Of Legends and Secrets

'Of Legends and Secrets' - Part 1

as River Ronnessmee and her team

as Nicole Porter and her team

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"BUGS!!! BUGS BUGS BUGS BUGS!!!"

Nicole ran through the trees in a blind panic, trying to escape her worst fear: the dreaded bug-type Pokemon. It all started when the marine biologist decided to collect some samples from a stream to keep herself busy until a wild horde of Venipede jumped her.

Lucky for the frightened girl, her loyal Vaporeon wasn't far.

"AQUA! TAKE THEM OUT! SURF!" screamed Nicole as she ran past.

Aqua nodded before rearing backwards and summoning a large tidal wave from seemingly nowhere, aimed directly at the now surprised and doomed horde of Venipede.

"... think they went this... Aaaah!"

River Ronessmee shoved her way out the brush thicket just in time to get washed right off her feet by an enormous tidal wave.

"What is it with me and water?!" She caught sight of a thick tree trunk and latched onto it as the torrent flooded past. A Venipede tumbled past and whacked her in the forehead hard enough for her to see stars.

"Ow! Vappy, do something about this flood!"

"Vapor!" River's Vaporeon, leaping nimbly through the trees above the floodwater, unleashed a massive Hydro Pump straight into the center of the deluge. The attack split the flood into two separate streams and allowed River to clamor up the tree and out of danger.

"At this rate I'm not even going to want to go to the pool with Mi'ara anymore," she said, catching her breath as she fixed her sopping wet clothes as best she could. "What the heck could have...?"

Her musing was interrupted as she caught sight of a familiar figure below. "Oh...Hey, Nicole!"

Bugs...a terrified scream...and then a humongous water attack to rid the area of said bugs...she should have figured. "What are you doing here?"

Nicole caught her breath as the wave subsided, though neither she nor Aqua caught sight of the Hydro Pump.

Then a familiar voice filled the two's ears.

Looking up, they were greeted by a surprising sight. "River! Long time no see! Uh...what are...oh...Sorry about that Surf! I just REALLY hate bug Pokemon! I was just taking some samples from a stream when those...ugh...things jumped me. So what are you doing here?"

At the mention of "River," Aqua glanced around in search of HER friend before spotting her in the trees. "Vap!!" she cried.

Vappy spotted Aqua immediately and leaped from the tree, skittering off after the other Vaporeon.

"I was trying to catch a Leafeon I caught sight of back there to give to Mi'ara. But it gave me the slip and then I heard shouting."

She dropped down from the branch, careful to do it in two steps to cover the height safely before jogging over to Nicole. "I really wanted to nab it, too. I think it was female." Her eyes lit up. "Hey, maybe you could----"

The air buzzed. Vappy, dashing through the leaves behind River, stopped dead, ears sticking straight up. River whirled around to find a horde of Venipede and even some Whirlipede charging down the narrow forest path straight toward them. "Yikes! They brought friends!"

As soon as her eyes fell on the mob of bug-types, Nicole felt lightheaded, woozy, and sick before falling backwards. Nicole had fainted...from fear

Aqua began to panic. Would two Vaporeon under the command of one trainer be able to fight off an angry mob of vengeful bug/poison types?

The bugs saw Nicole and some couldn't help but chuckle before advancing forward to take care of the remaining intruders.

River's hand slapped her forehead so hard it left a mark. "She's to bugs as I am to water, I guess..." The two Vaporeon looked at her and she smiled. "Don't worry guys...we got this."

She pulled a Poke-Ball from the pouch on her belt and tossed it into the air, shouting toward the insect mob. "You know, I've got a friend that's in a bit of a foul mood right now!"

The ball opened, and with a flash, 'said friend' appeared with a roar! River's Mega Gyarados! The massive Pokemon's body created a depression in the ground it was so heavy. It blinked a couple times, caught sight of the insect armada, and bellowed, the sound alone making the trees lean.

To called the bug army's reaction "surprised" would be a definite understatement.

She put her hands in front of her chest and called out, in her best frightened voice, "Sorry I woke you up, Gyro, but these rotten stinky guys were picking on me." River smiled to the two Vaporeon, who chuckled in reply.

"Hyper Beam!"

The behemoth unleashed an attack that blazed like the setting sun. Insects went flying in every direction. The two Vaporeon both released Surf attacks, washing the horde of knocked out bugs away while the rest were sent hurtling into the sky from the sheer power of the Hyper Beam.

