.::-The Adventure of a Millenium-::. A Slow Minute

Kazuto was glad to be out of the cave. His companions, however, seemed quite indifferent. In fact, it seemed they were getting rather restless. Despite the activity, it seemed the Pokémon rather enjoyed the exercise. There weren't really any convenient practise targets, this time, unfortunately. There were, however, many fallen branches and logs from which he was able to construct a somewhat durable dummy. Against it, he planned for his companions to train. He hoped it would prove sufficient. First up to test the practise dummy would be his Zorua.

Training - Zorua "Yukikou"

Kazuto stood somewhat distant from the dummy, and his Zorua facing it. The dummy would be used to simulate a real battle. "Yukikou! Take a running start, and use Pursuit!" Yukikou nodded her understanding to the command. She sprinted forward and tackled the dummy with Pursuit. She felt proud of herself as she watched the dummy falling back - but wait! The dummy suddenly stopped mid-fall and started to raise back up. Taken by surprise, Zorua couldn't react before it sprung forward and whacked her clean on the nose. She reeled back in pain.

Kazuto, too, was surprised when this happened. "I'm sorry, Yuki.. I didn't mean for it to hurt you." The fox Pokémon was suddenly on the ground, bawling over her pain. A bit confused, Kazuto called to her. "..We could stop if you like." After that, Zorua stopped crying and laughed at Kazuto, sticking her tongue out. The Zorua had used her Fake Tears! She apparently didn't mind. She instead took this little addition as a challenge.

Kazuto laughed a little, a bit embarrassed. "Right.. Yukikou, use your Double Team, and then follow up with your Scratch!" The Zorua got serious again, and increased its speed considerably, seeming to create, this time, five copies of itself, all running in circles around the practise dummy. One stepped out of line, and the rest disappeared. She then raked her claws across the dummy, leaving a small indent to its centre. The Zorua jumped back when the dummy moved, not wanting to be whacked again. Zorua was yet eager to give more into this training.

"Now, Yukikou, let's work on your speed," he said; though, believed the Zorua was already fast as is. He looked for a suitable track route, and then pointed forward. "Run a lap around those four trees!" Yuki seemed to say 'no problem' when she nodded. She was then nothing more than a blur. He timed it at forty-two seconds. Zorua was indeed fast. "Alright, Zorua, you may relax for now." As soon as he said so, the Zorua laid itself on the ground. Apparently that had taken more out of her than she showed.

Training - end.

Kazuto looked to Growlithe, who seemed to be craving some sort of similar training. He expected as much, and was glad the dummy was still in tact when Zorua was finished. "It's your turn, Growlithe."

Training - Growlithe

This time, it was Growlithe against the dummy. "Let us begin," Kazuto said. "Use your Iron Tail on the dummy!" The Growlithe barked in reply, and charged forward. He jumped up high and somersaulted, his tail coming down hard on the top of the dummy, a crack resonating. Kazuto was a little disappointed to see it being crushed like that, but it was serving its purpose. As soon as the dummy drew back, the Growlithe rushed away, apparently having learned of the pain from the recoil.

"Great job, Growlithe. Now, attack it with your Bite!" The Growlithe once again went forward, and took the dummy's branch arm for a chew toy. He flung himself atop the dummy, crushing the branch between his jaws until it was broken in two. Growlithe jumped off the dummy, once again dodging it as it whipped upward.

"Now, Growlithe. Use Ember!" With that, the canine prepared a growing energy within its mouth,. He aimed and shot the Ember, releasing a small but powerful flame at the dummy. The flame smothered the dummy, and burned it! Kazuto wouldn't be using it again.

Yet Growlithe still seemed pretty energetic. Kazuto looked around for something more for Growlithe to do. "Hmm.. are you ready for a sprint?" He spotted some unused playground, and elected it as the perfect choice. "Okay. Growlithe, do you see that playground over there? Let's run there and back." Almost as soon as he said it, Growlithe was bounding off in the distance. Kazuto ran, too, but not as fast as Growlithe. It did not take long for Growlithe to turn around and get back to where they started. Kazuto continued as soon as he caught up. "Great job, Growlithe. Let's stop for now..."

