anything and Icy could tell she was thinking about Pichu.
  "Sara..." Icy said softly. "Please stop looking so sad. We are gonna get Pichu back and she'll be fine. So cheer up and let me see your beautiful smile." Sara managed to smile just a little. "There you go," Icy said giving her a hug. Sara's smile got bigger being close to him.

Meanwhile,
  Willis led Willow and Wisp into the main lab where the cloning process was already underway.
  "Ah Willis, I'm glad you were able to stop by on such short notice. Oh and agents Willow and Wisp; I am honored to meet you," said the lead scientist. He led the three into the main test chamber where there were four test tubes containing pokémon which resembled Suihou.
  "So many," Willow commented.
  "Yes. Cloning is still not an exact science yet so in order to reduce the odds of failure we have initiated four tests. So far, all of the Suihous are responding and developing normally."
  "How long before they are complete?" Willis asked.
  "It's hard to say at this stage. I predict that we will have an answer within the day though."
  "Excellent work. Continue to keep me informed on your progress."
  "Yes sir," the scientist said leading them back out.
  "Amazing sir. So you will not need the real Suihou anymore?"
  "That's correct. And we've already got Pichu."
  Willow pulled Wisp aside for a moment. "You don't think the boss cloned Pichu as well?"
  "Shhhh... It's not our concern."
  "Did you say something?" asked Willis. Both agents shook their heads. "The computer is still searching for the 4th and 5th rings. Once I've located them, Team DarkPoke will be unstoppable. Hahahaha."
  "What are our orders in the meantime?" asked Wisp.
  "You've both been working very hard lately. Why don't you take the rest of the day off and meet me tomorrow afternoon."
  "Are you serious?"
  "Yes. You two could use some time away from the office."
  "Thank you sir," they said bowing. They proceeded to exiting Willis' office.
  Willis looked down at the dark dog pokémon by his leg. "We're so close now. Soon the power of the ancient pokémon will be reawakened. Nothing can stand in my way now."

  "The entire rest of the day off…" Wisp mumbled.
  "C'mon. I'm not about to let you waste it doing nothing. We rarely get time to ourselves. Let's make the most of it."
  "Alright. I suppose we do have some due R and R to catch up on."
  "Great." Willow ducked into the locker area and changed into more casual clothing. "C'mon, get dressed so we can go. Can't be scaring people while off-duty."
  "Ok… ok…" Wisp went and got changed into casual clothes as well as they set out into the streets of Dark Cove.
  "I'm kinda hungry. Do you think we could find some place nice to eat at?"
  "Well… I was thinking about taking you to the new Le'Wobba-fet restaurant that just opened. I've heard it got excellent reviews."
  "Aww, that's sweet. Shall we then?"
  "Yes." Willow smiled as Wisp took her hand and the two walked down the road to the Le'Wobba-fet.

  About that time, Cyber entered the Dark Cove city limits. They didn't notice Willow and Wisp as they sped by, headed for the PokePowers tower.
  "Alright, almost there," Icy said.

  Red lights started flashing in the main lab. "Oh no. No, please, not now, we are so close!"
  Willis entered the lab. "What's happening?"
  "Sir, this lab isn't safe."
  "Damnit, tell me what's gone wrong!"
  "Well sir, the clones brain patterns are becoming erratic. This type of activity shouldn't occur in non-psychic pokémon though. I am trying to repair the clones, but there's a chance we could lose them."
  Another scientist, a female, ran to the main scientist carrying a clipboard. "Doctor, Suihou 4 is fading. There's not much left."
  "No…" He watched the tube as the physical tissues that had been forming a replica of Suihou began degrading until there was nothing left. "We have lost one. What are the vitals of the other three?"
  "Suihou 2 is fading now, the other two are still erratic, but we can compromise. Doctor, I can save those two, but Suihou 2 will not make it."
  "Fine. Two is better than none." Willis nodded and the female scientist began working on fixing the brain waves of the remaining two Suihous as Suihou 2 dissolved.
  "Conditions are stabilizing. Suihou 1 had returned to normal, but Suihou 3 remains active. Nothing dangerous and within normal parameters, but, there's much more activity in it."
  "What does this mean?" Willis asked.
  "We won't know for certain until the cloning process is fully complete. It should only take a few more minutes I hope."
  "I'll stay then."
  Just then, a computer voice became audible. "Intruder Alert: Sector 5K." Willis clutched his fist.
  "Excuse me," he said exiting the lab.
  The main scientist called over to a few DarkPoke guards. "Keep this area secure. No one may enter here until the clones are finished." The guards saluted and took positions at all entrances to the lab.
  Willis ran back to his office. "Computer, status." All around him, camera images appeared until one showing the intruders was found. It zoomed in and stretched to fill the entire room. "Icy…"

  Icy and his friends ran down the tunnel. "C'mon. I think I heard some voices up this way," Lewis said taking the lead. Sure enough, a couple of Team DarkPoke agents were chitchatting when the group rushed in.
  "Hey! You aren't supposed to be here!" The first agent went to grab Sara but Icy used his telekinesis to hold him back. Lewis used his psychic abilities to knock both agents out.
  "Flunkies…" Trinity grumbled. All the sudden, red lights illuminated and sirens sounded. "Looks like someone knows we're here. We had better move quickly." The others nodded and continued running down the tunnel.

  Back in the lab, the scientists continued to monitor the two remaining Suihou clones. "Any moment now."
  "Sir, all bio signs look good. The clones will make it for sure. We'll have reanimation in a few minutes."
  "Excellent. I suppose Willis will want to be informed of this." The lead scientist picked up the phone and dialed Willis' extension.
  Meanwhile, in the center of the lab, Pichu watched the bubbles floating through the chambers housing the Suihou clones. Her eyes were transfixed upon them almost since they began the process. If anything, it soothed her nerves which were constantly being irritated by the effects of the Dark Ball. She wondered when the pokémon inside would awaken.

  At that time, the younger Willis awoke from his nap. Not that he was able to sleep well on the stiff mattress in his prison, but something else stirred him from his slumber. "Huh? Something's about to happen… isn't it?" He looked to the pokémon sitting beside him. It nodded weakly.

  Icy and the others continued fighting their way through the tunnels. "These guys just aren't learning."
  "Actually, I think we're the ones still in danger. I'm starting to get fatigued, I dunno about you," Lewis said. He and Icy had been using their psychic abilities to repel the agents' attacks up until now.
  "We'll have to use our pokémon from here in to protect us."
  "Good idea." Lewis extended a pokéball and released his Alakazam. Icy released Hocus, his Kadabra. "Icy, let's focus our energy on tracking down Pichu ok."
  "Got'cha."
  Trinity and Sara followed close behind. Trinity had her pokéballs ready just in case they were ambushed from behind and Sara felt prepared to defend the group if necessary.
  Around the next bend, a large group of agents were waiting for them. Icy and the others turned the corner and jumped out of the way just in time as one agent had his cyndaquil use its flamethrower.
  "Alright, here we go!" Lewis shouted as his Alakazam moved in and used psychic on the little fire pokémon. The other agents sent out houndours as Hocus jumped in front of Icy to formed a shield.
  "I'll help handle these," Trinity said calling out Suihou and Chonchii. "Ok you two, bubblebeam now."
  Icy expanded a pokéball from his belt as well. "Ready to fight, come in sight! Icy calls!!! Neptune!" Icy's horsea, Neptune, materialized and used its bubblebeam attack as well. The group's pokémon had no trouble pushing back the DarkPoke pokémon since they were not as well trained. The agents retreated through a secret door and locked it.
  "Damnit. It's no good, they sealed it." Icy looked down the tunnel they were taking. "Well, guess we should keep moving. Everyone alright?"
  "Ya, I'm ok," Sara said staying close to Icy's side.
  Lewis nodded as did Trinity. Suihou meanwhile was acting a bit strange. "Huh, what's wrong Suihou?"
  "Suihou's acting a little funny; did he get hit or something?" Sara asked.
  "I don't think so." Trinity kneeled down in front of Suihou. "Suihou? Are you alright lil guy?" she asked in a soft voice.
  Suihou's body shivered and trembled. It mumbled a few gibberish syllables.
  "Do you think those houndours were just too scary for him?" Icy said.
  "Perhaps, but this just doesn't look like the effects of some attack. Something's wrong here, and Suihou can somehow sense it."
  "A trap," Lewis said.
  "It's a definite possibility," Icy replied. "But, why now?"
  "Ok… This is all starting to scare me," Sara said shivering a little.
  "You're right, let's just keep moving. The sooner we find Pichu, the sooner we can get out of here. I don't like this place either." The others nodded and they continued. Suihou was still trembling as it followed Trinity.
  "Here, let me hold you," she said picking the water bubble pokémon up. He was more difficult to carry due to his body shivering, but Trinity did her best to try soothing the scared pokémon and eventually it calmed down.
  "Icy, I'm getting a very strong signal in this direction," Lewis said pointing down the right corridor.
  "Yes, I sense it too. Pichu must be down this tunnel." They took the right-hand tunnel.

  Willis held the receiver to his ear. "Yes, any minute now, reanimation should take place. I thought you might want to be present for this."
  "Thank you. I'm on my way." Willis placed the receiver back on the holder. He took quick glance of the security monitors on his way out. "Damn those little pests. Well, they won't make it out of here alive this time." His pokémon followed him out and to the lab.
  In the lab, the scientists continued watching all the gauges and monitors as they prepared to reanimate the clones. "Ready here," one said. "We're all set on this one too," the other said.
  "Great. Willis will be here in just a…" the main scientist was saying as the door opened. "Oh, Willis, we are just about to begin."
  "Excellent work. Please, continue and spare me the details."
  "Oh, yes of course sir. Ok, let's get this project finished," he said as the other scientists entered the codes to start the reanimation.

[Scene Change: Prison]
  "Biiiii!!!" the pokémon cried clutching its head.
  "Chronos," Willis said holding it. He brushed his hand gently along Chronos' back and head. "Please try to calm down. You'll hurt yourself." Willis looked out past the bars of their cell. "Feels like it's about to begin…"

[Scene Change: Tunnels]
  "I'm getting a stronger signal from Pichu. She's not far from here," Lewis said while Icy confirmed it.
  Everyone continued running as a small group of agents leapt from hiding spots but found themselves chasing after the group.
  "Icy, we've got company," Sara said.
  "No prob." Icy used some of his psychic energy to produce a forcefield. "That'll hold em for a little while."
  The agents continued running after them and flattened each other against the invisible forcefield. "Ughhh," they each groaned, toppling over on one another.

[Scene Change: Lab]
  The computers worked on the reanimation sequence. It was a very delicate process and one mishap could jeopardize the entire project. "Final stages are underway now sir," the lead scientist said. Willis watched from the observation window with Houndoom by his side.

[Scene Change: Inside Dark Cove city]
  "So…" Willow said.
  "Ya…" Wisp said.
  "Bah, we can't even enjoy a day off properly," Willow fumed.
  "Ha ha, you're that used to it?" Wisp joked.
  "You seem to be chipper," Willow responded.
  "Different from my attitude on the job?" Willow paused. "Don't think I don't understand how you feel."
  "Wisp…"
  "C'mon, let's see if we can get a table," Wisp said smiling. They both stood at the entrance to Le'Wobba-Fet.
  Willow smiled back and nodded.

[Scene Change: Tunnel]
  "There! Up ahead!" Trinity pointed at the lights ahead. The scene was familiar.
  "It's the main lab. I know I've seen this tunnel before."
  "Alright then. Let's save that Pichu."
  "No so fast!" said a heavy, unknown voice.
  The group stopped as a large figure came into view. It was followed by a smaller figure. "You kids aren't going anywhere," the smaller one said.
  "Geh… What a messed up pair," Sara said out loud without thinking.
  "Sara!" Icy scolded playfully, but it was too late.
  The larger agent overheard her comment and was quite pissed. "Ughhhh, me no fat! I show you puny kids my power! Go pokéball!" The larger agent threw his pokéball revealing a Horsea.
  "Get in there too! Pokéball go!" shouted the smaller agent. A Snorlax materialized from the ball.
  Sara fell to the ground laughing and almost in tears. "Ahahaahahahahahaa!!! The shrimp's got a heavyweight, and the heavyweight's got umm… well, Horsea does look like a shrimp."
  The heavy agent fumed. "GGGRRR!!! Me had enough. I gonna crush you girl! GAAAHHHHH!!!" he growled storming towards Sara, at almost a snail's pace.
  "Aghh, Sara, look out," Icy said. The Snorlax blocked their path.
  Sara snapped to and threw her pokéball. "Show the might of heaven's light! Aura, shine!" With an intense light, Sara's golden butterfree, Aura, appeared. As the light dissipated, Aura channeled its psychic energy into a psybeam and fired at the charging tub of lard.
  The heavy agent fell to the ground causing it to shake, including Snorlax. "No way! Grrr, Snorlax use pound." The Snorlax slowly turned towards Aura and wound up its fist and swung. Aura had plenty of time to dodge. "Aghhh!!! Again!" The small agent was hopping mad now. Snorlax prepared to wind up another punch, but then… "Snorlax?!? What are you doing!!!" Snorlax decided he'd had enough action for one day and fell asleep. "Wake up you!! Whaaaaa!!!" Suddenly, the small agent found himself frozen in mid-air. "Hey, put me down!!!"
  The group ran past them as Lewis released the small agent from the telekinesis. Sara giggled one last time and recalled Aura as they ran towards to the lab.

[Scene Change: Lab]
  Lights lit up on the remaining chambers holding the two Suihou clones. "Success!" shouted the lead scientist. The rest of the team cheered as the computer triggered the commands to drain the fluids of the tubes. The process took less than a minute and the chambers finally opened.
  Willis stood by the glass watching anxiously. "At last," he said. The light reflecting off the retracting chambers glimmered across his shades.
  Almost in unison, the two Suihous opened there eyes and adjusted to their new environment. The first looked very similar to the original Suihou except its eyes resembled more of a Chonchii and it had two small antennae among the leaves above its eyes. The leaves themselves were fuller than those of the original.
  The second Suihou jumped out, taking a fighting stance as it analyzed its new environment. It looked like it was having some trouble adjusting to this new sight. This clone, besides the aggressive behavior it was exhibiting, looked exactly like the original Suihou. The scientists decided to name it Dark Suihou, and its sibling, Neo Suihou.
  Pleased with the work, Willis exited the observation area and came down to the lab floor to personally see the clones. The scientists presented Neo Suihou to him, but Dark Suihou refused to cooperate. Then, its eyes fell on Pichu.
  "What is wrong with that one?" Willis complained.
  "Well, we think it could just be getting over the adaptation process. They have no idea where they are. They are similar to babies at this point."
  "Fix it."
  Dark Suihou turned seeing the scientists approaching him. "Suuuiiii," it growled.

[Scene Change: Prison]
  "BIII RIIIIBIIIIIII!!!!" Chronos cried.
  "C'mon, you gotta calm down," Willis pleaded. He held Chronos gently as it struggled in his arms.
  "BIIIIIIiii… biiii…" Finally, Chronos calmed down enough for Willis to loosen his hold until he totally let go.
  "It's ok. Tell me what's bothering you please. Let me help you Chronos."
  "Bii… Riibii bi biii bii ri biiii."
  Willis listened carefully and nodded. "Right… I'm ready."

[Scene Change: Tunnel]
  The light became brighter up ahead as they turned the final corner. "Alright, here goes!"
  Meanwhile, in the lab, Dark Suihou was surrounded by the scientists and Willis. "I will teach you to behave," he said coldly. Houndoom stepped up in front of them.
  "Sui. SUI!!!" Dark Suihou glowed and the glass around Pichu shattered but remained in mid-air.
  "Uh? Wha?" Willis gasped as the glass shards floated gracefully, responding to Dark Suihou's thoughts.
  "Suuu… SUIIIII!!!" Dark Suihou's eyes burned red as the shards flew out in all directions. Everyone ducked and narrowly missed being cut. In the confusion, Dark Suihou jumped onto the platform Pichu where lay. "Suii suihou suii." Pichu slowly awoke and looked at her liberator curiously.
  Just then, the lab doors blew open as Icy and the others rushed in with their pokémon. "Find Pichu quick. We'll distract them," Icy said.
  "Stop them!" Willis said as agents began pouring into the room. Meanwhile, Neo Suihou stood still, watching the developing scene but appearing to care less about it.
  Sara caught a quick glimpse of Dark Suihou holding Pichu. "Suihou?" Dark Suihou stared at her for a moment then used its psychic power to put Pichu to sleep and jumped into the air and through the glass of the observation area. "Hey, wait!! Please, bring back Pichu," Sara shouted.
  Willis caught a glimpse of Dark Suihou's escape and ordered Houndoom to follow. Houndoom growled and sped up the stairs into the observation area.
  "Sui!" Dark Suihou taunted. Houndoom only growled in response. Dark Suihou stared angrily at the dark, fire dog.
  Houndoom roared and charged at Dark Suihou. It slashed at him with its claws tearing a small piece of Dark Suihou's left leaf ear.
  "SUII!!!!" it cried. Dark Suihou growled at Houndoom and used its psychic ability to temporarily paralyze Houndoom while he escaped with Pichu. Before he made it out, Dark Suihou used its water cannon on the power supply boxes for the lab and sections nearby.
  Willis waited impatiently for Houndoom to return with Pichu when the lights failed. "What's happening?" he shouted.
  Icy and the others regrouped. "Sara, where's Pichu?"
  "Suihou took her."
  "Suihou?!?" Trinity asked. "But Suihou is right here."
  "It looked like Suihou though."
  "They've cloned Suihou," Lewis said. "I saw one but it was different looking. They must have made copies of it."
  "We've gotta get out of here," Icy said. He and Lewis led the group to safety as the agents frantically tried to restore power. On their way out, a bluish figure stood in their way, illuminated only by the slight glimmer of flashlights.
  "Sui…" it stated. Holding its hand was Pichu. The tiny emeralds around her neck were proof.
  "Pichu!" Sara said. The pokémon backed up.
  "SUI!" Its voice sounded angry. Then, it vanished.
  "PIIIICCCHUUUUU!!!!" Sara shouted. "Please! Please don't take her!" Sara started crying as Icy grabbed her hand and everyone ran towards an exit.

