Waltz of the Manaphy

[Trace]

He came out the mist like some one from those fantasy story books. It was fogy as hell, but even so he came. Trace came to SunyShore after over hearing from Seph that a Team Aqua had found a Manaphy egg back during the dance of the Gym.

Trace had Left Shana and Gavin back at the Gym so they would be safer there and Mika as well due to she was currently pregnant and not fit for battle. Trace might have been a bit foolish to come here with just four pokemon, thou he had Umbreon, things could still go wrong if team galactic showed up as he was leaving.

Knowing that Team galactic were coming to attack team Aqua so they could steal they egg for there own reasons that he did not know. Ether way, if Trace didn't do something, the Manaphy would surely be doomed.

Trace then entered the city parking his bike near the pokecenter Trace then started to look around for any aqua members to fallow, in hopes to find the egg.

[~*Meg Rose*~]

A group of three Team Aqua members exited an inconspicuous building across the street from the Pokémon Center. Two of them carried a high-tech storage device with a glowing green light in the middle. There was also a keypad which no doubt was used to enter a secret code to unlock the metal container. So far the thick fog had been a blessing for them. It allowed Aqua to finally conduct their business on this night without much concern of being noticed.

"Get ready for transport!" an Aqua Admin told his two teammates. "This is the most important mission of your careers. Don't screw it up!"

"Right," they said in unison, nodding once. The two grunts carefully placed the metal object into a larger container in the back of their Team vehicle.

"Now let's move out!"

"Aye, sir!"

The Aqua Admin and grunts piled into the vehicle and started off.

[Trace]

Do to the fogy weather, normal people would not be able to see the two men, how every Trace is far from normal as he could clearly see them across from where he stood.

Trace then saw them move a box was place in the back of the truck. For some reason Trace could fell something pulsating from the box, it was there Trace concluded that the manaphy egg was in there.

Trace then noticed that they were getting ready to move it somewhere, and there was no time to get on his bike. Trace being wreckless as he was dashed over there with jolteon like speed slid under the truck, and took hold of its under chasy.

[~*Meg Rose*~]

Knowing not of the red-eyed stowaway, Team Aqua's vehicle continued on down the deserted road. After they made their way onto Route 222, they noticed that the fog wasn't as deep. Hopefully the late hour would keep sightings to a minimum. Not to mention the team would be driving as carefully as possible. There was no reason to draw attention to themselves, or more importantly, endanger their cargo.

"Keep an eye out," the Admin warned. "We just have to make it to the drop-off point in Pastoria." He scanned the surrounding area. No sign of them yet. But surely the tip that those blasted Galactic freaks would intercept their route was valid. They'd just have to stay on their toes until then.

"Aye, sir," the grunts responded together.

[Trace]

Trace kept hanging on as they drove along, being annoyed on now long this drive was. Trace then heared the statement made about the tip off through the noise of the engine.

Trace then wondered if there was a spy in Aqua's ranks. Trace then quickly put the thought in the back of his mind, keeping the current task at hand, trying to steal the egg.

[~*Meg Rose*~]

To the relief of the Team Aqua members, there were no interruptions during their drive to Valor Lakefront. But at this point they were all getting rather antsy. Valor Lakefront and Route 213 were the only places left along the route to Pastoria. If Galactic was going to make their move, it would be soon.

Luckly for them, the resort at Valor Lakefront housed Trainers and tourists who actually slept at night. No one was out and about the grounds to spot them as they traveled silently past the complex. The next stop was the beach connected to the resort. Here the Team Aqua members felt right at home. However even the sight of a lovely ocean illuminted by moonlight could not ease their nerves on a night like this. Too much was riding on what would happen in the next hour. For this mission would determine the fate of their careers and possibly even their lives. With what their responsibility was, failure was not an option.

Despite that they'd had no problems so far, the Aqua Admin had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. And it wasn't that burrito he ate for lunch either. "Stop up here. I have a bad feeling."

The grunts, along with their admin, had been given orders to not stop for anything unless absolutely necessary for the success of the mission. Yet they decided to go along with their current commander's orders instead. Maybe because they were tired, or maybe because his instincts had never let them down before. Either way, the vehicle was parked alongside the base of a tall cliff overlooking the ocean at the middle of Route 213. All three Aqua members stepped out of the vehicle and looked around the beach for any signs of danger.

[Trace]

Trace awoke from a unrelaxing nap as the truck suddenly came to a stop. Trace tiled his head back and noticed that they were in the middle of nowhere.

Trace then saw the aqua members step out of the truck as they were looking around. This put Trace's mind from unrest to thinking mode.

As he looked around from what vantage spots he had he noticed that the men were appear to be looking for something, maybe form something out of place, like him for example.


