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

[Gavin Luper]

Oz Andrew: Hey there!

So many people read really really fast it's virtually impossible! Also, it almost makes it feel like a hours and hours of work for like 30 seconds of a nother person reading it. Lol ... it's alright, I'm jk.

This revised version was more realistic and even I can tell the massive improvement from the last version. Before, they were like "Hm, Anna died, oh well, oooh look let's go eat grapes." This is better. The whole situation will be more realistic than even the Radio Tower tragedy (which was quite poorly executed).

Lol ... no freaky ghost stuff in this story.

Entei ... we'll see. Raikou is on Suicune's side of the argument of course, that chapter would have proven that, but he will be seen more also. Anna was petrified, I know you wanted her to run over and kick Entei's shins but she was up in a burning tree, I mean, come on what chance did she have?

More coming soon!

Cheers!

[pokemasterfrank]

Chilling...the death of a close friend...how will Lisa cope with it...especially with Entei on her tail (if I read it right...)

[Snakes N' Legends]

I never knew a pokemon could kill. That makes Entei look really evil. I hope that Entei is not going to be the true villian of this book.

[SuperSonicMewtwo]

I never really liked those other trainers anyway... Only Lisa and Gavin.
Still, none the less, sad, but not much, really. Like I haven't read a fanfic where an important character dies... *remembers reading The Greater Evil*
I didn't completely understand the Gavin thing, though. Why does everything shoot from his head? Maybe mouth, or eyes, but you keep doing like his forhead or something. So weird...
Well, how about some more, HAPPY chapters?

[Mew Trainer Rose]

Wow, that was an intense chapter. Entie killing Anna was a big shock. I wonder why Gavin saved just Prof. Oak and not Anna too.
it was great that Gavin and Lisa and all the pokemon were able to stand up against him.
there was so much suspense! and there still is! and i can't wait to see what's next!

[Gavin Luper]

Pokemasterfrank: Yes, scary indeed. Chilling. This time around, Lisa and Gavin will both be affected differently, and Entei will be seen again soon, as will the others.

TM: Ah, of course pokemon can kill. Only very strong ones, mind. You don't see caterpies killing fully-grown humans. Entei isn't exactly the main villain in this book ... kinda, but not exactly. You'll have to read on to see what I mean.

SSM: I couldn't have cared less last time around but this time it was harder to kill her. Also, Psychic energy comes from the mind, and the soul. Coming from the eyes would be weird. FREAKY.

KINDA happy chapters soon... next chapter is a short one.

MTR: Intense indeed. I didn't see it coming myself at first. I actually can't remember why I added it in there, but this time it has some meaning. It's hard for me to explain, but basically Gavin can't really control when he has bursts of Psychic energy, he can only sometimes harness them.

Ah, suspense! a great thing to have in a story.

[Last Exile]

Now that was intense! Anna's death came as a real shock. From the first half of that chapter I already felt Entei was a scumbag but by the end I felt like killing Entei myself. Just because it's a damn legendary doesn't make it the judge of who's to live and die and how the future must proceed. I feel for Lisa. Such a decent person who's now been drowned in horiffic loss. Hopefully she and Gavin will whoop Entei's sorry carcass eight ways from Sunday! Nice return, mate!

[Karania]

Keep it up. I can hardly wait to see what the next chapter is and where the story goes from here.

[100FangCroconaw]

Can't wait for the new chappies, and btw, I was reading your fics before I was a member.

[Master Kirby]

Wow! You were right when you said that the second book was where the story really begins. Entei sure is evil. No care for Human life.

It looks like Gavin is getting better at controlling his powers. Mabey he should get some pointers from an Alakazam. That sure was some ending. It sounds like Entei got away just in time. That was a lot of attacks at once.

[M1ND G4ME]

Man this fic is sweet! just read the whole thing its awesome and the part about anna dieing i can see it now gavins a psychic(actually not psychic telekinetic(spelling?) for what ive seen )so thatd be easy for anna to get back at entei (through gavin)but im sorry i think ahead at what can happen to much =/ oh well great fan fic cant wait to see the new chapters

[Gavin Luper]

Long time, no reply. Sorry everyone! Chapter 23 will be posted in a minute!

Ryan: Yeah, it's nice to see some action-packed chapters for a while. I love it when we get to the chapters after the whirlpool cup, they are so much more interesting (less pokemon realated, which is a good thing as I lost interest in Pokemon a LONG time ago). Anyhow, I feel like killing Entei but I just can't. I have my reasons, I'm sure you'll understand.

Ah, Lisa and Gavin will get their revenge. I think. If not ... then ... erm ...

Karania: Hi! New reader? If so, welcome to Lisa the Legend! That chapter ending wasn't a cliffhanger, but it stil makes you really want to read more. Hmmm ...

100FangCroconaw: Hi! Yeah, more coming soon, and thanks for reading my fics for so long!

Kirby: Yes, this is exactly what I meant. The next couple of chapters will be a bit of a break from all this, but then it will all return in full force. Entei is eeeevil indeed. But is he the overall evil in the story? Or are their two? Or three?

Gavin is getting a wee bit better at harnessing his powers but not at strengthening them. Entei was lucky. It wasn't knocked out even, just dazed. He quickly teleported away after stirring. I liked the ending too.

gamewizard007: Thanks! Anna's death was a bit uncalled for but I suppose that's how things happen sometimes in the real world, no? Lol you're thinking ahead a lot. But Gavin's psychic might have something to do with it!

Chapter 23 up now! Cheers!

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

Chapter 23 - Repercussions.


Lisa sat up very cautiously. She appeared to be in some kind of hospital ward; her bed was only crisp white bedsheets on a white mattress. Beeps sounded behind her, from some complicated looking equipment on the wall that was not connected to her. Her head was propped up on a mountain of pillows, and for a second she thought she was back in the Goldenrod Hospital after the Radio Tower Collapse. But when the door swung open, it wasn’t Doctor Roberts who walked through.

“ Doctor Parker,” a tall, red-haired woman in pale blue clothes greeted Lisa, striding over to her bed and checking small readout screens from the electronic equipment behind Lisa. Lisa turned her head slightly to see Gavin on the bed beside her, all the equipment linked to him. It seemed he had rebroken his arm.

“ What’s happened?” Lisa murmured, partly to herself and partly to Doctor Parker.

“ You and your friend were found a yesterday morning. There seemed to have been a fire …” Parker replied, finishing her checks and facing Lisa, who was feeling very befuddled. “ Well, you and your many friends. Yourself, your boy-friend. NOT boyfriend, I just mean your friend who is a boy,” she added, seeing Lisa’s annoyed facade. “ Then there was a whole collection of fainted pokemon, as well as the missing Professor Oak. Some charred bones were found near the tree …”

Images flashed through Lisa’s mind. The night sky, a broken down buggy … all three legendary dogs … the burning tree … Gavin, Gavin’s psychic beam …

“ Anna …” Lisa whispered sadly, looking down at her sheets and smoothing wrinkles out of them pointlessly. She felt like a hole had been ripped through her heart and left a gaping abyss of nothingness at the thought of her dead friend. She could feel tears burning just behind her eyes, but they would not surface. Lisa choked down a burning lump in her throat, and cleared her thoughts for a moment.

“ Doctor, were there legendary pokemon there?”

Parker shook her head. “ There were very large footprints there, in the wet mud near some grass, but no sign of any pokemon to have made them.”

“ What happened to Professor Oak?” Lisa asked anxiously, feeling as though her mind was far too full, and the burning lump in her throat had risen again. She was almost expecting Parker to say he had died, but her spirits were risen slightly by what the Doctor replied.

“ He is alive, only just,” Parker said in a very miserable voice. “ He is in intensive care.”

She began checking Gavin, who had a large cut across his cheek, and hair completely messed up, but apart from that and his right arm, Lisa couldn’t see any harm done to him. She also couldn’t for the life of her recall him obtaining the cut.

“ You really need to rest now.” Doctor Parker said firmly, now moving on to checking Gavin’s electronic equipment, and musing over his broken arm.

“ Are we alright? Is Gavin …” Lisa questioned rapidly, ignoring the doctor’s orders.

Parker sighed. “ You should both be fine. You’re very shocked, you’ve both been through an ordeal, I believe, the Police explained that you witnessed a very serious battle in which humans were involved and somebody was killed. I’m sure you can elaborate on that story when the police arrive for questioning tomorrow.”

“ Oh, OK.” Lisa muttered, sighing.

