Pokemonese

[Dark Sage]

POKEMONESE


By Brian “Venusaur” Corvello


Chapter One


Sum of its Parts


Call me Ishmael.

With an opening line like that, you’d think you were about to read some long, boring story by Herman Melville. But no, Ishmael is my name.

My father had a thing for literature.

Growing up as a boy, I knew I had a destiny in life, one that I would take seriously.

Most kids who train pokemon have dreams and hopes of defeating Gym Leaders, catching a great variety of them, and someday competing in the intercontinental, continental, and world tournaments. They may even dream of someday taming the great legendary behemoths like Lugia and Moltres… if it is indeed possible to do so.

For me, it was always more than a dream. I considered it my responsibility.

Why? It’s a long story, but we have the time.

Do you know anyone who has superpowers? Personally? Probably not. Well, you’re talking to one right now.

That got your attention, didn’t it? Now the question on your mind is, “what is the nature of this kid’s superpowers?”

Well, I don’t have super-strength like Superman, or super-speed like the Flash; I don’t have super-athletic ability like Spider-Man. I don’t have the human perfection of Batman or even a cool weapon like Green Lantern does.

What I have is something that I call “Pokemonese.”

All my life, I’ve seen trainers with their pokemon. You probably know how pokemon communicate with themselves, right? When a Pikachu speaks, it says all or part of its species name – you hear “pika-pika,” or something like that.

If I’m just passing by a Pikachu, that’s what I hear – “pika-pika,” same as everybody else. But if I were to actually listen closely, that isn’t what I hear at all.

It might take a few minutes, but if I get close to a pokemon and listen the right way, their words become more or less clear to me. I can understand their language. It isn’t as articulate to me as plain English, but I get the general gist.

It isn’t something I advertise to everyone, but I have, on occasion, used it to help people. For instance, just last week, I saw a trainer who was trying to feed a strawberry to her Quagsire, and it wouldn’t eat. After listening in, I told her, “He’s allergic to strawberries – they give him a rash.” She was a little shocked, to say the least.

How did I get this ability? That’s where the long story comes in.

You know doubt know the story of Mewtwo. A clone created by criminals, made too strong, abused by a cruel trainer, became evil… I won’t bore you with a story you already know.

But few people know that Mewtwo had a predecessor of sorts.

A different, now disbanded criminal scientific organization created him about thirty years ago. They called it “Project Gestalt.” If you are unfamiliar with psychology terms, a gestalt is a term for a whole whose power is greater than the sum of its parts.

Anyway, this group thought they could create the ultimate weapon. They took DNA samples from no less than sixty pokemon family lines. Then they used crude gene splicing technology (crude by today’s terms) and somehow created a pokemon of sorts, which they named “Gestalt.”

However, these scientists made the same mistake that Mewtwo’s creators would make years later – they abused Gestalt, treating him like a caged lab animal. Only one person treated him kindly – she was my mother.

Back then, she just a teenage gofer for their laboratory; she had no idea of their criminal ties. The job paid good money, and she needed it. And during the rare times that she was able to see the project results, she treated him with kindness. She even violated lab rules from time to time, sneaking him in things like chocolate and donuts. She knew that, even though the creature never spoke, that he was intelligent, and that his intelligence grew with every passing day.

She made a few suggestions to the lower-level technicians, insisting that Gestalt might become resentful of their treatment or even angry. But they ignored her, trusting their egotistical impulses. What did some sixteen-year-old lab assistant know? they reasoned. They were sure Gestalt would follow them like a lamb – or a slave was probably more to their thinking. But they were scientists, not trainers.

And one day, disaster struck. Gestalt’s power rose to a point where his restraints could no longer hold him. Nearly everyone in the laboratory was brutally murdered that day – only my mother was sparred. She cowered behind a broken table as the monster lashed out.

Then he turned to her, and in the moment their eyes met, she swore that her mind and the mind of dozens of pokemon came together. He left, and that was the last she saw of him.

No-one knows what became of him after that day. Some believe that Gestalt could take the form of any pokemon whose DNA he shared, and thus could hide almost anywhere. Some say that stories trainers tell of a seemingly weak pokemon that they just could not catch, even after throwing a dozen ultraballs, was actually a sighting of Gestalt.

But I think that the gaze that Gestalt gave my mother changed her somehow. Four years after, she married, and my sister Ophelia was born (like I said, my father is big on literature). Nine years later, I was born.

And I might as well say it now… my big sister, she has Pokemonese too. Hers is even better than mine.

I’ve always worshipped my sister. She started her pokemon journey at age twelve; three years later, she was the continental champion. Today, she’s a Gym Leader, at the Blueberry Cove Gym.

She was always secretive about the nature of her Gym… possibly knowing that I might show up there someday when I became a trainer. But even if I didn’t, smart Gym Leaders are always closemouthed about their methods.

But my story begins one day in late May, when she closed her Gym for the weekend and came home to Opal Ridge.

She wouldn’t miss it for the world – it was my thirteenth birthday. And hopefully, the day that I would start on a journey of my own.


* * * * * * * * * *


“Okay, bro,” said Ophelia. “Make a wish and blow them out!”

I blushed. This was always embarrassing.

“Okay, I’ve got one.”

I took a breath and blew. I was rather good at this, and took them out in one puff. My mother and sister clapped.

“Great!” said my mom. “Now, here’s your gift from me, as promised…”

I opened the large wrapped package, already knowing what it was. Mom had promised a new all-purpose trainer’s knapsack for my birthday. However, I was surprised at how much she had actually spent. The leather bag was one of the newer models, with multiple compartments and a built-in pokeball belt.

“As for my present,” said Ophelia, “your appointment isn’t for another two hours. In the meantime, I can show you who I caught just yesterday.”

She took a pokeball from her belt and hit the button. A small green shape emerged from it.

“Chikorita!” it squeaked.

“Wow!” I said. “You caught a Chikorita?! That’s a rare one…”

“Yeah, and he was a stubborn one too,” said Ophelia. “Took me ten balls before I caught him.”

“Chickorita…” said the pokemon. It looked sad.

“Now what’s wrong?” said Ophelia, cradling it. “I don’t know what’s wrong with this guy…”

I concentrated.

“Chickorita,” it said.

I giggled. “It’s upset that you keep referring to it as ‘he’.” I said. “This is a girl Chickorita!”

“Really?” said Ophelia. She looked at me.

“I haven’t been able to understand him… I mean her yet,” she said. “Your Pokemonese is getting better all the time.”

“I do my best,” I said. “Now let’s have cake!”


* * * * * * * * * *


The Opal Ridge Pokemon Center was a landmark to say the least. It was bigger by far than the average Pokemon Center. It served not only as a place for hurt and tired pokemon to rest, but also a place where beginning trainers went before they became trainers. It was the largest such facility on the coast.

After my sister parked her car in the parking lot, we entered via the large double doors, where she showed her I.D card to the security guard. The common room was much like that of a standard pokemon center, only bigger. It was empty today, except for one young teenager at a table.

I glanced in her direction. She was dressed in a black vest, miniskirt, and red halter-top. Her hair was black and tied into a long ponytail. She seemed about fifteen or so. She was sipping coffee from a paper cup.

If I wasn’t in such a hurry, I might have noticed one odd thing about her – she had no pokeballs with her, so she probably didn’t belong here. But I was to excited to notice anything of the sort.

A Blissey stood duty at the counter, writing something down in a ledger. It perked up when we approached.

“Hi, Blissey,” said Ophelia, “we’re here on important business.” She gave it a set of forms that she had filled out. The pokemon looked at them; it smiled and went to open the office door.

We went through, and walked down a hallway. At the end, Nurse Joy greeted us.

“So nice to see you again, Ophelia!” she said with a sweet smile.

“Yes,” said Ophelia. “This is Ishmael, the one I told you so much about. I’m here to sponsor him.” She took a check out of her pocket. “I trust this covers the registration fee.”

“Yes,” said Joy. “If you’d just come with me, Ishmael, we can get this done with…”

She led me to a room that looked like a small classroom.

“So how do I go about choosing a pokemon?” I asked.

“Well, that’s the thing,” said Joy. “There’s a theory that says that no one actually chooses a pokemon; on the contrary, it’s the pokemon that chooses him.”

“Huh?” I said.

Joy produced a set of papers and a pencil. “Just fill these sheets out,” she said. “And take your time; there are no wrong answers.”

I looked at them. It was one of those tests where you filled in the little circles. Oh well, business before pleasure, I thought.

I saw a vending machine in the corner. Suddenly feeling thirsty, I went over, deposited three coins, and bought a cola.

Back to the test.

The first questions were straightforward – date of birth, social security number, etc.

Then they got into strange questions, such as:

What is your favorite movie genre?

· Drama
· Comedy
· Action
· Sci-Fi
· Horror

What is your favorite sporting event?

· Baseball
· Football
· Basketball
· Hockey
· Other

How many full-length novels have you read in the past year?

· Less than three
· Three to five
· Five to seven
· Seven to nine
· More than nine


It got into psychological questions, medical questions, questions about hobbies, career goals, history, and various other stuff. It took me an hour to finish it.


* * * * * * * * * *


“Okay, Nurse Joy,” I said, once she was free. “I think I have it all filled out.”

“Okay,” she said. “First thing’s first. What’s you’re favorite color?”

“Oh, I dunno,” I said. “Red, I guess.”

“Gotcha,” she said, walking over to a cabinet. She opened it, and took out a small box.

She handed it to me. “You’re in luck,” she said. “The newest edition, most detailed pokedexs just came out last week. Your sister insisted on only the best.

I opened the package. The red pokedex was made of shiny metal, colored red. It had a flip-top panel and a liquid crystal screen.

“Now for the best part,” she continued. She walked over to a glass cabinet, which I could see contained a good many pokeballs inside. All were various colors – blue, red, yellow, and green. She opened it with a key.

Then she took my test papers and slid them, one by one, into a slot next to the cabinet. When she was done, a loud whirring could be heard.

“Uh, Joy,” I said. “Just what is the point to all this?”

“The computer is analyzing all the data it has on you,” said Joy. “Hopefully, it will match you to just the right pokemon, one that matches your own personality, and one that will be easy for you to train. This computer’s success rate is approximately 99.5%.”

That sounded promising, so I waited. Eventually, it stopped, and a “ding” sounded.

A mechanical arm reached down towards the pokeballs. It moved to the right, then forwards, and then picked one up – one that was colored gold.

“Hmm,” said Joy. “Interesting…”

The arm came forward… directly towards me.

“Go on,” said Joy. “Take it!”

I felt nervous as I did. This ball contained the pokemon that was to be mine… the one that my sister had invested a good deal of money to help me obtain.

I shook as I took it over to a table. I pushed the button on it, and a small shape emerged…

It formed into a small, maroon, catlike shape with six curly tails.

“Vulpx!” it squeaked when it turned to me.

“Oh, how cute!” I said. I went to hug it.

“Ow!” I yelped. “Hot, hot, hot!”

“Looks like you have a frisky one there,” laughed Joy. “Don’t worry, it will cool down in a minute or two. In the meantime why don’t you check out its pokedex entry?”

I pushed the button on the new pokedex, and a picture of the Vulpix came up on the screen.

“VULPIX,” it said. “Fox Pokemon. Type: Fire. A fire burns inside this pokemon’s body that never goes out. It is believed to gain its power from solar energy.”

I pressed the button that said “Powers/Abilities.”

“Vulpix has the inborn ability of Flash Fire; flames heal it instead of harming it.

“Current attacks: Quick Attack, Ember, and Flame Absorb.”

“Flame Absorb?” I said. “What does that do?”

“I can’t tell you that now,” said Joy. “Like most mysteries in the pokemon world, you must figure it out by yourself.”

Right now, the Vulpix was cuddling against my arm. It had indeed cooled a little, but it seemed so warm.

I hooked the pokeball to the backpack, and took the little creature into my arms. “C’mon,” I said, “let’s go see Ophelia.”

