May 8

34 days until Torrent Day

Dear Diary,

Okay, that seems weird to start out with, but I guess I have to start somewhere right? Anyways, if you're reading this, apparently you haven't read the forward at the beginning of this journal.

Journal or diary? Which one would it be? I mean, is there really a difference between the two or is it more of a gender thing? I mean, I guess if that was the case, it would be a diary,  but with the dark brown binding—you know what, it doesn't matter.

You're still reading, despite my multiple efforts in telling you not to. You should probably stop while you're ahead. I mean, I'm not much different than you are, so why not find a book about the reigning Hoenn champion, Ruby, or something?

Well, since you're here, maybe you can answer me a valuable question here. What is it that people see in guys? Don't get me wrong! I like guys too. There's no way I would ever date a girl. There's nothing wrong if that's the kind of relationship you're into. I have no problem with that. It's just not me. The only problem I have with are those who side with Team Aqua and people snooping into my personal life...

But you continue to read anyways, so at this point, why should I even bother stopping you? Just know that is the only thing I'm judging you for right now.

Anyways, what I'm getting at is what is it about girls gawking over guys all the time? Sure. I've had my fair share of crushes before and have even had a boyfriend before. That's not what I'm trying to say. What I'm trying to get at is why do some girls have to talk about boys 24/7?

It drives me insane! Do they have nothing better to do? Seriously. I'm always paired in Courtney's group in field work. Field work, well, it's what it sounds like. You go out of the compound, find stuff to stop Team Aqua, and things like that.

Maybe it's because when I joined Team Magma about ten years ago, I didn't do it to spend my free time just laying around. I had a purpose. Seeing Courtney just gossip in between things irritated me. It was always Maxie this or Maxie that.

It was only when she wasn't talking about Maxie did I enjoy being around her, but no. All of the grunts that were in our troop had to talk to her about our leader, Maxie.

You know what the most annoying thing about the admin? Her laugh. It's very high pitched, and she does it constantly. I tell you, I get a headache every time she's in charge. Then again, she's always in charge. For once I wished I could be in a group with Tabitha. At least he doesn't have an annoying laugh like someone does.

You can probably guess as to why I finally decided to write, can't you? At Mount Chimney, which wasn't far from our base, I was working with Courtney and the rest of our group. It was hot in Mount Chimney, so thankfully we reverted back to our old uniforms. It was a red jacket with the sleeves ripped off of them, and a short black dress underneath. True, the outfit didn't give a good length to run in, but that didn't matter. If all else failed, I could rely on my Numel, Cami. That's what I've been doing for the past ten years anyways.

Unfortunately, things were different.

We were hunting for the Red Orb. This object was something we would always find at one point, but then, due to some battling with Team Aqua and having some meddling kids get in the way, we'd lose it. It was a bit annoying if you asked me. I mean, how would you like it if you finally got what you've worked so hard for only to have it ripped away from you? I tell you, no one understands what that feels like cuz they keep doing it!

Ugh!! Why can't people deal with their own damn business for once in their life?

Anyways, getting off track here, I had a feeling Courtney wasn't looking in the right spot for it, so I snuck away from the group. That was my first mistake. See, she was too busy talking about Maxie this or Maxie that, and it was getting on my last nerve.

If only I had just bared with her a few moments longer...but I didn't. I left and ventured the inside of the mountain by myself.

Somehow, I found myself on the top of it. Looking down, I found out why it was always hot in this place. After ten years of being with an organization, you'd think I would've visited this place, but no, I didn't.

I'm sure none of you have ever visited Mount Chimney, but let me tell you. Mount Chimney isn't a mountain. It's a volcano.

The lava boiled hundreds of feet below me, and wow, I can't tell you how beautiful it was. I lowered the hood of my sweatshirt down and pulled my brown hair into a high ponytail, feeling the sweat pouring down my neck.

That was when something seemed a bit off.

"Aye! Look at this! Looks like we've found ourselves some Sharpedo bait!"

I turned around, regretting the moment I did. Seven members of Team Aqua had me surrounded in a semi circle. The only way to escape was to go backwards, falling into the hot lava below. Not exactly my first choice.

Looking back at the seven members of Team Aqua, I could feel my heart pounding a bit faster. It took everything in me not to take a step back, so instead, I looked around, examining the group of people I now had to face.

Three girls, and four guys. Most of them looked the same. Two of the girls had their brown hair pulled back in a bandana and dark tan skin. The third looked a bit out of place as she had short red hair, but all three of them wore a blue and white striped crop top that showed a great deal of their abdominal area.

As for the guys, two of them had scruff on their faces, dark hair, tan skin, basically looking like usual grunts. The other two were out of place.

However, I recognized the one standing in the middle immediately. He had pale skin, and his hair was tucked under his blue bandana that you couldn't tell what kind of hair color he had. I glared right into his direction as he smirked.

Of all the people I had to face, it had to be Sebastian Scott. Somehow, we were always placed on missions that we'd have to see each other, and it drove me nuts.

"Scott, be careful of your next move," I warned. "You wouldn't want to do anything a bit too hasty."

Scott chuckled as he tossed his Poké Ball into the air. Everyone followed suit, except for the other odd-ball who stood closest to my left. While he did have brown hair and matching colored eyes like the rest, he was a bit—oh, how do I say this nicely?—lanky? Yeah, lanky. It was as if this guy needed some protein or something to build up some muscle mass.

Just a little bit. Not a whole like the rest of Team Aqua, which I swore only ate steroids.

Anyways, I didn't think he had any Pokémon, and was probably only there for the fun of it. He just seemed a bit out of sorts to be in Team Aqua, but who knows.

"Aye, ye reckon we don't use our brain?" Scott asked. "Must be bloody insane if we'd let ye go."