“ Go back to sleep now.” Parker said, now in a more stern voice. “ I’ll wake you up for dinner.”

“ What day is it?” Lisa asked, determined to keep awake and find out as much as she could.

Parker clicked her tongue impatiently. “ Sunday. Now go back to sleep.”

But Lisa still had one more question to ask before she closed her eyes and obediently drifted back off to sleep again. She simply had to get all the facts, or as many as she could from Doctor Parker, before she could relax.

“ Where are we?”

Doctor Parker strode across to Lisa’s bed, pulled her sheets up higher, fluffed up her pillow pile, and then flicked a switch on the wall, and all the lights were turned off. Then, standing by the door, ready to close it to blot out all the panicked noise from outside, she called in a softer voice to Lisa.

“ Lakey Heights Public Hospital,” she answered, and Lisa felt her stomach squirm. “ In Ecruteak.”

*

“ Really, I’m alright!” Lisa insisted, pushing Tom away from her bed. “ You don’t need to tell Mum and Dad!”

It was Monday, and Tom had arrived at the Hospital to visit Lisa and Gavin, along with Wes and Jean, who were as bratty as ever, and his girlfriend Miki. He said he heard about the Entei incident on the TV News, and had to make heaps of phone calls to find out which hospital they were in. Lisa and Gavin had been sorrowful in their stay in the hospital since the event. After the police questioning by Officer James and Jenny on Sunday, they realised how much Anna’s death had impacted upon them. Although their friendship with her had been limited, it was devastating to know somebody they knew had been killed so tragically and meaninglessly. Her funeral had been earlier that morning, and Lisa and Gavin had attended, Lisa sobbing despite her inner strength and Gavin looking very grave, wishing he could have prevented the disaster. It turned out Anna only had a father, and no other family still alive. Apparently they had all passed away in an accident a few years ago. Lisa had burst into tears when Anna’s coffin was buried, with only her bones and some ashes and dirt from the ground around the fateful tree. Saying it was a bad day was a tragic understatement.

But now Lisa and Gavin were trying to move on, to forget the tragedy. But the events and discussion amongst the legendaries still nagged at them.

Lisa’s brother Tom seemed petrified about the incident, and was threatening to tell the Walters; Lisa was thankful that Miki was there too. Miki had shoulder-length black hair, which was usually tied up in a neat bun for her dance classes, but today was in a ponytail with a round pokeball-clip holding it. She had large, water-like black eyes. Tom had been seeing her for over two years – since he was sixteen; he was now almost nineteen.

Anyhow, Miki calmed Tom down and he quickly sat down on the chair. Lisa felt warm gratitude to Miki; Lisa really liked her Brother’s girlfriend and they usually got along quite well.

Lisa had proceeded to retell the entire story, including everything occurring after Tom rang her back at the Moo Moo Farm, and had to put up with Tom questioning every other detail, and Gavin interrupting to correct her slightest mistakes. In the end, the whole story came out, and Lisa flopped down onto her hospital bed, exhausted. On an empty bed across the ward, she saw Wes and jean bouncing rapidly, and grinned.

“ So Gavin – you used a Psychic power again?” Tom asked Gavin, who had managed to hobble from his bed to the spare bed beside Lisa’s in the ward. He was currently lazing on the thin mattress, attempting to eat plump purple grapes with his toes. The events of the past few days seemed now to breeze over his head.

“ Yep,” Gavin replied, quite calmly compared to the time Lisa had asked him about the Psychic incident at the Radio Tower. He dropped a grape from his grubby toes, missing his mouth by twenty inches and dropping the grape onto the vinyl floor. “ I dunno what happened – it seemed like the obvious thing to do.”

Tom nodded thoughtfully, while Miki moved onto the armrest of Tom’s chair, and began conversing with Lisa. The normalcy did Lisa good.

“ How’ve you been, Lisa?” she asked, speaking to her for the first time since she and Tom of them burst into the ward and yelled out to her. “ I mean, last time I saw you was back in October; how’s Aipom?”

“ He’s … alright,” Lisa hesitated. “ He’s strong and everything, but he’s getting a bit fickle here and there.”

“ Luni does that sometimes,” Miki replied, as Tom pulled her down from the armrest and she plopped into his lap, hugging her while still talking fluently to Gavin (about Psychic powers, and about a seer who was said to live on Cianwood Island). Lisa noted what a perfect couple Tom and Miki made.

Miki sat back up, brushing hair from her face and pushing Tom away, grinning. “ She likes to use the wrong attack when I order a different one,” she continued, referring to her Umbreon, Luni. “ I always find that a long, exhausting dancing session is able to deter her.”

Lisa chuckled, and at that moment, Doctor Parker came swishing through the doorway.

“ Lisa, Gav – oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware you had company,” she muttered awkwardly. Then she ran a sweaty hand through her fringe and continued. “ We just had some news from the intensive care unit – it appears Professor Oak will live.” She paused for this to sink in.

Both Lisa and Gavin’s faces broke into grins, and they breathed heavy sighs of relief – or at least, Lisa did – she noticed Gavin had sat up on the bed and was desperately kicking the lone grape beneath it.

“ So he’s going to be perfectly fine again?” Lisa asked. “ Able to continue his profession?” Parker nodded, and Lisa breathed relief. “ Thank God – that’s great …”

“ Yes it is,” Parker replied crisply – she had noticed Gavin’s grape only a few inches beneath the bed, and frowned. “ And for some even more good news, both of you may return home today.”

This news had a very positive effect on Lisa, who was longing to return to her home and really talk with her family – she felt as though her weeks away from them, roaming the plains, seas and forests of Johto had really separated them, and she really wanted to become close again, and fill that gap. Gavin also grinned, not only did he want to return to his normal routine life, but also wanted to get away from Doctor Parker’s stern scrutiny – she was eyeing the grape beneath the bed as though it was an intruder.

“ Well, I’ll be seeing you later on,” Parker replied, turning from the room, her eyes flashing dangerously. “ Oh, and Gavin, clean up that grape or I’ll set the Jynxes onto you!”

She swished out, while Lisa giggled. The Jynxes were the Hospital Cleaners – she had heard from a plump night-shift nurse that they had been known to Kiss those patients who made a total mess in their wards. As Doctor Parker vacated, Gavin hastily slipped down off the bed and scooped the slightly squished grape up, and threw it into his bedside bin.

“ Well, let’s go,” Lisa began, heaving herself up from the bed. “ But after we leave here, we have to visit the Pokemon Centre to get our Poke’s back.”

Wesley moaned. “ The TV Battle starts in half an hour – I’m gonna miss iiiit!!”

[M1ND G4ME]

hey great chapter!!!
for a filler

but let me guess Fake Gavin?
i meen thats what it looks like to me of course i always think something like that gonna happen
*has an over active imagination huh*?

~GW7~
Call Me Hunter

[Gavin Luper]

GW7: Hi, quick reply. Yeah, it was a short filler chapter, not originally a separate chapter but it was really big enough to be independent from chapter 3, which is still 4000+ words anyway.

Fake Gavin? I have no idea what you mean. But I'll clarify - in this story there are two gavins - myself (the author) and Gavin Luper (Lisa's friend).

Cheers!

[Master Kirby]

Yay! Professor Oak will be OK! Now maybe he can tell them all why he was being attacked by Entei.

Are they going to Cianwood Island? Maybe Gavin can learn more about his powers.

Now we need a new chapter.

[pokemasterfrank]

Let me guess...they're going to go to that Seer at Cianwood.

Very nice filler...

I'll be here, waiting for the next chapter.

[Snakes N' Legends]

Professor Oak is okay and Lisa finally gets to see her brother again. Not very much to say, but keep up the good work.

[Gavin Luper]

Kirby: Oak will be OK ... but will he be able to tell them? Who knows? Maybe he'll have amnesia?

Why Cianwood Island? The Seer was just something Tom was talking about. They were already on Cianwood earlier anyway.

Pokemasterfrank: Hm, I wonder why everyone thinks they are going to the Seer. Well, let me just say they will be going somewhere VERY interesting soon ...

TM: Prof Oak lives, and Lisa and Tom reunite. Nice chapter, no? Even for a filler. I liked it myself, not too long either.

Everyone: In case you haven't all noticed yet, my other fic, The Crystal League, was abandoned a short while ago. I also won't be reading many other fics now except a few which I am very loyal to! I made an announcement in the TCL topic which you can all read if you want. Lisa the Legend will be my only fic now. And when that finishes ... well ...

