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****
She reached Pewter City, eventually. She'd had to dodge more than
a few bug catchers to get here so quickly. It was very late at night. Only
street lights and the dim lights of a Pokemon Center could be seen.
Taran looked down at Squirtle. He had finally fainted, but he
looked terrible.
If he dies, it's my fault... I should've gotten some antidotes
while I could!
She broke into another sprint, and kept on running. She wouldn't
stop until Squirtle was in the hands of a nurse.
****
She rang the bell on the desk and was forced to wait for someone
to come out. The Pokemon Center was deserted, but the lights were still
on and the doors were unlocked, so Taran had just ran on in. She was exhausted
from the journey, but happy she had reached the city so soon.
A nurse entered the room, followed closely by a small Chansey.
The nurse approached Taran from behind the desk. "Yes? How may I help you?"
she asked politely.
"It's my Squirtle... He..." Taran held him out to the nurse.
Squirtle was almost white in color by now.
"Oh, dear!" Joi exclaimed. "I'll need to treat it right away!"
Her voice grew harsh. "How could you let it battle until it got into this
condition?"
"We were in the middle of the forest... this guy had a Beedrill...
we fought, and Squirtle got stung... I've been running..." She shook her
head. That run was taking its toll, and plus the fact that she had been
walking all day anyway... Taran was exhausted.
"Never mind. You can rest here for the night, on the couch, if
you like. Just leave everything to me," she assured, her voice gentler.
Taran was waved toward a nearby couch, which she collapsed onto immediately.
The Chansey watched her closely. "Chan, sey chansey chan sey?
Chansey chansey sey-sey." (Joi, will we need to heal her too? She looks
almost as worn out as the Squirtle.)
Nurse Joi sighed. "No, probably not, Chansey. You can keep an
eye on her if you're worried, though."
The Chansey nodded.
Joi turned to go into the ER with the poisoned Squirtle and called
on a different Chansey to help her.
****
Taran awoke with a start. She remembered Squirtle... running...
Nurse... poison...
She collected her bearings and sat up. The small Chansey was
beside her couch, on a pillow, asleep. Taran was careful not to disturb
it as she stood and headed for the front desk. This time, the nurse was
there, waiting for her.
"Hello, Taran." She turned to her computer and called up a few
windows. "Your Squirtle is doing much better, and I took the liberty of
healing the rest of your Pokemon. They're all in top form now, and ready
for you to reclaim them."
"Thanks, Nurse... what was your name?" she asked sheepishly.
"I'm sorry. My name is Joi."
"Okay. Thank you, Nurse Joi! Can I see Squirtle now?" She was
happy that Squirtle had not died because she couldn't help it on her own.
"Of course! Follow me." Joi led her through the corridor to a
small room containing Squirtle. He was asleep right then, but not for long.
"Squirtle? Are you okay?" Taran asked.
His eyes opened, he sat up, and a happy "Squirtle!" escaped his
lips.
"I'm so glad. When you're better, we can go visit the Gym in
this city and get our first badge!"
"Squirtle-squirt! Squirt..." (All right! But not now...) He collapsed
back onto the bed.
"Your Squirtle needs to rest now. It hasn't fully recovered yet,"
Joi cautioned. "You'd better leave and let it sleep."
Taran reluctantly left the room. As she was about to leave the
Center, the small Chansey approached her.
"Chan, sey?" (You're okay, right?)
Taran grasped the fact that it was concerned for her. "I'm fine,
Chansey. Don't worry." She petted it, and then left to check out the town
and find the Mart. She (obviously) needed some Antidotes, as well as a
few more Potions and Pokeballs.
****
"Chansey, come here." Joi called. It hurried to get to her. "You
really like her, don't you?" It nodded. "Then here." She handed it a clipboard
and a book of puzzles. "You can take care of the Squirtle and maybe find
out some more about Taran from the mouth of one of her Pokemon."
"Chansey!" (Thank you!) It scurried off to Squirtle's room.
****
"Hey! Those Pokeballs at your waist! You have Pokemon!" a kid
cried. He walked up to Taran. "Let's go! Caterpie, I choose you!"
