#002 - Quest for the Light Stone, part Two
(Pokémon and related elements ™,©1995-99 Creatures/GAME FREAK/Nintendo.)
Storyline by Robert H. Magnusson

"I'm POSITIVE, Ray! You're at a much higher level than any of us - if you fight off this thing, I'll swim to the other side while you distract it, and get the Light Stone!"

Ray looked at Marrilyn, at the floating ghost of Chue, and at the Lugia which blocked their path. "It's a little too DANGEROUS, Marrilyn - even if the Lugia doesn't spot and attack you, my Thunder attack could zap YOU on accident, and I don't think your level or hit points could withstand it..."

Chue spoke up. "Hey, why don't you let ME just FLOAT over there and..."

"Sorry, Chue, you're still not actually a Ghost Pokémon, just a non-corporeal entity."

"Well, if someone doesn't do SOMETHING, we may as well just END this whole quest HERE. I still have training to do..." After all, tomorrow was an important match, and the city would be watching.

"Okay, okay, Chue, I think I have an idea..." Ray handed Marrilyn a slip of paper, and she nodded in understanding.

"Okay, I HOPE so. I'll just sit here being DEAD..."

Ray sighed deeply and begin to roll a 20-sided die. "Okay, Marrilyn, in one, two.... THREE!"

On THREE, Marrilyn threw her paws forward and an icy chill filled the air as the spots on her paws glowed with the magic from Ray's ring. The lake rippled with the magical winds and quickly froze. The Lugia, despite any resistance it had to Ice, froze along with it, but it would thaw soon, so our heroes had to walk (and float) across the ice quickly.

"Thanks, Ray!"

"Believe me, Lyn, that Ring of Blizzards was harder for me to get than your Master Ball..."

"No fair. I ALWAYS get killed..."

In a moment, they were in the chamber where the Light Stone, a beautiful stone of power that radiated with energy, was kept. To be sure, nobody had time to be dazzled.

"There it is - the celebrated Light Stone! We made it... well, MOST of us." Chue frowned.

"Let's take it back to the Queen!" Marrilyn started for the Light Stone.

"Ah... how do we know our frozen friend hasn't set up a TRAP?"

Lyn stopped quickly. Chue was right, but nobody knew what kind of trap, not even the game master...

"Hmm... good point, Chue. We really won't know until we TEST it and I roll to decide."

"Well, just remember, if you get killed, NONE of us can come back to life." Chue paused, then sank to the floor in thought. Suddenly the thought came. "Hey!"

The others looked at the ghost in anticipation. "I know - let the DEAD guy do it! ... Just bring me back to LIFE, let me GRAB it, and we TELEPORT the heck OUT of here!"

Ray nodded. He had one last Teleport spell left, but it would take a while to fully bring Chue back. Still, if the trap led to instant death, Chue obviously had the least to lose. He pulled out a parchment, read from it as sparks filled the air, and with a flash of pure magic energy, the ghost began to take shape...

Moments later, Chue, wearing one of Ray's old shirts as the rest of his equipment had been eaten by the Lugia, reached hesitantly for the Light Stone. Ray, equally anticipating, held his Teleport spell in one hand and Marrilyn's hand in the other. Marrilyn was reaching to grab Chue's tail when the time came. "Okay, in three, two, onnnnnne..."

"NOW!" In a heartbeat, Chue had the Light Stone and Marrilyn had Chue's tail. There was a huge spark of electricity followed by a blink as the Teleportation spell zapped them out an instant before the whole place literally collapsed...

"YES! We DID it! We're HEROES!" Chue was as gleeful in victory as annoyed in defeat. He and his friends were now on the path away from the Queen's castle, each with a bag of money. "...Oh, and sorry about that, Lyn, reflex action."

"Yeah, yeah..." Marrilyn was still smoldering from Chue's Thundershock. She knew it was a bad idea to grab his tail, but this time there was no choice.

"Hey, at least you SURVIVED!..." It was a good thing Chue was in such a good mood, for he let Ray's continuing rubbing in of his 23rd death go. What new adventures would they encounter?...