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****
Taran and Rick had turned in their Pokemon to the Center as soon
as they'd arrived. It was still midday, and nice and sunny outside. Taran
sat at a window, daydreaming about what she and her friends back in Kalinda
could do on a day like this. She wished Beatrice and Jess could have come
with her on her Pokemon journey. It would be nice to have a few girls along
with her and Rick.
Chimes sounded through the lobby, breaking her concentration.
Joi emerged from the healing room with a tray of Pokeballs. Rick and Taran
went to the counter.
"Here you go, Rick, Taran," she said as they took their Pokeballs.
She hefted Squirtle onto the counter. "He's getting big! What are you feeding
him?"
"Just Pokemon food. And the occasional Twinkie..." Taran smiled
and took Squirtle off of the counter. He was getting kind of heavy.
"I think he'll evolve soon. What say you, Rick?"
He looked at Squirtle strangely, and then a blank look crossed
his face. It was obvious he had no idea.
"Squirtle squirtle squirt. Squirt squirtle, squirtle?" (I don't
know when I'll evolve. Do you think it'll be soon, too?)
"I have no clue." Taran set Squirtle down.
"Thanks for healing our pokemon," Rick said.
"Thank you, Joi."
"You're welcome. Make sure you stop in after you battle. I'd
like to see your new badges."
"We'd be glad to!" Taran and Squirtle smiled.
Rick rolled his eyes. "Come on! I'll race you to the Gym again!"
He dashed out of the Center, laughing.
"Squirtle squirt." (He'll never learn.)
Taran laughed. "He knows it's our turn to go first, anyways.
Come on." She led Squirtle out of the Center.
"Good luck!" Joi called after all of them.
****
Rick, of course, beat Squirtle and Taran to the Gym, but he did
let her go first this time. They went on in.
The doors opened to reveal a dimly lit arena. A large man sat
in a chair on the opposite side of the room, reading something on a Pokedex.
Other people either sat, reading up on Pokemon, or sparred in the middle
of the place.
When Taran, Rick, and Squirtle entered, the large man stood
and crossed the room to meet them. He wore a black shirt and camoflage
cargo pants. His blonde hair was cropped short, and he had an air of seniority
about him.
"Hello! I'm Lt. Surge, and welcome to my Gym! Are you here to
Challenge?" he asked enthusiastically. He hugged Taran warmly.
She smiled weakly and said, "Uhh... yeah, as a matter of fact,
we are," stressing the "we".
"Oh." He let go of Taran and finaly noticed Rick. And Squirtle.
"Whose Squirtle?" he asked, looking it over in distaste. Squirtle
returned the skeptical look, glaring at him.
"He's mine, but I'm not using him in this match." She pulled
a Pokeball from her belt. "Dratini, come out!" The Dragon-type Pokemon
formed in a nimbus of light before their eyes.
"A water dragon? Whatever." He shook his head. "Well, how's about
we get started, Baby?"
Taran's eyes narrowed. "What?" she asked sharply.
"I call everyone I'm about to beat 'Baby'." He pulled a Pokeball
from his own belt. "Pokeball, go!"
A Raichu appeared. "Rai!" it said, lashing its long tail. Surge
patted it on the head and grinned. His smile was mirrored in his Pokemon.
Taran knew about Raichu, which could deliver a 10,000 volt blast
in an attack. Much more powerful than any Pikachu. No match for herself,
of course, but she hoped the Dragon part of Dratini would win out over
the water part...
Surge went on. "Let's go! I want to get this match over with
before lunch." Some of the other people in the Gym came over to Surge,
and laughed at Taran and Dratini.
Taran visibly bristled. Rick and Squirtle began to back off.
Dratini was ticked as well. "Dra dra dratini dra!" (I will not be defeated!)
Raichu translated, and the both of them laughed. "We'll see."
****
An announcer was present for this battle. "Lieutenant Surge, of
Vermilion City Gym, has been Challenged by Taran Blinaa, of Kalinda City.
Each will use one Pokemon, no items. First Pokemon to knock out the other
wins. This battle will begin!"
Surge started the battle. "Raichu, Body Slam!"
"Quick, Dratini, Agility!" Dratini zipped out of Raichu's way
just as it was about to be hit. It circled Raichu until it had been confused.
"Raichu! Give it a Thunderbolt!" Raichu leapt into the air and
unleashed a blast even Taran would have been proud of. Dratini was caught
in it, and fell, paralyzed.
"Dratini, come on! You can do it! Dragon Rage attack!" Dratini
coiled itself, and sprang into the air, right at Raichu. It opened its
mouth, and a blast of incredibly hot flame torched Raichu. The force of
it alone was great enough, but Dratini wasn't finished. It Tackled Raichu,
bowling the Electric Pokemon over and into a wall.