"Aww... man! All right. Pidgey, go!"
"Pidgeawww!"
"Give it a gust!" Pidgey flapped its wings rapidly, and Caterpie
went flying into a rock. Pidgey stopped, and Caterpie was able to get up.
"Caterpie, string shot!" Caterpie began spewing a whitish substance
in Pidgey's direction, but Pidgey dodged it.
"Pidgey, sand-attack! Blind it!" Pidgey sent a faceful of sand
in Caterpie's direction, and Caterpie couldn't see straight. It crawled
around, unable to see, trying to get the sand out of its eyes. "Now, gust
it again!"
"Pidge pidge pidge pidge..." it said as it flapped. Caterpie
was thrown back about twenty feet, and did not get back up again.
"Ohh... Caterpie, return!" the kid cried as he recalled Caterpie.
"Rattata, go!" A small rat-looking Pokemon emerged from the ball.
"Rattata," it said.
"Rattata, quick attack!" It leapt high into the air, and Pidgey
was unable to dodge it. "Pidge..."
"Pidgey, you can do it! Sand-attack!" Pidgey kicked up more sand
into Rattata's eyes, but it could still see Pidgey.
"Rattata, tackle!" Rattata jumped again, but Pidgey dodged it.
"Pidgey, gust!" Pidgey kept Rattata in the air, and gusted it
into the same rock Caterpie crashed into. Rattata got back up, albeit a
little wobbly.
"Rattata, quick attack it again!" It hit Pidgey again, and grounded
it. "Pidgeaww..." it said softly.
"Pidgey, return!" Taran reclaimed her Pokemon. "Weedle, go!"
"Wee?"
"Poison sting it!" Weedle sent itself flying toward Rattata,
poison stinger ready. It struck home, and Rattata was sent reeling as the
poison took effect. "Finish it off! Tackle it!" Weedle slammed into Rattata,
who fainted.
"Rattata, return!" the boy reclaimed his Pokemon. They shook
hands. "Nice match... er... what was your name?"
"Taran. You're not bad yourself. What's your name?"
"Devin. Thank you." He left her to finish her errand in town.
****
She returned to the Pokemon Center a few antidotes, Pokeballs,
and potions heavier. After checking Pidgey and Weedle in for healing, she
inquired about Squirtle.
"Can I see him?"
Nurse Joi smiled. "Sure. He should be ready to leave by now.
Go on in. He's in the same room as before."
Taran walked as quickly as she could to get to Squirtle's room.
Squirtle was found to be watching TV from his bed with Chansey. They were
each cheering for opposing Pokemon in a televised match.
"Are you ready to go?" she asked.
"Chaaan, si chan? Chansey chansey!" (Aww... so soon? Nidorino's
kicking butt!)
"Squirtle! Squirtle, squirt squirt!" (Come on! Don't give up,
Wigglytuff!)
The TV interrupted him in a loud cheer, signaling the end of
the match. Chansey cheered along with it, and Squirtle handed it a shiny
rock it produced from a hidden shell compartment.
"Squirtle," Taran said reproachfully. "Gambling?"
"Squirtle squirt!" (It was a friendly wager!)
"Are you two finished?"
"Squirtle squirt-squirt squirtle. Squirtle! Squirt, squirtle!"
(Yeah. Let's go! We'll be back, Chansey!) He got out of the bed and walked
up to Taran.
"Okay! Ready to win a badge?"
"Squir-tle!" (Uh-huh!)
She turned to Chansey. "Thank you for watching Squirtle for me."
"Chaaaaan..." it sighed.
Taran retrieved the rest of her Pokemon from Nurse Joi and she,
with Squirtle by her side, left the Center. They headed for the Pewter
City Gym.
"Chansey!" (Good luck!) it called out after them.
"Good luck!" Joi called as well.
****
"Is this it?" Taran asked no one in particular.
"Squirtle..." (I guess so...)
She read the sign on the side of the plain gray building. It
read: "Pewter City Gym. Leader: Brock. Lieutenant: Jared."
"Leader, Brock? Hey Squirtle, d'ya think it's our Brock? I mean,
he did have an Onix and Geodude, and they're both Rock Pokemon..."
