Serious: The Fallen Sentinel

[Armed Floatzel]

"Ha...ha," Daniel spoke with a bit of sarcasm. He did not look amused at all.

Talayah walked up to the wall.

"It's a dead end," Daniel noted. "Now what?"

Talayah rotated what looked to be an unlit torch until she heard a click. The wall receded into the ground. Everyone could see the outdoors and the sun lighting the passageway. Talayah walked out and everyone followed.

However, something made Stephanie collapse and lose consciousness.

"Whoa, Stephanie! Are you okay?" asked Simon.

"She's fine," answered Daniel. "She's turning human again. That's what the sun does to some people who are affected by the Ditto."

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera turned quickly, the concern in her eyes obvious. "Well," She said, "do we wait here awhile, or keep going?"

[Shade]

Shade ushers everyone back inside the passage, using his size-changing abilities to lengthen his tail to work the torch, closing the door again. "We have no choice but to wait. Everyone would notice her transforming."

[Connec10]

'I agree. Let's wait here until she is finished with transforming.', Piél exclaimed. 'I think resting a little isn't a bad idea after all... right?'

[Armed Floatzel]

Stephanie began to glow white as if she was evolving. Her body then began to change shape. When she was finished, she lied still for a moment.

At twenty-three years, she had long brown hair which was styled so that it covered her right eyebrow and went behind her ear, and a slender figure. She was wearing sea green slippers and a lavender gown with a swirling and twisting white pattern on it. She was also wearing a white circlet. Simon thought she looked beautiful.

Stephanie began to open her eyes.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera looked at Stephanie in amazement. "Wow.." She whispered, almost to herself.

[Shade]

Shade was intrigued by her transformation, wondering if this his how he had changed into an umbreon long ago...only in reverse. He was unconscious as he transformed, so he did not know.

He nuzzles Stephanie's right hand a little as she wakes up.

[Connec10]

Piél couldn't help himself but to stare at Stephanie as she transformed. As she finished, he could not help himself but to blush slighty, shaking his head.

[Armed Floatzel]

"Must be hard having to do this every day and night," Daniel spoke.

"You get used to it," answered Stepahine. "Although sometimes it can be very inconvenient at times. Daniel, you remember what happened to Rick a couple years ago when he went on his first date?"

"Do I," Daniel responded. He looked as if he was going to laugh. "Rick is one of my cousins. He went on this date with a girl who liked him at a very prestigious restaurant. He was sitting with his girlfriend at a booth near the window. The weather forecast said the sky would be overcast, but it was actually just cloudy.

Poor Rick was eating dinner when the moon shined on him. He laid against the chair unconscious then turned into a Persian. His girlfriend on the other hand had no idea about this and her face went scarlet. All this happened in plain view of nearly the entire restaurant."

"Uh oh," said Simon, laughing. "Tell them what happened next."

"Next came the tricky part," Daniel began. "Explaining to everyone what happened. Rick is a talented speaker when he wants to be. This is the part I thought was beautiful. His girlfriend, while she blushed like a first-time public speaker, she understood everything. She actually bent down on her knees and stroked Rick. Despite tons of photos that developed afterwards, the date continued pretty much as normal."

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera smiled. "Aww... That's sweet.." She looked at Stephanie a moment. I wonder what it's like, being human.. She thought.

[Shade]

Shade closed his eyes, listening to the story Stephanie was telling. He had heard that his beloved's father had the same transformation problems. Listening to the story made him think he was hearing about her father.

[Connec10]

"That's interesting. And the other people didn't mind it? They would treat him in a way I don't want to tell in my world..." Piél said quietly, carefully looking into the faces of the others. "Anyways, shall we go outside now, or wait for a little longer?"

[Armed Floatzel]

"When you truly love someone, you don't seem to care what they look like on the outside," began Daniel. He began to stare at the floor. "As for me...I don't know if I'll ever have a relationship with anyone. I used to be human but now I'm a Floatzel...for life. I think people would find the idea of a girl dating a weasel more than a bit strange."

"You'll find love one day," Talayah replied. "It just takes time, although it'll probably be longer in your case."

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera smiled slightly. She leaned against the wall, staying silent, for once.

[Shade]

"...yes, you will find love one day..." Shade says, his eyes still closed. "Didn't think I could find love, but I did."

[Connec10]

Piél could only sigh, remembering his past. He looked down with tears in his eyes, wiping them once in a while. Looking around, he blushed slightly, letting out a quiet 'N-nothing... I... I think we should go now...'.

