Young Writers Society

David

Eve facepalmed. Art was different--a mixture of confusion and being impressed that Nick had actually pulled it off.

“How did he expect to actually get away with that?” Eve threw her hands out in front of her. “‘Oh, okay, well I’ll just take my Pokemon now and collect droppings for the rest of my life!’ ‘Hopefully no one will ever want to know if I’m legal or not!’ My Arceus, that’s dumb...”

David was smirking, trying his hardest not to laugh. “He really is a smart guy.” He shrugged, looking over to the nurse’s desk. “He figured he could find a loophole in The Rules.”

“There are plenty of loopholes, Dave.” Art was at his Pokedex again, making the little trinkets inside whirr and buzz.

“Like...?”

“For one, you can be the child of a champion!”

“That’s rather ridiculous,” David said, his brow furrowed. “What’s to guarantee that the champion’s kid won’t be a rocket goon or something awful?”

“Like one of those Magikarp fishermen. What possible strategy could they have?”

“It’s like my father used to say,” Art interjected, “every tidal wave has to start with a splash!”

“This conversation has really gotten away from me.” David looked at his two pals and got up, straightening his jacket on his shoulders. “Whatever’s wrong with Nick, he’ll probably be up and running again not too long from now.” The other two nodded. “So we need to go loophole hun--”

“Arthur!” David was pushed back by a tall man in a labcoat who ran straight for Art, greeting him with a huge grin.

“Oh! Uh, hello, professor...”

“Arthur, my boy, I wanted to thank you!”

“I’ve done nothing spectacular to warrant your gratitude, sir!” It was incredible how they matched enthusiasm. David figured it had to be a nerd thing.

“I was in the lab earlier today, studying fossils that have recently arrived from Sayda island--you know that they’re valuable if they come from Sayda--and the air conditioner broke down! And I sat there in my industrial rolling chair and thought to myself, ‘Professor, you could sit here in the heat and smoulder the rest of the day while cleaning these fossils, or you could venture out into the wild blue yonder and experience life for itself for a change, and--great Scott! I just had to put that Anthro-Delta Specimen back in its protective casing because I was going to live a little!” He grinned wildly and pointed at the ceiling. “And as I left the laboratory, I was taken aback by a roaming gang of Meowth that just seemed to happy to be alive and together!”

“P-professor, you’re getting awfully off-topic.”

“Oh, right!” He nodded and straightened his glasses. “All-in-all, I thought of you and your love for Pokemon and life, and I wanted to give you a chance to balance it all out with higher education!”

“Higher...education...”

“Yes!” From his coat, he retrieved a glossy pink voucher. “With this glossy pink Voucher D9-EZ2, you can enroll into the Pewter Pokemon Academy (try saying that ten times fast!) and excel in your learning of Pokemon and the world!”

Eve and David slowly turned their eyes to Art. David looked at Eve, then, and winked.

Art took the voucher and held it up to the light, only to have it cast a shadow on his face. “It’s an incredible gift, sir! Thank you!”

The professor grinned proudly. “Anything for you, my boy! Enjoy your adventure, and be on the lookout for incredible phenomena--they surround us each day, even in the small things!” He nodded at all three kids. “It’s as my father used to say, children, ‘Tidal waves must all start with a splash!’” The professor then turned, without another word, and left them there, staring at the glossy pink voucher.

“Talk about a Deus Ex Magnemite.”

“Machina.”

“Bless you.”

__ __ __ __

Rocket Andy

“Mandy, this labor is ridiculous!” Andy was covered in sweat--soaked from his head to his toes, and progressively losing clothing to compensate. He wiped his forehead.

“Hush, Andrew. And keep running.”

Andy was on a treadmill. Noteworthy is that it was a very large treadmill, raw-wired to a hundred outlets surrounding the small room where they worked. Andy was running steadily (though slowly slowing down), and from the treadmill ran a wire that fed power into a rather large anti-generator embellished with a very large, very red R.

Mandy, however, was kicked back in a lawn chair with a straw running between her Ruby Red Dye #5 lips and a glass of pink lemonade. “Being evil is quite the hard work, don’t you think, Andrew?”

“You don’t want to know what I think.”

“Becalm yourself, my friend.” Mandy grinned and turned her eyes onto her running partner. “Shortly, all of Vermilion’s power will be ours, and we’ll have all we need to launch the device.”

“We’re not...even guaranteed...that the others have the meteorite!”

“Don’t be silly.” She took a long sip of lemonade and grinned. “Our best operatives are on the job, and should be headed to Mt. Moon as we speak.”

Type advantages was mostly for lesser Pokemon, like Jason's or Kristine's. Not Hayden's. Hayden's seemed rather decent. For the most part, Sin was confident Noah who was so much better than any other Squirtle or Krabby or water Pokemon could take on the electric gym by himself if Sin wanted him to. Still, just to annoy Jason, Sin was going to use Cade.

Sin, smoothed imaginary creases on his shirt and glanced at Hayden, then back at Jason and Kristine. Jason and Kristine got along quite well, but Sin didn't find either too fascinating. One was uncouth and the other was the antithesis of what a girl ought to be. She ought to take a hint from his mother and her friends, and maybe even from Sin's best friend Zhan. Hayden, however - now, the boy was a wee bit bookish, but that wasn't his fault. All the lesser teachers insisted life's important lessons came from books. Sin had a better tutor.

Just as Sin was about to get up for a walk, the lights went out. Sin blinked and frowned. "Terrible." How could they not have generators? Vermillion City was absolutely unprepared, much unlike Celadon or Cinnabar Island. Then again, Cinnabar Island had Blaine, who was an excellent old man in his own right.

Vermillion had....what? Some loony with the surname Surge. Sin certainly hoped the gym leader didn't change her name just because she earned the position and enjoyed using electric Pokemon. It'd be so tacky, not at all befitting a woman of such rank. No thank you, Sin thought. The only reason he hadn't disparaged the city's gym leader was because he didn't want to set a bad example for Jason or Kristine or Hayden, the last one especially.

He needed to be on his best behavior at all times. Sin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Our Pokemon are still in there." Cade growled and barked, but Sin's eyes were still adjusting to the pitch black of the Pokemon center when he heard a loud boom echo from across the Pokemon center. Sin jumped, but before he could move someone crashed into him.

Jason.

Both of them tumbled to the floor, with Jason shouting. "Get out of my way -"

"What the -" Sin? In his way? He crashed into Sin. Sin growled and scrambled to his feet, and he could hear Kristine saying something and Hayden moving to lend him a hand, but most of the other sounds were drowned out by a somewhat familiar but terrible poem.

At least, Sin thought it was a poem.

The group froze.

"It's those idiots again," Jason growled.

Alarmed, Sin got up quickly, causing Jason to crash to the floor again. Swearing ensued, but Sin refrained from commenting on it and instead focused on the direction of the noise. Jason got up and ran, as expected, but a loud ow came from his direction.

Sin shook his head and clicked his tongue. He felt around for his backpack and began to dig through it until he found what he was looking for. A makeshift torch. Thank God for handy survival kits.

"They're back for our Pokemon. We can't go after them like this. I can see a bit, but it's so dark - " Kristine hesitated. "We need a light."

"Cade?" Sin called. The growlithe obediently trotted up and it the torch for him. Sin beamed and handed his friend a treat.

A small fire made a large difference, but Sin was regretting not bringing a second torch. Briefly, he wondered if any of the others brought one, but doubted it. They all looked at him as if he was mad for bringing a torch.

Jason recovered first. "Our Pokemon -"

"Right."

With that, the team made a break towards the back of the Pokemon center. Sin could distinctly here Chansey's cries as it battled, and he thought he heard Noah and the others' Pokemon making a scene as well.