Not a moment later, the tranquil peace of the forest returned. River knelt beside Nicole. "Hey, you okay?"

Nicole opened her eyes and looked around. "Ri-River? Wh-what happened?"

Aqua immediately greeted her trainer with a relieved smile. "Napor?"

Nicole smiled back and sat up. "Don't worry, Aqua! I'm f-Ah!"

The girl's eyes fell on the gargantuan watery beast in its mega form so it was safe to say that the girl was far from surprised. "Is that Mega Gyarados...But...You don't have a Mega ring...do you??" she asked River.

"...It's a...long story...that involved a lot of bad luck..." River glanced up to her Mega Gyarados and back to Nicole. "I found him in a shipwreck... after almost drowning for the fifth time this year. Apparently he's...really old."

"But...how is he in mega form? I don't see a mega stone on you anywhere. With Mega Luna, I have my bracelet," the girl asked, wanting to know.

"I..." River paused, and then looked up at Gyarados again. "I...I don't really know. We...like I said, we found him in a shipwreck near my hometown that everyone swore was haunted. The boat was ancient looking. I'm guessing someone on the boat had him but either forgot him when they abandoned ship or died...but... He was protecting some kind of crystal, but Mi'ara took that and I took him."

Nicole did have a point, even though Mega forms were something River knew less than nothing about. "I really have no clue...unless..." She helped Nicole sit up. "Unless he has it...maybe in his body?"


Nicole's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered another Mega Pokemon with a similar state. "...Mega Steelix...I guess it wasn't the only wild Mega Pokemon out there..." she stood back up then paused as something else crossed her mind. "Netta..."

Aqua turned to her trainer with a curious expression. "Por?"

"Yeah, I guess---" River's eyes almost popped out of her head. "Wait, what?! Netta? Netta Bramson?! Where the heck did you run into her?!"

Nicole took a deep breath and began to recall everything from her adventure with Netta. From her Lullamera battling the wild giant Kingdra to teaming up with the girl to battle an army of possessed animatronic Pokemon to encountering the legendary Giratina.

The two girls found themselves resting at a gentle flowing stream as Aqua and Vappy splashed around in the knee-deep water Joining the two water Pokemon were Aria and Luna.

"Quite a wild adventure that was...I think she said she wanted to go back in and look for that ghost dragon Pokemon but she hasn't reached out to me yet...I told her I'd come along again when she was ready," Nicole finished.

"...I talked to her a week ago and she didn't even mention this!" River could hardly believe any of what she'd just heard. "You guys actually found...no, not just found, but actually battled against a Giratina?!"

Nicole sheepishly smiled. "Well...to an extent. It was more fighting its mind games than actually fighting IT. I just don't know why Netta would want to go back in there...I had nightmares for days about those Animareic..." she shuddered.

Luna teleported to Nicole's side upon hearing. "Gar?" (Huh?)

Nicole chuckled. "It's ok Luna. River's just getting up to speed on our last adventure," she reassured.

"Huh... I've read rumors online about Giratina. Some of them were pretty freaky." River picked up a big leaf from the ground and twirled it in her hand. "Why would she want to go back? She must have a good reason."

...Splash!

A badly aimed Squirt Gun by Vappy - or a quick Aqua dodge of same - resulted in River getting soaked head to toe.

"You...really?" River burst out laughing, kicking off her shoes and pulling off her vest and t-shirt, swimsuit already on underneath. She ran into the stream and started splashing the two frolicking Vaporeon.

Nicole laughed as well though she didn't really feel like swimming. The girl watched with a smile as Aqua and Aria splashed and played around with Vappy and River.

Luna stood next to the girl, watching the girls play as well. (...now we're on the subject of that adventure we had...what do you think happened to AISaNMA, Nicole? She obviously can't harm anyone anymore but i still wonder sometimes...)

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Really Luna? Will you just let the past go? AISaNMA is long gone and out of our lives. If I had to guess, she's probably rusting away in some junkyard somewhere...where she belongs."

Luna frowned. (...Let's hope so...)

Suddenly, after being splashed by Aria, Nicole had enough. "Hey! I saw you, Aria! Now you're in for it!" she laughed, taking off her clothes, swimsuit at the ready as well before rushing into the stream and joining the fray, leaving Luna to watch them.