[Armed Floatzel]

"What's wrong, Piel?" asked Simon.

"Piel, if you're upset about something, tell us when we reach a safe place," said Daniel.

"Daniel, we're about to be in broad daylight and in plain view of an entire city," Simon started. "What'll we do when someone sees us?"

"The same thing we've always done," answered Daniel. "Remove all suspicion about us. When someone sees us, if they start to panic, I'll start talking and ease our way into a conversation. They'll get the initial shock of seeing talking animals, especially those from another world, but as you've seen before, we have a way with first impressions."

Talayah rotated the torch again and opened the way outside.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera followed them outside, blinking against the sudden light. She, too, was a little concerned about someone seeing them, but tried not to worry about it too much.

[Shade]

Shade walks out of the secret passage casually, trying to act as if he's always belonged there. He jumps a little as the door shuts behind him. His ears and eyes dart around, looking for any trouble, just in case his casual act didn't work.

[Connec10]

"Al... Alright... when we are safe...", Piél just answered, stepping out with the others.
He couldn't see much at first, being blinded by the sun after staying in the dark, but his eyes adjusted rather quick. He looked around curious, wondering where to go.

[Armed Floatzel]

The first thing Daniel noticed when walking outside was a large fountain with a statue in the middle. The statue featured a young woman in a gown bent down on her knees and petting a fox. There was some statues of other wildlife around her too, including an otter, and a couple of squirrels.

"Seems like the people here really like animals," Daniel noted. "That's a good sign."

"We also have incredibly strict hunting laws here," added Talayah. "We're a society that likes nature and appreciates all the creatures that sometimes visit."

"We should have no problems then," said Daniel, smiling.

"What kind of creatures are you anyway?" asked Talayah. "I've never seen anything like you lot before."

"We're called Pokemon," answered Simon. "I'm a Raichu, Daniel here is a Floatzel, Shade is an Umbreon, Shyera is a Marshtomp, Piel is a Riolu, and Stephanie was an Espeon before she turned back into a human again."

"So what happened that made you and Stephanie end up as 'Pokemon?'" asked Talayah.

Daniel looked at the statue.

"Well, it goes like this," he began. "One day, I was walking with my dad when I was still a little kid. We went into a forest one day and saw a Ditto, which is another Pokemon that can morph itself to look like anything it wants to. This one had the power to turn people into Pokemon. My dad and I got too close and alerted the thing, so it turned around and shot psychedelic waves at me.

I then fell asleep. I had this weird dream afterwards about being a younger version of what you see now. When I woke up, I was actually that creature. Ever since, I've been like this. There is no known cure for it, but I'm not complaining about my current self.

As for Stephanie, the werewolf legend also kinda applies to people when they get hit by the Ditto during a full moon. During the day, they're human, but during the night, they turn into Pokemon. Stephanie was transformed into the creature you saw one night when I was 8 years old. It was then that we had that adventure..."

Daniel paused.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera listened to the story, intrigued. She'd heard of the Ditto that could make humans turn into Pokemon, but had never seen it before. I wonder if... She thought, then caught herself.

[Shade]

Shade calmed himself a little, letting his guard drop slightly. Since the community is close to nature, they could easily blend in and be accepted as long as they didn't show hostility.

[Connec10]

As Daniel stopped talking, Piél stepped closer to the fountain, looking up to the statue. After a while, he shook his head, quietly saying 'I wish everyone was like this, tolerant...', and then stepping back to the others.

[Armed Floatzel]

To the left of everyone's position, Daniel saw someone leaning out of the round building next to them. It was a man, dressed in a blue robe, who looked to be in his 50's. He was staring directly at Daniel. Then the man signaled everyone to follow him.

"Someone wants us to follow him," said Daniel. "Should we?"

"We should," answered Talayah. "I know him."

Daniel was first to follow the man.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera followed the others, trying not to let her guard down entirely. Despite Talayah's assurances, she felt uneasy, though she couldn't explain why. I'm probably still jumpy from earlier.. She thought.

[Shade]

Shade follows right behind Shyera, walking as calmly as possible, keeping his guard up but not showing it, trying his best to act like he belonged there.

[Connec10]

Piél followed the others, carefully looking around to search for anything suspicious. "She may trust him, but that doesn't mean I have to...", he thought for himself.

[Armed Floatzel]

Everyone followed the mysterious man into a garden. There was a lovely scent of lavender, coming from a ring of flowers.

"All right, it should be safe to speak here," said the man.

"I found the coin," Talayah spoke.

"Good," the man replied. "But I have something to tell you. I think your friends need to hear this as well."

