Zeke wasn't intimidated. He had no fear, and that could get him into serious trouble some times. He turned to his two companions, Garnet and Onyx, and said, "Zoroark. Ark, ark. Zoro!"

Onyx tilted his head upwards, and let out a loud howl that could curdle someone's blood. "Houndoom," he said after he finished.

Garnet nodded and said, "Arcanine! Arc!" He ran around the salamence a few times, and allowed Bloodstone to see that his sharp teeth were coated in a la
yer of flames. He was going to use fire fang on her.

Raven watched in awe as her three pokemon came up with a plan on their own. They were getting so intelligent that it wasn't even funny. She finished her cigarette and said, "If you're after a Manaphy egg, I'm afraid that we can't let you get it." She threw the cigarette butt on the sand, and stomped it to put out the flames. She then turned to Sidney.

"You, boy," she said, referring to Sidney. "I'll help you out. From the looks of it, you only have a Murkrow. I have four pokemon who can help you out." Seraphiel came up to Raven, and coiled around her, leaving her head even with her master's.

"Seraphiel. I know you're a water type, but I need you to fight Raichu. Is that okay?" Raven stroked her loyal pokemon's head.

"Milotic," Seraphiel said with a nod of her head.

Raven turned back to her three pokemon, who were still messing around with Bloodstone. "Zeke, Garnet, Onyx!" she barked, an attempt to get their attention. The three boys turned their head to look at her. Garnet's flames on his teeth disappeared, and he started panting happily. To him, this was a fun game. "I need you guys to get serious. This girl wants the Manaphy egg. I don't know what she wants to do with it, but it can't be good."

Garnet, Onyx, and Zeke let out a nod at Raven to let her know that they understood. Now it was time for them to battle, and it would be a fun one at that. Raven could feel adrenaline pumping through her veins, and she took her battle stance. Seraphiel uncoiled herself from around Raven, and said, "Tic!"

Bloodstone, who found the Pokemon pathetic, didn't mind them messing around. They were just making complete fools of themselves, running around and playing like immature Pokemon. "Mence," she snickered. When the other girl called her Pokemon for a battle, Bloodstone went right to Crystal's side, ready to fight if the other girl planned on having a battle. She let out an intimidating growl, preparing for a battle.

"Sorry Bloodstone, but I'll be using Jewel this time," Crystal said, stroking her Salamence's neck apologetically. Then she turned, facing the girl. "You want a battle?" she asked, smiling darkly. "Then I'll give you one." She looked at Jewel, and she immediately knew what Crystal wanted.

"Chu," She gave a quick nod, and faced her opponent, a Milotic. Her cheeks crackled with electricity.

Crystal stared at the girl, waiting for her response. "I'll make first move if you're too scared to," Crystal teased, smiling in a mocking way. "And don't disappoint me with a lame battle and waste my time."

((Back! Wow, I missed a lot. Though this is terribly exciting! Could Dusk fly through the forest and ram into Colette as she walks home?))

Colette had barely waved and said "Bye?" Before Crystal took off torwards the beach. "That was strange. Wonder who she was talking to. Sounded like her boss." Colette said to Jelly who was equally depressed that he couldn't race Jewel. "Ditto." He said depressingly having transformed back. "Return." She said. Jelly and Spoons went inside their pokeballs. Colette sighed and picked them all up. "Might as well start walking home." She said despondently to no one in particular. She took a look at the lake one more time then trudged off into the forest.

((Choco, you're back! 8D

*waits for Kate and Wolfie*))

When he realized he was being pursued, a frantic Dusk increased his speed, soaring as fast as his wings would allow.  It became difficult to manuever through the dense thickets, especially with the egg perched on his back.  Red eyes grew wide as he realized he was headed straight for a farmiliar female trainer.  There was no time to stop or swerve, and all the bird could do was attempt to slow himself as he collided with Colette, collapsing into the soil with the egg still -Barely- Nestled on him.  Swallowing the pain, he craned his neck upward, looking at her with a pleading scarlet glare.

