Following the boys inside, I ruffled Leo's hair gently, lips thinning as he called his sister's name-- I hadn't forgotten that she was on Farquahar's side, and that had nearly gotten us all killed back in Viridian-- before joining Axel in the kitchen and starting to heat some water for tea or coffee.

"So. What's next?"

I continued opening a can of some vegetable that I'd picked off a shelf chosen at random. I wasn't sure what we'd do next; we were in the safe house to infiltrate Catherine's headquarters, but Leo wanted to go to Ilex. Which one took priority? After we took down Catherine, would it still be safe to go to Ilex?

"I'm not sure. Tomorrow, I think we need to at least scope out Catherine's mansion. But before we actually get in there to do some snooping, we need to make a side trip to Ilex. We may not have time to do so after we either take down Catherine... or get caught by her." I almost choked on this last option, but Farquahar had almost gotten us; it was always a possibility.

"Someone should probably stay behind here. While everyone else gathers data, this person will stay behind and put all the pieces together; plus, if we go down, the whole group isn't taken down. What do you think?" I turned to Cassie. It was a vague idea, and out of the blue, but made at least a little sense.

((don't worry, we can make it redt or shina's character, whom I will control as necessary, I guess. Also, if neither of them comes back by the end of this arc, I'm killing off their characters. Just a heads up...))

I nodded as I flicked the kettle on. "She lives in Goldenrod, no? From where we are, we can go through Ilex on the way. We just have to be careful not to attract attention."

I shook my head. "She's actually in Violet City, which is why the safehouse is here. It makes it easier for us to flee here if we get in trouble there. But their communications center is in Goldenrod, come to think of it." Chrono had sent me an info package with some of the basic logistics regarding the Johto Government. Part of it was a personality analysis of Catherine; another part was the locations of important structures to her regime. I hadn't had much time to study anything beyond the basics, though.

I sighed. "Maybe we should split up. I really don't like that idea, since something always goes wrong when we do that. But it may be the only option. Me, Leo, and Steel to Ilex; you, Seth, and Jeremy to Catherine's, while Vincent stays here and coordinates. Or something like that." It was a terrible idea; splitting up hadn't worked out yet, it seemed. But it may have been our only option.

((we need to put it off until later. There is a plan on when to go to Ilex, but I had forgotten about it until just now >_> So, later on would be better.))

I shook my head as I snagged a teabag and dumped it into a mug. "Splitting up would be bad. If Catherine has a typical Governor's resources, we'll need as much firepower as possible. It'd be safest to all go after one thing first, that being her communications center. Knock that out, we can prevent her calling in reinforcements, or at least too many of 'em. It's safe to assume Elemental will have broadcast our descriptions across the regions, so splitting up wouldn't serve any purposes of concealment and would only weaken the firepower our group can bring to bear at any one time."

I poured hot water into the mug and inhaled the smell with a sigh of pleasure. "If you're worried about too large a group being seen, then we'll split into two teams, one to infiltrate and one to act as backup."

After Axel and Leo's fight, I morphed back to human form and brought the supplies inside as everyone went in. I sat down on a chair and looked through the bag as I listened to Cat and Axel talk in the kitchen. At the top I found some crackers, three bottles of water, a can of lemonade from a vending machine, and some rope. "Ehh, I'll look through it later." I said to myself, and put the bag down on a table.

I walked into the kitchen just in time to hear Axel suggest splitting up, even though he knew it was a bad idea, and Cat agreeing with him. Then Cat suggested to split into teams just to infiltrate the mansion; one group would be the main infiltration, one would be backup.

"That sounds like a pretty good idea," I said. I remembered they didn't see me come in the kitchen, so I hoped I hadn't startled them. "I guess who's on what team will depend on how we're trying to infiltrate this place."