"Go on," said Daniel.

"As you might know already, we're on a mission," the man started. "We're working in secret to protect the city from a threat no one is aware of yet. There is another city that used to be called our 'twin city,' for it's many similarities to ours. Well, catastrophe struck and the city was abandoned for over fifty years. Now...it's heading our way."

"Then we have to stop that from happening," Talayah responded.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera sat quietly, listening to the conversation. The scent of the lavender had calmed her a bit, but the uneasy feeling didn't go away completely.

[Shade]

Shade's ears pick up upon hearing the word 'catastrophe', a word he had heard many times in the past. His tail wags on the ground, tapping it lightly, trying to keep calm.

He knew what catastrophe was....and how tough it is to stop them.

[Connec10]

Upon hearing this, Piél became even more nervous than he already was. "How are we supposed to do this?", he asked, "What kind of catastrophe are we talking about, anyways?"

[Armed Floatzel]

"How does an undead invasion sound?" asked the man.

"When is it expected to start?" asked Daniel.

"It's going to take a while, but let's not take that chance," answered the man. "We have to pull the weed out by the roots before it grows into a thorn bush."

"So, I've got the coin...now what?" asked Talayah.

"You need to find the key for the cathedral gate," the man replied. "But that comes later. For now, let's go to my place, where I can talk about this in more depth."

The man walked down the passage to the left. Daniel started to follow.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera followed Daniel, her uneasy feeling growing stronger. Undead invasion? Great... She thought.

[Shade]

Shade started shaking slightly. He had dealt with many things in the past, but an undead invasion? This is the first time he has ever faced something like this, and it was causing him unease.

He quickly took control of himself to hide his uneasiness and followed the others, knowing if he showed uneasiness, the others would see it and feel uneasy themselves.

[Connec10]

"The dead get to live again? Ah great...", Piél let out, following the others. Stories about undead beings he heard when he was a little kid stirred his mind, making him say "I just hope they aren't too smart... that would be at least something already..." to himself. Frankly, he calmed down a bit, knowing that there still is some time until he has to worry about dealing with them face to face.

[Armed Floatzel]

"Piel, I'm gonna tell you now, so you know," Daniel began. "The undead I've faced in the past are pretty smart. There's even been moments when a few of them know you're in a room and pretend they don't. Then when you get close to them, they do something like this...rrRAH!"

Daniel stood idly for a moment, then, as he turned around, he pretended to swing a two-handed weapon and smack it on the ground.

"Electricity doesn't really work on skeletons and zombies, because they're already dead," Talayah explained. "They can't feel pain. Ghosts and all that, however, are quite vulnerable to electricity, but normal weapons pass right through them."

"I've heard reports of a few liches in the abandoned city," the man added.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Skeletons? Zombies? Ghosts? This just keeps getting better and better... Shyera thought, still following Daniel.

[Shade]

Shade nods once he hears about ghosts. He knows all too well about them, since he had to fight off hoards of them in the past.

[Connec10]

"Gyaah!" Piél jumped back as Daniel turned around with that sound and motion, breathing heavily for a few seconds.
After he calmed down, he said "Well, that sounds differently from what I know. And since you mentioned liches... where I come from, they are icy corpses filled with magic, making them capable of manipulating anything, let it be freeze it... or shoot ice-spikes at someone. I suppose they are different here, too." He rubbed his legs a little.

[Armed Floatzel]

"Ugh, I remember liches," Daniel began. "They're probably the most intelligent and dangerous kind of undead you can find in this world. They're basically skeletal sorcerers. One time, we happened to run into a whole bunch of liches while they were having some sort of meeting. We were on a ledge above them, protected by a wall. Once they found us, they started throwing all kinds of magic spells at us. It never stopped. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Shy, if you were up there and tried to fight them all...they would just throw a whole bunch of magic spells at you and try to pick you off like it was nothing. There was quite literally about fifty liches down there, all trying to fry us with energy and magical attacks."

"I discovered something about how Pokemon can actually mix magic with their own natural powers to make new things," Stephanie explained. "Shy, if a water type used a whirlpool and used a tornado-like spell, that Pokemon would have it's own form of transportation. Taking a ride in the whirlpool.

Also, Piel, if you drank some Holy Water and launched an Aura Sphere, it would make a powerful bomb against the undead. Not only would the force of the explosion knock every zombie and skeleton over, but it would also dissolve the magic that keeps them 'alive' in a sense. Also, Shy, if you were to drink some Holy Water, you'd probably be the most powerful weapon we could have against the undead...so it isn't all bad."

