Note: I do not claim Pokemon as my own intellectual property. If you recognize it as something that belongs in Pokemon, its not mine. This is story is meant only to be free entertainment.
Chapter One
Soul peered into the space under her bed. It was empty but for a few dust bunearies. There was no sign of her hat. She stood and swept her eye around her bedroom one last time. She knew it had been in its usual place atop her dresser before she'd gone to take her morning shower, but that didn't explain where it had gone.
When she thought about it, there was one other thing she hadn't seen since earlier that morning: Mareep. Suspicious, Soul left her room and went downstairs. It seemed Mareep didn't get very far in her hat-stealing plot, because Soul spotted the missing hat on the far end of the sofa. As quietly as she could, Soul crept across the living room and, once it was it was in reach, snatched the hat straight up.
Soul laughed when Mareep let out a surprised cry. "Might want to find a better hiding place next time, huh?" She jammed the hat onto her head. "So, ready to head out?"
The pokemon let out a pleased bleat and leaped to the floor, an obvious, "Yes!"
Soul led the way through the kitchen, planning on grabbing an apple for herself and some berries for Mareep before leaving. She stopped before the fruit bowl and starred at it for a moment, at a loss for thought. Her mother had left a note and money perched atop the mound of apples and oranges.
"Am I really that predicable?" she asked Mareep as she picked up the paper and read it.
In the garden today.
The berries have reached the peak of ripeness.
Can you go to Cherrygrove and pick up a few things for me?
A list of items followed the short note. Soul chuckled. Her mom took gardening so seriously. She pocketed the list and money before grabbing an apple and a fist full of berries from the berry jar. "Looks like we're going to Cherrygrove today, Mar."
Mareep let out a cried out in joy and zoomed back through the house to wait at the front door, as she did even when the pair stayed in town. Their walks were part of their daily routine, but Mareep always acted as if she'd been locked inside for months. As soon as Soul opened the door, Mareep dashed outside and tumbled through the nearest patch of grass. Soul just shook her head and muttered, "Silly thing."
Mareep then bounded out of the yard and down the road, leading her owner down the familiar road that would take them past Professor Elm's lab and onto Route 29. The walk was quiet, as it usually was, at least until they got close to the lab. Almost as soon as the lab came into view, a terrified cry ripped through the air. Before Soul could figure out where it came from, something slammed right into Mareep and sent her flying as if she were nothing more than a leaf. It then leaped at Soul so suddenly that she was almost knocked over as well. The wrapped her arms around the squirming thing, trying to subdue it.
"QUIIIIIIIL!" the creature cried, trying to hide its head under one of Soul's arms. It was a Cyndaquil and it was terrified. Had it escaped from the lab? And just what had it so scared? The second question was answered soon enough. A Totodile was running from the same direction the Cyndaquil had, growling and waving its arms menacingly. It stopped just short of Soul and hopped up and down, trying to look more ferocious. Cyndaquil tried harder to hide.
Soul turned her body away from the water pokemon. "Leave poor Cyndaquil alone!" she commanded. The Totodile merely ran around Soul so as to put itself in front of Cyndaquil. Mareep picked herself up from the side of the road and jumped between Soul and Totodile, growling and sparking. That seemed to frighten Totodile a bit, because it hopped backwards.
"Heeey!"
Soul turned her head, still using her body to shield Cyndaquil. Gold was running as hard as he could, waving two poke balls.
"Totodile, get back in here!" he shouted when he was in range. Totodile turned and fell over in an attempt to escape before it was pulled back into its ball. Gold slowed and finally stopped next to Soul, bending over to catch his breath. "Sorry about that…Soul," he huffed. "I was walking them…for the professor, and…well…I guess Totodile and Cyndaquil don't get along."
"You're telling me," Soul said, stroking Cyndaquil's head. Since Totodile had been called back, the little pokemon had calmed down quite a bit. "I suppose you'll want this little one back?"
"Yeah." Gold lifted the other poke ball and Cyndaquil's form dissipated from Soul's hold. "Thanks."
Soul shrugged. "What was a supposed to do, throw it down and let Totodile torment it?"
Gold grinned. "You've got a point. Anyway, I should get these guys back to Professor Elm. I think they've gotten enough fresh air for one day. See ya later."