Let's just say there are events in life which make you realise how important life is, and that you need to live not in a virtual world but in reality.

[Last Exile]

Well, that explains some things! Decent linking chapter Gavin! Hopefully things will be on the up again for our heroes.

[100FangCroconaw]

COOL!4000+ words!Now thats a chapter I want to read.

[Gavin Luper]

Ryan: Thanks. I liked having that little linking chapter put in this time, it adds a chapter to the story, kinda. I'll post chapter 24 later today probably. It's just kinda semi-tying off loose ends - for now anyway - and setting the scene for some cool stuff to happen.

Battle in the next chapter, too.

100FangCroconaw: Length doesn't always mean it will be good. Although in my opinion chapter 24 is pretty cool!

Cheers!

[Gavin Luper]

Chapter 24 - Homeward Bound.


The Nurse Joy at the Ecruteak Pokemon Centre greeted Lisa and Gavin happily, although she seemed to disapprove of them bringing a sulky Wesley and bored but still cheeky Jean into the shop. Many of the baby pokemon in the back had recently hatched from eggs, she told them, and had just got to sleep when they all arrived talking, and then had awakened.

Lisa had been surprised when they entered, and approached the counter, because this Nurse Joy had her scarlet-orange hair grown out quite long, and she was much younger than the usual Nurse Joy – she appeared to be only sixteen or so.

“ I’m filling in for my Mum,” she explained, when Lisa enquired. “ She’s gone to some Island way up north in Kohtu for some sort of research – I think it’s pointless myself,” she added, with a slightly annoyed expression. Lisa smiled when she spotted how similar the Nurse’s situation was to her own when her parents had left for Kanto, to study Omanytes.

“ So – are our Pokemon alright?” Lisa asked, as she felt Jean’s finger poking her in the back impatiently.

“ I think so,” Nurse Joy said, an indistinct trace of doubt in her voice. “ They all seem to have taken a very hard blow, every single one of them seems very injured, but there’s no physical trace of an attack on them at all. Do you have any idea what happened to them?”

“ No, sorry,” muttered Lisa, reminding herself very much of the conversation she had had with Officer James earlier that morning, when most of the answers to his question’s were “ No, sorry, I don’t know” or “ I really don’t remember”.

“ Come and collect them, then,” Joy lead Gavin, Lisa, and Jean down the hallway. Wesley had discovered a TV set, with the Pokemon Battle he had been dying to watch being broadcast live, and Tom and Miki had sat down to watch him, although Lisa suspected they wanted some time ‘alone’.

The corridor was tiled and quite dingy compared to the rest of the centre. As they continued, passing many open doors where small amounts of light seeped in, Joy explained. “ Sorry about the bad lighting. The corridor is the only, um – room – in the centre that doesn’t have a window. Normally we provide the lights with some electric pokemon, but all our Magnemites are still at a Farm west of the city doing some promotional thing. Our electricity supply is only existent due to a couple of volunteers.”

She gestured into a small room, where three Raichu, an Elekid and a Magneton were standing on a conveyor belt, all of them panting. Wires were strapped to them, carrying electric currents to a large generator in the centre of the room. There was another, thinner set of wires attached to them as well – Joy explained that a small percentage of the electricity was fed back to the pokemon to keep them going over long periods of endurance.

Jean looked utterly bored, and looked like she was going to turn back, when Lisa looked closer at the pokemon and squealed. “ Hey – that Elekid, and that Magneton –”

She didn’t need to say anymore, Joy blushed a bright shade of scarlet, and gave a timid but sheepish grin.
“ When I said volunteer, I kinda meant pokemon that stay here overnight to heal.”

Lisa was fuming. “ But they’re injured!” she protested.

“ I assure you they’ll be fine!” cried Joy hastily, seizing Lisa’s hand and dragging her along before any more could be said. “ They’ll be given back to you immediately.”

Jean tapped Lisa’s shoulder, and she whipped around, only to see her young sister poking out her tongue in a very juvenile manner and for no apparent reason. Lisa delivered a quick kick to the shins to shut Jean up.

Finally, Joy turned into an enormous room, so very reminiscent of Lisa’s hospital ward that Lisa couldn’t speak for a moment. There were two long rows of white beds, most of them only about four feet long, and many of them wider than a usual bed, to cater for oversize pokemon. Along one side of the ward were Lisa’s pokemon; Dratini, Quagsire, and Aipom, Gavin’s pokemon; Natu, Staryu, Girafarig (looking very awkward) and Ditto, and finally Kris’ pokemon; Growlithe, Misdreavus and Butterfree. Lisa wondered where Kris was now, and if she would arrive in Ecruteak and be able to retrieve her pokemon.

“ Sorry if your pokemon are all looking a bit weak still,” Joy smiled. “ When the police brought them in the other day, they were very tired. Some of them still are.”

“ As long as they’re healthy, I’m happy,” said Lisa.

“ Yeah.” Gavin said.

“ Just place your pokeballs here,” Joy instructed, as she surveyed the room. Gavin and Lisa pulled off all their empty pokeballs and put them on a low wooden bench.

Along the opposite side of the ward were a Sandshrew, a very weak-looking Caterpie, and a very strange pokemon Lisa had never seen before. It had large, buggy eyes, a vibrant saffron head, with no ears but a small nozzle that appeared to be a form of sucker. Its body was very odd – it was bright azure, but had glistenings of what looked like snowflakes, constantly appearing and melting, then trickling away and making way for new ones.

The mattress was completely soaked with water.

“ Oh, nooo! Not again!” Joy cried, sprinting over to the bed. Gavin raised an eyebrow, and even Lisa had a hunch that this Nurse wasn’t exactly the most experienced she had met. Jean s******ed behind her hands, but Lisa silenced her, and, slightly reluctantly, jogged across the ward to help Joy.

“ Ugh, Issechu!” yelled Joy, reaching up and pushing the Bug-like creature right off the bed and onto the floor.

“ Bless you,” Gavin said, as the thing landed with a thud, although looked unaffected. Lisa helped Joy wrench the sheets off and pull the mattress onto the ground. Joy began dragging the mattress through a nearby door, then, as an afterthought, flipped it over and replaced it.

“ What IS that?” Gavin asked, from across the room, eyeing the bug as though it was an alien.

“ Issechu,” Joy replied impatiently, heaving the thing back onto the bed. “ Now, Issechu, no more sweating! Just relax, you’ll be free again very soon!”

She turned to Lisa. “ Could you just calm him down for a second while I find some new sheets?”

Lisa wondered if it really needed sheets, but she nodded, and turned awkwardly to the bug like thing, Issechu. Its body was looking very misty, and soon drops of sweat-like water appeared all over it. Lisa reached her hand out and touched it. It was freezing – like ice. She wiped the sweat away, then stroked it’s body. “ Er – it’s OK … good Issechu, you’re doing great.”

Gavin and Jean both burst into fits of snorts as Joy re-entered the room, carrying pale yellow sheets. At the same moment, Issechu’s nozzle vibrated and emitted a loud, buzzing squeak. It then rubbed its large orange head on Lisa’s arm, who flinched back.

“ It likes you,” commented Joy, slapping the sheets down on the nearby trolley.

Gavin and Jean snorted again, and Lisa glared reprovingly at them.

Joy ignored them, and turned back to Issechu. “ Alright, get up buddy, come on!” she urged, pushing his body. Lisa wondered what she was doing, when suddenly she felt a brief gust of air in her face. Two parts of Issechu’s body had broken off into wings, which were glistening in the light from the large window at the far end of the ward. It hovered up, while Joy hurriedly spread out the sheets. Lisa watched numbed, before regaining sense and assisting Joy in completing the task.

Issechu landed, and gave a kind of half-smile, while made it’s eyes look happy and it’s nozzle twist slightly. Gavin looked slightly impressed, but Jean looked nothing less than disgusted by the mere sight of the creature. She sighed and faced outside the door, looking like she wished she hadn’t come.

“ Thanks, Lisa,” Joy sighed, staring oddly at Issechu. Lisa suddenly remembered the Ward was for injured pokemon, and Issechu appeared fine.

“ What’s wrong with Issechu?” Lisa asked, as Joy moved on to check the Sandshrew’s temperature. The shrew looked very weak and it was sweating profusely.

Joy looked up abruptly, upsetting the Sandshrew. She patted him until he was calm, then faced Lisa. “ Issechu is a new pokemon, my Mum found it injured a week or so ago. It’s all better now, but it doesn’t want to go back into the wild. It gets really nervous and upset sometimes – it only shows it by sweating. That’s why you have to calm it down.”