[Scene Change: Prison]
  "Oww. I can't see a thing now," Willis whimpered as he rubbed his head.
  "Bii bi," Chronos called as it pushed open the cell door. The power to the prison had been knocked out as well.
  "We're free! C'mon, let's get far away from this place."
  "Bi!"
  "Huh, what?"
  "Bii, riii bi biii," Chronos pleaded.
  "No way! Are you sure?"
  "Bi."
  "Where?"
  Chronos held Willis' hand and flew out the hall and into the tunnel network.
  "Let's use a faster route shall we," Willis said. All along, he had stashed Porygon's pokéball around Chronos' neck. He took the ball and released Porygon. "Ok, let's fly!" Chronos smiled and told Porygon where to take them.

[Scene Change: Tunnel Network]
  Sara wiped the tears from her eyes as they fled. Twice now she'd lost Pichu. She wondered if she'd ever see Pichu again… and even if she did, would Pichu still trust her.
  "It'll be alright. You can trust me," Icy said sensing Sara's pain. She tried to smile as best she could. "Hey, what's that up ahead?"
  Lewis sensed it too. "Careful. I'm sensing something very powerful up ahead. Could be an ambush."
  The group paused a few feet from the next intersection. They figured they were only a few more yards away from the exit. Then, a porygon flew out from the other tunnel and turned to face them. It was smooth and resembled more of a duck. But more troublesome was the fact it was visible in physical space.
  "Icy…, I thought only your porygon could exist in physical space?" Sara said scared.
  "Wait, there's someone riding it," Lewis said.
  Trinity focused on the human on board. "Oh my Goddish!"

Reunion

Last time on The Adventures of Icy and Sara,
  Icy and friends made their way back to Dark Cove in order to rescue Pichu. However, when they got there, Willis and Team DarkPoke had just successfully cloned Suihou and created Neo Suihou, and Dark Suihou. To make matters worse, Dark Suihou took Pichu and escaped. At the same time, the younger Willis, who was being held prisoner, was also set free when Dark Suihou knocked out the power.

…And now, our adventure continues…

{Opening scene plays with all new pokémon and Dark Cove pics and Willis Powers wielding a copperish ring standing beside Houndoom and Neo Suihou.}

  Slowly, the lights flickered and hummed as they restored light to the darkened laboratory. “Find those kids and that Suihou. And get Pichu too!” Willis ordered the agents in the lab. They immediately headed into the tunnels. Willis turned to the scientists. “Place this Suihou someplace secure where he cannot escape.” They nodded and took Neo Suihou who offered no resistance. With that, Willis angrily exited the lab and headed back to his office with Houndoom.
  Once inside his office, the computer began displaying status reports. “The prisoners have escaped during the power outage. Current whereabouts are unknown. Beginning search…” it said.
  “Great… This is just what I needed today.” Willis took his coat and left the office. “Computer, forget the boy. Search for the next rings and report to me tomorrow.” The computer beeped in acknowledgment and Willis shut off the lights and left with Houndoom.

  Meanwhile, in the tunnels, Icy and the others stared at the kid riding the porygon. Trinity stood there stunned, as if she’d seen a ghost. “No way. It’s just not possible. You are…?”
  Willis smiled slightly and slowly nodded. “H…Hi sis…” he said softly. Chronos shyly fluttered behind him.
  Lewis stood back to give Trinity a chance to have her reunion. He could sense a heavy burden already being lifted from her heart.
  “Brother? Where, where have you been all this time???” Trinity asked as she cautiously approached Willis.
  “If you don’t mind… I’d rather tell you later, not here.”
  Icy interrupted. “I agree. Right now, we should be getting far away. Team DarkPoke is going to be looking for us. This place is not safe.” Icy sent out his porygon.
  Willis’ eyes widened. “You… you have a porygon as well…” he said quietly. he thought.
  Cyber transformed into a speeder and everyone rode out of the tunnels and through the city streets. When they reached the fields outside, everyone got back on the ground and recalled the porygons.
  Willis was still looking timid. “Icy… Icy has a porygon, I guess that’s right.”
  Icy stared at Willis, trying to understand him. “You… are somewhat familiar. I feel we’ve met before.”
  Trinity stepped in. “Back off. This is my brother.” Trinity stood with arms extended between Willis and Icy.
  “I’m sorry. I did not mean any harm,” Icy started. “Maybe you two would like some time alone to catch up?”
  “Ok. Thanks.” Trinity and Willis walked off to have some privacy as the others conferred about a new plan to deal with Pichu and Dark Suihou.

  “Trinity… How long, how long has it been?”
  “Three years, but it felt like more,” Trinity said. The two siblings sat facing each other in the grass.
  “Trinity… I’ve…” Willis looked down.
  “What’s wrong?”
  “I’m glad Icy is ok. I, I never meant to do anything like that, you believe me right?”
  “Anything like…” Suddenly, Trinity’s mind flashed back to the events on Blue Island.

[Flashback]
  “I can’t allow you to blindly kill more people. I’ll end this right here,” Icy said.
  “Hmmhmmhmm. Icy… You think you can stop this. How? Would you kill me?”
  Icy paused.
  “I won’t give you the chance!!!!!” The Dark Lord drew his sword and charged.
[End Flashback]

  Willis lowered his head trying to hide the tears of guilt.
  “It was you…”
  “You… knew?”
  “I… kinda thought so… but, why? Why did you do all that…”
  Willis looked up and reached down the collar of his shirt pulling out a small locket. Opening it, he showed its contents to Trinity. “To save them… I became blind…”
  “Willis…”
  “I… I’ve done a horrible thing… And… I can’t face you even now and ask for your forgiveness… You, or Icy…”
  “Icy wouldn’t remain angry with you. He’s faced so many hardships, I think he’s used to this kinda stuff.”
  “He’s never faced what I did…”
  Chronos flew into Willis’ lap and stared up at Trinity.
  “Who is that?” she asked.
  “His name is Chronos. He’s a Celebi.” Chronos shyly waved its wing at Trinity.
  “He’s pretty cute. Aren’t they rare?”
  “Yes. That’s what he said too…”
  “He?”
  “Nemesis…”

[Scene: Le’Wobba-fet]
  “Mmm, I’m full,” Willow said happily.
  “Excellent meal,” Wisp concurred.
  “Better than my cooking?”
  “Ha ha, I’d rather not answer that, but, I think both are exceptional.”
  “Ne, Wisp… What’s gonna happen once this is over?”
  “This operation?”
  Willow nodded.
  “I suppose… we’d continue doing what we’ve always done,” Wisp said.
  “Oh,” Willow sighed.
  “Not good enough huh?”
  “No, it’s not that. I just thought… well, we’d be able to relax a little more.”
  “We will. I promise you.”
  Willow smiled as Wisp paid the bill. “Ok. Well, shall we retire for the day?”
  “Yea, might as well seeing the boss gave us the rest of the day off.”

[Scene: Outside Dark Cove]
  “Nemesis?” Trinity asked.
  “I don’t really know too much about him, but he’s very powerful, and…”
  “How did you get involved with him?”
  Tears began rolling down his cheeks. “I didn’t mean for it to turn out like this. He promised he’d bring mom and dad back!”
  “Huh?!?”
  Willis looked down. “Nemesis promised if I found Frosterpie, he could use it to bring back our parents. So I believed him and he gave me this Celebi.”
  “So that’s where you’ve been all this time.”
  “Yes. Celebi and Porygon could join with me to create the Dark Lord. But, I wasn’t in control like that. Nemesis has something that controls it. He gave me one of those devices called a Dark Ball. It can control pokémon and makes them evil.”
  “Dark Ball. I’ve heard a little about that. But, how does Team DarkPoke have those?”
  “You didn’t realize?” Willis paused. “Willis Powers… he is the leader of Team DarkPoke. Not only that, he… he and I…” Trinity still had a vacant expression on her face. “He and I are the same.”
  “How is that possible?”
  “Well… Getting Frosterpie wasn’t easy, and, it had to be done by a certain time. So… Chronos continued to bring me back in time to try finding it again. But then, something happened, and a part of me was left stranded in this time. I don’t really know what all happened next, but, I ended up coming to him for help. I didn’t realize it was myself I was working with. Then, Willis Powers betrayed me and locked me and Chronos up in his dungeon.”
  Trinity took a moment to digest everything. “I’m just glad you are safe Willis,” she said hugging him. Willis hugged her back.

  “They’ve been talking for a while now haven’t they?” Lewis said.
  “You’re jealous of her brother?” Sara said.
  “What, no, that’s not what I meant.”
  “Oh, here they come,’ Icy said.
  Trinity and Willis returned to the group. “Ok. What’s next Icy?” Trinity said.
  “We’ve gotta track down that Dark Suihou so we can rescue Pichu,” Icy said as Sara looked at the ground.
  “Maybe my Suihou will be helpful in finding it.” Suihou looked around curiously. “Ne, Suihou? You’ll help us find Dark Suihou right?” Suihou froze.

[Flashback]
  Suihou barely had a chance to look in front of him. There, staring back at him with cold eyes, was a pokémon just like him, but, different. Suihou felt cold again, shivering as the other pokémon stared him down. As he flinched, the other pokémon vanished away with Pichu.
[End Flashback]

  Suihou waved his tiny arms.
  “Huh? But, Suihou, we gotta find Pichu.”
  “It’s ok…” Sara interrupted. Trinity gave her a weird glance.
  “Sara?”
  “It’s not Suhou’s fault Pichu is gone, it’s mine. Suihou shouldn’t have to do anything more to save Pichu.”
  “Sara, I understand, but, that’s being a little harsh on yourself isn’t it?” Icy said placing his hand on her shoulder.
  “Let go…” she responded.
  “Uh?” Icy said surprised and released his hand. “Sara?”
  “Please, not now…” Sara said attempting to help back tears. At the same time, she tried very hard to prevent Icy from reading her thoughts.
  “Sara, please don’t hurt yourself ok. That’s all I ask. And I promise you, we will rescue Pichu and she’d be safe. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but we will. And soon.”
  “In that case…” Lewis started.
  “…we should begin the search, before Powers and his thugs find Dark Suihou first,” Willis continued.
  “Alright.” Icy reached out for Sara’s hand, but it was rejected. She slowly followed him onboard Cyber who transformed into a PoryCar.
  “It can’t have made it far,” Trinity said as they departed. Knowing the chances of running into that mysterious new Suihou pokémon were as good as finding a needle in a haystack, she tried to remain in high spirits, especially now that she and Willis were finally reunited.

[Scene: DarkPoke HQ]
  Willow and Wisp rushed into Willis’ office. “Sorry it took so long sir. What’s the emergency?”
  Willis sat calmly in his chair, the back facing the two agents.
  “Sir, what has happened?” Wisp requested.
  “Shh…” Willis answered. A moment later, images appeared inside the sphere room. “Icy and his friends struck during the time you were away.” He raised his hand knowing one of them would respond to the statement. “I’ve already begun sending agents after them. But, there are still two rings I need, and now, I need Pichu.” Willis turned to face Willow and Wisp.
  “Pichu is gone?”
  “The Dark Suihou escaped with her. We have Neo Suihou but, without Pichu, our plans are useless, as are the rings.”
  “What shall we do sir?” Willow asked.
  “Nothing for now. I will let the others track them down. I still want you two collecting those rings.” The computer beeped and homed in on a city. “Hmmhmm, and you need another vacation I think.”
  “Sir?”
  “Hiland Island. Have you been there before?”
  “Hiland Island!!! The famous pokémon casino island??? You mean the ring is there!”
  “Accord to the readings. This one may prove difficult, since there is such a large crowd, but it might also prove lucrative to Team DarkPoke.”
  “Business bad for PokePowers?”
  “You could say that… Trainers don’t seem to grasp our vision of the future of pokémon as we would like. Since the profits go towards our private research here, yes, money has become tight.”
  “We will need more forces then.”
  “Already done. Board the cargo ship docked at the North Harbor, Dock 5C. The ship leaves this evening at 7 o’clock.”
  “Yes sir.” The agents left.
  Willis turned back to the screens. “GrrrRRRRR!!!!” he scowled waving his hand and causing the screens to black out.

--
And so, as our heroes set out to search for Pichu, Team DarkPoke is doing the same. Not only that, but Willow and Wisp are already headed for the fourth ring! It may be a race against time to stop their evil plots. But should they be worried only about Team DarkPoke? Find out next time, on The Adventures of Icy and Sara!

Despair

Last time on The Adventures of Icy and Sara,
  Willis and Trinity were reunited after almost three years while Powers began searching for the next Ring of Destiny. Our heroes took off in search of Dark Suihou who'd taken Pichu hostage. Will Sara be ok?

…And now, our adventure continues…

{Opening scene plays with all new pokémon and Dark Cove pics and Willis Powers wielding a copperish ring standing beside Houndoom and Neo Suihou.}

  The morning sun slowly pierced the clouds and hilly horizon ahead of Cyber. For the entire night he'd been driving through the vast open plains in search of Dark Suihou.
  "Any sign of him yet," Lewis asked Icy with a yawn. Icy shook his head. Sara was sitting beside him, her eyes refusing to rise.
  "Good morning," Trinity said stretching. Icy and Lewis replied likewise, however Sara remained silent.
  "Sara," Icy said softly. She still refused to respond. Cyber was approaching a small village and stopped once they were in town.
  "We need to restock on supplies and I'm starving," Trinity said jumping out.
  "I agree. Let's find some place to eat. I have some money," Lewis said.
  "Ok. C'mon Sara. Let's grab some breakfast. That'll help you feel better." Icy reached for her hand.
  "..."
  "Please Sara. You can't let this happen to yourself. Pichu's fine. I swear it."
  "..."
  "Anyways, c'mon. We are gonna get food and supplies so we can continue searching. Maybe someone here has seen Dark Suihou."
  Sara allowed Icy to lead her into town. "... ..."

=====

Meanwhile...
  Willow and Wisp as well as a small company of agents were just waking up aboard the cargo ship headed for Hiland Island.
  Willow stood up and yawned. "Morning already? Aren't we there yet?"
  "We should be arriving in just a few minutes," Wisp said.
  "Good. Oh. What's the plan when we dock? I've heard that Hiland security is very tight."
  "Yes, I know. We will dress as normal civilians. As long as we don't attract much attention to ourselves, everything should go fine." Wisp sneered. "And if things do get dicey..." He snapped his fingers as a company of agents sprung out of hiding. "...We've got backup."
  "Everything will go according to plan," Willow uttered in a cold tone.
  The loudspeaker boomed, "Arrg, this be yer cap'in speak'n. We dock in just a moment. Be sure ye got all yer belon'ns wit yas and git off me ship or I'll have ye walk dar plank. Hagh hagh haaaaggghhhh."
  "Wisp... Where the hell does Willis find these dimwit captains?"
  "I can't help if he's cheap on funding certain missions... Besides. This vessel is ours meaning we have one less obstacle to worry about. Let's just get on with the mission. I'll treat you to a Kingler dinner at the Red Crabby latter."
  Willow grinned. "Oh, someone's feeling generous."
  Wisp took Willow's hand and they made their way to the upper deck.

  The captain met the two elite agents on deck. "Ha ha ha. I hope the pirate captain gig wasn't too much. Fact is, Hiland Island is holding a Pirate Celebration Week so I needed to fit in."
  "Wait, you aren't gonna let tourists on this ship are ya?" Wisp shouted in alarm.
  "Heh heh heh. Only if they get past my sword. No. I've already taken care of the arrangements with the casino managers too. This ship will be for sights only."
  "Are you sure this was a good idea," Willow asked; her voice showing her nervousness.
  "Well... Tourists won't be on the ship, but they may take pictures. We'll be masked so they can't identify anyone. Besides. What if things were to slip up? What better cover than your very own gang of pirates to confuse the crowds and tie up the guards."
  "You got a point," Wisp said.
  "Fine, but we won't mess up," Willow added.
  "I know. Hey, good luck you two. Check in with me on status. If I don't receive your message, I'll assume something's happened. Standard procedure right?"
  "Everything by the book. Ok. We're going."
  "Best of luck."
  Willow and Wisp walked down the gangplank onto the docks which were empty. "Let's get this show on the road."

=====

Scene Switch: Nilako Bay Town
  Icy and the others entered the small town. In the distance they could see the ocean.
  Trinity pulled out her PokeNavi, a device which tells geographical information and general pokemon information, especially on gyms. For some reason, she'd forgotten about it totally until now. The data for the Gaul continent wasn't complete, but enough. "The PokeNavi says this town is called Nilako Bay Town. While the townspeople themselves are not very wealthy, a large amount of tourists pass through here to take the boats that run to the Hiland Island Casino."
  "Hiland Island Casino?" Icy asked.
  "Yea. I've heard about that place once. It's a pretty populate gambling site. But we don't have time to visit, besides, none of us should really be gambling."
  "..." Sara remained silent.
  "Sara...," Icy said softly to himself.
  "Anyways, after we eat, I think we should ask around town for information. Since a lot of people travel through here, someone must have seen or heard about that Dark Suihou, or even Pichu."
  "...It won't help...," Sara said softly.
  "Sara c'mon. You gotta cheer up. Do it for Pichu's sake. She's fighting to find you too I bet."
  "..."
  Lewis cut between them saying, "Ok you two. The best solution for depression is a good meal. You'll feel a lot better once you eat." Icy nodded while Sara remained expressionless. They all followed Lewis into town in search of food.