End of Training

Though the Zorua and Growlithe felt a bit worn at first, they both stretched, and it seemed they were full of energy once more before long. "You did great, you two." He looked ahead on the path to Azalea. "We're not far from Azalea Town now.. I wonder what's there." He glanced at the playground he and Growlithe had run to, and then the three continued on their way to Azalea Town!

Zorua and Growlithe had worked hard during their practice session. Yukkikou had gained a whopping 36 experience, shooting up to level 17! Additionally, it seemed she had learned a new move, Feint Attack! Growlithe on the other hand had gained 29 experience, growing to level 16 in the process.

Walking on along the way to Azalea, Kazuto came across an interesting thing. Down some stairs, there was a well with a sign. "Slowpoke Well" it read, a ladder going down into the busted up stone structure. It appeared to be able to be entered! The sound of Zubat fluttering and screeching could be heard down there, along with the dripping of water filtering through the ground above.

Just ahead on the path, a clearing in the trees. Colorful rooftops could be spotted peeking through the foliage as Kazuto got closer. It was Azalea town! The secluded village had few homes, but did have a Pokémon Center as well as a Mart. Furthermore, the famous Kurt the Ball Maker made his residence and work place here, alongside the Charcoal Cutter. For a small town, they had a lot of interesting establishments including the Gym that was run by Bugsy.

Kazuto saw the Slowpoke well, and a memory came to mind. There has for a long time been a legend here in Azalea Town that a Slowpoke's yawn causes rain. Unfortunately, there are quite few who have ever managed to test it. Many researchers aborted the attempt when it seemed that, every time Slowpoke yawned, their staff fell asleep. In the end, it was never decided if it were possible. Residents of Azalea seemed to believe it were true.

Kazuto heard the faint cries of Zubat. It brought back a few memories of when he were younger, still only learning battle. The Zubat he had seemed to faint every other battle, but he blamed himself for it. He looked to his companions. They seemed to have plenty of fight in them. He decided he would go for a stroll in the well. He wouldn't mind if a few battles were up ahead. "Before we go to town, let's go see what's down there," Kazuto said, pointing to the well. He wondered to himself if the Slowpoke Well was named after Slowpoke because of the legends, or if there really were Slowpoke down there.

At the mouth of the well, he found a rope ladder with wooden rungs. There were puddles of water at the bottom, but it seemed pretty dry. The two canine Pokémon weren't able to climb down the ladder, so Kazuto returned them to their Pokéballs before climbing down. As soon as he touched the ground of the well, he saw that there was an opening to the side. He continued onward, watchful of any attackers as he continued. The cave floors were rather narrow, and the height was rather dangerous to jump down from. It was also a bit uneven. If he had his Pokémon out, they would have to walk single file, or walk dangerously close to the edge, so he thought it more convenient to simply leave them in their Pokéballs.

Slowpoke Well was supposed to be a preserve like habitat for the Slowpoke. Considering the people of Azalea revered the sloth like Pokemon, it was strange that Kazuto didn't run into any as he traversed the underground well. It was quite cavernous, pools of water gathering here and there where Pokemon had made their homes. A few Zubat flew overhead, brushing against Kazuto's head as they flew away from the direction he was walking.

Rounding the corner, it became quickly obvious as to why. Across the way, several Slowpoke were being gathered and crowded into a large cage! A few people clad in black were herding them using their Pokemon, probably harvesting them for their sweet tails! No wonder Kazuto hadn't run into any Slowpoke!

Kazuto was quite distraught to see so many of the Slowpoke put into a single cage the way they were. The fact that the men were all in black seemed quite suspicious to him. He had the urge to charge in, but had been taught better than that. He hid around the corner, trying to come up with a good plan to at least take the people by surprise. Yes, he had to rescue the Slowpoke from their grasp somehow! This whole cave was damp, and, looking outward, he could see plenty of water. Growlithe probably wouldn't be the most suited down here.