Lisa nodded knowingly, as Issechu kept grinning at her.

“ It needs a good trainer to take care of it now,” said Joy, very indiscreetly. Lisa shuddered, wrinkling her nose up at the sight of Issechu, with it’s pleading buggy eyes.

“ Well I hope it finds a good trainer soon –” Lisa edged away from that part of the ward, walking backwards until she bumped into Gavin. “ Well thanks Joy, I really enjoyed meeting you. Oh, look – a door!”

Lisa sprinted nervously into the hallway, and Jean, despite herself, giggled. Gavin looked warily around.

“ I’ll take Issechu in a pokeball for her, if you want,” he said bravely and mischievously, s******ing to himself, knowing that Lisa would rather lose Aipom than capture Issechu. “ I’m sure that, deep down, she really wants to keep it.” Then he turned to Jean as Joy laughed, and Issechu buzzed happily at the potential of a new trainer. “ C’mon, Jean, help me get all these pokemon back into their pokeballs.”

Nurse Joy smiled as Gavin walked over to Issechu’s bed. “ Just take it for a while to see how it goes, OK? Bring it back in a week for a check-up.”

*

Half an hour later, all six of them were piled into Tom’s very unreliable car. Wes and Jean were sharing a seatbelt, and both looked incredibly annoyed at this, although Wesley much more than Jean – he was missing the conclusion of his TV show. Jean, however, had gained the possession of Kris’ Butterfree, Growlithe and Misdreavus until Kris arrived in Ecruteak, and she was slightly cheerier.

Lisa felt as though she had something to complain about. Issechu sat inside a Friend Ball on her belt. She glared at Gavin while he glanced unknowingly outside the dirty car window, watching pizza shops, shopping arcades, parks and finally suburban houses whoosh past.

“ Home now?” Wesley snapped in a strangled voice, as though he was speaking but at the same time trying not to.

“ Not just yet,” replied Tom, who was promptly answered with assorted groans, and a smirk from Miki. “ First we have to go to my work – I just have to check something with Morty. I left the cokes out of the fridge and I think he said he was letting Haunter and Gastly free today. I wanna make sure they don’t drink them or anything.”

Gavin smirked, and Wes and Jean both now looked murderous. But Lisa felt her heart lift – the last time she had been to Tom’s work, the Main Ecruteak Gym, she had been trying for a Badge. That was before her journey began, before her fateful meeting with Suicune.

Maybe – maybe? Lisa mused things over in her head. Hopefully this time, if the ghosts had succeeded in spilling coke all over the gym, she would be able to ditch Tom and find Morty. The idea seemed very appealing.

“ Isn’t there a new gym or something?” Gavin asked, as Tom swivelled the ancient car down a side street, his idea of a short cut. Tom frowned.

“ Yeah, a new one,” he drawled slowly. “ They only made it a couple of months ago.”

Miki looked infuriated. “ They built it right next to the Dance Studio,” she whined, brushing hair indignantly out of her eyes. “ And now we can’t get five minutes peace without some psycho kids having a stupid battle!! Half the time we get thunderbolts striking out theatre!!”

Gavin blinked, and decided not to pursue the subject. Miki relaxed slightly, her face flushed pink.

The car slowed, and Tom drove over the low kerbing to the car park. Lisa cringed slightly as she viewed the building she had fruitlessly battled at for weeks. Ecruteak Gym.

It was made mainly of stone, which was as grey as the clouds, which haunted its pointed spire, which rose steadily from the ground floor up into the sky. Lisa had often wondered why the tower was constructed, but at the moment her mind was clogged with prospects of winning a battle. This time, she felt she could succeed – she no longer had just Aipom, but now Elekid, Magneton, Dratini, Quagsire, and – Lisa shuddered slightly – Issechu, the nervy, icy bug which appeared to be in love with her.

Tom parked the car with a jolt, and leapt out instantly. Miki followed closely, and this automatically decided that everybody was entering the structure. Gavin looked interested slightly, but Wes and Jean remained stubbornly inside the humid car. Tom shrugged as he turned, and locked them in with the remote central locking. They didn’t even flinch.

The inside of the Ecruteak Gym was nicer than Lisa remembered it – she was expecting an entire gym of semi-darkness, wooden panelled floor which was suspended above the basement, and stone walls, hardly visible by the candles which were fixed to brackets in the wall. She expected Morty, the red-haired gym leader, to be standing alone at the far end of the gym. But reality vastly contrasted Lisa’s recollections.

There were countless more candles and torches fixed to the wall this time, making the winding wooden path to Morty’s battlefield quite easy to distinguish from the dark pits around it. Tom explained the gym had been sued in October for poor lighting, when an elderly challenger fell and broke a hip, and they had had to replace the lighting.

As the four of them walked briskly down the path, Lisa noticed there were no gym trainers standing by at regular intervals along the path, waiting to challenge the badge seekers. Tom seemed as puzzled as Lisa was at this, and he sped up. Finally they arrived at the large concrete battlefield, where Morty was nowhere to be seen.

“ What now?” Lisa questioned dully, surveying the room disappointedly. So much for a battle.

“ C’mon, he should be in here,” Tom began, striding across the room quickly and promptly wrenching open a nearby door. When it opened, it was as though Lisa had been deaf forever, and was now hearing things for the first time.

The moment the door was opened, a loud collection of crashes and shouts were heard by all of them. Tom gasped and sprinted through the doors, and Lisa suppressed a giggle as she glimpsed the action inside.

Beyond the door was a small room, the Trainer Lounge. There was a large, slightly rusting fridge in one corner, open, and a table near the other corner. But Lisa didn’t even really notice these – she was taken by the commotion in the centre of the room.

Morty, the young leader, was bent over two pokeballs on the floor, breathing heavily. Around the room, four Haunter and seven Gastly flew wildly around the room. The fridge was hanging open, and Lisa noticed for the first time that the white-tiled floor was covered in a fizzy brown liquid. The rogue ghosts, flying carelessly around the room, had opened over twenty cans of Cola drink, and as Lisa watched a particularly mischievous Haunter held a can to it’s mouth and tipped it up. As ghosts were unable to eat or drink anything physical, the coke slipped straight through it and spattered onto the cringing Morty below.

Tom was sprinting towards Morty, and helped him up, cautious of the slippery floor. Without asking any questions, Tom prepared to throw two pokeballs, but Morty’s strong arm shot out to stop him.

“ Don’t!” he shouted, above the raucous yelling and laughing of the ghosts above. “ Your pokemon are ghosts – they’ll join in!”

Tom obeyed, and lowered his arm down. Miki, who had been standing next to Lisa and Gavin just inside the doorway, suddenly stepped further into the room, and pulled a Pokeball from her hair – her clip was actually a real pokeball.

“ Luni!” she cried instantly, then, while the pokemon appeared in a flash, whispered to Lisa and Gavin. “ Help me out here – use Psychic pokemon if you can –”

Lisa wasn’t sure that she could help, but Gavin’s eyes brightened up at the mention of Psychic. He produced Girafarig, Natu and Staryu in quick succession, and then, as an afterthought, added Ditto to the group.

Morty and Tom were now tottering to the door, wary of the brown mess below and the hyperactive crowd above. Morty looked pleased to see Gavin and Miki stepping up to face the ghosts, and Lisa felt very pathetic, as though everyone else was a pokemon trainer but she was too young. She helped Tom to the doorway rather bitterly, and tried to smile as she assisted Morty, Now the room contained only the Gastly, Haunter and Miki and Gavin.

Miki stood next to Gavin, Luni, her umbreon, baring it’s teeth before her.

“ Night Shade!” she bellowed, as Gavin shouted out commands to his team.

“ Psychics – Psybeam. Ditto – you transform!” he yelled quickly, almost feeling like he was in an unorganised battle.

Natu perched itself onto Girafarig’s head, so that it was high enough to reach the crazy ghosts. Staryu stood at the ready, before, without any hesitation, all three blasted beams of mauve light at a few particular ghosts. Three Gastly were struck down, falling like rubber balls to the floor, then abruptly falling right through the floor, and disappearing.

Luni had shot out a ray of blackness from her mouth, which began very thin but gradually expanded through the air, enveloping two Haunter and a further Gastly. Miki grinned, as she yelled to Luni to complete the fight with a powerful Bite.

