Lisa the Legend: Chapter 82 - Last Night on Earth now up! (24th June 2013)

[Karania]

still looking forward to updates, whenever that is and the textbooks haven't eaten me alive yet, though they're pretty darn close....... Zoology test...... no word bank...... grrr!! See ya 'round.

[mistysakura]

Uh-oh, Lunanine + angry = not good. Might solve some mysteries about the curse on Gavin and his family though. (By the way, been caught up in homework, that's why the reply's so late.) The contest was okay, I know it's to get a buggy to go back home but it still seems weird that they'd enter a contest at a time like this. I don't really think that Daniel was being too friendly, but since you portrayed his friendliness in a mildly negative light (though I still disagree), there must be something up.
Looking forward to next chapter.

[Karania]

I survived my test, just thought you'd want to know and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.... ended up being Multiple Choice.... You never know with college professors.... well, I'll be back soon for the next installment, until then, see ya!

[Gavin Luper]

Just making the usual 2-week update post --- nothing much has happened in terms of the next chapter, I'll let you all know when something gets written.

Oh, good on ya Karania! It's good when a test is surprisingly easy, makes for a pleasant surprise after a night of nervous studying.

[PancaKe]

Couldn't that then be considered spam? ^.~

Anyway, congrats on the test Kariana. or however you spell ur name. ^_^ and yeah, Gavin, write something bitch!

[pokemasterfrank]

El gasp :O

Hehe, reread the whole thing :D All 52 chapters :O

The story's really getting interesting. While reading that chapter before the dream one, I had this strange feeling that that person in the car is Lance...

Speaking of Lance, he was speaking of lost keys...weren't the Legendaries talking about keys too...or maybe it was the Union? o_O Or both...

Uber stuffs. Can't wait till the next chapter :D

EDIT: *stabs the default smileys*

[Gavin Luper]

Tara: I'm trying!

pokemasterfrank: Hey!! Haven't seen you round here for a long time. Welcome back. Oh, and congratulations on rereading all of LTL ... it's not a feat I would even consider doing, so well done! Thanks for reading.

The story is getting so interesting to me, too, but I've - in terms of the plot - painted myself into a corner, so I have to work out how to get myself out of it. And interesting - very interesting - point about the keys. I think you're the first one to mention the link there. I've said it before to people at various times - if you want more clues to what's happening, read a few chapters previously.

I've been snowed under with school work all year so far, even the Easter break was a no-go, because I was so busy with family and homework ... but the two-week holidays start on April 7th, which gives me a bit of time to write! The huge slow in speed of my writing isn't so much because the writing is hard any more, it's that I've made some stupid mistakes in a few recent chapters which just screws the storyline around, and I don't like that.

I'm working on it anyway. Thanks for reading, everyone, and please keep up your support for me and Lisa the Legend - we are going to really need it this year. Final year of high school is no picnic.

Cheers!

[Charles Legend]

It's not a feat I would even consider doing myself.

Yeah Gavin, even if your Computer is not a pice of Crapy hunk of junk, with a modem the Speed of a Slowpoke. :p Like mine is.

I am slowley re-reading this and then once read threw this, I plan on re reading EBTV at some piont in time. so yeah I well still be reading this that is when you post up more chaptes but for now I have a mind full to deal with anyways. :p

And sorry I havent replied in ages thought, I um fogot that I had started to read it untill just the other day.

Btw: I take it the plot gets really werird in later chapters, err what I mean is later then Chapter 28...

~Ryu Slayer

[Gavin Luper]

I'm going to borrow the opening line from John Marsden's The Dead of Night:

DAMN THIS WRITING!

Yes, I began the next chapter and got exhausted within half an hour, so not much has happened yet. Does anyone else know the feeling that you've painted yourself into a corner?

Anyhow ... it's coming. Holidays are officially beginning as of 4 hours ago.

Ryu Slayer X 2.0: Hey, welcome back. Very long time, no see. Hee ... computers suck, especially slow ones. Hope you have fun rereading, it should be fun. Or something to that effect ^^

I wouldn't say the plot gets weird ever, it certainly changes after about chapter 20, ie. from the beginning of the second book. LTL's split up into three books: the first was very light and later got enough mystery in it to make it interesting; the second book has been a lot deeper and a lot darker, to the extent that I don't like writing it anymore. The chapter I'm working on now, chapter 53, is the last chapter of book 2.

The Third and Final Book will be a blend of the moods of the two books - it's going to be a lot brighter and less dark, although the same storyline will be going on beneath it all. I'm pretty sure I can make it all mesh together nicely in the next book, but, as far as this book goes, I'm quite jaded by the same stuff over and over again, to be frank. Less evil stuff in book 3, more mysteries, more answers, more fun, more characterisation and more realism is what I'm planning.

Let's hope I get the show on the road soon, ey.

Cheers!

[Charles Legend]

Yes it has been a long time, hasent it? and I am going to be reading the secent Cross over soon athought I dare not read Andy's part just yet. but anyways I just want to let you know that I am up to Chapter 41.

anyways as I may have said in the past this Fic is coming along nicely,the plot is thinking very nicely indeed.

Oh and the resion why I had my name changed was do to the fact that I was tired of explaing why I called my self a Dragon slayer and yet am in fact a tamer, so yes thats one of the main reasions why had it chaged to Charles Legend, Darn you Gavin your fic and Andy's are very adictive to read.... =/


~Charles legend

[Gavin Luper]

Heh, this name IS a lot easier for you to explain, I'm sure.

Chapter 41 ... Waterfalls and Warnings? That's the chapter before one of the ones I had most fun writing, but I won't spoil it for you.

Ignore the end of chapter 42, btw. I hope everyone has. It'll be clear later.

Still writing, still working. I maintain my promise that the next book will be a lot better in that it will all mesh together and flow a LOT better than this book has.

Cheers!

[Charles Legend]

Heh, this name IS a lot easier for you to explain, I'm sure.

Chapter 41 ... Waterfalls and Warnings? That's the chapter before one of the ones I had most fun writing, but I won't spoil it for you.

Ignore the end of chapter 42, btw. I hope everyone has. It'll be clear later.

Still writing, still working. I maintain my promise that the next book will be a lot better in that it will all mesh together and flow a LOT better than this book has.

Cheers!

yes it is, btw I find it odd that I called LtL weird at frist but oddly enough I find that I have became adicted to reading it because I found that I like this story a lot.

by the way you desribed Lunanine at the end of Chapther 52(findly I cought up) he looked rather Po'd about somthing I wounder why, also is he suposted to be evil or somthing becuse the way you desribe his ations it shere sounds like he might be oh and I also think that guy in the Limo was Lance, just a hunch, but I think his plans invoved Lesia and Gavin......

Speeking of Lunanine, I bet you would get Quite mad if some one eles used him in their fic as well, am I right Gavin? just asking it's not like I started a Projet that invoves him and the other beasts, since I am no where near your skill level of writing.

~Charles Legend

[Gavin Luper]

Nearly a month since I last replied ... so sorry, everyone, nothing new to report yet - still plodding along very slowly.

Charles Legend: LTL is addictive? Heh, cool! Glad to hear that you like it. As for the story, Lunanine is pretty angry, you'll find out why in the next chapter.

I think if someone else used Lunanine in their story I wouldn't be happy at all. It would be very sad. I've created Lunanine from scratch, he's like a teeny tiny part of my imagination. As is Gavin, and Lisa (more or less), and so on ... so yeah, I'd like to keep those kind of characters in the world that I created them in.

I'll try to get a move on, everyone. Thanks for the patience.

Cheers!

[Charles Legend]

Nearly a month since I last replied ... so sorry, everyone, nothing new to report yet - still plodding along very slowly.

Charles Legend: LTL is addictive? Heh, cool! Glad to hear that you like it. As for the story, Lunanine is pretty angry, you'll find out why in the next chapter.

I think if someone else used Lunanine in their story I wouldn't be happy at all. It would be very sad. I've created Lunanine from scratch, he's like a teeny tiny part of my imagination. As is Gavin, and Lisa (more or less), and so on ... so yeah, I'd like to keep those kind of characters in the world that I created them in.

I'll try to get a move on, everyone. Thanks for the patience.

Cheers!

that's ok Gavin we can wait.

Yeah, not that long ago I was up all night untill 7:00 am ceaching up to the last Chapter. yeah I well beshere to read it I bet it has somthing to do with the luper famliy's Curse and the return of Gavin's psychic powers.

yeah, I figered you would thats why I Scaped the Idea of useing a younger vetion of it, but hey I know how you feel I would be upset to if Some one used one of my charters like for example I am toying with the Idea of Creating a very gifted Smeargle named Smears.

And besides looking at my plan, to try and redo my old fic. with a horble reget name, is more or less based in the univise where Vevasaur's fic Pokéness takes place.

so it would not have worked out to have Lunanine showing up at all, since both Fic take place in a difrent regent then Jotho or atlest part of mine Might... I still need to talk to Brian about it.... but at any rate your Creation is safe, I won't use it.

but you have Inspiered me in ways, that is you used an apom as leisa's starter thought Smears my not be Charles Starter, he dose fill an inporten role. but I am not telling you you well have to read to find out... that is when I post it up...

~Charls Legend

[Karania]

looking forward to the next chapter. Lot going on here, about to start summer school, and trying to find time to write my own stories. Looking forward to an update and I'll be back as soon as something new happens.

[Gavin Luper]

Ahh ... so good to be back ... welcome back everyone!

I've actually started writing the next chapter now! *gasp* Haven't done much, about 500 words or something, but it's a good start and I'm back in the swing of things now. Might be tacking a chapter on after this next one just to finish the book off nicely before Book 3 begins.

Well, it's back to working on the chapter *rubs hands in glee*

Cheers!

- Gavin.

[Karania]

awesome! That's wonderful news! I was starting to wonder if the fic had fizzled out.... GLad to see it hasn't..... Keep up the good work, and I'll be back soon.

[Gavin Luper]

Hi everyone!

This has been a bit of miserable year for the fic so far, hasn't it? I'm really sorry - there's only been ONE chapter posted since the year began, so you could be forgiven for thinking I've given up on LTL, but, well, the truth is far from that. I've had stacks of ideas, but I've had no real time to write, which means I've been storing ideas or jotting them down whenever I get a chance but not actually progressing much. Chapter 53 looks like nothing much, still, though I've done a fair bit on the first chapter of the next book, which looks to be pretty good so far.