"Still...be careful when facing liches...they are so unpredictable and clever," Daniel warned.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera thought about that. The thought of using magic like that sent an odd sort of excitement through her, though her unease was still strong within her. She took a deep breath. I just need to keep calm. She thought.

[Shade]

"But we also have to be careful..." Shade spoke up "...cause combining our powers with magic can also bring disasterous results."

[Connec10]

"That's... interesting. So if we get lucky enough to get some hands onto Holy Water, we could at least fight a few of them, whenever need should be.", Piél silently said to himself. "Still, I'd prefer to avoid them at all, especially the liches."

[Armed Floatzel]

Everyone finally came to a door, leading into a rather large house. Inside looked like a cross between a wizard's home and an alchemist's shop. It was slightly dark, but Daniel liked it that way. Magical flames of different colors kept a few torches lit. Several scrolls were found in various places. In the back wall, there was a large, iron plate in the fireplace. On it was a blue fire burning. Bottles of many different colors, shapes and sizes lined a few shelves at the left wall. What could be called the living room was visible from the doorway, and inside were a few couches, and some chairs. The table in the middle was made of marble and on it was a fruit bowl, containing apples, oranges, and some exotic fruits.

Daniel and Stephanie were impressed with the place. It had a relaxing ambiance and a low, humming sound could be heard, obviously the work of magic. Daniel liked all the different colors and sparkles that emitted from a few objects that resembled candles in function.

"Make yourself at home," said the man. "But be careful what you touch. As you can see, I'm into magic and alchemy."

He sat down on a leather chair and picked an apple from the fruit bowl on the table.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera looked around, her "hands" clasped firmly behind her back. She slowly made her way to one of the chairs, and pulled herself into it. She looked at the bowl of fruit curiously. She was still a bit hungry, but, recognizing very few of the fruit, she left them alone.

[Shade]

Shade approaches the blue flame burning in the fireplace, admiring its beauty. It reminded him of a good friend he was forced to leave behind some time ago.

[Connec10]

Piél was curious about what was inside the bottles, but he thought it was better not to touch any of them and not the right time to ask about them anyways, so he looked for a corner, from which he could observe everything.
He let out a sigh of relief, believing the others forgot what happened just a while ago, when they were in the secret passage. "I think it is better if they don't know...", he thought, then sat down in a corner.

[Armed Floatzel]

Daniel remembered something. He approached Piel and asked,

"Well, we've made it to a safe place...now what's bothering you?"

Stephanie and Simon continued to explore the place with the wizard.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera looked over to the corner where Piel and Daniel were standing. She got down off the chair she was sitting in, and wandered closer, trying to look as if she were simply admiring the room, and not listening to the conversation. She wanted to know what was bothering him as well, but didn't want him to feel uncomfortable to the point that he wouldn't talk.

[Shade]

Still watching the flame, Shade brought his forepaws in front of him, generating a little ball of darkness between them. He smiles at himself, letting the ball dissipate on its own. "Guess it's true what they say...you never truly forget what you have learned."

[Connec10]

Piél looked down at his feet, letting out another sigh, and then finally began to speak. "Well..." He closed his eyes, having a painful expression on his face "I... was outside with my... girlfriend, when we got attacked by a Charizard. Of course, we didn't stand a chance, so we ran away... or tried to... it caught up pretty fast, and launched a Flamethrower for distracting purposes... I knew it was just to distract us, but... I was in panic, so I pushed her aside, thinking she wouldn't get hit... I pushed her... right into another attack..." Tears ran down his face

"Think about it... a Pokémon of my size, hit by an attack performed by one of that size... she didn't survive this... I am responsible for her death... oh, if I just didn't do that, she'd probably still alive" Stuffing his face into his paws, he curled up in the corner a little.

[Armed Floatzel]

"That's...harsh," said Daniel. "I really don't know what to say. I've never had anything like that happen to me. I hope you feel better. Why did they attack you?"

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera's eyes filled with tears. Slowly, silently, she moved to Piel's side, sat down next to him, and put an arm around his shoulders, in a sisterly kind if way.

[Shade]

Shade's eyes sadden a little upon hearing this. He knows how painful it is to hurt those you care for, having almost lost someone close to him before because of it.

[Connec10]

Piél leaned a litte bit to Shyera, trying to wipe his eyes dry. "I... don't know why this happened, Daniel... but I hope I can become strong enough... I know revenge doesn't bring her back... but maybe I can forgive myself...", he quietly said.