Squirtle shrugged as they walked into the stone building to find
out. The large doors shut behind them. It took a minute for their eyes
to adjust to the dim light, and then the interior was revealed. A chair
was directly in front of them. They approached it, and a spotlight was
turned on it.
A boy that had been sitting in the chair addressed them. "What
do you want?" He was about a year younger than Taran, with brown eyes and
brown hair to match. He stood and approached them both.
"Are you the Gym Leader?" Taran asked.
"Hopefully soon," he said. "Do you wish to challenge me?"
"Hold it. What do you mean, 'hopefully soon?'"
"I'm Jared. The true leader of this Gym has left us to go on
a Pokemon journey... He went with some kid he had battled earlier that
day... Ash?" He shrugged. "Anyway, he probably will not return any time
soon, so I have to take over for him until Leadership of the Gym is given
to me."
"Wow... Brock was the leader the whole time!" she whispered to
herself. "Okay, then I do wish to challenge you for a Boulderbadge."
"Then let's battle, uh..." He paused and waited for a second.
"Oh! I'm Taran." He nodded, and turned away from her, but seemed
to change his mind and addressed her again. "Hey, would you like to get
a drink or something to eat after I beat you?"
Taran and Squirtle both glared at him. "Did you learn that pick-up
line from Brock?"
He cringed. "Yes..." He resumed walking to the other side of
the Gym. Taran did the same. Jared hit a button, and the Arena came out
from either side of the room. It joined in the middle, and reminded Taran
of a rocky mountain pass.
They took their places opposite each other, and brought out their
Pokemon. The battle began.
Jared chose Onix. "Onix, tackle!" he shouted.
Taran had chosen Squirtle, and he scrambled to get out of the
rock snake's way, barely escaping its tackle.
"Squirtle, water gun!" Squirtle sent a gush of water from its
mouth directly onto Onix, who was immediately weakened. It tried to shake
off the water's effects, but failed. "Squirtle, tackle!" Onix fainted,
mainly from the water.
Jared growled. "Onix, return!" The red beam claimed the fainted
Pokemon. He grabbed his next Pokeball. "Graveler, go!"
"Squirtle, water gun it, too!" Squirtle sent the water in Graveler's
direction, but the giant boulder dodged it carefully.
"Graveler, rock throw!" It sent three rocks, each the size of
a Geodude, in Squirtle's direction. Two connected, and Squirtle was down.
Taran hesitated. She wanted to go to her Pokemon, but it wasn't
allowed. "Squirtle, are you okay?" she called.
"Squirt-squirtle squirt..." (No, but I'm getting up anyway...)
He stood shakily and faced his attacker.
"Graveler, finish it off! Rock throw!" It hurled three more rocks
at Squirtle.
"Squirtle, withdraw!" He drew his extremities into his shell,
and the rocks bounced off of it. They did leave their mark, however, and
his shell was scraped up. "Now, water gun!" Squirtle popped out of his
shell, aimed, and let the water fly. It hit Graveler head on, and it fell
over backwards. "Tackle!"
"Squirtle!" he cried as he tackled the Graveler. It fainted.
"Aww... Graveler, return!" Jared commanded. The Pokeball reclaimed
its Pokemon. He walked over to Taran, who was tending to the scratches
on Squirtle's shell.
"Don't worry, they'll heal," she was saying. "You did a great
job today, and I'm very proud."
"Squirtle. Squirt-squirt." (Thank you. I'm hungry.)
Taran giggled and dug in her bag for a snack. She handed Squirtle
a Twinkie, which he seemed to like. He sat, eating it, at her feet.
"Your Squirtle is powerful against rock Pokemon," Jared said
as he shook Taran's hand. "But you might want to build it up a bit before
you get to Cerulean City." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a
small gray badge and a piece of candy. "These are for you. This is your
Boulderbadge, and this is a piece of Rare Candy. Feed it to one of your
Pokemon, and some say it makes it stronger and builds stamina."
"Why, thank you, Jared." Taran put the candy in her pocket and
attached the badge to the inside of her jacket. "Ready to go, Squirtle?"
