The Vileplume Stone

Cass and Dark looked curiously and angrily at Kaumi. Dark grabbed the collar of his shirt, an intimidating act she used often. "What are they talking about, Kaumi?"

Myuka leaped down from the tree. "He�s really one of us. A Shadow delinquent, rather."

Kain landed next to her. "But when the boss gets him, he won�t have it so easy."

Kaumi slapped Dark�s hand away and faced the partners. "I�m never coming back there! Didn�t I clarify that for you earlier?"

Dark interjected, "Yes, and he helped me in the gym."

"Fool." Kain smirked. "He wants to get the stones first. All he was doing there was trying to locate the Zapdos Stone."

"Liar! I was there for a match!" The two gangsters didn�t seem to even hear him.

"Anyway, you can at least give us a hand here."

"No way!"

Myuka threw a pokeball. "Then face us!" Raichu and Electrode were out again. Their trainers, however�ran off the other way.

"Hey!" Cass cried out. "Where�re you two going?!"

Dark�s brow furrowed. She slid her bag to the ground. "Watch this for me." She ran, leaped right over Electrode, and was gone.

Dark ran through the valley until she distinctly heard the cries of upset pokemon. Making her way to another tree grove, she clearly saw the two culprits rousing up several odd-looking pokemon.

Myuka gave a hard kick to a ladybug pokemon. "Where is it, damnit?! I�ll kill every last one of you if I don�t get that stone!"

Kain hurled a little egg pokemon into the bushes. "They�re not helping, only ganging up. Myuka�this may not be good."

It was true. For each pokemon they hurt or rid of, two more appeared. They were beginning to make a circle around their attackers, and they didn�t look happy. Their eyes gleamed with anger, their cute faces twisted into furry.

Dark heard something behind her and slid behind a tree. Raichu and Electrode dashed up to their trainers, weeding through the mass of pokemon. Raichu tried to shock them away, only to have the blast reflected, and the whole group shot up, and away.

The mass of pokemon cleared out a bit. Dark stepped into the clearing. In a tree stump, something illuminated the inside. A green light was trying to escape from the prison of wood. A ladybug pokemon like the one she had seen earlier fluttered to it. An immense elephant creature stomped to it as well, and busted open the trunk with one large foot.

The ladybug picked up the light and dropped it into Dark�s hands. She saw what it was. A lovely, smooth green stone with a crude flower carved into it sat there.

"What�s this?" She asked herself.

"It is the Vileplume Stone. Ladyba feels that it is safe with you, child."

She blinked up. The elephant creature had spoken! Not through its mouth, but through her mind. "You-you�re psychic?"

"I am the Elder of the Mountains. I have been gifted to speak with other beings through their mind. This stone is very valuable. Together with the sixteen others, you will have access to any pokemon in the world."

"Sixteen?!"

"Yes. The Zapdos Stone is one of those."

"So you can read my mind as well."

"Yes. Now continue on your way to find Clefable, I shan�t keep you. I will order my people to clear out. You shall never see us again. Forget about us, and tell no one, not even your closest of friend. They may not be who you presume they are. Farewell."

Dark turned and quickly dashed back to her cousin and Kaumi.

"I was worried, are you all right and all?" Kaumi looked straight at her. "They didn�t hurt you, did they?"

"No." She had put the stone inside her bag so no one would find it.

Cass hit her fist into her hand. "We took care of those pokemon! They ran like babies!" Kaumi laughed. Dark nodded, not really understanding or caring to. "Good. We should go find those Clefable. We�ve been sidetracked long enough. And Kaumi,"

"Yes?"

"I�ll be watching you."

He sighed. "I know, no matter what I say you two won�t trust me after that. I�ll prove myself to you though, you�ll see."

They began climbing up Mount Narshe, only not climbing, walking rather. Stone stairs hand been conveniently carved in before them.

Cass led the group, then Kaumi, then Dark. Cass looked up and saw that the stairs went up as far as she could see. "We�ll be there in no time."