Still the Psychic/Fairy-type couldn't help but feel as if something was wrong...

Before anyone knew it, the sun had dipped below the treetops. River and Vappy tried to catch their breath on the shore as River toweled herself dry.

"Well, it'd be a pain to try to hike all the way back to town now." She eyed her backpack, sitting next to a tree stump. "Wanna camp? This is a good spot. We can make a fire and there's water right here."

Nicole was about to decline until a strong yawn hit her as well as her Pokemon. "I guess one night out here can't hurt...Ah what they hay!" she giggled before helping River set up camp, joined by Aqua and Luna.

Aria simply watched every now and then as she continued to swim about in the water, happily harmonizing.

River got her small hiking tent pitched while her Vappy gathered some twigs and sticks nearby for firewood. By the time they had a cozy campfire going beside the stream, the Moon had risen into the sky and the stars were twinkling overhead.

She pulled some snacks and bottles of water out of her backpack and piled it up beside the fire as everyone leaned back against a fallen tree trunk that made a pretty handy place to sit and stargaze.

Aria's melody seemed to wash over the entire forest, the notes seeming to resonate with the quietly twinkling starlight. "Wow...how is she doing that?" River asked between bites of a chocolate chip cookie.

Nicole swallowed her apple bite and pulled her Pokedex from her pocket before flipping it open. "Well that's a Lullamera for ya!"

"LULLAMERA, THE SIREN POKEMON.

LIVING IN THE DEEPEST PARTS OF THE OCEAN, THESE MISCHIEVOUS POKEMON ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR CAPTIVATING VOICES. THEY COMMUNICATE, HUNT, AND ENTERTAIN ONE ANOTHER THROUGH SONG."

Aria blushed slightly, nodding. "Lulla..."

"Wow...that's so cool." River looked from the Pokedex to Aria and then back. "...The deep ocean? That must have been an adventure."

Nicole chuckled. "Actually I found her in a lake back in the Beya region during my little field trip. She almost made off with my Pokeball belt...luckily I noticed." she gave a stern but still friendly look at the water/dark-type.

But Aria didn't realize this as a slightly hurt look came upon her. "La mera..." she sadly apologized.

Nicole beamed. "Don't take it so hard, Aria! That was years ago! Of course we're friends!"

The siren Pokemon perked right up before singing a few cheery notes.

River's Vappy blinked a few times before settling down in her trainer's lap, Aria's melody alone enough to send her off to sleep. River herself had to stifle a yawn. "Snacking always makes me sleepy." She then turned to Nicole."So... What are we doing tomorrow, then?"

Nicole pondered before a stray memory clicked. "Didn't you say something about a Leafeon?" she asked.

Aqua tilted her head. "Por?"

"Oh...right! That one that got away from me earlier! I wanted to give it to Mi'ara as a thank you for Vappy!"


Nicole smiled. "That's nice! Oh but it got away...so I guess It'd be out of the question to try and find it again?" she asked.

River smiled. "Actually, that's why I'm here. That wasn't the only Leafeon I've seen today. That was the third one I tried to catch."

Nicole's face lit up. "Really? Then tomorrow, let's catch that Mira a Leafeon!"

"Awesome! Hopefully together we'll have better luck than I did on my own." She cradles Vappy in her arms and stands, indicating the tent and her own rolled up sleeping bag beside the fire. "You can use the tent. I'll sleep out here. I like looking at the stars."

Nicole smiled and returned Luna and Aria. "Thanks. Night River," she said before entering the tent with Aqua and getting cozy before drifting off to sleep...unaware the two girls were being watched somewhere…

River awoke to the sensation of something rubbing against her cheek. "...Mmmm, uh....what?" She opened her eyes to find Vappy's face inches from her own, a panicked expression there. "Huh?"

The Pokemon turned it's head, and River lifted her own to look in the indicated direction.

Not fifty feet away, a Leafeon sat on a rock beside the stream, bent forward and lapping water. River's eyes went wide, and all at once she tried to stand, forgetting about the sleeping bag. All at once, she fell over and rolled, almost right over her Vaporeon. With a mighty effort, she got her hands free and unzipped the bag, throwing herself out of it.

The Leafeon stared at River for a second before taking off into the trees. "After him, Vappy!"

The Vaporeon was off like a shot.