"Squirt-squirtle squirtle." (Let's blow this Popsicle stand.)
Taran laughed, and they turned to go.
"Wait, I have a question," Jared said.
"Yes?"
"Why don't you put your Squirtle in a Pokeball? Haven't you tamed
it yet?"
She shook her head. "We... have an agreement. Besides, we're
friends. I like the company." They left the Gym, happily...
Never realizing they were being followed.
****
"Wow, she's good!" Sara had to admit. Team Rocket had been following
Taran, looking for their chance to strike. They had seen the battle from
a balcony in the Gym, and were impressed.
"Yeah, Team Rocket could use a trainer like her..." Steve began.
"Let's confront her with a little proposition, and if she doesn't
accept..."
"...we'll make her an offer she CAN'T refuse!"
Evil laughter filled the alley Team Rocket had been hiding in.
****
Dark clouds were forming overhead, so Taran decided to take a
shortcut to the Pokemon center through an alley. Squirtle was getting tired,
and she didn't blame him. They walked as quickly as they could.
Suddenly, they found themselves surrounded by thick, black smoke,
and eerie music was playing.
A female voice. "Prepare for trouble!
A male voice. "Make that double!"
Uh-oh...
"Squirtle..." (Oh, no...) he said, shaking. "Squirt!" (Steve!)
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
Out of the shadows, a figure appeared. "Sara!"
And another. "Steve!"
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
Taran was not in the mood. "What do you two want?"
"Squirt!" (Yeah!)
"Actually," Sara began, "we saw your fight at the Gym today,
and we were impressed."
"Squirtle squirt?" (Team Rocket complimenting us?)
"Very," Steve added. "which is why we've come to give you a glorious
opportunity!"
"What?" Taran asked, dumbfounded.
"Well, first of all, you can keep my old Squirtle. I won't try
to take it from you..." Steve said.
Squirtle relaxed at that.
"But that's only if you accept our invitation." Sara finished,
sweetly.
"Invitation? To what?"
"Why, we're inviting you to join Team Rocket! You'd be working
with us to steal rare and valuable Pokemon from unsuspecting trainers."
Sara explained.
Steve picked it up from where she left off. "You'd be in on the
ground floor of an operation that will some day rule the world! What do
you say? Will you join?"
There was no hesitation on her part or Squirtle's. They both
yelled at the same time.
"No!"
"Squirt!" (No!)
Sara and Steve were taken aback. "Well," Sara said, miffed, "we'll
just have to crush you then! Koffing, go!"
"Yeah, Ekans, go!" Steve said. Their Pokemon materialized in
front of them, ready to fight. Steve and Sara backed off. So did Taran.
"Pidgey, go! Squirtle, get out there!"
"Ekans, bite them!"
"Koffing, smokescreen!" Ekans lunged for Squirtle, while Koffing
spewed disgusting thick gas everywhere, blocking everyone's view. "Tackle,
Koffing!"
Ooh... Taran could barely see to direct! She heard multiple
THUD's, though, and snapped out of it. "Squirtle, water gun both of them!
Pidgey, gust this gas away!"
"Pidge!" It blew the gas away, to reveal Squirtle, wobbling on
his feet, and Team Rocket's Pokemon, perfectly dry.
"Squirtle? what's wrong?" Taran cried. Then she realized: Koffing
must have tackled him a couple of times. "Come back, Squirtle!" He turned
and tried to run to her, but Ekans wrapped him at the last second. Squirtle
fainted as she watched, and Ekans tossed him away.
"Pidgey, go get Squirtle!" Pidgey flew toward Squirtle's prone
body and lifted him in its claws. It was successful in bringing Squirtle
back to Taran's side. "Pidgey, gust, now! Weedle, go!"
"Weedle!" it said as it exited the ball. Pidgey was able to blow
Ekans away for the moment.
It began to drizzle. Maybe the rain will help Squirtle.
"Koffing, tackle Weedle!" Sara cried. It launched itself into
the air.
