MagiStream

A Guide To Her Heart
Episode 9: Shadow’s Out Of The Bag!


As the Growlithe struck, Violet felt the heat near her face, the flames already burning her flesh.

“White Fang, hyper beam!” came a familiar voice from out of no where. The golden ray intercepted the jet of flame, causing a small explosion and surrounding the area in nothing but smoke.

“Wha ..?!” Violet gasped, protecting her eyes from the fumes that were making them sting and water. All of a sudden, the Ninetales leapt through the smoke, its mouth full of bared fangs that were aimed at Violet’s throat. That’s when Violet felt someone push her out of the way. She hit the ground hard, her rescuer falling right beside with their arm slung protectively around her waist. The mauve-haired Coordinator opened her eyes to see Drew’s face only inches from her own. They locked eyes for half a second before Drew was on his feet, yanking Violet up with him.

“We’re getting out of here! Flygon, let’s go!” he announced as he threw his poke’ball.

“Rraiyh!” the Dragon Poke’mon screeched as it appeared from its capsule, its wings spread wide.

“White Fang, Flygon, double hyper beam!” the lime-haired boy commanded and the two Poke’mon shot their rays into the sea of enemies. Some were thrown aside like Poke’mon plush dolls, while others backed away timidly.

“Violet!” Drew called as he sprung atop Flygon. His hand shot out, grabbing hers, and helped her clamber on behind him.

“Return!” she shouted, holding up a poke’ball; the red light engulfed White Fang and it disappeared back into the ball as they took flight. Drew felt the girl’s arms wrench tightly around his waist as she shook slightly (out of fear, no doubt).

With Flygon’s speed, they zoomed over the heads of the fire Poke’mon, dodging streams of flamethrowers and fire spins.

“Duck!” Drew ordered. The two lowered their heads, Violet burying her face in her friend’s jacket, as they rocketed out the doorway with a loud “whoosh”, leaving the rickety, old mansion behind as they gained altitude and flew into the sky.









Flygon landed with a loud “thud” on the top deck of the S.S. Anne, lowering its belly to the ground for its riders to dismount. No sooner than Drew’s feet had hit the ground, a pair of arms threw themselves around his neck.

“Thank you, Drew!” Violet sighed, nuzzling the side of her face against his. Drew stood still for a second, before bringing his hands up to rest on her arms for a moment. Then he pulled her away. Without a word, he returned Flygon to its poke’ball, then turned to stand beside the railing at the edge of the deck. Oranges and reds were beginning to mingle with the blue of the sky, signaling the end of the day. Violet watched a gentle sea breeze ruffle his hair as the foghorn on the ship blew loudly, indicating the nearness of their departure. The plum-haired girl slowly walked up next to him.

“Drew,” she said quietly. He didn’t look her way, nor did he give any hint that he had heard her. He only continued to stare off into the early sunset. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you …” This time, he looked in her direction, but rather than look at her face, his gaze drifted to her forearm.

“Come on,” he said. “I’ll clean your arm.” Turning, he began making his way to the elevator and ushered for her to follow.








Violet sat on her waterbed, wincing as Drew ran the alcohol-soaked cotton swab over her burn.

“Don’t wiggle,” he ordered curtly, keeping his eyes fixated on his work.

“But it stings!” she whined, biting her bottom lip until she tasted the metallic tang of blood in her mouth. The boy gave her no word after that, but quickly finished his cleaning. Then he reached over, grabbing a small, green bottle that appeared to have lots of bubbles floating around inside it. He squirted some of the cold gel into the palm of his hand before lightly running it over her wound. She shuddered at its chilliness, but then sighed as the unwelcome heat flew off her arm.

Drew soothingly ran his hand over her arm in a somewhat circular motion, spreading the glaze over the scald. He watched his own movements, unable to look up at his companion. He followed his hand with his eyes until he appeared to be in some sort of trance; it was as if he had suddenly been put on auto-pilot. Any amount of time could have passed where he just sat there rubbing the freezing, sticky liquid into Violet’s arm. But then her voice shattered his daze.

“I believe it’s dry now…” she uttered in a soft voice; he had never heard her so quiet before. He took his hand away without a word. Raising himself from his sitting position in front of her on the floor, he stood to hover over her. She looked up at him, and he found himself unlucky enough to have caught her gaze. Their eyes locked, he realized he had leaned down so their foreheads were almost touching. He searched her amethyst eyes for something that would portray her current emotion; she was always so easy to read. But, as luck would have it, she closed her eyes and broke the starring contest. However, she didn’t move; in fact, her face seemed to tilt upwards slightly. Drew blinked. Did she … expect him to … ? He didn’t oblige; instead, he turned and opened the door to their room. The sound caused Violet’s eyes to fly open. When she saw him standing in the doorway, a glossy finish formed itself over her pupils and a worrisome appearance strained her features.

“Where are you going?” she asked. He didn’t answer.

“I’ll be back soon,” he replied instead and went to leave.

“Drew!” she said quickly to stop him, shooting to her feet. This made him stop in his tracks, but he didn’t rotate to look at her. “You’re…still going to let me travel with you … aren’t you?” Her words seemed to come out painstakingly slow for the both of them, but Drew couldn’t find it in himself to answer. Without replying, he left and shut the door behind him.









Drew stepped out onto the training deck. The sky was now completely dark; only the few lights from the ship lit his way.

“Ah, so you did decide to show!” came the shrill, sadistic voice. The young Coordinator glanced across the deck to see “The Worst Weirdest Wonder of the World” starring back at him, a smirk gracing his mouth.

“Of course I showed,” Drew retorted, crossing his arms and shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “What do you want, Harley?”