"Raichu? Get up and give it a Thundershock!" Raichu stood, albeit
wobbly, and flew at Dratini.
"RaiiiCHUUU!" Shocking Dratini from midair, the serpentine Pokemon
fell.
"Dratini? Are you all right?"
"Dra..." (Yes...) It coiled itself in preparation for another
Dragon Rage/Tackle.
Taran recognized the move, and cried, "No! Use a Thunder Wave!
Paralyze it!" Dratini nodded and concentrated, and a ball of energy grew
before it. It opened its eyes suddenly, and the energy flew at Raichu,
paralyzing it.
"Now, Tackle!" Dratini launched itself at the fallen Raichu,
which groaned, and passed out.
"Dra! Dratini tini dra! Dra, dra dratini dra..." (Yes! We beat
the Raichu! Whoa, but I'm so tired...) It flopped down where it was.
"Great job, Dratini!" Taran ran out to congratulate her Pokemon,
but it was about to faint. "I need to get you back to the Center."
Surge's friends looked dumbfounded, but the Leader just blinked,
smiled, and said, "Nice handling of that dragon, kid. Here ya go!" He pulled
a shiny orange badge from a pocket on his pants. It sparkled, even in the
dim light of the Gym. "A Thunderbadge!"
"Thank you very much!" She was barely able to hold in her excitement
as she pinned the badge to her collar. After a quick glance at Dratini,
however, she sobered. "I'm sorry, but I have to leave. Dratini needs medical
attention." She recalled it, and prepared to leave.
"It's okay. I understand. Good luck on your Pokemon journey!"
"Thanks!" Taran said as she left. "Good luck, Rick!"
****
"You're next, baby," Surge said to Rick. "Get ready." His buddies
laughed.
Rick was confused. "How are you going to fight? You need to take
Raichu to Nurse Joi!"
"Hey everyone, gather around! I'm gonna try something out."
Surge's associates and Rick approached the Gym Leader, who knelt
by his fallen Pokemon. Surge dug into one of his many pockets and came
up with a very small spray bottle; about 1/4 the size of a Potion spray.
He sprayed the contents into Raichu's face, and its eyes opened. It stood,
groggily. "Rai?"
"Wow!" one of the ladies said.
"It's okay. I just used this new Revive on ya." Surge said to
Raichu. He put the bottle back into its pocket, and pulled out another.
This one was as normal Potion bottle, which was sprayed into Raichu's wounds.
They healed before Rick's eyes.
"I wasn't sure if that Revive would work, but it looks like Raichu's
been revitalized! Just like the merchant said!" His friends just stared.
Raichu nodded enthuiastically, and its tail lashed from side
to side. "Raichu!"
"Where did you get that?" Rick asked breathlessly. He'd never
seen anything like it. A medicine that revitalized fainted Pokemon! "That
could be very useful!"
"I got it at this place up near Lavender Town. A lady was selling
them, and I thought I'd buy one and try it out. So far, it's done exactly
what she promised! I'll have to go back and get more of this stuff!" He
stood, and turned to Rick. "Ready to battle?"
"Uhh... yeah."
****
"Raichu!" it cried as it Body Slammed Drowzee. Drowzee looked
pretty bad by now, but Raichu was worse off. It had run out of electricity,
and was forced to use only Normal attacks!
"Drowzee, finish it! Confusion!" Drowzee stood in deep concentration.
Raichu tried to Body Slam it again, and Drowzee took hold. It sent Raichu
crashing into the ground before it. Raichu fainted once more.
"I should'a' taken it to Joi like normal. I forgot about the
amount of electricity it used up fighting that Dratini," Surge said. He
scratched his head. Meanwhile, Rick and Drowzee were doing their own little
happy dance on the other side of the arena, while the others looked on.
Then Drowzee suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Rick asked.
"Drow... drowzee drow..." (Huh... I don't know...)
Surge went to Drowzee after recalling Raichu. Looking it over,
he began, "It looks like it's about to --"
Drowzee's body glowed until it became a shimmering silhouette
of the tapir-like Pokemon it was. It grew taller, its arms and legs got
longer, and, as the shimmering aura wore off, the dark coloring was gone
from its fur.
"Hypno!" it cried. It looked around the Gym through evolved eyes,
and sighed. Rick hugged it happily.
"-- evolve." Surge smiled. "Congratulations, kid. You've got
yourself a fine-looking Hypno there." Surge's associates clapped appreciatively,
and Hypno smiled.
"Thank you very much! I think I'd better take him to Joi now,
though. She'll need to check Hypno out." Rick let go of Hypno, and headed
for the door.