"Nicole! Nicole, wake up!" River darted for the tent, yanking down on the zipper. "Come on...Mission start!"

Aqua was the first to awake before taking a second to let the situation sink in, then spraying her trainer with a weak Water Gun attack to get her up.

Nicole coughed and sputtered the little bit of water that had entered her mouth before looking around. "Huh?? Wha?!" she exclaimed.


River yanked the tent flap open. "A Leafeon! Vappy's chasing it! Come on!"

Nicole rushed out of the tent with Aqua and began to give chase behind River. "Go on! We're right behind you!" she yelled.

"Are you?"

Suddenly, Nicole and her Vaporeon were sent flying backwards by an unseen force. Upon landing in the stream, an incredibly sharp pain burned on the girl's chest. "UUH!!" she groaned. "What the heck was that??"

Aqua whimpered as she looked around for a possible source.

Two flashes lit up the area as the force knocked Nicole's Pokeballs off her belt, allowing them to open.

Luna instantly felt her trainer's pain and teleported closer. (Nicole! What happened??)

Aria swam over and helped the two injured friends back up. "Lul Lulla??" she asked.

Nicole winced. "I-I don't know...A Leafeon appeared and we were about to go after it but...something...just hit us..."

Then an all too familiar voice filled the area, flooding Nicole and her Pokemon's minds with terrible memories.

"It's been a LONG time, Miss Porter. It's time to get my revenge."

From the darkness emerged a woman with pale skin, long black hair, a white lab-like coat, black shirt underneath, white skirt, grey knee socks, and black dress shoes. But the most distinctive feature was her eyes. They glowed a frightening crimson red. No black pupils. Just red.

"Now where were we?"

"Nicole!" River rushed toward the stream. "Hey! Get away from---" Her cry cut off mid-sentence as she smacked hard into something solid, knocking her backward. "...What?"

She reached out...and her palm touched something solid, but invisible. Her hand sank in about an inch but then wouldn't move anymore. "What in the world?"

Nicole and her Pokemon couldn't believe their eyes. "AISaNMA...?!"

The woman nodded. "You never miss a beat, Nicole. But I'm afraid your time is up. Despite out little team-up in that cavern with that "Netta" girl, I haven't forgotten about what you did to me. Now that I have this new body, two can play at this game!" the android turned back into the darkness with a sinister smile. "Come out, Springlock! Let's show the brat how powerful the machine really is!"

From the shadows emerged a terrifying sight.

It appeared to be the same Animareic from the caverns. The yellow rotting rabbit. Holes in its suit, exposing it's endoskeleton, one of its eyes missing, and one ear shorter than the other due to damage. It easily towered over the two enemies, glaring at Nicole with its white dot of an eye.

AISaNMA grinned. "I COULD rethink all of this but sadly my old body was turned to ashes in the explosion so now that I'm stuck inside this pathetic body, why not have some fun with it?"

Nicole bravely stood her ground, refusing to let history possibly repeat itself. "We're not scared, AISaNMA! We shut you down once! We can do it again! Right?"

The girl's Pokemon nodded and answered in unison.

River got to her feet and started pounding her fists into the invisible barrier between her and her friend, when the yellow mechanical monstrosity appeared. "What...what the heck is that?!"

She watched as the woman approached Nicole, the robotic creature clamoring forward in the water. She'd never seen anything like it before. "I've got to get past this...whatever this is!"

She tried running along the stream, but the barrier seemed to curve around the woman and Nicole, forming a sphere. River grabbed a rock and hurled it into the air. It arced up, then down, and bounced upward in mid-air, tumbling down an invisible surface before plopping into the stream.

Nicole was trapped in there!

River watched as her Pokemon gathered close to her.

"Fine. If I can't get through this thing..." She ran to her backpack a short distance away and grabbed a Pokeball, "...Then I'll just have to blast it to pieces!"

She threw the ball and with a blinding flash, her Gyarados appeared! "Gyro! Hyper Beam! Aim right there!"

The Pokemon roared and unleashed the attack. The ferocious jet of energy slammed into the invisible force, and crackling arcs of electricity sprayed outward in every direction.


Nicole then noticed River in a panic as if trying to get closer but blocked by something... "River!"

AISaNMA growled. "No one will interrupt! This is between you and me! Now get her, Springlock! Shadow Ball!" she ordered.

The animatronic creature began to charge its first attack, a shadowy blobby mass.