As I started to walk out of the room, I stopped. “Uh, Joy,” I said, embarrassed, “Where’s the men’s room?” The soda was starting to kick in.

“Right over there,” she said. “Here, I’ll hold Vulpix for you.”

Five minutes later, I met with my sister in the lobby of the Center. She looked somewhat surprised when she saw what pokemon I got.

“Well I’ll be…” she said.

“What?” I said.

“Never mind,” she answered. “C’mon, I treat you both to dinner.”

We left the center, little knowing that I had left something very important behind.

And whether doing so would turn out to be for my benefit or a long series of unfortunate events, I might never know.



- Chapter Two, coming soon.

[Zee Sage]

Awesome!

Thats all I can say, Amazingly Detailed, Description was unbelievable, if only it came out sooner I would have voted for it in the Golden Pens. Anywho:

Name: Soni Savage

Gender: Male

Age: 13

Hair: Brown, spiked in the front

Eyes: Blue

Clothing Style: Baggy Jeans, with red and purple stripes together down the side of it. A black silk shirt with a red pokeball on the back with a Zangoose behind it. Blue and black sneakers, black fingerless glove on my right hand, blue pokedex, and a red, blue, and silver pokeball lined down the back of my leather back back.

Personality: Kind, gentle, great sense of humor, he is outgoing and a little soically challenged.

Favorite Pokemon: Zangoose, Tyrogue, and Elekid (Zangoose was his starter and does not go in his pokeball)

Any other info that might be vital: He has a very big weakness to Chocalate Pudding, Soni Does Mind You!
--
Anyway I hope the next chapter is soon, are you quitting your Yu-Gi-Oh fic?

Ta

[Dark Sage]

Zee -

I asked you to PM me with the details. But thanks anyway. You'll show up sometime after Chapter Three.

And no, I'm not quitting the Yu-Gi-Oh fic. As I said in the fanfic updates, the next chapter will be out soon.

- Venusaur

[mistysakura]

I really liked the start. It did a good job of explaining things, but at the same time it was interesting. I think Pokemonese reminds me a bit of "A Doolittle of Pokemon" and "Knights to Remember".

The part about Ishmael getting a Pokemon was okay; it was actually pretty original, since Ishmael didn't get to choose his Pokemon, and it was in a Pokemon center. The description was cool; not too much, not too litlle. You're a good writer; too bad I don't read Yu-Gi-Oh fics.

Keep it up!

[Dragonfree]

I like this fic.

The idea of Gestalt, the ability to understand Pokémonese, the way it's written (I really like your writing style), the way you make your character do things usually left out in fanfics (like randomly going to buy a cola without it having anything to do with the plot and then needing to go to the bathroom) and the neat, "different" way of getting a pokémon all appeals to me.

I'm definitely going to follow this story...

I don't read the Yu-Gi-Oh! fic due to it not being shown here, but can I still send the profile-thing?

Waiting anxiously for a second chapter...

[Dark Sage]

The "profile thing" is for THIS fic, not the Yu-Gi-Oh one. THe Yu-Gi-Oh one is now on page two - the next chapter will be up later today.

Do send it to me - I need all I can get.

And I'm glad you liked it.

- Venusaur

[Dark Sage]

People, please, PM me (as in Private Message) from now on. Don't clutter up this thread.

But thanks for participating, Hack.

- Venusaur

[Kojiro]

Laren, my charcter

Name:Laren Rose
Gender:Male
Age:13
Hair:long and purple
Eyes:big, and bright blue
Clothing Style:The cool trainer clothes of R/S. Red vest thing with green shorts.
Personality:Very feminime, nice, and kind, but sometimes a little ditzy.
Favorite Pokemon: Roselia,Noctowl,HEracross,Skarmory


Very high pitch voice, and likes to cook and clean.

Editorry I missed the PM notice.

[Dark Sage]

Kojiro -

Are you sure this character is Male?

- Venusaur

[Kojiro]

Yes, he is one of the charcters from my fic LTM, he is just unique which makes him a original charcter, instead of one of those goofy spiky haired, typical anime male heroes.

Ash,Tai,Davis,Takato,Takuya,Kenta, the list goes on and on.

[Dragonfree]

One more question: Is it supposed to be yourself or just a character of yours?

[Dark Sage]

Is Ishmael based on myself?

Ah, that is a bit of a secret.

But a true author would say that all his characters come out of himself, so I guess he is partially me.

But keep an eye out for chapter two, either late tomorrrow or Thursday.

- Venusaur

[Dark Sage]

Chapter Two


First Fight


Five minutes away from the Pokemon Center, with Vulpix in my arms, Ophelia looked over.

“You’re really getting attached to that guy,” she said.

“He’s so cute,” I responded.

“Well don’t wear him out,” she said. “Why don’t you let him rest in his pokeball for awhile?”

I figured that made sense, so I reached behind me…

And then I noticed something.

“Ophelia!” I yelled. “Turn around!”

“What?!” she said.

“The backpack!” I said. “The one Mom got me! It isn’t here!”

“What?!” she said again.

I searched my mind. “Aw, nuts,” I said. “I must have left it in the men’s room at the Center!”

“Geeze, Ishmael,” said Ophelia, as she turned her car around. “You’d forget your head if it wasn’t screwed on. Sometimes I think it isn’t!”

Nonetheless, she drove back to the Pokemon Center, trying to get there as quick as possible. The backpack was a very expensive accessory.

Two minutes and three run stoplights later, we got there, and I rushed inside as Ophelia waited in the car with Vulpix.

As I went into the lobby, I saw Nurse Joy talking to another customer.

“Joy!” I said, frantically.

“Ishmael?” she said. “Something wrong?”

After a hurried explanation, she led me back to the men’s room in the back rooms of the Center. I opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief – the backpack was still there.

I’ve got to be more careful, I thought, as I hefted it onto my shoulder. In the future, this could have had pokemon in it.

As I exited the men’s room, I barely had time to say “thank you” to Joy when an alarm ripped through the building.

“Fire alarm!” said Joy. “Everybody out!”

“Since when do Pokemon Centers have drills?” I asked.

“They don’t!” said Joy, as we started towards the exit. “Something tripped it!”

Then a beeper went off at Joy’s hip. She grabbed it, looking more worried than ever.

“What’s that?” I said.

“The silent alarm!” said Joy. “Someone has broken into the pokemon storage room!” She started to run back to the room where I had gotten the Vulpix. “Chansey!” she yelled to the pokemon who was ushering people out, “this way!”

Not knowing why, I followed. This was beyond belief – who would have the gall to rob a Pokemon Center?! Obviously, someone had pulled the fire alarm in order to cover a theft. And now the pokemon were in danger.

As we ran into the room, we saw the thief. I couldn’t believe it – it was that girl I had seen in the lobby earlier, the one with the black ponytail who had been sipping coffee. The window across the room had been forced open – obviously how she got in, and what had triggered the silent alarm. She was in the process of taking a crowbar to the glass case containing the pokeballs, and forced it open just as we entered.

“Stop right there!” shouted Joy.

The thief looked at us. She looked at the window – she was clear to get to it.

“Think fast!” she said, throwing the crowbar at us. We dodged aside, and it missed.

As we got up, the thief grabbed the nearest pokeball in the case. “One is better than nothing,” she said, stuffing it in her pocket.

She turned to us. “Thanks for the pokemon, suckers!” she said, and made a dash for the window.

I tried to run after her, but she cleared the window like a pro-athlete. She hit the ground running, and was out of sight in minutes.

By now, Joy was incredibly upset. She saw the fire alarm that the thief had pulled down; she pushed some buttons on it and the alarm stopped.

“There’s nothing you can do here,” she said to me. “I’ll call the police.”

“That jerk stole a pokemon,” I said.

“Yes,” said Joy. “But hopefully we can get it back before it’s too late.”


* * * * * * * * * *


The police were starting to arrive when Ophelia and I left. Ophelia looked grim as I told her the news.

“That poor pokemon,” said Ophelia. “Oh, well, we can’t let this ruin your birthday! Where do you want to eat?”

I thought for a minute. Maybe I could test my talent on my own pokemon.

“Let’s let Vulpix decide,” I said. “Where do you want to eat fellah?”

I listened carefully.

“Vulpix!” it said. “Vulpix.”

“Seems he wants to go to that place we passed when we turned around,” I said. “The Burger Frenzy.”

Ophelia looked impressed. “You got it.”


* * * * * * * * * *


The Burger Frenzy was a large place for a fast-food joint; teenagers liked it for the large sandwiches and the larger variety. The place was moderately crowded when we got there.

We got to the counter and placed an order for two double cheeseburger meals and a macaroni salad (Vulpix eagerly pointed to that selection on a poster).

When we brought the food to a table, Ophelia’s cell phone went off. She opened it and looked at the incoming number.

She turned it on. “Talk to me,” she said.

After listening for two minutes, she hung up. “Ishmael, I’ll meet up with you in about forty five minutes – you can have mine.”

She pushed her burger towards me and quickly walked out of the building. I was used to things like this. I always assumed that occasions where she suddenly walked off had something to do with her Gym.

Thirty minutes later, I had finished the burgers, and Vulpix had licked his salad-plate clean. I was about to throw the garbage away, when I heard a familiar voice.

“Like taking candy from a baby,” it said. “I take it you have what I paid for?”

I looked over – it was the thief from the Pokemon Center. She was talking to another teenager over chocolate malteds, and the stolen pokeball was on the table.

“Yipper,” said the other teenage. “Got it right here.” He handed her a pokedex, similar to mine. “Like I said, you deal with Limey Louie, you get what you pay for. Too bad you could only get one pokemon.”

“It’s enough,” said the girl. “This pokemon is going to get me far.”

That’s when I spoke up. I don’t know if it was the right thing to do or not, but before I knew it, it was too late to turn back.

“The only thing it’s going to get you is ninety days in juvenile hall,” I said. “Maybe a little less if you give it back now.”

She turned around. “Well,” she said, “you again. You know, I’m really sore from that fifteen-foot jump – I’m really feeling like taking it out on somebody…”

“Listen, sister…” I said.

“The name is Celeste, buddy,” she said.

“Celeste,” I said. “Quite a grandiose name for a crook.”

“Well, I see you have a pokemon of your own,” she said. She grabbed the pokeball on the table. “Tell you what… battle me. If you win, I’ll turn myself in.”

I thought for a minute.

“You’re on!” I said.

“Fine,” she said. “But I gotta warn you…”

She opened the pokeball, and a small humanoid pokemon with green hair emerged.

“… Ralts here and I are getting quite attached to each other!”

“Ralts, ralts!” said the pokemon. It seemed quite eager to fight.

“Okay, no problem,” I said. “Vulpix, Quick Attack!”

My Vulpix rushed forward in a blur, striking the Ralts. It was bowled over and landed on its back.

“Don’t tell me I KOed it already,” I said.

Then it got up.

“Wishful thinking kid,” said Celeste. “Ralts, Confusion attack!”

“Ralts!” said the pokemon, and it stared at Vulpix. Vulpix clutched its head and cried out in pain.

“Shake it off, Vulpix, shake it off,” I shouted.

Vulpix got up and steadied itself.

“Quick Attack again!” I said. Vulpix hit the Ralts directly in the stomach, sending it teetering backwards.

“Now finish it with an Ember attack!” I shouted.

Celeste smiled. Vulpix shot a stream of fire at the Ralts…

But it didn’t seem to harm it. The Ralts seemed to bathe in the flames, as if it enjoyed them.

“Fool!” said Celeste. “Don’t you know anything about the innate abilities of pokemon? What’s your Vupix’s innate ability?”

I thought back to when I had used the pokedex at the Center. “Flash Fire,” I said. “Fire heals it.”

“Exactly,” said Celeste. “My Ralts has a much better innate ability – it’s called Trace. Basically, it means that her ability is whatever its opponent’s ability is!”