"Kid, wait! Your Badge!" Surge grabbed his arm and held the shiny
badge before him. Rick stopped immediately.
"Whoops!" As Hypno chuckled, Rick hastily added the Thunderbadge
to his collection. "Thanks, Lt. Surge. I almost forgot!"
"That's okay. Bye, kid! And good luck!" When Rick was gone, the
Gym fell silent.
"We're going to have to work on our skills so we don't get beaten
like this anymore," Surge said, shaking his head. All of his friends nodded,
and went back to training their Pokemon.
****
Chimes rang through the lobby.
Joi approached her desk with a tray of Pokeballs. "Taran?"
Summoned, she went to the desk. "Are they mine?"
"Yes, and so is this," she said, hefting Squirtle over the counter.
"Squirtle, you're gonna have to start just jumping over the counter. Or
walking around it. But I'm going to end up breaking my back lifting
you!"
"Squirtle squirt." (Sorry Joi.) He jumped down from the counter
and stood by his trainer.
"Don't worry, Joi. He'll go around from now on."
She smiled. "Thanks. But," she began, looking around, "where's
Rick? Aren't you two still travelling together?"
"Oh yeah. But he's still in the Gym, trying for his Thunderbadge."
"I hope he'll be all right." Joi turned away quickly, and busied
herself at her computer.
Taran was confused. "You seem awfully concerned when it comes
to Lieutenant Surge's Gym. What's so bad about it?"
"Ohh... come with me." Joi led Taran and Squirtle down a hallway,
into a large room. It was full of injured Pokemon and their trainers. "All
these Pokemon were hurt in Surge's Gym this week alone. This is our intensive
care ward." Joi surveyed the room, and was greeted by several of the trainers.
"Squirtle squirt..." (All these Pokemon...)
We got lucky. Really lucky.
Joi was called over by a trainer, and she reassured him about
his injured Bellsprout.
"Let's leave, Squirtle. We don't want to disturb anyone, and
we'd better check on Rick."
"Squirtle squirt-squirt squirtle squirt!" (I hope none of his
Pokemon ended up like that!)
****
Rick met Taran at the door. "I got the Badge!" He flashed it proudly,
but she only had eyes for the Pokemon following him.
"Wow... lemme guess: Drowzee evolved." Squirtle greeted the new
Pokemon with a hug, and they began to jabber away together.
"Yep! I got a Badge and had my Pokemon evolve, all in one day!"
He beamed.
Squirtle turned back to his trainer. "Squirtle squirt. Squirt
squirtle?" (I'm hungry. Can we go eat?)
"Sure. I'm hungry too." Taran turned to Rick. "Wanna get some
lunch with us?"
"Not right now. I've got to get my Pokemon healed, first. Tell
ya what, though: I'll meet you in that restaurant over there in half an
hour. Okay?" he asked, pointing to a pizza place that was near the Gym.
"Fine with us. See ya soon!" she called after him as he entered
the Center.
****
As she and Squirtle toured the city, they approached a large crowd
in front of a small building. Curious, they asked someone what was going
on.
"This is the Pokemon Fan Club. We don't all fit inside the official
building, so we all just meet out here. Are you a member?" the kid asked.
"Well, no... I... uh..."
"Oh! You'll need to go inside the building. Meet with the Chairman,
and he'll register you in the club." With those words, Taran and Squirtle
were hustled inside the building.
It was quite bright, and there were comfy chairs and sofas everywhere.
Grownups sat in them, along with their Pokemon, chatting away.
Squirtle approached a nearby Growlithe, and asked it where the
Chairman was. It had Squirtle follow it, and Taran followed Squirtle.
The man the pair were led to was young, and not bad looking.
He sat on a sofa, typing on a laptop computer. When the Growlithe tugged
at his pant leg, he stopped typing and placed the computer carefully onto
a coffee table nearby. He picked up the Growlithe, and it said something
to him. The Chairman looked up at Taran.
"Oh, hello! Are you new here?" he asked warmly. Standing, he
offered her a seat beside him on the sofa. He dressed nicely, in a suit
and tie.
"Thank you," she said. She sat, and Squirtle jumped onto her
lap. Petting him absentmindedly, he sighed. "And yes, I am new here. The
people outside said to come in here and meet with their Chairman in order
to get into this fan club."
"Well, the people outside were right. I'm Harold P. West, Pokemon
Fan Club Chairman. Nice to meet you... er..."
"I'm Taran. It's nice to meet you too."
"Of course!" He retrieved the computer and entered her name into
it. "Now, I must tell you about this club. What we do here is mainly share
stories about Pokemon. Personal experiences, fictional stories, legends,
children's books, anything. For example, let me tell you about my favorite
Pokemon..."
