Mei Ling

Aw man. She took the fun out of everything.

Tempest sat on the back of Artemis, arms folded. I shivered, even from this distance; I could feel the cold surrounding the ice bird.

I, in turn, let out Shahman, "'Hello again." He murmured.

I turned to Seth, "You're a dog trainer aren't you? You won't have a pokemon that's flies huh? You'll have to come with either of us."

"Oh...... You can come with me." Tempest's rubbed her hands together, smiling ominously, "I won't hurt you..." Her smile melted into a big malicious grin, a maniacal glint appeared in her eyes.

I shuddered, I could just imagine what might happen if Seth went with her. How would I ever be able to explain to the law and his parents that his being pushed from a hundred feet in the air was purely an, ahem, accident?

"Uh, no it's all right." Seth said, glancing wearily at Tempest, "But I actually do have a ride. It's just that I don't use him very often, he's a bit....."

"Stupid?" Tempest supplied, looking at him snootily.

"No, I was thinking more along the lines of distracted."

I shrugged, "Whatever, just get him out."

"Um, O.K." Seth agreed uncomfortably, "Ed! Come on out!"

The ginormous form of a Gryffon materialised beneath the shade of two willow trees. He was big. And when I say big, I mean BIG. Big as in towering fifteen feet tall.

BIG.

The top half of his body resembled that of an arcanine. Scarlet fur radiated a warm luminance, large green stripes streaked across his back, his canine face was encircled in a mane of flickering flames. His appearance of a dog ended around his midsection, the rest of his body were the claws and golden brown feathers of a giant bird. Huge wings nestled in the middle of his back.

The pokemon was hunched on the ground, a large novel of some sort held in his dog-like arms. His purple eyes pouring over the pages.

"Uh, Hi Ed! C'mon let's get going to the Iris League!" Seth forced an encouraging smile. It was clear that he hadn't trained this pokemon as well as he should have.

Not that I was one to talk.

Captivated by his book, Ed didn't look up, didn't even make any indication that he had heard his trainer.

"Um.... Ed?"

Without looking away from his novel, the pokemon replied, "Shut-up you big retard, I'm trying to read."

I burst into laughter. My god, it was so much funnier when it was happening to someone else for a change!

Seth scratched his head, having no idea of what to do next.

"You might as well return him." Tempest suggested arrogantly, "Looks like he's too busy for you."

Grumbling, Seth held out his rouge pokeball and the gryffon disappeared in a zap of red light.

"C'mon, you can ride with me." I said.

"Jeese, finally we can get going!" Tempest said, exasperated.

I waited for Seth to leap up behind me before we soared through the air towards the distant specks that was the Iris Islands in the sky, Shaman's lithe body cutting smoothly through the blue sky.

Seth

So there I was, Seth Templeton. Master of Dog pokemon, the coolest, most talented, cutest guy ever to compete in the Geneva League. Oh yeah, that's right. You better believe it baby, sometimes, when I look into the mirror, I even stun myself. I am the next Brad Pitt.

But not only am I that I am a trainer of unique skill and ability. Probably the best in the land, I'm a seasoned pro, four leagues left to conquer? Hah! I could beat them while brushing my hair.

You're probably wondering why such a handsome guy like me would have such a passion for pokemon? Sometimes I even wonder myself, I mean, with looks like mine I’d make a fortune as an actor!

Yet pokemon's my main priority. Girls a close second... Hey, as if you didn’t see that coming?

On a serious note, my aim in life is to become the world’s greatest dog trainer, the greatest that ever lived. It had been my goal ever since the age of seven, when I'd befriended an old friend Farimes.

Man, Farimes, you're the bomb, my inspiration, my freakin' idol. When I was seven, my folks had decided to go on a holiday to the Orange Islands, of course, even then being the daredevil and gorgeous adventurer that I am, I'd wandered away from my family and had become lost on a strip of beach I hadn’t even known had existed. I hadn't actually seen myself lost as such, more as 'exploring a new country', 'expanding my horizons'. Anyway, I'd stumbled upon a fisherman relaxing against a bank of rocks, arms behind his head, legs crossed, the waves licking at his bare feet, warming himself in the rays of the sun. His worn out straw hat shaded his face, and his tattered sailor's clothes reeked of saltwater and seafood. His fishing rod dug into the sand beside him, he stress-free atmosphere about him, a contentment.