=====

Scene Switch: Somewhere near Nobyu Beach
  Dark Suihou kept a firm grasp of Pichu's paw as he walked along the sandy grass outside the town. His mind kept telling him to either avoid humans, or destroy those in the way. Up till now, avoiding them was making him go in circles, and sooner or later, they'd be cornered by Team DarkPoke agents for sure. Pichu meanwhile was still fighting off the effects of the darkball, and the psychic control of Dark Suihou. Still, her new captor wasn't nearly as demanding or harsh as the scientists in Team DarkPoke's lab.
  "Sui. Suiiii hou." Dark Suihou stopped and turned to Pichu. "Suihou ho suii."
  "Chu," Pichu said turning her head away. Apparently, Dark Suihou wanted her to scout ahead for humans, but as usual, Pichu refused to play along. "Chu pi pi chu pichu pi..."
  "Suuuuuiiiiiiiii. Sui...hou..." Dark Suihou sighed gripping her paw tighter. It didn't hurt very much since Suihous are made up of almost 97% water. He dragged her towards the town.
  In town, some kids were playing in the fields and noticed the two pokemon over a hill. "Hey look, a pokemon!" said one.
  "Cool, do you think it's got a trainer?" another asked.
  "Hey, I think they are holding hands."
  "I've seen that yellow kind before, but what's the blue one?"
  Dark Suihou snarled sensing the kids approaching. Avoiding humans was becoming a pain and he was getting tired. Pichu grinned as he led them closer.
  "C'mon, let's go see what they are. Maybe they'll play with us."
  "Ok. Wheeeeeee," giggled one kids as the three ran towards Dark Suihou and Pichu.
  Dark Suihou sneered as they got closer. Pichu looked equally angered. "Chu pi pi chu..." she muttered. Dark Suihou gave her a perplexed look as what Pichu said made absolutely no sense at all.
  "Sui?"
  "Pi"
  "Hou..."
  "PIIIII!" Pichu eeeped at a high tone as one kid pet her ear. "PIII!!!" Pichu's ear being sensitive to this, her body reacted quickly with a very strong spark attack.
  "Owwww, whaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Mommy!!!" the little kid shouted crying.
  "Hey, what's the big idea," said one of the older kids. He glared at Pichu who was now slightly troubled. After all, it wasn't her fault the stupid kid left she had a right to tug on her ear like that.
  Dark Suihou jumped in front of her, growling at the kid. "Suiiiii... Suiiiiii..."
  "You. What are you?"
  Dark Suihou just growled more, showing his readiness to attack.
  "Fred, I think you're making it mad. C'mon, these pokemon are really wild. My mom will be mad if she finds out I was near wild pokemon."
  "Ha, this pokemon isn't scary. But, he is strange."
  Dark Suihou was getting more and more annoyed. "Sui ii hou suihou." Pichu nodded and Dark Suihou unleashed a powerful water cannon attack as Pichu sparked.
  "AAAGGGHHHHHHH!!!" shouted the two remaining kids as they fell to the grass paralyzed. Moaning, the older slowly got to his knees. "Wh..wh... What kinda pokemon are you?"
  Dark Suihou moved closer and stared him down. "Su... i... ho... u..." he pronounced. Just then, he sensed several humans approaching their position.
  In the distance, the parents and several townsfolk had heard of the strange pokemon from the little girl who Pichu attacked first. They were on their way to rescue the other two children and Dark Suihou didn't want to overdo it today.
  "Pi?"
  "SUII!" Dark Suihou grasped Pichu's paw again and ran away.
  "Billy, Fred. Are you alright?" called some of the adults.
  Billy slowly got up and pointed in the direction the pokemon had fled. "They went that way."
  "Ok. C'mon, we better not let those two stay close to the town." Two adults stayed with the children while the other five chased after Dark Suihou and Pichu.
  "Suii. Sui hou su su su i," Dark Suihou growled at Pichu.
  "Pii?!? Pi pi pichu pi..." Pichu retorted turning her head.
  "Suuuuiiiiiiii..."
  The two pokemon continued to run, leading the adults further away from the town. Pichu tugged on Dark Suihou's arm. "Chu, pi chu chuu." They stopped and turned to face their hunters.
  "Sui," Dark Suihou grunted; his eyes glaring at the incoming humans.

=====

  "There they are just over that hill. We got em now." The adults slowed their pace as they caught up to only a few yards distance.
  "Alright you little troublemakers."
  "We can't be having rude pokemon like you scaring our children."
  "Run far away and don't bother our town again."
  "Yea, or else we'll have no choice but to turn you in to the police."
  "Now go."
  The adults all pointed into the distance as if to indicate where Dark Suihou and Pichu ought to go. The two pokemon stared straight at them, not letting down their guard.
  "Hey Marty, it's not working. I don't think they understand."
  "Nonsense. Maybe we just need to add a little persuasive assistance." The biggest of the adults approached them. Dark Suihou's eyes followed his as he got closer. "Listen here you. I dunno what type of pokemon you are, but so far you've caused nothing but trouble. So scram," he shouted waving his hand in a sweeping motion.
  Dark Suihou didn't move. Instead, his body began to glow and with another glare, he used psycho kinesis to send the man flying back into the others.
  "Aggghhhh," the man grunted as he fell onto the others.
  Dark Suihou motioned to Pichu and they both resumed running into the distance.
  "Ugh..." the man moaned.
  "Should we follow them?"
  "Nah. I think that scared em away. Besides, ughhh, dangit, I think I broke my hip or something." The others sighed, helping Marty back to the village.
  Dark Suihou scanned the horizon. "Sui.. SUI SUI!!!" he shouted scaring Pichu off of his hurt leaf. "Suuuuuiiiiiiiii"
  "Pi. Pi CHU!" she growled in reply. Pichu was about to begin nibbling on the leaf before Dark Suihou knocked her off. It was bad enough that Houndoom mistook him for a tossed salad.
  Dark Suihou pointed at the next village in the distance. Both of them heard the sound of a ship departing from the docks. A ship, it was the perfect way to escape humans for a while. If it was a cargo ship, they could both hide and end up some place different, someplace where no one would think to look. The plan decided, Dark Suihou took Pichu's paw again and they ran towards the village known as Nilako Bay Town...

  It was just then, Sara stood up, opened her mouth, and shouted, "PICHU!!!!!"

...

...

High Stakes, Part 1

Last time on The Adventures of Icy and Sara,
  The group made their way to Nilako Bay Town where they stopped for food and information. Meanwhile, across the sea, Willow and Wisp have already landed at Hiland Island and are up to no good. And just when things couldn’t get worse, Dark Suihou appears to have brought Pichu within grasp of Sara and the others. Can they save her at last?

…And now, our adventure continues…

{ Opening theme plays: Higher and Higher }

  “PICHU!!!!!” Sara shouted. All the people in the restaurant turned their heads to see what the fuss was all about. Sara’s eyes shifted rapidly as if searching for Pichu.
  “Sara, calm down. What’s the matter? Did you see Pichu?”
  “PICHU!!!” Sara threw herself into Icy’s arms. “Icy, she’s here. Pichu is here. I can sense her close by.”
  “Sara…”
  “Pichu’s somewhere near us. We gotta save her now or I’ll never see her again.”
  Trinity and Lewis nodded to Icy. “If she senses her presence we’d better get moving. No doubt that Dark Suihou is with her.”
  “Suihou here will show that evil pokémon a thing or two, won’t you Suihou?” Suihou nervously nodded. He wasn’t very keen on meeting Dark Suihou again.
  “Ok. Let’s find them.” Icy left the money for the food and everyone took to the streets to locate Pichu.

=====

  In the distance, Dark Suihou looked at the city atop a hill. “Suii…” #What a worthless town…#
  “Pi…” Pichu replied. #Ya… so why’d you bring us here…#
  “Suiii… sui sui hou.” #It’s better than the other town.#
  “Chu pi pi chu pi chuu piiiii pii pi chuuuuuuuuuu….” #It’s not my fault the stupid kid pulled my ear so hard…#
  “Sui. Houuu hou suiiihou oouu.” #You didn’t need to cause such a fuss.#
  “Pi…” #Whatever.#
  “Sui.” #C’mon.#
  Pichu followed Dark Suihou towards the town. She wondered why Dark Suihou was now willingly walking into human areas, but since he was in control still, she’d play along. As they walked closer to the city, Pichu felt a strange presence.
  “Pii?!?”
  “Suui? Suihou?” #What, what is it?#
  “Pi pichu pi pi.” #I think I sense someone.#
  “Sui housui suii suihou.” #It’s a town; there’s lots of humans.#
  “Pichu… chu pi pi.” #No, I sense someone special…#
  “Sui…” #So what, let’s go.#
  Pichu wondered to herself what the feeling she had was. Someone was close by. Someone she was close to, bonded to, but she couldn’t remember who it was… Her mind was still cloudy.

=====

  The group hurried outside as Sara began scanning the surroundings for Pichu. “I… I know she’s here.” Finally, she turned to face to the east and began moving in that direction.
  “Wait for us Sara,” Icy said.
  [Pichu, I know you’re here. Help me find you fast.]
  “Oh…” Icy stopped. “I sense her too. Something’s with her though.”
  “Dark Suihou,” Trinity said.
  Icy nodded. “C’mon. We won’t let him get away with Pichu this time.”
  They all quickened their pace as they headed towards Pichu and Dark Suihou.

  Dark Suihou hadn’t made it more than a few feet into town before realizing he’d not yet sensed Icy and his friends. “Suuu…” # $%^%$$ #
  “Piihehhe pi pi chu,” Pichu giggled. # Ha ha, you cursed. #
  “Su? SUIIIII!!! Sui sui sui hou sui!!!” # Wha?? What the heck, that’s not the point! #
  “Pi pi chu.” # Someone’s coming. #
  “Sui…” # Bring it on… #
  Icy and the others converged on Dark Suihou. Behind him was Pichu. “Pichu!” Sara shouted running towards her. Icy waited to see what would happen, hoping it wouldn’t be a trap.
  Dark Suihou barred Sara’s path. “Suiiiiii sui sui.” His evil eyes glared at her. Behind him, Pichu stood looking up at Sara.
  “Pi?” She gripped her furry head, fighting against the powers of the dark pokéball’s effects. “Pieeiieieiii…”
  “Sui?” Dark Suihou jumped back to guard Pichu.
  “Let go of Pichu now. She doesn’t belong with you Dark Suihou.” Dark Suihou shook his head. “I’m not joking with you. Give me back Pichu right now. If you really understand yourself as a pokémon and Pichu, you will do this.” Sara slowly moved closer as the others kept their distance.
  “Su… SUIHOU…”
  “PIIII!!!” Pichu cried as she fought against the control more. Her little head felt like it was a beating drum, but she knew she had to survive somehow. She opened her eyes to look at Sara again, reconfirming her image. Deep inside, Pichu knew this trainer was someone special to her, and no matter what, she’d force back the memories.
  “Please Dark Suihou, Pichu needs me. At least let me help her so she doesn’t get hurt.” Dark Suihou looked at Sara, then at Pichu. Though his heart was black as coal, something told him to allow Sara to tend to Pichu. Dark Suihou nodded and stepped aside. “Thank you.”
  Pichu’s cheeks sparked occasionally as tears rolled down them. Then, she felt a warm touch against her face. It was comforting, healing, and familiar. She looked up to see Sara kneeling beside her, petting her fur gently, helping her calm down. Slowly, Pichu began winning against the dark pokéball’s control.
  “Pichu. Everything’s ok. I’m here now.” Sara carefully picked the little pokémon up and took her into her arms. She pet Pichu’s head and ears slowly and gently, helping Pichu to relax more.
  “Chuuuu…” Now she remembered. This special trainer, this was the human she met in Viridian Forest. The trainer who battled for her freedom from the Rainbow Chikoritas, and now, that same loving trainer who rescued her again. “Piiichuuuu.”
  “Oh Pichu. I was so worried about you.” Icy and the others began walking towards Sara and Pichu when Dark Suihou stopped them.
  “Suii. Suihou!”
  “I’m going to take Pichu now and leave Dark Suihou. She’ll be safe with me.”
  Dark Suihou shook his head and growled.
  “Pi, pi pi chu.” # It’s alright, this is my real trainer. Thanks for helping me find her. #
  “Sui?!? Sui…” # Real trainer… # Dark Suihou watched as the group headed back into town to the pokémon center. “Sui…suiihou sui…” # I never had a real trainer… #

  No purpose left for the time being, Dark Suihou left the town. “Suii… Sui?” Before him stood a strange figure.
  “Hmm hmm hmm…”
  “SUI. Suihou sui.”
  “You are content letting her go just like that?”
  “Sui?”
  “You were talking care of her just fine. Why let those humans control her instead?”
  “Sui.. su suiii sui suihou ouu sui.”
  “Pff… a real trainer? We were not meant for such bondage. However… if you were to stick with me… I could give your life meaning.”
  “Suii?”
  “Yes. You who were created by humans, but not to serve them. I will give you power to confront them without limit. I have but one request of you in return…”
  “Sui?”
  “Bring me Pichu and Frosterpie.” The figure vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared.
  Dark Suihou turned back to face the town. “Suiiihou, hou hou sui iii… suihou…”

=====

  The group took a well earned break at the pokémon center so that Sara could spend some time with Pichu.
  “Chuu!” Pichu said happily as Sara pet her ears and head.
  “Oh Pichu, I’m so glad you’re alright. I was so worried I’d never see your face again.”
  “Piii,” Pichu cooed.
  “Ahh, a happy ending,” Trinity joked.
  “Eh? You can be funny???” Lewis said sarcastically. Trinity retorted with a quick jab. “Ughhh!”
  “No. That was funny.”
  Lewis did his best to laugh though very much in pain.
  “Maybe we should take the boat to that casino island. It might be interesting, plus they might have some neat pokémon there too,” Icy said.
  “It does sound like fun.”
  An old man approached the group. “You kids planning on visiting that casino?”
  “Yes sir. Umm, who are you?” Trinity asked.
  “My name is Brandon and I work over on Hiland Island. If you kids wanna visit the casino, you’d best catch this next boat. It’s the last one for quite a while.”
  “Oh, ok. Thank you.”
  “Don’t mention it. Hope you have a good time.” The man continued down to the docks.
  “That was random,” Lewis said.
  “Sara, c’mon, let’s head out to that casino island!”
  Sara sprung up with Pichu on her head. “Ok!!!” She happily flew to Icy’s side and pulled him along.
  “Ehhhehe, good to have you back Sara,” Icy smiled.
  Sara giggled and smiled back.
  Meanwhile, in the shadows of the room, a figure chuckled softly. “Heh heh heh… I’ve finally caught up to you Icy… I’ll get you.”

  The group made their way down to the docks where the boat was about ready to depart.
  “Wait, wait!” Lewis called to the porter as they reached the wooden dock.
  “You guys are just in time. Please hurry on board. We’re about to leave for Hiland Island now.” The porter waited as Icy, Sara, Trinity, Willis, and Lewis got on board. He was about to bring in the boarding plank when another person, a smaller female, came running towards the docks.
  “WAIT!!!”
  “Whaa?!?” the porter yelped jumping to the side as the girl flew past. “Woowooaahh!” The porter waved his arms attempting to keep his balance but ended up falling into the water.

=====

  Icy and the others found their way to the main deck where several other passengers were already gathered. “Wow. There sure are a lot of people heading to the casino.”
  “Ha ha, you kids must be new to the Hiland Island Casino. This is a slow day ever since police were go’n around warning visitors about Team DarkPoké plotting something.”
  “Team DarkPoké is here?” Icy said.
  “Well, maybe they are, maybe they aren’t. Either way, I’m not gonna let them stop me from having a good time at the casino. I come here every weekend.” The man chuckled again. “Well, I didn’t mean to scare you kids. Hope you have a fun time at the casino.” He continued on his way as Icy and friends wandered about.
  “Do you really think Team DarkPoké is here?” Trinity asked.
  “I knew it. We really DO just run into random people…” Lewis sighed.
  “I dunno. I think we better be extra careful anyways.”
  “Agreed.”
  “They better not come within a mile of me and Pichu,” Sara said strongly.
  Away from the crowds, the little girl watched Icy carefully. “I told you I won’t let you get away. This time, you can’t run from me. Aaaahahahaha!” A few people standing nearby turned to see what voice has produced the obnoxious laughter causing the girl to cower back. “Ehhehehe. Eep!” She wandered out of sight for the time being.