The Chairman went on and on about his Growlithe, the one that
had led Squirtle and Taran to him. He never stopped talking. Squirtle grew
bored after the first few minutes and fell asleep. Taran tried to stay
interested, but was close to falling asleep by the time he finished.
"... so warm when I hug it at night. I love my Growlithe," he
said, petting it. He checked his watch. "Hmm... two o' clock already..."
Taran snapped to attention. "Two o' clock! Oh, man... Squirtle,
get up! We're late!"
"Late? Late for what?"
"I was supposed to meet my friend for lunch an hour ago... He's
going to be mad at me now." She stood, shaking Squirtle awake. "I'm sorry
we have to leave in such a rush, sir, but --"
He stood and stopped her for a second. "I'm sorry I talked to
you for so long... let me make it up to you." He dug in his pocket, and
handed her two slips of paper. "They're tickets for a cruise on that new
ship, the SS Anne II. I was going to give them away in a Club contest,
but I feel bad about keeping you for so long, so take them."
Taran knew full well the cost of tickets to a cruise on such
a ship. "Sir, I can't take these... it wouldn't be right!"
"I insist. As Club Chairman, I hereby declare those tickets to
be yours. Now go on and find your friend." he said, smiling.
"Thank you, sir! Thank you very much!" She and Squirtle left
the building and ran to the restaurant.
****
"Where were you? We've been waiting for an hour by now!" Rick
and Hypno didn't look happy. They had been sitting outside the restaurant,
waiting for Taran and Squirtle to show.
"I'm sorry, Rick. I got caught up in things, but you'll never
guess what I've got!"
He looked up at her from the sidewalk. "What do you have?" he
asked, curious.
She held out the tickets. He took one, and gave a start. "These
are... tickets to a cruise on the SS Anne II! Where did you get them? Do
you know how much these things cost?"
She told him the whole story. He forgave her, and then everyone
went inside for lunch.
Over a pizza, they discussed what they were going to do. The
cruise would take them directly to Celadon City, but they still wanted
to head over to Lavender Town. Rick had told her about the strange power
of the Revive.
"Then it's settled. After Celadon, we'll hit Saffron," she said,
pointing to various places on her map, "and then head over to Lavender.
We'll pick up some Revives, and also some Ghost Pokemon, if we can."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Rick said after taking a sip of his
soda.
"Squirtle squirt, squirt." (Hand me another slice, please.) Taran
handed Squirtle a slice of pizza, his third one.
"Careful you don't eat too much," she cautioned.
"Squirt squirtle." (All right, already.) He shoved the slice
into his mouth.
Taran turned back to Rick. "Hmm... the SS Anne II? Whatever happened
to the SS Anne I?"
Rick looked up from his soda. "You mean you don't know? Team
Rocket tried to take over the ship and steal all the Pokemon from their
trainers. I guess they weren't expecting too much of a battle, though,
because they didn't bring any Pokemon to defend themselves with. The trainers
on board fought back against the Rockets, and trashed them good, but a
storm kicked up ahd sank the ship." He went back to his soda.
Squirtle let out a burp. "Squirtle..." (Excuse me...)
"Let's get outta here before we offend anyone else around us..."
Taran shifted uncomfortably in her seat when half the people in the restaurant
glared at her, thinking it had been she who burped. She giggled half-heartedly,
and dragged Squirtle with her out of the place.
"Wait for me!" Rick exclaimed. He took a last sip of his soda,
and hurried out after his companions.
****
They spent the rest of the day roaming the city. Taran bought
a cute little Pokedoll in the marketplace, and Rick got zapped for teasing
her about being fifteen and still playing with dolls.
"It's cute. So there."
Rick rubbed his bottom, where he'd gotten zapped. "Hmph."
"Squirtle squirtle squirt." (It is kinda cute.)
"See? Squirtle agrees with me," Taran smirked.
"That's because it's a Squirtle doll, genius."
"So?"
Rick shut up. He wasn't getting anywhere in the conversation.
Taran and Squirtle laughed.
They passed an electronics shop with TV sets out in front. A
small group of people were gathered before the TVs, ao Taran and Rick joined
in.
It was the local news program. It showed footage from the Pokemon
League's annual Challenge. What was shown had Taran doing a double-take.
It's Ash! The boy who had brought her into the Pokemon
world was shown battling with his Pikachu against another trainer's Charizard.
Pikachu won, barely. The narrator's voice droned on about the Challenge,
and some of the highlights. Ash's victory had been only one of them.