"Stupid Pokemon -"

That was definitely the voice of the Rocket who'd come after them earlier. Sin ran faster, and on their way to the rockets he realized he'd have to fight alongside Jason and Kristine if he wanted to beat those Rockets away for good. Terrible thought, but he supposed Jason and Kristine weren't the villains in this life. Perhaps they were the sidekicks to Sin and Hayden's heroes, but in any case, they were on his side.

Most of the time, Sin liked things neat and cut and perfect. Life just didn't work that way, he supposed. It made sense Team Rocket would want Noah. Noah was amazing. Too bad Sin wasn't going to let them have him.

Art
Pewter City Pokécenter

“I still find this highly suspicious,” Art muttered, eyeing the school voucher. “What are the odds that someone would just hand us a free pass to a school, which we just so happened to need for Nick?”
“Lighten up,” Eve smirked, nudging him gently. “Arceus must be looking out for us, is all.”
Art rolled his eyes. “Tell me you’re not one of those nuts that believes Arceus has nothing better to do than worry itself with human affairs?”
Eve’s response was interrupted by a snuffling from Nick’s direction.
It looked like Nick was coming round. He sat up and immediately regretted it. His jaw felt like one big ache and his eyes refused to focus. Last time I pull that trick, he thought. Those berries have an awful aftertaste.
“Wakey wakey, sleepyhead,” David cooed at Nick. Fortunately he seemed amused.
“Whu--?” Nick murmured fell back onto the bed. The pillow was just so comfy. Even the cheap Pokécenter mattress felt like heaven beneath him as his eyes slowly slid--
“Oh no you don’t.” It was David again.
“We’re just going to go for a nice walk, Nick,” Art said insistently, helping Nick to sit up again. “Over to the Pokémon Academy. It’ll be good for you to stretch your legs.”
“I ‘unno,” Nick replied, but David was busy lacing his shoes for him. “Wha’s th’ rush?”
“The Police are on a lunchbreak.”
Oh, thought Nick. I’d forgotten about them.
All of a sudden the double doors burst open to reveal Nurse Joy and Eve hurrying down the corridor. They were being pursued by two Chansey that couldn’t quite keep up with the pace Eve was setting.
“So, as you can see,” Eve gestured towards the bleary Nick, “he’s fit to leave.”
Nick stood, supported by David and Art on either side, and they helped him take two shaky steps from the bed. There they loosened their grip on his shoulders and held their breath as he swayed slightly on his feet.
“Are you sure about that, dear?” the nurse asked Nick, tilting his head and producing a torch to shine in his eyes. “You look as if you could do with another nap.”
But Nick pushed the torch away. He shook his head vigorously for a moment and then grinned lopsidedly.
“Thanks, Nurse Joy,” he said, words now back under his control, “but no thanks. Apparently I’m late for school.”


Pewter City Pokemon Academy

“Goodness,” the receptionist exclaimed upon seeing the ticket presented by Nick. “A pink D9-EZ2? You must have some friends in high places, or else gained the lucky blessings of a Togepi, to have something like this.”
Art glanced over at Eve and David with suspicion, but they were paying attention to Nick as he filled out a two-sided entrance form, stifling a yawn as best he could.
“It’s a high priority pass too,” she continued, clearly a woman who enjoyed the sound of her own voice. “In all my time working here I’ve only met two -- oh, maybe more than that -- say two or three trainers with tickets like that. They’re ever so valuable, but I guess you know that don’t you: what with you having one and all!” She laughed unreservedly at her own joke. Art could only raise an eyebrow and wish that Nick would write a bit faster.
“So does that mean we can go straight through?” Art asked, hoping that a simple “yes/no” answer would be forthcoming.
“Oh of course,” she said, clapping her hands together and tittering again. “Yes, ‘go straight through’, what a succinct way of putting it. You need to follow the pink ‘Fast Lane’ arrows to get there. It’s very simple, but I can explain it anyway if you’d like?”
“Thank you,” said David as he handed her Nick’s form, “but I think we’ll manage.”
The receptionist glanced briefly at the untidy scribbles on the form and nodded to herself as she checked it over. It didn’t take long before she was satisfied.
“Excellent, excellent,” she said beaming. “Nick, dear, you’ll be tested by Dr. Bernstein today. Best of luck, my dear.”
The group set off down the corridor, David leading, following the pink arrows, but the receptionist just had to have a few more last words.
“And do be careful, dear. He’s in a frightful mood today.”

“Sounds like a fun time,” David muttered, before glancing at Art. “Hey - what’s with you?”
“She called me succinct,” Art beamed.

Rocket Mandy

“Sweet Mother Mary, Andrew, get this thing off me!” Mandy, as she bellowed, was being bounced upon vigorously by an ambitious--and meaty--Chansey. The pink mass of love and milk hollered out as it continued bouncing. Elsewhere, Andy was preoccupied as well.

“Hurrying!” He had a tennis racket in his hands, swatting back Egg Bombs as they flew his way out of a Chansey’s pouch.

“Enough!” Mandy reached for her belt, whipping out a Pokeball and releasing a blue, fanged bat into the air. “Screech!”

Just as the bat Pokemon opened its mouth, that pesky gang of kids burst threw the door to the ward, torch-lit and angry-faced. They began advancing, but then the bat Pokemon wailed.

“Skereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-yeeeeeeeeeeeee-yeeeeeeeee!”

The boy in the lead--the one wearing that dumb hat crumpled to his knees, covering his ears. The Chansey went wide-eyed and idle, halting their attacks.

Both Rockets began yelling at the kids, but they couldn’t hear beneath the screech of the bat’s cry.

The girl in the group, cringing, pulled out her Pokedex, reading the text scrolling on the screen.

Zubat
Species: Bat Pokemon
Type: Poison and Flying
Zubat avoids sunlight because exposure causes it to become unhealthy. During the daytime, it stays in caves or under the eaves of old houses, sleeping while hanging upside down.

Sunlight hurts it!

Kristine closed her eyes, cringing beneath the ohgodsoawful sound, and pulled out Berry’s Pokeball. With a flash of white light, a green Bulbasaur appeared. “BERRY!” Kristine yelled over the screech, “SUNLIGHT PLEASE.” The Bulbasaur crouched low to the floor, the large bulb on its back glowing a bright green. Zubat began screeching louder and turned to Bulbasaur, aiming for a tackle attack. Berry braced herself, the bulb on her back blooming as a flash of white light burst from the bud, consuming Zubat. With a final screech, it fell to the floor, smoking.

The walls and ceiling were glowing eerily with leftover light from the Flash attack. It was like the glow of clouds right after a crash of lightning in the night sky, bright green like poplar leaves in the spring time.

“It’s so beautiful...” Andy was standing back in awe at the glow, arms full of Pokeballs.

“Andrew! A Bulbasaur just vomited that beauty! Let’s go!”

__ __ __ __

David

“Spirit, Knowledge, Compassion.”

“Spirit, Knowledge, Compassion.”

“One more time.”

“Spirit, Knowledge, Compassion.”

“Good, good.”

“Do you really think this professor will be quizzing me on what to call the three quizzes, David?”

“...yes.” David was quite sheepish when defeated, but was genuinely worried about his little pal. He didn’t know how these crash courses worked. It could be anything from a written test to Pokemon Aerobics.

David hated Pokemon Aerobics.

“What were the three again?”

“Spirit, Knowledge, Camaraderie.”

“Close enough,” Eve interjected. “We’ve been waiting for an hour, David. Do you really think this guy’s going to take Nick seriously?”

“What if the professor’s glossy pink voucher was a setup?” Art was kicked back on one of the hospital-style couches, fiddling with his Pokedex again. Only this time, he had Magnemite out, zapping the circuits together to help.

“I really doubt someone in a lab coat would betray us,” David said.

Nick was preoccupied with Rose, tickling her on the cheeks and making her dance around in his lap happily. “I really do hope he’ll give me my Trainer Card.” He seemed almost dejected. “What if they take Daisy and Rose and Eve from me?”

No one answered.

A door opened down the hall, and voices clamored out.