“You mean…” I said.

“Exactly,” said Celeste. “Right now, she has Flash Fire as well – your Ember attack only healed her! Now Ralts, Confusion attack!”

Ralts starred at Vulpix again. Vulpix clutched its head, and yelled “VULPIX!!” Before I knew it, it was down.

“No! Vulpix!” I said. I knelt down and cradled it.

“Ralts, return,” said Celeste, calling back the pokemon. “I wish I could stay and humiliate you some more, kid. But I have big plans, and they don’t include you. So stay out of my way! Unless you want to get trounced again.”

She and her friend left the restaurant, laughing. Meanwhile, I recalled Vulpix to its pokeball and ran back to the Pokemon Center as fast as I could.


* * * * * * * * * *


As I was sitting in the lobby waiting, my sister came in.

“Ishmael!” she said. “They told me what happened at the restaurant. I feel sorry – nothing can be harder for a trainer than losing his first battle.”

“It was my own fault,” I said. “I should have known more about that Psychic pokemon.”

Then Joy came back into the room with my pokeball. “He’s okay, Ishmael,” she said. “It didn’t take long to revive him.”

“Yeah,” I said. “But the bad news is, I’m afraid you’ve lost that Ralts. I was listening to it during the battle. I didn’t understand the words perfectly, but it was clear that it was eager to please Celeste. The Ralts has accepted her as its master. And now she plans to do who knows what with it.”

“I don’t know what you’re concerned about,” said Joy. “Pokemon get stolen all the time. Celeste is a just a juvenile delinquent – she’s a nobody.”

“A ‘nobody’?” I said.

I remembered something that suddenly made me even more worried.

“Joy, have you ever read Homer’s The Odyssey?” I asked.

“Um, yeah, a long time ago,” she said.

“I have. My Dad has a thing about literature. Anyway, when Odysseus and his men were trapped in a cave by Polyphemus the Cyclops, the monster asked Odysseus his name. The hero responded, ‘Nobody’. Later, Odysseus used a spear to blind the Cyclops. Polyphemus cried out to his fellows for help, and they called back, asking who was hurting him; he could only answer, ‘Nobody,’ so they assumed he had injured himself, and didn’t come to help him.”

“What’s your point?” asked Joy.

“I mean that anyone, even someone believed to be a ‘nobody,’ can actually be a dire threat – it is impossible to know…”


* * * * * * * * * *


Later, my sister and I were sipping milkshakes in the lobby of the Center. Vulpix was beside me, feeling a little sorry for itself.

“Anyway,” said Ophelia. “Here’s the last part of your present.” She handed me an envelope.

I opened it. It contained five twenty-dollar bills.

“That should pay for enough pokeballs and potions to get you started,” she said. “Now, I wish I could stay another day, but I can’t. That phone call I got was from my Gym – I’m needed back there tomorrow.”

“Oh,” I said.

We had avoided the obvious topic for some time, and I waiting to see whether she or I would bring it up.

Turns out it would be her.

“Now listen, Ishmael,” she said. “If you want to get far in the world of pokemon, you have to go to Gyms, and challenge the Gym Leaders. I’m the Blueberry Cove Gym Leader. We’re obviously going to have to face each other one day.”

“I know,” I said.

“And I should tell you,” she continued. “It is my duty to give nothing but my best against any challenger who enters my Gym. I’m not allowed to show any restraint. A Gym Badge is not something that is easily won. Don’t think for a minute that I’ll go easy on you just because you’re my brother.”

“Well,” I said. “I don’t intend to give anything but my best either. I can only hope that when we do meet in the arena that we can look forward to an honorable and respectable battle. After all, we’re special, you and I… we have Pokemonese.”

“Yes,” said Ophelia, getting up. “Just remember, you must have six Badges before you are even allowed to enter my Gym… and you might not fully recognize me when we do meet…”

I was about to ask what she meant by that, but I decided not to. She could keep her secrets – for now at least.

She left, and I was alone with Vulpix.

“So,” I said to the pokemon. “You may have lost today, but they’ll be other battles, and we’ll be ready for them. Won’t we?”

“Vulpix!” it said. I could tell that what it said was an exclamation in the affirmative.

I held out my hand, and clasped it with its paw.



Chapter Three coming up soon…

[Dragonfree]

I liked the part from the Oddisey. Too bad Ophelia is only the seventh gym leader; I can't wait to see her in action...

Just a suggestion, but it looks like you're going to make the pokémon get majorly involved, and it's very hard to keep calling a real character "it".

[Dark Sage]

Ophelia is the seventh Gym Leader, but her influence will be felt on Ishmael early. You'll see what I mean in Chapter Three.

And I'll take your suggestion to heart.

- Venusaur

[Zee Sage]

Neat Chapter!

Celeste was mean, I didnt understand the part with the other person and the pokedex. I dunno but yea cant wait for chapter 3.

[Kojiro]

Hmm, I belive I heard that Homer thing from Justice Leaugue.

Anyway, good story, but a little too confusing for me.

Also do they live in the Hoenn Region? Or A made up region?

And the Ralts trace thing was brilliant!

Also I think they should have tied in their battle, losing your first battle is a little cliche, but heck, in my story I did the same thing!

[Dark Sage]

They live in a made-up region - the name will be revealed soon.

And although Batman did make that theory in an episode of Justice League, the referrence is centuries old. I might have been inspired by the Dark Knight, but I'm free to use Homer's ideas.

- Venusaur

[Kojiro]

I didn't say it was bad to use that statement, I actually thought it was pretty cool!

BTW, Ishamael saying it sounds cooler then Batman saying it, Batman is just too corny.

Also did you accept my charcter for it, just wondering.

[mr_pikachu]

Not a bad start, if I may say so myself. It's funny - I said what mistysakura mentioned earlier in this thread earlier today, and I hadn't even started this fic at that point!

I'm looking forward to hearing about this new region. Also, I feel like Ophelia is hiding something... but I'm not sure what. She's obviously able to disguise herself, though, according to the part where she said "you may not recognize me", etc. I suppose that will be revealed in due time. And I wonder what her influence will be...?

Anyway, good start, and keep it up!

[Zee Sage]

So, what's going on with this story, its been almost 4 days and no updates any ideas on when the next chapter is going to be posted. Cant wait for it...

[Dark Sage]

It will be up soon - probably tomorrow. I'm working on two fanfics at once after all.

- Venusaur

[Dark Sage]

Chapter Three


Troubles and Trials


The next day in Blueberry Cove, things were afoot that I didn’t learn about for a long time. Little did I know that even more difficulties would soon be thrown my way, these of a more serious sort.

In a building situated at the east side of town, a man stood by a window. He looked like a simple businessman in most respects, until you saw his face. He kept that hidden by a mask, one shaped like an oval. It was made of metal, and colored maroon on the left side and silver on the right. Two slits for eyes were the only other features on it.

A buzzer rang on the desk next to him.

“Enter,” he said in a deep voice.

A man in a black business suit entered.

“Mr. Faustus,” said the man. “The people you sent have returned, and Miss. Conrad has returned to her Gym.”

“And?” said the man.

“They’ve learned the reason for her absence… apparently she went to her home town of Opal Ridge to sponsor her brother.”

“I suspected as much,” said Faustus. “As I predicted, a sibling plans to follow in the all-powerful Ophelia Conrad’s footsteps. Tell my two operatives to proceed with phase one.”

“As you wish,” said the man, and he left.

The man in the mask paced for a minute. “She may be untouchable,” he said, “but her brother will soon know hardships like none other…”

He looked out the window towards a certain building, near the center of town.

“You hear me Ophelia?!” he said. “Your brother will soon feel my wrath!”

He sat down, and turned his chair towards the window. His eyes concentrated on the building.

“You sit there in that ominous structure that you call a Gym,” he said, “it’s special theme and your reputation scaring this whole town into thinking you’re some all-powerful force… but I’m more powerful than you, and you don’t scare me!

“You probably don’t even remember me, do you? But I remember you. I’ll never forget the way you humiliated me all those years ago…

“The Intercontinental Pokemon Championship Tournament had come down to the final match, you and me. It was bad enough that I had to battle a fifteen year old… but I was more than willing.

“The match seemed to go badly for me at first. After fifteen minutes, you were down to three pokemon, but I was down to my last one. I wasn’t worried, though… I had saved the best for last. After all, it was my starter… a Golem that I had raised from a baby Geodude, one that had never failed me.

“Yes, I remember… Golem was in a talkative mood that night, and it was more than eager to fight and win me the trophy. Within minutes, its Earthquake attack made short work of your Typlosion, and its Rollout flattened your Heracross. It seemed I was unstoppable.

“Then you let loose your final pokemon… a Dusclops. But no sooner did you release it, than you called a time-out. I didn’t object… each trainer has a right to a one-minute time-out per battle.

“At that point you whispered something into where that Ghost’s ear would be. I assumed you were just giving it some sort of pep-talk.

“Then the buzzer went off, and we resumed. And that’s when it happened. Your Dusclops started spouting words to my Golem, and while I couldn’t understand it, I was sure it was an insult of some sort.

I gave my command for an Earthquake attack, but for some reason Golem didn’t obey me! This pokemon that I had treated so well for years was ignoring me! Instead, it spouted words back at your pokemon, and they started arguing. I’ll wonder until the day I die just what they were saying.

“I repeated my order for it to attack; and then, the unspeakable happened. Rather than use its Earthquake attack, Golem used its Explosion attack!

“The attack knocked itself out, but of course, it didn’t even scratch your Dusclops. You had won, and the whole crowd laughed at me! Even a seven-year-old trainer would have known that Explosion wouldn’t have hurt a Ghost pokemon! And I know that Golem knew it too.

“I don’t know how you made my pokemon make that terrible mistake, but nobody humiliates me! If I can’t settle my score with you, my wrath will fall squarely on your little brother…”

He palmed a pokeball in his hand.

“And once I’m done with him, you will regret the day you ever heard the name Faustus…”


* * * * * * * * * *


In the meantime, I was busy. After packing my things, and making good use of the money my sister had given me, I set out, riding my bike north of Opal Ridge. I decided on a path towards Ivy Town, which would take me straight through the path through Macintosh Forest – a good place for a trainer to hunt for wild pokemon.

I had heard the legends of the Macintosh Forest; about two centuries ago, it had been a vast, carefully maintained apple orchard, which grew some of the sweetest, most delicious apples in all of Toreen. But a pokemon trainer who visited made a dire mistake. The nature of the mistake varies depending on who’s telling the story – the simplest answer is he brought a pokemon with a very powerful version of the Sweet Scent ability, while the most fantastic claims he was a wizard who cast some sort of spell in the wrong way. Whatever the case, the orchard was invaded by a swarm of wild Caterpie, who decimated the orchard in only two days.

Today, the apple trees again bore fruit, but the apples were a bit too tart, and the undergrowth had turned the place into a wilderness. The Caterpie were gone, but plenty of other wild pokemon lived here, and a small Pokemon Center had opened at the far side of the forest.

I parked my bike halfway through the forest, and let Vulpix out of his pokeball. He barked with delight upon emerging.

“Okay, pal,” I said. “Feeling frisky?”

“Vulpix!” he said.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” I said. “Now it’s time to recruit some more members to our team. Let’s see what we can find.”

I pulled a pair of binoculars out of my knapsack and looked around. My eyes focused on something on a tree about a hundred feet away.

“Bingo,” I said. “Pidgey at two o’clock!”

I turned to Vulpix. “Sic ‘em!” I said. “Ember attack!”

Vulpix turned, and shot its Ember at the Pidgey. The Flying pokemon squawked.

It turned towards us with an angry look in its eyes. It flew off its perch and dive-bombed at Vulpix!

“Quick! Ember again!” I yelled.

Vulpix shot forth its flames, and they engulfed the bird. It stopped in midair and crashed before it could reach us.