All of a sudden, his rod began to shake, and he turned to me, inclining his head, "Yo! Boy! Ya minda ifa ya getta thata for me?"

Of course I obliged, I mean, what else could I do? I might've been young but I had enough sense to know it was pointless to argue with the man, so running towards the fishing rod, I grabbed it before it was pulled into the ocean.

So that's how it began. I stayed and fished with him and he introduced himself. His name was "Farimes Long-Javelli" Sailor by day, womaniser and pokemon dog trainer by night. As I fished, he told me stories of all his adventures and my little mind had been blown away. They were awesome! He wove tales of adventure and passion that from the day forth, I vowed to become the world's best dog trainer, like him.

Twice he had been the orange island champion. But, after his 'mamma' got sick, was forced to retire to care for her. In my opinion, Farimes was one cool cat. He introduced me to all his pokemon and told me the tale of the Six Legendary Dogs, Raikou, Suicune, Entie, Penumbra, Gryffon, and Anima and I knew that someday those dogs would be mine.

I was forced to return to my parent’s camp at sun down. They were worried sick, terrified that I might have had a run in with a wild gyrados.

I never saw or heard from Farimes again.

Now, ten years later, I was on the back of a silver dragon, five of the six legendary dogs in my possession, sitting behind the most gorgeous girl ever to be honoured with my presence.

You might think I'm full of myself. And you'd be quite right. I just can't help it. Not gloating is a hard thing to do. With silky blonde hair cut to the latest fashion, amazing fashion sense, and blue eyes that could melt ice, can you blame me? I’d realized early in life that not everyone was blessed with my good looks.

I admired the back of Mei Ling's beautiful head, her long ivy green hair was now in a delicate braid, cascading down the middle of her back. Loose strands of hair fluttered in the biting wind. We were on out way towards the Rainbow Islands, where the Iris League awaited. Tempest on the back of her articuno flew not far behind us, the ground loomed thousands of metres below, buildings and trees, mere specks on the earth's surface. Flying was a wonderful experience if only it didn’t mess my hair so much.

Mei Ling glanced at the tiny landscape below, and I heard her gulp nervously, “No showing off now, Shah. I still haven’t recovered from your last escapade.”

I laughed, smoothing back my hair, "Don’t worry Mei, if you fall, I catch you."

“Yeah, that’s why I’m worried.” She replied wryly.

Heh heh heh, she was beginning to like me already. Ah, the wonders of being me.

"Hey, what's that?" Mei Ling pointed at two distance figures battling in the sky above us.

Tempest gasped, "Oh my god!"

My eyes bulged, "Whoa! It's Ho-oh and Celestrial!"

A wide grin spread across Tempest's mouse-like features, "Am I lucky or what? Two for the price of one. They're as good as mine!"

Artemis screeched out a cry of determination, "C'mon, you've been waiting for this for along time! Let's go!"

With a flap of crystal wings, the bird picked up speed, rocketing through the sky.

"C'mon Shahman! Follow em!" I urged.

The dragon looked back at me, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Before I could cut the insolent pokemon with my cutting wit, Mei Ling cried, "Just follow em, Shah!"

Giving me a last glare, he shot after Artemis and Tempest.

I poked out my tongue, when his head was turned of course, I might've been rebellious but I wasn't stupid. No one in their right mind wanted to be blasted to a crisp by a Moonbeam attack.

We whistled through the air, everything a blur before me, the wind howling in my ears, my teeth chattered, Mei Ling's hair came undone and streamed into my face. Tickling my nose and cheeks, but I didn't let go of Shahman's back, otherwise it would've been Bye Bye Seth.

We abruptly came to a halt.

Whoomph!

I crashed into Mei Ling's back.

"Sorry."

We were poised in the air, staring at the spectacle unfold before our eyes. Tempest, hovering beside us on Artemis, practically drooled with longing, "You beauty," she murmured.

Two of the mightiest birds of the Wings of Council went full out on each other.

Jerry Springer, here we come!