[Armed Floatzel]

"If we make it through this mission alive, we'll all be stronger," Daniel spoke, looking at the wall. "But for now, let's put this aside, at least for now. We've got some serious stuff coming up."

Simon spoke up.

"Well, I have to say, you're pretty lucky you have someone to love. Daniel and I used to be human, but now we're Pokemon. It's hard to tell if we'll ever find love. It's like 'which way do we go?'"

"Well, my friend, Zeke, is a Lucario. He was the first guy to be turned into a pokemon, and he has a human girlfriend," Daniel recalled. "Nothing wrong with that."

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera thought about that. She'd never had a boyfriend, human or Pokemon. The closest thing she'd ever had to that was a Grovyle she'd met a long time ago, and he'd been more like a brother than anything else.

[Shade]

Shade closes his eyes and smiles, reminiscing about his sweetheart he was forced to leave behind for a time. Being in this room, with others around him, reminded him of the adventures he had with her in the past.

[Connec10]

"Yes... yes, of course... give me a few minutes to calm down...", Piél said after a while. "And Simon... Daniel... I'm sure that you will find someone. Just... when you do, make sure... make sure the same doesn't happen to you."

[Armed Floatzel]

"Very well," said Daniel.

"Hope you feel better," added Simon.

Daniel and Simon continued looking around the house. They were fascinated by all the pretty colors. Soon after, the wizard called everyone to the living room.

"Come on, everyone," Talayah called.

Daniel, Simon, Talayah and Stephanie sat down.

"Just so you know, my name is Wilfrey," said the wizard. "I'm a wizard by inclination and alchemist by trade. Talayah here is my niece."

Wilfrey raised his hand in the air and disappeared. A second later, he reappeared with a completely different set of clothes on. He was now dressed in a dark blue robe with various white symbols all over it. He was also wearing a strange silver object on his back which reminded Daniel of a battle standard. It was shaped like a curtain with the middle bent downwards, with blue silk hanging down.

"Nice robe," Daniel remarked.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera looked over at the group, though she stayed sitting next to Piel. She thought the robe might've been a bit overdramatic, but, then again, she didn't know much about wizards, so it could be that this was how they normally dressed. The color's nice, though. She thought.

[Shade]

Shade lags behind the rest of the group, unsure if he can fully trust the wizard or not. He didn't completely trust Talayah either due to his previous encounters with humans, but he knew how to act around them to avoid suspicion.

[Connec10]

Piél jerked a little as Wilfrey disappeared and reappeared, but he quickly calmed down again. He curiously looked at the silver object on his back, opening his mouth to ask about it, but then closed it again.

[Armed Floatzel]

"As you all know, we're on a mission to stop an undead invasion," Wilfrey began. "Sounds simple, right? No, it's not as simple as you think. The coin Talayah just took is only one of three relics needed to get inside the cathedral, where we need to go."

"So where are the other two?" asked Simon.

"One of them is hidden outside the entrance to the lost city," answered Wilfrey. "The other one is stashed in an old, abandoned mausoleum just outside of town."

"Do you know exactly where they are?" asked Daniel.

"No, but I know they're somewhere in those areas. Guess we have to explore and find out."

"When would be a good time to go get them?" asked Stephanie.

"Ah, good question," began Wilfrey. "One of the relics only appears during the day, while the other one appears at night. Quite fitting that the one in the mausoleum appears at night."

"Is the mausoleum haunted?" asked Simon.

"Most likely," answered Wilfrey. "Which is why we have to be careful. I know more than I want to about the dangers of facing the undead. Try not to get hit by zombies of all creatures because they tend to carry some nasty diseases."

"I hear the mausoleum hasn't been used in over 40 years," added Talayah.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera listened intently. Alright, don't get hit by the zombies. Got it. She thought.

[Shade]

"One by day...one by night..." Shade glances quickly at Stephanie, whose form is set by the time of day. Could she have an important role to play in obtaining these relics?

Being a pokémon of the night, Shade was sure he was meant to hunt down the night relic, but he continued to listen just in case he was wrong.

[Connec10]

"One by day, one by night? How far away are they? We probably could get them in one day without having to split up then.", Piél said. He looked around a little.

[Armed Floatzel]

"Well start going after these two items when we get to it, but for right now, I think you've all had quite a day so far," Wilfrey remarked. "You lot aren't from around here, are you?"

"We're from another planet, so no," Simon replied.

"Ah, thought so," Wilfrey continued. "Word is getting around about creatures like yourself appearing in places."

"Well, we've been on this world quite a few times," Daniel spoke. "The creatures you hear about are called 'Pokemon'."