Think fast, think fast! "String shot, Weedle!" Weedle began spewing
a whitish substance used in string-shot, but it missed Koffing. Koffing
nearly crushed it as it tackled! Taran recalled Weedle. "Pidgey, try whirlwind!"
Pidgey flapped and flapped, but only Koffing was blown away. Ekans was
out of range.
When Pidgey had to stop and rest, Ekans came forward.
"Ekans, Bite! Now!" Steve yelled. Pidgey never stood a chance.
It was immediately grounded, and with Ekans' next move, Pidgey was out
like a light. Taran recalled it.
"You've been defeated! Ha! Hand over all your Pokeballs and that
badge you got today, now!" Sara cried triumphantly.
Taran's eyes flashed, and the clouds began to thunder. "Make
me."
"Well, if you insist," Steve said. "Ekans, bite her!"
She concentrated, and then skillfully dodged Ekans' attack. With
a wave of her arm, a lightning bolt arced from a cloud and electrocuted
Ekans. It shook the effect off, and went to bite her again.
"Koffing, give her some poison gas!" Sara cried. She merely dismissed
the bolt as a coincidence, for now.
Taran turned to see Koffing encasing her in a cloud of dark green
gas. It smelled awful, and she realized it had poisoned her. She shook
her head and ran toward Koffing.
"Koffing, tackle!" Sara shouted quickly. Koffing met Taran head
on and sent her flying backwards. She recovered, however, and let loose
on the knobby ball of vapor with a rather large version of a thundershock.
Luckily for her, the gas and the rain were hiding most of her
actions from Team Rocket.
Koffing's insides exploded, throwing it directly into Sara's
face. She shrieked and fell over backwards, but got back up to continue
watching the fight.
Ekans, however, had not been idle all this time. It had snuck
up behind the girl and wrapped her quickly. Taran was caught off guard
and couldn't get free! She struggled as Ekans and the poisoning drew energy
from her.
Finally, he let go so he could get a better hold on her, and
Taran took full advantage of Ekans' lapse in restraint.
She concentrated on the cloud above her, and it sent a bolt of
electricity to her chest. It traveled to her hands. She began to glow as
she absorbed it.
Neither Sara nor Steve missed that. "What?" they cried in unison
as well as disbelief.
"Ekansss?" (What the?) He tried to wrap her again, but was deflected
by a shield of electricity. When it was over, Taran pointed her hands at
Ekans, and a large thunderbolt escaped them. Ekans was thrown back against
Steve.
"Oof!" he cried as Ekans bowled him over. "Unngh..." He shoved
Ekans off of him, and both Team Rocket members recalled their Pokemon.
Taran found herself alone in the alley. All of her Pokemon were
fainted. She was on the verge. Team Rocket knew that.
"Steve, let's finish her off!" Sara and Steve both ran at her
from different directions, so Taran jumped at the last moment, expecting
them to crash into each other. She was wrong. Sara jumped after her and
grabbed onto her leg, causing Taran to lose her balance in midair. They
both came crashing down, Sara on top of Taran. Sara groaned.
"Get... off... ME!" Taran screeched. She let loose a bolt of
energy that sent Sara flying off of her and into a dumpster. Sara didn't
move.
Taran stood, and turned to Steve, who was attempting to sneak
up on her. She merely raised an eyebrow, and he immediately backed off.
He ran to Sara, woke her up, and they made their escape.
Now that that's over...
She was quite tired. "Just like at home," she muttered.
Get Squirtle.
She found him lying right where she'd left him. Taran forced
herself to pick up the helpless Pokemon and sling him over her back.
Get to... Pokemon Center.
Adrenaline gone, and completely exhausted, she continued the
journey to the Pokemon Center. The poison was still affecting her.
Nurse Joi met her at the door and took Squirtle from her. She
started asking questions, but by now, Taran had been poisoned, wrapped,
tackled, and had spent most of her electric energy in attacking Ekans and
Koffing and fending off Sara and Steve.
Oh, hello floor...
She keeled over, and everything went black.
****
As Taran came to, she gradually regained her senses. It was almost
like being underwater for a while, and then coming back up.
First, touch. She felt a soft surface supporting her body.
Next, smell. It smelled... clean...