“It doesn’t matter how hard the police are working, Jenny! My meteorite has been stolen, and only Arceus knows where it is!” The voice was dark, scruffy. It reminded David of an old villain from a cartoon. Undoubtedly, it was the Doctor.

“Sir, we’re doing all we can for the retrieval process.”

“Do more. That meteorite is invaluable to me. If you only knew what mysteries it contained...!”

“We will continue our search, then.”

Footsteps echoed closer, and soon both Sheriff Jenny and The Doctor were visible in the waiting room. Jenny nodded to the trainers and left, David watching her hips as she swayed away. Eve elbowed him in the ribs.

“Which one of you is the failure in need of my services?”

“I am that failure, sir!” Nick stood up, hugging Rose in his arms. She squeaked happily and clapped for Nick.

“Well, then. Come with me. Let’s get this testing underway.”

The Doctor led Nick away, not offering to let the others follow. David looked at Eve, and then at Art. “I wonder if the meteorite he was talking about is the ‘big theft’ the police were going on about at the Pokemon center.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it. Someone with a doctorate in Pokemon Studies in Pewter has to have a lot of influence...and if a personal treasure is missing...then the entire city should be on alert.”

“But what would someone want with a meteorite?”

A volley of tapping footsteps rang down the hall, and suddenly Rose the Jigglypuff appeared in the waiting room, glaring angrily at the three remaining. She ran over to David, pulling on his pants leg until he got up.

“I guess we follow the Jigglypuff.”

“Jiggly!”

Nick | Pokémon Academy

The aural exam was over quicker than Nick’s last meeting with Professor Oak. No assessment that lasted less than two minutes could have ended well, could it?

Nick hated the place. Even the air tasted like it had been handled with surgical gloves. Where were the flowers? Where were the trees, and shrubs, and leaves? But, worst of all for the young trainer was his next thought: Where are all the Pokémon?

He was about to ask that very question when Dr Bernstein finally appeared to do something. He sat at his immaculately kept desk and shuffled his notes into a mysterious and fastidious order. As he did so he whistled tunelessly and with a weird sort of efficiency -- Nick was certain that this so-called doctor was only whistling as part of his strange routine rather than for any pleasure or enjoyment.

Daisy, sitting in Nick’s lap, giggled and tried to imitate him. She made a couple of cute puffing noises before managing a high-pitched squeal that she seemed pretty proud with. The doctor raised an eyebrow.

“I’m on a bit of a tight schedule,” Dr Bernstein said with the careless tone of an academic that isn’t talking about his own research. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Did I pass?” asked Nick hopefully. Daisy tried to jump in excitement but hurt herself in her confusion.

“Not a chance.”

“Oh no,” said Nick, crestfallen. “Was it really that bad?”

“You recommended a ‘Lum Berry’ for every status ailiment.”

“So?” said Nick. A petulant air crept into his voice. “Lum berries are the most wholesome cures you can find for the things you described: they haven’t got any preservatives that Pokémon hate.”

“I understand your frustration,” said Dr Bernstein, clearly not understanding Nick’s frustration, “but those berries have no curative properties. Their apparent ‘benefits’ are due, and only due, to the placebo effect and sheer good luck.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Clearly the doctor was having a stressful day. “Besides,” he continued, “it’s not as if there is any documented evidence to corroborate any of your claims.”

The doctor almost jumped out of his skin when Nick slammed a notebook down on his desk.

“No documented evidence, huh?” Nick asked, an unusual strength seemed to fill him and he stood at the doctor’s desk with two other notebooks in his hand and passion burning in his eyes. “You’d be surprised at what us kids can find when you adults are busy looking in the wrong places!”

Dr Bernstein looked startled, and almost refused to open the notebooks. But the temptation of knowledge got the better of him, and, after a moment, he gingerly flicked through the first of the pads. The pages inside took his breath away.

Diagrams, specimens, annotations, corrections; all strewn across three notebooks. Nick had catalogued effects and results, and information from repeated tests were written up together in his untidy scrawl. Where Nick saw his handy guide, Dr Bernstein saw a goldmine.

“Fetch your friends,” he said after flipping the first notepad shut. “I have an errand for you to run. If you should manage it, then...” he paused, mechanically, for effect. “Then I might be able to scale up your mark to a pass.”

“Like extra credit?” asked Nick brightly, their confrontation fading fast into the past.

“Just like extra credit,” said Dr Bernstein. “Send your Jigglypuff. I want to talk to you about the properties of Oran leaves.”

Nick released the haughty Rose from her Pokéball and, after a quick cuddle, sent her on her way. He turned back to the doctor to continue their conversation, but he couldn’t shake a faint suspicion from his mind. Sure Nick had proved his point, but at what cost? The doctor held the notebooks in a vice-like grip, and it didn’t look as though he wanted to let them go.

Name: Katya Faelane

Age: 10

Gender: Female

Appearance (pic or description): Most people on looking at Katya for the first time notice her pale skin and her short but slim figure, and immediately classify her as a kid who doesn’t like to eat much. This is quite untrue, because if you look a little closer; her sleeves are usually marked with crumbs and the like.

Her mess of a brown hair is usually hidden underneath an ‘ushanka’, the traditional Russian fur cap, and she rarely, if ever takes it off, because she feels a little ‘bare’ without it. She seems to have several sets of the same clothes in her backpack, and doesn’t like to be questioned about this. Hidden away on a silver chain underneath her clothes is a key, and Katya is extremely possessive of it; if you touch it, be prepared to get a black eye for the trouble.

The most notable of her facial features probably has to be her innocent-looking yet sharp and inquiring green eyes. Most of the time, whenever she’s thinking about anything important, they’re narrowed and focused on something distant, and people who come across her in that state tend to be unnerved because she looks like a ‘hawk searching for prey’.



Personality: Katya can be likened to a whip in many ways; when she is normal, she can seem meek and uncurious, preferring to think to herself rather than incite any notice. However, when provoked, she lashes out snappily, capable of leaving a few burns on most egos. She likes to think only about herself most of the time, only breaking this trend when someone ‘interests’ her.

Yes, she’s selfish, and when accused of this, she simply tells the accuser that she simply doesn’t care what other people think of her; and honestly, she doesn’t. That’s not to say that she doesn’t feel emotions such as embarrassment or fear. She simply decides everything by her own system of philosophy and tells others to bugger off when they probe too much.

She used to be a thief, and she’s not ashamed of having been one. As said before, she decides her own morals by herself, and being a thief was ‘a necessity in order to survive’. That being said, her job has developed into a bad habit, and she often backs down when others complain about her stealing unnecessarily from them.

She suffers from a slight lack of humor when jokes are directed towards her; she can’t stand being put down or being made fun of, and will often take revenge in her own way (i.e., stealing) to teach said person a lesson. If she is friends with the person, however, she doesn’t really attempt to hide the theft from them, and will often return the object after they panic.

She cares about her Pokemon more than she does most people, this being that ‘they’ve always stuck by me’. While some of them tend to exhibit rebellious tendencies due to lack of respect towards her, they usually warm up to her sooner or later. Well, better late than never! As far as she remembers, however, nobody has stayed with her all the way, and she believes that people deserve what they get. It’s a very, very tough job to really get her to warm up to you.

Something to note: whenever she's out-of-sorts, she tends to slip into her Russian accent.

History:

Born in the fairly rich Faelane clan, Katya was the only daughter of Ivan and Marya Faelane. Ivan was a businessman by profession, while Marya had worked as a florist in Celadon before she met her husband. They were a well known family in their social circles, and Katya remembers how fancy some of their outings used to be.

As a child, Katya had known no friends because of her family’s wealth; kids wanted her toys more than they wanted her, and eventually she gave up on the prospect on anyone ever really liking her for who she was; her father wasn’t home most days, and her mother was more busy gossiping with her friends than paying any attention to her little girl. However, they used to have a small Growlithe as the house pet, and most days Katya spent reading out stories to the puppy-sized Pokemon. It wasn’t the best way a seven-year-old could spend her time, but it wasn’t so bad, either.

