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Description
Mission 7 Prologue
The Gold Needles
Lost: Changes

Sly watched Ice carefully nestled Leilani, then the captured Zorua, between the branches of the tree they were in. The Swadloon would be able to attack from there, and wouldn't be put in harm's way. Ice moved onto a different branch and creep as far out as she could. Sly did the same, even though he wasn't going to be very good in the battle.

A red blur moved across the battlefield and struck the Zoroark. The Dark-type knocked PK away, then brought a claw down towards Jasmine. At that moment Sly, Ice, and other Rogues leapt out after PK, while they were in midair something flashed- both in the clearing and in their minds.

The next thing Sly knew, he had crashed into the clearing headfirst. Ice had done the same. Sly looked around. "There were more Pokémon here," he said.

Everyone who had come into the forest were in the clearing. They were calling out names or looking around. Some were gathering around a Volcarona that hovered over the Zorua girl that lead them there.

Sly glanced back at Ice. She was already running back to check on Leilani. Sly followed. His head was throbbing and movement was hard. Leilani had been the first friend he'd made since he left home. She helped him start the team. She had to be okay. What would the team be like without here?

His train of thought was interrupted when he heard something smash into a tree.

"Where is she?" yelled Ice. The Sneasel dragged her claw out of the tree. She grasped the Zorua they encountered earlier by the fluffy fur around his neck and pinned him against the tree. The Zorua-who was now awake and free from Leilani's String Shot- gasped, then growled.

"I d-don't know," growled the other kid.

Ice slammed the flat part of her claw into the tree. It landed dangerously close to the Zorua. "How d'ya not know? Y-you were right here when it happened! Yer from here. Y-ya hafta kn-now w-what it was! T-t-t-tell me! NOW!" She slammed her fist against the tree, as if that would make the Zorua explain.

Sly watched. He couldn't move. He knew when Ice was mad, she always hit something, but this was something different. She never seriously hurt or even scared someone when she was mad. Sly felt his body go cold. Ice had taken him hunting before. She knew how to kill.

The Zorua shivered a bit, then glared back at Ice. "I don't know!" he yelled. "Where's my momma? This is where Momma is, and she's not here." He began clawing at Ice, but she just pushed him against the tree harder and pinned his front paws against the tree.

A Sandshrew with a Weedle on his shoulder walked by Sly, drawn to the area by the shouting. He caught hold of Ice's arm and began to pull.

"Now is not the time for this," he growled. He pulled harder and Ice tried to shake him off. "No one know's what's happening. Go back to the village." He gave her arm another jerk, and the Zorua was no longer pressed against the tree.

"How d'ya know? He was right here when Lei vanished. I can't just-"

"Go to your guild leader, girl," said the Weedle. He straightened himself up, and glared at her. "Or I'll deal with you."

Sly's fur was on end as he watched. He set one shaking paw in front of the other slowly. "Ice! I-i-ice!" he gasped. He rubbed himself against Ice's legs to calm down. "Let's go to the clearin'! Everyone else is at the clearin'. Maybe one of them knows what's happenin'. Pleeeeeeease. When we-when we- uh-when- you get t' pick th' games an' th' stuff."

Ice let the Sandshrew pull her arm back and dropped the Zorua. He scampered away, and the other two Pokémon followed him. The Sandshrew bent down to talk to the Zorua, while the Weedle still kept his eyes on the two young Rogues.

Ice's knees shook and she fell to the ground. She propped herself up with one quivering arm. Her other arm was wrapped around her eyes; she was shaking and gasping for breath. Sly pressed closer to her, and rubbed his cheek against hers. It was wet.

The two sat like that for a while. To keep his mind off of where Leilani was and what could've happened to the Zorua-what Ice could've done to him, Sly tried to pretend the trees around him were like the ones at his team's old base, from before all the really big or really magical Pokémon start changing things.

He focused on one tree and pretended it was the big tree where they kept things- mostly extra berries or fabric that Leilani was working with.Then Leilani hung the hammocks she made between the branches of that tree and the one next to it. There was another tree that Ice practiced her moves on every morning and night, even though they had only been there for a few months, the tree had deep gashes in its bark near the base.

Ice stood up suddenly. She was still pulling her arm across her face when she spoke. "I gotta do somethin' in Tao," she muttered.

Sly remembered Ice's brother and sister. Her brother may have been one of the Merchants who were supposed to help and could've been taken away like Lei. "Okie dokie, Ice Cream," he purred. "I'll go with ya and then we can check on ev'ryone el-"

"No!" she snapped. "I gotta do trainin'. Alone."

"But, what about Captain an' Peck Pecky an-"

"You said you'd check on 'em! Do that."

With that she scaled the nearest tree and began to hop from branch to branch. Sly didn't bother chasing after her, even though he wanted to. He knew she was faster and stronger than him, if she wanted to be left alone, she'd make Sly leaver her alone, and he didn't want to challenge her now. He sighed and walked out of the forest completely alone.