“Oh… Not much,” the strange man replied, putting both hands behind his back and swaying slightly. “So, you rescued Vi-Vi, did you? Why the sudden change of h-”

“You could’ve killed her!” the grass-haired Coordinator cut him off, narrowing his eyes.

“Hmm. Guess that thought just didn’t occur to me,” Harley shrugged. “I just thought it would be a pretty good way to get Shadow out of the National Grand Festival.” It took all of Drew’s willpower not to let his eyes go wide at these words. Instead, he raised an eyebrow.

“What on earth are you talking about?” he questioned.

“Oh, don’t play dumb with me!” the outlandish Coordinator scolded, both hands on his hips. “It fits! She’s the same height! She has purple hair! And the last person anyone saw with Shadow was you!” Drew’s eyes met Harley’s. “I’m playing the same game you are! I’m just better! Instead of learning my opponent’s weaknesses, I just get rid of the opponent!”


“There’s a word for that,” Drew pointed out. “It’s called cheating!”

“Details,” Harley shrugged carelessly. “Who needs ‘em?” Drew ignored his selfishness this time.

“You better not let Violet’s secret slip,” he threatened. Harley smirked at him from beneath his hat.

“I don’t plan too. If everyone knew, they’d all be looking to stand in her way,” the long-haired man explained. Drew didn’t bother to tell him that not all Coordinators are as self-centered as he was because he didn’t feel like pushing the subject.

“Is this all you dragged me out here for?” the boy inquired harshly.

“Oh, I’m afraid not,” Harley said, shaking his head. “You see, I do believe I have something that belongs to you…” He took something from his pocket and dangled it in front of his face. Even in the night air, the shape and color of the trinket was unmistakable.

“The Violet Flame?!” Drew gasped. “How did you get that?!”

“What do you care?” Harley smirked. “If I recall correctly, I found this in the woods. That must mean you tried to get rid of it.”

“It doesn’t matter. I bought it with my money. It belongs to me!” the boy countered, thumbing to himself.

“Come now, Drew. What’s so special about a little, flame-shaped trinket? Hm?” Harley toyed, dangling the charm over the side of the ship. Drew could feel his heart skip a couple of beats and he didn’t know why. He growled loud enough for the other Coordinator to hear.

“Stop that!” he demanded, gritting his teeth.

“Oh, what’s this?” Harley snickered, pulling the piece of jewelry back. “Have I touched a nerve?” Drew growled under his breath again.

“Give me that before I make you!” he warned, raising a fist.

“Ooh!” Harley giggled, pretending be frightened and taking a step backwards. “I’m shaking in my boots!”

“Agh! Give it back!” the young Coordinator ordered, rushing towards Harley. The older boy didn’t even have time to blink before Drew had tackled him, sending him to the ground.

“Ow! Hey!” he whined, releasing the pendant which flew into the air. Drew was already on his feet and skillfully caught it before it hit the ground. He inspected in carefully in the palm of his hand and took a deep breath when he realized it hadn’t been damaged.

“Why you little - !” Drew heard Harley grumble from behind him. He recognized when Harley’s foot came down from his first step. In a split second, the flamboyant Coordinator had rushed at the boy, but Drew was too quick and stepped aside just in time to see Harley fumble forward and fall right over the railing, plummeting into the water below. Smirking, Drew dropped a life-preserver (which he had removed the rope from first) off the ship above Harley’s head.

“Jerk overboard,” he chuckled, a sly grin on his face.

“Ack! You better not leave me down here, you little twerp!” the eccentric man squealed. Sounds of a splashing fit reached Drew’s ears as he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button labeled “Rooms D1”, a satisfied sneer curving his lips.









Drew stepped quietly into the room he shared with Violet, easing the door shut behind him. But has he turned around, a pair of ears perked upward; the moonlight shining in through their porthole made the yellow rings glow gold. A second later, bright, scarlet eyes blinked open. Ghost Ring lay across the waist of a sleeping Violet; her back was turned to him and her face snuggled deep into the covers.

He took a step forward, only to be met by a deep growl. He looked down to see another pair of crimson eyes starring back at him. In the dark, he could just barely make out the snow-colored pelt of White Fang. He took another step forward, but the Absol placed its paw in front of his foot and bared its teeth at the emerald-eyed Coordinator.

A pair of fluffy, gray fur was curled up in a tiny ball on the pillow beside Violet’s head, soft, yellow eyes flashing at Drew. A small rumble at the quick flash of miniature fangs revealed Dark Thorn.

Sitting at the foot of the bed, the mahogany eyes of Onyx Ice blazed back at him, its sharp claws gleaming in the moonlight.

“Sneaz,” it warned in a low hiss. Drew took a step back, looking over the Poke’mon with hurt eyes. Then, he returned their glares and stiffened.

“Fine,” he exclaimed calmly, and lumbered over to his own bunk. He kicked his shoes off hatefully, hoping one would hit White Fang on the nose or something, threw off his jacket, and clambered underneath the covers. But, despite his best efforts, his eyes just wouldn’t close all night.

DO MORE!!!!!

Hehe. Will do. Cute avi btw.

Posting Episode 10 now.

A Guide To Her Heart
Episode 10: The Knock Knock Joker



When Drew woke the next morning, Violet’s bed was already empty. Sitting up, he ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath, but wasted no time throwing on his jacket, putting on his shoes, and running a comb through his hair. He knew without a shadow of a doubt where Violet would be, the Food Deck. He hurried out the room into the long corridor off other staterooms and to the elevator.