“Ooo-kay,” I said. “That didn’t work… maybe you should try to hold back intensity a little next time…”


A short time later we were still looking. I still had my binoculars out.

“There!” I said. “Zigzagoon! Right in front of us!”

As we watched, the small, furry pokemon walked into sight.

“Ember attack!” I yelled.

“Vulpix!” shouted my pokemon. It blew its flames right at the Zigzagoon.

“Zigzagoon!” shouted the pokemon. Its fur caught on fire, and it started to roll around in the underbrush.

“Great!” I shouted. “Now Quick Attack!”

Vulpix rushed forward, and hit the Zigzagoon head-on. It flew backwards about fifty feet, into a patch of tall weeds.

“Darn!” I said.

“Vulpix…” said Vulpix sadly.

“Don’t feel bad,” I said. “We’ll catch something eventually!”

I started scanning the area with my binoculars again. Eventually, I saw a Rattata – a rather large one – crawl out of a large patch of tall weeds.

“Okay, pal,” I said. “This one should be easy. “One Quick Attack and it should be ours! Go!”

Vulpix charged forth and hit the Rattata in the forehead. “RATTATA!!” it yelled, and ran back into the brush.

“Huh, tougher than I thought,” I said.

And then Vulpix chased after it.

“Vulpix, wait!” I yelled. “It isn’t worth it!”

There was silence for a few seconds… And then there was a wave of rustling, which seemed to shake the whole patch of weeds!

“VULPIX!!” shouted my pokemon, running out of the patch. It fled to me and leapt into my arms.

“What?” I asked.

My question was answered in the next instant. A different Rattata emerged from the brush… then another one. Two more followed, followed by three more and then four more! Finally, a huge Raticate appeared behind them.

“Uh oh…” I said.

The rat pokemon snarled.

I ran, cradling Vulpix in my arms, but few humans can outrun a swarm of angry pokemon. Eventually, I tripped on the root of a tree, and Vulpix spilled out of my arms.

“Raticate!” snarled the leader, and the members of its pack growled.

Then Vulpix’s eyes narrowed. As I scooted away, he walked towards the pack.

“VULPIX!!” he shouted, and breathed flame right at the leader. The Raticate never knew what hit it. It screamed and fell backwards.

“Vulpix, Vulpix!” shouted my pokemon, breathing fire at the advancing swarm. The Rattata pressed forward, only to fall before the flame.

Vulpix paused for a minute. It was getting tired. I looked around, and noticed that its Embers had started a bunch of small fires.

“Vulpix!” I said. “Use Flame Absorb!”

Vulpix concentrated for a minute, and then it drew the patches of fire into it, as if it were a vacuum cleaner. It extinguished the fires, and then started to glow. Just as I had thought – the Flame Absorb had enabled it to use the fires to heal itself.

“Vulpix, Vulpix!” it squeaked, continuing to hit the rats with its Ember. After a few minutes, scorched brush and KOed Rattata surrounded us.

I went over and hugged the little guy. “Man,” I said, “you probably just saved me from getting a tetanus shot. Work like that during a battle and we can’t lose!” I took a potion out of my belt and fed it to him. “Here, you deserve this.”

And then, a new noise sounded in front of us. A barking, snarling sound.

Vulpix and I looked ahead, and saw a new pokemon come into sight. It looked like a small wolf with black fur, and it was sniffing the ground as it went. Obviously, it had been attracted by the sounds of battle.

It stopped when it saw us. It looked at us and growled a little.

“Vulpix…” said my pokemon.

I took out my pokedex and flipped it open.

“POOCHYENA,” it said, “the Bite Pokemon. This pokemon shows uncanny ferocity while stalking prey, and will often chase its quarry until it is no longer able. It has been known to attack prey more than twice its size.”

“Vulpix,” said Vulpix.

“Huh?” I said. “You really want to? Are you sure?”

“Vulpix,” it responded.

“Okay,” I said. I set it down. “We might as well give it a try.

“Now stun it with an Ember attack!”

Vulpix breathed flames, and the Poochyena howled. It was clearly mad.

“Don’t let it recover, Vulpix!” I yelled. “Quick Attack, now!”

Vulpix dashed forwards, and rammed the Poochyena in the side. It fell over, and started to struggle to regain its feet.

Now was as best a time as any. I reached into my knapsack and took out an empty pokeball.

Here goes, I thought.

Crossing the fingers of my left hand, I threw the ball.





Chapter Four coming up soon…

[Dragonfree]

Kinda short, wasn't it? But it was interesting anyway. I wonder what Dusclops said to Golem that made it use Explosion... I hope Ishmael catches that Poochyena, I love Migthyena.

[Light_Togetic]

Cool, I just love the way you write! It just seems to flow so well. And the old conflict between Ophelia and Faustus made things really interesting. I also like the brother-sister relationship; it reminds me of my brother and I. Something tells me that Ishmael will catch the Poochyena; fourth times the charm maybe...?

Keep it up! ^^

[mistysakura]

I think Ishmael's going to catch Poochyena, too. Not catching it would be a bit of a let-down with that cliffhanger.

Cool chapter. I found it surprising how so many Pokemon were encouentered in a short time span; it might have seemd cluttured, but in this case it's pretty cool since most of the Pokenon battles were only a couple of attacks or so. It helped build up to the action, all right.

Faustus is... strange. It sounds like a pretty plausible motive, and I kind of get what Ophelia means by Ishmael not being able to recongnise her now. The whole recounting thing was a bit weird, though. It's not like people talk to themselves like that. Perhaps you could have used thoughts instead of dialogue, or maybe a flashback.

Fantastic stuff, though.

[Dark Sage]

Chapter Four


Scientific Scuffle



The pokeball bounced off the Poochyena’s head. I gritted my teeth, hoping that I hadn’t hurt it further.

The pokeball opened, and sucked the pokemon inside…

It wobbled for a second… it wobbled again…

Sweat fell down my face…

The pokeball came to rest. The light went of with a low whir.

“Yee-haa!!” I shouted. I turned to Vulpix. “We did it Vulpix! We caught it!”

“Vulpix…” he sighed.

I went over and picked up the pokeball. Then I turned back to Vulpix… he seemed exhausted. I took out his own pokeball.

“You’d better take a breather too until we get to the Pokemon Center,” I said. “That’s quite enough for one day.”

“Vulpix!” he said. He leapt up and the pokeball caught him.

I knew that both he and my new “recruit” were probably too tired to do much at this point, so I got back to my bike and rode – rather quickly – towards the Macintosh Pokemon Center, a small establishment located at the edge of the woods. We could heal there, and maybe I could get a sandwich out of it in the meantime.

The Center was an interesting sight. It looked like a large log cabin with the familiar large “P” over the door. It was tiny compared to the one in Opal Ridge, but it certainly could do what a Pokemon Center was supposed to do – heal, feed, and rest pokemon.

As I walked in, the place was empty. Nurse Joy was behind the counter, playing solitaire.

She looked up when I walked in.

“You look happy,” she said.

“You bet I am,” I said. I held up the ball containing Poochyena. “First pokemon I’ve ever caught, and it’s a good one!”

“Ah, yes,” said Joy. “I’ve spoken to hundreds of trainers, from novices to members of the Elite Four themselves… and all of them agree that, of all the captures they make, the first one remains the one you remember the best!”

“Yes,” I said, pushing it and Vulpix’s ball onto the counter. “Anyway, it and my starter are rather spent, so if you’d just…”

“Say no more,” said Joy, taking them. “In the meantime, how about a victory sundae?”

I didn’t think it would be polite to say “no,” but before I could say anything Joy whistled, and a Chansey peeked her head around a corner.

“Chansey!” said Joy. “One victory sundae!” She took the pokeballs. “And this will only take five minutes.

She went behind the counter, and less than one minute later, Chansey brought the sundae – coffee ice cream with butterscotch topping and pecans. It was my favorite.

“You sure you guys aren’t Psychic pokemon?” I said, taking it.

“Chansey!” said the pokemon.

“Oh,” I said. “So my sister’s been by here. Look, next time she calls, tell her I don’t need a babysitter!”

“Chansey…” sighed the pokemon.

The sundae was half finished when by the time Joy brought the two pokeballs back. I took them both and opened them. Vulpix and my new Poochyena emerged onto the table.

“I think you two should be properly introduced,” I said.

“Vulpix!” said Vulpix.

Poochyena answered with a much sadder tone.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

I listened carefully. What I heard next was the clearest that my Pokemonese had yet sounded.

“Poochyena…” sighed the pokemon.

“You wanted me to catch you?” I said.

I was puzzled. I had once heard an old wives tale say that many – if not all – pokemon secretly want to be tamed and spend their lives awaiting the right trainer… but this pokemon seemed to have given up at whatever the wild had challenged it with.

He seemed surprised that I could understand him, but it seemed to make him a little happier.

“Vulpix, I think I need to speak to him privately… if you don’t mind…”

“Vulpix,” he said. He nudged his pokeball and slipped inside it.

“Now what’s the problem?” I asked the Poochyena.

He then let out his heart to me in a detailed discussion. Just one day earlier, two humans – young teenagers, he believed – with black t-shirts with large golden C’s on them had caught both him and his mate in a snare. He thought they were trainers, but if they were, they weren’t the pokemon they were looking for. Instead of letting them go, the boy took out a fancy slingshot, and apparently for fun, shot his mate between the eyes.

They both laughed a hideous laugh, and then took aim at him. Filled with a mix of horror and fear, he broke free from the snare, and leapt on the sadist’s face. He swiped once with his claw, making three slashes on his cheek, at which point he and his female companion ran.

He then turned back to his mate, but it was too late. The cowardly human’s attack had smashed her skull, mortally wounded her. He could do nothing but stay by her side for the next miserable hour, as her life’s blood drained away.

After leaving her body – for he had no way to bury or otherwise dispose of it – he wandered the Macintosh Forest. He knew that if he ever met those two teenage monsters again, he wouldn’t have stood a chance. So he would find a trainer, one whom he hoped would protect him – and maybe avenge his poor mate at some point.

When he finished, I hugged him. “Don’t worry,” I said, quietly. “I’m your master now… I won’t let any harm come to you… and I promise, if we ever see those two who killed your girlfriend, we’ll make them pay…”

“Poochyena…” he said softly.

I was so occupied with him that I never realized that someone else had come into the Center, and was right now approaching my table. She at that point chose to speak up.

“If you aren’t careful, you’ll hug the life out of him,” she said.

I looked up, and saw a young girl about two years older than me. She had short, brown hair with bangs, blue eyes, and a green blouse and skirt. She carried a backpack and had four pokeballs attached to her belt.

“Uh, hi?” I said.

She looked at Poochyena.

“Ah, a very healthy specimen of nocturnus crocutus minimus.” she said. “And quite a muscular one as well.”

“A what? I asked.

“Nocturnus crocutus minimus.” she replied. “Better known as the Poochyena. Is he yours?”

“Yeah… what are you, some sort of biologist?”

“Sort of,” she said. “Oh, I beg your pardon! We haven’t been introduced. I have a habit of analyzing pokemon when I see them and seeing their trainers second! Hi, I’m Lisa…. Lisa LeBaron.”

“Ishmael,” I said. We shook hands.

“So, you a trainer too?” I asked.

“Not really,” she said. “I’m more a pokemon researcher. I travel around, trying to find and study the rarest and most unusual pokemon around – I only catch the ones that are really interesting.”

“Interesting isn’t always powerful,” I said. “Do you have any goals?”

She looked sort of nervous.

“Well, one,” she said shyly.

“What?”

“Promise not to laugh?” she said.

“Promise.”

“Have you ever heard of the legend of Celebi?” she said.

“Celebi?” I said.

I thought for a minute.

“Oh, yeah,” I said. “They say he’s the Spirit of the Forest, and also a pokemon that can travel through time.”