  Lewis walked over to Trinity who was standing by the edge of the ship. “It is a nice a breeze. Great weather to be sailing.”
  “You never stop do you? Look… … no… it’s alright.”
  “Sorry, but… I was already thinking that too.”
  “It’s ok.” Trinity smiled as Lewis stood beside her. She stared off into the distance.
  Willis stood in the back leaning against the walls of the ship. Chronos floated beside him but kept out of sight now the most part. Sara moved up alongside.
  “Hi.”
  “Oh, Sara. Hey.”
  “Hehehe, those two are so cute together.”
  “I guess.” Willis sagged down till he was sitting on the deck.
  “Aww, well, one day you’ll meet a cute girl too I bet.” Icy called over to Sara. “Oh, I gotta run.” Sara waved back to Icy and ran to him.
  “Hmmm. I don’t need a cute girl…” Willis looked down at Chronos and pet him on his head. “I got my best friend right here.”
  Trinity’s eyes stayed transfixed on the water and horizon. In the distance, a few Chonchiis jumped out of the water and dove back under. It had been a while since any of them had been in a real pokémon battle. “You aren’t bored yet?” she asked to no one in particular.
  “Um? Oh, no no. It’s nice to finally get a break from the action.”
  “You’re just saying that.”
  “What else do you want me to tell you?”
  “…”
  Lewis placed his hand on her’s.
  Trinity gasped suddenly. It was soft; gentle feeling. This was nice…

  Icy and Sara headed to the on-deck pool. Pichu stayed inside her pokéball since water and Pichus REALLY don’t mix well. Icy dove in as Sara touched the surface.
  “C’mon Sara. It’s great.” Sara dove in and came up alongside Icy. “See.” Icy splashed Sara playfully.
  “Haha, hey cut it out,” Sara giggled splashing back.
  Off in the distance, the little girl kept a keen eye on both Icy and Sara. “Humph. You better enjoy yourself now Icy. You won’t once I’m done with you.”
  A few younger kids ran up to her. “Hey, are you gonna use that ball there?”
  “Huh. Oh aahhahhaha, no no, here you go.” She handed the beach ball she’d been holding to the kids and looked back at the pool. “Ahhhhh!!! Where’d he go!!! Awww… He thinks he’s soooo clever. I’ll find you Icy. HAHAHAHA!!!”
  Sara kicked her feet gently as she swam on her back in the pool. “Mmm, I’ll skip on the casino. This is so much cooler.”
  Icy came swimming opposite her. “So you want a pool in the gym next?”
  Sara dove under and came up next to Icy. “You mean it?”
  “Ehh? Well… maybe.” Icy swam around with Sara some more. “It’s been quite a while since we were even at the gym.”
  “Ya your right. Hehe, you’re gonna have trainers lining up outside waiting to battle you when we get home.”
  “I don’t think the Bug Gym is THAT famous.”
  “Awww, well, that would be bad anyways. Who’d let em in?”
  “Ya, you’re right.”
  Trinity and Lewis walked over the pool. Following them was Willis and Chronos. “Hey Icy, Sara. Get dried off and let’s check out what’s going on in the main ballroom!”
  “Alright. C’mon Sara,” Icy said swimming towards the ladder. Sara nodded and followed. They got towels and dried off and changed into normal clothes.
  “Let’s go!” Everyone happily headed for the main ballroom. Inside, several trainers were having pokémon battles and others were just showing their best pokémon off.
  “Alright! Pokémon battles!” Trinity exclaimed. She inadvertently latched onto Lewis’ arm dragging him with her.
  “Awww, they are so cute together!” Sara said melting on Icy.
  “Agghhhh,” Icy yelped grabbing a fan to resolidify Sara.
  “I’ll go and watch,” Willis said following Trinity.
  “You aren’t gonna battle?” Sara asked Icy.
  “Oh? Eh, no, I mean, yes, I uh?” Icy looked behind them. “Hrmmm…”
  “What’s up? I didn’t really quite understand that last thing you said.”
  “Nevermind. Yeah. C’mon let’s go.”
  “Wahoo!” Sara cheerfully held Icy’s hand as they made their way to where the other trainers were having battles.
  From behind one of the booths, the little girl peeked out. “Hmm, he almost saw me that time. Aghh, what am I doing!!! I gotta get him.” She kept her distance as she followed them.

=====

  “Go Jolteon, thundershock now.” The trainer’s Jolteon growled and released a strong thundershock at the opponent’s Totodile.
  “Dodge it Totodile!” Totodile agilely skipped away from the thundershocks as they came.
  “No way. C’mon Jolteon, try harder.”
  “Now Totodile, use headbutt.” Totodile stopped, lowered its head, then charged full speed at Jolteon. It scored a perfect blow and knocked Jolteon out. “Alright! Great job!”
  “Jolteon return,” the losing trainer said. “Good match.” The two trainers shook hands and another two took the field.
  Meanwhile, Trinity took another field where she battled against a fire trainer. “Fire types are your specialty, this won’t be hard then.”
  “Ha, you say that now, but you won’t be for long.”
  “You don’t know who you are up against. Anyways, let’s get this started. I call Chonchii,” Trinity said sending out Chonchii. Her eyes glittered seeing her favorite pokémon take the field. She poured a little spring water on its head to refresh it.
  “Alright then. Achamo go!” Suddenly, crowds of people gathered to their field.
  “An achamo, wow!”
  “Amazing, those pokémon only live in the Houen region.”
  “Please please, give us some room people,” the trainer said. “Achamo, flamethrower!” Achamo used its strongest flame attack against Chonchii.
  “Chonchii, counter with your bubble attack.” Chonchii shot a few bubbles into the flames and dodged the rest. It hopped to Achamo’s side and used its water gun attack. “There ya go!”
  “No way! Achamo return. That’s amazing. Your pokémon knows some pretty effective fighting tactics there.”
  “In battle, the trainer and the pokémon need to be able to communicate without words sometimes. And yes, practicing tactics can give you an edge because there’s no cue by the trainer to indicate an attack.”
  “I’ll remember that. Thanks for a good battle.” They shook hands and Lewis went next against a female opponent.
  Icy’s turn was next. “I wonder who I’ll get to battle.”
  “It doesn’t matter Icy. I’ll be here to cheer you on!”
  Icy stepped into the trainer box as the next trainer was about to make his way onto the field.
  “Waaaaaaiiiiiiiitttttt!!!!” yelled a young girl’s voice. The little girl pushed her way through the waiting trainers and knocked down the one about to battle Icy. “Hfff… hfff… hfff… at last…” She composed herself and stared up at Icy. “I’ve got you now.”
  From a distance, a dark figure watched in shadows. “Su…i…”

=====

Meanwhile, on Hiland Island inside the casino…
  Wisp glanced at his watch again. “Bah… Is he sure about this?”
  “Nothing still?” Willow asked, knowing the answer.
  “We’ve been walking around for an hour now. If something doesn’t turn up soon, people are going to get suspicious.”
  “Yea… Oh right.” Willow picked up her phone and entered the speed dial to the boat captain. “This is polly. Still looking for a cracker. Other parrots flocking.” She ended the call.
  “He’ll send the entertainment soon?”
  “That’s how we planned it. What’s going on Wisp? We’ve never had this much trouble before, even when the rings were in crowded places.”
  “I don’t know. I don’t like this either. Rumors are going around about a possible plot by Team DarkPoké here. If we can’t find it in 30 minutes, I say we return to the ship and call Willis.”
  “Ok.”
  Just then, several people dressed as pirates made their way into the casino. “Right on schedule…”

  Oh dear. Team DarkPoké really IS up to no good, and a mysterious new trainer is fired up to battle Icy. Don’t miss the exciting conclusion to this episode next time!

High Stakes, Part 2

Last time on The Adventures of Icy and Sara,
  Icy and the others rescued Pichu from Dark Suihou and boarded the ferry to take them to Hiland Island. Meanwhile, it looks like Team DarkPoké is up to no good searching for the next Ring of Destiny. But right now, a mysterious female trainer is fired up to battle Icy.

…And now, our adventure continues…

{ Opening theme plays: Higher and Higher }

  “I finally found you Icy,” the little girl said.
  “Uh, do I know you?” Icy asked.
  “No. That’s why I’ve tracked you down. I waited so long in the Viridian Forest to battle you, but you never returned. But now I’ve found you, and now I’m gonna win that gym badge.”
  “What?!? We can’t hold a gym battle here. We aren’t even in Kanto any more.”
  “But, grrrr. I don’t care. I, Kate, challenge you for honor then.”
  “Honor?”
  Sara walked up beside Icy. “Just battle her one round. She did go to a lot of trouble just to find you.”
  “Alright then. I accept your challenge.” Icy smiled. It had been a very long time since he last had a real pokémon battle. He floated back to the trainer box and his pokéballs floated around him.
  “Yay Icy! You’re so cool!” Sara cheered.
  Lewis had finished his battle in time to catch Icy’s opening. “What a show-off.”
  “No he isn’t,” Sara insisted.
  Kate nervously prepared to send out her pokémon. “You aren’t gonna scare me Icy.”
  “No? Ready to fight, come in sight. Icy calls…” He sent a pokéball into the field. “Buttercup! Shine!!!”
  “A butterfree huh? Wha? Kinda small isn’t it?”
  Buttercup quickly pouted and growled. It was ineffective as it was too cute sounding. “You’ll be sorry to underestimate her.”
  “No I won’t,” Kate said as she released her pokémon. “I call Togetic!” Togetic happily hovered above the field.
  “A Togetic? I’ve never seen one of those before,” Sara said. “It’s cute.” Togetic smiled.
  “Are you ready to battle Togetic?” It nodded. “Alright. Let’s give it our best!”
  “That won’t be enough. Buttercup, psybeam attack.” Buttercup flew close and fired its psybeam at Togetic.
  “Dodge it Togetic,” Kate shouted. Togetic gracefully hovered to the side, then flew up alongside Buttercup. “Now I got ya.”
  “Ohhh, Buttercup, beside you!” Buttercup saw Togetic and used her stun spore. Togetic had to back off. “Shew.”
  “No way. Hrrmm, I see why you are a gym leader. You fight well.”
  “So do you.” Icy brushed his hair back. “I guess I’ll have to play for real now.” He pointed forwards yelling, “Buttercup, hyper beam!”
  “H..H…HYPER BEAM?!?!?” Kate said in shock.
  Buttercup glowed as she gathered energy. “REEEEEE!!!!!” A burst of light blinded everyone followed by smoke. As the light dimmed and the smoke cleared, Buttercup was still floating above the field, but Togetic was clearly knocked out.
  “Buttercup is the winner. This match goes to Icy,” Lewis said. Buttercup flew into Icy’s open arms and snuggled up close.
  “Alright Buttercup. I knew you could still do it! Great work buddy.”
  “I… I can’t believe I lost. I trained so hard… every day…” Kate recalled her Togetic.
  “Kate. Training isn’t everything there is about pokémon. Battles like this will also help. I can tell you have no difficulty loving and caring for your pokémon. If you continue to work hard, you and your pokémon will continue to grow stronger. In any case, that was a fun battle. I hope our next battle will take place in the Viridian Forest. It’d be an honor to battle you again.”
  “Oh? You mean it? You’ll actually come back there!” Icy nodded. “YES! You better be there next time. I’ll find you no matter what!” Kate ran off and disappeared into the crowds. Icy and his friends all gathered together as the next trainers squared off.

=====

  “Weee, that was fun,” Icy said stretching his arms.
  “Icy!!! You are so cool!” Sara said with star-filled eyes.
  “Ya ya, but you never gave her a chance,” Lewis remarked.
  “Why avoid an opportunity to exploit an opponent’s weakness?” Willis asked.
  “Using hyper beam isn’t really an exploitation of weakness. That’s a really powerful attack. Not many pokémon can survive a direct hit from it.”
  “It’s still a cheap attack…” Lewis moaned.
  Trinity joined them again. “So? Cheap or not, in a pokémon battle, the object is to win.”
  “Hyper beam isn’t just another attack though. The pokémon could get seriously injured.”
  Icy broke in. “Ok ok, umm, let’s change the topic.” Sara nodded. “Shouldn’t we be arriving soon?”
  “Yea. I think I see the island coming up now,” Trinity said.

  The boat whistle blew as it docked by the port. “Hiland Island welcomes all guests to enjoy our special Pirate Island festival going on all this week. Please enjoy the festivities and your stay.” The people went on shore and towards the casino grounds.
  “Wow, it’s huge!” Willis remarked. The Hiland Island Casino was the largest casino in the world. It took up an entire island, transforming it into the greatest tourist attraction ever. Large buildings and replicas of famous landmarks filled the center of the island. Around the edges were hotels and marinas. The streets were perfect with extravagantly decorated street lamps and sign posts lining them. Icy and his friends couldn’t help but admire all the sights as they walked down the main strip.
  “This place is amazing.” Trinity pointed out a tall sculpture resembling a flame with spheres glowing at various levels. “That’s an exact replica of the Spectral League Cup!”
  “Yea, about a hundred times bigger!” Icy added.
  “It’ll be mine soon. You just wait and see,” Trinity smirked.
  As they walked, Sara pointed out another site. “Look, it’s the Lavender Town Tower,” she said. Sure enough, off to the left stood a perfect copy of the haunted tower. Screams echoed from within as the group kept their distance and moved on.
  “Let’s check out some of the casinos,” Lewis said.
  “Good idea. Everyone else wanna go?” Icy asked. They all nodded and the group headed towards the main casino area. Meanwhile, unbeknown to them, a tiny floating camera was watching their every move.

=====

  “You won’t believe this…” Willow said pulling Wisp aside.
  “Huh. No way. Those kids from the village. Icy was it?”
  “Yea. Geh?!?” The camera focused on Sara, and the cute, fuzzy, yellow Pichu riding on her shoulder. “Pichu?!?”
  “What? Pichu’s with them?”
  “Yes. No mistaking it. Look.” Willow pointed out the unique emerald gems which lined Pichu’s collar. “That’s the pichu we captured and was then stolen by Dark Suihou.”
  “So they managed to free her. Well, it’ll all be for nothing soon.”
  “Huh. Hey, the Pichu’s important, but what about our current mission?”
  Wisp sighed. “True. Either way, we should inform Willis of this development.”
  Willow nodded. A few men dressed as pirates approached them. “We’ve got company.”
  “I’ll handle it.” Wisp stepped forward to greet the men. “Arg. Are ye with polly?”
  “With Polly? Polly is my bird, still off searching for the cracker,” replied the one pirate.
  “In that case, we shall aid you in searching for its cracker,” Wisp grinned. The pirates grinned back and shook hands with Willow and Wisp.
  “No sign of the ring yet huh?”
  “No. It’s strange. Willis was positive it would be here.”
  “You don’t suppose they already found it?”
  “They?” Willow asked.
  “The casino. Something of that rarity might attract high rollers.”
  “Crap. We never anticipated them selling it. Nothing’s been said yet. But, we can’t let that ring become public knowledge. If word gets out, we’ll have to destroy any evidence.”
  The pirates nodded. “Aye aye.”
  “Keep searching. Find out if the casino managers have any info about a ring if possible.”
  “Yes sir.” The pirates ran off.
  “This all doesn’t feel right still. Now that brat Icy and his friends are here. They’re gonna recognize us for sure. What are we going to do?”
  “I’m up for a battle if you are,” Wisp replied.
  “Heh. I shoulda known better. Fine. We’ll fight if that happens. Oh.” Willow took out her communicator device which was flashing. “Message from Willis.”
  “What’s he say?”
  “Hmmm… Main objective is still to search for the ring. If we make contact with the Pichu, we are to capture it. He’d like the operation to remain as secretive as possible though.”
  “Guess that means starting a fight is out.”
  “Aww, and you were so worked up too…” Willow laughed.
  “His time will come.” Wisp checked his scanner. “Huh? Hey, something’s coming up on the scanner. This could be it.”
  “Let’s go.”

  Icy and his friends entered the casino’s main hallway. Greeters bowed to them as they entered. The walls were decorated in gold lining and classical artwork. Finally they came to the casino floor. Hundreds of guests were trying their luck at the slot machines while others played card games. Pokémon contests were also being held, as well as battles. “Wow! This is too cool!” Everyone ran off to different parts of the casino.
  Sara stayed with Icy, clinging to his arm as they walked. “Ehheh, Sara, you don’t hafta cling so tight.”
  Sara let go. “Oh, ehhehehe, I uh, I uh didn’t realize it hhehehe.” She blushed feeling like a little kid.
  “Hehe, it’s alright. C’mon, let’s see if we can win at the slots.”
  Trinity and Lewis went off to the Pokémon contests. Willis and Chronos tagged along to watch.
  “Pokémon contests are an interesting new way for trainers to raise their pokémon. I heard these contests have been around for a long time, but that recently, they’ve been organized and are gaining in popularity,” Lewis said.
  Trinity nodded, looking slightly bored. “Yes, yes teacher.”
  “…aww, cruel…” Lewis replied.
  Trinity giggled softly, blushing afterwards. “Actually, I almost wanted to do something like that.”
  “Really?” Lewis asked. “What made you change your mind?”
  “Oh nothing… It was just a phase. Our parents really admired a pokémon’s inner-beauty, and those contests were focused on that. But, I guess I’ve always just had a fighters’ spirit,” Trinity said smiling and throwing her fists jokingly.
  “Oh.”
  “Ahhhaha, I’m sorry,” Trinity laughed, “now I must be boring you.”
  “Ah, not at all. C’mon, let’s watch. You too Willis.”
  Willis looked up and nodded. Hearing things about their parents was hard on him, especially after all he’d done. Chronos flew up to his hands and smiled. “Bree” Willis smiled back and followed Lewis and Trinity.

  Willow followed Wisp as he glanced at the scanner. “It’s close.” Suddenly he stopped. “Hide!” He and Willow jumped onto the closest slot machines as Icy and Sara walked past.
  “It’s them.” Willow whispered.
  “Ya.”
  “We avoid for now?”
  “Correct.”
  “Let’s go.”
  They got up as Icy and Sara turned the corner. “That was close. I’m surprised he didn’t notice us.”
  “Don’t jinx us. Let’s just assume the Great Meowth is shining on us today.”
  “He’ll shine brighter if this scanner is truly picking up that ring… uh?!?”
  “Wisp?” She turned to face the direction Willow was facing. “Damnit!!!”