That was, until her father got caught in illegal dealings. The details were left largely unclear to both his wife and child, but whatever he had done landed him in prison for at least several years, and the money the family enjoyed had been taken away from them. Katya’s mother didn’t panic, however; she knew she was innocent, and so was the child obviously, so the authorities left them alone. Marya found a job as a florist in the town, and Katya found herself reading stories to herself rather than their Growlithe, as he had been taken away as well.

Sooner or later, as such things happen, her mind began to wander towards the outside world, as well as the lack of freedom she had in their small apartment. Her mother had taught her how to cook, clean and generally fend for herself, but left her locked in most days, not allowing her to go outside to play with other kids; apparently, she was worried that something might happen to Katya.

But her mother was famous for not thinking out her plans properly, and one day, Katya found a spare key hidden away in a drawer amidst her mother’s cosmetics. Holding it like a grown-up would, level to the keyhole in the door, the then almost-eight-year-old Katya used the spare key and opened it, to a future without her mother.

However, she couldn’t find herself able to throw away the key itself, and thus her stealing spree started; her first theft had been to steal a silver chain from a boy sleeping in an alleyway, and she hung it around her neck and beneath her clothes. After this was a watch, then a backpack filled with the clothes she currently wears. She started stealing so much that the town started calling her the Green Spearow, referring to her clothing and her thievery. (They had an outbreak of thieving Spearows outside the town at that time.)

However, even as she became famous enough to lead her own band of pre-adolescent children with grabby hands, it did nothing to assuage her loneliness. Those children only lived off her and each other, but they never cared for anyone else but themselves. Thus, in an effort to forget her absolute loneliness, she began staging ‘missions’ for them to do.

One of these was the reason why she finally decided to become a Pokemon Trainer; albeit, an illegal one. The job was simple--break into the lab and come away with as many Pokemon as you could before you were detected. In fact, they’d disarmed most of the alarms and made their way right where they kept the Pokemon, which was made easier by the fact that it was a holiday, and all of the scientists (and most of the police officers as well) were off duty.

But Katya hadn’t foreseen that her little gang would betray her the way they did when the alarms started buzzing; they bound her up and took the Pokemon she’d found before running off. Then and there she would’ve been discovered and taken to the juvenile detention centre, had not the others left a single Pokeball behind. It wasn’t very far from where they’d left Katya, and she squirmed towards it as fast as she could, opening it and releasing the Eevee that was to become her first Pokemon. However, even as Katya begged it to cut through her ropes, it did nothing but sit and stare at her; but then, she started crying. She didn’t want to go to the centre, get stuck in there for who knows how many years.

The Eevee stood up on all four paws and complied, biting through the ropes. Katya didn’t wait for the police to come; she scooped up the Eevee in both arms and ran out as fast as she could, making sure to not catch anyone’s eyes.

It was in the evening that Katya made a pact with the Eevee; it wanted to see the world outside, and Katya wanted to come free of her current existence. They shook hands and paws on it, and a few days later, after preparing her backpack and stealing some money, Katya left for the world beyond the town.

Pokemon Team:

Glaceon | Alva
-Tackle, Quick Attack, Bite, Double Team

Kadabra | Koral
- Teleport, Disable, Confusion, Psybeam

Clefairy | Lelya
-Pound, Doubleslap, Sing, Metronome, Light Screen

Kristine | Vermillion Pokemon Center | Day 1

“It’s so beautiful...” Andy was standing back in awe at the glow, arms full of Pokeballs.

“Andrew! A Bulbasaur just vomited that beauty! Let’s go!”

The group recovered themselves from the painful screeching. Jason was the first back on his feet, though Sin was already on the move. Crazy boys are crazy! Kristine gave Berry some encouraging words for the excellent work before following them toward where the rest of their Pokemon rested.

"Andrew, move now!" Many said, watching Andy struggle to handle all the pokeballs. She was halfway out the backdoor already.

"Berry, use Vine Whip! Free those Pokemon while the Zubat's down!" The Bulbasaur was already on it, though it didn't go as Kristine had imagined. Instead of just grabbing Andy's arm or pushing him aside, Berry had wrapped its vines around his feet, causing him to trip and fall face first into a pile of Pokeballs. Sin was quick in finding one of his Pokemon with the use of his torch, scooping up the Pokeball and sending out Noah.

"Andrew, send out your Gastly!" Mandy said, taking back her Zubat. "Pocket some Pokeballs and let's get--"

The Squirtle's Water Gun didn't let her finish her sentence, sending them flying back into the wall. Kristine heard Mandy grunt something about a "pretty good Squirtle." She ran up next to Sin, and together, the two of them attacked.

"Water Gun!"

"Razor Leaf!"

"Thundershock!"

Jason didn't let them have all the fun. He had thrown out his Elekid just in time to send Team Rocket blasting off again -- empty-handed. Like, uh... last time.

"There must be a generator coming up at some point," Sin said, looking around the room. Nurse Joy had come in, and Chansey was struggling back onto its feet when she arrived. "A Pokemon Center should always have a back-up. It's never dependable, but it lasts long enough."

"Actually, Sarah Surge said she would take care of it," Nurse Joy said, standing up and facing them. "She had found where they drained the power from the city, but with the help of her Pokemon, the electricians were able to jumpstart it back. Tha--"

The lights suddenly flickered on, machinery started up again, and cheering erupted from the Center's lounge. Kristine squealed and applauded. Jason and Sin were both smug in their own way, and Hayden was just pleased to have located his two Pokemon.

"Thanks very much for all you did," Nurse Joy beamed. Chansey also perked up a bit in gratitude. "Who knows what could've happened if you kids didn't spot Team Rocket in time!"

"Sarah Surge is the gym leader, isn't she?" Jason said, stepping up by Sin and Kristine. Hayden meandered up by them as well. "Where can we find her?"

"The gym, I presume," Sin said bluntly.

"He's right!" Nurse Joy said. "She's much like her father -- does what she has to do then continues with her own plans. Why don't I quick heal your Pokemon up again before you head to the gym? Just in case."

"That would be very appreciated," Kristine put in, and everyone gathered their Pokemon (from either their hands or the floor) and turned them in again.

----

Kristine | Vermillion City | Day 1

It was late afternoon to early evening when they finally left the Pokemon Center. The warm air was a little more brisk now -- very beautiful evening. Peach came out as soon as they came outside, and he spread his wings for a brief bit of flying. The boys started their usual competitive discussion.

"Fortunately for you, I'm feeling a bit forgiving today," Sin said. "I'll do the honors and go first, so you can learn how it’s done. Using your Elekid will be a better decision in this sort of gym as your Krabby will suffer quite a bit of damage in just the first few seconds. Seeing as I know how to respect Pokemon, I figure I should pass on such knowledge to those more inferior to protect such Pokemon as yours."

Jason ground his teeth, and their discussion went on as such until Hayden finally piped in. "Will you be battling together?"

Jason and Sin stopped bickering and stared at Hayden as if this idea was completely senile. Kristine perked up, grinning widely. "That's a brilliant idea! You two are strong trainers. I'm sure you'd beat the gym in no time!"

"That's not the point of a gym battle," Sin said.

"That's exactly the point of a gym battle," Jason retorted.

Kristine thought a minute, but Hayden's whisper voiced her new-found opinions. "I don't think they'll ever work together."

"Why don't you?" she suddenly asked, turning to Hayden. "Join the Tournament! You can battle alongside Sin or Jason and get your badges that way."

"I battle alone," Jason said and entered the gym doors.

"What do you say, Sin?" Kristine asked, clearing excited by the idea. Even Hayden seemed partial to it.

Sin seemed to have found no harm in the idea and shrugged. "So be it."