Trace then had a thought and made a devilish grin, "None of them are currently in the truck, I wonder if any of them were stupid enough to level the keys in the ignition?" he thought then quietly, as if he was a gastly, pulled him self to the side of the truck and opened the passenger door to see if the keys were left inside.

[~*Meg Rose*~]

Unfortunately for Trace, these grunts were not careless as others may have been in his experiences. The keys were not in the ignition, but the movement of the passenger door did catch in the corner of one of the grunt's eyes. "Sir! There's someone by the vehicle!" she said, pointing to where the black-haired Trainer would have been.

"Prepare for battle!" the Admin ordered, reaching to his belt where there was a roster of Pokémon. This is it. Finally Galactic must be making their move. It didn't occur to him that the threat might not be part of an opposing team at all.

"Aye, sir!" Like good grunts should do, the two followed their leader's command and also reached for their Pokémon.

[Trace]

Least to say this wasn't good, for once it appeared Trace was going up against someone smart again and even worse it was three against one and Trace alone could only just handle two on his own, thou he did have four pokemon of his own, he might still be out numbered.

Trace still hidden behind the truck quickly thought. They hadn't called out there pokemon just yet. Trace saw to the his right that a starting of a woods were only about 60 feet away, if he could make it there he could have better chances fighting them.

Trace then reached over into the truck and grabbed the box that the egg was in and held it tightly. Trace's eyes made a faint glow and he suddenly dash over towards the woods with a speed of a jolteon.

[Tregad]

Faster than a SPEEDING JOLTEON!

More POWERFUL than a SALAMENCE!

Able to leap tall Gyarados in a SINGLE BOUND!


It was ARCHONMAN!

*Fanfare plays*

But right now a different member of the team decided to take some of the spotlight in a rather cold way. At the Trainer's hip just as he started to dash off into the woods, his Umbreon came out of his pokeball without getting the order to do so from the red-eyed Trainer. Unlike his master this Shadow Pokemon felt through some form of blunt logic that they did not need to run away from their enemies. Whether he had an ambush ploy in mind or not . . . a plan was now taking shape.

So his opponents were smart enough not to leave the keys in the ignition. Plus there were only three of them. Did that really justify running away?

"Umbreon."

Not much of a reason to run away even if he was thinking of getting them away from water to remove their manuverability. A much more interesting plan came from testing just how smart these men were in or out of battle. Team Aqua members were known for preferring Water & Dark - Type Pokemon for their own uses. It looked like he planned on using himself as bait to lure off whichever members would fall for the ploy of a disobiediant Pokemon.

Suddenly it darted off under the vehicle itself to try continuing the so-called plan.

[~*Meg Rose*~]

"There!" the female Grunt shouted, pointing at Trace as soon as he began to flee. "Go, Starmie!" She tossed a Dive Ball out in front of the young man, releasing a flash of bright light in the darkness in she shape of a ten-pointed star. When the light faded, it revealed a Shiny Starmie.

-Lv. 28! SA: Natural Cure-

The Mysterious Pokémon blocked Trace's path and would do so however he tried to get around it, even if it required a blast of Water Pulse.

Aqua Grunt number two, a male, now saw the intruder his partner had noticed before anyone else. "Stop 'im, Mightyena!" he shouted, releasing a German Shepard/hyena-like Pokémon alongside Starmie.

-Lv. 32! SA: Quick Feet-

Starmie's backup growled menacingly at the red-eyed Trainer. One wrong move and the Bite Pokémon would have no qualms about living up to its species name.

"He's got the article!" the Admin roared angrily. Just then, he saw the blur of the Shadow Pokémon dart under the van. What was that? It looked like it might have been an Umbreon... But they were so rare. What were the chances? Perhaps it belonged to that theif. No matter. Soon it would belong to Team Aqua. "Coral! Reef! Do NOT screw this up!" he ordered before he tried to make his way over to the vehicle as steathily as possible.

"Yes, Barry!" the duo chimed in unison. Effective immediately, their futures hinged upon this fight.

Aqua Grunt (F) Coral and Aqua Grunt (M) Reef would like to battle!

[Trace]

In mid Dash Trace felt one of his pokeballs opened up without his command. Trace knew it was his Umberon due to the fact that, that pokemon hardly listened to him and most of the time did what it wanted to do.

Trace suddenly a bright flash of light stop Trace in his tracks as it blinded him for a moment. It was no surprise that Starmie and a Mightyena now stood before him. Mean while Trace saw out of the corner of his eye that Umbreon had hid under the truck, "Damnit Umberon, I was saving if things went bad to worse." Trace regain reality when the dark dog like pokemon growled at him.