"You whore! How dare you show your ugly face while I'm around!"

"Fuck you."

"TSWEEEW!" A flap of mesmerising black feathers, the Dark type, Celestrial attacked. His awesome presence commanded power, and the effect of light upon his midnight feathers cast the illusion of a million stars clustered in the inky abyss of a swarthy night sky. His renowned collar of onyx scythes began at the base of his neck and as they clawed forward, narrowed until they were like a single row of feathers that ended just above his fierce black eyes.

Celestrial was the ultimate bird of prey. A born hunter.

He spread his massive star tipped wings, huge silver feathered ruff with sharp ear-like crests erect, his obsidian bladed tail streamed behind him as he shot towards Ho-oh, his savagely hooked beak opened and thundered out a powering Vesper attack.

Ho-oh, the exact opposite in appearance, veered upwards, her rainbow feathers shone brilliantly in the rays of the sun. Her fanned tail swept behind her like a circular pond of sparkling gold. Her wings tipped with peacock green flared outwards as she nimbly avoided Celestrial's attack, her delicately arched neck, flourished with teal, stretched to its maximum length in an attempt to gain altitude quickly. She banked left as another black beam almost singed her wings. In one smooth movement she wheeled around.

"That's it! I'm done with playing around with your pissy little attacks!"

With a massive downward stroke, tongues of golden flames flickered to life and flashed through the air.

Simultaneously from below, Celestrial screeched. "I'll show you a pissy little attack!" He snapped his wings together with a deafening crack, his black eyes flashed dangerously, and suddenly; STWEEEE!!! An ebony beam tore its way through the air! The two powers collided, exploding into a blinding ball of clashing light.

BOOOOM!!!

We watched in rapt fascination as the two titanic birds of legend displayed a stunning light show of a myriad of colourful attacks.

The two fought like territorial cats, their actions oozing vehemence as they tore at each other's throat. Typically, Tempest wore a grin fit for a madman. Gripping two of her empty ultra balls she cried, "Go!"

She pitched them forward, Celestrial and Ho-oh absently waved the two balls away, as if merely swatting flies.

Their attention was completely fixed on each other.

"This is my territory! Get the hell out!"

"You ain't King of the skies you dumb bird! As far as I'm concerned this is everyone's highway!"

"I hate you!"

"I hate you!!"

"Damn it!" Tempest muttered as she watched her pokeballs fall to the ground thousands of feet below. Hah! The amazing Tempest wasn’t as amazing after all!

"Hey! You two wasted my ultraballs! You might as well give up now because you've got no chance of escaping from me! I am Tempest, and you guys are as good as mine!"

Of course, they payed her no heed.

The two birds glared at each other, I could've sworn I saw a jagged bolt of electricity pass between them.

"Oh Yeah!?"

"Yeah!!"

"OH YEAH!!?"

"YEAH!!!"

"You're mine!" Tempest threw a masterball this time.

"Not if I have anything to do about it!" I retorted, whipping out my own. Call me spiteful, but there was no way she was gonna have the satisfaction of catching two of the legendary birds of the wings of council without a rival. So, being the person that I am, I felt obligated to fill the role of her contender.

WHOOSH!

The two sailed through the air, I watched earnestly as they flew, seemingly in slow motion, neck in neck towards Celestrial and Ho-oh.

"Come on!" I urged.

"Get there first you bloody masterball!" Tempest ordered.

With an audible click the two collided into each other, and tumbled to the ground.

"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Tempest wailed, an expression of agony and loss distorted her features. She whipped around, jabbing an accusing finger, simultaneously withering me with a black look, "You!"

I gulped nervously and gave her a weak grin.

She screeched, "You owe me a masterball!"

I snorted, "What? Me? Owe you a masterball? Someone's delusional!"

"You do to!"

"Do not!"

"Do to!"

"Do not!"

"Why do I get the feeling of de ja vu?" Mei Ling wondered.

Celestrial and Ho-oh hovered inches from each other, man, if death stares could kill, they'd both be deader than, well, something dead.

"Oh yeah!"

"Yeah!"

"O-H Y-E-A-H!!!?"

"Y-E-A-H!!!!!!"