He arrived on the sixth deck of the S.S. Anne and immediately began scanning through the groups of people for a purple head. It didn’t take him long to recognize Violet sitting at a white sun-table eating a waffle. To his dismay, White Fang was also sitting in the shade of the table at her feet. Cautiously, he neared the mauve-haired girl. Just as he predicted, he received a deep-throated growl from the Absol; Violet seemed to ignore the Dark Poke’mon’s hostility.

“Good morning, Drew,” she said with a smile, syrup painted along her lips.

“Morning,” he muttered, then ushered around his own mouth, making Violet lick her lips. Drew was about to open his mouth to say something else, but a large burst of laughter stopped him before he could. Over by the counter, a bulky collection of people was gathered. Behind the counter, a hulking man with a shaved head was telling jokes.

“So, how do you make a Pikablu?” asked the man. He was answered by murmurs and utters of, “I don’t know.” “Make a Pikachu hold its breath for an hour!” he exclaimed, and the crowd erupted into fits of laughter; and they weren’t the only ones. Next to Drew, Violet was clutching her sides and giggling insanely.

“It wasn’t that funny,” the green-haired Coordinator pointed out with a blank expression, but the girl was to busy laughing to listen. All of a sudden, Violet squeaked and jarred the table as an auburn-haired boy wearing overalls jumped out in front of her.

“Hheeyy,” she whined. “What did you do that for?” She turned her head cutely as she spoke.

“Well it ain’t my fault you’re jumpier than a long-tailed Glameow in a room full of rockin’ chairs!” the boy grinned in a southern accent, instantly sending Violet back into hysterics. Drew rolled his eyes and noticed a cream-colored horse Poke’mon by the boy’s side, a flaming mane brimming along its long neck.

“Are you a trainer?” he asked.

“Coordinator,” the boy corrected proudly. “Name’s Randal from Solaceon Town!” Drew raised an eyebrow at him.

“Wait a second … If you’re from Solaceon, how can you afford a cruise on a luxury liner?” he inquired suspiciously, crossing his arms.

“My pop owns a ranch. He breeds Ponyta and Rapidash. We’re the richest family in the whole town!” Randal explained, thumbing to himself. Drew suppressed the urge to roll his eyes yet again, not mentioning that being the richest person in a village of farmers wasn’t really anything to brag about. “Check out my custom-made poke’ball for Ponyta!” he boasted, holding out a shiny, black poke’ball with a tiny, red flame painted on the front.

“Rich with stupidity, perhaps,” Drew thought bitterly to himself; he had seen more impressive poke’balls, many of which he had painted himself.

“Ooh!” Violet cooed. “Pretty!”

“Well,” Randal smirked, brushing his nose with a thumb. “Aren’t you just as sweet as a Swablu?” The plum-topped girl giggled sweetly, but Drew noticed a faint blush spread across her cheeks. He couldn’t help it when his eyes narrowed at the southern-style Coordinator.








“Okay, Roselia, let’s do it!” Drew ordered.

“Rrrooow!” the flower-dawning Poke’mon called, raising its roses. Black static ebbed from the petals for a moment, then a tiny orb of darkness formed before fizzling away. The emerald-eyed boy sighed and held his forehead as the Roselia hung its head.

“Rrrooooooooow…” it said sadly.

“It’s alright, Roselia,” its Coordinator assured it, placing a hand between the thorns on its head. “Keep trying.”

“Rapidash, fire blast!” came a thundering command from Drew’s back right. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the unicorn-like Poke’mon expertly shoot the star-shaped jet of flame.

“But, Mr. Randal, sir!” sounded another pleading, yet oddly familiar, voice from the same direction.

“Randal?!” Drew thought and kneeled next to Roselia, keeping an ear out on the nearby conversation.

“It’s that boy of yours again, sir!” came that same insistent voice. After a moment, the young Coordinator recognized the voice as that of the comedian he and Violet had seen earlier. “He’s been stealing my jokes again!”

“Can the lad help it if the ladies love’em just like they do his old man?” replied the other voice, the one with the Rapidash. Through corner-eye vision, Drew noticed he had slick, auburn hair and was wearing a plaid shirt and jeans; he also had an unmistakable southern drawl.

“Only because he goes around telling them he came up with them himself!” argued the comedian.

“Listen here,” Mr. Randal warned. “Leave Jr. alone, ya hear? Or you’re fired!”

“Yes, Mr. Randal,” his apparent client grumbled reluctantly.

“What does a farmer want with a comedian?” Drew thought to himself, but shrugged it off; that wasn’t the most important thing on his mind. He had just gotten major dirt on everyone’s favorite southern-style Coordinator.







Randal and Violet sat at a sun table, Violet in a two-piece black bathing suit and Randal in a pair of blue swim trunks.

“Knock Knock!” Randal grinned.

“Who’s there?” giggled the amethyst-haired girl.

“Ivysaur!”

“Ivysaur who?”

“I’ve a sore knuckle from knocking so much!”

Violet broke out into a spasm of hilarity when a cocky voice came from about ten feet behind them.

“Did you steal that one from your old man’s comedian too, Jr.?” smirked an arrogant lime-haired boy, his arms crossed and his position (leaning against a wall) the portrayal of smugness; he added extra emphasis on the word “Jr.” Violet and Randal turned in the young top-Coordinator’s direction.

“What are you talking about?” the auburn-haired boy asked as if he was completely clueless; although, Drew just assumed he was completely stupid.

“Your father’s comedian came up with all those cheesy jokes,” Drew explained, haughtiness still evident in his voice.

“Aw! You’re just jealous ‘cause I’ve been flirt’n’ with your lady-friend here!” snickered Randal. For almost a second, Drew was sure he had accidentally let his eye twitch; if Randal had seen it, he would never let Drew live it down. To the grass-topped boy’s horrible luck, the southern-style Coordinator had noticed. “You’re just tryin’ to start somethin’!” he exclaimed.