"See ya!" Soul waved as Gold ran back towards the lab. Once he was out of sight, she looked down at her Mareep. "Are you okay? That Cyndaquil bashed into you pretty hard."
Mareep gave her answer by running a few laps around Soul's feet. Satisfied, Soul motioned for her to continue on.
"Whoo! I can't wait to get home and rest! How about you, Mareep?" Mareep poked her head out of the patch of tall grass she'd just dove into. "Careful, you might run into a Sentret in there."
Mareep gave Soul at look that said, "I can take a stinking Sentret."
The pair was nearing New Bark Town, having made the trip to the store in Cherrygrove. It really was a longer walk than they usually take, so Soul was tired, even if Mareep still had energy to spare. Mareep could probably run from Olivine to Lavender Town in Kanto and still have the energy to run back.
"AUUUUG!"
Mareep and Soul both stopped at the same moment. After the Totodile/Cyndaquil fiasco that morning, they were wary of any stray cries. Slowly, they continued down the path, relaxing when they rounded a bend and saw that it was just a very flustered Professor Elm and his assistants.
"Afternoon, Professor!" Soul called.
The researchers looked around.
"Ah! Soul!" Professor Elm answered. "I heard you met my Totodile and Cyndaquil this morning."
"Yeah. You should really do something about that Totodile. It has a bit of an attitude problem."
Elm chuckled. "It does, doesn't it? Are you heading back to town?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Well, you see…" Elm fidgeted a bit, embarrassed to be in such a situation. "We've come out to do a field study today, but I forgot a folder on my desk. Would you mind getting it and bringing it back to us?"
"No problem!" Soul turned to Mareep and held out the grocery bag she carried. "Take this home to Mom?"
Mareep stood reared up on her hind legs, excited by this new challenge. Soul gave the bag to the pokemon and watched her take off in the direction of home.
"Spunky little thing," one of Professor Elm's assistants commented.
Soul pushed open the front door of the lab. It was dark inside, and she wasn't sure where the light switch was, but she knew the general direction of Professor Elm's office, and the open door gave her a little light.
She'd taken two steps into the lab when she froze. She'd seen a thin sliver of light flash somewhere near the back of the lab. It was just the light from the door reflecting off of something, she told herself. However, she was still drawn to that spot. She crossed the lab, remembering from her last visit that the only clear pathway was straight up the middle. She reached the back wall and walked along it until she reached the spot where she'd seen the light. There was a door that stood slightly ajar there. She placed her hand upon it, about to push it open, when she saw the light flash again. It came from inside the room. She'd seen the light switch on the wall right next to the door when the light passed over it. She took a deep breath and braced herself. Then, she thrust one hand through the opening in the door towards the switch; she shoved the door open with the other.
In the middle of Professor Elm's office stood a boy with long, red hair, dark clothes, and a flashlight, the source of the light Soul had seen. He'd been startled still by the sudden light. He stood with his free hand poised over a poke ball on the professor's desk.
Without thinking, Soul jumped at his back, knocking him first into the desk and then to the floor. She locked her arms around him and started screaming, hoping someone would pass by and hear her. The boy tried to throw her off. She just clung tighter. He reached for one of the poke balls that had been knocked off the desk. Soul stuck an arm out and snatched it away before his fingers could brush it. She curled her arm in and held the ball against her chest, ensuring he couldn't reach it again. But now her grip on him wasn't as firm. He rolled and pried her arm from around his neck, then used the desk as support to pull himself upright. Soul, reeling on the floor, scrambled for the remaining poke ball. She saw it by the door and dove, but she wasn't quick enough. The intruder snatched it up and fled the office. Soul chased him, crashing into tables stacked with instruments and tripping over the books the boy knocked over in his blind escape.
She shot outside and looked around, spotting the boy running towards Route 29. "Stop!" She yelled, though it did her no good. She sprinted after him, hoping that he wasn't too much fast than she. "Professor Elm!" she tried. "Professor Elm!"
There was no sign of the professor or his assistants. Soul was on her own.
The boy was nearing the turn off for Route 46. If he ran that way, there'd be no way Soul would be able to catch him. She only had one option. "Thief! Come back here and face me!"
To Soul's surprise, the boy stopped and turned.
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