I looked at what Axel was doing and did the same. I grabbed a can from the shelves. The label said "Frozen Peas". I looked on the back for cooking instructions. When I found them, all it said was: "Put in hot water for approx. 10 minutes for a guarenteed great taste!" I chuckled to myself. "Great taste. Ok, sure." But still, food was food, and I was grateful for having it. I grabbed a pot from a cabinet and started heating the water.

I was kind of tired, but not as much from the fact that I just sparred. It was because it was most likely anywhere from 8:30 to 9:00 at night. Now curious what the time actually was, I asked. "Hey, do you guys know what the time is?"

Seth agreed with Cassie - one infiltration team, one backup. I had to agree as well; this way, we would still have safety in numbers, but would be more inconspicuous. Then Seth randomly asked the time. I shrugged, and checked the time on the satellite phone.

"Uh, about 8:00 or so." I realized that I had been preparing food without any real regard as to what the overall plan was. Maybe I shouldn't be in charge of cooking.... Either way, there was food available, so everybody would get to eat, at least.

"So, guys... everybody has at least two morphs, right? Some have three. But I think those of us with only two should use the Silph Scope to catch up. We may or may not need the firepower or agility they grant to us." I had been itching to find out who my next Guardian was. It was almost like another, more curious mind, was pressing down on my consciousness. I could feel it, almost behind my eyes, as a pressure; but it was strangely benevolent, although alien. It felt like my next Guardian.

I walked into the living room, and gently took the Silph Scope from around Leo's neck, murmuring, "Just gonna borrow this for a few minutes..." Walking outside, the miniaturized Cube around my neck began to flash. I put the Silph Scope to my eyes; inside the house, there were six glowing presences. I turned around, looking behind me, out towards the clearing.

A little blue Pokemon was prancing around in the clearing. It stopped to sniff the flowers, and romp across the earth. Then it stopped, and looked towards me. It ran up, stopping to roll a couple of times. It was an adorable little Phanpy. I bent down, and reached out to touch it. Its trunk stretched towards me, and I felt the pain hiding within its heart.

-romping with a Cyndaquil and a young woman, carefree and full of joy-

-a sunny day interrupted with screams and blood-

-random beams of ice, striking the Phanpy, injuring with the cold of ice-

-seeing the Cyndaquil, in a cave, as Phanpy died-

Tears ran down my face. Elemental had ruined a perfectly happy life; the Phanpy's was one of many. But the oddest thing about it, was that I had seen the Cyndaquil before. It was Leo's morph. He had told me about the researcher, and the old Typhlosion in the caves. This Phanpy must have been another Pokemon raised at that lab. But it had perished because of its wounds, unable to avoid leaving its friend.

I slowly began to shrink, my skin turning a light, pure blue; my nose elongated, and some my skin toughened in portions down my newly formed trunk. The most amazing part was the sense of carefree joy that I felt welling up inside me. I became Phanpy, and we romped and played for a few moments, tooting our trunks in joy. Then, it waved goodbye with its trunk, and faded away, to become a part of me...

((I won't use the Silph scope in Johto, just because Crunchy sent Chrono's Arcanine over so I could get it. I'm not really planning on getting another morph 'til we get to Hoenn, and my last one will be Unova.))

Axel told me the time was around 8:00. "Huh. Earlier than I thought." I turned to look at him, and it sort of like he completely forgot what he was doing, or he forgot why he was doing it. Then he suggested the people with fewer morphs should try to catch up by using the Silph Scope.

"That sounds good to me. I'm already good for the time being, thought." I told him.

He walked out of the kitchen and took the Silph Scope from Leo's neck, then went outside.

I looked at Cat. "I wonder if his guardian is gonna be a powerhouse. We're the only two who have one so far."

