The Path of Decision
You're walking through the rolling countryside, as you have been all morning. The sun high overhead is beating down unmercifully. You wipe the sweat from your forehead and spot a tall tree by the path ahead. Good, a little shade, you think. Collapsing in the soft grass around the truck, you lean against the smooth bark and breathe in the cooler air with relief. By mere chance, your eyes swivel upward to the thick branches overhead. A flash of bright blue catches your eye. Your first instinct is that the sky is peaking through the leaves, but then you realize the foliage is just too thick to let the sky through. Squinting, your breath stops and you swear your heart skips a few beats. The famous Articuno is sitting on a branch above your very head!
There's no way a good Pokémon trainer such as yourself is going to let an opportunity like this escape. Slowly, so as not to startle the legendary bird, you ease your hand toward your belt. But the small blue Pokémon doesn't miss the movement and cocks its head to look at you. There's a strange look in its eyes that you can't identify. Something tells you that this Pokémon just won't be caught. Disappointed, you let your hand drop.
Articuno nods in approval as your hand leaves your belt. "Finally decided you're here for the Fantasy Badge and not capturing Pokémon you can't handle, huh?" it coos in a voice so beautiful it makes you ache to hear it again, despite the smugness in its tone.
Jumping to your feet in surprise at hearing it speak (the legends never mentioned that!), you declare defensively, "I can so handle you!" Then, realizing what else it said, you ask, "How did you know I've come for the Fantasy Badge?"
Articuno ruffles its sky-colored feathers self-importantly. "Well you wouldn't be here if you weren't a Pokémon trainer earning one of Gobrianna's Fantasy Badges, now would you?" it sniffs. Before you can comment on that it plunges ahead. "I have agreed to be Gobrianna's personal Guardian of the Path of Decision. I'm here to explain what awaits you ahead."
You gulp uneasily. It was a good thing you hadn't tried to capture this Articuno. It knows Gobrianna, the second in command of the Elite Four of the Online Pokémon League! You certainly wouldn't want her mad at you. Looking down the path ahead, you see it splits not far in the distance. One new path cuts a sharp left, the other gently slopes to the right. "Which way?" you ask.
"It depends on what you're here for." The Pokémon flutters out of the tree and lands on the grass beside you. With one wing it points down the left trail. "If you just want a Fantasy Badge to display on your Internet domain, the left path will have instructions." The bird refolds its wing and indicates the right path with its beak. "But if you're here to challenge the Elite Four of the Online League, to earn all four of their Badges, the right path will take you there. You'll need to go to the Elite Four's main page first, to learn the rules and what you're up against. If you've already been just pass over it. All set?"
"Yeah," you mutter, deep in thought. "Thanks."
"Of course," Articuno says. "It is, after all, my job. Now if you'll excuse me." It flaps its wings and returns to the branch it was sitting on. Without giving you another glance it tucks its head under a wing and to all appearances goes to sleep. But as you stride purposefully onward you hear a low, "Good luck," from above.
You whirl around, but now the rare Pokémon is rising into the air. Faster than you would have thought possible, it disappears into the blue sky, possibly to tell Gobrianna you're here.
The spilt in the trail looms before you. Which is the path you'll take?
The Left PathJust earning the Fantasy Badge
Online Pokémon League? What's that bird talking about? Go here to find out:
Online Pokémon League Main Page
Note: You cannot go to Gobrianna's Online Challenge first, they must be done in order. This page will take you to the first.
The Right PathChallenging Gobrianna, second of the Elite Four (if you've challenged all others before her)