“Hmph,” Drew sneered, tossing a lock of his hair. “And you’re making it real easy for me too. A fraud isn’t hard to pick out especially when they’re jokes stink!”

“Nuh-uh! I came up with them jokes!” the other boy argued, his eye twitching. Drew saw this and grinned wickedly; he could tell Randal was about to cave.

“You guys! Please don’t start something!” begged Violet, sitting up from her position on the table; Randal had jumped up a long time ago.

“You’re nothing but one big sham,” Drew smirked, ignoring the mauve-haired girl completely.

“You callin’ me a liar?!” challenged Randal.

“Well, I’m certainly NOT calling you for a Poke’block-making party,” Drew retorted cockily, putting a hand in his pocket.

“That’s it! Randal exclaimed, eyes narrowed angrily “We’re settlin’ this now! I challenge you to a Poke’mon battle!”

“Hmph, about time,” Drew chuckled smugly.

The two boys and Violet made their way to the training deck where each of the males took a spot on opposite sides of a practice arena.

“Ponyta, I choose you!” announced the southern-style Coordinator, tossing his black poke’ball; the fiery horse appeared on the field, its diamond-massacring hooves pawing at the air as it whinnied.

“Go, Roselia!” Drew cried, pitching his own poke’ball. Roselia elegantly danced onto the field, its roses held high and proud.

“A Roselia?! You must be battier than a right-side-up Zubat to battle a fire-type with a grass-type!” Randal snickered.

“We’ll see,” Drew replied, a small smirk curving his lips as the battle began.

“We’ll get this rollin’! Ponyta, use flamethrower!” commanded Randal. The horse spat orange flames from its snout, and they sped for Roselia.

“Solarbeam, now!” Drew directed and, with unbelievable speed, Roselia shot the sunlit beam from its roses; the two forces collided and a large puff of smoke smoldered the field, hiding the Poke’mon from view. Then, Ponyta saw Roselia lunge at it through the haze. “Poison sting!” ordered Drew, and his Poke’mon launched the sharp barbs at the horse, nailing it square in the knees. Ponyta whinnied loudly in pain and fell to its front knees.

“Wha?!” gasped its owner.

“Knock out a Ponyta’s strong legs and its through!” Drew explained conceitedly. Randal grumbled something irritably under his breath, then shouted.

“Fire blast attack!” The Ponyta let the star-shaped burst of fire erupt from its mouth.

“Roselia, dodge it!” Drew instructed, but the grass Poke’mon just wasn’t fast enough. It was blasted by the huge flames and when they cleared, the green-haired boy could see his singed Roselia on its knees, panting.

“Ha! This battle’s done wrapped up better than an Ekans!” snickered Randal, but then saw the corner of Drew’s lips tug upward.

“You wish,” he smirked. “Synthesis!” And on command, calm, green mist surrounded Roselia and the faintest sparkles of sunlight appeared around the grass Poke’mon who was quickly back on its feet.

“Rosrrr!” it cried energetically. Drew saw the glare Randal shot him, but it was like feeding the lime-eyed boy’s fire. Randal let a low growl rumble in his throat before letting out another order.

“Ponyta, overheat!” Still immobile on its knees, Ponyta let out a wave of powerful orange-and-yellow-fused flame. Then, a defiant light sparked in Drew’s eyes.

“Shadow ball!” he shouted. Randal and Violet, who had been watching quietly on the sidelines, gasped as Roselia created a large sphere of shadows and fired it from its roses. The two attacks met, the flames of overheat curling around the shadow ball until a dark globe of combustion hovered over the field. “End this! Launch that sphere into Ponyta with another shadow ball!” Drew commanded. Roselia shot another black-magic orb, this one colliding with the fiery sphere, causing it to fly into the hopeless horse Poke’mon. It hit and exploded on contact, throwing Ponyta backwards and ending the battle.

“Looks like I win,” the green-haired boy smirked, folding his arms over his chest.

“You - ! What - ! How - ?!”

“Because I’m not a pretender,” Drew cut him off smugly. “Now, admit your wrong and that those jokes aren’t yours,” he added.

“Hmph! So what if I didn’t come up with ‘em?! What good has this all done?!” the auburn-topped boy shot back, then turning and walking away rudely.

“Aw! Randal! Don’t walk away like that!” pleaded a worry-faced Violet, taking a step in the southern-style Coordinator’s direction.

“Forget him, Violet. He’s nothing but a coward,” Drew told her. Just then, Randal rounded on Drew, fist heading for his face and his teeth clenched tensely. Drew's eyes would've widened, had it not been for a certain call behind him.

“Ghost Ring, quick attack!” Drew heard Violet call right before a blur of black and yellow fur rushed past him, slamming his attacker to the ground.

“Violet?!” the ground-based boy gasped as she came over and stood above him.

“I trusted you!” she frowned down at him, a pout evident on her pink lips. “And then you go and attack my best friend!”

Randal looked away shamefully before quickly jumping to his feet and running off, making sure not to meet anyone’s eye on the way.

“Thanks…” Drew said softly, turning to Violet.

“Don’t mention it,” she shrugged, then noticed the golden rays glancing off her friend’s face. She looked off into the horizon to see something dotting the sea line. It was an island with a large dome-shaped roof on a huge, centered building, much bigger than any of the other buildings on the island.

“That’s Colored-crystal Station,” Drew told her.

“Finally!” Violet sighed, making her traveling partner laugh a little.

“Tomorrow we’ll board the S.S. Tidal,” he continued.