Hearing came after that. She heard someone talking worriedly...
a Pokemon? Two? She couldn't tell.
Lastly, sight. She opened her eyes, and stirred. She sat up quickly,
but she still couldn't focus correctly. All she saw were blobs of color.
She rubbed her eyes, but that didn't help much.
All she could remember was...
Fight... tired... Center...
"Squirtle! Squirtle, squirt?" (She's awake! Taran, how do you
feel?)
Someone or something's feet hit the floor and ran from the room.
Then nothing.
The pitter-patter of feet returned, with larger footsteps following.
Someone entered the room.
"Are you all right?" a female voice asked.
"Yeah," Taran said gruffly. "What happened? I don't remember
much..." Her eyes gradually focused to reveal Nurse Joi.
"You came into the Center about two nights ago, Taran. It was
pretty late, and you were carrying Squirtle. I took Squirtle from you and
asked you a few questions, and then you fainted. Amazingly enough, all
you really needed was some rest... and some time in a recharger we normally
use for... Electric Pokemon." Joi's curiosity getting the best of her was
completely visible.
"Can you tell me what happened? And why I had to use the recharger?
Do you know how long it took me to find your... electric sacs?" Joi shut
the door and sat down beside the bed.
Taran laughed and looked at her hands. They sparked, full of
energy. "If I had been awake, I could've told you where they were. Oh,
well. The other night began like this..." Taran related the story of Team
Rocket's proposition, the fight, and how she finished it.
Joi seemed satisfied. "Okay, that about matches what Professor
Oak had said about you when I called him. Thank you, I just needed some
clarification. Now get some rest." She smiled, stood, and walked out of
the room, leaving Squirtle and Chansey behind.
"Chansey, chan sey?" (Squirtle, should I leave?)
"Squirt, squirtle." (Naw, it's okay.) Both Pokemon jumped onto
Taran's bed. She sat up and addressed Chansey. "Hello. How are you doing
today?"
"Chansey, chan seey, chan-chan sey." (Hello, and better than
you, if I do say so myself.)
Squirtle translated, and Taran laughed, but stopped abruptly
and fell back onto her pillow.
"Squirtle, squirtle squirt-squirt?" (Taran, are you sure you're
okay?)
"I'm fine, Squirtle. I just feel kinda weak right now, but I'll
be okay. Those two sure did a number on us the other night, didn't they?"
"Squirtle! Squirt squirtle squirtle. Squirtle squirt?" (Oh yeah!
I wish I could have seen you fight. Where'd they escape to?)
"I dunno. What have you been doing for two days?"
"Chansey! Chansey chan sey-sey chan. Chansey." (Helping me! Joi
sent us on errands and stuff for her. You were out cold.)
Squirtle was doing a pretty good job at translating for Chansey.
"How's about we get out of here, Squirtle?" Taran stood up, noticed
she was still wearing her clothes from two days ago, and immediately grabbed
her bag. "I'm just gonna get a shower and change, first..." Chansey and
Squirtle both laughed.
She ran for the bathroom. Once inside, the shower was heard for
a few minutes, and then Taran hopped out of the bathroom. She was looking
fresh and renewed.
"Hey guys. I feel great! Let's g--" She felt at her waist, but
was missing two Pokeballs. She dug through her bookbag, but didn't find
them there, either. "Hey! Where are Weedle and Pidgey?"
"Squirt squirtle squirt. Squirtle squirt." (We gave them to Nurse
Joi. They both needed healing.)
"Oh. Okay, we'll have to get them before we leave," she said.
"We're going back into the forest so I can pick up some more Pokemon and
so that we can battle those other trainers I saw on the way here."
"Squirtle squirt." (I didn't see any.)
"That's because you were fainted from poison. Come on." They
all walked out to get Taran's Pokemon.
Chansey seems to like us... She noticed Squirtle and Chansey
jabbering away at each other.
"Hello. Are my Pokemon ready to go?" she asked at the front desk.
"Yes, they are. Here you go!" Taran was handed two Pokeballs,
which she quickly attached to her belt. "C'mon, Squirtle, let's go!"