Squirtle fumed. "Squirtle squirt squirt? Squirt, squirt squirtle
squirtle squirt squirtle squirt!" (An Electric Pokemon in the lead? Taran,
we need to go to that Challenge next year and kick some League butt!)
She laughed at her Pokemon, and followed Rick as they walked
away from the shop. It was dark out, and almost time for the SS Anne II
to dock. It was Taran and Rick's chance to level up their Pokemon, show
off a bit, and find out about the latest technology, all in about three
days. They hurried to the docks and boarded along with the rest of the
trainers.
****
And not five minutes after they boarded, Taran received a Challenge
from a fellow trainer.
"Squirtle, you're on!"
"Butterfree, I choose you!"
The Pokemon sized each other up, and the Butterfree began to
fly in circles around Squirtle.
"Squirtle! Give it a Water-Gun!" Taran commanded.
"Squirtle!" he cried as a gush of water escaped him. The Butterfree
dodged quickly.
"Confusion, Butterfree!"
"Free! Free!" it cried as it raised Squirtle calmly into the
air and began to spin him around rapidly. It dropped him onto his shell.
Squirtle groaned.
"Squirtle, you can beat it! Bite that Butterfree!" Squirtle launched
itself at the butterfly Pokemon, who was too busy listening to its trainer's
next attack to dodge. Squirtle bit it good and hard.
"Butterfree! Show the Squirtle your Stun Spore attack!" It flew
over the already confused Squirtle, showering it in sparkles. The sparkles
covered Squirtle, and took hold. He staggered.
"Squirtle! Catch!" Taran shouted to her Pokemon. She tossed a
vial of some liquid to him. "It's a Paralyze Heal!" He was able to get
a hold of it and drink it. "Now, Bite it again!"
"Quick! Before it recovers, Butterfree, Sleep Powder!" Butterfree
tried to spread its Powder as fast as it could, but it wasn't fast enough.
Squirtle bit it again, and it fell to the ground.
"Water-Gun!" Squirtle thoroughly soaked the Butterfree. It fainted.
"Yes!" "Squirt!" They high-fived.
The onlooking trainers applauded, and the opposing one smiled.
"Good job. Here's what I owe you two." The kid handed over the money she'd
wagered on the battle. "Maybe I'll be able to win it back later."
"I'll see you around, Katy."
"Bye, Taran!" the girl called over her shoulder as she went to
find the onboard Pokemon Center.
Taran looked to Squirtle. "You feel okay, or do you want me to
take you to the Pokemon Center?"
"Squirt... squirtle..." (I... feel...) he said, wobbling on his
feet, and then he stopped. A strong glow overtook him, and he started to
grow. He sprouted a pair of fin-ears, his shell grew a bit, and his appendages
elongated. His tail grew curlier as the glow wore off.
"Wartortle!" he cried to the world.
"Wartortle!" Taran said. She hugged it. "You evolved!"
A chorus of "Congratulations!" rang out through the crowd.
"Thank you all!" Taran said, happily. She and Wartortle made
their way through the hundreds of busy people to Rick, who was pricing
Pokemon accessories in a corner booth. "Look! Squirtle evolved into Wartortle!"
The man who ran the booth smiled a crooked smile. He looked sleazy,
and Taran was kind of suspicious of him.
Get over it. You've never met the man before.
"Congratulations, young lady! Here, I'll give you a present."
He held out a small package, which Taran took.
"Why, thank you, mister..." She examined it, but didn't wish
to look a gift horse in the mouth. "I'll save it and open it later, so
I won't lose it."
"You're welcome, child." He turned to Rick. "Do you wish to buy
that, young man?"
"Yes, I do." Rick pulled out his wallet. "How much?"
The man grabbed Rick's wallet, and before he could protest, took
the money inside. "This should cover it." He chuckled and returned the
empty wallet, then handed over the Item. "Use it wisely, boy."
"I will," Rick said as he and Taran walked away warily.
****
"What'd ya get?" was the first and foremost question on Taran's
mind once they were away from the weirdo in the booth.
"This." He held it up for her to see. It was a small box hooked
up to a pair of headphones. "It's a special Training Machine."
"Training Machine... like what you used to teach Abra Thinder
Wave?" She looked at it closely. "I haven's seen one before, I've just
heard of them."
"To use it, you just let your Pokemon out, give it the TM, and
recall it. When it is called upon for battle next, the attack will have
been learned by then. This one will teach a Pokemon how to perform the
Dream Eater attack. Hypno, to be specific, because he'll never learn without
it." Rick smiled. "Dream Eater will pair great with his Hypnosis attack..."
"Wartort war tortle, tort?" (What's in your box, Taran?)
"I dunno." She opened it carefully. Inside lay a Pokeball.