“And go to Lilycove City for your next ribbon!” she grinned. Drew nodded and continued to look at Violet as the sea breeze ruffled her velvet hair. Then, out of no where, a huge crash came from beneath the ship, sending the entire boat rocking to the right.

DO MORE!!!!!!!

Hehe. Here ya go!~


A Guide To Her Heart
Episode 11: Storm Warriors



The skies suddenly turned dark gray and rain began pouring down. That was when four gigantic, cerulean sea-monster Poke’mon shot up out of the water; the waves suddenly grew larger and the dragons whipped up huge, swirling gusts of wind that began closing in on the ship. The sea dragons splashed tsunamis onto the deck of the S.S. Anne, making it rock back and forth like a toy boat, while the winds began blowing passengers up into the air and off the vessel.

Drew reached for the first thing he could find, the railing on the side of the ship, and pulled Violet close to him so quick it almost was like it was an instinct.

“What’s wrong with those Gyarados?!” Violet cried over the roars of the storm and the enormous Poke’mon.

“Stay close and don’t let go of me!” he ordered, ignoring her question.

“Drew, we’ve got to help! We’ve gotta stop those Gyarados!” she screamed, tossing a poke’ball. A flash of white light revealed her Absol; when it realized the strong-force winds that were whipping around and around, it dug its thick, iron claws through the wood of the deck for leverage. “White Fang, calm down these winds!” White Fang’s horn began to glow bright white, and it tossed it’s head, summoning miniature whirlwinds of its own. The smaller tornados began pulling the larger winds into their vortexes, slowing down the hurricane for only just a moment before the Gyarados turned towards the Absol. One reared back its head, then fired a golden ray at White Fang.

“’Saul!” it cried, countering the attack with a hyper beam of its own. The explosion from the two attacks nearly blew Drew and Violet off the side of the boat, but the grass-haired Coordinator just barely managed to keep his grip.

“We can’t hold them off!” he exclaimed. “Call back White Fang!” Violet did as she was told and returned the Absol to its poke’ball. “Hold on!” Drew warned and let go of the railing. The result was him and Violet being thrown up into the air. “Flygon!” he called, tossing his poke’ball and releasing the dragon Poke’mon. It let out a cry and swooped by the two Coordinators; the two grabbed its lean, green neck as it flew by, fighting the weather.

Flygon had its head down and its claws pulled in as close to its chest as possible. Its wings beat furiously against the hurricane-force storm, and Drew could feel its muscles twitch beneath his arms and legs. But he hung tightly onto its neck, Violet’s arms folded stringently around his own waist.

“Flygon can’t fly in this weather!” he told her, having to scream to get the message across. He looked at her over his shoulder, her mauve hair billowing crazily around her face and her eyes glossy with terror-induced tears. Suddenly, a Gyarados soared out of the water directly in front of where they had been flying. Between the screams of Flygon and Violet, Drew’s ear drums were ready to burst. The sea dragon let loose a powerful hyper beam, to which Flygon countered with one of its own. But when they thought they were in the clear, another shining ray, shot from a second Gyarados no doubt, rushed at them from out of no where. Flygon didn’t have time to dodge the second attack and was thrown back with a pain-ridden cry; the two teens were thrown off its back, Violet’s shrill, terrified shriek ringing in Drew’s ears as they fell into the stormy ocean current.








He slowly faded into consciousness. His head was pounding and his entire body seemed numb with cold. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, but the sudden burst of light made him cringe them shut again and only added to his headache. After a few moments, he tried again and, this time, shielded his eyes with his hand. The brightness hadn’t been from the sun, but rather from whiteness. He forced himself to a sitting position and looked around. Nothing but thick, white walls of ice surrounded him. Numerous tunnels led in and out and a medium-sized pool lay beside him, undoubtedly leading back into the ocean. He was in an underwater ice cavern.

His stomach twisted uncomfortably; he must’ve swallowed a lot of salt water. His clothes were still soaked and the combination of that and the icy chill in the air made him feel as if he was about to freeze on the spot. He took a deep breath, but the frozen air burned his lungs and made him cough, his breath coming out in small, white puffs. Tugging his legs up to his chest, he rested his forehead against his knees. His drenched clothes offered no warmth. Then, a thought occurred to him and his head shot up. He jumped to his feet and did a 360 scan of the environment, but didn’t find what he was looking for.

“V-violet!!” he called out. His voice was surprisingly unsteady; whether or not this was from shock or cold he wasn’t sure. He received no answer. “Violet!!” he cried out again, still getting no reply. He growled to himself, and then blinked, thinking of something else. He pulled a particular poke’ball from his waist and pressed the little, white button in the center. It popped open, but no light came out; the poke’ball was empty and his Flygon was missing. He sighed loudly, putting the poke’ball away. His limbs twitched as he pushed himself to his feet. He ran his hands up and down his arms rapidly and then breathed in his palms. “I’ve got to find her …” he muttered under his breath, glancing around the cave. Looking ahead of him, he saw the closest of the tunnels. He slipped into it; the passageway was so narrow that both of his shoulders brushed against the walls on either side of him.