Ditto had successfully transformed into a Haunter and was now having a wild battle, Gavin shouting out attacks that he could only guess at. The true Haunter was retaliating with lavender spheres which sparked with ebony energy – a petite version of Shadow Ball. Ditto had floated upwards and was relentlessly spitting out poisonous purple acid at Haunter, which would have been effective if Haunter had have been solid.

The Ditto/Haunter battle was suddenly ended when a powerful Psybeam from Natu intervened and KO’ed Haunter, dropping it quickly to the ground. Ditto grinned, squeaked, and with a bright flash transformed into it’s blobby self.

*

Five minutes later, Miki, Gavin and Lisa were perched wearily at the wooden table in the corner of the Trainer’s Lounge, half-heartedly watching Tom plop an ancient mop into a bucket of murky brown water, and begin washing the floor.

“ Ask him, go on,” urged Gavin, while Miki and Morty were deep in a contempted conversation about the New Gym, and Lisa was nervously fiddling with her pokegear-necklace.

“ I dunno, it’d be rude to interrupt –” Lisa excused pathetically.

On cue, both Miki and Morty ran out of conversation matter. Gavin smirked.

“ He might not feel like battling – he probably has better things to do here anyway.”

Morty sighed angrily as Tom’s mopping continued. “ This is soooo boring, Tom, waiting for you, I’ve got nothing to do except wait to inspect it – don’t want you messing things up. I’d rather be battling.”

Tom frowned, and Gavin nudged Lisa. Somehow she found the courage.

“ Excuse me, Morty?” she asked very timidly, as though Morty was an intimidating man in a suit and she was a three year old girl with a lollipop hanging from her mouth.

“ What?” grunted Morty.

“ Um, would you mind battling me? For a badge. I mean, you’re here anyway, so I though maybe it would be OK…”

Morty originally looked as though he was about to double his teeth’s size and bite Lisa’s head off, but he stopped with an open mouth, as Gavin had so-often done, and changed his mind. “ Well … I suppose I could. But it’ll have to be a one-on-one match, OK? I’m not letting Haunter and Gast-”

But Lisa was no longer listening. Her heart had leapt. A one-on-one battle – she would have to pick just one pokemon to fight Morty’s ghost pokemon – she presumed a Gengar or Misdreavus.

The upcoming battle had an effect of everyone. Tom looked very annoyed, as Lisa followed his boss to the main gym room, and Morty left with a comment of “ This’d better be finished when I get back.” Gavin grinned as though Christmas had come early, and Miki looked pleased with Lisa for some reason or other. Lisa could imagine Wes and Jean’s reactions – “ Can’t we go HOME yet??”

A moment later, Lisa had a pokeball clenched firmly in her hand, facing Morty fifty metres away, where he stood holding a great Ball. Gavin and Miki clustered in the doorway, Miki torn between the interest of a battle and comforting Tom before he became outraged at Morty’s treatment of him.

Lisa scanned over her already-decided choice in her mind – it was probably her best bet. Aipom she wanted to rest still, tucked safely in his pokeball. She was hoping never to have to use Issechu until the week was up. And Magneton and Elekid were quite inexperienced. Quagsire and Dratini were the only competitors, so she chose …

“ Quagsire!” Lisa yelled, throwing the ball swiftly onto the wooden floor, where it made a clicking sound and in a vibrant flash released it’s captive – a plump, shiny, pale blue fish-like creature. Morty didn’t sneer, as some would have, instead he obediently threw out his Great Ball, and revealed his battler. His fighter was tall and wide, black except for a tint of violet on the edges. He had stubby black arms and even stubbier black legs. The creature had wide, mischievous eyes, which bordered on downright evil, and his upturned mouth looked like a nasty grin, as though the pokemon had just killed somebody and was pleased about it.

“ Gengar!” Morty yelled, beginning the fight. “ Begin with Shadow Ball, then Hypnosis.”

“ Quagsire – Aurora Beam, then Double Team!” Lisa cried, completely prepared, launching into her first real battle for weeks.

Quagsire subtly nodded to Lisa, and began rapidly forming a globe of rainbow light in its mouth. Gengar seemed to be mimicking it, only it was creating a black, shadowy orb within its clumsy-looking hands. Quagsire then shot a thick jet of light from the orb directly at Gengar’s head area, but the dark ghost was prepared for the strike – it fired off the ball of Shadows, which barrelled at Quagsire. Both attacks whipped past each other in mid air, but neither hit, both to Lisa’s dismay and delight. Quagsire flattened itself to the ground, while the Shadow Ball swished above it, while Gengar leapt up, displaying it’s agility, and the beam shot past and sliced through the cement wall on the far side of the indoor battlefield.

The multiple candles on the walls quivered and flickered on impact, and the ones near the area where the beam and ball hit were instantly extinguished. Much of the gym was affected by this, and the Pokemon and trainers were plunged into thick semi-darkness. Lisa breathed heavily – round two.

Gengar’s eyes glowed an acid-like crimson, and Quagsire looked like it was about to faint. But then it recalled it’s orders, and pulled it’s gaze away from it’s enemy’s, keeping its eyes low and squinting – not to block out Gengar’s gaze but to create over a dozen mirror images of itself, which formed a ring. Quagsire then magically switched itself with another of its ‘clones’ while Morty cried orders again.

“ Gengar, intensify the Hypnosis!”

The real Quagsire looked up for orders, and the images followed suit. Lisa wasn’t sure what to do to combat Hypnosis – Gengar’s hypnosis was widespread, and she suddenly realised the Double Team was pointless.

The sleep waves coming from Gengar were rolling out now, visible even in the dull light. They rolled out continuously from the Gengar’s eyes, slightly illuminating the match. They rolled relentlessly over the Quagsires, and they all dropped instantly to the ground, eleven of them diminishing on impact. Lisa’s Quagsire was now lying on the floor, very vulnerable.

“ Wake up!” cried Lisa, instinctively.

“ Now, Dream Eater!” yelled Morty in a confident voice. Lisa shuddered, and Gengar’s mouth opened wide, and countless drops of lilac energy spiralled out from it, spinning in ever-growing circles towards Quagsire, who snoozed ignorantly on. When the circle had grown large enough, the tiny spherical drops tore into Quagsire, each one taking more and more energy and life away from it, chipping viciously at it’s health.

It looked like the end of the match already – Quagsire’s nerves were twitching and flinching with each drops impact, but Gengar’s ambush didn’t end, it just kept on coming. And just when Lisa was preparing to sacrifice her attempt at the badge to protect Quagsire, there was a sudden, unexpected blast of whiteness from Quagsire – Gengar and Lisa were both thrust backwards abruptly.

Lisa nervously turned her eyes back to the place where Quagsire was sleeping – only suddenly he was awake. White light filled his being, and Lisa heard Miki mutter “ No way…” and Gavin swear quietly to himself.

Quagsire was evolving.

[pokemasterfrank]

Quagsire is evolving! Very nice. For a second there...I thought Lisa was going to lose for sure....but I guess I was wrong. Very nice.

[100FangCroconaw]

Could you pleeeease describe how Quagsire's evolved form looks like in the next chappy?

[Snakes N' Legends]

The Evolution of Quagsire? Now that is interesting. Lisa gains two new pokemon in one day (so to speak). I can't wait to see what Quagsire's next form is?

[Karania]

WHat will Quagsire look like in its new form? Come on, don't keep us in suspense!

[Gavin Luper]

Pokemasterfrank: Hi! i couldn't let Lisa lose, she deserved to win after her loss in the Whirlpool Cup. Besides, I couldn't help but do a traditional 'evolution cliffhanger'. Ah, they're so much fun!

100FangCroconaw: Of course I will! He's not invisible! The rest of the battle will be pretty cool too, some new moves and so on!

TM: Yes, two new fanmade pokemon in one day. That's a total of about 4 pokemon in this fic that I have made up on my own (Lunanine, Tentacraw, Issechu, and ...). Coolish, no? More coming soon!

Karania: He'll look a little bit similar ... but in some ways he's very different. It's hard to explain, I haven't QUITE finalised things yet. Chapter 25 still needs a bit of revising.

Cheers!

[Master Kirby]

Quagsire is evolving! Yea!

He is already one of her most powerfull pokemon. Now what is he going to be like?

It would be interesting if he turned into a Pokemon with three types. Ground/Water/Psychic?

I'm glad that he isn't beaten. I agree that Lisa needs to win a battle.

[Mew Trainer Rose]

neat chappy. it's kinda hard to picture Issechu, tho. where'd you get the name from, anyway?