"Pokemon, huh? I hear that you creatures have special powers," Talayah recalled.

"Well, most of us," Daniel corrected. "Simon and I for example don't have any. Here's how it works: There's a strange, pink creature in the woods near where we live that turns children into Pokemon. Now, normal Pokemon would have these abilities, but those who were victims of that creature don't have any for some reason."

"Daniel, and I used to be human, but now we're Pokemon," Simon added. "Stephanie turns into one when the moon shines on her, and then back to a human again when the sun shines on her."

"Fascinating," Wilfrey commented. "I think I should show something to everyone. Come with me."

"Ever heard of water that glows?" asked Talayah.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera stood up, and turned to Piel. "Ready?" She asked, holding her "hand" out to him.

[Shade]

Shade gets up and follows the group, thinking about what Stephanie meant by "water that glows". He also wondered about Simon and Daniel, who only changed in shape, not form. Why was his own transformation so different than theirs?

He shrugs off the thought for the moment. Now wasn't the time for deep thoughts.

[Connec10]

Piél puts his paw into Shyera's hand, slowly getting up. "I am", he said to her, then turned to follow the others. "Glowing water? What's up with that?"

[Armed Floatzel]

Wilfrey and Talayah walked through a door, leading downstairs into a large room. It looked like a magic laboratory of some kind. The room was well-organized. What really got everyone's attention was the glowing water in a fountain, in the middle of the room. The water was clear and seemed to sparkle. It was beautiful to look at and the fountain itself made humming and singing noises. The fountain itself was about 6 feet high, but it looked like a ten-layered cake from a distance.

(This is what the noises sound like (looping sound) - Holy Water.wav)

"Nice fountain," Simon said, looking at the fountain in awe.
Wilfrey took a small, bright blue bottle with a gold-colored cap and filled it with some of the glowing water.

"Try it," Wilfrey spoke, handing the bottle to Daniel. "It's Holy Water."

Daniel drank the water and found that it was delicious. It was very refreshing. As soon as he drank it, his body glowed blue for a second and made a strange, but pleasant, magical sound.

(it sounded like this - Holy water drink.wav)

'You can't get any better than this with water,' Daniel thought.

"Try it," he suggested. "It's nice."

Wilfrey filled enough bottles and handed one each to everyone.

Simon felt a strangely pleasant rush of magic through his body as he drank it.

"Whoa...nice," he spoke.

Stephanie had a similar blue glow after drinking the magical water.

"If this were a drink on my world, I would so buy it," she said, smiling.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera drank the water in her bottle. It was very nice. She felt an odd sort of rush go through her as she drank it. Magic, she guessed. "Wow..." She said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

[Shade]

Shade was reluctant to drink the water, not knowing what it would do to him. He takes a sip of it and finds it very delicious, and feels no ill side effects from drinking it, so he drinks the remainder of the water offered him.

His body begins to glow lightish-blue, Shade smiling as his body is filled with warmth from the water. He can feel his control over his powers tightening, making them much easier to control.

[Connec10]

Piél looked curiously at the others, drinking their bottles of the Holy Water, then drank his own. He closed his eyes as he felt a rush going through his body. "So that is what it feels like... now we should be properly prepared...", he whispered to himself.

[Armed Floatzel]

"Moving on," began Wilfrey. "It's time for the good stuff, magic."

He walked over to a table with a bunch of scrolls and a couple of ornate books on it.

"In order to learn how to cast spells, first you need to know what movements to make. Some of them might be hard for creatures like yourselves."

"Stephanie, Simon and I already know this, but the others don't," Daniel spoke.

"With enough practice, you'll start to develop a way to channel magic effectively," Wilfrey continued. "And if you're really good at it, you won't need to make the movements, either."

He covered his eyes and waved his finger around. It landed on Shyera.

"I've heard that creatures like yourself have powers of your own, and that you can actually mix magic with them, too. Let's see if that's true."

He picked up a scroll that read "Whirlwind" and handed it to Shyera.

"Go inside the practice room and follow the directions on the scroll," he said. "Then use one of your own powers and see if it reacts with the spell."

(All right, SEP. The movements go like this:

1: Stand with your feet as close together as possible.
2: Position your arms so that they're parallel with the floor. One arm must be in front of you, with the other behind your back.
3: Stand on your toes as you move your arms 180 degrees clockwise

This will start the whirlwind spell, which is like a mini tornado. At the same time, use Whirlpool and the water will mix with the tornado, lifting you off the ground several feet, letting you control where the waterspout goes. This is sustainable for a short while. It's like riding the top of a car, only you control it with your mind. This new move/spell will be known as Waterspout.