((well, we might not go to unova or hoenn, same as we're definitely not going to almia or orre, for instance. there are other regions we'll go to, but the plot doesn't require us to visit every single region and liberate it. Besides, most Pokemon in this story can be found in any of the regions, so you don't have to wait until we're in the Pokemon's native region to find it. All the same though, waiting is probably a good idea :p ))

((Yeah, I was just thinking we'd only go to the core regions, not any spinoff regions. And ok, I guess I could grab Milotic next region. It could be my guardian or something. But yeah, I'll wait. ))

I shrugged as I drank the tea. "I don't know. Leo's unevolved forms are powerful, though I have to say I'd choose my Charizard over Charmander any day even if they had the same power levels. Sheer cuteness can't beat wings and a menacing presence."

I let out a soft laugh as I swirled the tea absently. "I've got two, technically, the Garchomp and Charizard are both insanely powerful morphs... I haven't tested Swampert in battle yet, same for my latest form..."

OOC:

Sorry I haven't posted in a bit. I've been real busy lately and have been at a cross-country meet almost all day.

Alright, just wanted wanted to get myself straight on a couple of things. We are breaking into Catherine's manor next, right? I was thinking about getting Delcatty next, and thought that maybe Catherine would have one, and that when we broke in, I could get it, then take it's place and spy on Catherine for a bit.

Also, at one point of the story, I had an idea that we could stay with my character's uncle for a time, who is a field Pokemon paleontologist. It would be either in Giant Chasm if we went to Unova, or otherwise somewhere in Mt. Coronet when we go to Sinnoh.

IC:

I opened my eyes, and looked around, unsure of where I was. Oh, yeah, I had forgotten, I thought. I was in the safe house. I guess I'm just not used to being in it yet.

I got up and out of the bed and stretched, feeling relaxed after my nap. My head was feeling a lot better, too. It was dark outside, so I glanced at the clock. 8:10. I must have slept for about three hours while the others while battling. How'd I sleep through all that noise? Well, I always had been a sound sleeper.

I walked out of the room, and saw the others sitting around the table chatting and getting dinner ready. "Hey guys," I said. "I'm feeling a bit better now. Is there anything I can do to help prepare dinner? I'm sure we're all famished, so the sooner the better." Now that i think about it, I hadn't had a proper meal for a few days now. I just had an apple or handful of berries every here and there while we were on the move. "By the way," I asked. "Where's Axel?"

((The Delcatty idea makes sense. She could also have a Milotic, since they are beautiful Pokemon ))

"In here." I called out as I heard someone asking for Axel.

"So, what have you boys been up to while Leo and I were away?"

((All of Catherine's Pokemon will be beautiful, but deadly (or exclusively female; NO PURUGLYS). Milotic for sure; Delcatty I kind of hesitate on. Maybe there'll be one as a pet, but not as one of her battlers, so your idea could work even better. Others are Gardevoir, Umbreon... I'm not sure. I'm open to suggestions :p ))

I walked back into the house, trumpeting in joy as I dragged the Silph Scope back in. <Anybody looking for me? I went ahead and met my next Guardian...> I managed to heft the Scope onto my back, then carried it over to Leo, setting it on the floor beside him.

<You know, I never would've thought that something cute would be one of my morphs. But I have to say, there are some definitely cool qualities to this.> I ran around the room for a little bit more. It was interesting, being this low to the ground. Mightyena saw stuff lower than a human, but not quite like this. Plus, it had some hunter aspects of its personality; the Phanpy morph was way more happy-go-lucky.

((Bellossom, Roserade, Beautifly, Vaporeon (not so much Umbreon, maybe Espeon?), Ninetales, Serperior, Manectric, Lapras, Froslass, Meganium...))

((Yeah, I guess I could get Milotic there. NO PURUGLYS. Lol. Yeah I was thinking Gardevoir, Milotic, Ninetales, Bellossom, Espeon, and maybe like Spoink or something. Basically a mix of LM and Rex's suggestions, and I threw in Spoink just cuz it was one of the first Pokemon to pop into my head. ))

"So, what have you boys been up to while Leo and I were away?" Cat asked.