[Gavin Luper]

Kirby: Yep, roll on ... the next evolution! Yes, he is one of her most powerful, even in his middle-evolved form. What will he be like next?

The three type thing ... I didn't consider that, and I haven't really given that concept a thought since I wrote that chapter with Tentacraw in it.

Yay for Lisa! Win win win!

MTR: Thanks! Long time no see! Anyhoo, I tried describing Issechu the best I could ... but oh well. As for the name, Iss was kinda like Ice (Issechu is bug/ice) and i couldn't think of anything so i just added the last bit of Pikachu onto it.

Cheers!

[Gavin Luper]

Hi guys!

I will be posting chapter 25 in a minute.

Just wanted to let you guys all know that the reader count for LTL is 14, which I think is really great. Thanks for reading guys!

Cheers!

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

Chapter 25 - A Ghost of a Chance.


Morty and Lisa looked on in shock as the previous plump form of Quagsire grew rapidly, rising about thirty centimetres and widening considerably. Once the glowing had subsided, Lisa stared slightly reluctantly at her new pokemon.

It was a pastel blue pokemon with large flipper-legs. It had a large floppy tail and odd cobalt stuff – probably a form of hair – spiking out from his head. The spiky hair ran down his back to the start of his tail. He wore a cheeky grin not unlike Quagsire’s, and his eyes were small and beady. It now looked much more male, and when it spoke Lisa was both shocked and pleased to hear it’s voice was more masculine also.

“ Fiss! Fisssk!” he muttered, in a deepish voice. Lisa regarded her new pokemon curiously. What exactly was it?

Gavin and Miki were in silent awe of the new being, but with the evolution process over, Morty was back into battle mode. Lisa thought it was rude to continue immediately when her pokemon had just changed into a new, presumably undiscovered Pokemon, but she supposed she had to begin sooner or later.

“ Gengar, try Lunar Punch!” bellowed Morty at once, and the dark form of Gengar moved quickly towards ex-Quagsire’s end of the gym in response.

“ Quaggy thingy, use uh –” Lisa was unsure not only of her newfound Pokemon’s name, but also if it’s moves had changed.

“ Fisk!!” cried the creature, deciding to go on alone. It squinted it’s tiny, smiling eyes, which glowed lavender, and the raging Gengar, which was hurriedly approaching, halted in his tracks.

“ Disable …” Lisa noted. “ Cool! Go, thingy!!”

“ Fisk!”

“ You’re name’s Fisk?”

“ Fiskmire!” corrected the thing.

Lisa nodded. “ Fiskmire – now hit him with a Water Gun!”

Gengar’s shadowy form was still suspended in the field, unable to move a millimetre, it’s deep eyes wavering. Then it closed it’s eyes and glowed scarlet; the result was that Fiskmire was propelled backwards a few feet onto his inverse side, and Gengar was promptly freed of the Disable.

“ Nice Shadow Pull, Gengar,” remarked Morty, grinning lucidly.

Lisa frowned, then turned to Fiskmire. “ Use your Water Gun still, but whatever happens, dodge any attacks that come your way.” She paused. “ Retaliate if you need to.”

Fiskmire nodded, and the rally of attacks began. Fiskmire took an enormous breath in, and Lisa watched in awe as his Spiky Hairlike things swelled up. They could be used as a water-sac! Fiskmire grinned as it’s entire body swelled, and then with what looked like suppressed pain, he breathed out a powerful torrent of water, which spiralled out from it’s insides, splattering heavily onto the enemy ghost and making it look very shaken by the end.

Gavin, in the Trainer Lounge’s doorway, breathed out deeply. “ That’s not Water Gun,” he said rapidly. “ It’s Hydro Pump.”

Lisa let out a pleased gasp. “ Go, Fiskmire!”

Fiskmire whistled exultantly, turning it’s face to the sky and making a small fountain of water bubble into the air.

Morty didn’t look nearly as impressed as Fiskmire, Lisa and Gavin. “ Gengar – use Psybeam.” Then he added in an undertone. “ Retaliate if you need to.”

Fiskmire hadn’t noticed Gengar’s recovery, and was still showing off to Lisa when a jet of mauve blasted into it, knocking it over at once. Now Gengar had the chance to look proud, but he was intensely trained and wasn’t in any sense arrogant. He grinned, but stayed focused on the ensuing battle. Fiskmire had pulled itself up and was glaring loathingly towards Gengar. Without commands from Lisa it launched a jet of golden bright stars in quick succession, all zooming at Gengar, who promptly leapt into the air and missed all but three stars, which passed through him and slammed into the concrete wall on the other side.

“ I thought Swift was meant to be dead accurate?” Lisa wailed.

Miki looked on with interest. “ Gengar’s ghostly abilities must prevent it from working properly!”

From then on, the fight was similar to any wild pokemon battle – it was as though Lisa and Morty were muted, and the pokemon were duelling to the death. Gengar was shooting out beams of ebony energy, which ripped into Fiskmire, who, despite his best efforts, failed to evade them. Lisa’s eyes scanned the fight apprehensively, unsure of what might happen if one or both of the trainer’s didn’t intervene, but if she recalled Fiskmire it would automatically be a loss on her part.

Fiskmire now had his chubby hands held close together, where an orb was forming slowly. But, unlike the usual globe of light, this one was dull and brown. Lisa quickly recognised it as a spherical collection of mud. Gengar regarded the orb uneasily – in his experience, appearances could be very deceiving.

The mud bomb was promptly fired off from Fiskmire, and Gengar was hit in the mouth, getting a gobful of oozy brown mud. The ghostly black creature looked utterly disgusted with the strike made upon it, and began launching off Shadow Balls everywhere.

But Fiskmire was ready, in it’s evolved state it was marginally faster than Quagsire, and it’s legs, although flipper-like, were well-adapted for use on land. It leapt into the air, dodging beams and weaving through them as countless ones were fired off. Gengar halted abruptly, exhausted. Fiskmire took advantage of the time, and within seconds had blasted out a vast jet of whiteness, which engulfed Gengar instantly, and with a thud it landed on the wooden panelled floor, fainted.

Morty shrugged as though it didn’t affect him, but Gavin, Miki and now Tom, who stood with a mop in his arms next to the others, cheered kindly for Lisa. Fiskmire looked worn and tired, and Lisa felt tears spring to her eyes.

She had won.

*

Lisa stared happily at the tiny, metallic badge within her palm. The Fog Badge. At last.

Her daydreams were suddenly shattered by a roaring sound downstairs. She clapped the badge into a small red-velvet case on her dresser, and ran downstairs to see the cause of the commotion. She arrived in the airy little kitchen, and saw Gavin curled into a ball on the tiled floor, his hands over his head. Above him, the Food Processor was spurting out chunks of banana onto the floor, spraying the mush all over the room.

She raced into the kitchen, braved the barrier of intense banana chunks splattering at her, and flicked off the switch. Then she turned to Gavin impatiently. “ You need this!” she snapped, holding up the lid which Gavin had placed aside on the bench.

“ It attacked me!” Gavin gasped in protest.

Tom and Miki appeared at that moment, coming down the stairs and hurling past the dining table into the kitchen, narrowly missing the bench stools. “ What’s goin’ on?” Tom burst out, but didn’t ask further questions. He saw both teens with banana spread over their clothes – and bodies. Gavin’s brown hair was smeared with banana paste – it looked awful.

Miki began to giggle. “ Gavin, you need the lid.”

“ That’s what I said,” Lisa muttered. “ Why were you making a banana smoothie anyway?”

“ For us,” Tom said, intervening. “ Me and Miki. We were just about to call you, Lisa. We were about to tell you why I called and asked for you to come home …”

“ Oh yeah …” said Lisa vaguely. Tom calling her home had almost been wiped from her mind after the entire Entei incident.

“ Then I said I’d make us all drinks while we talked it over,” Miki continued. “ Then HE-” she gestured to Gavin, standing next to Lisa with a stupid grin. “ Said he could do it. Now we all get to drink Banana Chunkies off the floor.”

“ Oh, crap!” Tom cried, as he inspected the damage. “ The food Processor’s broken – Mum’ll kill me!”

But Lisa didn’t care about the mess, or Gavin, or the food processor or anything. For the first time since Moo Moo Farm, she recalled that Tom had asked her to return there urgently. Why? She knew any minute they’d be finding out.

*

“ Oh my GOD!” squealed Lisa, leaning across the table and bumping her glass of milk interspersed with banana chunks. “ Oh – Oh my God!”