My end of year exams are in 2 weeks, and will be over by September 23, so after that I might be able to churn out a chapter or two. If not, you'll probably be waiting until late November for the new stuff - that's when my TEE (Tertiary Entrance Exams) finish. So yeah, I AM working on Lisa the Legend, and it IS getting there, just slowly. By December, with school over forever, I should be back to the old days, which will be excellent, I'm really looking forward to it.

Anyway, for now, it's back to my English Assignment.

Cheers!

[Gavin Luper]

HOORAY!! :biggrin:

As I hoped, with my exams over, I sat down and wrote Chapter 53 over the last few days. I really hope this is up to standard, as it has been so long since the last chapter I've become a bit rusty. Looks like there will be a few more chapters before the book ends, though, which doesn't worry me; in fact, I can't wait to sink my teeth into the rest of it, the ending to this book is all there, swimming around in my head even as I write this, and I can't wait to write it.

Really good timing on my behalf too (if I do say so myself ) as Lisa the Legend has been nominated for quite a few categories in the 2005 Golden Pen Awards, so hopefully this revives it a little. Thanks to everyone who nominated LTL for the awards, it really does mean a lot to have people think my writing is good, it makes it feel more worthwhile than ever. Remember to get all your votes in by October 1!

Anyway, without further ado, and after a seven month hiatus, HERE IT IS! Chapter 53 of Lisa the Legend, for your reading pleasure!

Cheers!

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

Chapter 53 – The Defector.


When she looked back, even a month later, Lisa didn’t know why she did it. If she had stopped to think about it, she would never have made such a stupid mistake – such a blind, foolish error – but in the heat of the moment, faced with the ruthless intensity of the beast’s glare, she shunted aside all traces of rational thought, all notions of caution, and leapt fearlessly for the best course of action she knew: action.

Surprised by her own boldness, she shrugged Gavin off and took a step toward Lunanine, winding up her arm and hurling out a red orb before her; it arced through the air and landed close to where the black, wolfish beast stood. Lunanine paused, and Lisa knew he was waiting for a flash of white light to erupt – he thought it was a pokéball – but it did not come.

Lisa didn’t idle: hoping it would work (she could see no reason why it shouldn’t) she focused her gaze on the Buzzball on the rocky ground and screamed, “ ELECTRIFY!”

There was a loud bang: the ball erupted in a burst of crackling yellow sparks, all of which rent the air and connected instantly with Lunanine’s colossal form. It happened so quickly that, had Lisa blinked, she may have missed it all. As it was, though, she saw, in a stunned haze, everything that unfolded: the flash of understanding in Lunanine’s greenish yellow eyes the moment before he was struck by the electricity; the haphazard streamers of electric charge surging through the beast’s body, immobilising him; the burst of sand and dust flying into the air as his hulking mass collapsed into the ground.

A sudden, artificial silence pressed in on the glade. Lunanine’s body lay in a heap on the ground, motionless.

“ How’d you –” Gavin spluttered from behind, and Lisa wheeled around to find him. He was still pressed against the rock wall, his ashen face incredulous. “ What was all that about?!”

Lisa tried to generate some kind of response, but it died on her lips. She had not expected Lunanine to be caught unawares and be beaten so easily, but the scene before her eyes blew her expectations away. A single electric shock from the Buzzball had taken him out completely – Lunanine, ten feet tall, a legendary pokémon.

“ This isn’t right …” Lisa mumbled. Lunanine shouldn’t have been taken down so easily; it made no sense at all. And where were the rest of the contestants? And Paddy?

Gavin was being uncharacteristically quiet, but Lisa assumed that he, too, had picked up on the strange atmosphere in the clearing. Desperate to explain the eerie feeling that was plaguing her, she scanned the area closely, and, quite unexpectedly, her eyes fell on something on Lunanine’s body. A discolouration. Without haste, she crept closer and examined the mark: it was a dark red wound, a bleeding hole, on his underbelly.

The realisation hit her like a bullet.

“ Gavin?” she cried, fighting to keep the fear out of her voice, but it didn’t work. Things were rapidly slotting into place, things that did not make her feel any more in control of the situation. Gingerly, knowing now that there were dozens of eyes on her, she knelt down and closed her hand around the idle Buzzball.

The silence pressed on. Gavin had not replied. Shaking all over, petrified beyond her wits, Lisa stood up, still facing in the direction of Lunanine’s body. She spent an entire second staring into the grove of trees a few metres away. There were several shadowy figures that, now she was looking for them, she could spot quite clearly.

As suddenly as she could, she spun on her heel and screamed, “ INFLATE!”

It was all over in a second or two. Cold air rushed past her face as the Buzzball swelled, but Lisa knew she had no chance. A few invisible people barked out vague words. A pokémon growled loudly. Several attacks whizzed and exploded through the air. Something caught Lisa from behind, spearing her leg and knocking her to the ground, flat on her face.

“ Got her!” cried a man’s voice.

Lisa tried to snort the dirt out of her nose but failed. Blood was running down her face. Her head felt like it had been cleaved in two.

“ Get up.” Heavy footsteps reached her side. Someone grabbed her roughly, not seeming to care where they put their hands. Lisa kept her mouth shut. She couldn’t think of anything strong enough to say to these people and in any case, her head was spinning too much for her to think up some kind of verbal abuse. She struggled without really trying, for she knew that she was caught now.

“ I’m so stupid,” she mumbled aloud, still blinded by pain. The man carrying her snorted and hoisted her over his shoulder, leaving her upper body dangling over his back and her backpack swinging wildly, the straps digging into her underarms.

Lunanine wasn’t angry with us. He knew the Union was hiding there, waiting to strike. He was there to protect us.

“ But I attacked him,” she said bitterly, not caring that the man could hear her. “ I knocked him out.”

Unexpectedly, the man answered. “ You didn’t knock him out. We shot him. You just took his attention away from us. Well done.”

Lisa punched his back uselessly, and he guffawed.

The pain was beginning to ease. Lisa’s vision came into focus more clearly. Beyond the man’s buttocks, she could see the rough, rocky ground passing below, but where she was being carried, she didn’t know. Around them, several other voices – male and female – were discussing something in low tones. Occasionally one of them would burst into laughter and it was this, more than the fact that they were abducting her, that annoyed Lisa.

They walked onwards – downwards – for what seemed like an hour. Lisa gave up on some kind of help coming to save her. Similarly, any thoughts she had of the contest on Mount Fairfax were well and truly history; the only concern she had about it was what had become of the contestants – including Daniel – and Paddy, though she had a sinking feeling that the Union might have already disposed of them somehow.

And as for Gavin, who knew what they might do with him? Lisa shuddered as she recalled her dream. If Gavin was being abducted again by the Union, surely he must be flooded with terrible memories? Indeed, wouldn’t they be all the more vengeful, seeing as he had escaped them only two weeks previous?

A thought suddenly occurred to her.

“ Gavin?” she called out unhesitantly.

And there came, from not very far away, Gavin’s cheery reply, “ Oh, hi Lisa! Great piggyback rides eh?”

“ Silence! No talking!” a foreign-sounding woman barked suddenly, but Lisa grinned.

After a long time walking in the dark, still unable to see anything but a few feet of passing dirt and a man’s rear end, Lisa heard a man a few metres further down the track call for everyone to halt. He spoke sharply into a two-way radio. The man holding Lisa tensed. The man switched his radio off.

“ OK everyone, looks like we’ve been sprung already, the cops are here. Adrian, take your group and follow me, we’ll get rid of them; Ana, you and Derek and Karl wait here with these two. We’ll radio when the coast is clear and you can call base.”

There were general murmurs of assent throughout the group. Lisa gazed down at the loamy ground, incredulous: they were going to fight the police off? Just how strong were they?

The contingent dispersed quickly. Lisa sensed that there were only a couple of Union members left with them. There was a tiny spark of hope in her, but she knew that they could have her dead before she had finished throwing a pokéball.

After a long silence, Gavin piped up, “ Can you guys put me the right way up now?”

“ No,” snarled a woman’s voice, the same foreign-sounding voice that had ordered them to be quiet earlier.

“ But my head is really full of blood.”

Lisa snorted loudly, prompting the man holding her to grip her legs tighter.

“ … and?” said the woman sardonically.

“ And all I can see is this guy’s butt – ouch!”

“ Shut up!”

Apparently Gavin took the hint after that, as he fell silent.

But his point had been valid: Lisa could feel her head really aching now. She had been hanging upside down for quite a long time. In the empty, drawn out wait, it became one of those things: once she noticed it, all she could do was focus on the discomfort, the pressure building in her head. It began to drive her to distraction.

Finally, she cleared her throat and asked, as politely as possible, “ Could we please get down?”

*********

“ Nice one,” Gavin whispered.

“ You’re welcome,” Lisa replied, gazing at the world the right way up. She and Gavin were now sitting beside a thick shrub, bound together by a thick cord, back-to-back, guarded by two men and a woman; their backpacks were piled up beside them.

“ Quiet,” said the woman blandly.

Now sitting the right way up, without the giddiness of hanging upside down for an hour, Lisa felt the reality of the situation begin to weigh down on her. There was definitely nothing funny about what was happening.

Lisa watched her captors closely. The two men seemed to meet the typical criteria for Union agents – they were tall, well-built and looked capable of any physical task. The woman, meanwhile, was not as resilient-looking as other female Union agents Lisa had come across before. This woman was tall and very slim, so much so that she came across as a stick insect. Her swift, slippery movements seemed to accentuate this image. Meanwhile, her face was almost deathly pale, quite as white as snow, except for two rather pink spots on her cheeks.

A painful, suffocating silence pressed in on them for what felt like an hour, and may actually have been that long. Lisa strained her ears for the sound of a struggle somewhere, but there was nothing. Indeed, had they not been held captive by Union agents, everything would have seemed quite as idyllic as ever.

“ Ana. Karl.”

Lisa jerked her head up from her chest; she had been dozing off. She glanced around the tiny clearing and her eyes fell on the man who had carried her down the mountain after she was attacked on the plateau. He was beside a cluster of low-lying shrubs, staring with astonishment at something that was apparently hidden within them.