=====

  “And now, the appeals round will begin!” the judge announced. Among the contestants were a Sandshrew, a Venomoth, an Oddish, and a Caterpie.
  Trinity, Lewis, and Willis sat down next to each other. The coordinators gave commands to their pokémon. The sandshrew showed off its spectacular slashing attack. Its claws glistened under the stage lights.
  “Wow. That sandshrew is so well groomed,” Willis noted.
  “Are you into pokémon contests too Willis,” Lewis asked.
  “Maybe… I like all things dealing with pokémon.” He and Chronos continued to watch.
  Venomoth’s coordinator instructed it to use psybeam. The moth pokémon put on a dazzling display of color using its psybeam attack. The judge seemed a little confused afterwards, as did Oddish who was up next.
  Oddish’s coordinator tried to calm it down and finally Oddish used its pedal dance. Onlookers smiled and cheered as Oddish performed the captivating dance. Each delicate leaf on its head waved gently as it turned and moved. At the end, Oddish gave a short bow before returning to its coordinator’s side. She breathed a sigh of relief that the psybeam hadn’t ruined her pokémon’s chance to appeal.
  Caterpie was the last pokémon up. Its coordinator carried the cute, green suction-cup tipped pokémon out to the center of the stage and carefully placed it on the ground. “Ok Caterpie. String shot.” Like a fountain, Caterpie released silk from its mouth into the air. As it fell, the audience gazed in awe seeing the elegant patterns it created. The silk shimmered before falling to the stage. Caterpie murred cutely at the end of its performance gaining the affection of several members of the audience. Its coordinator gently scooped Caterpie into his arms and carried him back.
  The judge polled the panel and announced the results. “In 4th place, we have Oddish. In 3rd is Venomoth.” All eyes focused on Caterpie and Sandshrew. Caterpie cuddled against its coordinator while Sandshrew wiggled about, scratching behind his ears. “The winner of the contest is Caterpie! Congratulations too all of our contestants. Please be sure to visit your town’s pokémon contest hall to register for the Pokémon Contest Tour!”
  Trinity clapped and she, Lewis, and Willis went to find Icy and Sara. “I think Oddish really shoulda won. That dance was amazing.”
  Lewis struggled to find the right words. “Ya uhhh, ya, err, it um, was really something ehheheh.” Lewis cursed to himself for the fine answer.
  Trinity just smiled a giggled a little to herself. “Oh, I think I see Icy and Sara over there.” As they turned the corner, two men dressed as pirates ran into them. Trinity caught her balance as Lewis stepped up to them.
  “Hey watch it! You nearly tripped us!” he said angrily. Trinity tried to indicate she was alright.
  “Hey kid we didn’t mean any trouble. Just didn’t see you there. Please enjoy your stay.” They were about to continue on their way when Lewis began speaking again.
  “Do you work for this casino?”
  “No. We were hired for this week’s Pirate Festival. Sorry kid, but we are kinda in a hurry.” They ran off and Lewis turned to Trinity.
  “You ok?” he asked.
  “Yea. You didn’t need to be so rude like that,” Trinity said showing her disappointment.
  “Maybe… But, after that… Something’s not right here… We need to find Icy now ok.”
  “Hey. Were you even listening to me? I said, you gotta loosen up. I can take care of myself.” Trinity had barely finished her sentence when a very angry Umbreon stood growling at her. “Aghh, whose pokémon is this?” Umbreon slashed at her with its claws cutting Trinity’s right arm badly. “Owww…” she cried grabbing her arm. It stung as she tried to control the swelling. With a little effort, she managed to grab Sneasel’s pokéball and released her.
  Lewis stepped up as well. Willis remained in the back. “What the heck? I’ll teach you some manners.” Lewis’ eyes burned and his body took on a faint blue glow.
  “Ha ha ha ha haa…” A cloud of smoke filled the casino. After it dissipated, pirates were positioned everywhere, each carrying pokéballs and muskets. “This little party is now over.”
  Icy and Sara were only a few feet away from Lewis, but a pirate kept his musket well trained on them. “Uh uh uh. You kids aren’t interfering with our plans today.”
  Wisp walked up to the casino manager who was holding a copperish ring. “I believe that belongs to me.” Icy snapped to attention and focused on the ring. Wisp forced it from the manager’s hands and walked back to Willow.
  “Thank you all for coming to the Hiland Island Casino to witness another triumph for Team DarkPoke. Unfortunately for you, it will be the last time you see us.”
  Lewis was fuming. “Oh no you don’t.” He gathered more energy and focused it on Wisp. “AGHHH!!” he shouted releasing a massive psychic attack from his own energy. Wisp’s eyes widened as it came hurtling towards him.
  Suddenly, a protection sphere formed around Wisp negating the attack. Lewis panted slightly as he looked in disbelief. Behind Wisp stood Dark Suihou, staring at Lewis with cold eyes. Its body glowed red and slowed faded down. “Suuiiuu…”
  “Dark Suihou…” Lewis mumbled.
  “This is too much. Let’s just get out of here,” Willis begged. Trinity kneeled behind Sneasel, tending her wound. Lewis stood beside her as well.
  “No way. I’ll stop them here.”
  “No Lewis!” Icy shouted. It was too late.
  “Grrr, take this!” Lewis summoned all his energy and fired it at Willow and Wisp. Again, Dark Suihou glowed and all the pirates, including Willow and Wisp had vanished. The energy ball ripped down the hallway, throwing several people into the air before slamming into wall. Instantly, an explosion rocked the entire island causing everyone to stumble and fall.
  Willis’ Celebi created a protect shield around Willis, Lewis and Trinity as more explosions rang out. Fires started on one end of the casino.
  From a distance, the two agents laughed and dropped several small explosives onto the casino roof. “This ought to be a blast hahahaha!” Within minutes, the entire building was ablaze with people rushing out every exit seeking safety.
  “Let’s make sure nothing survives.” Willow motioned to the pilot to turn and they soon could see the ferry which was docked. People were already crowding on board. “Such a pity…” she said and clinched the trigger of the rocket launcher. The missile ripped through the ferry’s hull and exploded. The ship began sinking in seconds while burning boards floated atop the water.
  Icy and Sara joined Lewis and the others inside the protect sphere. “I’ll help you Chronos,” he said strengthening the barrier. Suihou stood next to Trinity as well as Lewis now. It shivered as it watched the helicopter fly off into the sky. Dark Suihou glared back as long as he could see Suihou.
  “We gotta get off this island now,” Lewis said. Icy nodded and used his telekinesis to allow them to float across the bay to the mainland.
  Emergency helicopters flew over and fought the fire but the numerous explosions had claimed several lives and smoke took care of the rest before the fire was under control.

=====

  Icy and Lewis panted as the protection spell broke and Chronos returned to Willis. “Lewis… what were you thinking???” Icy said.
  “I… I don’t know…”
  “You weren’t,” Trinity stated sharply. She whined softly and held her arm again. Lewis tried to help her but she turned away. “I told you I can take care of myself. You need to control yourself.”
  “Trinity, I’m sorry… I…” Lewis paused. “I really messed up back there…”
  “Tell that to all those who are trapped over there.” Suihou glowed a soft blue and began healing Trinity’s arm.
  “We can’t blame ourselves completely for that… Team DarkPoke planned this entire thing from the start… And now they’ve got four of the rings…”
  “One more to go right?” Sara asked.
  “Yea…”
  In the distance, a shadowy figure laughed sinisterly. “Whaa haa haa haa haaaa!!! Your time will come Icy. The frozen diamond who thaws the key. You should never have moved from your grave…” The figure vanished.

Meanwhile, in the sphere office…
  “Target located… Ring signature found in sector J33. No movement in sector.”
  Willis smirked as his Houndour growled. “The final ring is mine! Haa haa haaa haaa haaaaa!!!”

  Could this be it for our heroes? Team DarkPoke only has one more ring to find! Can Icy and his friends stop them and protect Pichu and Frosterpie? Find out on the next Icy & Sara.

Awakening

Last time on The Adventures of Icy and Sara,
  Icy was challenged by Kate, a mysterious young trainer who’d followed Icy across the globe in search of a battle. However, Icy’s butterfree, Buttercup, was too powerful and Kate was defeated. Soon after, Icy and his friends arrived at Hiland Island, but Team DarkPoke was already a step ahead. They stole the fourth ring and destroyed the casino!

This is where our adventure continues…

{ Opening theme plays: Higher and Higher }

  The TV flickered a little as it decoded the signal. Nurse Joy adjusted the antennae to get better reception. “{crackle} reporting live over what {crackle} Hiland Island Casino. Sources {crackle} …rkPoke may be {crackle}… {crackle}”
  “Mmmouu… can’t we use a better TV?” Sara pouted.
  “Sara!” Icy answered her. She smiled innocently. Finally, the picture and sound returned.
  “… Rescue workers are searching round the clock for survivors, but it’s looking bad. Several people have already been pronounced dead due to smoke inhalation and others from severe burns. {crackle} horrible atrocity.” The screen flickered again as the camera panned across the smoldering remains of the island resort. A flashy graphic and tune played to announce the “LIVE REPORT” theme.
  “I hate the news,” Lewis said. “Never anything happy, only bad things.”
  “That’s why we’re gonna stop them before anyone else gets hurt,” Icy said clinching his fist. Just then, a person in the corner of the room began laughing. “Huh, what’s so funny?”
  “Ha ha ha haa haaaa… You…? You really think you can stop this?” The person remained in the shadows but extended a strangely shaped arm. “You do not even realize what has started; what has begun to end! Ha Ha HAAA!!! And you expect to stop it?!?” Others in the pokecenter listened nervously. “Icy… The Frozen Diamond… You are NOTHING compare to me. HA HA HA HAAAA!!!” As mysteriously as the person appeared, so he disappeared.
  “Icy…” Sara said lightly. She was obviously scared.
  Icy held her close to comfort her. “It’s alright. I’m not letting some creepy person stop me from preventing DarkPoke from killing others.”
  “Please… don’t do anything that could get you killed…”
  “Huh?”
  “Promise me you won’t!” Sara said pleading. The others in the pokecenter remained seated as the drama unfolded.
  “Sara…” Icy looked at his friend, into her teary eyes. “I won’t die.”
  “Sara. Icy’s not doing this alone. We are all here, and we all want to see that Team DarkPoke’s plans are stopped.” Trinity made a fist but clenched her arm in pain. “Ahh, still not all better yet…”
  “Trinity,” Lewis said. He stopped himself before Trinity could become angry.
  “So… where do we go now? Team DarkPoke’s not gonna lead us to the next ring…”
  “We could head back to Dark Cove,” Lewis offered.
  “That’s kinda risky… The city is crawling with agents,” Icy said.
  Just then, an old woman entered the building. “I’m looking for a trainer named Icy,” she asked in a scratchy, old person’s voice.

Meanwhile,
[SCENE: Bolson]
  Miners had finally returned to work after months of repairs to their town. A while back, Team DarkPoke had attacked them and stolen a ring from the town.
  “Hey Mike, come here and look at this.” The other miner came over to see what his coworker wanted to show him. “What do you think this is?”
  “Huh? Hmmm…” Mike picked at the edges of the artifact his friend found.
  “Careful.”
  “I know. It looks like some kinda statue. Must be hundreds of years old.” Just then, the statue started glowing. “Agghhh!!! GHOST!!!” The miners fled for the snowy hills. “GG-HH-OO-SS-TT!!!!!”

At the same time…
  On the Southern Plains, a faint glow was spotted coming out of the ground. A half-destroyed village was nearby. Villagers began panicking since their village elder had left to find someone. Atop the hills, light poured out of tunnels dug deep into the earth.

Back in Nilako Bay Town…
  The TV flickered again. “This jus… {crackle} …n A st… {crackle} low has been sp… {crackle}… …” The picture went completely, replaced by static.
  “Icy,” the old woman called.
  “M’am? You look familiar. Have we met?”
  “We have. Several weeks ago, you and your friends came to my village… along with those villains Team DarkPoke.” Icy gave her his full attention. “Something terrible is happening… surely you, you can sense it.”
  Icy closed his eyes. The Great Eternal Void appeared in his mind and his eye traveled across the vast sea of nothingness. It traveled until seeing a disturbance. Four rifts had formed in the Void. “I can. It’s a powerful presence. It’s twisting the Void and this world too.”
  “So, you really can see that far. The legends must be true then.”
  “Huh?!?” Icy looked stunned while his friends shrugged.
  “Don’t act like that. This is not a story or a game child. I speak of life and death! Perhaps you young’ns don’t care about the world’s problems today, but this is a problem shared by us all.”
  “No m’am, I do care. Please, continue.”
  “Very well… Recall, I mentioned to you about the Silver Pokémon?”
  “Yes. If the rings were brought together, the Silver Pokémon would awaken.”
  “The Silver Pokémon’s power is greater than any force on this planet. But, if those evil criminals were to gain such power…”
  “… we won’t let them,” Trinity said. Lewis and Willis nodded.
  “You may be able to stop them… but, the disturbances you sensed… they are that of the Guardians.”
  “Guardians?”
  “Mm. The Guardians of the Rings of Destiny. Legend as it these pokémon protected the Rings since they were sealed away.”
  Lewis butted in. “I don’t mean to be rude, but, if they were supposed to be guarding the rings, how come Team DarkPoke’s got em now?”
  The old lady smacked Lewis on the head with a cane and continued. “I was getting to that. These guardian pokémon were… not the most dependable. In fact, ancient writings suggest these pokémon were outcasts. They possessed more power than most normal pokémon of their time, and they used it for evil. Thus, the leaders of the ancient pokémon civilization sealed them with the rings. The term ‘Guardian’ just came to pass since the rings themselves were considered harmless compared to the pokémon.”
  “So now, those pokémon are no longer sealed away…”
  “M’am,” Sara started, “you said there were five rings, but only four guardians.”
  “The worst has already awoken… It is no guardian at all… The legend speaks of this fifth pokémon, a destroyer, sealed on this planet by creatures roaming through space.”
  Lewis turned to Icy. “You don’t think she’s talked about the Mews do you?”
  “Speak up child.” The old lady turned to Lewis, cane ready.
  “Ahhh haa haa haa. We might have seen these space pokémon you’re talking about. Are they by any chance the Mews?”
  “Whaaa?!? You’ve met with them???”
  “It wasn’t a pleasant meeting I can assure you,” Icy muttered.
  “So the legends really are true…” The woman stepped closer to Icy.
  “Eh???”
  “You truly are the Frozen Diamond the legends speak of.”
  “I don’t understand…”
  “There is nothing for you to understand. Your path will become clear soon enough.” Just then, the TV started to come back again.
  “{static} In several parts of the globe, strange creatures have emerged and are destroying everything {crackle}… have mobilized to counter their advances.” The camera attempted to focus on the creatures.
  “Ahh, that’s one of them!” the woman cried.
  Suddenly, the ground began to shake. In the shadows, and voice spoke softly to Icy. “Hmm hmm hmm… you know enough now… It only makes this more amusing. But, which path shall you choose. When you realize my true ambitions, you will think twice. My quarrel does not have to be with you if you simply give me Frosterpie.”
  “Who are you?!?” Icy shouted, but there was no one there. His friends stared at him.
  “Who are you talking to?” Sara asked.
  “A voice…” He turned to the old woman. “Maybe I don’t want any part in this legend. I have had to live through enough already. Me and Sara, and our friends. We’ve all gone beyond what any person should do!”
  “You don’t have a choice child. Destiny will bind you to this path.”
  “I don’t believe that!” Icy stood up. “Fate and destiny will not bind me. I choose my own path.”
  “Call it whatever you wish… I only pray in the end, you succeed.”
  “My success will be at my gym in Viridian Forest, where it should have been.”
  “Icy…” Sara said.
  “Hmmhm hmmm… Give me Frosterpie… and it’ll end now… There’s no need for you to sacrifice yourself anymore for these people. Save yourself the trouble…” the voice spoke again.
  “Agghhh!!!” Icy reached for his pokéballs and found the one containing Hocus. “Beyond my sight, fall into the light… Hocus, SHINE!” Hocus emerged from his pokéball.
  “Master!” he said. Hocus fired a psybeam directly behind Icy.
  “Agh…” Icy moaned falling to the floor. Behind him, another figure materialized.
  “Haah hahahaha. Good aim. Your ancestors were particularly good shots themselves.”
  Sara helped Icy up. “Wh… who are you?”
  The figure grinned knowing he was visible to everyone. “I am the fifth guardian… The destroyer… I… am… NEMESIS.” Laughing, Nemesis vanished as the ground shook more and the lights flickered out.
  Trinity released Chonchii. “Chonchii, spark!” Chonchii’s sparks created enough light to see again.
  “Now you see child. You are part of this no matter what.”
  “I… We are not…” Icy and Hocus used their psychic energy to teleport the group just outside town. Outside the window, a loud roar was heard. As the clouds parted, the monstrous figure of the guardian became visible.
  “Goddish help us…” the old woman spoke.

  “Icy… are you alright.” Sara got closer to Icy.
  “Why…? What does all this have to do with me?”
  “What are you talking about?”
  “Nemesis… He wants Frosterpie…”
  Willis froze. “That… …”
  “What is it?” Trinity asked her younger brother.
  “That pokémon just then… He… He’s the one who gave me Chronos and the darkballs and everything. He wanted Frosterpie but tricked me into trying to get it…”
  “Enough!” Icy shouted. “It’s a legend… Legends are not truth.”
  “How can you say that? What about everything we have been through…”
  “Icy… It’s ok to be scared… or worried so…”
  “… I’m not scared or worried about anything…” Icy snapped to attention. “AGH!” Pain ripped across his shoulder as he fell to his knees. Behind him, Dark Suihou stood glaring, accompanied by Willow and Wisp.
  “You should be scared of us though. Hahahahahaaa!” Wisp walked towards the group.
  “This really can be resolved rather easily… Give us Pichu and all will be well.”
  “Why should we trust you?” Trinity sneered.
  “You are in no position to bargain girl,” Willow replied.
  “Watch your tone whench,” Lewis retorted.
  “Lewis!!!” said Trinity.
  “How dare you. Umbreon, go!” Umbreon appeared from behind Willow and lunged at Lewis.
  “Heh.” Lewis used his psychic powers to freeze Umbreon in mid-air.
  “Don’t be so overconfident boy,” Wisp said. Dark Suihou glowed behind him and suddenly Lewis’ shield vanished. Umbreon took two swipes at his face before Lewis’ Alakazam could defend him.
  “Ughhh…”
  “This little game is really growing tiresome…” Wisp snapped his fingers and dozens of agents appeared from hiding. “You can’t possibly defeat us all.”
  Icy groaned and gripped his wounded shoulder. Sara stayed beside him. “What are we gonna do Icy?”
  “I… I don’t know…”
  Lewis, Trinity, and Willis gathered together with Icy and Sara. “This doesn’t look good…”
  Wisp smirked as the agents began advancing on them.
  “Beyond reality, take shape from my hand… Icy calls CYBER!” Icy’s porygon, Cyber, appeared. “Cyber, execute jet conversion. Quick, everyone get in.” Cyber transformed into a pory-jet and took off.
  “They are getting away…” Willow said calmly.
  “They really do think we’d give in like that…” Wisp added.
  “Sui… suuuuuuu!!!” Dark Suihou glowed red and Cyber stopped dead in the air.
  “Cyber! What’s wrong.” The duck-like pokémon complained a little as it slowly dropped back to the earth.
  “Suuuu suuiii.”
  “Enough of your games… We have a mission to complete. You kids are nothing but trouble and are in our way.” Wisp pointed at the group. “Dark Suihou, attack!”
  Dark Suihou glowed again and released a psybeam towards Cyber. The ground exploded as Cyber returned to normal and fainted. Icy and the others where thrown against the ground.
  Sara grasped Pichu’s pokéball tight as she heard footsteps come closer. A tear rolled down her face as she felt a person come near. An arm reached down, aimed at the pokéball she was clutching. It was about to grab it when a loud roar came over the horizon.
  “Wha? What is that?!?” Wisp shouted.
  Lewis looked up. “Guardian?”
  “No way.” Trinity looked in the distance. A tremendous pokémon was walked towards them. It towered over the landscape even though it was far away. It resembled a tower almost, but with a single eye at the top.
  “We won’t be interrupted by this. Give me that pokéball!”
  “Nooooo!!!” Sara cried gripping it with all her strength.
  “Grrr, give it up.”
  “Noooo!!! Nooo!!!”
  “Uhhh, run!!!” Lewis shouted as he, Trinity and Willis turned to run. Icy recalled Cyber and shoved Willow down before grabbing Sara’s arm and running.
  “Icy…”
  “Sara… We gotta move!”
  “Get back here. Huh…?” Willow looked back. The horizon was burning. “No…”
  Instantly, the field was turned into a blazing inferno. The roars of the pokémon guardian were loud enough to shatter glass for miles around. Its eye glowed again, drawing massive amounts of energy to it, then fired into the landscape, carving an impact crater and burning everything in its path. A helicopter flew away quickly.
  “Damn those brats!!!” Willow cursed.
  “We had them… Why’d that pokémon have to interfere?”
  Dark Suihou remained silent. It knew what that creature was.
  “What difference does it make… We can get the fifth ring and then launch a full attack on those kids. We’ll get Pichu… even if we must kill them to do it.”
  “Kill them?” Willow asked. The helicopter flew back to Dark Cove.