Squirtle broke off his conversation with Chansey and returned
to Taran's side. Chansey also went to her, but it was for a hug, which
Taran gladly gave. Squirtle laughed. She handed Chansey to the nurse. "I
think it likes me." She giggled.
Nurse Joi wasn't laughing, however, as she took Chansey. She
set it on the desk. "I do, too... How would you like to take it with you?"
"Chan? Sey?" (Really? You mean it?) Chansey hugged Joi.
"Are you sure? I thought it was your assistant?" Taran asked.
"It is, but every nurse has more than one Chansey-assistant.
Besides, this is about the busiest this place has been throughout the whole
year. Go on, take it. It likes you."
"Wow... you wanna go with us, Chansey?"
"Sey!" (Yes!) It hugged Joi first, then Squirtle, then Taran.
"Okay..." Taran fumbled in her bookbag for a Pokeball, which
she found eventually. "Into the ball, Chansey!"
"Sey!" It pushed the button, and the red light claimed Chansey.
The button turned red as the ball wobbled three times, and then the button
turned white again.
"Yay! We got a Chansey!" Taran laughed. "I'll take good care
of it, Nurse Joi." She attached Chansey's ball to her belt. "C'mon, Squirtle.
Thanks again, nurse! G'bye!"
"Bye, Taran! Good luck on your journey!"
They headed for Viridian forest to capture more Pokemon.
****
They reached Viridian Forest around noon, so Squirtle and Taran
marched right in. The rest of the bug-catchers were soon defeated, and
a Pikachu, Caterpie, and Rattata were all added to Taran's collection.
The Rattata, however, was sent to Professor Oak, much to her and Squirtle's
surprise. Marina explained everything, though, so Taran didn't worry. Rattata
would be perfectly safe with Professor Oak.
Night fell, eventually, and Taran let all her Pokemon out after
she and Squirtle built a fire. Pidgey, Weedle, and Chansey visited with
the two new Pokemon, Pikachu and Caterpie. Taran located a log, and pulled
it up to the fire. As she was setting out a blanket for everyone to sleep
on, Squirtle gave her an idea.
She pulled the forgotten Rare Candy from her bookbag.
"Weedle, come here, please." Weedle had been visiting with Chansey,
but came to Taran's call.
She unwrapped the candy and held it out to Weedle. "Here. Eat
this."
Weedle ate the Rare Candy in one gulp. "Weedle wee... Wee?" (That
was good... Huh?) Weedle started to spew the same stuff it used in string-shot,
and encased itself. It began to glow.
"Chan, sey chan!" (Hey, Weedle's evolving!)
Everyone stopped and watched.
Weedle stopped glowing, to reveal a hard, yellow shell, and two
dark, ponderous eyes staring out at the world.
"Kakuna!" the new Pokemon said. Funny, though. It had no mouth.
Taran picked it up. "Welcome to the group, Kakuna!" she said
as she hugged it. "Wow... I wonder what it's like to evolve..." She set
Kakuna down, leaned against the log, closed her eyes, and tried to imagine.
All her Pokemon swarmed over Kakuna to welcome it.
While imagining, Taran fell asleep. It had been a busy day.
"Chaa..." (She's asleep.)
"Squirtle-squirt." (I guess we'd better follow her example.)
"Cata..." (Aww...)
"Chansey, chan sey." (He's right. We've got a long journey ahead,
so we'd better rest.)
"Pidgey, pidge pidgeaww. Pidgey pidge-pidgey pidge." (It's pretty,
out here under the stars. I'm glad we don't have to go back into our Pokeballs.)
"Kakuna. Kakuna kuna-ka." (Yeah. I'm glad too.)
They each chose a place and fell asleep. Interestingly enough,
Squirtle and Chansey slept on either side of Taran, Pikachu in her arms,
Kakuna and Pidgey on her legs, and Caterpie on her head. The blanket went
unused.
****
This story is © Des O 1998. Taran is MY character and may not be used without express written permission from the author (me).
{{ Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, etc. are all the property of Nintendo,
Creatures, and Game Freak. I'm just... ah... borrowing them for the time
being. }}