Following the events of the last book, Shelly Yangtze, Quinci Laciasal, and their friends are trapped in the Instinct Base. Raichu Human, the new leader of Team Instinct, threatens to take over the other teams and disrupt the peace once made by the...
Ravisu, Bell, Shelly, and Quinci all flew off on Croissant. Quinci face, despite pizza (and yeah, I guess tricking Raichu into going to the sewers), was still melancholy.
"What's wrong, Quinci?" Shell asked.
"I miss my family," she replied. "My puppy must've grown soo much by now." Quinci's dog was a 5 month old beagle maltipoo mix named Maya.
"I miss my dogs too," Bell added, thinking of her chihuahua mix, Scooter, and her terrier mix, Happy.
"I miss going to school like normal people and learning new stuff," Ravisu responded. "Even if it did come with a lot of homework."
Shelly thought about it. She missed elementary school, where all her friends were. Not only Quinci, Bell, and Ravisu, but Cannoli, Rudia Maudam, Cowlisha Bottle-Flipper, Medhaterranean, Cheese Pharaoh, and Espeon. She missed the life before Spark died, even though he was part of Instinct. It was where before she discovered the responsibility she had of being the team heir. Before Raichu Human ripped apart families like paper dolls. Before the world was thrown into war.
"How come we can't go back home?" Quinci asked longingly.
Because nowhere is safe, Articuno answered through Shelly. Home is the most unsafe.
"But my Maya Puppy is there!" Quinci argued.
I'm sorry, Moltres replied, but it's too risky. Maya has to stay.
"Who's Maya?" Quinci asked. She could sense Moltres rolling her eyes.
Fine, Moltres said, Maya Puppy.
Quinci panicked. "WHAT? MY DOG IS AT HOME STILL!!! I HAVEN'T WALKED HER IN... *counts* I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY DAYS!I NEED TO GET BACK!!!"
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"You can't," Bell said. Shelly added, "The fate of the world rests on our hands! How could you abandon humanity for a dog?" (Bell said, "Recessive Confucius gene!")
"Who votes dog?" Ravisu asked. Quinci raised her hand.
"Who votes the world?" Everyone else raised their hand.
"I AM GOING TO GO TO MAYA PUPPY!!!" Quinci bellowed.
Don't! Articuno warned. Don't let your enemies use your weakness; that will be the weakness of the world! Don't let him use you as a weapon to wreak havoc over the world!
"But it's my Maya Puppy!!!"
Articuno is right, Moltres agreed. Raichu will use you.
"MAYA PUPPYYYY!!!" Quinci bellowed.
"Fine!" Ravisu relented. "Here's gyarados."
No don't! Articuno cried. Shelly grabbed at her pokeball, but Ravisu got it first. She tossed it to Quinci.
Quinci struggled to get the pokeball. She felt Moltres working against her, but it was her body. Even though their souls were intertwined, her love for Maya Puppy bended the willpower of the tow.
She opened the pokeball, and jumped onto gyarados. But Moltres, seizing the chance, shifted the currents by a fraction. (That was a metaphor.) Quinci's leg twisted in a weird manner, not hurting it, but just enough so she missed gyarados. The gyarados went back into the pokeball, which flew back at Shelly.
But Quinci was still falling through the air, the winds cutting her so her skin felt raw. Her eyes began to have that dry sensation.
"AHHH!!!" Quinci screamed as she fell. She let go, and let Moltres's commands spark through her nerves. She closed her eyes.
Suddenly, her back began to tingle, and she felt as if she was reaching out with some sort of hand. Just as she neared the ground, the grass burned, smoldering like incense sticks. Quinci's eyes widened in surprise, but her mouth gaped when she realized that on her back, she had grown flaming wings, gold and red.
She wasted no time in flying home. She soared higher and higher, and much faster than gyarados or Croissant. Yes! She thought. Now I'm like Pegasus and Emily combined!
Wind whipped around her, and landscapes were merely blurs. Quinci soon saw her hometown, and landed at her house. She went around the back and opened the side door. That door was always unlocked if her mom was late picking up her sister. She opened the door and closed it, locking it behind her.
She walked in and saw the house deserted. Maybe my mom is late picking up Ollie, she thought. She saw the crate for Maya locked, and her puppy sleeping inside. As soon as Quinci walked into eyesight, Maya woke up and scrambled to get out. Quinci unlocked the cage and Maya jumped on her, licking her face.
"Oh Maya!" Quinci cried. "I missed you so much!" She waited a little bit for her mom and then called her on the phone.
"Hi Mom!" she said. She tried to keep the relief from her voice, but her voice still was joyful beyond usual.
"Quinci!" she heard her mom cry. But instead of sounding worried, she sounded angry.
"What's wrong?" she asked. How could her own mother act this way?
"What are you doing here?! You must leave! Or you will destroy us all!" Candela's voice was commanding and harsh, fire flaring inside every sound wave,. "Go far away from here! Hang up now!"
Quinci instantly hung up. She felt something stir inside her.
Go Quinci! Motres said. Raichu captured your parents and siblings. He was tracking your line. Hurry and run away while you still have time!
Quinci lifted off the ground carrying Maya Puppy as she flew out through the side door. She flew at rocket speed ahead, only to find Raichu riding a pidgeotto close behind. Quinci summoned sparks of fire, which flew at pidgeotto, making the two fall. Raichu jumped off, and jagged wings of lightning yellow and storm black spread from his back.
"You're not the only one who learned how to fly," Raichu sneered. Raichu, having more time to practice with his powers, easily accelerated until he was right in front of Quinci. She sent a huge fireball at him. Raichu's fingertips began to fizzle, and he shot a bolt of lightning at Quinci.
And suddenly, she felt the world flash in yellow and blues, electricity arcing through her. Then the last thing she remembered was falling and being caught, and a gust of icy wind.