Meanwhile, back at the beach, Sidney could do nothing but watch with anticipation as the battle was about to go down.  This other girl- not the traitor- seemed the good sort.  Granted he wanted to scold her for soiling her lungs with cigarettes.

He would attempt a capture to help the trainer, but after the last mishap he didn't want to risk any damage to his styler.  He simply stood there uselessly, wondering about his poor Murkrow.  He focused his honey- toned gaze at the betrayer.  She didn't seem the type to work for evil.  Maybe there was a story to that.  Maybe she just got paid well.  Either way she was still the enemy, like it or not. 

((Yay, thanks! xD))

A few days later, and Becky had gone through a LOT of tough training to raise her strength. She had decided to take a break, and was allowing her Pokemon to all have a run around in a forest clearing. The only thing was, all of them eccept for Screech had decided to fall asleep under a large tree, instead. Becky yawned.

"You know, I think I might take a nap, too..." she said. But at that instant, there came an almighty metallic screech erupted from somewhere and echoed around the clearing. Becky jumped. All of her Pokemon awoke, startled, and seemed confused. All of them, that is, except for Blade, who simply rushed over to his trainer's side and awaited commands.

"What the heck was that?!" Becky cried. But then she realised what had made the noise...it was Screech. Something had upset the Skarmory and now her beloved Pokemon was staring into the shadows of a nearby tree. It's metal face was showing an ex
pression of pure rage and fury. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows, and Screech stiffened.

"Well, well, Skarmory, I never thought I''d see YOU again..." the mysterious trainer said to Screech.

"SKRAAAAAAAAAAA!" Screech yelled at him. The new trainer just chuckled.

"I see that you're not pleased to see me." he said. But as soon as he took notice of Becky, he faltered. 

"Who are you?" Becky demanded.

"The name's Matt." the new trainer replied. "And yours is...?"

"Becky." Becky said. "Do...do you know Screech from somewhere?" Matt looked at Screech, who was still angry.

"Sure do." he said. "Screech, or so you call her, once belonged to me." Becky couldn't believe her ears.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah. I came from Johto, and Skarmory was my first Pokemon." Matt said, then shrugged. "But then I caught a Legendary pokemon. With this new Pokemon, I had enough strength to defeat any opponent, without any need for my other Pokemon, at all. So I released every single one of my Pokemon apart from the legendary one. After all, I didn't need them any more." Becky was shocked. No wonder Screech didn't like him.

"How heartless are you?!" she practically screamed at him. Beside her, Blade seemed to be giving Matt an angry glare, and Screech was shaking with rage. Matt raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, is that what you think of me?" he asked, seemingly calm. "In that case, I challenge you to a battle. And here is your opponent..." He threw a pokeball into the air. There was an almighty flash. Becky gasped at the sight before her. The Pokemon that Matt had sent out was black almost all over. It's face seemed to be shrouded in a plume of white smoke and the Pokemon's vicious glare seemed to burn into her soul. She had recognised it from a story her grandmother had once told her.

"Is that...a Darkrai?" Becky asked, stunned. Matt chuckled again.

"That's right." he said. "And we challenge you to a battle. I''m a generous person, so I'll let you use all of you Pokemon against mine." Becky shivered. Surely, she couldn't battle Darkrai, a LEGENDARY Pokemon?

"BISHAAAAAA!" Blade suddenly cried. He swung his bladed arm around in a flourish and brought it up again in a challenging gesture to Darkrai. Then, Screech gave another cry that could have shattered the sound barrier. Becky grinned. She made her decision.

"Alright then, Matt!" she said, confidently. "I'll battle your Darkrai...right now!"

((I'll post the battle soon! xD))

((Becky, if you time skip, wouldn't that mean everyone else has to time skip? -.-

Anyways..... *waits for Wolfie's response*))

((Time skip? what do you mean?))

"Are you ready?" Becky called over to Matt. The other trainer just laughed.