----

Kristine | Vermillion Gym | Day 1

"Sorry, kid. She's not back yet."

Kristine, Sin, and Hayden found Jason and the judge discussing the possibility of a match. While Kristine and Hayden were unsure as to what to do, Sin stepped up next to Jason and intervened. "She'll be on her way, I'm sure. In the meantime, could we schedule our matches immediately? It's been quite a long day, and we'd like to keep moving. We're on a tight schedule."

The man held firm in his decision that nothing can happen until the gym leader returned. They were hanging around there for a while before the doors opened and a very excitingly-dressed woman entered the gym. She was decked in lots of black and metal jewelry, makeup was painted in a thick layer upon her face, and she didn't seem to care about anything happening. She had more than just two pokeballs sitting on her waist. Must've been good...

"Miss Surge!" the judge said, straightening. "These kids were asking for gym battles, but I assumed your Pokemon--"

"Are healed up and doing fine, thank you," she said, chewing a piece of gym. Her eyes studied all four of them, her lip curling at the spunky redhead Kristine. "You all are battling?"

"Not me!" Kristine said, smiling. "Just the three of them."

“Naturally.” Kristine wasn’t sure how to take that, and thankfully, she didn’t have to worry about it.

"Hayden and I are willing to team up as it'll make things go faster," Sin said. "As I said, we have a schedule just like you."

"Fine. You're battling on your own then?" she asked Jason as she walked through their group and led the way into the gym. Jason sent out an affirmative.

The gym was... electrifying, to say the least. While the color schemed included yellow and black shades, the gym felt like a concert hall. There were stadium seats surrounding a stage-type field raised only a couple feet in the center. There were amps and rock music playing in the background. Fortunately, it wasn't as loud as a rocker would usually play it.

Did she jinx it? The music just got ten times louder. Jason was the only person who didn't seem to mind.

"Alright, let's get this over wish," she said, stepping up onto the field. "Whoever's first, come on up. Let's pretend we went through the whole introduction speech, 'kay?"

Sin and Hayden both stepped up onto the field while Kristine and Jason went to sit down. Peach rested himself on her lap as if in defense from the electric Pokemon soon to come out.

"Why do you think the music's up so loud?" Kristine asked. "Won't she have a hard time hearing the other players' moves?"

"Maybe that's the point," Jason said. He scooched to the edge of his seat and leaned against the railing in front of them to watch. He didn't say a word the entire battle.

The judge had a mic attached to his shirt, so when he spoke, his voice was amplified over the music. Kristine was convinced the gym would collapse from all the noise. She ended up having to cover her ears for the whole thing. Peach ended up inside his Pokeball after much nudging, voicing, and nipping.

Though Kristine couldn't hear much, she could certainly watch. Sin had brought out, not his Squirtle, but his Growlithe. Hayden sent out Cubone as they had discussed before in the Center. They were in for a good battle, Kristine thought. The judge said something about a two-on-two battle, so Sarah Surge sent out two electric-types: Voltorb and Magnemite.

The judge said something along the lines of, "Battle!" That was the last word she heard for the match. Growlithe was the first to run forth and tackle the Voltorb, but the Magnemite came to his rescue and Thundershock'd Cade. With the Growlithe off his guard, the Voltorb approached it and some sort of spark erupted form it, flying toward the injured Growlithe.

Hayden finally made his move though. The Cubone jumped out and, literally, hit the Voltorb out of the ballpark with his mighty bone. The Voltorb went flying back, but the Cubone was unscathed.

The battle went on like this for a while. Kristine enjoyed watching the two of them work together, especially Hayden who was opening up to such a battle. The two of them worked very well together, and they both shared similar opinions in how to battle. It all just fell into place, it seemed.

They were victorious. Though Cade was still injured, and even Ophelia was worn down a bit, the battle was a unanimous victory in the favor of her friends. Kristine stood up and cheered. Even Jason seemed impressed, though he'd never show it. In fact, he was more preparing himself, already on his way to the battlefield. The music was still beating in her eardrums, but she watched Sarah Surge shake hands with Sin and Hayden respectfully after the Pokemon were all returned. She handed them each what looked like the gym badge for Vermillion gym, and the boys took their seats next to Kristine and her encouraging compliments and excitement.

"Oh, that's so cool!" Kristine admired Hayden's badge. It was so clean and shiny. She kinda wanted one! But she'd never be able to win this gym, let alone a battle. Though her Pokemon performed much better than she had anticipated, she had zero confidence in herself. "You guys were really good out there! Worked as the team you were meant to be."

"Hayden was very good," Sin supported, and Hayden beamed. Kristine could tell Sin was trying to keep his confidence in check. She was rather proud of him for that.

The discussion didn't last long, though they were all a little more talkative than Jason was. This battle seemed more intense, though any battle Jason was in seemed that way.

While Sarah seemed on her toes last battle, she was sorely unimpressed when Jason sent out his Krabby. Sin laughed at the fact that he was really using a Krabby, and Hayden smiled weakly. Kristine was secretly hoping Jason would reign victorious, but judging from Sarah's electric Pokemon last battle, her hopes weren't very high.

And she was right. Sin was right.

Gumbo, though he put up quite a fight for a water Pokemon, was demolished by Sarah's Pikachu. The mouse Pokemon just had too much energy, let alone a type advantage, to allow his Krabby to win. Kristine found herself on the edge of her seat now, hoping Jason could still win this battle with only one more Pokemon. Sarah found herself laughing and shouted some playful words his way (or what Kristine assumed to be playful).

Watt was now out on the field. Electric versus electric. The Pikachu and Elekid were both neck and neck for the longest time. The battle didn't seem to end. With the Pikachu's agility, Elekid's brute strength was nearly useless, yet both were equal in power. Pikachu, in the end, couldn't get up. Jason had made a comeback.

The strangest Pokemon Kristine had yet to see was sent to the field. It was some sort of bird etched out of a piece of stone, it seemed. Sin did the favor of explaining just what it was: A Porygon.

Porygon
Species: Virtual
Type: Normal
A man-made Pokémon created using advanced scientific means. It can move freely in cyberspace. It is programmed with only basic motions.

The Porygon wasn't as impressive offensively as it was defensively. Though it was only a normal type Pokemon, it seemed to hold its ground like the Pikachu as if it were another electric-type Pokemon. Sin explained it was a move called Conversion special to Porygon. Besides that, it seemed to keep beefing itself up with the occasional Tackle. Unfortunately for Sarah and the Porygon, the Elekid held its ground.

Jason had won the battle.

All three boys were victorious.

And the volume was finally lowered significantly.

Katya | A ledge on Mt. Moon.

Little Miss Katya they used to call her; and indeed, the description fit her to a tee. Her small stature was of a sore point with her; even a Pidgeot could dwarf her well when it came to height. Well, at least it had its advantages. Like sitting up here and having it so no one could see her.

She rubbed her nose almost officiously just as a large, furry tail sweeped her vision, obscuring her sight for the moment. "Alva! I'm trying to think here." She grinned up at the Eevee on her head. The Pokemon in question simply made a turn on top of her hair, yawned suddenly, and curled up as if going to sleep. She petted its tail carelessly. "If you're tired then just say so, silly."

It was then that something caught the corner of her eye; an entire army of people (who rather looked like goons; she half-pitied how they simply even LOOKED like that) filtered out into the Clefairy Plaza, entirely dressed in black. It would've looked impressive, if they weren't all looking as if they were up to no good at all whatsoever. She gritted her teeth together. So much for trying to catch a Clefairy. With these morons around, she'd be lucky if she even caught a glimpse of them.

She wondered if maybe she could send these half-wits scurrying.

She noticed two of the coal-heads at the back that seemed to be bawling out orders. Except these weren't dressed in black. She immediately dubbed them Ghost Girl and Ghost Boy, since they were all dressed in white. And they looked weirdly like ghosts from up here. (If she didn't look closely, that was.) She wondered what sort of Pokemon they had. Maybe she could take them for her own....