The tunnel was long, and Drew soon found himself on a sort of auto-pilot as he pressed himself onward. His mind began to drift off. Thoughts Violet swarmed his head. He thought about the first time he saw her without her cloak back in Poke’mon Tower when a ghost Poke’mon’s attack caused her to slam into him. He thought about rescuing her from the clutches of Team Rocket in Saffron City; she had cost him another ribbon, but he remembered looking down at her, all tied up and helpless. He thought about the Flower Festival that she had dragged him too, walking through the garden with her, stealing chunks of her cotton candy, and his irritation when she wasn’t at his first battle in the Flower Power Tournament. He thought about her brief disappearance in Vermillion City, and all the emotions that struck him when he found out, a little anger, a lot of worry, some fear. Then he thought about finding her, and that moment where she stopped him in the middle of the street, the sea breeze blowing their hair, concern flashing in her amethyst eyes, and the warmth of her hand around his. He thought about her near-death experience at Cinnabar. Why had he gotten so angry? Was it because she got along so well with Harley? Was it because she just didn’t listen to him? Was he just scared for her? He remembered pushing her out of the line of fire of that Growlithe’s flamethrower, landing next to her on the debris-scattered ground with his arm slung around her, and looking down at her, their eyes meeting. He would never let her know it, but for a millisecond he forgot they were in danger. Then he thought about taking her back to their room on the S.S. Anne afterwards where he cleaned her burn. When she looked so intently at him, and then closed her eyes … had she really expected him to kiss her? He mentally scowled at himself. Finding a girlfriend wasn’t on his agenda, nor was it his purpose in traveling with Violet. He didn’t even like her company, let alone...her; he couldn’t after only a couple weeks!

“Then why am I in such a need to find her?” he silently asked himself. “Eh, I’d do it for anyone! I’m not heartless …” he said convincingly in his mind.

He pushed himself out of the tight ice channel; now he was in another cavern that looked much like the first one except smaller and had a few tunnels leading out of it as well.

“These ice paths probably go on forever,” he told himself (outloud this time). Suddenly, Drew heard a distant rumble, and the cave shook slightly. To his right, a large area of ice seemed to glow red. He looked at it curiously for a moment before blinking, and diving out of the way just in time to avoid being struck with the blast of flame that burst through the ice. After the steam cleared, the emerald-eyed boy looked in the direction the attack came from to see a muscular, aqua-colored dragon Poke’mon roaring triumphantly.

“Good job, Salamance,” exclaimed a confident voice. Standing next to the Salamance, was a young man probably around Drew’s age give or take a few years. He stood slightly taller than him and had shoulder-length chocolate hair held back by a red headband with a yellow poke’ball symbol on the front. He wore a hooded, red jacket with fish-net material connecting the sleeves to the torso. Black and red gloves covered his hands; they matched the color of his boots and belt, and light blue jeans swayed around his legs due to the icy wind whipping around the cavern. “Huh?” the boy blinked. His voice was a bit deeper than Drew’s. “I didn’t know anyone else was down here,” he said, returning his dragon Poke’mon to its poke’ball.

“Same here,” Drew nodded, shivering. The boy gave him a strange look.

“You’re soaked! And it’s freezing down here!” He crossed his arms. “Need help getting outta here?”

“That’d be nice,” the Coordinator replied, his teeth clashing against each other as he shook. “But I’ve got to find a friend of mine first. Her and I ended up down here somehow and got separated,” he explained.

“Ah. Well, that’s unfortunate,” said the brunette boy. “Problem is, when someone gets lost down here they’re kinda hard to find! Sure you don’t want to just go onto the island? I can take you there, and come back for your friend later.”

“No,” Drew growled. “I’m not leaving Violet down here …” Then, he walked on ahead as if to tell the boy he didn’t need his help if he wanted to leave Violet down here.

“Hmph,” Drew heard the boy grunt; he pivoted back to face him to see a wide smirk on his face and his arms still crossed. “I get it. Ok, mate, I’ll help you rescue your girl.” Drew narrowed his eyes.

“She’s not m-my …” The grass-haired boy shook violently and took deep breaths; the cold was getting to him. The red-clad boy frowned.

“I’m Listor,” he introduced.

“D-Drew…” stuttered the frozen teen.

Drew followed Listor through a few more tunnels; the older boy seemed to know his way around and Drew wasn’t really in any condition to argue. Suddenly, a small cry sounded from somewhere within the cave. To the Coordinator’s dismay, it sounded Poke’mon rather than human.

“That sounded like a Spheal. I say we go to it. Maybe it can help us find your girl,” Listor suggested and took off in that direction. The grass-haired boy gave up on telling Listor that Violet wasn’t “his girl”, and instead focused all his energy on just keeping up with him.

Sure enough, past the next tunnel was a large group of Spheal, but it wasn’t the ice Poke’mon that intrigued Drew the most; it was what was in the center of their crowd. There he saw a big, green dragon Poke’mon ; it was his Flygon, and it was curled around a lean form. Over the mass of emerald scales, he could just make out a mound of mauve hair. When he realized it wasn’t moving, he swore that his heart stopped for a moment. Of course, he would never admit it.

Despite having issues keeping up with Listor a moment ago, Drew charged through the cluster of seal Poke’mon and clambered over Flygon’s thick tail.

“Violet!” he cried, kneeling next to her. She had her arms around a tiny, cerulean-blue body. A small Vaporeon shook intensely against chest, its fin-like ears twitching weakly and its mermaid tail wrapped around its body for insignificant warmth.

The green-eyed boy, taking her by the chin, turned her face up towards him and held a hand in front of her mouth. He could just barely feel the warm puffs of breath; she was only unconscious.

“Eiighhhh,” Flygon crooned, raising its head to look at its Coordinator with glinting eyes that glimmered beneath their ruby goggle-like coverings.

“R-Right, F-Flygon,” Drew stammered. “T-Thanks for s-staying with V-Violet.” Placing an arm beneath her neck and another under her knees, he managed to stand with Violet in his arms.

“Whoa, mate,” Listor blinked, rushing to his side with outstretched hands. “You got her?”

Drew nodded weakly, stumbling over air as he trudged over to his dragon. He placed the plum-haired girl on its upper back, then scrambled on behind her and wrapped his arms securely around her body, holding onto Flygon’s neck as it stood on all-four’s.