"He gave you a Pokeball? I got a free Pokemon too, but from a
different vendor. I haven't checked mine out yet, but the label read, 'Li',"
Rick commented. "Let the Pokemon out and we'll see what it is."
There was a label on the Pokeball. It read, "Rina".
"Hmm... Rina, go!" Taran said. A lit form appeared before Taran,
and gradually grew clearer. It was a light blue in color, had large ears,
horns, and a snaggletooth. "Nido!"
"What is it?" Rick asked.
"I dunno... Marina?" Taran pulled out her Pokedex and pointed
it at "Rina".
{{Nidorina, a Poison Pin Pokemon. She prefers to use her sharp
claws and teeth in battle, rather than her spikes.}}
"Cool! Welcome, Rina! I'm Taran, your new trainer, and this is
Rick."
The Pokemon looked around the room, and then back at its new
trainer. "Nido... rina." (New... oh.) She sighed unhappily. "Nid nidorina
do rina rina?" (Can I go back into my Pokeball now?)
Wartortle translated, and Taran sighed. "If that's what you want.
Rina, return." The Pokeball reclaimed her, and Taran was quite bummed.
"It'll get to know you over time. Don't worry," Rick said comfortingly.
"Whatever. Let me clear a place for her on my belt." She began
pressing buttons on Marina, and then hooked Beedrill's Pokeball up to it,
along with Rina's. Beedrill was sent to Professor Oak, and Rina was now
a part of Taran's main party.
"War tort tortle war war. Wartortle." (Let's go find our rooms.
I'm sleepy.) He yawned loudly.
"All right, it's time for bed anyways." Taran led them all to
their room, and each crashed wherever they felt like. Wartortle on a large
pillow, Rick on the bed, and Taran in the floor.
****
In the middle of the night, everyone slept. Except for a few figures
who lurked in the shadows. One took a remote control from their pocket,
and pressed a large green button.
In Taran's room, and many others, Pokeballs began to pop open.
They had all been given out by shady vendors earlier that day. The present
Taran had been given popped open, and the Nidorina came out quietly. A
Pokeball in Rick's pack popped open as well, and a Growlithe was deposited
onto the floor softly.
"Nido..." (Sorry...) Rina said even softer, lest she disturb
the sleepers. She snatched all of Taran's Pokeballs, and exited their room.
The Growlithe followed along closely with all of Rick's Pokeballs.
Down the hall leading away from the lodgings, a man in all black
waited for Rina and Li. He welcomed them when he saw they had completed
their task. "Excellent job, Rina, Li!" he whispered as he took the Pokeballs
from them. "The Boss will pay us handsomely for these. Team Rocket botched
the job last time, but no more!" He chuckled under his breath.
"Nid. Rina," (Yeah. Sure,) she replied.
"You don't sound too enthusiastic, Rina," the man warned.
"Nido nidorina nid nido? Nidorina rina nid rina. Nido rina nid."
(When are we gonna stop stealing Pokemon? I don't like doing it. It's not
fair to either them or their trainers.) Nidorina looked downcast. Li looked
scared of the man in all black.
Rina was promptly smacked. "Don't you talk to me that way! We're
a part of Team Rocket, this is what we do, and we're proud of it!" He slugged
her in the jaw for added impact (no pun intended). "You will never question
or complain about any of my actions or orders. Is that clear?"
Nidorina rubbed her jaw. "Nido." (Yes, sir.)
"Is there anything you would like to add to Rina's complaint,
Li?" the man asked menacingly.
The Growlithe shook its head and cowered miserably.
"Good." He cuffed Li in the back of its head, and then recalled
the mistreated Pokemon into their Pokeballs. He rejoined his comrades-in-crime
as they melted away into the shadows of night. Not one person (or Pokemon)
realized what had happened.
The ship set sail.
****
"My Pokemon are gone!"
"Jynx! Where'd you go?"
"My Pokeballs are missing!"
The whole ship awoke to a chorus of voices calling out for their
Pokemon. Evidently someone had stolen them during the night...
The trainers met on the top deck of the ship to discuss the crime.
Several officers were present (many of which were named Jenny), taking
reports and investigating. Rick listened in on some of the conversations.
"... a man gave you a Pokemon yesterday?"
"Yeah. He looked kinda seedy, but it was a gift..."
An officer wrote down the boy's experience. Another officer spoke
to a gentleman and his wife.
"I'll bet it was that man who gave you the Pokemon yesterday!"
"Now, honey, stop... he was just bein' friendly."
"A man..." Jenny said as she wrote, "gave them a Pokemon..."
Seems a lot of these people were given Pokemon yesterday... Rick
thought.