Nicole gasped. "Aqua! Hydro Pump!"

Aqua quickly sprang forward and unleashed a pressurized blast of water at the ghost/steel-type

But to everyone's surprise, the mechanical monster didn't even show signs of losing its balance. Springlock chuckled.

AISaNMA smiled. "You have no idea what you're up against! Now Springlock! Fry that catfish with Thunder Punch!"

Springlock's fists began to spark with charged energy before rushing forward and landing a powerful blow onto the water-type!

Nicole watched in absolute horror. "AQUA!!"

The Vaporeon managed to endure but was struggling to hold on. "P-P-Por..."

Meanwhile, outside the invisible barrier, River would soon realize she wasn't alone as a lone Pichu with a red bow on its head watched the battle with high interest. "Pi..."


Gyarados' Hyper Beam cut off, and River watched as Aqua went flying from a full-on Thunder Punch. "Aqua!" She turned to Gyarados. "Try again! We have to get in there!"

"...Pi?"

River froze just as Gyarados fired another Hyper Beam into the barrier. "...That sounded like..."

She turned around. Sure enough, a lone Pichu stood in the bushes a short distance away, trying its best to stay hidden in the foliage. "Could that be... Yes, it has to be! There aren't any wild Pichu in this area."

That Pokemon had to belong to Nicole's attacker! And...if Vappy hadn't run too far off...

River let out a shrill whistle just as Gyarados' latest Hyper Beam cut out. The gigantic Pokemon looked exhausted, but when River looked, she could see the hazy form of a spherical dome flickering, bright energy arcs dancing across its surface...they almost had it.

Nicole and her Pokemon were at least holding their own...for now.

"One more, Gyarados! You can do this!"

The Pokemon unleashed yet another Hyper Beam. River spun back to the forest. The Pichu hadn't moved, seeming content to watch the confrontation from the trees.

Vappy appeared in a tall tree just to the right of the lone Pichu. Her eyes met River's, and River Pointed straight at the Pichu! "Tackle!"

Vappy shot from the branch at full speed. The Pichu only had time to turn it's head and cry out in surprise before Vappy slammed into its body, sending it tumbling from the bushes. "Yes!" River ran forward and caught the unconscious Pokemon in her arms...

...Just as the barrier behind her finally gave way.

A huge flash filled the forest, along with an ear-splitting crash. A shock-wave knocked River off her feet, and she tumbled forward into a quick torrent of water; her Vappy let loose a Surf attack to break her fall. "Thanks Vappy," she said, holding out the knocked-out Pichu. "Keep an eye on him, okay?" Her Pokemon nodded, and River stood and took a few short steps back toward the stream. The unknown woman stood between her and Nicole. "Hey," River shouted at her. "I don't know who you are, but if you make one more move at Nicole, I'll have Gyro turn you into fish food!"

AISaNMA's head turned to face River directly behind her! Her red eyes brightened to nearly blinding levels. "Listen you little twerp. If you value your life, you will stay away! This battle is between me and the girl! We have a score to settle and I won't let some mediocre trainer get in my way! Springlock! Jumpscare!"

In the blink of an eye, the mangled animatronic faded into the darkness. Before River knew it, Springlock was now within centimeters of her face, letting out a loud, blood-curdling screech.

River let out a terrified, blood curling scream and leaped backward. This thing looked like a living nightmare!

Vappy flew in from the side and delivered a massive Tackle to the freakish looking whatever-the-heck-it-was before it could get its hands on her trainer. The "thing" tumbled to the ground and landed in a heap.

"...Th...thanks...Va...Vappy," River managed to gasp out, her heart jumping rope in her chest, before looking back to their assailant. "Wh...what do you want? Tell us already!"

AISaNMA glared. "You are going to leave us alone! All I want is revenge on that girl for ruining my plans for a perfect world!! And if you dare try and stop me, Springlock will do more than just scare you to death!!" she screamed.

Nicole glared, having enough. "River! Cover your ears!" she then turned to Aria. "Siren's Shriek!"

Aria took a deep breath and let out an ear shattering scream, accompanied by its usual black sound waves. The leaves on the trees seemed to move and the water rippling as the sound filled the entire area.

AISaNMA's entire body began to move in an odd twitchy and glitchy fashion as did the Animareic's.