Ana raised a thin eyebrow and, leaving Karl to guard Lisa and Gavin, strode quickly to the man. She muttered something to him and they each whipped out a small, black handgun. The man began to reach into the bushes when suddenly something seemed to catch his eye; he pointed frantically at something behind Karl and bellowed, “ Look out!”

Karl spun on his heel, as did Ana, and, with both of them facing the other way, the third man raised his pistol and fired two well-aimed shots at each of them.

Ana choked on her scream; Karl went soundlessly; in a second, their bodies were lying on the loamy ground, motionless.

The man who had shot them wheeled around to Lisa and Gavin, still bound in the middle of the track. Lisa flinched automatically, but he had lowered his gun. He hastened over to them, whipping out a knife from a pocket that Lisa didn’t even see. It took a long, silent minute for the rope to snap.

“ Quick, kids, get up, we have to get a move on,” the man said to them.

Gavin obeyed but Lisa remained stubbornly on the ground. “ Who are you?”

“ My name’s Derek,” the man said obligingly. “ I’m not going to hurt you, but if you don’t get out of here right now, you’re screwed.”

Lisa felt herself rise to her feet. Gavin thrust her backpack at her and she shouldered it without thinking. At once, Derek began to charge down the mountain along the rough track. Lisa and Gavin followed dazedly.

“ You just killed your friends,” said Lisa to Derek as they negotiated their way through the dark.

Derek plunged on down the steep track. “ They weren’t my friends,” he called back, without turning, his gun held out, threatening the silent black night. “ If you knew what they got up to you wouldn’t be friends with them either, believe me.”

“ Ouch!” Lisa dodged the branches of a nearby box-thorn only to plunge her arm straight into another one. The scratches on her arm immediately began to bleed.

“ Don’t stop!” Derek called back. “ You can get treated for that later but if these bastards shoot you you won’t have much hope!”

“ He’s right,” came Gavin’s voice from just behind.

Biting her lip, Lisa ran on. “ So you really are … good … then?” she called down the track, aware of how lame it sounded, but she had to hear the answer.

“ Uh – yeah,” Derek called back. “ As good as any of us are anyway.”

“ Where are you taking us?” asked Gavin.

“ Somewhere safe, I hope!” the reply came.

They pelted on downwards, the night air chilling them to the bone. Lisa shivered. Her sleeve was covered in drying blood. It was so dark that she could see nothing further than the fringes of the track. The ground was becoming more level, but this was obviously a temporary adjustment, as they had not gone far enough to be at the base of the mountain yet.

After some time, Derek called to them, “ Better be quiet from now on, just in case!”

Not daring to ask what he meant by ‘just in case’, Lisa nodded, even though he couldn’t see her do so.

The path downwards steepened once again and it was back to negotiating the rocky descent. Lisa’s arms and face took another half a dozen blows from various plants and trees, including another box-thorn. She began to consider how much easier it would have been if she had never attacked Lunanine on the plateau.

Finally, after about a ten minute descent, Derek came to a halt in the middle of the track. Lisa and Gavin jogged up to him, breathless.

“ I’m gonna have to leave you guys here,” he said calmly.

“ Right here?” Lisa burst out, before he could go on.

“ Keep your voice down, Lisa,” he said, not harshly, “ Not exactly here –” he pointed to the left of the track, directly into solid, impenetrable darkness. “ Walk a few metres that way, there’s a cave there, you should find it easily enough. I want you two to wait there until … well, just wait there, OK?”

“ OK,” said Gavin.

“ Alright,” Lisa said tentatively.

“ OH!” Derek said suddenly, as if he had suddenly remembered something vital. “ I found this on the plateau – it’s yours, isn’t it?” He produced the Buzzball from his pocket and thrust it into Lisa’s waiting hands. “ And another thing, when you get picked up from the cave … tell the people who pick you up that I’ve got the O’Malley file and all it’s contents, except the third chapter, can you remember that?” Lisa and Gavin nodded. “ Good. And once you’re completely safe, once you’re completely away from this area, tell Lance and ONLY Lance that I know where the Second Key is, OK?”

Lisa saw her own surprise reflected in Gavin’s eyes. “ Lance?”

“ Yeah,” Derek looked confused. “ Oh right, you don’t know anything yet, don’t worry, just – can you remember that message?”

“ You’ve got the O’Malley file except the third chapter and Lance needs to know you’ve found the second key, whatever that is,” Gavin recited.

“ No!” Derek said. “ I haven’t found it, but I know where it is!”

“ Uh – OK, got it,” said Gavin.

“ When you say Lance, you mean the Champion Lance?” Lisa said, still confused.

“ Yes, but don’t tell anyone else!” Derek stressed. “ Listen, I know you guys must be exhausted but please remember all that and be careful. If someone starts attacking you in the cave, for God’s sake, fight back. OK. So, go quickly now, to the cave!” He pointed in the direction of it for a moment, to remind them, and without further ado began to jog back down the track.

Just before he disappeared into darkness, Lisa called, “ What do you have to do?”

He called back. “ My job.”

“ But what if you don’t make it?” Lisa knew she was being too sentimental, but it would seem like a terrible thing for such a good man to be killed.

He turned to face them, and Lisa could just see his face in the shadows. “ I’m not going to die,” he said, quite lightly, “ oh, but if I do, tell my wife and daughters I love them!” And with that, he disappeared.

Lisa’s heart hurt as watched him go, not sure whether he had been joking or not.

Gavin touched her shoulder. “ Let’s go.”

Trying to be discreet, they left the track and pushed through a mass of sticks and thickset shrubs. The moon, which had bathed the track in a faint blue light, was invisible through the canopy of the dense forest; the darkness was almost total.

They plunged ahead blindly, unable to see anything much at all; the leaves at their feet felt like strange creatures groping at them, trying to trip them up.

“ Light the Buzzball,” panted Gavin, his white face covered in beads of sweat despite the coolness of the night air.

“ I don’t think we should,” Lisa said. “ We’d be seen too easily. Derek said we should find the cave easily enough, anyway.”

“ You think he’s for real?”

“ I think so. I mean, he saved us and told us where to hide.”

“ But he might just be doing that to corner us – I mean, he seems to be all right, but –”

“ He gave us the Buzzball,” Lisa argued, brushing what felt like a huge, slimy leaf from her face. “ He wouldn’t arm us if he wasn’t dinkum. And he gave us all that information to pass on … I’m sure he’s on our side – whatever that is.”

“ Lance,” said Gavin curiously. “ That’s really weird …”

“ I reckon,” said Lisa. “ Who would ever think Lance would ever be involved with the Union?”

“ I don’t think he is – it sounds like Derek is defecting – to some other group maybe.”

“ True …” Lisa trailed off. Initially she had been shocked to hear Lance’s name even brought into this strange situation, but her mind had immediately deviated to Lance’s son, Darius. Did he have anything to do with this? Did he know about his father’s connections? Indeed, did anyone realise the Champion of the Elite Four, one of the most powerful and respected pokémon trainers in the world, had contacts within the Union?

“ Gavin, d’you – OW!”

For the second time that night, Lisa’s nose ran with blood. She reeled back from the solid barrier in front of her, clutching at her nose as stars appeared before her eyes.

“ You all right?”

“ Fide, fide,” Lisa mumbled, pinching her nose and leaning forwards. “ I thing I foud the cave.”

Sure enough, it took Gavin just a few seconds to feel along the rocky wall blocking their path and find a small opening in it, large enough to crawl into.

“ You’re not claustrophobic or anything are you?”

“ Nuh,” Lisa replied, “ just give me a sec.”

Once her nose had stopped bleeding they got on all fours and crawled in; once again, Lisa found herself stuck staring at a man’s rear end as Gavin led the way. The tunnel was very cramped and, once they had left the entrance, it was pitch black. Lisa had to keep her head tucked into her body, and even then it scraped the top of the tunnel. The floor of the tunnel was scattered with sharp fragments of rock, and Lisa felt her hands and knees becoming raw and grazed as she struggled onwards.

The tunnel was probably about five metres long, though it took a minute or two to get through. When it finally opened up, Lisa felt slightly sick: it was so completely dark that she could not see her hand before her face. The only way they could tell the tunnel had opened into a cave was that they no longer had to keep their heads down, and the walls of the tunnel were no longer right by their sides. As she put her hand down Lisa felt something crumble beneath it, and she barely stifled a scream.

“ I think now would be a good time to light the Buzzball,” said Gavin apprehensively.

Lisa pulled the ball out of her pocket. “ I still think it might be a giveaway,” she said reluctantly. “ I mean, it would shine out of the tunnel, it would be pretty obvious.”

“ Can’t you make it really dull or something?”

“ I – I can try,” said Lisa hopefully, clasping the Buzzball. “ Illuminate … but softly.”

At once, a globule of light appeared from thin air, as bright as ever. For a second all Lisa could see was whiteness, though she sensed that the cave was actually quite small.

“ No, dimmer, darker!” she hissed nervously at the red ball in her hand, but it stubbornly glowed on, the globule now a ring of light surrounding the ball. “ Darker – no, stop!”

Just as her eyes were adjusting, the light evaporated and darkness surrounded them again.

“ Sorry Gavin, no dimmer switch.”

“ That’s OK, I had an idea … maybe we could just chuck it under a jumper or something.”

“ Oh – good idea.”

Once the Buzzball was completely enveloped in Gavin’s jumper Lisa commanded it to shine again; the result was much more satisfying, bathing the cave in a very weak, patterned glow that was not really bright enough to be obvious outside but was enough to see with inside, though there was very little to see. The cave was almost spherical, with sides that banked right up to the roof. It was not very much bigger than a very small room and the only way in or out was through the tunnel they had just crawled through.

“ So … now we wait, I spose,” Lisa said. She dumped her bag on the floor and curled up against the curved walls which, surprisingly, made a comfortable resting place. Almost instantly, she felt her mind easing out of consciousness. Her eyelids fluttered.

“ We shouldn’t go to sleep,” Gavin warned her seriously, though he sounded exhausted too.

“ Yeah. You’re right,” Lisa mumbled, ignoring his words entirely. Her eyes closed and she began to slide into sleep.