Have fun )

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera looked at the scroll curiously as she went in to the practice room. Once inside, she read the instructions. After a moment, she stood a bit straighter, placing her feet as close as she could without losing her balance too much, stuck both arms straight out, one in front of her, and one behind, then shifted her weight to her toes, moved her arms 180 degrees clockwise. Slowly, a sort of miniature tornado started to form. As it did, Shy's body glowed blue as she summoned a whirlpool attack. She suddenly found herself lifted off the ground as the whirlpool and the tornado mixed. She stood there for a moment, surprised, then looked around her. She looked to the other side of the room, and wondered if she could move over there. Even as she thought it, the water/wind mix began to move, carrying her with it. Startled she thought stop. And it stopped. She tried moving it again. Slowly, she made her way to the other side of the room. She then proceeded to move the Windy Whirlpool around the room, going a bit faster as she got the hang of it. She wasn't sure how long she was in that room, though it couldn't have been more than a few minutes, when the whirlpool dissipated underneath her. She'd been moving fairly quickly, so it was a bit of a surprise to find herself on her feet again. She stumbled for a minute, before landing flat on her face. She got up quickly, laughing. "Well, it was fun while it lasted."

(Did I get it right?)

[Shade]

Shade watches in slight amazement at how much more powerful Shyera's powers were mixed with magic. He eyes the scrolls on the table, wondering if there were any that would augment his dark-based powers.

[Connec10]

Piél fell down onto his back as Shyera casted the Whirlwind and mixed it with her own Whirlpool attack. "That's... utmost impressive!", he called out loud, watching her for a while. As he began to look at the scrolls, trying to see what they possibly could do, he remembered the "Wall of Wind" scroll. "Wilfrey?" He held the scroll towards him. "What could we possibly do with this? Oh wait, Daniel? You found a scroll too, didn't you? Might want to show it to him as well."

[Armed Floatzel]

Daniel began to see some potential with the magic and moves. He gave the scroll to Piel and said,

"Hey Piel, take this scroll. By itself, it's a blast of pure force, used to knock back enemies. Like a really hard punch. Try mixing it with your Aura Sphere.

Wilfrey, have you got any scrolls related to light?"

"I do have one," answered Wilfrey. "Why?"

"I think Shade here could use one like Shy did," Daniel replied.

"Very well," Wilfrey spoke.

He took one of the scrolls with the word "Illuminate" written on it and handed it to Shade.

(All right, instruction time.

Shade, take the Illuminate scroll and open it. Here is the movement you need to make,

1: Move your left paw from right to left, going in an upwards arc and then back down again. Use Dark Void at the same time to make Shade incorporeal, colorless, and able to float for 30-60 seconds.

Connec, take your Force Bolt scroll and hold it with both paws. Try to mix Aura Sphere and Force Bolt

(this is what the resulting mix sounds likeAuraspheremix.wav)

The result is a really fast Aura Sphere that's gray instead of blue. More powerful too.

Here are the movements you need to make:

1: Charge up your Aura Sphere while holding the scroll. The Aura Sphere will form in whatever paw you wish.

2: Pull your arm back and thrust it forward, holding your paw like a stop gesture.

3: Immediately pull it back again.

End of instructions.)

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera stood a little to the side, curious to see how Shade and Piel would be able to use their moves with the magic.

[Shade]

Standing in the middle of the room, Shade moves his left paw from right to left in an overhead arc, shouting out Dark Void as he does so. Strands of light and dark flow out a short distance before coming back onto him, giving him the form of a ghost.

He chuckles slightly as he floats upward a little, floating through the ceiling and disappearing briefly before floating back down, sitting on the ground just as he returned to his normal form. "That's pretty cool, actually. Perfect for reconaissance."

[Connec10]

Piél took the scroll into his right paw, letting out a quiet sigh. He then began to channel his Aura inside of him, creating an Aura Sphere in his right paw. After a while he pulled his arm back and thrusted it forward, holding his paw as if he would want to stop someone in front of him, immediately pulling it back again. He jerked when a grey Aura Sphere shot out of his paw, with a velocity he hasn't seen before.

"Whoa whoa whoa! With this and the holy Water, those Undead shouldn't be too much of a threat for us!", he exclaimed.

[Armed Floatzel]

"Keep practicing the spells themselves until you can cast them without a scroll," Wilfrey suggested.