Mid-thought, Kazuto was caught off guard when a beeping echoed throughout the cave, the source being right at his belt. Kazuto whispered a curse. Someone had to call his Pokégear now of all times! He hurried to quiet the Pokégear. The element of surprise was surely gone, but, gripping Zorua's Pokéball, he would remain around the corner and wait for someone to come. If no one did, he would turn the corner and see how they reacted to his presence.

The Pidgey like call of the PokéGear quickly alerted those herding the Slowpoke. "What was that?!" one asked, spinning around quickly. He growled, gritting his teeth as his hands clenched into fists. "The last thing we need is some nosy kids finding us down here," he then said, looking to his companion.

"Well then what are you waiting for? Go after them!" he said, smacking the other upside his head. Though he flinched, he merely rubbed his head and began walking toward Kazuto's hiding spot. "It came from over that way!" the more dominant one called, waving him on as he stood guard by the cage.

Turning the corner, the thug was quick to find Kazuto. He clutched his pokéball, grimacing. "It's some punk kid! I'll get rid of him," the man sneered, callingout to his compadre. "Go, Ekans!" he called, summoning his snake to the field. It hissed at Kazuto, more than willing to do his trainer's bidding.

Ekans, Male. Level 14. INTIMIDATE

Kazuto jumped back, Pokéball in hand, looking to his opponent. Everything about this man said greed in Kazuto's mind. "Weren't you ever taught to introduce yourself to someone you just met?" Kazuto sneered, putting more distance between him and the Ekans before throwing up the Pokéball. "Go! Yukikou!" The ball burst open, and a white light came from the Pokéball, eventually dimming to show the form of a Zorua. The sight of the Ekans startled the fox Pokémon, and she jumped back in fear, but tried to keep her composure. "Of course, I am willing to give you a crash course." He grinned, though inside, he sweat a little. This was his first time going up against a real life thug.

"Hello. I'm known as the Red and Blue Spirit." It was a name he made up off the top of his head, acknowledging his theme of blue clothes and red-orange hair. He didn't want to say his real name too openly to this guy. "Yukikou! Use Leer! After that, follow through the attack with your Fury Swipes!" The Fox Pokémon was confused at first with the use of his fake name, but seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation. She looked toward the Ekans with serious eyes. For a small cute Pokémon, she could really be scary at times. She didn't waste any time, however, before lunging forward, claws drawn, with her Fury Swipes attack!

Yukkikou's claws raked across Ekans, though only twice. This seemed to only infuriate the snake, though, as well as his master! "Tsk...Ekans, use Glare!" the opponent commanded. He obviously wasn't too thrilled about Kazuto's cockiness, although it did seem to have a desired effect. He had been slightly intimidated, sweat drops forming on his brow nervously.

"Ekansss!" the Pokémon hissed, eyes suddenly opening wide. They were sharp, fangs showing in an intimidating fashion as he attempted to cast a paralyzing fear over Yukkikou! Ekans used Glare!

The intimidation in the beginning was enough; but when the Ekans came upon the Zorua in such a way, the fox Pokémon cringed in fear at the sight of the snake Pokémon. She looked away out of fear, and Kazuto was uncertain. "Yukikou, snap out of it!" And with that, shook it off. She had managed to avoid paralysis, but at the cost of her attack opportunity.

"Ekans, use wrap!" the stranger commanded. The snake quickly sprung into action, launching himself forward as he uncoiled. Using his lengthy body, he attempted to wrap up Yukkikou and squeeze! It would partially immobilize the Pokémon if successful, on top of slowly squeeze the life from the Zorua.

The fox Pokémon wasn't able to react fast enough to avoid the Ekans' wrap. The snake lunged at him, and easily had him bound. It yipped in terror. "Yukikou!" The poor fox struggled frantically to escape the Ekans' grip, but simply couldn't. There was little Kazuto could do, either. And then, Kazuto saw a familiar purple energy forming at the Zorua's open mouth. It happened twice. Once was at point-blank range at the Ekans. The second was at the ceiling directly above the two Pokémon. This was done out of panic.