"Well, not much, really." I replied. "We kind of just looked around the house for a while at first. Then I went outside and saw Axel carving a memorial for Bill and Katya into a tree. A few minutes later Axel thought up the sparring idea, and we were pretty much sticking to that." I stopped talking, then realized I forgot what happened to Jeremy. "Oh, and I accidentally made a tree collapse on Jeremy, which is why he's resting."

The second I mentioned his name, Jeremy came out from the bedroom and asked if he could help with the cooking. "Sure. Not really much to it. Just grab a can and read the instructions." I laughed.

When I finished talking to Jeremy, Axel came in using his new Phanpy form. I raised my eyebrows. "I think I jinxed the whole powerouse thing."

((Roserade, Espeon, and Ninetales sound good. I really dislike Serperior, so no to that one. Plus, I guess I'm kinda edging towards "feminine" Pokemon for Catherine - she IS kind of a well-known person in her region, as opposed to the shadowy mystery of Farquahar. But maybe she'll have a garden or something where she keeps a bunch of her pets or something. That would be in character with her vanity, so all of these suggestions (save Serferior [c wat i did thar]) could show up.))

I finally demorphed from Phanpy form, and went to sit down on an available chair. The energy finally started to drain from me; it occurred to me that I was exhausted from traveling and sparring all day. I exhaled slowly.

It was odd; before I met this bunch, I had been a closed-off individual. Logical and always looking out for number one. But now, I found myself seeking the best interests of the group more often than my own personal goals. Actually, they were one and the same now. It wasn't really about the fact that they just so happened to coincide; rather, I was actively working towards the betterment of the group's situation. All the same thought, restated in different ways... I grinned at the haziness of my thoughts. But it was a nice change, to have someone to care about other than yourself... It was like having a family again. With brothers and sisters, too...

I drifted off to sleep, a silly grin still plastered across my face.



Catherine slammed open a pair of large doors leading to the central hall. The pomposity of that Elizabeth; who was she to treat her, Catherine Dalliance III, like just another stepping stone?! Catherine paused, and took a deep breath; it would do nothing for her image if someone saw her this peeved. She calmed, then continued down the hall.

She was heading towards her grand chambers - basically, her bedroom, but the size of three houses put together, insofar as square footage. Catherine's mansion was expansive, to say the least; in addition to housing the amenities of a house, it contained a training garden for her Pokemon, and some communications rooms to connect with the station in Goldenrod. Her government functioned smoothly here.

Catherine reached her doors, and opened them slightly more gently. She strode over to her mirror, at the base of the large canopy bed. The reflection showed a stunning beauty; her blonde curls fell gently down her shoulders and back. But nothing could hide the ice in her blue eyes. The only imperfection in Catherine's whole body, was that she basically lacked a heart. Earlier today, she had ordered the confiscation of a farmer's meager lands, to build a private cabin from which she could stage interviews and photo shoots for her propaganda mags. The farmer had resisted; Catherine had him shot by le Guarde, her personal security retinue.

Reflecting upon her plans for the new building, she smiled, then went to bed. A small Delcatty jumped up beside her; the little female feline was Catherine's only true friend. And one that was equally disposable. They both closed their eyes, smiling, like Axel, but for altogether different reasons.

((ta-da~))

((What about a Starmie, if she has a pond? The jewel-like core and all that.))

((Sorry for ending the battle, rex. I thought you'd like to get it out of the way instead of having to wait for me. It worked out for the best though.))

Elizabeth walked into the darkness that was Dark Cave. That sounds and the creepy tumble of nearby rocks faulting her not. She was used to the ghost pokemon, and found comfort that in someway they still existed in this world. It wasn't long before she was greeted by a roar somewhere down the dark tunnel, a blast of flame that revealed the old Typhlosion who resided there. Elizabeth gazed out, continuing toward it.