“Nya!” came the tiny, meek cry from the Vaporeon. Listor trudged over to it, knelt, and felt around its neck before a frown distorted his lips.

“It’s sick,” he declared. “We can’t leave it here.” The brunette picked up the Eevee evolution in his arms and picked a poke’ball from the three at his waist to toss. The great, aqua dragon let out a mighty roar as it appeared from the sphere. Listor mounted the Salamance with the Vaporeon nestled securely between him and the dragon’s shoulders.
“O-okay … H-how do we find a way out?” Drew asked, holding onto Violet tighter as he struggled for words. Listor smirked at him, his Poke’mon’s mouth brimming with golden-orange flames.

“We make one,” he replied.








“So, ya feeling any better, mate?” Listor asked Drew, handing him a mug of steaming liquid.

“No,” the boy growled, pulling the blue blanket tighter around him and inhaling the heat from the cup. He took a hesitant sip and instantly felt the warmth seep into his body. Ah, the wonders of hot chocolate. He saw Listor cross his arms.

“No need to be grouchy, mate,” the older boy said in a sterner voice. “I didn’t freeze your girlfriend.” Drew tried to sigh, but for some reason it came out as a deep grumble from his throat.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he big back.

“HA!” Listor exclaimed suddenly, making Drew blink. “That’s funny, ‘cause you sure do act like it!” That’s when the worry-clad face of Nurse Joy hurried up to them.

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t seem to wake up your friend. Nothing’s working!” she cried. Drew’s heart sped up, or it slowed down drastically … He wasn’t quite sure.

“Then do something! You’re a nurse!” he glared at her. The cherry-haired woman frowned.

“We’re a Poke’mon Center! Not a hospital!” she retorted, agitatation making her wrinkle her forehead.

“Then come on! We have to get her to a hospital then!” Listor announced, curling his hands into fists, ready for action.

“The nearest hospital is miles away! She’s not stable enough to travel that far,” Nurse Joy explained to them. The grass-topped Coordinator grit his teeth and glowered at the nurse. He was about to go off yelling at her when he heard the sliding doors to the Poke’mon Center open.

“Excuse me, but I couldn’t help but over hear …” The voice belonged to a very elderly woman. Her face was badly wrinkled and she was shorter than Drew, her back drastically bent badly out of shape. Long gray hair was held into a bun, but most of it fell out and framed her face; it almost fell to the floor. She wore a bedraggled, purple dress that had a couple rips in it here and there. The garment trailed the floor so it hid her feet, but as she walked, Drew was sure he saw bare heels. “I believe I can help your friend.” Drew’s heart jumped again and his eyes widened slightly. He was almost sure it was out of surprise….almost sure.

“And just how is that?” he inquired suspiciously. “Who are you?”

“I am Rue,” she replied with a wry smile; her teeth were yellow and rather crooked, making both Drew and Listor wince and take a step back.

“Oh, Rue! What are you doing here?!” Nurse Joy sighed loudly, putting her hands on her hips. “There is no place here for your ridiculous herbal remedies! Those things don’t even work anyways!” With that, the pink-topped woman pivoted and was about to stomp away. That was when Rue let out a raspy chuckle.

“You can’t heal the Bubble Jet Poke’mon, can you?” asked the old lady, her voice carrying an all-knowing vibe in its soft sound waves. Nurse Joy stopped in her tracks and hesitantly looked over her shoulder.

“No …” she said quietly. Rue seemed to smirk slightly before turning and making her way back to the door. “Follow me. Bring the girl.” Drew and Listor exchanged looks, but it was the emerald-eyed boy who nodded first.







Drew gently laid Violet down on the old cot. Pressing a hand to her forehead, he clenched his other hand into a fist; she was burning up, but at least she was breathing. Rue walked in the tiny room behind him, carrying a glass jar full of some strange item and putting it on a nearby shelf with countless other oddities.

The old medicine woman’s “house” was more like a shack and had only two rooms. The front was nothing but shelves, boxes, and crates of herbs and strange objects. The back room had the small, almost broken, bed, a stove, and even more weird objects.

“Cover her up,” Rue told him, slowly turning to face them.

“She has a fever,” Drew told her in a matter-of-fact tone. Rue nodded.

“She must sweat it out,” she retorted, reaching for the quilt at the foot of the bed. When she got closer to Violet, the boy snatched it from her, narrowly missing being cut by one of her outrageously long, craggily fingernails. Shooting her an angry look, he pulled the hand-knit blanket over the mauve-haired girl and sighed. The old woman smiled.

“Good,” she nodded and stepped into the front room. Drew followed her to see Listor leaning against the door-less entrance, holding the dangling beads to the side with his head and a shoulder. He gave Drew a subtle acknowledgement, indicating for him to come over. The Coordinator did so and leaned against the wall next to him.

“You sure this was a good idea, mate? I mean, this old hag is -”

“Strange, I know. But Nurse Joy isn’t going to do anything, now is she?” Drew cut him off.

Bored as Rue stood to one side of the room collecting random objects in a bowl, Drew took a look at the commodities that decorated her shelves. What looked like a jar of grape juice was labeled “Arbok Venom”, making Drew gulp. Another glass was filled to the brim with what appeared to be just lumps of rock, but upon closer examination, he noticed the sticker that read “Rhyhorn Horns”. On another shelf was an open Stantler skin- sack filled with a fine, lime-colored powder. The boy neared it and took a tiny whiff, then staggered with a sudden dizziness. He took a few steps back and shook his head, blinking a few times. “Sleep Powder” it said on the tag. After that, Drew quickly returned to his position next to Listor.