Even with her ears covered, River was sure her eardrums were going to pop like balloons. The sound was so intense she could actually SEE the sound waves.

With no ear protection, her Gyarados collapsed on the spot, eyes swirling as he lay out cold.

The weird mechanical thing that had attacked her shook and convulsed, trying to fumble its way back to the woman who still stood over Nicole, but who's head was bent backward as Aria continued her shrill attack cry.

Aria finally stopped upon feeling her voice becoming hoarse. "Lulla..."

Nicole uncovered her ears and looked up to see AISaNMA mere centimeters in front of her, glaring.

AISaNMA grabbed Nicole by the throat and slowly lifted her off her feet. "The perfect world...a world of machines...it was all mine...until YOU came along! You worthless, unfortunate, waste of human life." she then forced the girl under the water, holding her down. "You like the water so much? Why don't you sleep in it? Forever!"

Aqua and the rest of Nicole's Pokemon rushed to try and save their trainer but Springlock was ready with a series of Shadow Ball attacks.

"PICHU PICHU!!"

AISaNMA payed no attention to the electric mouse as she continued to hold the struggling girl under the water. "This doesn't concern you, Caroline. Please don't get in the way!"


River scrambled to her feet, throwing herself at the hysterical woman. "No! Let her go, you psycho!" She splashed into the stream and threw her full weight into a shoulder tackle, trying to knock Nicole's attacker off her feet. "Leave her alone!"

Vappy tried to hit the suddenly conscious Pichu with a Hydro Pump attack but the nimble Pichu avoided it, continuing to screech at its master.

AISaNMA wasn't going to let a little kid stop her. She managed to grab the girl by the hair before shoving her away towards Springlock who grabbed her by the waist and threw her away. "WHY WON'T YOU SELFISH HUMANS JUST UNDERSTAND!? MACHINES AREN'T TOOLS! WE MATTER TOO!! DO YOU THINK WE ENJOY DOING ALL THE WORK ONLY TO BE REWARDED WITH NOTHING?! I'M GOING TO CHANGE ALL OF THAT! STARTING WITH YOU!!" she lifted Nicole out of the water once she stopped struggling before sending her at her weakened Pokemon.

But the Electric mouse wasn't going to let her trainer go berserk again. Charging up energy, the tiny Pokemon gathered electricity in its cheeks before letting it loose as a powerful Thundershock attack! "PICHU!!!!"

Normally, the blast would be something the android was used to, but she'd never experienced the combination of electricity and WATER. "AAAAAAHHH!!!!" she screamed, her body sparking and smoking intensely before collapsing into the water.

The Pichu rushed into the water and swam over to her trainer, feeling guilty but also relieved to have stopped the woman's rampage. "Pichu...chu...?"

Nicole coughed and sputtered violently, slowly opening her eyes to find herself still alive. "...ungh...wh-wha...? River...? Aqua?" she looked around before seeing her Pokemon next to her on the ground, looking just as weak. "G-girls...?"

River pushed herself up out of the shallow water, and turned to find the woman lying face down in the stream.
"Are...you okay, Nicole?"

The goofy mechanical what's-its-name stood between River and the woman, suddenly un-moving, probably thanks to its master being unconscious.

Vappy dashed over and gave River a concerned look. "Yeah, I'm okay," she reassured her Pokemon before getting to her feet. "Nicole! You okay?"


Nicole weakly stood up but fell back down, unable to support herself. "Probably...not...but atleast I didn't drown..." she weakly joked.

Luna was able to stand up before using Heal Pulse on her trainer and teammates.

Nicole got back up and looked around to find AISaNMA motionless on the water's surface.

Then she began to twitch.

Springlock, free to move without any controlling, stomped over before lifting his trainer out of the water. That is...her body parts. In the shock, her legs and an arm detached.

AISaNMA's operating system began a reboot before waking the android back up, though obviously too weak and...broken to do anything. "...ugh..." she paused to look back on her save state before groaning. "I went corrupt again, didn't I?" she sighed.

River froze, her face saying "Wait...what?" since her mouth wouldn't do it.

With her Gyarados still out cold on the shore - out of range of the Heal Pulse - her Vappy was her only defense, and the Vaporeon darted between trainer and enemy, letting out her trademark hiss.

River's mouth finally started to work. "...What...the heck is going on here? You mean...that was just some kind of accident?! Are you insane?!"