It seemed like literally a second later when she heard Gavin’s urgent voice whisper, “ Stop glowing.” Startled, Lisa opened her eyes to see the dim light of the Buzzball give way to pitch darkness once again. Oddly alert, she held her tongue and slowed her breathing, though her heart was hammering as she realised what had caused Gavin to turn the Buzzball off; beyond the cave entrance, there was the distinct noise of somebody approaching, and they were being anything but discreet about it, slashing through twigs and branches and mumbling quite loudly.

Suddenly, Lisa felt Gavin’s warmth on her. “ Lisa, you have to wake up but be very quiet, don’t say anything, somebody’s coming.” His words came in a rush of hot breath in Lisa’s ear.

“ I’m awake,” Lisa said, but she was speaking so quietly that almost no noise came out. As it was, Gavin didn’t seem to be awaiting a response. They were both silent and breathless, listening to the approaching noise.

The crunching of leaves and twigs was threateningly loud now. Surely, the person had to be right at the tunnel entrance and if they were that close, then it would seem they knew exactly where the cave was.

Over the noise of breaking and crunching, however, there was a louder sound that took Lisa a few seconds to place: it was a humming sound.

Unexpectedly, the sound of footsteps ceased, though the humming continued, louder than ever. Lisa grabbed Gavin’s hand.

Without warning, a voice overrode the humming: “ You kids in there yet?”

Lisa jumped, her heart skipping a beat before she realised that the female voice was unmistakeably – there was no other word for it – friendly.

“ We’re here,” Gavin called, without hesitating.

The humming became increasingly louder. The female voice muttered some indistinct instructions – apparently there was somebody else with her. There was a dull thud, followed by a scrabbling noise. The humming was very close now, coming down the tunnel.

“ I’ll leave him with you,” said the unidentified female voice, the owner of which was clearly still outside the cave. “ Someone should be along soon to pick you up. Are you holding up all right? After what you’ve been through I’m surprised you kids are still so calm and co-operative.”

Lisa couldn’t see anything, but she knew that if she could have she would be exchanging a significant look with Gavin: for the first time ever, here was someone who realised – who understood – that they had been through so much. She had no idea who the woman was, or how she knew they were in the cave, or even how she knew about how the two of them had come to be entangled with the Union, but to hear someone put into words what they were both feeling was the sweetest thing Lisa had heard in months.

“ We’re doing OK,” Lisa called back over the increasingly annoying humming. “ Um – before you go – who is this you’re leaving us with?”

“ It’s Samuel Oak,” came the reply. “ OK, take care kids.” And with that, the voice disappeared.

Lisa knew that Gavin’s breath, like hers, had stuck in his throat. After all they had travelled for, since Port Valeo, here was the man they were looking for, right in front of them.

They sat in stupefied limbo, the source of the humming right beside them in the cave. There were inflections in the humming, chinks that made it less musical and more human. As Lisa listened, it seemed to become some kind of lament that she couldn’t quite place.

Finally, she said, “ Professor Oak?”

The humming stopped, leaving a ringing silence in its absence. Lisa held her breath.

“ You are Lisa Walters, aren’t you?”

What surprised Lisa the most, more so than the fact that Oak knew who she was, was the simultaneous strength and frailness of his voice. His tone, deep and gravelly and pensive, revealed at once that he had been through some kind of intense trauma, yet there was a resistance, a resilience, in the way in which he chose his words; he spoke slowly and composedly, almost as though he had prepared the entire conversation in advance.

“ I am,” said Lisa, “ and this is Gavin Luper.”

“ It’s good to meet you at last,” said the old man. He sounded exhausted. “ I’ve been looking for you, Lisa.”

Lisa did a double take. “ You have?”

“ Yes,” said Oak slowly. “ You sound so surprised.”

“ It’s just that – well, we were looking for you, actually,” Lisa told him.

Gavin shifted uncomfortably on the cave floor.

“ You two were looking for me?” Oak repeated softly. “ How strange … we were both looking for each other, and now here we are, with all the time in the world to explain ourselves.”

‘All the time in the world’ were not the words that Lisa would have chosen to explain their situation – hiding from a still-unexplained enemy organisation – however, it seemed to work for Oak. In any case, he either ignored their apprehensive silence or did not notice it at all, for he pushed on quickly.

“ I would like to hear why you were looking for me,” he said composedly, “ and I’m sure you’d like an explanation from me about my absence, but, if you don’t mind, I have some very important things to tell you both and they cannot wait a second longer.”

“ You have something important to tell us?” Gavin said, apparently amazed that such a bizarre night could become any more confusing.

“ Oh, yes, very important.”

“ Well, what things?” Lisa demanded, rather shortly. She was so tired after the events of the last few days that her brain had ceased to process information logically anymore. Every twist and turn seemed to bring a new, more perplexing problem to the situation. She didn’t have a clue what was going on. All she wanted to do was fall asleep for a very long time and forget everything that had happened since October, when she first sighted Suicune in the Burned Tower. She wanted it to be all over.

But, as Oak began to relay his important information, she realised that there would be no rest for her tonight.

No, the night was only just beginning.

[Chris 2.1]

Good to see this rising up again. Ch53 was a really good read. From the initial twist that Lunanine had been protecting Lisa and Gavin from the Union, to Derek killing Ana and Karl, to the appearence of Oak, who has been looking for Lisa? Hmm.

Nice to have this back. I hope the exams went ok...when do you get the results? And I'm glad you managed to get this done. Let's see if I can read all 53 chapters again before Ch54 is reposted

Oh, and today I am oficially brace-free! The 18 years of this brace's reign have ended. And I look schmexy. Just thought I'd say that.

[mr_pikachu]

Dang it, you're leaving us with another freakin' cliffhanger. You just love doing this, don't you, Gavin? ARGH!

Well, as you can tell, I'm really looking forward to what'll happen next. Of course, it'll be another twenty chapters or so before we find out, because our surprise guest will probably get skewered by a falling stalagtite just as he begins to explain. After everything else that's happened, I'm sure you're just scrambling to find another way to keep your readers begging - no, screaming for mercy. Gavin Luper, the man of a thousand tortures. Catchy.

This was another great chapter, despite and perhaps partially due to the annoyance of the cliffhanger. I never would've guessed the truth about the ferocious Lunanine's appearance; very nice. Simple and yet surprising. Gavin's behavior, while also unexpected, seems to actually fit with his personality. Great piggyback rides... heh.

There were still a couple of things that I think could have been a little better grammatically, and that's ignoring the parts that were likely due to differences between the dialects of the U.S. and Australia. Not that they're big things... or anything beyond isolated incidents... but still!


If Gavin was being abducted again by the Union, surely he must be flooded with terrible memories?

“must be” is a present tense verb; since you’re writing in the past tense, the narration verbs need to stay in the past tense. Following with the word “flooded” doesn't change the tense of “must be”, unfortunately.


In the empty, drawn out wait, it became one of those things: once she noticed it, all she could do was focus on the discomfort, the pressure building in her head.

“one of those things”? If you could find a more descriptive (and thus more powerful) word or phrase to use than “things”, this might have a bit more force behind it.


“ And another thing, when you get picked up from the cave … tell the people who pick you up that I’ve got the O’Malley file and all it’s contents, except the third chapter, can you remember that?”

The word “it's” needs to be changed to its homonym twin, “its”. Also, I'm not sure about using that many commas to connect that many thoughts without conjunctions, even given some artistic license. There was a second sentence I jotted down that had the same sort of comma issue, but it's not important enough to necessitate another quote and suggestion.


On the other hand, your work is without question one of the best on TPM. The multiple ways in which you used the setting during this chapter were great, as was the irony of the surprise visitor at the end. I'm curious as to exactly how he thinks they have "all the time in the world", too, as that doesn't make a whole lot of sense right now. I suppose I'll just have to wait and find out next chapter. Well, I'll see you then!


P.S. I apologize for listing almost every single thing in the chapter that I thought could have been better. With some writers, that's the only way I have anything to talk about. You're at the top of that list.

[Gavin Luper]

Replies!

Chris 2.0: Thanks! I hope Ch53 met your expectations. And yes, Oak has been looking for Lisa ... mysterious indeed *evil laugh*.

My exams went pretty good I think, I'll get the results back at the beginning of next term, which is the 12th of October, at the latest, or some time next week if I email my teacher ^^

Yay for your emancipation from the brace, too!!!

mr_pikachu: Haha ... before I posted the chapter I actually wrote at the start "sorry about another cliffhanger!" but then I deleted it, as I realised it would completely ruin the enjoyment of the chapter! While I do enjoy leaving everyone in suspense for so long, though, I think the time is ripe for a few revelations to finally be made ... well ... eventually. I'm really excited about the next few chapters!

Hehe ... no comment on the stalagtite theory. But "Gavin Luper, the man of a thousand tortures"? Hmmm ... sounds somewhat evil.

Thanks a bunch for reading so soon. I realise there's bound to be several grammatical errors with that chapter especially: I wrote it quite eagerly and quite happily ignored the possibility of a proof read. But still, I think it read all right anyway. I quite liked this chapter, actually, more so than most. But I will take your advice on board; it's always appreciated, believe me.

^^ Thanks for the compliments, as always, and for the criticism too. See you next chapter!

Cheers!

[Gavin Luper]

G'day everyone!

Just making a post to let everyone know that Lisa the Legend won two awards at the Golden Pens, the results of which were just announced. LTL won Best Plot and Best Cliffhanger, though Best Cliffhanger was by default.

Thanks to all readers who nominated and voted for Lisa the Legend/me in the awards. I'm surprised that we got any awards after such a long hiatus, but we did, so I'm thrilled.

Hopefully I can fulfil the title of 'Best Plot' with the coming chapters. As for best cliffhanger, well, no comment. :biggrin:

Chapter 54 coming along VERY well.

Cheers!

[Master Kirby]

After a 7+ month wait since the previous chapter, I am glad to say that that was not a "filler" chapter. That was quite a surprise when Lunanine just fell over after one buzzball shock. When that happened, I was expecting to find that it was a psychic illusion created by a psychic pokemon imitating Lunanune. For a second there, I thought that Gavin had gotten his psychic abilities back, and was testing Lisa.