"I was about to ask you the same question!" he called back. He had a mocking look on his face. Becky glanced over at his Darkrai and shuddered. The Pokemon's menacing glare made her skin crawl.

"Well, here goes..." she muttered. "Go, Nala!" In a flash, Becky's beloved Liepard was ready to battle. It growled at it's opponent, showing absolutely no fear at all. Becky knew for a fact that Nala couldn't take as many hits and had pretty low defense, but Nala was definately Becky's fastest Pokemon and had reasonably strong attack power. Becky was sure that Nala would be able to do some damage. Matt didn't falter.

"It takes some nerve to challenge a Dark type with another Dark type." he said. "Never mind...you take the first move." Becky was irritated at how calm Matt was all the time.

"Nala, use Hone Claws!" she commanded.

"Lieeepaaaa!" Nala cried as she followed the order. In a flash, her attack power was greater than before.

"Well, well, I think you'd NEED to raise your attack power with a Pokemon as pathetic as that!" Matt commented. Liepard growled at him. "Darkrai, use Shadow Ball..." As Darkrai prepared for the attack, Becky grinned; she'd had an idea.

"Nala, use Sucker Punch!" she cried. Nala darted towards Darkrai with the attack. Darkrai was taken off-guard, or so it seemed. Becky smiled; Sucker Punch was a move that could only hit an opponent who was preparing for an attack. Surely, this could do Darkrai some damage?

A dust cloud rose into the air as Nala collided with Darkrai. As the dust cleared...Becky gasped. The powerful Sucker Punch attack seemed to have done hardly any damage at all! even Nala seemed confused; not many Pokemon had been able to withstand her Hone Claws and Sucker Punch combo. Matt chuckled.

"Darkrai, use Shadow Ball again!" he commanded. Darkrai did so, and Nala tried to dodge the attack. However, the Shadow Ball caught her squarely in the chest and she was blown back, collapsing in a heap at her trainer's feet.

"Nala!" Becky gasped. Her precious Liepard shakily got to it's feet. It was clear that even though Shadow Ball didn't usually have much of an effect on Nala, this time it had done severe damage. That must have meant that Darkrai was incredibly strong...

"Give up?" matt asked, smirking. Becky glanced at Nala, who looked at her and somehow managed to look even more determined than before.

"Not on your life!" Becky yelled at Matt. "Nala, use Night Slash!" Nala managed to leap at Darkrai. The Night Slash attack hit the opponent's Pokemon, but once again, did not do much damage.

"Darkrai, end this with Dark Pulse, will you?" matt said with an irritatingly calm wave of his hand.

"DAAAARRAAAA!" Darkrai cried and fired his lethal attack. It hit the weakened Nala. Nala attempted to get up, but she couldn't. She fainted, and Becky recalled her to her Pokeball.

"Thanks so much, Nala. You take a nice rest, now." Becky whispered to it. She took out another Pokeball.

"Go, Blade!" Becky cried. Blade the Bisharp was her first and most powerful Pokemon. If anything could stand a chance against Darkrai, it was him. On the battlefield, Blade took his normal stance of slashing the air with his shiny blades and fixing the opponent with a glare that could (and had, once or twice) make even a strong opponent shiver. But Darkrai wasn't fazed.

"Another Dark type? Really?" Matt asked. He chuckled; Becky was getting really fed up of his laugh.

"Yes, really! And this one has REAL power!" Becky yelled at him. "Alright then, Blade, use Swords Dance!" Blade used the Swords Dance attack to make his attack power even more devastating than usual.

"If your Bisharp has so much power, then  why are you still raising his stats?" Matt asked. Becky saw him roll his eyes and almost felt like commanding Blade to use Brick Break on him to wipe that stupid grin off his face. But she managed to compose herself.