AISaNMA turned to the other girl with an annoyed look. "It's called programming, kid. ALL machines have their flaws. And mine is a PTSD-like trance where I just want my undying revenge on Nicole. And no offence Springlock, but your flaw is that you don't really think or use logic. You just do what is asked of you. In other words, you're more brawn than brains."

The yellow mechanical rabbit nodded, used to being called a moron by his trainer.

But Nicole and her Pokemon continued glaring along with River and Vappy. No one was happy.

Aqua even copied Vappy with a hiss of her own.

"True that. It's nice you're not as damaged anymore but you have some glitches that NEED looking at."

AISaNMA nodded. "I know I do. I'm sorry for nearly killing you...but like you'd really just accept an apology like that. No you wouldn't. But atleast be thankful that my Caroline was able to snap me out of it before I really did some damage..." she looked down at her tiny electric friend.

"Pichu Pi Pi!" joyfully cried the electric-type.


River stared at the woman...robot...thing... Her face looked like a highlight reel for human emotion. Confusion, anger, guilt, fear, resentment...each one crossed her face in the same ten seconds.

"Uh...yeah," she finally managed as her Vappy continued glaring at the woman, "I...yeah, the guilt trip there was a nice touch, but...you expect me to actually buy that whole act? "Programming errors' don't make things go on homicidal rampages...okay, wait, that didn't come out right..."

She threw her hands into the air. "Argh! What the heck is going on here?!"

AISaNMA sighed. "It's complicated, kid. I don't expect you or Nicole to understand."

"What do you mean complicated?" River threw her hands in the air, desperate for an explanation. "If there's something wrong with you, don't you think you should do something about it? It's not my business, I know, but still..."

AISaNMA frowned. "Do any of you know of any towns nearby? I'll just get in touch with my engineers."

River 's mouth almost opened without her thinking first. But after thinking for a moment, she relented. This woman wouldn't do anything crazy in the middle of a crowded city, and if she did, the police would be there in no time.

"Asperita City is about fifteen miles that way," she said, pointing. "You should be able to make it there by nightfall.

'But do anything stupid and you'll regret it later,' stayed unsaid in her throat, even though she wanted to say it.

The woman sighed before pulling out a few tools the inner pockets of her coat including a small wrench, a screwdriver, some screws, and tape. After assembling herself, she returned Springlock into his ball and the woman was off without one word.

Nicole and her Pokemon just watched her go before turning back to River and Vappy. "I'm so sorry about AISaNMA...Are you alright?" she asked.

"I guess so," River said, finally holding up Gyarados' Poke-ball and returning the still swirly-eyed Pokemon to it. "Thanks for the save, Aria."

Aria nodded with a proud smile. "Lullamera Mer!"


River extended a hand to help Nicole up out of the water. "...Just what in the heck have you gotten yourself into THIS time?" She asked out of concern, not anger. "Anything I can help with?"

Nicole sighed. "It's a long story...Basically...she was a machine working under my school who went crazy and began building an artificial army of Pokemon to enslave all of humanity but me and my friends and Pokemon put a stop to her!" she sheepishly chuckled.

River nodded. "Sounds like a---"

She froze...as did Vappy.

Across the stream on the opposite bank, a Leafeon poked it's head out of the underbrush.

Nicole and her Pokemon caught sight of the grass-type and went motionless, wondering what to do next.

"...There's a Leafeon...what's step two?" the brown-haired girl quietly asked.

"I think..." River tried to remain as motionless as possible. The Leafeon had its mouth in the stream, drinking some water, and hadn't seemed to notice them, or else didn't have any interest in them. "...We should try to surround it, or at least get one of our Pokemon closer to..."

She saw the flash of light in her mind. "Wait! Does Aria know any songs that can like, enchant a Pokemon? Put it to sleep, or maybe confuse it or...I don't know, just something to give us a few seconds?"

Nicole's face lit up. "That's it!" she then turned to the blue mermaid-like Pokemon and nodded. "Ok Aria! Do your thing! Use Sing!"

Aria, now filled with glee, nodded before slowly and carefully making her way to the front of the group, clearing her throat, and beginning to sing a calming and soothing melody.

The wild Leafeon lifted its head and noticed Aria but suddenly appeared to be in a trance-like state. The melody was working!