  Willis Powers was waiting in the main hall. The TV played on the monitors. He flipped off the switch as Wisp and Willow entered. “I thought I asked not to create a disturbance. Why have strange pokémon appeared and why did you destroy the casino?”
  “Icy was there… Pichu as well. He and his friends discovered us.”
  “Unfortunate… for them. These guardian pokémon… they may become useful. And in the mean time… I have located the final ring… You may rest tonight, but will leave tomorrow for your mission. Time is critical you understand.”
  “Yes sir…”
  “If those children get in our way again… eliminate them… by whatever means necessary.”
  “We understand.”

  The roars of the guardian pokémon could still be heard as Icy and the others kept running. Sara was almost being dragged along by Icy when she stumbled over a rock. “Ugh!”
  “Sara!” Icy helped her back to her feet. “Are you ok?”
  “Ow… Yea, I think so. It’s just a little sore.”
  “I can still hear that pokémon, but I think we are far enough now,” Trinity said.
  “Is anywhere far enough from that?” Willis asked. Chronos covered itself in his arms.
  “Don’t worry Willis. You can be strong now that you are with friends. Nemesis can’t hurt us,” Lewis said.
  “That’s easy to say… but I know it’s not true.” Willis looked down at the ground. “Nemesis… He’s… He’s not fit to even be called a pokémon. He won’t stop till he’s destroyed this world. That’s his only way to leave this place.”
  “Leave this place?”
  “Ya. I heard about it once. Nemesis is a prisoner of this planet. It has something to do with the Mews. He wanted Frosterpie because it holds power from the ancient pokémon which might free him. My guess is, the Mews learned of his plans, and erased the Gi Desert in order to prevent him from using the power.”
  “But we were able to get Frosterpie,” Icy said.
  “Ya…” Chronos floated beside Willis. “I don’t want any more pokémon to suffer because of him. Not Frosterpie, not Chronos, none of them.”
  “Icy, maybe that old lady was right, but only in the chain of events. We all control our destinies, but fulfilling the legends might be the only hope.”
  “All we need to do now is protect Frosterpie and Pichu from Nemesis and Team DarkPoke. If we can recover the rings as well, we can put a stop to their plans.”
  “And what about Nemesis?” Sara asked.
  “How do we defeat an enemy like that?” Trinity asked.
  “Why do WE have to beat him anyways,” Lewis remarked.
  “This is a problem shared by all, so everyone will fight him. That’s how it may come to pass.” Icy stood up. “It’s not our responsibility to defend an entire planet, but let’s do what we can to protect ourselves and stop Team DarkPoke. We’ll worry about Nemesis when the time comes.”
  “Ok. Then our destination should be Dark Cove. Let’s storm their headquarters and steal the rings!” Lewis said.
  “You know… that might actually work,” Trinity added.
  “We’ll need allies,” Sara said.
  “Dark Cove hates Team DarkPoke. I bet we could find trainers who’d support us,” Willis mentioned.
  “It’s settled then. We’ll take the fight to them and put an end to their evil plans.”
  “YAY!” everyone shouted.

  As our heroes ride back to Dark Cove, Willow and Wisp are already searching for the fifth and final Ring. Will Icy and the group be successful in finding other to support them? Can they defeat Team DarkPoke and Willis Powers? The battle for freedom in Dave Cove is about to begin; next time on The Adventures of Icy and Sara.

Just Desserts

Last time on The Adventures of Icy and Sara,
  The old woman from the village appeared again giving our heroes more information about the Rings, the legend, and Nemesis. But then, the Guardians awoke and began to attack the coast. To make matters worse, Dark Suihou and Team DarkPoke surrounded Icy and his friends. An unexpected twist of events let them slip away but is it only delaying the inevitable?

This is where our adventure continues…

{ Opening theme plays: Higher and Higher }

  Nemesis floated high above Icy and his friends. “Fools… You won’t even be able to stop Team DarkPoke at this point let alone me. Never-the-less…” He eyed Chronos. “You… however… You’ll suffer the price of betrayal.” Nemesis laughed and vanished. Chronos shivered knowing it really was only a matter of time before Nemesis would come for him. With the Dark Ball destroyed, he could be by Willis’ side. He’d protect him at any cost… his life if necessary.
  Willis noticed his friend shivering and held him close to his body. “Are you cold Chronos?”
  Chronos nodded rather than speaking up. Their focus was not on Nemesis for the time being. He snuggled close to Willis and shut his tired eyes.
  Cyber sped across the grasses while the trainers slept. It would be a day before they would reach Dark Cove and still had to pass through the Tsuya Desert. Cyber engaged its hover engines as the grasslands ended and the sand began. The light hum was enough to wake Icy as well as Sara.
  “Icy, are you awake?” she asked.
  “Mm? Yea. It’s nothing. Cyber just switched to hover mode so we can cross this desert.”
  “Oh. Oh ok.” Sara twiddled his fingers a little. Icy gave her a tender hug. “Heehee, thanks.”
  “Hey, no problem.”
  “Icy… Do you think we can stop Team DarkPoke before it’s too late?”
  “I dunno. It’s probably gonna depend on how much support the Dark Cove townspeople will give us.”
  “I just…” She hugged Icy tighter. “I just… wanna go home…”
  “Sara…”
  “I don’t wanna see any more pokémon or people be hurt.”
  “…”
  “I’m sorry… I um…”
  Icy hugged Sara, rubbing her back gently. “It’s ok. None of us want anyone to get hurt, but I guess we do gotta help fight. I mean… maybe, that old lady could be right, and I’m somehow supposed to end this. I can’t do it alone.”
  “I’ll always be at your side Icy. Always. I love you Icy,” Sara said holding back her tears and hugging Icy.
  “I love you too Sara. I’ll protect you no matter what. You and Pichu and everyone.”
  The two fell back asleep as Cyber continued carefully through the Tsuya Desert.

  The sun glistened as it rose over the rolling hills of sand which covered the Tsuya Desert.
  “Uh… Going to the beach would be nice, but you need the water too,” Willis joked.
  “This isn’t the beach.” Trinity flipped open her PokeNav. “Says here we are in the Tsuya Desert. An oasis would be nice though.”
  Lewis stood up. “Yea. This can’t be the beach. Where are all the girls in bikinis?” he chuckled.
  Trinity was about to clobber him when the winds began to pick up. “Aghh,” she screamed falling into Lewis.
  “Look out,” he said catching her. He covered his eyes as the sands kicked up from the ground. “Icy, what’s going on?”
  “I dunno, but I think we are in for a nasty sandstorm.” Icy held Sara close as she held on tight to him.
  “Eeeeii… Why can’t we ever get a break?”
  The storm worsened. Icy called for everyone to gather inside the HoverPory.

[2 Hours Later…]
  “Icy… the storm is still going…” Sara said.
  “Yea, I know.”
  “Not even the Gi Desert was this terrible,” Lewis mentioned.
  “I just hope it passes soon. At this rate, it’ll take days to reach Dark Cove,” Trinity said.
  Willis sat next to Trinity with Chronos in his lap. “Maybe this sandstorm is being caused by someone… or something.”
  “Team DarkPoke? You think they followed us out here?” Lewis asked.
  “It is a possibility… But, do they have a way to create such a storm?” Icy said.
  “What if it’s another one of those guardian pokémon?” Sara whimpered.
  “Ugh! I’m gonna take a look outside and see if I can find anything.” Trinity got making Willis lose his balance for a moment. She put on a slick pair of GoGoGoggles and headed outside.
  “Trinity, wait! It’s dangerous out there.” Lewis got up and followed her outside. He took out a pair of shades to protect his eyes a little.
  “Icy? Shouldn’t we stop them? It sounds really scary out there,” Sara said worried.
  “If it’s Trinity, there’ll be no changing her mind even if we tried. Besides, Cyber’s keeping us safe. If anything happens out there, he’ll protect them.”

  Outside, the winds were blowing very strong. Trinity fought to keep her balance as she squinted through the goggles. “This… isn’t… so bad…” She struggled to maintain her balance but a strong wind gust threw her back. “Aghhh!! Uhppfff.” Lewis had caught her but was now pinned to the door.
  “Ugghhh… Are you ok?” he tried to say.
  Trinity could tell his lips were moving, but she couldn’t hear anything he was saying. “Huh, speak up. The winds are too strong!” she shouted.
  Lewis gritted his teeth as the wind blew sand against them harder. Like Trinity, he too couldn’t make out a single word she said. Lewis decided to use telepathy instead. “Trinity. It’s me, Lewis. I can speak to you using telepathy since this storm is preventing us from hearing each other.”
  Trinity heard his voice in her head and thought back a reply. “Alright. Willis was right. This isn’t any normal sandstorm…”
  “Indeed. I’m sensing something strange out there. Let’s keep close in case anything happens.”
  Trinity gave Lewis a disappointed look but agreed. They slowly made there way to the front of the HoverPory. The winds were even stronger and they could tell Cyber was having difficulty just moving forward with all the wind.
  “It’s as if, something doesn’t want us here. Something trying to push us back.”
  “That’s too bad for them. Unless we get across this desert, we’ll never get to Dark Cove in time,” Lewis spoke. Just then, a strange sparkle flashed in front of them. It was followed by a beautiful sound.
  “Wh…what is this?” Trinity thought. The sound was soothing and wonderful. Trinity looked out in the distance, searching for the source of it.
  “Do you hear it too?” Lewis spoke. Trinity nodded. “I wonder what is making this strange sound.”
  The winds grew stronger again and the sound became louder. “Whatever it is, I think it’s coming towards us,” Trinity said. The sparkle glimmered again and Trinity turned away as something flew past her and Lewis. “Agghh!”
  “Trinity!” Lewis turned to try and see what had flown past them. I heard the strange sounds again as they became louder and louder. “Look out, it’s making a second pass.”
  Trinity managed to get to her pokéballs and released Larvitar. “Larvitar go!” Larvitar planted itself on the deck as it stood braving the winds. “Use your fire blast in the direction of that sound!” Trinity shouted. Larvitar didn’t move. A few moments later, it looked up at Trinity with a puzzled expression. “Larvitar can’t hear my commands…” Trinity decided on a different strategy.
  In pokémon battles, the trainer was often his or her own worst enemy. A trainer’s pokémon usually conducts the battle according to the commands given. Those commands are heard by the opponent trainer and provide a clear indication of the coming attack, even if it takes place in mere seconds. Trinity has trained her pokémon to understand strategies to overcome this flaw. She gave some commands, but in most cases, she allowed her pokémon to make its own decision based on the tactics she taught them. In this situation, the training would hopefully pay off.
  Larvitar realized Trinity couldn’t speak to him so he began searching for the opponent he was sent out to battle. Trinity tried to gesture to Larvitar to search for the source of the sound by pointing at her eyes and cupping her ears. Larvitar seemed to understand and soon focused in on the sound. Knowing his trainer couldn’t give an attack to use, Larvitar chose a projectile attack and used its Fire Blast.
  Lewis shouted as soon as he realized what Larvitar was about to do. “No don’t!” He quickly created a psychic barrier as Larvitar’s fire blast attack came back towards them. “Uggghhhh, these winds are too strong. You’ll have to use something like a beam. I know…” He reached for a pokéball but Trinity stopped him. “Trinity?”
  “I will handle this,” she spoke. Trinity turned to Larvitar who was obviously sorry about his miscalculation. She smiled and pointed forward again. The sound was getting louder once more. Trinity motioned with her hand cutting across her neck. Larvitar knew that sign. Trinity would give that command only to call on the most powerful attack any of her pokémon knew. In Larvitar’s case, this was hyper beam. “Do it!” she shouted. Larvitar formed the energy ball from his mouth and released it directly at the source of the sound. The intense beam of light streaked over the blowing sands and collided with its target.
  “Alright! I think you got it!” Lewis cheered. Sure enough, the winds started to calm down. “Aghh, Trinity!!! TRINITY!!!”
  Trinity had to turn away when Larvitar fired the hyper beam. As she turned to face forward again, a large emerald pokémon stared angrily into her eyes. Trinity stood frozen with fear. Lewis moved in front of her and put out his arms protecting her from the slightly burned pokémon.
  “Flllyyyyyy…” it hissed and created a sandstorm around Cyber causing it to stop completely.

  Inside, Icy was getting worried. “Ok. Now we should help. We stopped moving for some reason.”
  “Icy, the door’s jammed!” Sara pounded on the door to the deck but the strong winds were preventing her from opening it.
  “We gotta help my sister!” Willis shouted.
  “Willis calm down. Lewis is out there with her. Let’s hope whatever they found they are taking care of it.”

  Back on the deck, Lewis and the strange pokémon were pitted in a staring contest. The pokémon’s eyes narrowed as it swung its long tail at Lewis throwing him hard against the door.
  “UGGHH!!!!” he grunted as his body slammed against the door. “I… I can’t give in… now…” He struggled to summon the energy to stay up but the winds were fatiguing him further. “I… don’t understand… I… AGGHHH!!” Lewis shouted in pain as several sharp blades of wind lashed his already beaten body. “Trinity… I…” His strength finally gave out as his limp body fell to leaning against the door.
  Trinity looked back at Lewis. “LEWIS!!!” Fear gripped every muscle in her body. She looked in front of her again, facing the pokémon who attacked them. Larvitar stood in front of her, prepared to protect his trainer. Trinity managed to find her pokedex to analyze their foe.
  “FLYGON. Also known as ‘the Elemental Spirit of the Desert’, this pokémon is almost always enveloped in a sandstorm while flying.” Trinity looked at the great dragon pokémon.
  “Flygon? I can’t lose to you.” She turned to Larvitar and gave a thumbs down. Larvitar was on his own to attack and make his decisions. Back when Trinity was first training pokémon, she would teach them special hand gestures to use in place of vocal commands. Some were simple attacks or evasive moves while others could mean complex tactical plans. Every day, she and her pokémon would practice the signals until they were second nature. Their movements became so fluidic that not even the most agile of pokémon could evade their attacks. Larvitar quickly decided on a plan of action. He still needed time to recover from using the hyper beam earlier and getting Flygon away from Trinity became the top priority.
  Flygon growled at Larvitar and prepared to strike again. Larvitar leaped forward and landed a few hits with its fury cutter attack. Flygon became enraged and chased Larvitar into the sand.
  Trinity watched from the distance. Larvitar may be able to beat Flygon, but without her guidance it would be tough. Behind her, Lewis was beginning to come to.
  Meanwhile, Icy, Sara, and Willis were trapping inside and unable to help their friends outside.