Taran located him. She had at first been a suspect, as she still
had Wartortle, but it was revealed that the thieves took only Pokeballs,
and he had been out of his at the time of the theft. She and Wartortle
both looked downcast.
Rick was down about it too, but he tried to cheer up his companions.
"You wanna go play a game?"
"Naw. All the shops and games are closed anyway." She sighed.
The Jennys formed a circle in the middle of the room, and shared
their reports they had gotten. One, finally, broke from the circle and
spoke into a wall P.A. speaker.
"All of you here have had your Pokemon stolen. This is a grave
offense, and we will do our best to find the culprits. We need your cooperation
now."
Everyone shut up and listened.
"Anyone who was not given a free Pokemon yesterday from a vendor
here, please tell us now."
No one said a word.
"Then everyone was given a Pokemon?"
A loud murmur of "yes" rose from the crowd.
"Thank you for your cooperation. We now have reason to believe
that Team Rocket has stolen your Pokemon. Don't worry, they all will be
recovered intact," the officer assured. She and the other officers left
the room quickly, and a louder murmur arose from the crowd.
"Team Rocket," Taran hissed.
"How will we find them?" Rick asked.
Before they knew it, six cloaked people threw smoke bombs into
the room. The crowd of trainers began to mill in a panic.
Over the P.A. system: "Prepare for trouble!"
"Make it double!"
"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!"
A spotlight hit the fog that filled the room. A shadow appeared.
"Sara!"
Another spotlight, another shadow. "Steve!"
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
Each cackled into microphones as massive fans were turned on.
The fog cleared to reveal at least fifty Team Rocket members, dressed in
black outfits with big red "R"s on them.
Trainers gasped and backed away. Some tried to run from the room,
but found their escape routes blocked.
"What is the meaning of this?" a man cried.
"We," Sara smiled, "were the ones who stole the Pokemon last
night. Well, we trained the Pokemon that did it, really." She took a Pokeball
from her belt. "Rina, go!"
The unhappy Nidorina formed before Sara.
"We used the Pokemon that were given out yesterday to take all
of your Pokeballs!"
"Nidorina... nido nid nidorina rina nidorina!" (We're sorry...
but they said they would beat us to death if we didn't do it!) Nidorina
pleaded for the forgiveness of the trainers. The Pokemon that were still
left translated for their trainers what she had said, and the plea was
passed on. They grew mad at the villains, who would threaten a Pokemon
like this!
Sara motioned to one of the other Team Rocket members, and he
flipped a switch for a spotlight. It was turned to reveal a box full of
Pokeballs.
"However," Steve continued, "we realized we had not stolen all
the Pokemon here, which had been our goal. Give us the ones that had not
been in their Pokeballs!"
"NO!" a boy shouted. He hugged his Oddish closely. "I won't let
you mistreat Oddish like you do the Pokemon you use already!"
"We'd rather fight than let them go peacefully!" Taran cried.
"Come on, we can beat these punks, Wartortle!"
"Yeah!" a man yelled. "Ivysaur, go!"
"Pikachu, I choose you!" a girl cried.
"Meowth!" "Vulpix!" "Dodrio!" Trainers from all over the room
sent their remaining Pokemon out to fight.
"Wartortle!" Taran added, "Bite those bad guys!" He rushed one
of the ones dressed in black, and they all yelled angrily.
"Meowth, Scratch attack!" "Vulpix, Fire Spin!" "Ivysaur, Razor
Leaf!" Every trainer with an available Pokemon attacked the TR members.
The rest of the trainers fought their way through to the box full of Pokeballs
and began adding more Pokemon to the free-for-all brawl that filled the
room.
"AARGHH!" Sara cried. She had noticed that her people were losing.
"Koffing, Smokescreen! Steve, let's make our departure!" The ball of gas
huffed and puffed to release noxious fumes that filled the room. Sara grabbed
Steve's collar and began to drag him away.
"Sara, you idiot! There's fire Pokemon loose!" Steve yelled at
his partner. But before she could even say "oops"...
KABOOM! The simple flame of a Charmander's tail had set off the
chemical fumes.
Beaten and battered, the Team Rocket members were blasted off
into the sky. This time their departure phrase made sense.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"
****
Luckily for them, the blast didn't blow up the ship or anything
major. It merely singed the deck, because most of the force was used in
blowing Team Rocket into the sky. Funny how things usually work out that
way. ^_^
Everyone pitched in to clean things up, even the Pokemon. The
Jennys left in their speedboats to pick up the Rockets and arrest them.
Afterwards, the trainers and the nurses set about the task of separating
all the Pokeballs. Recalling them all was a breeze compared to getting
every last one back to their trainer. The job was finished in less than
two hours. Now all they had to do was claim their own Pokeballs.