"Prepare for trouble, Team Rocket!" Ghost Girl sang out merrily; she sure looked happy, night-time as it was. Katya herself wasn't all that happy, and she was hop - wha, Team Rocket? She took a closer look. Of course. In the dimness she hadn't noticed the big red R embroidered on all of their shirts.

The goons took to dusting and re-arranging the rocks around them; revealing all sorts of machinery and levers and buttons that clearly didn't belong there. Katya gritted her teeth together. Greedy little cheaters! I may be a thief, but at least I'm fair about it! I think.

Katya edged around the ledge to get closer to them. No wonder the Clefairy were all hiding. She half-wondered what had happened to the poor little buggers. She tapped her Eevee. It was time to create some mischief.

She just hoped she would be able to pull it off and not get caught.

Eve followed after Nick, David and Art, absently stroking Tina as they walked. They were hurrying after a jigglypuff, who would stop if they started falling behind and blow herself up in annoyance.
After the fifth time this happened Eve frowned, and cleared her throat. “Why are we following the puffball again? And why isn’t Nick in his test?”

“Because we’re going to find this meteorite for the doctor.” David answered both questions at once over his shoulder, turning the corner to follow the jigglypuff down yet another backstreet.
“And...how do we know this ball of fluff is taking us there?”
“Puff!” The jigglypuff stopped dead in her tracks, inflating to about three times her normal size and glaring at Eve. Tina cried out, glaring back from the relative safety of Eve’s shoulders.
Art chuckled. “I think it’s safe to say we’re going to have to take jigglypuff’s word for it.”
Jigglypuff stared Eve down for a moment or two more, then deflated slightly and turned to continue storming on. Eve’s hand came up to pet Tina’s head affectionately, whispering to her under her breath.

“It’s okay, Tina. I wouldn’t let her hurt you.”
Eventually the dratini settled back down, tucking her head against Eve’s neck and dozing off. Eve couldn’t help but feel a bit better, listening to the pokemon sleep, and relaxed a little herself. Nick shrugged and smiled apologetically.

“She can be bit of a Diva, at times. She seems convinced she knows where she is going, though.”
As much as she couldn’t justify trusting a jigglypuff with navigation, it wasn’t like they were going to end up halfway up a mountain or something.

Art looked up from one of his many devices, squinting around him. They had left the township, and were following jigglypuff down a dirt track. Eve didn’t know which one it was- she had always stuck to the cities, until now.
“Hrm.” Art started, and peered back amongst his gadgets before continuing. “I think if we continue this way... we might end up at Mount Moon.”
Oh...great. “You mean to tell me we’ll be half way up some mountain or something?”
“The chances are quite likely, yes. If the jigglypuff doesn’t decide to take a random detour, at least.”
“I thought too soon, then.” Eve sighed.
“What?”
“Nothing.”

Nick | Halfway up a mountain (or something)

It was a tough climb.

The dirt track had given way to stone steps cut precariously into the side of the mountain. The gradient had increased dramatically, a fact that everyone in the group was quite aware of thanks to Art’s constant exclamations. One moment he would be checking his Pokégear’s map card, and the next he would consider yet another display on yet another gadget to inform his friends exactly how close to the top they were. Nick was astonished he didn’t fall over.

David, as always, walked at the front of the group, though even he was some distance behind Rose. Eve was next, looking strangely bare without a Dratini around her neck -- the climb was hot, even in the coolness of the evening, and she had reluctantly returned her prized Pokémon to its ball a while back. Nick, as always, struggled along in third place.

David paused to let the others catch up. “Almost there, guys,” he said, but the encouragement fell on deaf ears. It was obvious by the continuing stretch of slope that they were, of course, nowhere near the top. “Wherever ‘there’ is, anyway.”

Eve muttered something about water -- probably the distinct lack of it -- but they were all too out of breath to have a real conversation. Or so Nick thought.

“Oh sweet Magikarp!” Art called at the top of his voice. The others turned towards him. “Looks like we’ve found our tidal wave!”

“I don’t remember there being many Magikarp on Mt. Moon,” said Nick before he realised it was just a figure of speech.

“What’s he found now?”

“I dunno, but that Jigglypuff isn’t happy about the delay.”

She really wasn’t. Although the small pink ball of fluff was a lot further up the trail, they could still hear her shouts as if she was right beside them. Nick wondered how such a small creature could make so much noise. It was very impressive all the same, he thought.

“Look at this!” Art’s voice flipped up an octave. It looked like Christmas had arrived four months early for him. “Isn’t this just so cool!”

Art held the Pokéball up for all to see.

“That’s... nice?”

“Well, it’s a lovely shade of purple...”

“Just like a Payapa Berry!”

Art rolled his eyes. “But can’t you see? The mechanism is completely different to the standard Pokéball!” He shook the ball by its lid, wincing as a significant amount of circuitry fell out. “And I would know! I’ve been experimenting with balls like this all my life--”

“Art,” Eve said, mercifully interrupting Art’s monologue, “I think you were right about that tidal wave. Have a look over there.”

There, at the top of the hill, right in the middle of the path, was the shiny Venonat. They looked at each other. David grinned.

“How about we catch it first and then argue over who keeps it later?” he asked, though it hardly counted as a question, really -- he already had an empty Pokéball in his hand.

Art simply released his Magnemite and grinned. “Challenge accepted.”

“We’re not going to run all the way up there, are we?” Nick asked with the tiniest sliver of hope in his voice.

“Well you can’t just walk into a battle,” said Eve as she ran after Art and David. “That wouldn’t look right at all.”

Katya | Behind a huge boulder

Team Rocket was busy being up to no good.

Katya pulled on her glove, peering cautiously around the rock between her and the black-suited goons. She wondered why they all happened to be wearing sunglasses. It was all she could do to be able to see them. She almost felt like a Zubat.

Speaking of Zubats...she looked at her knapsack. It wriggled with annoyance. Katya only wished she had a few more Pokeballs with her - she didn’t particularly like the idea of trapping little sprites like these poor Zubats. She petted the squirming knapsack comfortingly.

“Stop squirming, you’ll get out soon. I just need you to do a little job for me...”

It thrashed against her in response.

“Did you hear that?” A goon said to one of his buddies. The other thumped him on the head.

“You’re imagining things, you buffoon! Get back to work!”

Katya let out a sigh of relief. Thank heavens most of these Rockets were morons - she’d run into a couple of them before and always won out. And she knew that her absolutely brilliant plan was going to work this time, too. (For some reason, Rockets couldn’t stand Zubat screeching. Although they sometimes owned said Pokemon...)

She peered around the boulder. The two officer goons had put down a rock of some sort - a meteorite, Katya realized. They were staring greedily at something - Katya edged around the boulder a little more, trying to glimpse exactly what it was. Then she saw it - a puffy, teary-eyed Clefairy warbling at them and shaking its head again and again. What the heck were they doing to the poor Pokemon?!

The knapsack kicked her.

“OW! Cut it out, will ya!” Katya only realized a split-second later that she’d shouted out loud. She sighed at the knapsack. Looks like I’ll have to put my plan into action sooner than I wanted to...

“Someone’s there!”

“You’re right, I heard it too!” Then Katya loosened the rope.

A colony of Zubats emerged from the knapsack, screeching like there was no tomorrow. Katya adjusted the mufflers around her ears for comfort - she didn’t need to be deafened, after all. However, the poor Rockets didn’t quite have the same luxury.

“AIEEE! Someone stop that screeching!” One of them screamed just as loudly - if not more - as the Zubats. One of the Zubats came back to Katya tried to peck at her face, only to retreat from Eevee’s threatening growl.

A few Rockets sped by Katya’s boulder, not even noticing her lurking in the shadows. She sidled into the middle of the confusion just as the two head goons brought out their Pokeballs.

“I say it’s time to clear this, Andy! Go Zubat!”