So... Lunanine was actually PROTECTING them from the union, not just trying to attack Lisa and Gavin! that turns things around a bit. I wonder why Lisa didn't try throwing a pokeball at Lunanine when he went down? She could at least bring him to a pokecenter to get his wounds treated (if she wasn't captured)? He could be a big help later.

What I am wondering about now, is where Lunanine stands. Was he just protecting them this once, or is he now on their side like Suicune? Is he the Psychic pokemon that had attacked Gavin's family, or was that someone else?

With Professor Oak finally with them, maybe they will be able to make some sense of all the things going on. Has Lisa ever explained to him all of the events that have happened to her with the legendaries? Does she still have that object that Suicune gave her, back when whe was in that river? Was it a crystal bell or pokeball ore something of that sort?

With the talk of the keys, could that have to do with the key and ebony box that where in Lisa's dream in Chapter 51? There were also yellow and sapphire jeweled scepters. Could the keys be related to them? I'll certainly be waiting to find where this plot goes next. I'm glad Chap. 54 is coming along well.

[Gavin Luper]

Master Kirby: Hi! Great to see you back!

Yep, Lunanine was actually protecting Lisa and Gavin against the Union. It clicked for Lisa when she realised that Lunanine should not have been taken down so easily, then she saw the wound he had obtained from the Union's attack on him. It clicked then that he had been there, glaring at the Union agents around them, waiting for them to make a move so he could protect Lisa and Gavin.

It took me about six months to work out how that was actually going to unfold - the long wait for this chapter was really because I couldn't work out exactly how to start it off. After I did, the rest flowed naturally!

Oh, and Gavin's psychic powers ARE back ... but he has yet to use them properly ... interesting, no?

Lisa didn't try to catch Lunanine because she honestly didn't even think of it; by the time he had been taken down, she was realising that they were surrounded by the Union. I doubt she would have tried it anyway, I wouldn't expect Lunanine, even unconscious, to be caught with one throw of a pokéball. And another thing, even if she had thought of capturing Lunanine for whatever reason, she physically couldn't have: at the start of the contest they were specifically allowed to take only three pokéballs with them. So even if she wanted to, Lisa didn't have a pokéball to catch Lunanine with. I'll keep quiet on Lunanine for now, I wouldn't want to ruin anything for you.

Oh, good foresight too: with Professor Oak with them in the cave, they will finally be able to ask him where he had disappeared to. Stay tuned for Chapter 54 for all that.

OH, and - FINALLY! Someone mentioned the dream Lisa had in Chapter 51! I won't divulge anything except that yes, it was highly symbolic and highly significant to everything that is happening now! Chapter 51 contains a goldmine of hints if you know how to read them!!

Anyhow, thanks for the reply! It's back to Chapter 54 for me, which is coming along very nicely!

Cheers!

EDIT: 2000th post! YAY! :biggrin:

[Gavin Luper]

Hi everyone!

Well, I've just about finished Chapter 54 now, it's going to be quite big by the time I finish it, probably about 6000 words or so. I should have it done by tomorrow, but I'll hold off posting it until the weekend, just because there are some readers who have yet to read Chapter 53, which was posted just last week (obviously), possibly because of the long wait since last chapter. So rather than lump two huge chapters onto them at once I'll give them some time to catch up!

Anyway, this next chapter should be good. It's not action-packed like some recent ones have been, but finally you guys get filled in on some backstory that I have been dying to reveal for literally YEARS now. I hope you like it.

Cheers!

[Gavin Luper]

Chapter 54 finished, I'll post it soon. I'm still holding off posting it just because I don't want to swamp readers with two huge chapters at once ... but otherwise, it's ready to go. Look for it tonight maybe or tomorrow!

Working on Chapter 55 now! The second book is drawing to a close very rapidly!

Oh, and closet readers please reply!! It's really good to know there are people still reading this!

Cheers!

EDIT: Egad! Apologies for the triple post!!

[Gavin Luper]

Well, I can't wait any longer, so here we go! Last chapter is on the last page for those who haven't read it yet!

I can't decide if I like this chapter or not so I suppose I'll have to see how you guys react. I hope it's not too tedious with all the info that's coming out, but it was all VERY overdue. If anyone gets confused with all the history that's happening in this chapter, skimming Chapters 18, 20, 21, 22 or 44 might help with certain aspects.

Well, here it is - Chapter 54! :biggrin: Oh and closet readers, please reply! *puppy eyes*

Cheers!

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

Chapter 54 – The Professor’s Tale.


“ Lisa, I’m afraid I’m going to have to tell you something that perhaps you should have been told some time ago,” said Professor Oak. “ I have to tell you, though, I am not supposed to know about this – I found out quite by accident a few months ago. I might not be the most prepared person to tell you this, as I don’t really know you, but you must be informed this instant.”

“ What is it?” asked Lisa, breathless with apprehension. Gavin was silent.

“ The three Legendary Pokémon, Suicune, Raikou and Entei,” said Oak, “ have evoked some kind of ancient legend. I do not know the details of its origin or what it is for, but this legend has a certain power, a binding power, over the lives of those it pertains to. Lisa, the legend involves you.”

At that moment, something inside Lisa felt right for the first time ever. Emotion swept her exhaustion aside. It was indescribable, incomprehensible: the exhilaration, the beauty, the realness of it all. It felt like a key turning in its lock for the very first time; like a child taking her first step: this is what I am for, this is why I Am: this is Me.

Lisa felt as though she was glowing, giving off some kind of ethereal, beautiful light; for a fleeting second, she thought she would gladly have traded that moment when Oak told her about the legend for the rest of her life in its entirety up until then. For it was not simply the information that an ancient legend involved her that filled her with emotion – it meant that she was not crazy, or disturbed, or plagued or cursed. It meant that everything that had happened since October – the mystery, the deaths, the danger – the overall chaos of it all – was not a random event; it was not spiralling toward some kind of disaster. It was not something that she could have stopped. It was - it had all been - completely out of her control; as Oak had just said, the Legend had a power – a binding power – over her life.

“ This must be quite a shock,” said Oak, his voice pained. “ I understand if you need some time to take it all in.”

“ No – I’m – I’m quite fine,” said Lisa, trying not to sound too elated at the news Oak clearly thought would trouble her. “ Really … this is … kind of good to hear.”

“ It – it is?” Oak asked.

“ It is?” repeated Gavin softly.

“ I can’t describe it,” explained Lisa at once, “ Actually it’s kind of scary that I don’t find this scary, but I just don’t. It’s more … relieving … than anything, really.” She felt, rather than saw, their puzzled looks on her. “ Sorry, it doesn’t make any sense … maybe later I’ll freak out, but right now, I’m OK.” She slowed down and calmed herself. “ Professor Oak, if you could tell me more about this legend …?”

“ Of course,” said Oak, clearly bemused. “ Erm … well, this legend involved you specifically. I don’t know the details of it, but I think you are mentioned by name. And you are linked to the Legendary Dogs, who, as well as having enacted the legend, are also a part of it. But the most important thing I have to tell you is not about the legend – it is about what a group called the Union plan to do about it. You know about them?”

“ A bit …” said Lisa, her elation ebbing now. Less than twenty four hours ago she had been speaking about the same topic, the Union, with the mysterious man who had had her kidnapped from the Fairfax Inn.

“ Most people believe they are still called Team Rocket, but this is not true. I’ve discovered that Team Rocket was on the verge of collapse about two years ago. Their leader, Joseph Sterling, disappeared without a trace for several months. Team Rocket’s leadership structure eroded quickly and their activities decreased until eventually they virtually disappeared from the social focus. With the crime rate slashed, people began to – more or less – forget about the Rockets; in fact, many people still believe they have been permanently disbanded and no longer exist.”

“ But they haven’t,” interjected Gavin, a second before Lisa.

“ No, they haven’t,” agreed Oak. “ Though it looked like they would dissolve for a while there. But then, early last year, Joseph returned from his exile. He simply fronted at the Team Rocket Base on Cinnibar Island and demanded control of the Team again. The result? Instant mutiny – Rockets fought amongst themselves, and there were several murders. In the end, those agents still loyal to Sterling and what he stood for prevailed. But the Team was weak; certainly, membership had been reduced to about a thousand agents. Sterling announced a bold plan: Team Rocket would be alloyed with various smaller underground agencies – including the Kanto Arms Movement and a Johto Biker Gang, among several others. The new organisation was called the Union.”

“ How long ago was this?” Lisa asked; it surprised her that Oak had such detailed information; indeed, his knowledge of the formation of the Union was far more in-depth than Lisa’s mystery informant had been the previous night. Even though some of Oak’s information clashed with what Lisa had been told last night, she had a feeling she could rely on Oak a lot more than her unnamed helper.

“ From what I’ve learned, about April last year,” said Oak. He paused, and Lisa became aware of the stubborn silence still present, both inside the cave and in the forest outside. There was still no sign of any attacking Union agents, nor was there any indication of someone else arriving to pick them up.

“ Anyhow,” continued Oak, “ the Union was formed, strengthening the power Sterling had at his command. He ordered a mass recruitment program, which, surprisingly, worked quite well; rogue pokémon trainers, bikers, hikers, scientists, general members of society all became new members. The ranks of the Union swelled substantially in just a few months.

“ While all this was happening, Joseph ordered Union agents going on possibly public missions to don the traditional Team Rocket uniform, in order to dupe the authorities into believing the Rockets had returned but were only a minor threat. The cover has apparently worked. The media still have not mentioned the Union.”

“ Not yet, they haven’t,” said Lisa, “ but tonight, the Union weren’t wearing the old Rocket uniforms at all. They were just in regular dark clothes.”

“ I’ll get to that later,” said Oak.

“ What kind of missions were they going on?” Gavin asked swiftly.

“ My next point,” said Oak, his voice becoming suddenly gravelly; he cleared it and continued. “ Their missions were mainly to gain profit – stealing pokémon to sell on the black market was their most common objective – at least, at that stage. Sterling needed the funds to orchestrate his primary goal, the prospect of which is apparently what brought him out of exile.”

Professor Oak sighed heavily. “ This is where the Union’s activities begin to become intertwined with the Legend, and therefore, with you, Lisa. I apologise if my knowledge of the details is a bit sketchy.”

“ That’s OK,” said Lisa. She was tempted to ask just how Oak had ‘accidentally’ stumbled upon so much information, but she had a feeling that he was coming to that.