That’s when he heard a murmur from the old lady that sounded along the lines of “Tut, tut, tut.” He blinked.

“Is something wrong?” he asked as she picked up an empty, glass jar and shook her head. In the bottom of the container, a few dusty, white remainders were visible, but it was nothing but an ounce or two of powder.

“Seadra bones,” she uttered quietly. “I’m out.” Drew’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Do you need them?” he questioned, crossing his arms.

“Oh, most certainly. It’s a key ingredi-” Before she had finished her statement, the green-haired boy was already out the doorway.









“Drew!” Listor called after him. He found the young Coordinator at the nearest edge of the island. “What are you thinking?!”

“I’m going to go find some Seadra bones,” he replied in a melancholy tone, pulling a poke’ball from his waist. From it, he released his Flygon and clambered onto its back without a word.

“Well,” Listor sighed, tossing his own capsule to reveal his Salamance. “There’s no way I’m letting you go back down there alone, mate,” he said with a grin and leapt atop his dragon, giving Drew a thumbs-up.

The two took to the air, their Poke’mon circling around the island until they spotted the entrance to the underground ice-cave.

“Down there!” Drew pointed to Listor, who was hovering about twenty yards or so away, and then directed Flygon to glide down to the rocks. “Flygon, return,” he ordered, returning the green dragon to its poke’ball as Listor landed next to him and did the same with his Salamance.

“Eh,” the older boy grumbled. “I just saved you from this place, and you want to go back?!” Drew shot him an evil glare before trudging into the cave.








“Where now?” Listor asked, looking back and forth. He received a cynical look from his companion.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the explorer here?” Drew said. “Anyway, we should probably be looking around the pools of water.”

Of course, finding a pool was the tough part. The two wondered through the narrow ice caverns for what seemed like the longest time. At one point, Drew was sure his frostbite had returned. Nonetheless, that was the least of his worries. His top priority at that moment was finding a sufficient supply of Seadra bones.

When they finally neared a small pool of water, undoubtedly leading to the ocean, the two boys kneeled beside it.

“No sign of anything,” Listor frowned.

“Ye-” Drew cut himself off as his hand ran over the ground, or (specifically) what was on it. He felt a fine powder coating his fingers and looked to find it was white. There was a definite trail of the stuff, which Drew was obliged to follow. He tracked it around the pool and behind a rock. There, wedged between the stone and the ice-wall, was a couple of nice-sized bones. They were sharp and shaped like fins, obviously those of a Seadra. A slight grin on his face, he grabbed the bones and wrenched them from their position.

“Found them,” he told his companion who smiled widely back at him.

“Right on,” he grinned. “Let’s get back to -”

“Ssh,” Drew ordered, holding up a hand. Listor shot him a strange look. The emerald-eyed boy pointed towards the pool of water, its surface rippling. Suddenly, a tall, blue-scaled sea dragon shot up out of the water, letting loose a ear-splitting roar. The force of its appearance knocked the two boys back and to the ground.

“Not again,” groaned the green-haired boy. “Go, Roselia!” he announced, pitching his poke’ball. The little, rose-bearing Poke’mon appeared, its thorns poised for battle.

“Do it too it, Dragonite!” called out the brunette boy, throwing his poke’ball and, from its contents, summoning the pumpkin-colored dragon who bellowed proudly as it appeared.

The Gyarados howled loudly and shot a jet of water at its opponents.

“Thunder!” Listor ordered. The dragon-type blasted the bolt of lighting towards the Gyarados’ hydro pump, the two attacks colliding for a moment before the electricity shot busted the stream of water and went on to hit the water/flying-type hybrid straight on, lighting it up with a bright, yellow glow.

“Magical Leaf!” Drew directed.

“Roossssrrrr!” his Poke’mon cried, spinning quickly and sending color-changing leaves up into the air which then swirled their way around Dragonite’s electric attack and homed in on the Gyarados. It roared angrily before twisting its way out of the electric shock and shooting a ray of golden light at its adversaries.

“Match it with your own hyper beam!” exclaimed the brunette boy, to which his Poke’mon obliged by firing the ray of bright energy. The two attacks collided head on resulting in a small burst of energy and a cover of smoke. “Drew, get out of here with those bones! I’ll hold it off!” Without arguing, Drew returned Roselia to its poke’ball and raced back through the tunnels. Having had noted all the twists and turns on the way down here, he easily made his way back to the entrance. As he ran out of the cave, he tossed his poke’ball, revealing Flygon, and jumped on its back then directed it to take to the air. Just as he got about fifty or so yards from it, he saw the entrance to the cave erupt into a small explosion and his eyes went slightly wide. Then, from the smoke, he saw Listor zoom out atop Salamance. Drew let a wry smile curve his lips as his companion flew up next to him.

“What about that Gyarados? Did you beat it?” he asked.

“Did I ever!” Listor smirked, twirling a poke’ball on his pointer finger.







Drew watched patiently as Rue administered the medicine to Violet. He appeared very calm, propped against the wall with his arms crossed, but he was actually about to have a coronary; although, he would never admit it.

“Nothing to do now but wait,” the old lady said, placing Violet’s head back down on the pillow and removing the cup from her lips. “She should wake momentarily.” She walked out the room in favor of the front room. Drew thought he heard her say something about a Vaporeon and then hand another glass to Listor.

Wondering if he’d be heard, he took the couple steps to the young, female Coordinator’s bedside. He gently brushed a lock of her mauve hair from her eyes, then almost had his heart jump out of his chest when he saw her eyes flicker open. But then, he quickly recovered and smirked down at her.

“Just how many times do I have to save you?”