“Ghastly!”

Somehow Katya had managed to “knapsack” the meteorite and put a good distance between herself and the two goons before the Zubat invasion cleared up, leaving them out of breath. The female Rocket noticed Katya first.

“You! Who are you and what’s your business here?!”

“I should ask the same of you!” Katya shouted back. “You guys give thieves a bad name!”

“I said - ”

“Mandy - the meteorite!”

The one named Mandy looked at where it had been just a while ago - but of course, it wasn’t there. Katya petted her knapsack almost endearingly as Mandy turned towards her. “How dare you! Give that back!”

“Oh, so it is valuable then?” Katya grinned at the two with a trademark glint glimmering in her eye. “You better hand over the Clefairy if you want this!”

“Over our dead - I mean - ” Here Mandy took a look at her partner. “Over his dead body!”

“Don’t bring me into this!”

“Your loyalty inspires me to be a better person.” Katya wiped away a fake tear. “Now then, either you give me the Clefairy or you lose the meteorite. One or the other!” She called out in a sing-song manner - and noticed with a smirk that Mandy was about to pop a vein. “It’s your call!”

“Alright brat, you asked for it! Zubat! USE SUPERSONIC!”

Katya barely dodged it by an inch of her hat; she gritted her teeth and glared at Mandy and the other Rocket. “So that’s how you wanna play it? Alva, bite that Rocket and incapacitate her!”

“Oi! What’s going on up there?!” A boy’s voice called up from behind the two Rockets - even Alva paused in her bid for attack. Katya frowned. Who the heck was here to mess up her brilliant plan now?

David | Mt. Moon Cliffside

David had never seen a Venonat dance before. He didn’t really think of dancing when he thought of bugs, but this Venonat was already special--and soon, it would be special on his team. The boy nudged Art to the side as he dug the toe of his shoes into the cliffside, scurrying up to where Venonat was dancing in the grass. Dirt and loose rocks fell down and sprinkled into Art’s hair, and David pulled a ball from his belt.

“Poliwag!” His newest friend popped out into the grass in a flash of blue light. The tiny blue tadpole Pokemon hopped around, obviously feeling much better after its recovery. But when it he saw the look of determination on David’s face, it all changed.

Poliwag was born to battle, he assumed. The tadpole’s eyes narrowed as it hopped towards Venonat. “Water Gun!” David yelled, and Poliwag pursed his lips into a tiny circle, blasting out a gush of deep blue water.

The shiny Venonat hopped several times and grounded itself, creating a weird sphere of light around its body. The blast of water hit the sphere and bounced right off, spraying David in the face and knocking him on his tail in the dirt.

“Ha!” Art scrambled forward with Magnemite. “Venonat knows protect. And since it’s vulnerable now...” Magnemite zipped past David, leaving a mocking spark to his wet cheek. The metal Pokemon beeped and bopped before dropping a rain of sparks on Venonat below.

“Veno! Veno!” It danced around, kicking up a spore of blue powder from its fur into Magnemite’s eye. The sparks stopped, Magnemite dropped, and Venonat scurried away to the side of the cliff--where everyone gasped.

Venonat was going to fall.

“Veno!” The shiny blue fur-bug waved at the two boys before popping the sphere of light around itself again and dropping off the cliff...and into the forest below.

David and Art were silent. Poliwag hopped into his lap, brushing strands of wet hair from his face with its tail. “Poli?” David smiled and gave the tiny Pokemon a stroke on the back.

“That’s one heck of a water gun y’got there,” he said. Poliwag danced and cheered. That is, until Rose popped over the edge of the plateau and smacked David in the face.

He just stared at the Jigglypuff, blown up three times its normal size, and let the sting subside.

“I think,” said Nick, out of breath, “that Rose is not amused by your distractions.”

“Oh,” he said. “Okay.”

Art walked to the others, holding Magnemite in his hands by the blue polarities. “Sleep Powder,” he said. “Of all the dirty tricks.”

“At least,” Eve said, “when we finally catch that bugger, we know it’ll be clever in battle.”

“That’ll be a good day,” said Nick. He turned his head up towards the top of Mt. Moon--it couldn’t have been more than a football field away at that point--and squinted. “Do you guys see...bats?”

“Bats?”

“Bats.”

“You mean those dots flying up there?”

“I can hear them.”

“Toxicus Vampiricus,” Art’s Pokedex said. Everyone slowly turned to stare at him.

He stared at his Pokedex curiously. “I mayyyy have set the interface to scientific jargon.”

“Who would even put that as a setting?”

“Guys--” David stammered, eyes wide and lip quivering, “they’re...coming this way.”

At the top of Mt. Moon, there was a blast of black and purple energy--a Night Shade attack--that sent the dots soaring their way.

Right.

At.

Them.

“...his Pokedex said Vampiricus...”

“...I’m about to run,” Eve murmured.

“That means vampires...”

“I’m about to run!” she repeated.

“Ohgodohgodohgod--”

Eve grabbed Nick and Art by the arms and kicked David down off the plateau; the gang slid down the cliff side, on to the path, as the storm of Zubat blasted through the grassy area.

The screeches. Dear God, the screeches.

“Something’s up on Mt. Moon!” David shouted over the noise.

“We should check it out?!” Even yelled back.

And even though the screeching had passed, Art yelled, “I bet the meteorite is there!”

“Oh,” Eve deadpanned, “okay.”

__ __ __ __

Nick had confined Rose to his arms, and boy was she frustrated. She kept trying to blow herself up as the gang rushed to the mountaintop, but Nick wouldn’t let her.

“I wonder what’s up with Cotton Candy.”

“Maybe she’s on her pe--”

“Incapacitate her!”

David rushed around the corner as an Eevee tackled a woman, chomping down on her arm. He cocked his head to the side. “Oi! What’s going on up here?!”

A girl turned to look at him, glaring at all four travelers. With her fist clenched, she snarled. “No, no, no! You’re messing everything up!” Eevee continued wrestling with the woman.

“Clefairy Lure Rocket launching in ten!”

“Give me the meteorite!” A man screamed as he tackled the girl. She shrieked and kicked him between the legs, bringing him to the ground.

“Nine!”

“Meteorite! She has the meteorite!” Nick ran into the clearing, pointing at the girl. “Rose! Metronome!”

“Eight!”

“Jiggly!” The pink puffball ticked its arms back and forth, glowing eerily as multiple Jigglypuffs began to pop up around the plateau. It was a double team attack.

“Seven!”

“Charge!” The horde of cotton balls swarmed the girl, leaving just a shrill shriek coming from the mound of Pokemon.

“Six!”

“Gastly! Terrorize those Jigglypuff!” It was the man again, this time with hardly any breath.

“Five!”

“Zubat, fend off those twerps while we get the meteorite!” The woman had snagged Eevee by the collar and tossed her in a bag. Zubat soared in front of the trio remaining--Nick had gone to help his Rose Army--and its fangs glistened in the lights blaring from the rocket launcher.

Lumi somehow convinced me to take over Hayden. Hopefully I'll keep him in character?

Hayden | Vermillion Pokemon Center

A badge. Hayden had a hard time not smiling as he kept wanting to peek inside his jacket where it was now pinned. Maybe this whole "adventuring" thing would end up proving to be beneficial after all. It helped Kirstine had been right getting him to team up with Sin. He was watching Ophelia eat her second treat on the chair next to him for the job she did.

"Where too next?" Sin said as they were eating dinner. He was holding a treat for Cade to munch on. One Nice part about having Sin around— there were always plenty of treats.

"Fire gym?" Jason said as he leaned back on his chair. "They should watch out."

Sin cast a judgemental eye on Jason. "Says the guy who only has one strong Pokemon against fire types."

"Shudup."

Hayden shrugged and stroked Kaze's head. He and Sin both had fire types, and Ophelia would probably do well. Kaze in particular was preening at the idea he'd be battling more fire types. He got another cuff on the ear.

