How to Catch an Abra

by cricketeer

"Abras are timid and shy Pokemon, and will often teleport to safety at the first sign of danger. To catch one you must first either stun it or put it to sleep. Incidentally, teaching philosophy is much the same."

How to Catch an Abra, Prologue

She's not in your League, kid

She was cute to boot, the boy thought, and that was perhaps the clincher, above and most likely in spite of his vaunted instinct (self-perceived though it may have been). There was a peculiar bounce to her step, a certain set to her jaw... He wondered if she tamed her Pokemon as beautifully and efficiently as she had tamed his skipping heart.

The bushes rustled as he fairly leaped from hiding and the girl stopped, startled. Her head rose and their eyes met, and he grinned confidently. "You're beautiful, I challenge you!"

The girl's face shifted toward puzzlement, if not wariness as the boy flourished a hand and struck a pose. "When two trainers make eye contact they must do battle. It's an unwritten code!"

"I don't really do the whole... that thing, you know," she said, looking away and biting her lip.

"That - that thing?" The boy sagged in place. "Don't - don't you like Pokemon?" he asked aghast, but she was already striding past with that determined, bouncing step.

,.-,.
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