Tom smiled and Miki and Lisa hugged again, Miki showing Lisa the glittery ring on her finger. It was gold and plain, except for two leaves on the front, filled with tiny sparkling diamonds. “ I know …” Miki said slowly. “ We were gonna wait for Tom’s parents, but they’re ages away. So we told you now.”

“ Wow, you’ll be my sister in law!” screeched Lisa.

Tom and Miki had just made the announcement that they were going to be married, and Lisa was ecstatic. Miki and her were to be sisters-in-law, and both seemed delighted. Gavin and Tom were shaking hands very calmly, and Lisa wondered how they could be so formal and calm. But Tom usually wasn’t one to get over excited about things, and Gavin didn’t know them very well.

After the excitement had subsided, Tom began to talk again. “ We managed to send a letter to Mum and Dad. They’re back in Cerulean City now, so they can take a bus to Saffron and then take the Magnet Train to Goldenrod. Then another bus back here.

“ The Engagement Party is in a couple of days,” he continued. “ Mum and Dad should be back by then. You guys can come too, of course. And the kids.” He added, referring to Wes and Jean.

“ When’s the wedding?” questioned Lisa.

“ Well … very soon, actually,” Tom said. “ Mum and Dad have to go to the Ruins of Alph in January, and Miki’s parents are going to be on holidays then too … so early January sounds about right.”

Later on, in her bedroom upon her double bed, Lisa sat gazing at her dresser across the large room. She heard the distant sounds from the backyard – Wes and Jean were playing with all her pokemon, plus Kris’.

Lisa shook suddenly in her bed. Kris – where was she? She suddenly remembered – Kris’ Pokemon had been at the scene of the Entei/Anna disaster a few days ago, so she couldn’t have been far away. Lisa wildly wondered why she had never wondered this before, she had somehow taken for granted that Kris’ pokemon were found. How stupid she had been!!

There were quick footsteps, and Gavin entered, his hair dripping with water from the swimming pool outside, his board shorts creating a soaking patch on the soft peach carpet. But Lisa noticed his arms and body were dry – because of his plaster cast on his arm, she presumed. It appeared he had been dangling his legs in the pool, then stuck his head in stupidly.

“ Oh, hi, Gavin,” Lisa murmured vaguely, sitting up. “ What’s up?”

Gavin looked pleased that she had asked for a second, and his features lit up with his stupid grin he often gave, which Lisa thought made him look like a very irresponsible teen. Which he was, most of the time.

“ You want the good news, or the bad?”

“ Bad,” Lisa said quickly, hoping to have a downfall, then something good to make up for it. She briefly wondered what Gavin could possibly be going to tell her.

“ Alright …” Gavin hesitated. “ Let’s see … um … OK, um …”

“ Spit it out,” cried Lisa.

“ We kinda lost … Magneton,” mumbled Gavin.

“ What? You lost it? How – wha?” Lisa yelled, glancing around in a search for something to throw. Her eyes fell on Aipom’s sleeping form, and she picked him up instantly, as he awoke with a start, and shoved him violently through the air. Gavin ducked to the soaked carpet, and Aipom, screaming wildly, whistled past his head and with a resounding thump collided with the wall. Lisa pressed her hands to her mouth, but her sympathy for Aipom was quickly overtaken by her anger at Gavin. Her eyes darted swiftly towards the next thing – her heavy china vase that her Mother had given to her long ago.

After many yells, broken vases, and broken bones being re-injured, Lisa calmed down gradually enough to ask exactly what happened – her quick, flaring temper had subsided and left her feeling flushed and almost weak.

“ Well, we were using Magneton as a volleyball,” explained Gavin, cringing at Lisa’s piercing glare. “ Me and Wes – that is. And I spiked a bit too hard, and then at the same time Jean decided to show off Butterfree’s Gust attack, and Magneton kinda – blew away.”

Normally, Lisa would have flared up again, but she didn’t. For one, she was too exhausted from her previous outburst, and two, she had never actually been able to connect with Magneton anyhow. Had it have been Dratini who was lost, or Quagsire, or Elekid – especially Aipom – who had been lost, she would have been angry for days, and miserable for probably weeks. The only other pokemon she wouldn’t have minded about so much was the annoying, buggy Issechu.

“ I suppose it’ll be OK? In the wild, I mean?” Lisa said aloud, forgetting to be angry with Gavin. Even though she had never really liked Magneton, nor owned it for long, she still felt mysteriously empty. Gavin sat down on the bed beside her, dripping chlorinated water all over it, but she was too preoccupied to notice.

“ It’ll be fine,” he reassured her, then jolted away uncomfortably as she placed an arm around his soaked neck. He shifted away quickly, uncomfortable and feeling very awkward, suddenly very aware that he had no shirt on.
“ Wanna hear the good news?” he murmured quickly, becoming gradually redder.

Lisa nodded, sitting up and trying to forget about her ‘loss’.

“ Your Mum and Dad rang from Goldenrod – They’ll be here in a couple of days.” He said. Lisa sat up, feeling suddenly very cheerful. It had been almost two months since she had seen her parents, and she was really happy at the prospect of seeing them again.

“ That’s really great –” she began, but Gavin broke in loudly.

“ There’s more – Kris just rang on your Pokegear. I answered – sorry – but she said she’s at the Pokemon Centre downtown, and wants to know if you’ll come and see her. The trainee Nurse there said we came and picked up her pokemon.”

“ Jean has them –”

“ I know. We need to get down to the centre straight away.”

“ But Tom and Miki are out, and they have the car -”

“ I know. I kinda have an idea …”

*

Lisa and Gavin landed with a heavy thud on the cement outside the Ecruteak Pokemon centre. Lisa was breathless, and Gavin looked incredibly excited. Butterfree and Issechu, both looking proud and pleased, dropped carefully to the ground.

“ That was really well flown, Butterfree,” Lisa commented, patting it’s bright wings gently.

“ You too,” Gavin said stiffly to Issechu very unconvincingly. Lisa had insisted that if they were to fly to the Pokemon centre, she would take the dependable Butterfree, while Gavin clung for dear life onto the somewhat ‘dizzy’ Issechu.

“ LISA! GAVIN!” Kris sprinted out from the glass doors of the centre, followed by a nervous-looking Nurse Joy. Kris sighted Butterfree upon the ground, and hugged it tightly, before turning to Lisa. “ Thank God you’re here! I was going crazy without half my pokemon. And then the buggy broke down again.” She pointed fifty metres down the street, where the unreliable Solar Powered Buggy was parked crookedly on the roadside, looked very beaten up. “ I found it on the route to Ecruteak.” Kris continued.

Lisa finally managed to get a word in. “ Hi!”

Kris stared at her curiously. Gavin stood staring down at the three-foot-high Issechu, it’s ugly orange head looking far too big in proportion with it’s cerulean-tinged body, no longer forming ice crystals. It’s wings beat steadily against it’s side, and it’s small feet were clinging firmly to the ground.

“ Come in, then,” insisted Joy, bustling the three humans and two pokemon inside. The indoors of the building appeared identical to how it had earlier that morning – no new customers, it seemed. Lisa released Aipom, who had been very afraid of the flight. The monkey-like creature appeared and began chasing Issechu, who instantly began sweating.

While Kris and Lisa chattered almost violently, a young red-haired boy entered the room, a surly look upon his face. Kris ducked, and Lisa suddenly recognised him as Tyler, the boy who had fought Hiro long ago in Goldenrod City.

Tyler pushed Gavin roughly as he approached the counter. Joy looked extremely nervous, and Lisa instinctively crossed the foyer to assist her. She sneaked past Tyler and slid into place next to Joy.

“ Heal my pokemon!” demanded Tyler with a smug look. Joy looked instantly indignant, but Lisa got in first.

“ Alright, Tyler,” she said sharply, using his name to bring his attention to her. He glared at her with loathing as he slowly recalled who she was, and what she had done.

------------------------------
“ Venonat, go! Use Leech Life!” Hiro yelled. A Speed Ball flew down onto the turf, and sprang open. Hiro was making an obvious mistake. His battling techniques were falling due to his anger.

Lisa spotted this at once. “ Hiro – think about your attacks!” she called. “ Don’t let anger blind you!”

Hiro looked at her for a moment, and nodded slowly, trying to blot out Tyler’s taunts and jeers from across the lawns. “ Venonat – new plan. Use… Supersonic.”

“ Veno!” Venonat cried. It squinted it’s eyes almost shut, and supersonic waves emitted from it’s antennae. They slammed into Magmar’s head, making it sway around confused.
“ Magmar – Take Down!” cried Tyler.