As she stood before the mighty pokemon with the scar down his face, she saw as many as five old pokemon behind it. They all beared scars and old wounds from their battles. These pokemon had it rough... Elizabeth crept closer as the Typhlosion growled, "It's alright. I just want to know what happened to you and your friends, and then I'll be on my way," she said calmly, mystically. The Typhlosion grumbled as it hesitated, before bowing a little as Elizabeth placed a hand onto his forehead. Her eyes widened as a vision entered her mind.

Elizabeth took her hand away as the Typhlosion looked down at her. She looked up, "I see... You were pokemon from New Bark Town many years ago... You met my brother recently, too. And the man I'm searching for."

The Typhlosion nodded, standing aside as the other ghostly images of his friends did the same. "Thank you," she acknowledged, putting one foot in front of the other. She started to mummer, "...So, my brother is starting to see them as well. He saw the Cyndaquil plain as day... I wonder how long until his power reaches its potential... The power of the pokemon..."

Elizabeth found herself down a tunnel that cooled her skin until her breath exhaled like smoke from her mouth. The cave walls were merged with ice and icicles. Froslass was somewhere down here, and along with Joseph.

Elizabeth entered the chamber of snow and ice, the pokemon Froslass hovering and haunting over the body of none other than the asleep Joseph. She reached for a pokeball. She knew whatever good intentions she had, this Froslass was not going to let a person like Joseph escape from her icy clutches. She needed to catch this pokemon so nobody else could be a victim of Elemental's created tragedy; the lady from New Bark, anymore. "Pokeball, go!"

---

Leo woke up. His eyes battering up at an unfamilar ceiling. He was spawled out on a couch, wondering how he got there. Leo could remember having a dream, but he couldn't exactly remember how it went. Everyone from his village was there. But then they all disappeared... Like they were only some kind of dream. Only Beth and him were left. And then he met everyone and went on a journey. Axel, Cat, Jeremy, Seth... But instead of pokemorphers, they were trainers. Leo wasn't very good, but everyone helped him along the way... That was the gist of what he remembered, anyway. The other half of it was that experience back at Tohjo falls, and meeting the gloomy dark dragon pokemon again... It was still there, inside him. Sleeping...

Leo got up, looking around as he saw a group of his friends asleep and awake. Something was different about Axel and Seth... Did they find new morphs? The Phanpy that followed Axel ever since they entered the Johto region... It was a friend of Cynda's. Leo sighed, laying back down. How did he know these things? How could he see and sense the pokemon ghosts? Did it have something to do with the dragon? Or was it something else...?

The next morning, I awoke early. It was still pretty dark out, and bird Pokemon were chirping quietly. I looked around, and saw that the others were all still sleeping. I gingerly stepped into the kitchen and decided to make some breakfast.

I found a box of pancake mix, and decided to whip us up some pancakes. I combined the mix with some non-perishable milk from the pantry, and turned on the oven range. Grabbing a skillet, I dolloped the batter into the pan. After only a few minutes, all the pancakes had been made, and I stacked them onto a plate. Just wait till' they see this! I thought. Something's missing though... I know! I'll go get some berries to top them with! I grabbed a bowl and ventured outside, catching a glimpse of the sunrise on my way out. It was beautiful. A simple thing, really, but something we often tend to take for granted.

Getting back to the task at hand, I started to pick some Razz Berries off of the bushes that grew near the house. I couldn't resist the urge, and ate a couple of them myself. Man, these things are sweet! They'll make the perfect addition to the pancakes!

After piling as many berries as possible into my bowl, I walked back inside and began to wash them off. I chopped off the stems, and then crushed them into a pulpy mess. I also set aside some whole ones for us to eat later. I mixed some sugar into the berry sauce, and voíla! The meal was complete! Now I all I have to do is wait for the others to wake up...

The smell of food woke me from my curled position on a couch-- stretching and yawning, I slipped into a bathroom to clean up, before heading into the kitchen and finding Jeremy there, with a stack of pancakes. "Good morning." I greeted, padding over to start making some tea.