"Thanks, 'filia," he said quietly.

"It got moved to One Island, didn't it?" Kristine said as she stroked Peach on her shoulder. "It likes hoping around."

"Yeah," Hayden said quietly. He didn't clarify which statement he was agreeing with. "I thought there was still one on Cinnibar, though."

Kristine shrugged. "My dad told me there was one on One Island, so there could be more."

Jason folded his hands behind his head. "Whichever, so long as it gives out a badge."

Kirstin thought for a minute. "Mount Ember's on One Island. It might be nice to explore there."

Hayden just shrugged, not really caring which island they went to.

"Either way, it means finding a boat to take us there," Sin said with a pat to Cade's back. "Buying tickets would be easy enough."

Jason got a spark in his eye that indicated he was about to get a Very Bad Idea. "Or we could sneak on board."

Hayden couldn't exactly stop staring. "Shouldn't we at least try to go the legal way?"

Kaze yipped quietly. He was too excited about going with Jason's Bad Idea. Even Ophelia wasn't putting the vulpix back in his place. Hayden didn't like it when his pokemon ganged up on him.

Sin had a mixed look. He kept patting Cade in an almost nervous gesture. "We could get tickets and sneak on board anyway." At Hayden and Kirstine's Look, he shrugged. "Could be fun."

Hayden was trying not to groan. This was sounding like an even worse idea. He cast Kirstine a pleading glance. She was the only one not decided on this scheme. But with two on two, and the pokemon favouring sneaking on board— which he was sure they'd call 'fun' but he failed to see why— it's likely her vote wouldn't matter much.

Jason | Vermilion City

“It’s settled then,” Jason said while walking towards the docks. Kristine had just opened her mouth to voice her opinion, but, of course, it didn’t matter. “There’s nothing wrong with a little adventure,” he said, “so let’s live a little. Titanic Style.”

“Surely you don’t mean the ship, Titanic,” Sinclair quipped.

“Sure do.” He turned on his heels, tapping the heel of his shoe on the board walk. “The one that sailed around the world in eighty days!”

“...right,” Sinclair replied.

“Anyway, I know the perfect spot to get in the ship. Just follow me.”

As Sinclair and Jason led on, Kristine and Hayden walked behind them, Hayden’s eyes transfixed on the frills in Kaze’s tail. “I suppose neither of my Pokemon will really like being on a boat,” he said. “Given that Vulpix is a fire type and Ophelia would probably sink like Jason’s fantasy ship...”

“I think a nice cruise would be lovely,” Kristine replied. “After all, it’s not every day you get to voyage into the open seas, see the world as it was meant to be seen!” Her eyes glistened in the seaward sunlight.

“You’re really happy to be out of that rock music, aren’t you?”

“Remarkably.”

“I think you could’ve won a badge in the gym back there.” He clicked his teeth together, and Vulpix did the same as he checked her teeth for dirt and food.

“Maybe,” she mused, “but I like getting to know my Pokemon much more than a sparkly badge can tell me.”

Hayden instinctively checked inside his jacket once more at the mention of the badge. It was a dazzling gold, reflective in the sharp sun.

“Guys, over here!” It was Jason--crouched behind a crate of Shelder bait. “Okay, so here’s the plan.”

“Hopefully it doesn’t involve packing into crates of sardines,” Sin said.

“...of course not,” Jason shot back. “Uh.” He looked around, definitely improvising. In the corner of his eye, he caught an enormous fake Cloyster shell sitting on the loading dock. “Bingo.”

“Yachtzee?” Sinclair raised an eyebrow.

“Uno.” Kristine and Hayden nodded together in agreement.

Jason made sure the dock was clear before sneaking over to the giant purple shell and hauling it back to where they were crouched. “Okay. Operation: Trojan Cloyster. Get in.”

“But she ship doesn’t leave for another six hou--”

“Get. In.” Jason glared at Sinclair and shoved him into the shell, climbing in after him. Hayden returned Kaze to her Pokeball and sighed.

“This is going to be the most uncomfortable ride.”

“Hopefully we won’t spend the whole cruise in the shell!” Kristine laughed.

Hayden clipped his Pokeball to his belt and climbed up into the opening, falling into Jason’s lap inside. A very loud, very hostile “OW!” echoed several times.

Kristine looked around once more before sighing and reaching into her bag, retrieving three Poke Dollars and placing them on the dock. She then climbed into the shell and curled her knees to her chest.

Sinclair was first to speak. “SO! Who’s up for a rousing game of eye spy?!”

Art
Mt Moon

"Bandits?" Art muttered, more loudly than he intended. "In Mt Moon?"
"It's more likely than you think," hissed a voice from behind him.
Art spun around. A smirking guy dressed entirely in black glowered at him from behind a growling Machop. Before Art could say or do anything, it had shot forward and punched him in the stomach.
"Oof!" Art doubled over and fell on his knees. Lex beeped loudly and fired several bolts of lightning at Machop. Art looked on in shock as Machop, seemingly unfazed by the electricity pulsing through its veins, leaped forward and delivered a Karate Chop straight to the centre of Lex's head.

"How did -" Art spluttered. As Lex vanished back into its Ball, Art struggled to his feet.
"Y-you haven't won yet..." he stuttered. "Ess... use... Constrict!"
The shellfish burst forth and extended its tentacles towards Machop's hands, tying them together. Machop thrashed and swung its arms about, trying to break free, but Ess held his grip.
The Rocket grunt simply chuckled. "Low Kick." Machop raised its right leg and kicked Ess in the shell, right above his eyes. Ess winced; his eyes drooped and slowly closed.
"No..."

"Pathetic," the villain grinned. "But this thing's one of those extinct dinosaur 'mon, right? It's worth a good bit of cash. You can keep the scrap metal."
"Don't you -"
The Rocket froze. Art paused. Am I actually getting his attention?
After a second or two, Art found he couldn't move either. In the heat of the incredibly one-sided battle, none of the participants had noticed the odd pollen smell, or the familiar (to Art, at least) orange haze that was now blanketing their little section of the cave.
Stun Spore, Art thought dejectedly. My old adversary. On the bright side, he had to admit, the Rocket wouldn't be making off with Ess any time soon. His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of a Machop in pain.

A small orange bug was hacking away at the paralysed Machop, which was helpless to defend itself. It collapsed shortly, prompting a muffled expletive from its trainer. The bug then turned to Art, who began to sweat. Am I next? He closed his eyes in anticipation.
The sweetest of aromas surrounded him. Surprised, he opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by a green mist. He inhaled it contently, revelled in its splendour, and eventually realised he had regained his mobility. The orange bug stood before him - was it smiling? Did bugs possess the muscles necessary to be capable of smiling? Art dismissed this unproductive train of thought for another time and scanned the bug with his Pokedex.

Paras
Species: Mushroom Pokemon
Type: Bug and Grass
As its body grows large, oriental mushrooms called tochukaso start sprouting out of its back. They are highly valued as a medicine for extending life.

"So, that was Aromatherapy you just used!" Art exclaimed, reading on. "But - you shouldn't be able to use that... you're highly underlevelled." He glanced back at the Paras, which was now feeding Ess mushrooms off its own back.
"Well. You're a special little coconut crab-shaped insectoid creature, aren't you?"

"Oi! Art!" Nick shouted from behind a cloud of pink balloons. "You gonna help us here, or sit around fiddling with your Dex?"
Oops, Art said to himself. We're fighting, aren't we?
"Ok," he began confidently, "Lex is out cold and Ess is in no shape to be fighting. I'm left with a team of... zero," he finished lamely.
Paras climbed up the back of his leg and onto his head. It jumped once or twice and quickly sharpened its claws.
"You're coming to fight?" Art asked. Paras brandished its claws and jumped back onto the ground. "Superb! I can barely tell what's going on, so a good shot of Stun Spore is exactly what this situation is calling for..."

Cass has joined the party!