However, Magmar was too confused to respond. It began to beat itself with it’s arms, until it fell over in a muddled heap of flames.
“ Gaah! Magmar – return..”

Hiro leapt up and down. “ Venonat, you did it! Great!”

Then he turned to Lisa, who was smiling with her friend. “ Thanks, Lisa. I couldn’t have won that round without you.”
-----------------------------

“ You made me lose that round with Hiro!” Tyler spat, his annoyance intensifying. “ I nearly lost that entire battle.”

“ Pokemon please, weakling,” said Lisa patiently and smiling, revelling in Tyler’s fury. His face purpled, as he thrust six pokeballs into Lisa’s hands. Lisa grinned graciously, and Joy looked happily bewildered. “ They’ll be ready in ten minutes. Oh, and I suggest you do something about that rage – it can’t be good for your health.”

She grinned at him in a mock-sweet way, and he scowled at her before turning away.

Lisa strolled off to the back quarters, sure that Joy wouldn’t mind her intervening. It appeared that she didn’t, as the young teenage nurse came scuttling in after Lisa into the quick-heal room. “ That was incredible, Lisa!” she breathed, marvelling the girl as she swiftly popped the six pokeballs into the slots in the machine. She pressed a green button, and the hatch closed over the red and white balls.

“ The lesson there is to know your enemies,” Lisa grinned, realising she had quickly conquered another past conflict in one day – firstly she had triumphed finally over Morty, a thing she had been unable to do for months, and now Tyler had been almost defeated by himself. Lisa was incredibly pleased. “ Tyler is the kinda of person who can insult all he wants – but can’t stand being insulted back.”

Joy grinned back at her. “ Lisa, listen, my Mum probably won’t be back for a few weeks yet, and since I’m really struggling with this work …” she paused, and Lisa felt she knew what was coming. “ Would you like to work with me, as my assistant – or partner, more like? Don’t feel obliged, it’s just that you seem to be able to bond and get along with pokemon so much better than I do. Please say yes. Please, my career as a future nurse may depend on this.”

Lisa was tempted to point out that she was making her feel obligated by implying her entire career rested on her shoulders, but she didn’t. She thought instead, about the prospect of the offer. It didn’t take long to work it out. Slowly, but surely, she nodded, and smiled.

“ Say hi to Nurse Lisa!”


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

Next up on Lisa the Legend

Lisa might have just begun her job as a part-time nurse, but already things are becoming weird.

The man grinned, and his thin eyebrows rose. “ Oh, I’ll see you soon …” he said in a menacing tone. Lisa shivered at the threat in his voice.

Something is amiss in Ecruteak.

Miki was apprehensive. “ Listen, Joy, are you sure she’s not there?”

And everybody realises something really is wrong.

"What’s wrong Miki?” Tom asked, seeing her vague stare. “ What’s happened?”

A tingle inside Gavin’s mind … the psychic part … told him something was very wrong.

Miki rushed it out, almost frantic now. “ Lisa’s not here. Lisa’s not at the Pokemon Centre. Tom … Gavin … Lisa’s missing.”

Chapter 26 – Urgency.

[Snakes N' Legends]

The battle was cool and the evolution for Quagsire was awesome. Nice name though. Check out Lawrence's Journey and see one of my pokemon creations, Adnocana. It is a Dark/Poison type. The name is not original but neither is reversing the words snake and cobra or kobra in the pokemon world. Kris is back and Lisa is a assistant to the pokemon center? I didn't see that coming. Keep up the work (and oh, sorry for the advertisment. I seem to keep on doing that and make it up by apologizing.

[Gavin Luper]

TM: Hi. I'm glad you liked that battle. There won't be many battles from now on, though, especially since I stopped writing The Crystal League simply because it was too pokemon-related (and it is nearly impossible to write about something you're not interested in).

Fiskmire is cool, no? I liked him. Yeah, Kris is back, we'll see more of her later on. I thought it would be good if Lisa got a job sometime - even if it was only for a while.

Cheers!

[SuperSonicMewtwo]

I'm back!
and'll probably be gone just as quick!
good chapters.. so she finally got that Fog badge... and she get's a sister in law...

Nurse Lisa. That doesn't sound right.

Oh well. Keep it up Gavin! I'll try to get on as much as possible, but seeing as I'm not exactly allowed on (this is an exception), you may not hear from me soon.

But I want more chapters, none the less!

[Gavin Luper]

SSM: Hi there you are!

Thanks, yeah she finally got the badge. Although there isn't really much point in her having it, as she isn't really competing with it to get into the league. And yeah, Miki will be her sister in law.

Oh well, Nurse Lisa still stands.

Alright, then. Seeya soon!

Cheers!

[Master Kirby]

Homework Homework Homework,
No time to play,
I guess I'll have to read,
This story another day.

[Gavin Luper]

Kirby: Ah, homework is a pain.

I spose you'll read another day >

Cheers!

[Andrew]

Well sorry I haven't replied earlier Gavin ^^ I had a job interview and a heap of other things ^^; But well I have to be happy that the Voltenteers are back ^^; As well as the Buggy Isswhatever... I'll call him Icicle for easier reference. But I have to simply laugh at Jean and Wes, comic relief, they really need a scene where they try and battle I would so laugh at that.

But Anna's demise was handled a lot better in this I feel as the feelings conveyed are those I would've expected from poor old Lisa and Gavin. I wish there was more info about Anna's Dad at the funeral, poor guy, he must've been shattered. And what happened to Anna's Pokemon? And Psyduck!

Gavin's Pokemon are sure nice, I like Ditto and Natu and Staryu and Girrafersomething or other, and I liked their battle how they helped eachother out, and the fact that the ghosts were so like Casper's Trio of evil or something.

But the Gym Battle between Quaggie and Gengar so was excellent, and I'd still like to get some person to draw a piccie of Fiskmire, which would be entertaining ^^'

I also loved that good old Banana Smoothie Part, you simply had to, because I'm sure we've all had a disaster in the kitchen, from breaking glasses, to dropping a bottle of cordial everywhere none of which I've never done! Go the realism of lack of Kitchen Co-ordination!

And another YAY for the loss of Magneton. But poor Aipom for being Projectile Monkey Personally I'd find it funny if Magneton hunted down Lisa and Co or Jean and Wes and trying to exact revenge, or start crying and rusting or something!

Oh well GREAT WORK I can't wait to see more of Lisa the Legend!

[Gavin Luper]

Oz Andrew: Hey!!

Will you be able to reply a bit more from now on? I hope so, as we have urgent ********* business to attend to.

Don't worry about not replying for so long. Job interviews are a good enough excuse, however if you didn't have a good excuse it would be detention for you!

Yay! Your Volteneers are back at last! And we kinda got rid of Issechu, but he'll keep. Lol call him icicle if you want to! Wes and Jean will be in a few more chapters, there is a 'two-parter', so to speak, coming up near the end of the entire book, we'll see them a lot then. Those will be the least pokemon-related chapters.

Yes, Anna's death was much better, the emotional effects I tried to handle better. However, I couldn't keep them sad for long. After all, that would make the story too depressing! And, well, although it's not in writing, Psyduck is dead, and Scizor and the others ... we'll see.

Lol nice that you compared the Gastly and Haunters to the Casper ghost thingies. I'll be trying to develop the pokemon character-wise soon!

Maybe somebody can draw a picture of Fiskmire. I keep holding off actually asking somebody, because if it looked different to my mental picture, I wouldn't be able to use it and I would feel really mean refusing somebody's artwork.

Ah yes, the Banana Chunkies! Wooo! Yay!

I always hated Magneton. But at the time, I thought "hm, Lisa can get another pokemon" and now I am like "Why would I give her a stupid Magneton??" LMAO ah yes, I loved Lisa throwing Aipom into the wall, one of my faves bits! I like your ideas for Magneton, although personally I'm so glad to be rid of it I think we'll just keep it away.

More chapters will be coming soon. I'll post chapter 26 on Sunday (Special 1 - year anniversary) along with a notice about YOU-KNOW-WHAT!!

Cheers!

[mistysakura]

Hi, I'm surprised I didn't manage to catch onto this fic earlier! Took me 3 days to read all this, but I guess it was worth it. It's very good, I like your style and it's a nice plot too. The only problem is (why the heck am I criticising people the first time I post?) is that you can't tell much about the characters. I mean, you can tell who's good and who's evil, but that's about it. Waiting for the next chapter !