“Yes,” said Lisa. “Time travel is said to be impossible… any scientist, starting with Einstein himself, could tell you that. Celebi is a scientist’s dream… a pokemon so powerful that he can shatter the very laws of physics! A creature that can defy the laws of time and space and travel through the Fourth Dimension! Celebi is my dream. I dream of someday finding him wherever – or WHENever – he is, and making him mine!”

She paused.

“You didn’t laugh,” she said. “Most people make fun of me when I tell them.”

“It’s a very noble goal,” I said. “I don’t think it’s funny at all. Shoot for the stars; there’s no limit what determination can do if you try your hardest… that’s what my sister always used to say.”

“I like you,” she said. “You’re new to this whole trainer thing, aren’t you.

“More or less,” I answered.

She motioned to the pokeballs on her belt. “Care to take your Poochyena and whatever other pokemon is in that ball for a test run?”

“You’re challenging me?” I asked.

“Why not?” she said. “It isn’t like I have anything else to do…”

I paused. I remembered my battle with Celeste in the Burger Frenzy. This girl was a lot nicer, but still…

“Poochyena!” said my pokemon.

“Really?” I said in surprise.

I took his pokeball and recalled him to it.

“Okay, Lisa, my pokemon is itching for a fight, so bring it on!”

“Great!” she said. She turned to the counter. “Hey Joy, want to play referee?”


* * * * * * * * * *


Within minutes, we were out in the front of the Center. Joy was between us, holding two flags.

“Okay,” said Joy. “Standard elimination match. Seeing as one of the battlers is limited to two pokemon, I must ask the other to hand over all pokemon except two, which she must choose now.”

“Okay,” said Lisa, looking at her belt. She thought for a minute and then took two of her four pokemon and handed them to Joy.

“Okay,” said Joy. “On my signal… BEGIN!”

She dropped her flags.

“Okay, Ishmael,” she said. Because you’re a beginner, I’m going to go easy on you the first round.”

She took one of her pokeballs.

“Go, phantasmus, marionettus minimus!” she shouted.

She threw the ball, and a dark shape emerged from it, a cross between a sheet and a chess bishop with glowing eyes.

“Better known as the Shuppet,” she added.

“Shuppet…” it moaned.

I reached for my pokedex and pushed the button:

“SHUPPET,” it said. “The puppet pokemon. This Ghost is said to feed upon negative emotions. In past events, swarms of these creatures have been sighted in areas where mass amounts of fear, hate, despair, or sadness have erupted.”

“You’re sending out a Ghost pokemon when you know I have a Dark one?” I said with a strange look. “Don’t you know that Darks have type advantage over Ghosts?”

“I’m giving you an easier first round, on account of you being a novice,” said Lisa. “So take it or leave it.”

“Okay, you asked for it,” I said. “Go Poochyena!”

I threw the pokeball and Poochyena leapt out.

“Get it!” I yelled. “Hit it with your Bite attack!”

“Shuppet,” said Lisa. “Use Nightshade attack!”

“Shuppet…” moaned the pokemon, and it blasted a ray of dark energy out of its eyes, striking my Poochyena. He stopped and shook for a second.

I hesitated. That Shuppet was fast, and I knew about the Nightshade attack – it did the same amount of damage to an opponent no matter what type it was.

“Shake it off, Poochyena, and use Sand-Attack!” I said. “Blind that thing!”

Poochyena recovered, and turned around, kicking dirt in the Ghost’s face.

“Shuppet!” it cried, as it used its sheet as hands, rubbing its eyes.

“Now, while it’s distracted, Bite attack!”

“Shuppet, quick!” said Lisa, “Nightshade again!”

But it was too late. Poochyena leapt and closed its jaws where the Ghost’s neck should be. It moaned and fell to the ground.

Joy assessed the damage.

“Shuppet is unable to battle,” she said. “Round one to Ishmael!”

“Shuppet, return,” said Lisa, retrieving it. “Okay, Ishmael, now the kid gloves come off.”

She reached for her other pokeball. “Go my equines pyrus minimus!” she said. She threw her pokeball, and a larger pokemon emerged – a small pony with a flaming mane and tail.

“A Ponyta?” I said. “This should be easy. Poochyena, return!”

Obviously she never considered what my other pokemon was. I took out his pokeball.

“Go Vulpix!” I said tossing it. My starter leapt out.

Lisa looked surprised.

“Fighting fire with fire, huh?” she said. “Well, that Vulpix can’t hurt Ponyta with its fire, and she’s bigger! Ponyta, Stomp!”

“Look out Vulpix!” I shouted. Vulpix narrowly avoided the Ponyta’s crushing hoof, and it ignited a patch of grass.

Can’t harm… I thought. Oh, this pokemon must have the inborn ability of Flash Fire too, just like my Vulpix. That makes it difficult to beat… but not impossible.

“Vulpix, Quick Attack!” I said. Vulpix darted forth, hitting the Ponyta on the side of the mane. The pony staggered for a minute, but soon recovered.

“Ponyta, Stomp!” said Lisa. “Flatten that fox!”

Vulpix, run, get out of the way!” I yelled. He dodged again, as Lisa’s pokemon again tried to crush him under her hooves.

Then I noticed it – Ponyta’s Stomps were setting the brush on fire. Just what I needed.

“Vulpix!” I said. “Use Flame Absorb!”

“Flame Absorb?” said Lisa.

Vulpix repeated the trick he had done with the Rattata, absorbing the surrounding fires into himself. Within seconds, he was glowing with energy.

“Uh-oh,” said Lisa.

“I might not be able to hurt your Ponyta with fire,” I said, “but her fire can charge up my Vulpix enough to take her down! Vulpix, Quick Attack!”

Vulpix sprang forward in a blur, and smacked the Ponyta in the forehead.

“PONYTA!” she squealed, and toppled over.

Joy went over to look.

“Ponyta is unable to battle,” she said. “Ishmael is the winner!”

“YES!” I shouted. I opened Poochyena’s pokeball, and took them both into my arms. “We did it guys!”

For the first time since I caught him, Poochyena seemed very happy.

“Well, I’ve gotta admit,” said Lisa, “that was a good fight. But it’s almost eight o’clock. We’d best get back inside. The night is home to things deadlier than wild pokemon.”


* * * * * * * * * *


After healing had been done and I had gotten a snack of cold cuts and potato chips, I spread out my bedroll on the floor of the center. I tried to sleep, but it was hard.

I started to think of Poochyena’s story, and those sadistic teenagers who had murdered his mate. The clothing he had described sounded like something that the infamous Team Rocket would wear, and they were known to often travel in pairs… but I was certain that he had said that their shirts bore the letter “C”, not “R.”

What could that stand for? I thought. One thing was for certain: I promised him I would bring them to justice, and I intended to keep that promise… I just had no idea how I was going to DO it.

I fell into sleep, and the first thing I dreamed about was the legendary pokemon that Lisa had mentioned, Celebi. I had seen pictures of him… a cute little fairy with green feathers, dragonfly wings, and antennae.

Then I dreamed of other mythic and legendary pokemon I had heard about in old stories. I dreamed of Jirachi, the pokemon said to be able to grant wishes. I dreamed of the two siblings Latios and Latias, the immortal “Eon pokemon.”

I turned in my sleep, and the three legendary birds, spirits of the elements appeared before me… Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres flew in a pattern above my head. I tossed again, and I saw the three great beasts, Entei, Raikou, and Suicune, three fierce predators racing across the land. Again I tossed, and I saw the three ancient monoliths, Regice, Regirock, and Registeel, stoic and rigid in their guardianship of… heavens knows what.

My dreams turned fearsome. I saw lord of the sun Ho-oh, and his atmospheric counterpart, Lugia, flying among the clouds. Then I saw the tri-fold behemoths, Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza, the undisputed kings of the sea, land, and air.

And then, all these titans came together, and a shadowy figure emerged into my dreams. I couldn’t see his face, but I knew who he was… the source of my power, the one from whom I had received my Pokemonese. The legends parted to let me pass, and he motioned for me to approach…

“Ges…” I started to say.

“Ishmael!” said Lisa’s voice.

I felt someone shaking me awake.

“Ishmael!” said Lisa again.

“What?” I said, waking up in a sweat.

“You were moving in your sleep like someone in a track meet!” she said.

I looked at my watch… it was seven AM.

“And you said something,” she continued. “It was ‘guess’ or something.”

“Oh…” I said. “It was nothing. Just a bad dream.”


* * * * * * * * * *


I didn’t think much about the dream at the time. I guessed I had probably just been reading too many pokemon storybooks lately. As to why he had shown up, I didn’t want to think about it. I just wished I hadn’t woken up before I’d fully seen him.

After thanking Joy, I packed up my things and unlocked my bike lock.

No sooner had I mounted than Lisa drove up beside me on her bike.

“Going my way, Ishmael?” she said.

“Why?” I ask. “Don’t you have a home to go to?”

“The earth is my home,” said Lisa. “I go where the wind takes me. But it gets rather lonely, the life of a pokemon researcher. And if you want to challenge Gyms and earn badges, you could use a cheering section.”

“Well…” I said.

“And in return,” she said. “You can help me in my hunt for rare pokemon… maybe even help me in my quest to find Celebi!”

I chuckled. That wasn’t very likely. Celebi’s “position” could be a millennia in the past right now for all we knew.

“Well, maybe for a little while,” I said, as we started to peddle.

“Say,” I said, as we started down the road. “Do you know the scientific name for ‘Vulpix’?”

“Yes, I believe it’s vulpus pyrus infantus.”

“’Infantus’?” I said. “As in ‘infant’?

“Well, Vulpix is a special case,” she said.

“How so?”

“Most evolving pokemon families share the same first two scientific nomenclatures,” she explained, “with a third at the end to signify what evolutionary stage it is at. Usually, if it has only two stages – like say, my Ponyta, who only evolves one step into a Rapidash – the two are minimus and maximus. Some pokemon have three evolutionary stages, like a Bulbasaur, who first evolves into an Ivysaur and then a Venusaur. In those cases, the third names are respectively minimus, medius, and maximus.

“In most cases with pokemon evolution, a pokemon only gains a medium amount of power when it makes an evolution. But some pokemon gain a heck of a lot of power when they evolve. Vulpix is one of them. When it somehow evolves into a Ninetails, it becomes a whole different pokemon, deserving of a whole different nomenclature.

“Thus, Vulpix is vulpus pyrus infantus, while Ninetails is…”

She paused.

“Yes?” I said, now excited.

“I’m not certain,” she said. “Not all Vulpix manage to make the evolutionary jump, and they’re quite rare. I don’t even know what the scientific name for Ninetails is!”

As we cycled down the road, I looked at the pokeball at my hip. Did my starter really have such potential?

I didn’t know it, but we had other things to worry about at that point.

Four eyes were watching us through binoculars.

And they sure weren’t well-wishers.




- Chapter Five soon to come…

[Dragonfree]

Ooh. I really liked a few sentences...

As I walked in, the place was empty. Nurse Joy was behind the counter, playing solitaire.

I loved this one. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because of the way you make characters do things and actually be realistic instead of sitting there and never having to go to the bathroom or Nurse Joy just waiting all day behind the counter waiting for sick pokémon. Of course she does something, it seems so obvious now that I've seen it in a fanfic.

“Ah, a very healthy specimen of nocturnus crocutus minimus.” she said. “And quite a muscular one as well.”

I like scientific names... I actually like her overall. I think she's going to be one of my favorite characters...

I saw the three ancient monoliths, Regice, Regirock, and Registeel, stoic and rigid in their guardianship of… heavens knows what.

That made me laugh.

I loved the dream overall too, probably because I'm so interested in dreams...

I liked Poochyena's background story, also. The battle was kind of short, though, or at least it seemed short.

[mistysakura]

Cool. Lisa's an interesting character. I like her. She's different, a good change. I'm a bit sick of normal, nice, training companions right now. And I really liked how she explained the scientific names; it actually made sense! Yay!

I think I'm repeating Dragonfree's post...