“ Joseph Sterling,” said Professor Oak, “ must have heard of the Legend. I do not know how he came across it, but once he reformed Team Rocket he immediately set about fulfilling the Legend. Now, I know very little about the contents of this strange Legend, but one thing I do know is that it relates to a series of objects, or items … something, I’m not really sure. Sterling set about finding these objects at once.”

“ Are these objects keys?”

Lisa blurted it out without thinking; Derek had mentioned something about a Second Key earlier that night. But it was more than that; she had still not forgotten the strange dream she had had last night; it was still fresh in her mind, the way in which a strange golden key had emerged from the Rosewood Box, following her around her dream.

“ Keys?” said Oak. “ I don’t know about that … to be honest, I don’t have a clue what these objects are.” He hesitated. “ What made you ask about keys?”

“ Oh – I’m sure I heard a Union agent mention something about it once,” Lisa covered in what she hoped was a fairly unassuming voice.

“ I see,” murmured Oak. “ Well, I don’t know if the objects are keys or not, but it appears that the Union has been searching fervently for them. The organisation’s activities since May last year are very interesting indeed. Agents have emerged in several remote locations across the continent – the Whirl Islands, Jukidos Falls in Tokor, the Seafoam Islands, the Redwood Caves, Mount Moon … and now here … the list goes on. It seems that the Union is searching for the objects mentioned in the Legend …”

“ I don’t get it,” interrupted Gavin, quite loudly, “ Searching for objects? What does that have to do with Lisa and the Legendary Pokémon?”

Oak heaved a tense sigh. “ Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea. That is more or less all that I know about this. Like you, I can see no logical connection between a series of material items and the Legendary Pokémon. I can only guess at what the connection might be. All I do know is that –” (And here Lisa noted a definite falter in his voice), “ that the Legend involves you, Lisa, and there are those out there – namely, the Union – who want to find you, as they believe you are somehow necessary for them to make sense of the Legend.”

“ The Legendaries have been following me, too,” Lisa added.

“ That does not surprise me,” replied Oak, his voice wavering again. “ They can be quite vindictive, I believe …” He trailed off.

A brief silence reigned for a second or two; Lisa strained her ears for the sounds of some kind of scuffle outside the cave, but still there was nothing; no sign of danger, no sign of help. She wished she had asked Derek more questions when she had the chance, like how long they would need to stay hidden in the cave, but it was useless wishing for it now. All they could do was hope that Derek was genuine, obey his orders and wait to see what was going to happen.

“ So,” Oak said, breaking the silence, “ You know now why I wanted to find you, but why was it that you were looking for me?”

Gavin yawned loudly. “ You go, Lisa, I’m too tired to tell the story.”

Lisa didn’t mind obliging; the news about the Legend had stimulated her too much for her too be sleepy anymore; she launched into the explanation of their pursuit of Oak; how they had thought that his second disappearance might have something to do with the Legendaries, as his first disappearance had, and as such they had travelled as fast as possible to Dervine – stumbling upon Raikou, Lunanine, Marina and the Union twice (Lisa didn’t mention the appearance of her mystery informant) – hoping to find out what link – if any – the Professor had with the Legendaries.

“ And it turns out I was right, doesn’t it?” said Lisa, finishing up her story; beside her, Gavin grunted in his sleep. “ Because you did have something to do with the Legendaries …” She trailed off. “ But now that we’ve found you and you’ve told us all this … can I ask you something?”

“ Yes?” said Oak reluctantly.

“ I was wondering how all this happened to you. I mean, you disappeared twice and suddenly you have all this information. How did you come to find out all this? Why did you disappear?”

Oak gave a sigh, weighed down by the stresses of his many years. “ Well, it is a long story …” He fell silent. “ But it seems that there is still nobody coming to fetch us, so I have enough time to tell you.

“ It all began, really, in November last year. I had just received a communication from my acquaintance Professor Westwood, who is based on Red Rock Island. He sent me a new pokédex entry on a previously unknown pokémon; he said he had compiled it with the help of a civilian, and they had reason to believe that the pokémon, which they called ‘Lunanine’, may in fact be a Legendary pokémon.”

“ Um – that was me,” interjected Lisa. She hadn’t known how else to say it.

“ What do you mean?” questioned Oak.

“ I was the civilian who helped him make the pokédex entry,” she said. “ Gavin and I were in the Whirl Islands in November, we had just been competing in the Whirlpool Cup Tournament. The day after the final I got a call from Professor Westwood, who asked me to help him make an entry on the Black Beast, as me and Gavin had sighted him once in the Radio Tower.”

“ You – what?!”

It took ten minutes for Lisa to fully explain that she and Gavin had actually been the two survivors of the Radio Tower Collapse in October; Oak seemed very concerned about this but said little.

“ I see,” he said eventually, “ So, after you completed this pokédex entry, you added that you thought it might be a legendary?”

“ I’ve always been sure,” said Lisa, “ but in the file Westwood gave me on the Black Beast, there were notes that suggested it was a legendary beast, similar in some ways to Suicune, Raikou and Entei. That kind of confirmed it for me, so I wrote in its description that it was a legendary pokémon.”

“ Right,” said Oak, “ well, Westwood sent me the entry for my personal assessment. While I agreed with your description, more or less, a couple of things concerned me. Firstly, it was the fact that you had given the creature a name; while it would seem to be acceptable to do so in the Black Beast’s case, pokémon are usually named by themselves … their speech will usually indicate their name. Occasionally, some pokémon that are simply forced to accept a new name, a new identity, can become extremely angered by this. So I thought it would be wise not to call the beast ‘Lunanine’ in case it resented humans trying to ‘control it’, so to speak.

“ Moreover, the fact that you were referring to the Black Beast as a legendary and were attempting to make it official disturbed me. This could become very explosive information, you see. People, especially fanatics such as Team Rocket (or the Union, as I later discovered) become obsessed with legendary pokémon. They think they have certain magical powers, more so than regular pokémon, so labelling the Black Beast as a Legendary could be a very dangerous move indeed. Of course, it seemed at that stage that Team Rocket was a very minor threat, but nonetheless, I did not approve of the pokédex entry.”

“ I’m sorry,” said Lisa, crestfallen. “ It was a pretty spontaneous thing – Westwood kind of made me do the entry overnight. I didn’t think any of it would be that bad.”

“ No, no, I’m not having a go at you, Lisa,” said Oak. “ You couldn’t’ve had any idea that what you were writing could have such wide repercussions. Nor, apparently, did Professor Westwood.

“ I didn’t want to take any chances on this, so I decided to do a bit of field research myself. I took the first available train to Goldenrod City and headed for the site of the fallen Radio Tower. I don’t know if you’ve been in Goldenrod since October, but at that time, the site was still a mess. The authorities had done their assessments and police had done all the necessary forensic work, but there was still a lot of rubble left at the site. I knew it was believed that the Black Beast had been present at the site of the disaster, so I began to have a bit of a poke around the site.” Oak sighed. “ It turned out to be a bit of a mistake. You see, I had accidentally ignored the signs all over the place that said, ‘Danger! Do not enter!’ As I negotiated my way through the remains of the Radio Tower, I stepped on a very old piece of timber, which broke as soon as I put all my weight on it. I fell through, landing on several equally weak pieces of timber on the way down, so I eventually wound up in the concrete basement of the old Tower, quite a long way from ground level and any possible help.

“ I called out for help for some time, but nobody heard, as it was twilight and most people had headed home for the evening. I think I was quite injured, for I slipped out of consciousness.

“ When I awoke, it was night. I freed myself from the rubble and began to search once again for some way out of the basement, but again I found no escape. I was ready to give up when I heard a sudden noise coming from above. I looked up and I saw – well – the last thing I expected. The three well-known legendary dogs, Suicune, Raikou and Entei, were bounding down from the ground level above, bouncing lightly off the debris to reach the basement.

“ Of course, I was absolutely stunned – three legendary pokémon had appeared before me just like that! In my desperate state, my first thought was that they had come to help me, however I quickly came to my senses and hid behind some rubble. I am very lucky I did so before the Legendary Beasts reached the ground; if I hadn’t, I would not be able to tell you everything I just did.

“ It is very fortunate that the legendaries did not see me, for once I had hidden myself, they arrived and immediately launched into a very heated discussion. It was amazing, Lisa; they did not speak in pokémon language, but through mental telepathy, yet I could hear what they were saying clear as anything – they were speaking in English! As you can imagine, it was a struggle for me not to jot this amazing fact in my notebook – while it has been rumoured for centuries that Legendary pokémon can communicate with humans, this was the first I had ever seen of it. If I were to attest to the claim that Legendary pokémon could communicate with humans, this could lend massive credibility to the age-old rumours.” He wavered suddenly. “ Oh … I suppose you would have witnessed this many times, then, Lisa … I gather you have seen the Legendaries on various occasions.”

“ I have, yeah,” said Lisa.

“ Very well,” said Oak, crestfallen. “ As it was, I did not get around to writing all this in my notebook, simply because I suddenly became aware of what the Legendaries were talking about. They first began by discussing a trip, a journey that they were about to go on. Then they were discussing something they had only recently discovered – that Team Rocket had re-emerged as an organisation called the Union. They discussed the formation of the Union, something they had only just discovered, and the Union’s activities at length. They mentioned something large-scale, something massive, that the Union was planning. And they mentioned the Black Beast – yes, they were very, very concerned about something to do with the Black Beast. And they spoke about an ancient Legend they were involved in, they said that an outcome of the Legend could be catastrophic; yes, they said something about thousands of human and pokémon deaths … and they mentioned your name, Lisa, among others, but you seemed to be the topic of discussion of the moment – apparently the Union was chasing after you, they had someone on your tail …”

“ Lucas,” Lisa broke in. Oak seemed puzzled. “ There was a man who saw me at the Radio Tower the day it collapsed, he seemed pretty shady. He ended up following me around on my journey for weeks, trying to find me for some reason. When he eventually found me he tried to finish me off, but – uh – the police arrived just in time. He was killed at the scene.”