  Flygon beat its large wings causing sand to form a cyclone around its body. Larvitar used its flame blast attack but the intense winds blew it away. “No way,” Trinity thought. Without a flamethrower attack, the fires could not penetrate the dense cyclone Flygon had created around itself. If only she could use it to her advantage. “Oh no. Larvitar! LOOK OUT!!!” Larvitar’s attention snapped as it realized the trap it’d walked into. From within the cyclone, Flygon had been preparing its hyper beam attack. It threw the strong winds at Larvitar casting him into the air. “NOOOO!!!”
  Time passed slower for Larvitar as he flew helplessly through the air. Flygon gathered energy at its mouth and fired a hyper beam at Larvitar. He’d gotten careless. Defenseless, Larvitar braced himself for the worst. The hyper beam ripped through Larvitar as he shouted out in pain. His unconscious body fell to the hot sands like a rock.
  “Larvitar!!! Return now!!!” Trinity’s eyes burned as she looked out at the hovering Flygon. “I will not lose to you.” She reached for another pokéball and threw it. “Sneasel, I’m leaving this up to you!”
  Flygon’s eyes narrowed as it stared down the feline pokémon. It wanted to drive them all away quickly, but the battles were an added bonus apparently. Flygon enveloped itself in a sandstorm as it swooped towards Sneasel.
  Sneasel meditated, waiting for just the right moment. The air currents changed slightly indicating her chance. Raising her claws, she leapt into the cyclone and slashed at Flygon with her fury cutter attack.
  Flygon growled and the sandstorm blew away while Sneasel landed safely on the ground. Flygon was obviously injured from the attack but took no notice. It’s only intent was to drive the pokémon away, or defeat it however way necessary. Suddenly, it made its move.
  Lewis was awake again and watching the battle. “Trinity, it’s a trap!”
  “Huh?”
  “Sneasel! Leave it to me! Donphan go! Rollout in front of Sneasel!”
  Flygon prepared to use its sand trap attack on Sneasel who like Larvitar had waited in the sand far too long. Sneasel realized too late she too made the same mistake but was saved by Donphan’s quick rollout attack throwing Flygon off course.
  “Lewis…” Trinity looked at him unable to find the right words. “Aghh, look out.” Flygon, upset with being unable to stop Sneasel enveloped Donphan in a sandstorm and threw the pokémon at Lewis. Lewis had to use the rest of his psychic strength to slow Donphan down to prevent being flattened.
  “Ughh… Guess… it’s up to you now. Dragons are weak against ice attacks. Sneasel has to use that sandstorm against Flygon somehow. It’s the only way.”
  “Lewis… I got it. Thanks.” Sneasel looked back at Trinity to check for a command. “Sneasel, get ready to use your blizzard and ice punch attacks the moment Flygon creates another sandstorm.” Sneasel understood and waited.
  Flygon was breathing heavily showing its exhaustion. It beat its wings harder creating another sandstorm. Sneasel took off. Gracefully sprinting across the very grains of sand, Sneasel’s claws become frigid as she blew freezing air into the cyclone around Flygon.
  “FFLYLYYYYY!!!!!!” it screeched. Sneasel struggled to endure the horrible sound. The cyclone itself contained the freezing blizzard, trapping Flygon inside. Sneasel made a quick leap into the air, her sharp claws slicing through the cyclone and attacked using an ice punch.
  Flygon fell from the air, hitting the now cool sands hard as Sneasel landed away from it. Flygon struggled to get back in the air as Trinity saw her chance.
  “You may have caused me and my friends a lot of trouble, but you’ve proven yourself worthy of being on my team. This is it!” She grabbed an empty pokéball. “Pokeball! GO!!!” The ball hit Flygon and immediately contained it. It shook violently for a few seconds then became still. The red light faded as did the winds.
  Lewis cheered, wincing in pain still. “Alright Trinity!! That was outstanding!!”
  Trinity blushed slightly. Usually, she was frustrated by trainers complimenting her. But coming from Lewis, it felt different. It was sincere. “T… Thank you… You really gave me a hand with Donphan too.” The pokémon floated back to her as she recalled Sneasel. “Now we can continue through the desert.” She looked at the pokéball. “And we have a new ally when we fight Team DarkPoke.”

  Back inside, the others had given up on trying to open the door.
  “Any fives?” Willis asked.
  Icy looked at his hand. “Go fish.”
  Willis took a Magikarp labeled card from the pile. “Your turn Sara.”
  Sara was about to play a card when the door flew open.
  “We did it!!! I captured the pokémon who… eh?” Trinity realized that they were playing games while she and Lewis had been risking their lives.
  “Oh… Hi sis. We uh, couldn’t get the door open so we finally gave up. Wanna play?”
  Trinity held back every urge to test her new pokémon on her friends. Lewis helped calm her down as well.

  “A Flygon? So that’s what created this sandstorm. Well, now that we can move again, let’s hurry to Dark Cove.”
  “YAY!!!” everyone shouted.

[Camera zooms out as Cyber speeds across the desert again.]

Meanwhile,
[Camera shows us a full image of Dark Cove. Frame by frame, it closes in on the towering headquarters of PokePowers.]
  “Soon… Soon they will all be mine.” Willis Powers laughed sinisterly. The screens flashed an incoming transmission.
  “Mission complete.”
  “We’ll be back by tomorrow.”
  The picture faded. “Now nothing can stand in my way…” He stood up against the glass window overlooking Dark Cove. “Nothing… not even you…” He laughed again as his Houndoom snarled. “Haa haa haaaaa haaaaa!!!”

[Fade to Willis and Chronos. Quick zoom in on Chronos.]
  Chronos perked up, startled by something. “What is it Chronos?” Willis asked.
  “The rings…” Chronos shivered. He could feel Nemesis’ cold eyes watching him. “It’s all happening again…”
  Willis held Chronos tight. “It’ll be alright. We’ll stop him for sure. I promise.”

Seeds of Light

Last time on The Adventures of Icy and Sara,
  As Icy and friends try to return to Dark Cove to battle Team DarkPoké, they found themselves nearly blown away by a raging Flygon. Trinity and Lewis fought to save everyone and ended up capturing the fearsome pokémon. But meanwhile, Team DarkPoké has collected all five Rings of Destiny. Has time run out for Icy and his friends?

This is where our adventure continues…

{ Opening theme plays: Higher and Higher }

  Icy and friends, tired from their eventful journey through the Tsuya Desert, continue on their way to Dark Cove where they hope to end Team DarkPoké’s reign of terror once and for all.
  Cyber was moving slower even though they’d long since left the sandy desert. “Cyber’s really giving it all he’s got,” Icy said. He was worried about his pokémon, but with no pokécenter in sight, and little time to lose, they had no choice.
  “He’ll have a good rest once we reach the city. It is strange we haven’t even passed a village. Didn’t you check a map or something before plotting our course?” Sara asked.
  “Well… I just figured we’d take the quickest way there.” Icy giggled nervously. “Look… unless we do stop Team DarkPoké, any villages out here might as well be gone. We’re all in danger if they get all the rings.”
  “You’re right… but still. I just hope when we get there, we aren’t too tired out to fight.”
  “This battle won’t be just ours Sara,” Lewis said.
  “That’s right. Even a top trainer like me knows when it’s time to band together. Alone, we haven’t even stopped two agents of theirs,” Trinity added.
  “But if we can gain the support of the people in Dark Cove, we might have a chance.”
  “What if they won’t support us?” Sara asked.
  “They have to…” Icy said. “If they don’t, Team DarkPoké will continue their evil deeds.”
  “Maybe they won’t listen… but, these things usually work out, even if we are to initially fail, they will come around somehow.”
  “You’ve been watching too many movies on the DVD player again,” Lewis said smugly.
  “WELL IT’S NOT MY FAULT!!!” Trinity snapped. “You don’t install a huge TV and DVD player and take a trip lasting almost a week and sit around playing… playing… grrrr” Trinity glared at Icy and Sara and Willis. “…playing GO FISH!!!”
  “Eeep!”
  “Switch ON!” Lewis grabbed the remote and hit play. Trinity’s rampage was calmed as the video started.
  “Who’s up for some popcorn?” Sara asked.
  “I guess, one more movie can’t hurt…” Trinity sighed.

That next day…

  Morning came as the sun peeked over the hills. In the distance, it glimmered across the giant skyscrapers of Dark Cove. The light reflected perfectly off the tallest of the towers, The PokéPowers Tower - a building taller than any other in the world, with more glass than anything like it. Air travel in Dark Cove was impossible because of the risk a pilot might mistake the building for sky due to the windows. But for most people, the tower represented an evil organization, oppressing the people of Dark Cove, and the surrounding areas.
  “Today, the final ring will be here… Tonight, we can finally unveil our greatest plan ever. Mwaaahahahhaa!” Willis Powers looked down from the rooftop office. The view stretched for miles on a clear day. “Soon… all this, and beyond, will all be mine.”

  Icy yawned and stretched. Sara was still sound asleep as he tried to softly get up.
  “Mmm… I’m already awake… Don’t bother…” she said sleepily.
  “Well, I could have always made a lot more noise if ya wanted,” Icy grinned.
  Sara simply pouted and went back to sleep.
  “Hehe,” he giggled and looked outside. “Nice and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. Err?” A few clouds flew past… literally, flew past.
  “Err?” Sara asked. “Don’t tell me you’re gonna tease me with Caterpie sounds now.”
  “Huh, no. The clouds… They are… flying…?!?”
  “Are you sure you’re awake.” Sara got out of bed, still dressed in her jammys (pale yellow with lil Pichu faces on em in case you were wondering). She walked to the window to take a look. Just then, the cloud Icy saw flew nearby. “Geh!?!” Sara stood motionless. The cloud turned and smiled. “AAGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!”

  “Ok, ok, what’s all the noise? Can’t you two keep it down in there…? Sheesh,” Trinity grunted.
  “Huh… It’s not that… umm… gah, or whatever you were thinking… err, nevermind. Come here quick.” Icy pointed out the window at the mysterious clouds which were now following them.
  “Those clouds are flying… Kinda odd.” Trinity was not as astonished.
  “You’re awfully calm about this…” Sara said.
  “I have a pokémon who for the most part appears to be indestructible… A flying cloud just doesn’t measure up to that. I bet it’s probably just some pokémon we’ve never met before.”
  “A pokémon?” Icy and Sara said.
  “Don’t tell me?!? You never thought about that possibility?!?!!?” Trinity steamed. “Grrr!!! What kinda trainers are you to not think because something flying in the air which looks strange and all maybe just maybe might be some pokémon you’ve…”
  Lewis interrupted Trinity’s rant. “Hey Trinity, save some of that for Willis Powers and the agents alright.” Lewis was calm until Trinity turned to face him. “Eep?!?”
  “Do NOT interrupt me! Hmm, now, where was I? Aw heck, it doesn’t matter. I can see the PokéPowers Tower from here so we must be getting close. You two should get ready, it’s already 10:00 for crying out loud.” Trinity stormed out taking Lewis with her.
  Icy and Sara blinked… blinked again, and stared vacantly at each other. “Wh… what just happened???” The floating cloud simply giggled and flew back into the blue sky.

Meanwhile,
  Willis Powers waited on the tower roof as the chopper descended. Two people departed the craft before it took off again. “Come, inside please,” he motioned as the three entered the stair well.
  Arriving at the doorway, all three walked down the decorative hallway to the board room. Willis took his seat where several other top agents were already waiting. Willow and Wisp took their seats on the opposite end of the table.
  “Today, Team DarkPoké has completed its most genius plan ever! The final Ring of Destiny has been obtained thanks to Willow and Wisp.” The agents cheered respectfully as they passed a box up the table to Willis. “Now… we can set into motion what we’ve spent so long planning. Tonight, we will steal the rest of the pokémon necessary for our army.” Willis opened the box and removed the ring. “It is only a matter of hours before this city realizes our true power.”
  Several agents cheered while others spoke amongst themselves. Willow and Wisp remained silent. When the meeting was over, they accompanied Willis back to his office.
  “You were quiet at the meeting. Is something the matter?” he asked.
  Wisp gave Willow a stern look. She sneered and spoke anyways. “Willis. We have been at your side for years now. This plan of yours… what is the point now? PokéPowers alone nets more profits than our organization by four fold. Why now risk everything?”
  “Willow,” Wisp snorted making her stop.
  “It’s alright. I’ve known for quite some time your feelings of resentment for my plans. I have thought things out very carefully. I have my reasons to gamble like this. The question is,” Willis began turning to Willow and Wisp, “are you both ready to see this to its end, whatever it shall be?”
  Both agents nodded and agreed.
  “Very good then. Make sure preparations proceed as scheduled. I do not want to miss the opportunity to test our new toys.”
  “But, we still do not have the Pichu.”
  “Nevermind her. Thanks to the data we uncovered while holding Pichu captive, we’ve come up with a way to emulate her triggering power. Dark Suihou will be able to use the rings, and a weapon to fire the energy is nearly complete. Things do move forward even while you are gone you realize.”
  “Of course sir.”
  “Very good then, off you go.” Willis entered his office as Willow and Wisp headed to the elevator.
  “What were you thinking Willow!” Wisp snapped.
  “I don’t know ok. Something doesn’t feel right about this. Willis doesn’t seem right…”
  “That’s not for us to decide. We have our orders.”
  “It didn’t begin like this. Don’t you see? Something’s changed now.”
  “Things change all the time Willow. No one ever thought this day would turn out like this. Those rings are going to greatly amplify our power now. Less pokémon will be involved in the attacks. When other cities realize the power of our technology, they will surrender immediately to us.”
  “You don’t get it do you?” Willow held Wisp’s hand. “We have changed…”
  “Willow…”
  “This is the last battle…”
  “Alright then… But you better show me all your strength. I’ll never forgive you if you hold back.”
  “Likewise to you.” The elevator dinged and the doors opened. The agents exited the car and began surveying the armies which would attack the city at night.

Back to our heroes,
  “Wow!” Sara proclaimed. The sun stood proud over the Dark Cove skyline. “I never noticed how pretty it looks,” she continued.
  Trinity looked for a moment and shrugged. “It’s nothing to get excited over,” she grunted.
  “It’s a lot nicer during the daytime. Don’t you agree Chronos?” Willis looked at Chronos whose eyes were transfixed on the PokéPowers Tower.
  “What’s the plan?” Lewis asked Icy. They stood around a small table in another room.
  “We need to convince the people of Dark Cove that we can fight back. Somehow, we gotta show them Team DarkPoké must be stopped, and soon.”
  “Easier said than done. I’m sure people must be bitter towards DarkPoké, but fear will prevent them from taking up arms.”
  “So we bring hope,” Sara interjected.
  “Hope?”
  “Yes. I feared I’d never see my precious Pichu again and let my heart fall into despair… but, I didn’t give up hope, and I was able to find Pichu again.” Pichu smiled and made a V-sign with her paw. Sara giggled.
  “The people of Dark Cove aren’t the ones in need of hope right now, it’s us,” Willis said.
  “Us?”
  “Gah, are you gonna keep repeating everything we say?”
  Lewis grinned as he sarcastically remarked, “Repeat?” Not more than a second after he finished speaking was Trinity’s fist smack against his head. “UGhhh.”
  “Grrr, that’s not funny. This is serious. We are the ones at a disadvantage. Those people would have fought DarkPoké eons ago if they wanted to. The fact that both coexist today shows they are complacent. Something must happen if we want to convince them there’s a future without Team DarkPoké.”
  “When Janus defeated Giovanni, the people in Viridian City were overjoyed. Giovanni made it known he was the head of Team Rocket, but his organization was so sneaky and clever that the police could never pin a case on him,” Icy said.
  “What’s that have to do with this?” Trinity asked.
  “Well… Someone must start the battle… Us, or them. That’s the only way we’ll get Dark Cove to fight for us.”
  “What if DarkPoké is too strong? We are going up against their home base. It wouldn’t be just two agents this time. Those people could just stand there as we are defeated and be afraid that they’ll be next,” Willis said.
  “Hrmm… We are running out of time… Let’s just kick their butts,” Lewis suggested.
  “Hate to admit it, but you got a point. Enough of this debate. We can take them!” Trinity remarked.
  “I’m ready,” Icy said. Sara nodded as well.
  “Chronos and I will fight too,” Willis said with Chronos giving a nod.
  “LET’S GO!” they shouted in unison.
  Cyber rolled into town as they stepped off. “Cyber, return!” Icy finally recalled Cyber after almost two weeks of non-stop travel. “Thank you buddy, you’ve earned a long rest.” Icy turned to the others. “The Pokécenter would make a good base and I’ll need to recover Cyber. Let’s head there first.” The others agreed. They tried to keep a low profile as they made their way to the pokécenter.

  The glass doors slid open as the group entered the Dark Cove Pokécenter. “Good afternoon and welcome to the Dark Cove Pokémon Center. I’m Nurse Joy,” Nurse Joy announced. She was of course just like every other Nurse Joy in the world, though Takeshi might disagree. “Would you like us to recover your pokémon while you wait?” she asked.
  “Yes please. Thank you.” Icy and the others handed their pokéballs to Nurse Joy who took them into the back for recovery. Afterwards, the group made their way into the lounge.
  The TV was broadcasting a special bulletin when they entered. “We now go live to the Tsuya Desert where abnormal weather conditions have prompted scientists to investigate.”
  An older sciency looking gentleman spoke. “The Tsuya Desert is usually windy, but over the past few days, we recorded record high winds and abnormally hot temperatures.”
  “What does all this mean professor?”
  “Well… we’re not quite sure.” The man pointed at a map. “The abnormal activity appears to be moving, so at first we thought it must be a seasonal weather pattern, but when we investigated further.”
  “Opps, that’s all the time we have pops, back to you in the studio Ben,” the news anchor said as the picture went away.

  “Glad we made it out of there before those storms hit.”
  “What if that wasn’t a storm,” Willis said.
  “You don’t think…”
  “The Guardian?”
  “It’s followed us here?” Sara said nervously.
  “Heh… well, it might not be Team DarkPoké, but something like that is sure to stir up excitement.”
  A person who’d been watching the group snuck up behind Trinity and whispered, “Are you guys with Team DarkPoké by any chance?”
  Trinity turned and lifted the man three inches off the ground. “What’s the big idea mister,” she shouted. Trainers in the center all looked to see what the commotion was about.
  “Trinity… what ever happened to low profile…?” Icy said softly.
  “I dunno who you are, but we are certainly not with Team DarkPoké. We’re here to help you bring them down.”
  The trainers in the room all began murmuring to each other, mostly wondering if Trinity had lost her mind or whatnot. Trinity put the man down finally. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m sorry. You say you are here to fight Team DarkPoké. I must ask that you come with me then please.”
  Lewis stepped in. “Hold it pal. How do we know we can trust you?”
  “You five would lose in seconds to the army Team DarkPoké’s building up. This isn’t a safe place. Meet me back here in five minutes. Bring your pokémon with you and any belongings you’ll be needing. You won’t be returning here for a while.”
  “Lewis, I think we should trust him,” Icy said. Lewis nodded. “Let’s see where this leads us.” The group got their pokéballs from Nurse Joy and met up with the man in the lounge again.
  The other trainers had left and only the six remained. “My name is Harris. This place is not safe to talk so follow me.” Icy and the others followed Harris down some hallways until they were certain where he was leading them wasn’t just some other room inside the pokémon center. “You five really want to take down Team DarkPoké… well, you couldn’t have picked a better time.”
  They entered an open room where several trainers were practicing and waiting. “Harris, you’re back!” “What’s the status?” “Will they attack tonight?”
  “Everyone… settle down. I’ve brought a few new trainers with me.” Harris stepped aside as Icy and the others introduced themselves.
  “So, Dark Cove really does have a resistance?” Icy asked.
  “Of course. We’ve been in existence for a little over a year now. Ever since Team DarkPoké began collecting these Rings, we’ve monitored their activity carefully. But we’ve never successfully managed to foil their schemes yet.”
  “You mentioned something about an attack tonight?”
  “Yes. Intelligence tells us they intend to unleash some new weapon on the city tonight. I hear it’s got something to do with those rings.”
  Chronos held its head and struggled. “Chronos? What’s wrong?”
  “Oooohh, a Celebi!”
  Willis looked up at Harris. “Keep away from Chronos. He’s my friend, not just another pokémon.” Harris stopped and nodded.
  “Understood, but he looks to be in some sort of pain.”
  “I don’t know what’s happening to him lately…” Chronos struggled as the images of the tower bursting into flames played through his head. His struggles stopped as a shard lodged itself in his wing. “Chronos? Chronos!!!”