"Blade, let's use Night Slash!" she cried. "And put all of your strength into it!" Obediantly, Blade charged forward. That was when Becky realised that the black gem on her necklace was glowing. It seemed to be affecting Blade, who's Night Slash attack looked somehow far more powerful than usual. For perhaps the first time in that battle, Matt's smile faltered. He glanced at the gem on Becky's necklace, then back at the two Pokemon. When Night Slash struck Darkrai, there seemed to be an explosion. When the smoke cleared...neither trainer could believe what they saw before them.

Darkrai was on the ground. Blade was standing close by, ready to attack again. Becky thought he looked slightly baffled at how strong his attack suddenly was. Matt didn't look too pleased.

"That gem around your neck...do you know what it is?" he asked, abrubtly. Becky shrugged.

"Not really. I just wear it because it was a gift." she replied.

"That item of yours..." Matt began. "...is a rather rare item known as a Dark Gem. In a battle, they will power up a Pokemon's Dark type move only once. I myself have longed to find one of these gems with no luck." Becky stared at him...then burst out laughing.

"Ha! I have the thing you've longed to find...and I didn't even have to search for it!" she practically screeched with laughter. But she stopped when she saw darkrai lifting itself into the air again. Blade leapt out of the way. Both Pokemon glared at each other. Matt's smile returned.

"That said..." he began. "...you won't be blessed with the Dark Gem's power for the rest of the battle, so don't expect to do any more damage. Ok, Darkrai, use Dark Void!" Darkrai rose into the air. Before Becky could give Blade a command, Darkrai had hurled a small orb of black energy at her loyal Bisharp. The energy had momentarily engulfed Blade, and once it had cleared, Becky realised that her Bisharp was asleep. But then she realised that Blade must have been having a very bad dream. His eyes were squeezed tight shut and he seemed to be in pain.

"Dark Void is Darkrai's signature move." Matt explained, mockingly. "It puts an opponent to sleep and gives them a painful nightmare, too. Darkrai, finish it with Dark Pulse!" His Darkrai used Dark Pulse on Blade. Blade was hit hard, and as the dust from the attack cleared...blade had fainted. Becky gasped. She couldn't remember the last time Blade had been defeated; it must have been years ago.

"I'm so sorry, Blade." she said, as she returned him to his Pokeball. "You take a nice long rest, old friend." Before she could do anything else, however, there was suddenly a flash of light...and Screech stood before her. The Skarmory's eyes blazed with fury.

"Screech, do you want to try?" she asked. Screech turned and winked at her.

"Skarrrm!" Screech replied, turning back to face Matt and Darkrai. The smile had been  wiped clean off Matt's face.

"Wha....YOU?!" he cried, with disbelief. "You honestly want to battle ME?! I used to be your TRAINER!" Screech, in response, looked diretcly at him and, true to her name, used Screech right in his face. He was almost blown backwards. For once, his calm personality was replaced with an ex
pression of anger.

"I think Screech likes you just about as much as you ever liked her!" Becky laughed. "In other words, she doesn't like you at all!"

"D...Darkrai, USE DARK VOID!" Matt screamed. It was then that Becky notice Darkrai hesitate; he seemed to be pondering something. The Dark type looked from Screech to Becky and then back to Matt.

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?!" Matt screamed again. "USE DARK VOID! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Darkrai finally commenced with the attack.

"Screech, fly up as high as you can!" Becky commanded. Screech did exactly that, and in doing so, dodged the Dark Void attack. Darkrai and Matt both looked up at Screech, who was flying so high that now she was just a small black dot against the sun.

"Use Sky Attack!" Becky called up. Screech did exactly that. This attack hit Darkrai pretty hard and knocked him down again. The Screech soared back up, ready to dive down once more.

"GET UP, YOU WORTHLESS EXCUSE OF A POKEMON!" Matt screamed hysterically. "USE DARK PULSE AND KNOCK THAT THING RIGHT OUT OF THE SKY!" Once again, Darkrai hesitated. Becky thought that the Legendary Pokemon was going to refuse his trainer's orders. But then he used Dark Pulse into the air, right at Screech.