This action had caused a good chunk of the ceiling to crumble. And then suddenly a large stone shard was descending, and about to crush the two Pokémon! "No!" Kazuto shouted hysterically, and, impulsively, he ran forward and threw his palms to the ground. Suddenly, the floor around the feet of Kazuto, the thug, and the Pokémon began to dry up rapidly as it fed a great icicle that firmly formed at an angle over the two Pokémon. The stone split in half as the icicle willed from breaking by Kazuto pierced it. Either part slid safely to the side, and Kazuto was relieved.

On both hands, his fingers were cold. He was breathing heavily from the exertion. It was all that thug's fault! He was the reason that Yukikou was almost lost! He looked at the thug in the eye as if he were going to attack him, too. He knew what he had was an unusual ability, and, though he wouldn't attack someone with it, he was willing to the advantage of intimidating someone with it.

The man stared in awe as Zorua unleashed dark pulses of energy, stepping back as the ceiling began to fall in. Filled with cowardice, the man froze in his place as Kazuto saved both their Pokémon. Trembling a bit, he stared at Kazuto. "Wh-what the hell are you?!" any thoughts of capturing his Zorua quickly flitted away as he witnessed Kazuto's ability.

"Ekans, prepare a bite!" the man ordered, trying to gain leverage in the situation. He certainly didn't want Kazuto freezing him, after all! Ekans opened his mouth wide, fangs protruding as he mouthed Yukkikou. He was merely awaiting an order, or for the Zorua to struggle too much to chomp down!

As soon as Kazuto heard the order, his eyes seemed to become but beads. He simply stood there and stared at the thug. His hat fell from his head, and his red-orange hair was greatly messed. From his appearance alone, he really could pass as insane. It seemed like the odds were against him. His companion was still in the Ekans' grasp, and he could do nothing about it. He tried to think of something, but his mind was completely blank. He felt like he was going to faint, and maybe he should have by now.

The Zorua, through all the tension, noticed a change in his partner. All of a sudden, the Zorua stopped struggling and burst crying. It was Zorua's Fake Tears. Not even Kazuto could tell, and from his perspective, it added a lot to the tension.

As Yukkikou began crying, Ekans faltered. He recoiled a bit, his grip loosening. It seemed he was quite unused to an opponent crying, and was caught off guard by it! In addition, his special defenses were lowered dramatically. The man seemed uneasy and rather anxious about the situation at hand, clenching his fists tightly.

"Ekans, use bite! Do it, now!" the man ordered frantically. However, Ekans pitied Yukkikou now, and was unsure of whether to attack or not while she cried.

Kazuto realised that, even if he were to get out of this somehow, the odds were still against him when it came to saving the Slowpoke. He just saved his partner, and now that same partner was once again endangered. He heaved a small sigh.

Noticing less tension in the Ekan's wrap, the Zorua was actually able to wiggle her way out of its grasp. She hurried back over to Kazuto's side. "Yukikou!" Seeing the Pokémon safe at last, Kazuto was very relieved. He hurried to bring the fox Pokémon back into its Pokéball. He also knew better than to send Growlithe out and prolong this dreaded battle.

Instead, Kazuto put all his strength into fleeing from this thug. He hoped they weren't fast enough to catch up to him, but there was such a thin path to run on, not to mention how uneven it was. At the beginning, there was a rope ladder at the entrance to this well, and trying anything smart was liable to break the wooden rungs.

Kazuto managed to make a dash for it, Ekans confused as to where his opponent had gone. "H-hey! he's getting away!" the battle opponent stuttered, apparently still afraid to give chase.

"Then go after him! I have to get these Slowpoke rounded up!" the other called, barking orders angrily. With wary steps, the man gave chase to Kazuto. With the head-start, the teenager managed to make it out of the well before the man even make it to the ladder.

"He got away! The freak got away!" the man shouted from the base of the well. The other came rounding the corner quickly, running up to see what had happened.