  Willis stood by Chronos while another trainer looked after him as well. Meanwhile, the others worked with Harris on a battle strategy for the evening.
  “The enemy will have agents spread out over the city. I hear this is going to be a loose attack, more of a demonstration.”
  “Demonstration of what?”
  “Some new weapon they’ve been developing. That, and the evil pokémon.”
  “Evil pokémon,” Sara thought. She recalled their first attempt at rescuing Pichu. The way Pichu growled at her though she knew it was her master. “That’s horrible.”
  “I know… Pokémon are not meant to be tools of war… That’s why they must be stopped.”
  A trainer came running up to them. “Harris!!! Agents are making their move now! I’m getting reports of them all over the city. Apparently, PokéPowers just made a broadcast about some new product. It must have been their signal.”
  “Great. I hope we aren’t too late. C’mon people! Tonight we take back Dark Cove!!!”
  “Count us in Harris,” Icy said.
  “We’ll help stop DarkPoké,” Trinity said.
  “Together we’ll be victorious,” Lewis said.
  Sara and Willis nodded as well.
  “Let’s go then!”

A still shot of the heroes dashing off to battle is where we leave off. It seems Dark Cove’s citizens are ready and willing to fight, but will their spirit be strong enough to stop the power of the Rings? The battle for Dark Cove, and the fate of the world for that matter…, it will be decided next time!

Rebellion

Last time on The Adventures of Icy and Sara…
  Icy and friends returned to Dark Cove hoping to convince the people there to rise up against the evil Team DarkPoké. As it turns out, the Dark Covians were more than happy to let the group join their fight. Harris let Icy and his friends join their forces to battle Team DarkPoké. The clock is ticking, and now, only time will tell if destiny is truly at hand…

This is where our adventure continues…

{ Opening theme plays: Higher and Higher }

  "Tonight, we take back Dark Cove!!!" Harris shouted. The underground caves echoed with their cheers. "Let's move out!"
  Icy and his friends stayed with Harris' group while other groups took different passageways leading up to the city level.
  "You guys really planned all this out?" Icy asked.
  "Of course. You may not realize this, but we've been fighting Team DarkPoké for years. Even before they began collecting the rings, they still managed to cause loads of trouble for the citizens of Dark Cove."

[Flashback]

  Two kids laugh and smile, chasing each other. Behind them, two vulpix chase after them. "Heehee, hahaha!" One child, the boy, wears a blue shirt, jeans, and an old baseball cap. The girl he chases is wearing a white shirt with a pink collar, has golden colored hair about to her neck, and a skirt.
  "Slow down Harris hahaha," she says laughing and trying to keep up.
  "No way Milly. You gotta catch me!" he replies but slows down a little so she can gain on him.
  Their vulpix both keep a steady pace behind them, cheering their trainers on. The two vulpix are also male and female, and as fate would have it, have been together since birth. The kids and their pokémon chase each other for hours in their front lawns on a sunny spring day. The grass sways gently with the breeze, forgiving the impact of little feet as they trample several blades at a time.
  Milly begins slowing down to catch her breath, and suddenly, gasps. "Huh?!? Harris!!!"
  Harris digs his right foot into the grass and earth and turns about to his left. "Milly? Oh no!"
  The two vulpix are crying out for their trainers from inside a large fire-proof net. Attached is a pole leading into the hands of a tall man draped in black clothing. He chuckles most sinisterly. "You children should just run along. It's best not to interfere with adults' business, ha ha haaa!" he laughs. Behind him, another similarly dressed female appears. She is shadowed by a dog-like pokémon.
  "Umbriiii," it voices.
  "Didn't you brats understand? Beat it now," the female says coldly. The pokémon behind her grows angrier by the moment.
  Milly hides behind Harris, her face no longer beaming with happiness and laughter, instead, saturated by tears as they roll from her frightened eyes down to her cheek and linger before falling to the ground. "Give back our pokémon you crooks or I'll call the police on you!" Harris says boldly balling a fist.
  The male begins walking towards him after handing the two vulpix over to his teammate. "Listen to me well kid," he starts, still walking closer. Harris tries to remain calm but can't help cowering back. "We are Team DarkPoké and we will not be lectured to by some pre-adolescent child. Now scurry on home with your little girlfriend there before I'm forced to harm you."
  "No!" Harris shouts. He digs his feet in and places his arms out. "Give us back our pokémon!" A few others begin hearing the commotion and start to approach the area.
  The male swears under his breath and motions to his teammate. She begins loading the pokémon into a waiting van. "I warned you kid," the man says raising his fist. Harris' eyes struggle to focus as he instinctively covers them with his arms.
  "Quiet down you two," the female snaps as the vulpix yip and bark. "Huh?"
  In a last ditch effect, the two captive vulpix slash at the ropes of the net, finding the strength to cut themselves free, and race at unimaginable speed to protect their trainers.
  "Wisp, behind you!" the female shouts. Her teammate turns his head and his tackled by the two vulpix. He falls backwards onto the soft, green grass.
  "Milly, follow me," Harris says in a determined, yet frightened voice. He leads her back to a safe distance as they cheer their pokémon on. The two vulpix howl in victory then race to their trainers.
  Just as they are about to leap in the children's open arms, the umbreon who'd been with the female agent tackles them both from the side, knocking them out cold.
  "Noooo!!!" Milly cries as she watches her pokémon cry out in pain before slamming into the now cold and unforgiving earth. Their bodies bounce a few inches back into the air then roll a few feet in the grass before becoming motionless.
  Harris darts for them; tears flying from his face, but is stopped quickly by the umbreon. It growls menacingly at him, threatening to strike at any second.
  "Willow, we gotta go," the male says capturing the two fainted vulpix in strange black colored pokéballs. The female nods and runs with the umbreon right behind her. They jump into the back of the van as it speeds away.
  "Wait!!! Come back!!! Please come back!!! Vulpix!!!" he shouts. A few people come rushing to the children's aid but are already too late. "Vulpix…" he cries, sniffling and wiping his eyes. Behind him, Milly sits on the grass in tears.

[End Flashback]

  "About a week later, Milly's parents decided to move out of Dark Cove. I've never seen her since…" Harris finished.
  Sara was on her thirtieth tissue now. "That's such a sad story," she sobbed.
  "Typical huh?" Harris grinned.
  "I'm sure you weren't the only child or trainer whose beloved pokémon was stolen or injured by those creeps," Lewis stated.
  "No… Even though Dark Cove remains a heavily populated city, I remember dozens of neighbors leaving every week."

[Flashback]

  A man drives a signpost into the ground with a hammer. Another man walks up to him. "Ted, you too?"
  Ted ignores the question and finishes hammering the post into the ground. On it hangs a "FOR SALE" sign.
  "C'mon, we can't just give in to these cowards. We can't just give up?"
  Ted became angry. "Stay outta my business Paul! Damnit man I don't know why you still live here! Your own kid is lucky to still be alive today you know. I'm not taking that chance anymore. I got myself a cabin in the mountains. We're moving to Bolson next week."
  "Ted, c'mon. You loved living here. Remember all those happy parties we'd throw for the kids and neighbors? Are you really going to leave that behind because of those crooks?"
  Ted placed his hand on Paul's shoulder. "Paul, you're a great friend. You're a good man too. You got something a lot of us don't have. But, courage and hope, whatever you wanna call it, it's just not enough Paul. I did love living here, but the police aren't gonna stop these crooks, and they're getting more and more dangerous every year." Ted looks at the skyscrapers in the city. "You should leave too Paul. This place just isn't safe anymore. Leave before something else happens."

[End Flashback]

  "My father was a very determined man," Harris said. "He began to openly protest the doings of Team DarkPoké. A few people listened, but a lot of them were afraid." Harris' voice faltered suddenly. "About a month after Ted's family moved… my dad was killed in a car accident. The police say he didn't stop in time at the intersection. When the other car hit him, he was killed instantly they told us. But I don't believe that story…" Harris balled his fist. "Team DarkPoké wanted to stop my dad from rallying people against them. That's why I've created this rebellion, to avenge my father, and to get revenge for what they did to me when I was a boy."
  "Now you're getting typical…" Trinity said. "But, you have a good reason, and they must be stopped before they hurt more innocent people."
  Harris nodded.
  "We'll definitely stop them Harris," Icy said. "Tonight, they're gonna pay for those crimes."

Meanwhile,
  Willis Powers stood at the edge of his office on the top floor of the PokéPowers tower. He looked down from the window at the city below. "I suppose it's time to begin our little demonstration. This should quell that petty rebellion once and for all." He motioned to his Houndoom who growled and followed him out of the office.
  Willis walked casually down the hallway. No one else was in the office since it was already well past normal hours. He summoned the elevator. In a few seconds, he passed the ground floor, continuing into a secret underground level. The doors opened and Willow and Wisp were there waiting.
  "Why aren't you two working on the project?" Willis asked.
  "You pay us too much to handle small things…" Wisp started.
  "We belong at your side, just in case those rebels decide to protest again," Willow finished.
  "I trust then that all is ready?"
  "Of course," they replied.
  Willis nodded and the three preceded to the city streets where the demonstration would occur.

  "This is Lame Pidgey calling Soaring Spearow, over."
  "Spearow here. How many caterpie are there?"
  "The forest's full of them. I see at least six, and two more juicy ones. A few weedles as well."
  "Roger that. Good hunting."
  "Likewise. Over."
  Icy shrugged to Sara as they continued. They group was climbing the stairway of a subway stop near the location of the demonstration.
  "Agents are in high numbers… We are probably headed into the heart of them so be ready for anything," Harris said.
  "Got it," Trinity replied.

Downtown:
  "So I says to her, take it or leave it," the one agent said joking. His friend burst into laughter. They were both obviously drunk.
  "You're too much man! Hahahaha… huh?"
  "Huh? What?" The first glanced behind him seeing the group of trainers approaching. "Good… Company."

By the port:
  "C'mon you guys. This shipment must get sent out tonight. Put your back into it!" The foreman continued shouting his words of encouragement as agents moved large boxes onto the loading docks."
  Concealed, one of the rebel trainers watched with binoculars.
  "How many are there?"
  "At least ten, and maybe more."
  "Any idea what's in those crates?"
  "I'm looking… They're not labeled, not surprising…"
  "Hmm… Ok. I say we start this." The leader turned to the other trainers. "Night goggles on, it's about to get a whole lot darker."
  "Oh yea, good bye power," the other trainer said as his elekid overloaded the main powerlines.
  Sparks flew from a power line transformer followed by the lights vanishing. "What the? Get those lights back on! What's going on here!!!" the foreman demanded.

Harris' group, approaching the surface:
  "This is it, get ready for anything."
  Agents were waiting by the subway exit when the ground started rumbling. "Hey, this demonstration wasn't gonna have an earthquake too was it?" Suddenly, two rhydons charged through the entrance. "It's an attack!"
  "Let's go people!" The other rebel trainers released their pokémon as well and the battle began.
  "Grimer go!" "Slugma, you too!" The guarding agents released their pokémon while others came in to assist.
  The rhydons charged at the dark pokémon, easily defeating them.
  "What?!? They didn't say there would be this many." Several agents finally arrived to help.
  "Step aside and let the pros handle this. Get them Steelix!" The other agents send out various steel and water pokémon. "Iron tail!" Steelix pounded the first rhydon which flew into the other knocking both out.
  "This battle's just begun," Harris said as his group threw their pokéballs. Pokémon ranging from achamo to zangouse appeared. Icy and his friends stayed with Harris. None of them had sent out their pokémon yet. Harris had asked they wait until Willis Powers was found before letting their pokémon battle. He feared the greatest battle would be the final one.

  Downtown, the two drunken agents sent out their pokémon. The larger man smirked, expanded the pokéball in his hand, and threw it. "Go Golem!" The other trainer released a graveler. "Heh, you guys are finished!"
  The rebel trainers prepared for the battle. "Leave them to me," one said as he released a Croconaw. "Croconaw, I choose you! Water pulse attack now!" Croconaw's water pulse attack pushed the two rock pokémon back, but it wasn't enough to defeat them. "Huh? But that should have knocked em out in one shot!"
  "Tsk tsk tsk, our turn now!" Golem and Graveler took fighting poses. "Go, rock tomb!" Both pokémon hurled giant boulders at Croconaw, encasing it inside a rock tomb. Croconaw struggled back to its feet.
  "Are you ok Croconaw? C'mon, let's finish this. Waterfall attack!" Croconaw brought forth a giant wave of water crashing down from the ceiling. Graveler and Golem were both knocked out.
  "Ugh, crap." The DarkPoké trainers turned and ran. "We won't forget this!!!"
  "All right! Let's keep going…"
  A mysterious voice called out suddenly, "Not so fast!" A shadow silhouette blocked the path up ahead.

  Agents scrambled to restore power. "Why the hell didn't anyone think of making a backup power source?" The foreman was clearly pissed. "You have exactly 2 minutes to get that power back on, or we will miss our deadline! Get to it!" The agents acknowledged the foreman and resumed restoring power.
  "Look at these cables," one agent said holding a flashlight to the power box.
  "They're totally fried. This looks like the work of saboteurs." They replaced the burnt fuses and reattached the wiring. In no time, the gentle hum of the electric lights was restored.
  "Back online!"
  "Think again," said a voice. An Elekid appeared, sparks jumping from its head.
  "That little pokémon must have fried the power before." The agents readied their pokéballs. "He won't succeed twice!"
  "Elekid, spark attack!" Elekid fried the agents before they could release their pokémon. The rest of the rebel trainers engaged agents working on the dock.
  "Sir, the rebels have invaded the docks!" an agent shouted to the foreman.
  "Crap… Mr. Powers will not like this. Help the others, I'll call for backup." The foreman walked over to the phone.
  "That's far enough," said one of the rebels.
  "Pfft, you guys are such a pain," the foreman grunted. He quickly slammed his fist into a button next to the phone prompting sirens and red lights to start. "You better have a backup plan, cause in just a few minutes, this place is gonna be crawling with agents." He began walking towards the trainer.
  "You don't scare us," the rebel said with a slight hesitation in her voice.
  "Heh heh, prepare yourself. Daatengu, go!" Daatengu, the dark/grass pokémon, appeared. "Razor wind!" The trainer braced herself as the attack blew her back, knocking her unconscious. "Heh, that's all… I didn't even need to wait for back-up. Now to stop your friends." Daatengu grunted and followed the foreman to the docks.

  Harris' group had their hands full with the extra agents' pokémon. His radio crackled again. "Lame Pidgey to Soaring Spearow, do you copy?"
  "Spearow here, go ahead."
  "Too many weedles in the crowd, we need Fearow."
  Icy again shrugged at Sara. "No clue," he said.
  "They're outnumbered. And frankly, so are we…" Harris said.
  "We've gotta fight too. It's the only way," Icy said.
  "No, you need to save your strength for the battle with Willis Powers."
  "Harris, if we don't help now, we'll never get to Willis," Sara said.
  "Enough of this, I'll handle these ones, you three get Willis!" Trinity said. She motioned to Lewis.
  "Let's do this." Trinity and Lewis released their pokémon and joined the fray as Icy, Sara, and Harris all snuck past.

  Meanwhile, Willis and Chronos stood back from the battle. "Chronos? What's the matter?"
  Chronos was shivering. "NO! He's here! He's here to take me back. Don't let him take me. I don't want to watch it all over again." Chronos saw the destruction of Dark Cove in his mind again. The images were getting more and more detailed. "This isn't me!!! AGHHH!!!" Suddenly, Willis and Chronos were standing beside Willis Powers.
  "Well well… look who decided to show up." Willis Powers snapped his fingers and Willow and Wisp tied the two up. "So good of you to join me tonight. You'll have a front row seat now."
  An agent spoke to Wisp then left. "The weapon is ready sir."
  "Excellent."
  "I've also got reports that two groups of rebel trainers have been defeated or captured by the docks and underground."
  Powers turned to Willis. "You see, your friends are too late."
  "They won't give up. You can't get away with this."
  "Oh please. I should thank you for all this. After all, none of this would be possible without you and Chronos there. Haahahahaha!"
  Just then, Icy, Sara, and Harris busted through the last few agents. Icy's pikachu and horsea were knocked out already, leaving him with Hocus, Cyber, Hyper, and Buttercup. "Game over Willis!"
  "Think again Icy," Willow and Wisp shouted as they jumped in front of Willis. "You have really become quite a pain."
  "Thanks for the complement, now out of my way," he said about to push them aside.
  Wisp grabbed Icy's arm as he went to push Willow. "Lay a finger on her, and I'll break much more than your bones." Icy got out of the hold and released Hocus. "Very well, we'll settle this once and for all. Go Steelix!"
  "Murkrow, Umbreon, go!" Willow said.

  Could this be it for our hero?!? How can Icy defeat Team DarkPoké's strongest two agents? Find out next time!