His Peliper landed in front of him, just like the three Mightyenas popped out of the girls Pokéballs and the two Wingulls from the other two men.

My luck just wasn't on my side.

Then again, a crazy idea formed in my head. I didn't think much about it, but I took a step back. As expected, I noticed Scott's eyes widened in shock.

"Take one more step, and ye be sleepin' wit' th' water Pokémon," Scott tried.

I looked back, and down at the hundred feet drop between me and the lava. The red liquid boiled as steam rose from the ground. It's heat was all I needed to know I would die in seconds before even hitting the ground.

One thing was for certain about what he said, and it was wrong. Sure, members of Team Aqua weren't the smartest bunch, but I just thought there was something they needed to know.

"Uh...I think you need to...well...rethink that statement," I stuttered a bit as I dared to look back at the ground. "You see, Water Pokémon don't live in lava...er...really they don't live in hot places if you wanted to get technical."

My words were meant to simply inform them because if they were planning on me to die where Water Pokémon were at, this wasn't the best place. Granted, I wasn't planning on dying; that wasn't in my plans. If it was in there's, well, I thought it was only fair for them to know that Mount Chimney wasn't the best place for that.

Of course, they didn't take me seriously. Everyone that surrounded me bursted out laughter as if I had made a joke.

Here's the thing I should warn you about, reader, because if I don't tell you this now, then you might not understand it later on if these things happen again. Knowing my luck, they will happen as Team Aqua is a rambunctious group. Well, I guess I shouldn't blame them because my friend, Asher, warned me the same thing.

I don't joke around. I don't have time to fool around or do that sort of stuff. I don't even know how they took my comment as a joke either. Seriously, it was a true statement.

"Oh! Aye, yer funny. I didn't reckon ye had a funny bone in ya," Scott wiped away a tear from his eye before looking at my serious expression. "Oí, I thought ye was jokin, but let's be serious fer a moment. Peliper, go!"

What would you do if one of Aqua's Pokémon swooped towards you? I mean, it wasn't exactly rocket science to know Team Aqua would do anything to defeat Team Magma. Our rivalry started years before the organizations had officially formed. It was inevitable that they'd be the first to use their Pokémon to attack trainers, especially since they didn't play fair.

As for me, I threw Cami out of her Poké Ball and yelled for a Flamethrower attack as I took a few steps back. Before moving, I was already on the edge of the cliff. Moving backwards wasn't a good idea. Actually, it was the worst idea ever. I should've stood my ground, but with a Pokémon swooping in to attack me and a gang of Team Aqua grunts surrounding me, I felt trapped.

There wasn't anything to place my foot onto when I took a step back. I tried regaining my footing, but I was too late. As I fell, I tried to grab the ledge, but I was a second too late for it as the ledge scratched my hand. I still have a nasty scar on my left hand, even with all the stitches that I had treated it with just a bit ago.

No, I'm not a nurse. Every member of Team Magma has to learn basic first aid just in case. It can in handy for the aftermath of what had happened here.

Then, I thought I was going to die. The only thing that could break my fall was the lava below me. I know for a fact that wasn't going to be a good way to stay alive. It was in that moment I thought I was going to die, but something had different plans for me.

A hand wrapped around my wrist, stopping me from getting anywhere close to the lava below. When I opened my eyes to see who grabbed me, I felt a tightening in my stomach. First, they wanted me to die, but now, I was being saved by the lanky member of Team Aqua.

Sweat poured from underneath his bandana as he slowly pulled me up. I held onto him for dear life, not questioning it. All I could feel was my heart pounding as my hand started to sweat. I dropped my head to look down at the lava below.

The only thought that rolled in my head at that moment was that if I let go, if that stranger let go, I would be dead. Somehow, he had enough strength to pull me up to the ledge. All the other members of Team Aqua had left, as if they saw me fall and gave up.

"Sorry about Sebastian. He can be—"

"An ass?" I finished as I looked at the boy who had saved me. He knelt beside me as I just sat on my knees, catching my breath. "I know. There's not one good member of Team Aqua."

When I looked at the boy, his eyes widen in shock. "But what about me? I saved you."

At this point, Cami walked over towards me and nudged her head into my chest. My arms wrapped around her as my body shook.

I'll save the rest of the details, as I know they're not important, but this was. He claimed that he was good because he saved me.

Dear reader, there are people that will expect things in return. His point wasn't made well. True, he let me walk out of there alive, but who knows for how long. Give it a few days. He'll be exactly like them, not thinking twice about someone else's life.

None of this would've happened if I had just stayed with Courtney and deal with her gossip. I didn't. Instead, I had to get out of the situation, finding myself in a whole lot of trouble. By some sort of sheer luck, I was able to get out of the situation, but barely.

I didn't talk much to the Aqua grunt. Instead, I left and went back to my group, finding clues as to where the Reb Orb was currently located, but all of that detail is in my field journal. In case you do work alongside those people in Team Aqua, I can't afford writing what I discovered afterwards.

While that was fine, I just can't shake the feeling that this grunt would want something in return. I wasn't indebted to him. No. It wasn't like I asked him to save me.

There was no way I was going to help him. No. I am a member of Team Magma, a loyal member. There is no way I was going to let that one action fog my thinking. After all, it is only a matter of time until he becomes exactly like the rest of them.

Right?

Ugh!

Signing off,

E. Flame

Author's Note:

The picture above was the first cover of Storm Crossed. I will post all fan art/covers/whatnot in the beginning of the chapters here on out. Though, artwork is hard to find of the characters in my brain, so I guess, scratch that?

Like always, I'll end each chapter with a question: If you had to chose an evil organization to be in, what would it be and why?

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the book so far and the answer to the question. Until next time...take care!