"Fine then."

"Fine."

"Have it your way."

"Yes."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Eh?

“Wow, that was a bit of an anti climax.” Mei Ling remarked.

The two abruptly turned away from each other and flew in opposite directions. I looked confusedly at the dragon trainer. "Why couldn't they have just done that in the first place?" She wondered.

Tempest yelled, "OH NO!" Looking frantically at the retreating tail feathers of Celestrial, then Ho-oh, then Celestrial again, she was torn between two choices. Screaming in frustration at the sky, "BLOODY HELL!!! WHY ME!!!!???" Then sped off after Ho-oh.

"After her!" Mei Ling ordered her Shahman.

We rocketed through the sky, the wind biting into my face. Oh man! It was totally going to wreck my style! A mirror! I needed a mirror!

Tempest

VROOM!!

Off we went. I kept my eyes firmly planted on the receding figure of Ho-oh.

"Faster Artemis!" I urged.

"I'm sorry Tempest, but I can't go any faster than I am already! You have no idea how hard it was to hover in the air. My wings are killing me!"

I grumbled under my breath. I wasn't exactly pissed off at her, but mainly at the fact that I had just about had two of the legendary birds that I didn't have, in the palm of my hand.

I blamed Seth. If he hadn’t screwed my chances, they would have been mine, mine I tell you!

I ground my teeth, when I get to Iris I was gonna pound the bugger....

Ho-oh swooped into a low patch of damp white clouds. I swore as I lost her in the mist.

"What is this - bush week? Where the hell did she go?!" I cried. Searching about in the fog. My clothes had become damp, and, added to Artemis's cold aura, it had suddenly become unbearable cold.

Mei Ling's Shahman, herself, and Shit appeared beside me.

"Man, hurry up and catch em already." Mei Ling shivered, "Its almost lunchtime and I’m hungry!"

"Shut ya bloody hole." My teeth chattered. I hugged myself in an attempt to keep warm.

"Shut your hole."

"Why don't the both of you shut up." Seth suggested, irritated.

"Shut-up." Me and Mei Ling retorted simultaneously.

There! A faint glimmer of colour amongst the haziness, I ordered Artemis forward, but just as suddenly as it had appeared, the figure disappeared once again.

I ground my teeth.

"Tempest." Artemis remarked, "At the rate you're going, you won't have any teeth left to grind."

I ignored her and stared stonily at the place where Ho-oh had just been. An icy gust laughed at me, blowing my blue-black hair into my face, my scruffy blue fringe fell into my eyes. The clouds began to disperse leaving me hanging in the emptiness of a clear blue sky. Ho-oh was nowhere in sight.

"Oh great." Mei Ling muttered sarcastically, "Does anyone see a Ho-oh? I don't see a Ho-oh! How 'bout you Seth? Do you see a Ho-oh? I know, why don't we put an advertisement in the Pokemon Times? Yeah, I can see it now; 'Missing: One Legendary bird by name of Ho-oh. Possible reason of absence: Domestic argument with another other legendary bird! Man, how could I have forgotten! We're also missing a Celestrial! You there! Yes you in the red hat! You wouldn't of happened to have seen an, oh I dunno, a Celestrial perchance would you? No? None at all? I see... Look Tempest, three words for you;

Get. Over. It.

Let's just freakin' get outta here already! I’m hungry and we've got a damn gym to find, trainers to beat and badges to steal, uh, earn!"

I ground my teeth.

Shahman soared upwards. Grudgingly, I followed.

"What's that?" Seth pointed to a road of splashing colours curving into the sky.

"Bloody hell!" I groaned, "Don't you know anything? Man, you couldn't fart into a bottle!"

The drongo gave me a weird look. "Can you?"

"It's Rainbow road,” I supplied, ignoring his remark, "It's the only way you can get to the Iris Islands, each of the seven colours lead to a different meteor island. We've got to follow the rainbow till we get to the first meteor, it's Aspiration Island I think, then the colours will split, each hue will become a path of its own leading to a different meteor."

Seth absorbed this information into his teeny tiny brain. "So where first?"