"Just help me hurry up and harvest the ones we've got! We need to move before he gets backup!" the man hissed, smacking the other upside the head for allowing Kazuto's escape.

As soon as Kazuto made it up the well, he made a beeline for Azalea. As soon as he got there, he looked around for some sort of authority within the town. As soon as he found someone, he began shouting in a way that he actually hoped others would hear. "Excuse me, sir! There are men in the well.. they're putting the Slowpoke in cages! They're in danger!"

He hoped that, in a town that revered Slowpoke so greatly, more people would be willing to help them. He wasn't able to handle them on his own, but if the whole of the town were up against them, that would be another story.

The first man Kazuto came across seemed to be an older gentleman. He wasn't elderly by any means, but was up there. Probably in his 40's or 50's easily, by the looks of things. He had long black hair, slicked back into a ponytail, and stern eyes. When Kazuto ran up to him about the Slowpoke, he immediately became concerned.

"The Slowpoke?! Not again, they must be trying to harvest their tails! Hang on, Slowpoke, Kurt's coming to save ya!" He called, looking straight over Kazuto's head. Shoving the teen out of the way, he quickly ran for Slowpoke Well. Apparently he was a very concerned resident, but did he say his name was Kurt? As in Kurt the Ball Maker? Eh, probably just a coincidence.

When Kazuto should return to the well, it was apparent that something had gone wrong. One of the ladder steps had snapped, sending Kurt tumbling to the bottom of the well! He was laying there in agony, unable to move as he winced. "I'm sorry, Slowpoke..."

Kazuto was glad to find someone concerned about the Slowpoke. He hurried to have his Pokémon rested before going Unfortunately, it was considerably less people than he hoped for, and that one person broke the ladder. At this point, that man couldn't get back up the ladder. If he went down there, he probably wouldn't be able to, either. But then, when he thought about it, neither would those goons at the bottom. It was the perfect plan!

Kazuto leapt into the mouth of the well, as to skip most of the slow downward climb, and caught himself on a lower rung. He then climbed the rest of the way down. After all, with the plan he had, this old man here may never get out. He didn't intend on leaving him defenceless. As soon as he touched his feet to the ground, he grabbed out Growlithe's Pokéball. "Growlithe! I need you for this." Out from the Pokéball, a the canine orange black-striped Pokémon appeared.

"Burn the ladder, quickly!" Noticing the serious atmosphere, the Growlithe first prepared a great amount of energy, and fired his Ember on the ladder. Kazuto hoped for the ladder to be put to cinders. Now, even if Kazuto couldn't win, he hoped these freaks wouldn't have anything to gain from their disgusting practise.

Kurt watched from below as Kazuto descended, skipping over the gap created in the broken ladder. However, what happened next more than shocked him. "No, what are you doing?!" Kurt exclaimed, though quickly hissed in pain as he had tried sitting up, body wrenching in pain. "Ugh, I fell down and hit my back. I can't move, I must have thrown something," he groaned.

Gaining a serious expression, he looked up to Kazuto. "Look, boy. I need you to do me a favor. Make those thugs pay, save the Slowpoke!" Erf...here, take these," he winced, slowly moving his arm to reach into his pocket. Pulling out a small burlap satchel, he tossed it to Kazuto. It clearly took a lot out of him, as he collapsed and panted a bit.

"There are some berries in there, they should help your Pokemon. Use them wisely," he said, resting his head back against the ground. He obviously hated entrusting such a task to a mere kid, but had no choice in the matter as it stood. Within the satchel, Kazuto would find 5 Oran berries, 3 Sitrus berries, and 2 Pecha berries.

Kazuto took the satchel hesitantly, but thanked him for it. He promised to the man that he would do his best to save the Slowpoke. The Zorua was likely tired, and he thought about giving some of those berries. Afterward, he looked to his Growlithe who had just burned the ladder. "It's your turn this time. Do you think you're up to it?" The Pokémon nodded in confirmation. Kazuto took care to turn off his Pokégear for now; he wouldn't want to mess that up again.