[Dark Sage]

Chapter Five


Reign of Chaos



Later that day, Lisa and I were hunting in the grasslands a mile beyond Macintosh forest. The nearest Gym was in Fountain Head, some twenty miles away, but I wanted to have a team with some backbone before trying to challenge it.

Lisa was in the middle of the field, surveying the area with binoculars. She took out a small tape recorder.

“May 30th,” she said into it. “Traveling with Ishmael Conrad has been thus far more pleasant that my usual solo activities. On the route to Fountain Head, we have seen little more than wild Rattata and Pidgey. Ishmael has gotten some good practice in with his two pokemon, but so far nothing worth attempting a capture.

“I have heard rumors that rare Grass pokemon occasionally inhabit these grasslands, but I have no idea what sort of conditions herald their arrival. I never had much luck with Grass types myself… most aren’t very powerful, considering weaknesses and strengths.”

Suddenly, I spied something. I signaled Lisa with my laser pen – we had agreed to do that when shouting wasn’t a good idea. She turned off the recorder and hurried over.

“Look!” I said, looking through my own binoculars. “Over there!”

We looked through the eyepieces, and crawling out of the shrubs was a single pokemon… a lizard-like creature with a large, leafy, bulb on its back.

“A Bulbasaur!” I said. “A real, live Bulbasaur!”

“Wow!” whispered Lisa. “A healthy example of reptilius florus minimus! Bulbasaur are an incredibly rare species of Grass pokemon!

“And I saw it first!” I said. I grabbed my pokeball that contained Vulpix.

“Be careful, Ishmael,” said Lisa. “Bulbasaur fight like mad when cornered.”

“Trust me,” I said. I let Vulpix out of his pokeball.

“Okay, Vulpix,” I whispered. “Be careful now. No fire, or you’ll burn it up. And don’t let it scare you… remember, he’s Grass, you’re Fire. We only have one shot at this, so a sneak attack is in order. Ready?”

“Vulpix,” he said.

“Okay, go.”

Vulpix crept up to the Bulbasaur. Fortunately, it had taken that moment to nibble some leaves off of a nearby bush.

“Perfect,” I whispered. “Almost there…”

Vulpix was now just ten feet behind the prey. The Bulbasaur paused.

“Bulbasaur?” it said.

“Now, Vulpix, Quick Attack!” I shouted. Vulpix darted forward, striking the Bulbasaur in the side!

Bulbasaur was knocked down, but it got up in an instant.

“Bulbasaur, Bulbasaur!” it shouted. It lashed forth with its Vine Whip at Vulpix. This guy wasn’t going quietly!

The Vine Whip hit Vulpix in the nose, but he soon shook it off. “Quick Attack again!” I shouted.

Vulpix hit it again, but it didn’t seem to phase the Grass pokemon. It struck him again with its Vine Whip.

No good, I thought. Better change tactics.

“Vulpix, use Ember!” I said. “Wait! A small Ember!”

“Vulpix!” he said. He shot forth a small stream of fire at the Bulbasaur.

“Bulbasaur…” said the pokemon. Its knees started to buckle under the flames.

“Now Quick Attack one more time!” I commanded.

Vulpix shot forward, hitting the Bulbasaur on the noggin! In skidded back and tried to get up, but was clearly dizzy.

Now’s my chance, I thought. I grabbed a pokeball from its pouch… I threw it…

The pokeball opened and drew the Bulbasaur inside. It wobbled once, twice…

I held my breath…

Three times. The light went off with a hum.

“YES!” I said. “I caught a Bulbasaur!”

Lisa started applauding.

“Way to go!” she said. “Keep this up, and you’ll be battling the Fountain Head Gym Leader in no time!”

I picked up the pokeball.

“That reminds me,” I asked. “Do you know anything about the Fountain Head Gym Leader?”

“Only a little,” she said. I think someone who saw him duel recalls him using an Arbok… I think. Or it might have been a Seviper. He might have a thing for Poison types.

Poison-types. I cringed, not so much at the thought of having to face such a Gym Leader, but at the remote thought that perhaps that no-good delinquent Celeste might be ahead of me. Poison pokemon would be no match for that Psychic Ralts that she had.


* * * * * * * * * *


Several thousand feet away, two pairs of eyes were watching us. They belonged to two teenagers, one boy and one girl, about sixteen years old.

“Okay, Clyde,” said the girl. “He caught the Bulbasaur, you owe me five bucks!”

Clyde growled and took out his wallet.

“When are you going to stop making these stupid bets?” she said.

“Aw, shut up,” he said. He was definitely not in a good mood.

He clutched his left cheek, on which was a bloody bandage. “You have a fresh bandage with you, Bonnie?” he said.

“You should really have a doctor look at that Clyde,” said Bonnie, taking one out of her pack. “It’s going to get infected!”

“Yeah, right, and then tell him how I got it?! It will be fine!”

“So,” said Bonnie. “Don’t you think we should make our first move? The boss isn’t paying us to just watch them.”

“I don’t know,” said Clyde. “Maybe it’s a bit too early.”

“Don’t worry,” said Bonnie. “We have our little secret weapon…”

At that moment a humanoid shape appeared in front of her… a Kadabra. It whacked her in the face with its spoon.

“Oww!” she said.

A voice sounded in their heads:

“Stop calling me your ‘little secret weapon,’ Bonnie,” it said. “I don’t like it!”

“Sorr-eee!” said Bonnie.

“As for when and where we will strike,” said the Kadabra, “there’s no time like the present… But we’ll take it slow at first, just to throw a little fear into the little tyke.

“I’ll go on ahead, and you follow me in ten minutes. Do not be late!”

And then it vanished into thin air.

“Pushy little sonova…” said Clyde.

“Yeah, what are you gonna do?” said Bonnie. “He’s the boss’s prize pokemon.”


* * * * * * * * * *


Some minutes later, Lisa and I were walking through a small wooded section of the path, when music came to our ears… classical music.

“What on earth?” I said.

“Sounds like someone’s playing Mozart,” said Lisa.

“Let’s follow it,” I said. “Maybe someone else is out here.”

We walked a short distance and when we turned a corner, we couldn’t believe our eyes. A small table had been set up, with a teapot and cups, along with an old fashioned record player that was the source of the music. The Kadabra was sitting at it, sipping from a cup.

“Ah,” said a voice in my head. “Ishmael Conrad, the pokemon trainer in training. So good to finally make your acquaintance. Care for a biscuit?”

This was not Pokemonese… this was actual words in English. And Lisa heard it quite clear too.

“Did you talk?” I said.

“No, I’m communicating telepathically, human,” he said. “A little trick I learned over the years. Pokemon can learn a good deal of unique traits if they only put their minds to it, something humans seem to have no talent for whatsoever.”

“What?” I said.

“Come now,” he said. “I can tell just by your name that your parentage lacked sufficient creativity.”

I was getting angry now.

“I mean, ‘Ishmael’?” he said. “Your parents were inspired by Melville’s classic, I assume. Ishmael may have been the narrator of that great tale, but during the whole novel he did practically nothing. Certainly there were better characters your father could have named you after.”

I started to say something, but he interrupted me.

“He did a worse job naming your sister. I take it he got the name ‘Ophelia’ from the Bard’s immortal tragedy Hamlet. She was hardly an admirable character… halfway through the play, she went crazy and killed herself.”

“Alright you little freak!” I said. “You think you can insult my family?!” I reached for the pokeball containing Poochyena. “I’m going to stuff you into an extra-small pokeball, and then I’m going to…”

“Won’t work,” he said. “I’m already accounted for.” He looked at his wrist, which had a watch on it. He then picked up his large spoon and vanished.

I looked around, and he reappeared lounging on the branch of a large tree. “Besides,” he said, “I won’t waste my energy on the likes of you. I’ll leave that to my two friends.”

“What?” I said. Lisa and I looked around.

Then two figures leaped out of the brush, doing a flip, and landing on their feet. Two teenagers, one boy and one girl. They were wearing jeans and black t-shirts with big, golden C’s on them.

“Here we are!” said the girl. “And you’d best prepare for trouble!”

“While you’re at it,” said the boy, “make it double!”

“To release the world from society’s claw,”

“To dispel the myths of order and law,”

“To make glorious freedom reign supreme,”

“To restructure the earth towards anarchy’s dream!”

“Bonnie…” said the girl.

“Clyde…” said the boy.

“Team Chaos moves forth with awesome might!”

“Surrender now, or prepare to fight!”

Kadabra leapt down…

“Kadabra! That’s right!”

I paused with my mouth agape, but I soon regained my composure.

“Very pretty,” I said. “Why do guys like you always have to make speeches?”

“We feel obligated,” said Clyde.

“Yeah, well, I don’t know what your beef is with me or my sister but…”

I paused… I saw the bandage on Clyde’s face… I looked at their t-shirts…

”You!” I said.

“Pardon?” he said.

“I know you…” I said.

“We just met,” he said.

“Yeah?” I said angrily. “Well, I have someone here who you might recognize!” The pokeball with Poochyena in it was still in my hand, and I opened it, letting it out. Poochyena started to snarl with fury as soon as he saw the two of them.

“Why it’s him!” said Bonnie. “That little Poochyena that we caught the other day!”

“And the one who’s mate you murdered!” I shouted.

Kadabra vanished again, reappearing back on the tree branch. “Oh please,” he said. “You can’t blame my comrades for that. Sure, Clyde was the one who shot her with the slingshot, but I was the one who told him to do it. You see, I can’t abide Dark pokemon. They’re ugly, dirty, and they smell bad too…”

Poochyena growled and bared his fangs.

“You left out the part about them being immune to your Psychic attacks!” said Lisa. “That’s likely the real reason you wanted Clyde to kill them… you were afraid of them!”

The Kadabra just glared at us. Then he turned to Bonnie and Clyde.

“Teach this kid a lesson, folks,” he said. The two of them took out one pokeball apiece…

“C’mon,” said Lisa. “We’ll take them together. We have enough pokemon between us…”

“No Lisa,” I said, pushing her aside. “I promised Poochyena I’d bring his mate’s killers to justice, and that’s exactly what I’m gonna do! Ready Poochyena?”

“He may look ferocious,” said Clyde. “But while that Poochyena might be able to take down one pokemon, he’ll never manage two!”

“Cubone, go!” said Clyde, tossing his pokeball.

“Roselia, go!” shouted Bonnie, tossing hers.

The pokeballs opened. Clyde’s opened to reveal a small figure wearing a skull on its head, clutching a bone. Bonnie’s opened to reveal a small, leafy fairy with a red rose for one hand and a blue rose for the other.

I took out my pokedex and aimed towards the Cubone; I pushed the button.

“CUBONE: The Lonely Pokemon: Some researchers believe that this pokemon uses the bones of its parents both as armor and weapons.

I pointed towards the Roselia.

“ROSELIA: The Thorn Pokemon. Though petite and beautiful in appearance, this pokemon combines vicious Grass attacks with deadly Poison ones.

I reached for my pocket and took out the pokeball containing Vulpix. I let him out, and he landed beside Poochyena.

“All right guys,” I said. “Time for a little two-on-two!”

“Bring it on!” said Bonnie and Clyde.

“You’re Roselia won’t be able to take the heat of my Vulpix!” I said.

“It will never get the chance!” said Bonnie. “Roselia, use Inverse Ingrain!”

“Huh?” I said. “What the heck is…”

Suddenly, a mass of vines erupted out of the ground, and seized my Vulpix! He cried out in surprise: “Vul…” he started, before the vines held his mouth shut.

“Cubone, bonemerang attack!” shouted Clyde. The Cubone hurled his bone club at Poochyena, hitting him on the forehead!

“POOCHYENA!!” he cried in pain.

“Shake it off, Poochyena,” I cried, “and Bite that Cubone! Remember, his owner killed your girlfriend!”