"We'll stop at Aspiration first,” Mei Ling piped up, “I gotta catch up with a few... people..." She sounded evasive, not that I cared or anything, as far as I was concerned, I wanted to go straight to Evergreen Island, where the first gym was.

We glided towards the vivid rainbow, the warm thermals guided us higher, until we were right above the colourful road.

"Hmmm, is that solid?" Seth mused.

"Why don't you step on it and find out?" I dared him.

He looked at me warily, not for the first time I can assure you.

"Chill out, babe."

"Of course it's not solid you bloody idiot, this is a rainbow, so it’s just a reflection of the dampness hanging in the air. But the thing about this particular rainbow is that it's frozen in suspended animation, so it will not fade away over time, and remain like this forever to direct trainers to the Iris League. Without it, the Iris Islands would be lost forever because no one bloody knows where it's actually located. For some odd reason, compasses cease to work up here and people and pokemon lose their sense of direction, making it almost impossible for people to plot a correct direction towards Iris." I flicked my hair haughtily across my shoulder before continuing, "How it’s frozen like that is a complete mystery. No one knows for sure, some people reckon a celebi did it. I’m not convinced though.”

The unchanging tone of Shahman's voice spoke up, "That pestering brat Ned did it. For a fee of course, greedy bastard."

Artemis nodded, "Yeah, if it's ever a pokemon who's more disgraceful than that stuck-up bitch, Sharmishira, it's him. He manipulated the rainbow, then froze them in time. I've never known a pokemon to do all that for just fifty quid."

"Whose Ned?" Mei Ling asked as we soared over the rainbow, following its beautiful path of colours.

"Ned is the new Keeper of Time." Shahman answered, "What you humans call, Celebi. Ned's the new one. Old Pete died a few councils ago."

“So the stories are true!” My eyes widened, “How come you never said anything before Artemis?”

“Well, you never really asked, dear.”

After a moment of silent flying, Mei Ling mused out loud, "You pokemon are more attuned with nature right?"

"I guess," Artemis agreed.

"Well, what was that weather all about? The earthquakes, the sky, everything. What was going on?"

There was an uneasy silence between the two pokemon, "We don't know. But something's happening, I, we, can feel it. The world is changing. Something big is happening."

“Any ideas as to what?” Seth asked.

Artemis shook her head, “Not a clue.”

I focused my attention on the first meteor the rainbow led to, it loomed ahead of us. It was a huge reddish brown rock hanging in midair, only the top half was populated. Hundreds of white washed cement buildings towered into the sky, it was the largest meteor in Iris and one of the biggest commercial centres in the world. As we drew closer to the island, the skies began to fill with people on flying pokemon, aircrafts zoomed around us. Below, I could see the dirty paved streets of Aspiration Island, millions of people hurried between its steel skyscrapers in an endless rat race.

We descended towards a clear patch of artificial grass in the middle of a littered park and landed between a large oak tree and a man-made pond.

Seth and Mei Ling leapt off Shahman's back, "Thanks buddy." Her Lunar dragon disappeared in a red beam which retreated back into her silver masterball.

I recalled my articuno. Looking around, I gazed disgustedly at the flashing neon signs, the thousands of cars blaring their horns and bustling about, and the millions of people that scurried by, oblivious of the fact that the Master of the Wings of Council had just popped into town. Skyscrapers soared into the sky, structures and buildings of every shape and size loomed beside the filthy sidewalks. Despite being at least thirty-thousand kilometres into the air, amongst this urban jungle, I could hardly see the sky. Brown smog wafted through the atmosphere. I made a face. Yuck.

"Why don't you guys go to the Deano’s Arcade in City-Square?" Mei Ling suggested, "I'll meet you guys later, at say, 2 o'clock?"

"Yeah O.K." Seth agreed.

I glowered, "I'm not going with him."

Seth rolled his eyes, "Chill out babe!"

"I'm going to check out the city." I muttered. "Alone."

Mei Ling shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans, "Look, let’s not split up too much, ok? I’ve been here before so I pretty much know my way around, and its easy for newcomers to get lost. I don’t want to have to come looking for you."

I ground my teeth.

“Fine. 2:00 o’clock. Sharp. I don’t want to be alone with this idiot longer than I have to be.”