Description
Mission 7 Prologue
The Gold Needles
Lost: Changes

Sly watched Ice carefully nestled Leilani, then the captured Zorua, between the branches of the tree they were in. The Swadloon would be able to attack from there, and wouldn't be put in harm's way. Ice moved onto a different branch and creep as far out as she could. Sly did the same, even though he wasn't going to be very good in the battle.

A red blur moved across the battlefield and struck the Zoroark. The Dark-type knocked PK away, then brought a claw down towards Jasmine. At that moment Sly, Ice, and other Rogues leapt out after PK, while they were in midair something flashed- both in the clearing and in their minds.

The next thing Sly knew, he had crashed into the clearing headfirst. Ice had done the same. Sly looked around. "There were more Pokémon here," he said.

Everyone who had come into the forest were in the clearing. They were calling out names or looking around. Some were gathering around a Volcarona that hovered over the Zorua girl that lead them there.

Sly glanced back at Ice. She was already running back to check on Leilani. Sly followed. His head was throbbing and movement was hard. Leilani had been the first friend he'd made since he left home. She helped him start the team. She had to be okay. What would the team be like without here?

His train of thought was interrupted when he heard something smash into a tree.

"Where is she?" yelled Ice. The Sneasel dragged her claw out of the tree. She grasped the Zorua they encountered earlier by the fluffy fur around his neck and pinned him against the tree. The Zorua-who was now awake and free from Leilani's String Shot- gasped, then growled.

"I d-don't know," growled the other kid.

Ice slammed the flat part of her claw into the tree. It landed dangerously close to the Zorua. "How d'ya not know? Y-you were right here when it happened! Yer from here. Y-ya hafta kn-now w-what it was! T-t-t-tell me! NOW!" She slammed her fist against the tree, as if that would make the Zorua explain.

Sly watched. He couldn't move. He knew when Ice was mad, she always hit something, but this was something different. She never seriously hurt or even scared someone when she was mad. Sly felt his body go cold. Ice had taken him hunting before. She knew how to kill.

The Zorua shivered a bit, then glared back at Ice. "I don't know!" he yelled. "Where's my momma? This is where Momma is, and she's not here." He began clawing at Ice, but she just pushed him against the tree harder and pinned his front paws against the tree.

A Sandshrew with a Weedle on his shoulder walked by Sly, drawn to the area by the shouting. He caught hold of Ice's arm and began to pull.

"Now is not the time for this," he growled. He pulled harder and Ice tried to shake him off. "No one know's what's happening. Go back to the village." He gave her arm another jerk, and the Zorua was no longer pressed against the tree.

"How d'ya know? He was right here when Lei vanished. I can't just-"

"Go to your guild leader, girl," said the Weedle. He straightened himself up, and glared at her. "Or I'll deal with you."

Sly's fur was on end as he watched. He set one shaking paw in front of the other slowly. "Ice! I-i-ice!" he gasped. He rubbed himself against Ice's legs to calm down. "Let's go to the clearin'! Everyone else is at the clearin'. Maybe one of them knows what's happenin'. Pleeeeeeease. When we-when we- uh-when- you get t' pick th' games an' th' stuff."

Ice let the Sandshrew pull her arm back and dropped the Zorua. He scampered away, and the other two Pokémon followed him. The Sandshrew bent down to talk to the Zorua, while the Weedle still kept his eyes on the two young Rogues.

Ice's knees shook and she fell to the ground. She propped herself up with one quivering arm. Her other arm was wrapped around her eyes; she was shaking and gasping for breath. Sly pressed closer to her, and rubbed his cheek against hers. It was wet.

The two sat like that for a while. To keep his mind off of where Leilani was and what could've happened to the Zorua-what Ice could've done to him, Sly tried to pretend the trees around him were like the ones at his team's old base, from before all the really big or really magical Pokémon start changing things.

He focused on one tree and pretended it was the big tree where they kept things- mostly extra berries or fabric that Leilani was working with.Then Leilani hung the hammocks she made between the branches of that tree and the one next to it. There was another tree that Ice practiced her moves on every morning and night, even though they had only been there for a few months, the tree had deep gashes in its bark near the base.

Ice stood up suddenly. She was still pulling her arm across her face when she spoke. "I gotta do somethin' in Tao," she muttered.

Sly remembered Ice's brother and sister. Her brother may have been one of the Merchants who were supposed to help and could've been taken away like Lei. "Okie dokie, Ice Cream," he purred. "I'll go with ya and then we can check on ev'ryone el-"

"No!" she snapped. "I gotta do trainin'. Alone."

"But, what about Captain an' Peck Pecky an-"

"You said you'd check on 'em! Do that."

With that she scaled the nearest tree and began to hop from branch to branch. Sly didn't bother chasing after her, even though he wanted to. He knew she was faster and stronger than him, if she wanted to be left alone, she'd make Sly leaver her alone, and he didn't want to challenge her now. He sighed and walked out of the forest completely alone.