Poochyena growled, and then charged, and clamped his fangs on the Cubone’s shoulder. “Cubone!” the pokemon whined. It fell to the ground and held its shoulder.

“Get up you crybaby!” said Clyde. “It’s just a scratch!”

Meanwhile, Vulpix was still struggling against Roselia’s vines.

“Roselia,” commanded Bonnie, “Magical Leaf attack!”

Magical Leaf? I thought. Could she really be that stupid?

The Roselia shot forth a flurry of razor sharp leaves at Vulpix; he snarled for a minute, but his hot skin shielded most of the damage.

“Vulpix,” I said. “That Magical Leaf must have weakened those vines! Try to break free with a Quick Attack! Give it all you’ve got!”

“Vulpix!” he said. He darted forth, and he ripped free of the vines!

“No…” said Bonnie.

“Now fry that fairy with your Ember attack!” I yelled.

“VULPIX!!” he shouted, and shot a stream of fire from his maw. Roselia cried out in surprise and was down, her petals singed!

“Cubone,” shouted Clyde. “Bonemerang that Vulpix!”

Cubone twirled its weapon, completely forgetting its other foe. Without even an order from me, Poochyena leapt, and chomped down on the Cubone’s leg! The Cubone screamed in pain, and collapsed.

“Looks like you’ve had it,” said Lisa. She palmed her own four pokeballs. “Now are you going to come quietly, or do we both have to sic all our pokemon on you?”

Vulpix and Poochyena snarled at them…

Then the Kadabra, whom I had totally forgotten about, leapt down.

“Sorry, people, but that would put quite a delay in our plans,” he said. “But mark my words… the next time you mess with Team Chaos, we won’t be so easy to defeat…”

“You heard him!” said Bonnie.

Kadabra jabbed her with her spoon. “Will you just shut up?!” he said. And with that, the two humans and the three pokemon vanished, obviously due to the Kadabra’s Teleport ability.

“Come on,” said Lisa. “We’d best backtrack to the Pokemon Center. “Your pokemon need a break, and that Bulbasaur isn’t going to like you too much if you don’t heal him soon.”

The Bulbasaur! I had forgotten about him.


* * * * * * * * * *


Two hours later, we were back at the Pokemon Center. The healing was done, and I now had three pokemon with me.

“Hey, Chansey,” I said, as she passed by our table.

“Chansey?” she said.

“Lisa and I will have a pizza with pepperoni, and my Bulbasaur here will have a bowl of MiracleGrow!”

“Bulbasaur!” said the Grass pokemon with a laugh.

Meanwhile, my Poochyena had perked up a bit.

“Yeah, I know,” I said to him. “But don’t you worry… we’ll get them eventually.”

“I wonder how those two thugs managed to catch that wise-mouthed Kadabra?” said Lisa. “I’ve never seen a pokemon treat its trainers like that before.”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I have the feeling that the Kadabra wasn’t theirs… they dueled like amateurs. I don’t think they’d have the brains to raise an Abra into a Kadabra… especially one that could communicate like that…”

Suddenly I realized something.

“They claimed to be part of a team,” I said. “Team Chaos, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” said Lisa. “But I’ve never heard of them.”

“They’re only hired help,” I said. “someone is directing them… someone with some sort of connection to my sister, from the way that pokemon made fun of her…

“Some sort of mastermind…

“The question is, who could it be?”

I shivered.

And as if on cue, thunder clapped in the distance. A storm was about to hit the wilderness.

I went to sleep with that in head, and it gave me very disturbing dreams.



Chapter Six soon to come…

[DannyBoy]

I just read the 5th chapter, I skimmed the others but i will read the rest but so far this is pretty good. Having Bulbasaur is a little un-original but since you had it caught in a chapter and not given, its ok. Bulbasaur seems to be really energetic and will be a good part of the team. I like Bonnie and Clyde, they have great personalities even though they are bad. The song part is ok even though its a bit like Team Rocket. Length is good and description is pretty good. Overall, so far so good. Continue the good work!

[Light_Togetic]

I really like your word choice. Especially in the part with Ishmael's dream with the legendary pokemon. And I love Lisa; she's into Biology like me! ^^; No really, I think her persoanlity is really unique in that aspect. She seems kinda like a smart person, but not nerdy. A nice combination. I like the evilness (is that a word?) that Kadabra has. Evil villians that are really evil are nice to have.

And I feel so sorry for Poochyena... Poor guy. ;_; I just know he'll get his revenge someday!

Looking forward to the next chappie!

[mr_pikachu]

Hey, don't diss the nerds, LT! We have feelings, too, ya know!

Not bad. I kinda think the sarcastic, talking, Pokemon third villain was semi-unoriginal, but I won't dwell on it, seeing as it wasn't a Meowth. Kadabra seems like a vile Pokemon, but it'll be tough to beat, when Ishmael finally has to face it. Even if he uses Poochyena; Psychic Pokemon can learn non-Psychic moves. Watch out, Ishmael! You've got another thing coming!

Well, the impending Gym battle will add an exciting element, I'm sure, and the race with Celeste will prove to be an interesting twist! I'm looking forward to it! Until next chapter!


P.S. My aunt has a dog named Celeste...

[Dragonfree]

Well, I was kinda disappointed by the animé-ish inoriginality you inserted into this chapter. Two idiots with one talking pokémon, members of a team, come and repeat a motto and when the main character is going to battle them, they cheat using two pokémon at a time (still not the talking one). We've seen it all before. But I liked the Kadabra all the same...

[Dark Sage]

I'll get rid of the motto.

And I thought a two-on-two pokemon duel would be a refreshing change. Go figure.

And if you liked Kadabra, keep watch for the next chapter...


- Venusaur

[Dark Sage]

Before I post the next chapter, people may notice that I've taken a liberty or two on the ability of Ralts, and it differs from the way it works in the game, so please don't bring it up.


- Venusaur

Chapter Six


Rematch



“Go, Vulpix! Ember attack!”

“Electrike!” shouted the wild pokemon.

“You’ve got him on the ropes!” shouted Lisa. “Keep it up!”

“Ember again!” I shouted.

The flame scorched the small, green, dog-like pokemon, and it started to struggle. I snatched a pokeball out of my pack.

“Go pokeball!” I shouted throwing it.

The pokeball drew the pokemon in. It wobbled…

The light went off with a hum.

“Alright!” I shouted.

“Vulpix!” squeaked my pokemon.

“Way to go, Ishmael,” said Lisa, “your fourth pokemon!”

It was a day later, and we were less than a mile from the outskirts of Fountain Head. I wanted to make sure my team was an even four before challenging my first Gym, and it seemed I had just made that hope a reality.

“Yeah,” I said. “Let’s see what the pokedex has to say about this ‘Electrike’.”

“ELECTRIKE: the Lightning Pokemon,” said the pokedex. “This pokemon can run faster than most pokemon its size, and in doing so, its fur collects static electricity that can be used offensively.”

I pushed the “Powers/Abilities” button.

“The Electrike’s inborn ability of Static endangers its foes – those who physically strike it risk temporary paralysis. Current powers: Quick Attack, Thunder Wave, Spark.”

“Looks like you got a live one there, Ishmael,” said Lisa.

“Well, c’mon,” I said, mounting my bike. “Maybe if we’re lucky we can reach the Fountain Head Pokemon Center by noon.”


* * * * * * * * *


At approximately twelve-thirty, we were in the Center, waiting for Joy to get done with the healing process.

As a youngster passed by our table, I turned to him. “Hey, you got a minute?” I asked.

“Yeah?” he responded.

“Do you know anything about the Gym Leader in this town?”

“Well, I’ve never met him, but I heard he calls himself Sebek.

Sebek? I thought. Where have I heard that name before?

“Every trainer who goes into his Gym comes out with a bad case of the willies!” he continued. “And if the Gym itself is any indication, I don’t blame them.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see,” he said. “But good luck anyway if you want to try.”

I slowly sipped my drink…

“Oh, right, Sebek!” I said.

“What?” asked Lisa.

“In Egyptian mythology, Sebek was the son of the Set, the Lord of Darkness. Sebek was pictured as a man with the head of a crocodile; while he was worshipped by some sailors, he was also an evil god who was believed to curse mankind with various venomous monsters, especially reptiles.

“So maybe my Poison-type theory was correct,” said Lisa. “I recommend we stock up on Antidote potions.

Chansey came to the table, carrying my pokeballs. “Thanks,” I said, taking them.

All of a sudden, a young girl ran into the Center, holding four pokeballs.

“Emergency Joy!” she said. “My pokemon just got creamed!”

“Calm down!” said Joy. She took the pokeballs, and stacked them on the machine. “What happened?”

“I got challenged to a duel by this girl hanging out around the Gym… she was in a bad mood because it wasn’t open. She was ruthless!

“I swear, the next time I see her, I’m going to stuff that ponytail down her throat!”

I looked up. Ponytail?

I went over to her.

“Excuse me,” I said. “Did you happen to get this girl’s name?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Her name was Celeste, and…”

“Thank you,” I said.

I grabbed my four pokeballs and hooked them to my belt. I turned my cap around and headed for the door.

“What?” said Lisa following me.

“I have a score to settle,” I said. “I’ll tell you on the way.”


* * * * * * * * * *


“So this thief humiliated you in front of a whole restaurant?” said Lisa, as we walked down the streets.

“Yeah,” I said. “And now it’s time for a rematch.”

“Be careful!” said Lisa. “She might just trounce you again!”

“Not this time,” I said. “That crook made me look like an idiot, and now that I’ve gotten better, she’s going down.”

“Ishmael, didn’t the great pokemon expert Massu Stim say, and I quote, ‘A battle fought for revenge will please only the most shallow of souls’?”

“Maybe,” I said. “And he also believed that it was possible for a Clefairy to be trained to choose which move it would use when using the Metronome attack… he was wrong.”

“I guess…” said Lisa.

The Fountain Head Gym was a large structure that certainly stood out. Situated in a huge promenade, it was shaped like a pyramid made of black marble. The entrance was shaped like the head of a snake, with a huge pokeball symbol over it.

I looked towards the door. Sure enough, Celeste was there, tapping her foot impatiently. A sign that said “Will be back at 2:00” was on the door.

“Stupid Gym Leaders and their stupid rules…” she said.

“Maybe he went out to take a lunch break,” I called over. “Everyone has to eat, you know, even Gym Leaders. They’re only human.”

She looked up at me.

“And being impatient is no excuse to bully young trainers!” I continued.

“Well, well, well,” she said. “If it isn’t the shrimp that I beat at the Burger Frenzy. Come back for another public humiliation?”

A crowd was starting to gather.

“I’ll have you know,” she continued. “That me and Ralts have been busy. I have four pokemon now.”

I whistled in a low tone and pointed to my belt.

“No way!” she said.

“And I’ll bet mine can beat yours in a fair match,” I said.

“Wanna put some money on it?” she said. She took out her wallet and slapped down some bills on a pillar.

“Forty dollars!” she said.

“You’re on!” I said.

I took out forty of my own dollars, almost all I had left from what my sister gave me.

On a rooftop above, someone was watching. The Kadabra whom I had met the day before had a appeared, and was watching eagerly.

Well, he thought. It seems little Ishmael has found someone he’s met before, and the two of them don’t seem to like each other much. This should make a good show… too bad I didn’t bring my camera!

“Hold on!” said Lisa. “We’re going to do this the proper way… I’ll referee!”

“Oh, got yourself a girlfriend, huh?” said Celeste. “Well she can butt out!”

“What’s the matter?” I said. “Afraid to fight fair?”

She gave me a look. “I’m not afraid of you…” she said. She turned to Lisa. “Fine, play referee if you want.”

Within minutes, Lisa had assembled a pair of flags from her pack, and Celeste and I were standing twelve paces apart.

“Okay,” said Lisa. “Standard elimination battle… four pokemon apiece.” She lifted her flags. “On my signal… GO!”

“Electrike, I chose you!” I said, throwing my pokeball.