“ Goodness,” said Oak. “ Well, there you go. The Legendaries were particularly concerned about you and rightly so, it seems. Raikou, the beast of thunder, made reference to the Legend then and that is how I learned you were a part of it. They were about to speak about several others involved in the Legend, but before they did, Entei, the fire beast, sensed my presence. He used an Ember attack to destroy the desks I was hiding behind. I thought I was dead then, but no; the Legendaries, particularly Entei, were furious; they thought I was a Union spy. They demanded I tell them whom I was working for, but I assured them I was there purely by accident. They asked what I had heard and I divulged everything. When they realised I knew they had been talking of the Black Beast, I told them why I was there; I explained about the pokédex entry, about the new name, ‘Lunanine’. For some reason they seemed impressed by the name, but nonetheless, Raikou and Suicune remained suspicious; Entei remained furious. He surely would have killed me there and then if it had not been for the other two, who, might I add, are rather a lot more compassionate than Entei,” Oak said emphatically.

“ Instead, they decided to attack me,” said Oak calmly; Lisa gasped. “ Not attack to destroy, no; you see, Legendary pokémon have attacks and techniques that I can only dream of witnessing. Raikou paralyzed me with a Disable attack, which was surprising, as Disables are not supposed to cause paralysis. Suicune then explained to me that they were going to occlude my mind, prevent me from remembering anything I had just learned about the Union, the Legend, the Black Beast, or you. He sent a beam of rainbow light at me. The next thing I knew, I was … I can only describe it as floating, for that is how it felt. Then Entei said he was going to send me back to my hotel room in Goldenrod, and the next thing I knew, there I was.”

Lisa blinked. “ So they didn’t really harm you, then,” she said, trying not to rush her thinking; everything that had happened last December was beginning to making sense now.

“ Not at that stage,” admitted Oak, sighing heavily, “ but there was more to come. You see, when I awoke in the middle of nowhere – well, actually, in the forest a few kilometres from a small village – it was an entire day later. There were several anxious messages left on my phone from Delia Ketchum, an old friend of mine from Pallet Town who had been with my pet Slowking and I in Goldenrod, as well as a message from my assistant and from Westwood. I intended to answer these at once, but my thirst and hunger where overwhelming. I stumbled several kilometres into the tiny village – I think it was called Emerald Plains – to get some food and water, still quite dazed from what I had been through. Yet, despite being quite badly injured from my fall, I was otherwise in good health.

“ When I reached the corner store in the village, however, my eyes fell on a cluster of posters, proclaiming the news headline for the day – ‘New Pokémon Discovered: Lunanine the Legendary’. It seemed that Professor Westwood had taken my silence for approval and had submitted the new pokédex entry to the Pokémon Symposium in my absence.” Oak paused pointedly, and when he spoke again, it was not in a storytelling voice but in his own weak, gravelly voice. “ I can’t really explain how or what happened to me when I saw that headline, Lisa,” he said, “ but I suppose I went a little bit … strange. I don’t know. But I suddenly remembered everything that Suicune had told me I would be unable to. I recalled the Legend and the Union and the Black Beast. I realised that I urgently needed to tell someone – to tell you, Lisa, warn you, and any others – about the danger you were in!

“ I got some water from the store and then left Emerald Plains at once. I was desperate to find you. I was running through the forest for Ecruteak; as I ran, I could attain odd glimpses of the Tin Tower. Though I knew it could be seen from many, many kilometres away, as it is on a mountainside, I could at least be sure of my direction. I travelled for an entire day, still in a kind of trance that I cannot really understand; I suppose it was a side effect of the memory-block Suicune used on me. In any case, I never did get very far …”

Lisa had been silent for a long time. She had realised where the story was leading.

“ It was the night of the seventh of December,” recounted Oak. “ Ecruteak was within sight; I was becoming hopeful that I would make it to you in time, but it was not meant to be. The Legendaries must have become suspicious of me, dazed though I was. Entei and Raikou cornered me that evening. Raikou nourished me briefly, but Entei was in no mood for mercy. He said they would have to ‘take me’ – whatever he meant by that. But Raikou defended me. I am eternally grateful to that beast for what he did. He stalled Entei long enough for me to escape and I wasted no time in fleeing. However,” his voice took on a dark tone, “ I only made it a few metres, over the crest of a small hill. There I stumbled into – well – Anna.”

Lisa had known it would happen when he mentioned Anna’s name. She could speak about Anna herself perfectly fine, she could even recall the entire night without breaking down, but there was something about hearing other people, different people, say Anna’s name – like they had at her funeral – that caused the tears to flow.

“ Were you close?” asked Oak empathetically.

“ No,” Lisa muttered through clenched teeth; she could already feel her face flushing with embarrassment. “ We were only newly friends, we only really got to know each other for a couple of days during the Whirlpool Cup. It’s just that it was so terrible to see her die, especially the way she did. Killed by Entei right in front of us all – and she didn’t even have anything to do with it. I saw her father’s face at the funeral … it really broke your heart …”

Oak didn’t speak.

“ Sorry,” Lisa said after a second, feeling utterly ridiculous. “ I’ll get over it eventually, really … I’m fine now. Keep going.”

“ Very well then,” said Oak rigidly, clearly disturbed by Lisa’s outburst. “ Erm … well you know what happened that night by the tree, in any case. After I was rescued from there, I awoke days later in the intensive care unit of Lakey Heights Hospital in Ecruteak. The police interviewed me that same day, however, I was unable to answer any of their questions satisfactorily. The doctors later diagnosed me with post-traumatic shock disorder and partial amnesia; I quite literally had no memory of anything that had happened since I first went to the Radio Tower. How I wound up in the Ecruteak Forest remained a complete mystery that even I could not answer, at least not at that stage.”

“ We wanted to talk to you, too,” explained Lisa, as Gavin gave a single snore. “ Me and Gavin that is. We thought it was bizarre that you had simply been there in the middle of the forest. But when we went to the ward you were in the doctors said you were still unconscious, so we never followed it up.”

“ Well, it wouldn’t have done you any good to follow it up until a week or so ago,” Oak said. “ My so-called partial amnesia persisted; my memory of the events that had taken place did not return, even after I had recovered. The doctors didn’t see it as anything to worry about. I was discharged in January and returned to my assistants and friends in Pallet Town.

“ It was then that I learned of Professor Westwood’s disappearance; he must have submitted the pokédex entry on Lunanine and then almost immediately disappeared. I was of course concerned, but I did not recall my fears about Lunanine even then; as such, I did not consider that the Union, or even the Legendaries, could have played a part in his disappearance.”

Lisa recalled Gavin telling her on the night he met her in Port Valeo about how Westwood was in fact currently captive in the Union’s prison on Silver Rock Island, however, she could not think of a quick way to explain how she knew this without involving Gavin, so she kept her silence.

Oak continued: “ I returned to my research projects in Pallet. However, there were side effects of the shock disorder that I had not anticipated – I was somewhat slower in my research. My papers were becoming less coherent, to the point where they were not meeting Symposium standards. In February, the Symposium placed my status as a top-level researcher under review, relegating me to a low grade Mudkip study in Dervine with associate professor Rachel Hudson. I had no choice in the matter; I had to do what the Symposium ordered me to do, or risk losing my research capacities altogether. I travelled at once to Dervine and began investigating my new (and may I say, dull) subject.

“ It was two weeks into the Dervine project when something rather unfortunate happened – or fortunate, as the case may be. I was alone late one night, investigating the Mudkip’s activities under a new moon, when all of a sudden I was ambushed by three men who appeared quite out of nowhere. I didn’t even get a look at them before they knocked me out.

“ When I awoke,” Oak sighed very laboriously, “ I was in a large cave. The memories all rushed back once again. I can only think that it was the blow to the head that caused it all to return; no other theory I can produce makes any sense. So, for the second time in my life, I awoke with a flood of returning memories. I knew that I needed to find you, Lisa, even more urgently than I had last time, for the Union’s plans must surely have advanced considerably in the two months since I last knew about them. I enlisted the help of some very friendly Diglett, who dug me out of the cave. I immediately set about escaping, but the Union agents were hidden throughout the forest – which must have been somewhere between Dervine, Olivine and Ecruteak. I was caught again within a few hours and placed in another, smaller cave, which had walls of thick, impenetrable rock.

“ They kept me in that cave for nearly a week,” said Oak, a brittleness in his voice coming to the fore. “ It was terrible … However,” he said, with a pointed effort to be strong, “ Today, I finally escaped by playing dead – a technique I have seen many a pokémon employ – which, fortunately, worked to my favour. I freed myself from the Union and, despite being weak, I ran as fast as I possibly could.”

He sighed, clearly exhausted from sharing his story. “ And that, ultimately, is how I came to know about the Union, the Legend and the Legendaries, and how I came to be searching for you, Lisa,” he concluded. “ I ran all day today until I reached this mountain a few hours ago. A woman met me at the foot of the mountain, recognised me at once, and led me to this cave after I explained I was in danger from the Union. She said she knew about the Union. She told me I would be safe in this cave; she said someone is going to pick me up once the fighting is over.”

Lisa jerked from her state of semi-stupor; she had been listening intently to the Professor’s tale, but exhaustion and weariness were beginning to creep up on her. “ What fighting?” she asked.

“ You didn’t see it?” Oak said mildly. “ I don’t know exactly what is happening, but there was a massive battle ensuing as I was led up the mountain to this cave. Not just a pokémon battle, either,” he added, sounding concerned. “ They were using guns and other weapons, too …” He trailed off, clearly tired of talking.

Sounds like the Union all right, thought Lisa, yawning. She briefly wondered who they were fighting: it could be the police, but from the sounds of it there was a great deal of anti-Union activity going on, what with Derek and the woman who had assisted Oak, and Lisa’s mystery informant from the previous night. Was there something more that Lisa didn’t know?

She allowed the myriad questions to fill her mind as, for the second time that night, sleep closed in around her.

[mr_pikachu]

Hm! So that's what's going on - well, sort of. As you said, we certainly did not get the complete picture; the "legend" that Prof. Oak mentioned is still completely unexplained. I'd be willing to bet that Lisa's dream was somehow accurate, though it's difficult to say in what way. Still, this was certainly a lot of information. But with every question you answered, another has been asked...