Trace looked at the two pokemon in front of him and his eyes burned bright red for a moment, as if a retort for the Mightyena's growl. Trace would have to be careful and think ahead this time, the fate of a unborn Manaphy is litterly in his hands. Trace took a step back and threw out two pokeballs in mid air, "Sparky ThunderShock, Kori Icy Wind!" he order. As the Glaceon and Shiny Pichu formed out of the pokeballs Sparky fired a supercharged ThunderShock that was more like a ThunderSHUCKS at the Starmie while a sub-zero wind rushed at the Mightyena.

Trace happen to see movement towards the truck. As he looked with one eye he was the admin moving closer to it, and even closer to a very violet Shadow Umberon. Trace then grind, "Umberon Use Toxic!" he ordered.

[Tregad]

The Umbreon had taken cover under the vehicle to try luring away the Team Aqua members into a trap. But then his trainer had to go and start an all out pok'emon battle to mess everything up. Geez. Only the coldness of a Shadow pokemon kept emotions at bay from showing any truly resentful feelings toward that human. Kori, that Glaceon seemed to try understanding his pain the best any creature with emotions could. But that pain she tried to comprehend was on a level that the only way this Umbreon felt it could be dealt with through was shutting off all emotions permanently. Nothing thus far seemed capable of shaking that belief from his cold mind.

But what was this?

"Umberon Use Toxic!"

Why would he need to use toxic?

A human scent reached his nose a moment later and caused an obvious realization to hit home. One of the Team Aqua members had indeed taken the bait but had not sent out a single pokemon yet. Perhaps Archon had half a mind to see how someone else would fair under such an intense dose of posion for a change. Who knew what that guy thought half the time anyway. Using toxic on a regular human? Not this early on in an uneven match when so much more suffering could be unleashed first. Logic suggested another move with an effect desired much more on the battlefield against unfair opponents.

Just as the Admin got close enough to the truck and readied a pokeball to throw. . .

!

Shadow Umbreon used Confuse Ray!

[~*Meg Rose*~]

¤-Kori (Glaceon), Lv. 40, Female, SA: Snow Cloak-¤

With her Trainer in trouble, the graceful Glaceon was more than willing to come to his aid. It did not surprise her at all that the newest member of their team had chosen to go his own way. Whatever he decided to do would certainly work out for the best. Even though they hadn't known each other for very long, the Fresh Snow Pokémon trusted Nero's judgement. Because of his experiences with teams like Aqua, she knew he would do anything to stop them.

Kori had decided the day she met the Umbreon that she would do the same alongside him. For the moment, this was how she could be of assistance. By distracting these Grunts with Sparky, her dark partner would have the Admin all to himself. She inhaled deeply and aimed her best Icy Wind at the vicious Mightyena.

"Umberon, use Toxic!"

What? Kori thought with mixed emotions. Her master was certainly hasty at times, but Toxic on a human? It was quite possible that such a heavy dose of poison would be lethal. With Pokémon, they had natural immunities, advanced HP, and other inborn ways of coping with such an attack. But a human? I hope you know what you're doing, Trace...

A few moments later she heard the sonic pulses of a Confuse Ray in the distance. That could only mean Nero had chosen not to obey Trace. Good for him. She wasn't exactly in the mood to see another dead human.

[~*Meg Rose*~]

-Lv. 28! SA: Natural Cure-

Starmie narrowly dodged the ThunderSHOCK attack, only suffering a few sparks to the tips of two star points.

"Good," Coral said approvingly. "Now counter with Hail!" True enough, her Pokémon and Reef's would suffer some damage during the attack as well, but at least so would her opponents.

"Mie!" The Mysterious Pokémon promptly released a fury of ice and snow from its spinning body, turning the previously beach-y atmosphere into a hail storm.

-Lv. 32! SA: Quick Feet-

The Bite Pokémon did not even flinch when Trace's eyes flashed red. It had been taught to never show fear or concern, not that it had any to begin with.

Kori's Icy Wind hit Mightyena hard, causing it to brace itself deep into the sand to keep from being blown too far out of range. When the attack ended, icicles that glistened in the moonlight covered the Pokémon's fur.

Reef knew that an Electric-type against Coral's Water-type Starmie might not end well. Therefore he decided to take action against this Trainer's choice. "Mightyena! Roar!"

Without hesitation, a ferocious roar sounded from the Dark-type, causing all Pokémon in the battle besides himself to return to their Poké Balls.

Coral could not say Reef had made the wrong choice. At least it got that pesky Electric-type off her back. "Your turn, Cloyster!" She threw a Dusk Ball out, releasing yet another Shiny Pokémon.

-Lv. 37! SA: Skill Link-

*The hail storm rages on!*

The Admin, Barry, paid no mind to his subordinates' battle. An opportunity of a lifetime was only a few feet away...

*Confuse Ray!*

Barry stumbled backward and slapped his hand to his forehead like he suddenly got a killer headache. His eyes were tightly shut as he tried in vain to focus. There was something important he had been doing... What was it? Gah! For for the love of Arceus; he couldn't remember!