“Makuhita, I choose you!” shouted Celeste.

My pokeball released the Electrike, and hers released a small, fat, humanoid pokemon, with yellow skin and purple fists.

“Huh,” I said, talking out my pokedex.

“MAKUHITA: the Guts Pokemon,” it said. “This Fighter is tireless and never gives up. The more it is hurt, the more effort it gives.”

Yeah, I thought, but from the look of him, he can’t move very fast…

Man, this ought to be some contest, said the Kadabra to himself, and I have primo seats! All I’m missing is a hot dog and a bag of popcorn! Maybe if this Celeste character proves the type I associate with, I can meet with her afterwards… but let’s see how this turns out…

“Electrike,” I shouted, “Quick Attack!”

“ELECTRIKE!” he shouted, and rammed himself into the Makuhita’s gut.

“Makuhita, use Arm Thrust!” ordered Celeste.

The Fighter struck Electrike with its open palms, once, twice, thrice, four times! Electrike flipped over and landed on its feet.

“Makuhita…” said the Fighter. “MAKUHITA!!” he shouted, keeling over and holding itself.

“What the?” said Celeste. “What’s happening to him?!”

“It’s hard to touch an Electrike without getting some rather shocking feedback, thanks to his inborn Static ability,” I said. “Your Makuhita learned that the hard way. Right now, it’s going to take him all the effort he has just to move!”

“Makuhita…” he groaned.

“Shake it off, Makuhita!” yelled Celeste.

“Not likely,” I said. “Electrike, finish him with a Spark attack!”

Electrike charged up, and then rammed into Makuhita, with a blast of electricity. The Fighter groaned and fell.

Lisa went over to him.

“Makuhita is unable to battle,” she said. “First round goes to Ishmael.”

Many of the spectators in the crowd clapped.

“I’ll show you,” said Celeste, calling back her Makuhita. “Ralts, go!”

She threw her second pokeball, and the pokemon I was too familiar with popped out. For a second, a charge of electricity surrounded her.

Well! Thought Kadabra. A fellow Psychic! This Celeste does have good taste. Yes, I think I will meet with her when this is done…

“Not this time,” I said. “I know that her Trace ability lets her copy Electrike’s Static ability. Well, he doesn’t have to touch her to do this! Electrike, Thunder Wave!”

“Electrike!” shouted my pokemon, and a blast of electricity shot from his temples.

“Ralts!” squeaked Celeste’s pokemon and she held on to her sides.

“What?” shouted Celeste.

“His Thunder Wave has left her just as helpless as the Static did your Makuhita,” I said. “And now, a change is in order… Electrike, return!”

Electrike went back into his pokeball.

“Poochyena, go!” I shouted, letting Poochyena loose.

Oh, no! thought Kadabra. I could go down there and warn her… but that would give me away… and that disgusting Dark pokemon is still madder than Hell at me…

“Since I’ve changed pokemon,” I said, “Your Ralts’s Trace has changed its ability. And this pokemon has a completely different inborn ability called Run Away… a confusing mental attack that ensures that the pokemon and its trainer can always escape from another pokemon. That won’t benefit your Ralts much now… unless you want to forfeit and flee like the coward you are!”

“I’m not a coward!” yelled Celeste. “And I’m not afraid of you…Ralts, shake it off and use Confusion attack!”

“Ralts,” said the pokemon, struggling. She concentrated…

“What an amateur,” I said. “Your Ralts’s Psychic attacks have no effect on a Dark pokemon.”

“A Dark pokemon?!” said Celeste in surprise. “Now you tell me!” She fumbled for Ralts’s pokeball, but she dropped it.

As she tried to go after it, I shouted, “Poochyena, Bite that pitiful excuse for a Psychic!”

“NO!!” said Celeste.

Poochyena leapt forth, and chomped its fangs down on the Ralts. She shrieked, and went limp.

Poochyena dropped her and Lisa came forth. “Ralts is unable to Battle. Two rounds to Ishmael.”

The crowd cheered again.

“Boy, talk about dumb…” said someone from the crowd that we couldn’t see.

“Yeah, dumb,” said someone else.

“Ralts, return,” said Celeste. “I’ll show you dumb,” she growled.

“Pinsir, go!” she shouted. She threw another pokeball, and the mighty Stag Beetle Pokemon came out.

“You have to be kidding,” I said. “Did you catch him or did you steal him too? Poochyena, return!”

I called Poochyena back.

“Vulpix, go!” I said, calling forth my starter.

“You think that little fox can beat my big, strong, beetle?” said Celeste. “Pinsir, use Focus Energy!”

Pinsir started to glow.

“Bad mistake, Celeste,” I said. “Vulpix, Ember attack!”

Vulpix shot forth his fire, and Pinsir screamed.

“He may be big and strong,” I said. “But all he is to my Vulpix, is a very big and strong Bug, easily taken down by Fire. Vulpix, Ember again!”

Vulpix shot forth his flame again, and Pinsir toppled.

Lisa came up to inspect the damage.

“Pinsir is unable to battle,” she said. “Three rounds to Ishmael.”

Celeste recalled him.

Some spectators clapped… more this time. And a few laughed.

“Whatever pokemon you have left better be a biggie!” someone in the crowd shouted to Celeste.

She was getting angry. She took out her last pokeball.

“Cyndaquil, go!” she shouted. She threw the ball, and the small, fiery mouse appeared.

Cyndaquil? I thought. That was a lucky find she got… unless she stole that one too…

“It may take a while,” she said, “But I’m going to fight your fire with fire!”

“Go ahead,” I said. “I’ll even give your Cyndaquil a free shot!”

“Idiot,” she said. “Cyndaquil, Flamethrower attack!”

The Cyndaquil let loose an enormous gout of flame, which engulfed my Vulpix…

…but when the smoke cleared, he wasn’t even singed. He was glowing.

I chuckled. “Made you so mad that you forgot all about his Flash Fire ability. Fire makes him stronger, not weaker.”

“No…” said Celeste.

“Now, Vulpix, give it all you’ve got! Quick Attack!”

Vulpix curled up, took aim, and sprang, hitting the Cyndaquil right on the noggin! It flew fifteen feet and fell, and it was out.

“Seems your biggie was a smallie,” I said.

“Well, I doubt Cyndaquil will be doing any more today,” said Lisa. “Ishmael is the winner!”

“And I didn’t even have to use my fourth pokemon!” I said.

As Celeste recalled Cyndaquil, she looked at me with a look of hate.

Then without a word, she turned and stormed off.

I took the stack of bills from the pillar and turned to Vulpix. “Thanks a lot, Vulpix, that made me feel great. Maybe I’ll buy you a new collar with this!”

“Vulpix!” he said.

“No?” I said. “You don’t like collars?”

“Vulpix, Vulpix!” he said.

“Okay then, pizza it is.”

The spectators who were left started mumbling.

“Oh,” I said, turning to them. “Long story.”

I turned back to Lisa and looked at my watch. It was one-thirty.

“We have just enough time to go back to the Pokemon Center,” I said. “We’d best have these guys fresh for the Gym.


* * * * * * * * * *


As we headed there, Celeste was headed in the opposite direction, kicking a soda can.

“Lousy, stupid, show-off, dumb luck…” she said to herself.

“Of course it was luck,” said a voice in her mind. “That’s the way it goes sometimes.”

As she looked around, Kadabra appeared before her.

“Luck governs everything,” he said. “Skill has little to do with anything, no matter how much folks would like you to believe. Luck, chance, and randomness… it is what governs the world and its engines of life.”

“You can talk?!” said Celeste.

“No, young lady, I can communicate with you and others through telepathy… but it is almost as good as talking.”

“Aw, this is not my day!!” shouted Celeste. “The pokemon of a lifetime is right in front of me, and my pokemon are in no condition to help me catch it!!”

“Wouldn’t work anyway,” said Kadabra. “I’m already accounted for.”

“What do you want?” said Celeste.

“To make you an offer,” he said. “You, young lady, have potential, and judging by your attitude, you know doubt know the truth about the world… that order is a myth, and it’s opposite, chaos is the only thing that drives it.”

“Huh?” said Celeste.

“Let me explain with a demonstration,” said Kadabra. He produced two candy bars. “I was just about to have a snack, and I’m willing to share. I have a Butterfinger and a Baby Ruth… which one do you want?”

Celeste looked puzzled. “Um, the Baby Ruth, I guess.”

“Certainly,” said Kadabra giving it to her. He unwrapped the other one. “But tell me, why did you chose that one and not the Butterfinger?”

“I like Baby Ruth better?”

“Indeed. But surely you also like Butterfinger,” said Kadabra. “One would have to be allergic to peanuts to not like it, with its sweet peanut butter crisp and chocolate coating…”

“I just like Baby Ruth better!” said Celeste. “It isn’t that I don’t like Butterfinger…”

“Well that’s the point,” said Kadabra. “The reason you chose one candy bar over the other is because you possess free will, as all sentient beings do. No one was forcing you to take one of them over the other. Therefore, humans and pokemon are in charge of their own destinies. No laws direct them or tell them what they must or must not do. Order is a myth… there is only random chance and whim. Or as we like to call it, Chaos.”

He produced a small card.

“Here’s our card,” he said.

Celeste looked at it.



TEAM CHAOS

^^^

”You could not step twice into the
same river, for other waters are ever
flowing on to you. - Heruclitus

(555) 555-1251



“Heruclitus?” said Celeste.

“He was a Greek philosopher in the fifth century B.C.,” said Kadabra. “His quote is our motto.”

“Lovely. What does this have to do with me?” said Celeste.

“Like I said,” said Kadabra, “you have potential, and furthermore, we seem to have an enemy in common. You could go far in the world of pokemon with us behind you.

“If your interested, call the number on that card… operators are standing by.”

And with that, he vanished.

Celeste stood alone for a few minutes.

She unwrapped the candy bar and took a bite from it.

As she chewed, she looked at the card again.


Chapter Seven coming soon…

[DannyBoy]

That was a good chapter. The battle was well done and Electrike seemed really strong for a newly caught pokemon. But I really liked how you described it. It was a good length and had a good amount of action. The catch at the beginning was also good. Cool seeing a Electrike in a fic. Keep it up!

[Light_Togetic]

Wow... Ishmael already has four pokemon?! It seems a bit fast to me, but it actually kinda fits his personality. I like the idea of Team Chaos wanting Celeste on their side, and the way Kadabra talks is just fun to read. He has that 'superior' way of talking and sounds so smart, yet he's totally evil. And Ishmael really holds a grudge (although I could see why in this case). Nice chapter! Keep it up!

mr_pikachu: Heh! I didn't mean to insult nerds, I just mean that it was different to see a smart, but not overly nerdy person. Why would I insult nerds? I am one! ^-^ Or at least that's what I consider myself... Anyway, apologies if any other nerds got offended; I meant no harm. =P

[mistysakura]

Sorry I didn't comment on the other chapter; I was really tired that day.

Anyway, the battle was short, but it showed the stupidity of Celeste, which was cool. And it makes sense that Kadabra would want Celeste on their side, even though she's ignorant. And about Chapter 5, The bit where Bonnie used Magical Leaf after the binding attack was good. Amazing how little bits like that can show a person's character.

Good one.

[mr_pikachu]

Not bad, not bad. The battle was good, but a little quick. It would have been nice if you'd drawn out the action a bit more, since that creates suspense. But that's okay, you're used to dueling battles, not Pokemon. In dueling, every attack destroys or backfires instantly. It's not like that in Pokemon, so things need to be drawn out.

So Celeste is being recruited by Team Chaos? That makes sense, but I almost feel bad for Celeste - she has no idea what she's getting into... And Ishmael destroying her team was just mean. Especially the bragging. I guess I'm feeling sympathetic toward Celeste after the vengeful humiliation Ishmael handed her. That could be used in interesting ways, y'know.

Well, good job! I'll be looking forward to next chapter!