Despite this chapter being little more than dialogue, it was still quite good. The explanation Oak offered seems fairly valid, at least, and the mysteries inherent within it give us yet another reason to look forward to the next update. And the massive battle? I shudder to think how that could turn out. Also, you made the lengthy explanation more interesting by adding bits about Gavin's sleep and Lisa's emotions. Remarkably, I understand Lisa's emotions quite well; to me, at least, it wasn't very confusing. Good work here.

However, some parts of your style seemed weaker than your normal work. There are two examples in particular that I'd like to bring up. I hope you don't mind their extreme length.


Lisa felt as though she was glowing, giving off some kind of ethereal, beautiful light; for a fleeting second, she thought she would gladly have traded that moment when Oak told her about the legend for the rest of her life in its entirety up until then. For it was not simply the information that an ancient legend involved her that filled her with emotion – it meant that she was not crazy, or disturbed, or plagued or cursed. It meant that everything that had happened since October – the mystery, the deaths, the danger – the overall chaos of it all – was not a random event; it was not spiralling toward some kind of disaster. It was not something that she could have stopped. It was - it had all been - completely out of her control; as Oak had just said, the Legend had a power – a binding power – over her life.

“ This must be quite a shock,” said Oak, his voice pained. “ I understand if you need some time to take it all in.”

“ No – I’m – I’m quite fine,” said Lisa, trying not to sound too elated at the news Oak clearly thought would trouble her. “ Really … this is … kind of good to hear.”

“ It – it is?” Oak asked.

So… many… dashes! Other punctuation marks could be used just as properly in these cases, and it would really help the redundancy issue.


Lisa didn’t mind obliging; the news about the Legend had stimulated her too much for her too be sleepy anymore; she launched into the explanation of their pursuit of Oak; how they had thought that his second disappearance might have something to do with the Legendaries, as his first disappearance had, and as such they had travelled as fast as possible to Dervine – stumbling upon Raikou, Lunanine, Marina and the Union twice (Lisa didn’t mention the appearance of her mystery informant) – hoping to find out what link – if any – the Professor had with the Legendaries.

This is a very long sentence, with lots and lots of semicolons. It might be good to break it up a little.


Still, though, this was quite good for a chapter that was meant to do little more than reveal information. You're as good as ever at throwing tension into the mix, and the bits of Gavin's sleep behavior worked quite well. I thought it wasn't quite as good as some of your earlier chapters, but as we all know, you set the bar high. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next chapter. Will they be rescued? Or is their capture imminent? We can only wait and see...

[Gavin Luper]

mr_pikachu: That was a quick reply! Thanks, as always. Yeah, I agree with most of what you said, but this was always going to be a difficult chapter for me to write. I knew there were heaps of grammatical problems with this, but I'm actually glad it came off as well as it did. Last time I tried to divulge heaps of information in a chapter, it completely didn't work and I had to rewrite crappily (I'm talking about chapter 50 which was called "Full Disclosure" but, by the time I rewrote it, it disclosed very little at all). But this time around everything worked remarkably well and I'm glad that it's all out in the open now. This chapter certainly served to make sense of a lot of hints that have been dropped and finally I got to explain Oak's presence (and disappearances) in the story.

I'm really happy you understand Lisa's emotions so well; I was really afraid that two things in the chapter would backfire: her reaction to the Legend and her reaction to the mention of Anna. But apparently it all worked. With the Legend, you see, that's how she felt - she finally understood that she had some kind of higher purpose, something she couldn't control.

All in all, I'm glad you still liked this chapter. Apart from finally revealing Lisa's involvement with the Legend (which hopefully was more or less tacitly understood by most readers by now anyway), it really was just a way of delivering a whole heap of info to the readers and tying things together that have been left loose since the beginning of this book. Like I said, there's very little action in this chapter due to the dialogue and explanations; that's in stark contrast to Chapter 55. *hint hint*

Cheers!

[ZeldaFan20]

A new chapter! Yay! I was very impressed by how it turned out, and I'm glad Prof. Oak is alright. Still, I wonder what will happen when they meet Lace... that is, if they do in the next one. Good thing I managed to get caught up, otherwise I'd be very confused.

Nice writing, keep it up!

[Gavin Luper]

Zeldafan: Yay! I was hoping you wouldn't be left too far behind, I was really worried that nobody would be able to catch up if I skipped too far ahead. Glad that you liked the new chapters and how they turned out. Will they meet Lance? Ah ... stay tuned! Thanks very much for reading again, it's great to have such loyal readers!

Everyone: Well, I go back to school tomorrow, for three weeks of study, followed by graduation, then study week, then two weeks of TEE (Tertiary Entrance Exams). As such, I'm going to be pretty much dead for awhile as far as TPM goes. I'm not saying I'll be completely AWOL, but I sincerely doubt the next chapter of LTL will be any time soon. A complete recovery in activity should happen in late November, after exams are over. As it is, I'm thrilled I got two chapters done during the holidays. :biggrin:

Anyhow, I just want to thank everyone for supporting Lisa the Legend thus far, and I hope you are all still looking forward to the next installment, whenever I get it done! For those who haven't read the new chapters yet, go ahead and read, and please reply when you've read them, it's really great to know people are still reading this and enjoying it.

Well, thanks again everyone. Wish me luck!

Cheers!

- Gavin.

[Gavin Luper]

Hi everyone!

Just making a random reply to keep LTL alive while I'm gone ... I've done only a little bit of chapter 55, and to be honest I don't think it works so it may be back to the drawing board for the next chapter. The good thing about this chapter is I know what's going to happen, unlike the last couple, where things have kind of happened spontaneously and I just followed them along.

Anyway, I noticed only two people have read Chapter 54 ... read and reply, everyone, please! Otherwise I think nobody's reading anymore ...

*crickets*

In other news, my exams begin in a week. So this might be my last post for some time. Have fun reading everyone, me and Lisa will be back soon!

Cheers!

[The_Missing_Link]

Unless it takes you a year to get to 55, I doubt people will stop reading. Even I'm still chugging along and I sometimes forget what has happened so far. Maybe you should do a little synopsis in the meantime if you're having trouble writing

[Gavin Luper]

T_M_L: Hmmm ... good point I spose. It won't take me a year ... more like a month or two, I'd say. Once I get the time I might do a synopsis for everyone who've been left behind a bit, to help them catch up with everything ... "The story so far..." ... good idea, actually. Thanks for replying. Btw, what chapter are you up to now? Just out of curiosity.

I'm only posting cause I'm on a study break and I'm happy (I got 89% on a past Maths Exam, timing myself properly and everything ... and that's really good for me ... so I'm chuffed).

Cheers!

[The_Missing_Link]

I've been with you since the beginning but since some chapters were so few and far inbetween and they're actually long chapters, I haven't made the effort to go back and reread the whole story. I guess you can say it's laziness :D

[Karania]

Holy mackeral! That was good! I've been really busy lately, so please accept my apologizes. That and I lost the link to the site. Thank the stars for Google, I found the link! The story seems to be getting more intense by the chapter, and I'm glad to see that. It's a nice surprise to find two new chapters when I finally dragged my sorry self back over here to check it out. Hope to see you continue, see you around.

[Gavin Luper]

T_M_L: I remember, you were one of my earliest readers ... well, as long as you are plodding away somewhere, that's good enough for me!

Karania: There you are! I knew you'd return eventually! I'm glad you liked the chapters, and yes, the intensity is building as we approach the climax of this book. Thanks for reading, as always.

I just have one question for everyone - and it sounds stupid to ask - but is this still good? I mean, is everyone still enjoying reading LtL these days? Make no mistakes about it, I'm not quitting or anything ... just wondering if it's still enjoyable to read or if it has become lacklustre of late ...? Like I said, a dumb and pretty pathetic question, but I really am doubting some of the latest chapters, especially after reading some of my better ones back in this fic's heyday.



I'll stop now. Just wanted to get some feedback on the quality of this - if it's still got the fun, the magic, that I think it used to have more than it does now ...

In other news, did my Applicable Maths final exam today and it went really well (I hope). Now to study for History ...

It's odd, but I seem to post more during my actual exam weeks than I do in the lead-up to them ^^

Cheers!

- Gavin.

[mr_pikachu]

Heh, you know, that's actually an interesting question to ask. First, let me say that this is clearly as good as your earlier chapters, if not far better. It's obvious that you have vastly developed as a writer, and it's truly excellent to see the progression of this fic. To me, it is every bit as enjoyable now as it was when we first entered the extraordinary world of Lisa.

About this fic having the same "magic" as it did back then... Well, to be perfectly honest, retaining that through the duration would be extraordinarily difficult at best. (Wait, wait, I have a good explanation for this, believe me! Don't beat me yet! I bruise easily!) Twenty or thirty chapters ago, many things in this fanfic were very, very mysterious. We didn't know who was behind anything, what purpose anyone in the shadows had, or frankly why anyone other than Lisa did anything. What we had was a young girl travelling about, lost in the mist of uncertainty while various events and confrontations - many of which were unexplained - rampaged about her.

But, as is inevitable with writing, mysteries must eventually be explained. Now we know something of Team Rocket (or, rather, of the Union, as we now know it to be). We know a bit more about Lunanine's motives. We know what happened to Professor Oak. And we even have a bit of an idea about what may well be the final mystery of LTL, in that it involves Lisa as well as mystical keys. So you see, many mysteries have been revealed.

And because we now have answers to many of the questions which initially puzzled us, the fic has lost some of the mysteriousness behind it. We no longer have the puzzlement over those things, which now appear almost basic, to keep us going. The wonders of the magician can, to our astonishment, be logically explained. But you know what? We still want to read this fic. Why? Maybe it's because of the overall plotline, which we are still fascinated over. Maybe it's because of the intriguing and diverse characters, whose actions and plights have captured our attention from the first chapter. Or maybe it's owed to the superb writing style, which allows even the most mundane events or speech to be conveyed expertly and entertainingly. But whatever the reason, we're still reading, and we don't want to stop.

And on another note, I post quite a bit more when I shouldn't, as well. I should be studying in-depth for a midterm exam, which is technically tomorrow (as it is currently four in the morning where I live). But why study when you can procrastinate? Woo!

[Mew Trainer Rose]

Well, mr_pikachu said it so eloquently that there's not much for me to improve upon. But yes, your fic is just as intriguing as ever, because we still want to see how the plot will unfold. Your writing style is indeed excelent, as well.