Kazuto tried his best to be silent about as he walked again through these caves. He hoped to be able to catch them by surprise. They believe he escaped, and he wondered what they were doing about it. He hoped to be unnoticed as he attempted to gather knowledge of his opponent.

Kazuto wandered back through the well caves, finding himself once more peeking around at the men. It seemed they had most of the Slowpoke successfully rounded up, locked cages ready for transport. However, he wasn't going to be able to gain much intel from them. Between Kurt's fall down the well, and Kazuto burning the rope ladder they had been alerted to his presence in some way.

"I don't believe you, man. You said this kid created ice, you obviously were under some sort of hallucination from that Zorua! The kid duper you!" The one who hadn't challenged Kazuto earlier was talking. He was quickly working, making sure all the cages were secured.

"Y-yeah, I guess so...But if that wasn't bad enough, some guy chased me back down the well when I went topside! I cut the rope and he fell though, so I doubt he'll be bothering us any time soon," the other chuckled at his handiwork.

"Whatever, man, just radio it in. We're gonna need quick lift transportation to get these Pokemon moved before that twerp gets back," the one in charge said, finishing up a tally in a folder. "The last thing we need is some kid trying to play hero. I've got no problems exploiting Pokemon, but I'd rather not have to kill a kid too."

"H-hey! He's back!" the underling shouted, noticing Kazuto peeking from behind a boulder. He was caught, no more reason to hide now.

Kazuto was listening very intently to the discussions between the conversation. Apparently, they weren't the only ones. It sounded like there was an organization. An organization for Slowpoke tail cutters? That sounded entirely wrong to Kazuto. He had also apparently gotten quite the reputation. They didn't know his name, at least.

When Kazuto was noticed, he cursed silently. Red hair was an issue when trying to hide, especially in these blue-tinged caves. He noticed near his feet that the blue hat he had dropped was apparently still there. He looked quite strange without one. He took the hat and placed it back upon his head. Being discovered, Kazuto sighed and stepped out of hiding. The element of surprise was once again gone. "That's right. I'm here." Growlithe stepped in front of him, protective of his partner, and sensing the danger from Kazuto's anticipation.

"I'm not the only one, either. There are more waiting for you. It's no longer safe to leave this well." He may have been bluff greatly, but it was one of his better skills when it came to being social.

The two men seemed enraged at Kazuto, but the one seemed to doubt him. His words wavered, unsure of himself even as he spoke. "Heh, y-yah right, kid! I bet that old man who fell down the well was your only back up!" Still, sweat droplets formed on his brow. He was visibly nervous, probably still nervous from witnessing his icy tactics earlier.

"Don't even think about using your Zorua's illusions, either! They might be strong enough to work on my dim-witted coworker, but I wont fall for them so easily!" The other announced, seeming less than intimidated. He looked to the growlithe, smirking as his gaze shifted between Pokémon and trainer. "Tell you what, just hand over your Pokémon and we'll let you go with no harm done," he waved his hand, as though it were some amazing deal.

The two each pulled out a pokéball, the one releasing his Ekans once more, the other a Koffing. "So be a good kid, and hand over your Pokémon!" They obviously knew Zorua was a rare Pokémon, Growlithe often being nothing to spit at. It seemed they were now intent on taking them both for themselves, being all about opportunities like this.

Kazuto was indifferent to whether the man believed him about back-up or not. "Even if you manage to defeat me," Kazuto said, almost as if it were an outlandish though. "You won't be able to get out of this pit." That was true for him, too, he reflected.

Kazuto, in truth, had forgotten about Zorua's illusion ability. Even to him, it was more probable to believe his skill were only an illusion. He laughed a little when they assumed it to be. Did that mean they wouldn't run if he tried to freeze them? He contemplated testing the thought, but decided against.

"Unfortunately for you, I'm in my teen years. You know how we are, not giving in to authority and stuff like that." Seeming to agree with his words, Growlithe took a step forward and used its roar.