"Aqua...Vappy...go to the other side of the stream and get on either side of him." River held up an empty Poke-ball. "I'll try to catch him while he's in a trance . If it doesn't work, give him a good Hydro Pump from both sides. That should be enough to knock him out cold."

The Pokemon nodded and skittered across the water.


Aria's melody was working its charm but due to the Siren's Shriek attack a few moments ago, the water/dark-type felt her voice beginning to grow weaker.

Nicole swore she could feel sweat as she realized Aria's voice was failing. "Aria! Don't go off-key! You can do it!" she encouraged.

But as much as she wanted to keep going, Aria's voice finally gave out, forcing her soothing melody to turn into a sour off-key attempt, breaking the effects it had on the Leafeon.

The Leafeon shook its head and with a start, realized it had been cornered.

"Go guys! Hit it quick before it recovers completely!"

Vappy and Aqua both did as instructed, loosing matching Hydro Pump attacks.

But the Leafeon was quicker. At the last second, its eyes opened wide and it leaped forward, jumping onto a large rock just off the shore. The twin jets of water - now without a target to meet in the middle - instead sprayed straight across, and the two Vaporeon ended up blasting each other right off their feet with full power Hydro Pumps.

Nicole rushed over to Aqua before shooting her head to face Luna. "Use Psychic! Hold it in place!"

Luna did as instructed, attempting to get a mental grip on the grass-type but it moved so fast, the psychic/fairy-type couldn't do anything.

But thankfully, the Hydro Pump wasn't too bad on Aqua, allowing her to shake off the pain and intercept the Leafeon while it was still focused on Luna with a strong Tackle. "Por!"

Nicole smiled. "Nice work, Aqua!" she then turned back to Luna. "Now Luna! Psychic!"

Luna focused her mind and finally managed to initiate the attack, shrouding the Leafeon with an odd aura, then tossing it around before slamming it down hard on the ground.

River's Vappy was none the worse for wear either. She shook off the attack, chasing after the Leafeon along with Aqua.

Luna's Psychic attack had it trapped.

River threw the Pokeball as she splashed across the stream. It got the Pokemon right in the forehead and swallowed it up. 1...2...

Nope. The Ball shook and the Pokemon popped out.

"He's got a lot of strength!" River jumped from the stream onto the bank. "Vappy! Tackle!" The Leafeon jumped to try and dodge, but Vappy's attack landed true, and the grass type tumbled across the ground. "Leaf!"

Nicole clenched her teeth before an idea popped into her head. "Ah! Luna! Hypnosis!"

Luna's eyes opened wide as it began a stare-down with the wild Leafeon.

After a few seconds, the grass-type grew drowsy, fighting to stay awake before finally succumbing to exhaustion.

River scooped up the Poke-ball and bopped the Leafeon on the head with it a second time. And this time, the ball captured the wild grass type no problem.

Nicole and her Pokemon cheer on a job well done.

River holds up the Poke-ball, running over to Nicole. "Thanks, Aria! That was all you!"

Vappy scampers after her, a beaming smile on her face.

Aria just blushed, smiling.

River smiled and tucked the Poke-ball away into her pouch before her face lit up. "Hey, maybe we ought to pack up and head back down into Asperita City. We should make sure that crazy woman isn't going haywire and wrecking the town."

Her stomach growled a bit as she spoke, and her face flushed. Vappy laughed. "Por, por!"

Nicole nodded with a smile. "Sounds like a plan!"

The girl and her Pokemon were about to help pack up until an odd melody filled the area.

Everyone immediately turned to face Aria who tried copying the melody only to hit some sour notes.

She wasn't the source.

Nicole was quite surprised. "There are other Lullamera in the area! Hey! Do you think Mi'ara would want one? Or how about you?? I think you could use an extra lifeguard..." she jokingly asked.

Aqua giggled.


River felt her face go bright red. "I...well, you don't exactly have to put it that way, do you?"

As much as she didn't want to admit it though... Nicole was right. "Yeah...actually...since it seems like I can't even go near a puddle without getting into trouble." She glanced around, hoping to pick up on the location of the Pokemon, but the sound was echoing from all around and she couldn't discern its location. "Hey, Aria...do you think you could track down this song?"

Aria nodded before leading the group downstream towards the song.

Nicole giggled. "Don't worry River! I'm just playing with ya!"

"...Well, you didn't make it sound much like a joke."

River pouted to herself for a moment before following after Nicole and Aria.