"Screech, use Steel Wing!" Becky cried. Her Skarmory dived down with the attack. She managed to dodge the Dark Pulse attack and made straight for Darkrai. However, just before she could hit, Darkrai used Shadow Ball, without his trainer giving him a command. In the subsequent explosion, both Pokemon fell to the ground. When the smoke cleared, Darkrai only just managed to get back up. But Screech couldn't move at all. She had fainted. Matt burst out laughing. Becky recalled her Pokemon. She had appreciated Screech's noble effort, but now what chances did she have? She almost felt like giving up; although Darkrai was weak, he had managed to defeat all of her Pokemon so far. But then she looked at Matt's mocking face and changed her mind. Somehow, she managed to stay determined, and sent out her last Pokemon.

"Go, Half Tusk!" Becky shouted, and sent out her Fraxure. Half Tusk wasn't Becky's strongest Pokemon of all. In fact, he was possibly the weakest. This wasn't saying he was actually weak in terms of overall strength, but compaired to Becky's other Pokemon, Half Tusk'd attack power was tiny.

"What? Is that all you have left?" Matt spluttered through his laughter. "Seriously?! And just look at those pathetic tusks! Or should I say, one tusk and a stump? Ha ha ha!" At this point, Half Tusk let out an angry growl. Becky knew that Half Tuskl was very sensitive about his tusks, and if they were made fun of, he got VERY angry.

"What, so you doubt Half Tusk's strength?" Becky asked, with a grin on her face. " You'll see! Ready, Half Tusk?" Half Tusk didn't seem to hear her. But suddenly the battlefield was engulfed in bright white light. Becky had to close her eyes. When she opened them again, Half Tusk the Fraxure was no longer standing before her...and a mighty Haxorus stood in it's place. Half Tusk had evolved. What was more, the only way you could ever tell that one of his tusks was ever broken was a slight notch in one of them.

"It looks like this battle just got interesting..." Matt muttered. "Darkrai, use Dark Void!" But this time, Darkrai ignored him completely and used Shadow Ball instead. Becky smiled to herself.

"It looks like Darkrai's not a good as Matt first thought..." she chuckled. "Ok, Half Tusk, use Dragon Pulse!" Half Tusk did as instructed, and the attak hit Darkrai. The Dark type was quite clearly in trouble now. Shadow Ball hit Half Tusk, but thanks to his thick armor, the attack did next to no damage.

"I could actually win this!" Becky said to herself, smiling. "Half Tusk, finish it with Dragon Claw!" Before Darkrai could react, Half Tusk had hit Darkrai with the attack. There was a flare of light and an explosion...and the next second, Darkrai was on the ground. It was quite clear that it had fainted. matt was speechless. Then, he angrily recalled his Pokemon. he turned to Becky.

"Perhaps I was wrong. Your Pokemon really are something." He admitted, reluctantly. Then his ex
pression changed completely; he looked nervous and even a bit sheepish. "Listen, if my friends find out that my Legendary Pokemon was beaten by a mere Haxorus, then I'll be a laughing stock! How about I give you a rare gift, and we'll keep this battle a secret, hmm?"

"Um...what kind of gift?" Becky asked. She still couldn't believe that Matt had gone from calm to angry to embarrassed in two seconds flat. Matt took something out of his bag and showed it to her.

"It's a Pokemon egg." he said. "I have no idea what it'll hatch into, and I don't need it, so...you can have it." Before Becky could reply, Matt had shoved the egg into her hands and waled away.

"Done deal, then!" he called back over his shoulder. He walked off into the shadows and disappeared. Becky glanced at the egg in her hands. It was fairly light, and was a sort of greyish-blue colour.

"That was...random..." Becky muttered after a while.

((Sorry that it's so long. xD I was too busy to post the battle last night, and it takes place literally as soon as the other part finishes, so technically no time has passed...I think...))

((You wrote a few days later, Becky. :P

EDIT: In your other post.))