"Remember, don't use up all of your own power while mixing these things together," Daniel added. "There's only so much you can use up before there's none left."

"So everyone, are you interested in learning about magic?" asked Talayah. "It takes a few minutes to learn, but a lifetime to master. We've got some time."

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera nodded in response to Talayah's question. She sat quietly, ready to listen.

[Shade]

Shade sits down, staring at the scroll in his hand, thinking deeply about what the wizard said about it taking a lifetime to master. He knew of another way he could learn a bit faster, but he didn't know how his powers would react to the change.

Shade carefully walked up to the wizard, prompting a raised eyebrow. "Excuse me Wilfrey...but what would happen if I dropped the scroll into my shadow? I can store items in my shadow and draw power from them."

[Connec10]

Piél nodded as well, also adding "The more we can learn, the better." He looked after Shade as he went to Wilfrey, but quickly focussed back on Talayah.

[Armed Floatzel]

"Hmm," answered Wilfrey. "I guess. You just gave me an idea. Stephanie, I'm going to hand you a scroll that can transfer it's power into that club of yours."

"Sure," answered Stephanie. "Though this 'club' is called a baseball bat."

"Try practicing on that training dummy over there, without the scroll," Wilfrey suggested.

Stephanie walked over to the dummy and whacked it several times with her bat. She had a unique fighting style, using the weight of her bat to bounce off the metal dummy and put in several blows in a very short time.

"All right, stop," said Wilfrey. "Now take the scroll on the table that says 'Weaken' and use it on the training dummy."

Stephanie searched through the pile of scrolls until she found the right one. She unrolled it, touched the blank area, flipped her hand up as if saying "stop," and out came what looked like a blob of red and blue energy. It made a strange, metallic-sounding whirr in the air. It made what sounded like a laser pulse as it collided with the dummy. The red energy was absorbed into the dummy, making it faintly glow red. The blue energy scattered in random directions for a few feet before fading away.

"All right, now attack the dummy," Wilfrey spoke.

Stephanie whacked the dummy some more, and noticed that she was actually making large dents in the dummy. Then she whacked it on the head so hard that the head looked like it had been run over by a truck, leaning to one side.

"Hey Stephanie, try enchanting your baseball bat with that spell," Daniel suggested.

"Okay," she replied.

She touched the blank area of the scroll and focused on the bat. It suddenly began to glow red and blue, with energy swirling around it. Then she hit the dummy some more times and found that it was making more of an impact than before. She aimed for the left leg and smacked it, causing the metal to dent so much that the dummy fell on the wall.

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera watched as Stephanie assaulted the dummy with her bat. I certainly feel sorry for anyone on the receiving end of that thing. She thought.

[Shade]

Shade watched in amazement as Stephanie's bat did immense damage to the metal dummy. He considered asking it if would be possible to bind a scroll to a pokémon move, but decided to wait until Wilfrey finished with Stephanie.

[Connec10]

Piél looked at the dummy with a painful expression after Stephanie finished hitting it. " Certainly, this guy's best days are over...", he let out, also saying "Good thing she's on our side... surely, I don't want to imagine what this thing could do to my head..." to himself.

[Armed Floatzel]

"The nice thing about magic is that anyone can use it," began Wilfrey. "Only those who are serious about it can master it, though."

"If you're skilled enough, you can even make your own spells," added Talayah. "However, it does take a bit of know-how to make even simple spells."

"There are some people who have their own special 'power' that they have, naturally," continued Wilfrey. "Daniel, do you have any, seeing as you've studied magic for a while?"

'I do in fact," answered Daniel. "I only discovered it recently, though. I can light things on fire, but it doesn't burn anything. It also helps me channel magic through my body better, so I don't need a staff or a wand to do that, which is great, since my body shape doesn't make that too easy. Watch this, everyone..."

Daniel suddenly burst into blue and green flames, but didn't burn to a crisp. Instead, the flames moved slowly and swayed from side the side. The flames also made a relaxing whirring noise.

"My friend, Zeke has a power of his own," he continued. "He can use blue fire as a weapon, or to light something on fire. Looks pretty, too."

[SpikyEaredPichu96]

Shyera jumped when Daniel burst into flames, shrinking away from them, then slowly relaxed, though not completely. "That's neat." She said, though her voice was very soft.

[Shade]

Shade smiles as the flames swirl and twist around Daniel's body, feeling a slight heat eminating from them, but not enough to burn. Though it wasn't an effective way to attack, it was useful as a scare tactic, making enemies flee when they see it.

He wonders if he could also develop a repelling attack like that one.