"Eevee! You're okay!"
"Raticate, I thought I'd never see you again!"
"Oh, Ponyta!"
The Pokemon were all returned safely, but there was one simple
problem. Or, rather, one large problem. What to do with the Pokemon that
had been mistreated?
Rina seemed to be their official spokespokemon. "Nido nidorina
nidorina nido rina-rina. Nidorina nido nidorina..." (We'd be perfectly
happy to go with the ones we had been given to. As long as we don't have
to go back with Team Rocket...)
The head nurse (named Joi, of course) saw nothing wrong with
letting the mistreated Pokemon go back with whom they had been given, so
it was settled. The trainers came into the Center, gave the name of the
Pokemon they had originally had been given, and it was theirs to keep.
After about fifteen minutes of trainers comforting their new
Pokemon, it was Rick's turn to claim his. "I believe its name was 'Li'."
"Hmm..." Joi said as she searched her database. "Not a bad Pokemon
to end up with, but it'll need some TLC for a while. It's not the most
shook up of all the mistreated ones, but it's close to it." A different
nurse handed him a Pokeball, and called for the next trainer.
Taran's turn. "Rina was mine, Joi."
"Rina, huh? Ah, here you go. A Poison Pokemon for the Electric
trainer."
"Do all you nurses know about me?"
She winked as she handed Taran the Pokeball, and ushered her
out.
Rick met her outside the onboard Center. "Got your Pokemon?"
He asked.
"Yeah. You?"
"Yeah. Let's get the heck out of here."
"Wartortle tort." (I want off this ship.)
Taran smiled. "Don't tell me you get seasick..."
They walked up the steps to the upper deck. A nice breeze blew
through their hair, and they could see Celadon City on the horizon. Docking
would probably take place within a few hours, and then they'd get to disembark
and find a hotel to stay in for the night.
"Li, go!" Rick cried suddenly. The fire Pokemon came out growling,
but looked at Rick confusedly.
"I'm your new trainer, Li. My name's Rick."
"Growl? Growlithe growl..."(Huh? New trainer...) It looked at
Rick skeptically, and then lay down on deck, as if it were tired.
Rick was undaunted. "You don't have to go back to the Rockets
anymore. They were all arrested --"
He was cut off by Officer Jenny. "Sorry son, but we didn't get
all of them. Two of them got away, the ones in the white outfits. But don't
worry," she quickly assured, "We'll get them soon."
"Growl growlithe?" (What if they come after me?) the unhappy
Growlithe asked. It hid its face in its paws. Jenny noticed its distress.
"Your Pokemon doesn't have to worry, either. We police officers
will find those missing Rockets and arrest them." She stooped to pet Li,
who consented resignedly. It sighed. Then Officer Jenny stood and walked
away.
Rick picked Li up and gave it a big hug. "I won't let anyone
hurt you."
"Wartortle. Wartort wartortle." (He won't. Take it from me.)
Li jumped at Wartortle's sudden presence. "Growlithe?" (Who are
you?) It grew agitated, thinking Wartortle was going to attack. Li started
to growl.
"Hey, hold on a sec, Li. Wartortle ain't gonna hurt ya," Taran
intervened. "He's tryin' to be nice!"
"Growlithe growl?" (And who are you?) Li continued to growl.
"Li, this is my travelling companion, Taran." Taran nodded at
the angered Growlithe. "This is her Wartortle."
"Wartortle war war tortle." (I didn't mean to scare you.) Wartortle
went to hug Li, but Li gave Wartortle a blast of fire to the face. Wartortle
began to growl...
"Wartortle, stop! It's just scared. It'll get to know you wouldn't
do anything to it after a while." Taran got in front of Wartortle, and
held him back while Rick snatched up his Pokemon.
"Maybe you should let Li meet the rest of your Pokemon now, rather
than later," Taran suggested quickly. "I'm gonna go back to our room now
and introduce Rina to the rest of the group. Come on, Wartortle." She led
him down the steps to the deck where the rooms were.
Rick was finally alone with Li.
"Li, I'd like you to meet the rest of my Pokemon." Rick brought
Abra, Hypno, Butterfree, Staryu, and Oddish out of their Pokeballs, but
left Alakazam in for fear of it getting away from him.
"Growwwwlithe!" (They're going to hurt me!) Li hid behind Rick's
leg, petrified.
Rick sighed while the rest of his Pokemon looked confused. It
was going to be a long night.
****
This story is © Des O 1999. Taran, Rick, Ryan, Sara, Steve, etc. are MY characters 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. ^_^ }}