((Ackk. I had like, 4 1/2 hours of crap to do for school tonight.))

After we all had eaten our dinner and Axel had played with Phanpy enough, we all started to go to sleep. I used the bathroom, washed my face, and then passed out on a cushioned chair.



I had a dream about Bill and Katya. Of course, I didn't know it was a dream at first, since my mind showed me we were outside of the safehouse. Nothing really added up, when I saw them because the group was nowhere to be found, but I acted like they were real.

"Bill? Katya?" I said.

"Hello, Seth." Bill said in the same warm, heart-felt tone that I always loved. "Hello, Seth." Katya said the same thing. Her verbal communication seemed much more mature and firm.

"What are you guys doing here? I thought you were... You know..." I couldn't bring myself to say it. "Dead?" Katya looked at me with the same happy face she had when we agreed to help her. "Well, yes, technically, I am dead."

I was confused at the fact that Katya said 'I' and not 'we', but I ingored it. ((Had to be careful there, cuz Bill's not dead, right?)) "Why... And how... Are you here?"

"Well," Bill said. "We're here to tell you to stop grieving over our misfortunes." Katya nodded. "It's not worth it. You're goal will take more lives than ours."

"But... You two didn't deserve to die. You didn't-"

I was about to finish my sentence, but I was cut off by the fact that something woke me up.



My eyelids opened slightly, and I saw Jeremy walk into the kitchen. Ignoring it, I went back to sleep.

A few minutes later, I woke up again, completely this time, and smelled pancakes. Is that what Jeremy was doing? Wow... I got up and washed off my face and stretched. While in the bathroom, I thought about that dream. That's all it was though, a dream. I set the thought aside, then walked into the kitchen. "Hey, good morning." I said to Cat and Jeremy, and started to look on the counter for pancakes. Sure enough, there was a big stack of pancakes sitting on a plate, with Razz Berries crushed on top.

"Wow, Jeremy, you made those? That's awesome! Do you think we should get everyone up to eat?"

Leo tip-toed around the last of the late sleepers and went into the kitchen with everyone else. "Morning..." Leo said sleepily, sitting by and leaning on the bench. He yawned, looking over to a family portrait of Chrono's family before catching the scent of something damn good. Leo sniffed around, suddenly eyeing the pancakes.

He gasped, "Pancakes!!" he grabbed himself a plate and helped himself. Om Nom Nom Nom. Leo muffled with his mouth full. Thanking whoever and continuing without further care.

((@Crunchy: No problem. Also, sorry to everyone for taking awhile to reply; school's just been kicking my ass. I feel like I have to make this apology once a week... So, I'll try to let you guys know ahead of time what might be going on, so you can just move on plot-wise without me. Right now, we'll be heading to Violet to go and spy on Catherine.))

I woke with a start. That smell... The sweet, aromatic scent of Razz berries drifted over to me. I inhaled deeply; it smelled of my childhood. Then the cooked, delicious smell of pancakes came over me. It was exactly how some of my mornings had started when I was little; my mom used to get up early to make pancakes...

I stood up, stretched, then walked over to the kitchen. "Morning, all. And whoever made these things deserves twenty gold ribbons and two tons of pure gold." I grinned, then went ahead and grabbed three pancakes, stacking them on a plate. I immediately took a fork to them, not bothering with syrup.

Swallowing quickly, I struck up a conversation. "So, guys, I think we should go to Violet today. Just kinda walk around, get a sense of the layout of the city, and how the people feel about Catherine. We can also observe the patterns of who goes in and out of her house, and at what times. Does that sound like a good idea to anyone?" I shoved another forkful of pancakes into my mouth.

((just fyi, Catherine is actually rather well-known and popular in this region. For the most part...))

I sat down with my tea, snagging some of the pancakes and starting to eat. "It sounds good to me, but we'll have to be careful to keep out of sight. Our faces are probably splashed across wanted posters by now."