Chapter II
Remotely Normal
I stepped into the great gray building. I saw a stairwell on the other side of the room. I pulled out Bubbly's Pokeball. As soon as I stepped onto the battle floor, a boy stepped out. He was a Camper. "You're goin' down!" he said.
"You wish!" I yelled, throwing the Pokeball. Out flew a bright blue Marill. I had raised it from a Marl. He looked like a mouse, with large ears and a long, black tail with a ball on the end of it. The ball was filled with a type of oil that floated on water, keeping it from sinking.
I pulled out my Pokegear. Prof. Oak had upgraded it. It now had a Radio Card, which let me listen to radio stations on it, a Map Card, with Kanto and Johto, A Phone Card, which enabled me to convert the Pokegear into a cell phone, and my Pokedex, all rolled into one! Oak had even installed the latest version of Pokemove, the program for checking Pokemon moves. The Pokedex could even identify unknown Pokemon and their types.
The Camper sent out a Sandslash, which was at L27. Bubbly was at L22, but it could handle this. "Bubbly, Rollout!" I yelled. Bubbly rolled into a ball and charged the Sandslash, but he bounced right off. The move was Rock-type! Ground types, like Sandslash, are strong against Rock! "Sandslash, dig a hole!" the Camper commanded. Sandslash obeyed. Marill was unprotected against the hit, and I didn't know when Sandslash would jump out below Bubbly.
"Bubbly, Defense Curl!" Now he would be somewhat protected... Suddenly, Sandslash burst out of the ground, sending Bubbly flying! Dexter (my Pokedex) said that the damage was reduced by 10 hit points.
Now, it was time to get serious. "Bubbly, Water Gun, now!" I yelled. Bubbly puffed up and spurted a jet of clear water at Sandslash. It hit hard, sending the spiky Pokemon into the opposite wall. There it stayed, its spikes stuck in the wall. The Camper recalled his mouse Pokemon and walked up to me. "That Marill of yours sure is strong. Where did you catch it?" he asked, while holding out his hand. I shook it, and said, "A route south of White City."
He thanked me and left to heal his wounded Pokemon. "Next stop, Bro-- " I started to say, but I was cut off when Bubbly started glowing! The ears and tail grew longer. The white spot on its belly moved to the lower part of its body. The white area now looked like bubbling water. It had evolved into Azumarill!
Now, I was ready for Brock. I climbed up the stairs to the second floor. It was on the roof, so Grass-types could use Solarbeam. There was a pool of water over to one side, which Bubbly ran over to.
"Jim. I've heard about you...but where? Ah, yes. Jerry, the kid you just beat, called me. You have a strong Mar-, I mean Azumarill..." Brock was standing on a platform on the other side of the roof. As I stood there, a platform rose up from beneath my feet!
Brock pulled out a black Heavy Ball. He threw it, and a huge Graveler flew out. It had four rough-skinned arms. Azumarill had revived itself in the pool, so he ran up to me. Brock laughed. "I've been building up the Special Defense of my Pokemon for years. You can't penetrate their shields!!!"
"I can try!" I yelled. I inserted my Pokegear into the slot on the platform. A screen showed Bubbly and Graveler's stats. "Bubbly, Water Gun, now!" Bubbly leaped into the air and sprayed water at Graveler, knocking it down. The huge Rock Pokemon stood up. Its health was almost depleted...
Suddenly, it began to glow. Rays of light flew out of the hard shell. "Bubbly! Jump into the pool and dive under!" I knew what was going on. Plexiglass walls rose up in front of Brock and I. Suddenly, Graveler exploded! Brock must have trained it to SelfDestruct when it was almost gone.
When the smoke cleared, I could see Graveler, lying on the ground, unmoving. Bubbly jumped out of the pool. Brock recalled the four-armed Pokemon and sent out the Rock Snake Pokemon, Onix. "Onix, Tackle attack!" he commanded. Onix jumped into the air, coming straight at Bubbly! "Bubbly, use your Bubblebeam to knock it back!" The Aquarabbit spurted a beam of powerful bubbles at Onix. Its Tackle was interrupted by the blast, and it careened backward, right into the pool!
"You have done well, Jim, but now it is time for the real challenge!" Brock pulled out an Ultra Ball. What? I... What was this?
What came out made me realize that I should have studied up on Brock and his Pokemon. Out of the ball came a large shellfish-like Pokemon, with large scythes on its arms. I gasped. "A Kabutops!"
"Yes, with its water-type characteristics, it is impervious to your Azumarill's attacks. Absorb, now!" A Grass-type attack! Kabutops raised a large scythe, and a ball of green energy was sapped from Bubbly...
* * *
As I slowly trudged out of the Gym, someone standing next to the door said to me, "The Kabutops got ya too, huh?" I turned around to see a tall boy wearing jeans and a yellow T-shirt. "Call me Jack. I breed Electric Pokemon and sell them, or in this case, give them away." He held out a small red Pokeball. "Go on, take it." He gave me a friendly smile. I took the ball and threw it. Out came a small gray Pokemon. It looked strangely like a TV remote...
"It's called a Plae. Almost ready to evolve," he said. "What do you want in return?" I asked suspiciously. "Only friendship. I never stay in one place long enough to make friends. But you look like you are traveling all over the place, so you can have Plae, as long as I can come with you." I thought about it for a minute, then I said, "Okay. I'm going to heal my Azumarill at the Pokemon Center."
As we walked, I checked my Pokedex about Plae. It was a newly discovered Pokemon. " 'It is able to freeze opponents for up to five seconds. During this time, it sends an electric jolt at them. A remote Pokemon of the Electric element,' " I read.
At the Pokemon Center, I called up Prof. Oak. "Hello? Hey, Jim. Oh! Jack! How are you? I haven't seen you in a while. Have you given Jim a Plae yet?" Jack laughed. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. I'm fine. How are you?"
"Are you in Pewter City? Say hello to Brock for me. Have you challenged him yet?"
"Yes, but he surprised me with his Kabutops." I said. Oak laughed. "That happens a lot. Don't worry, you'll beat him next time. Well, I have to go. Ryan wants to speak with me."
He hung up. I took my Pokemon to the counter. A nurse took my Pokemon and walked off to heal them. As we waited, I told Jack why I was collecting Gym badges.
"Will Jim report to the front counter, please? Jim, report to the counter." a voice said over the intercom. I got my Pokemon and headed out the door, Jack behind me. We reached the Gym, still as gray and boring as ever. I walked in, while Jack went to check out the new museum, which had just opened.
"Brock! Come out where I can see you!" I yelled. He came out of the shadows. "I'm here for a rematch!" The platform once again rose up. "Are you ready for more punishment?" he asked. I pulled out Sparky's (Plae's) Pokeball. "I'm ready this time!"
He hadn't recalled his Kabutops since I left. I saw the sunlight reflecting off one of its scythes. It stepped out. "Kabu!" it said. "Sparky, I choose you!" I threw the ball, and out popped Plae. I pulled out my Pokedex. It had some good attacks. "Plae, Thundershock!" Kabutops froze. A small lump on the top of Sparky's body lit up and sent a jolt of electricity out. The shellfish unfroze right before the attack hit, but didn't have time to dodge the lightning.
My Pokedex showed half damage. This was a good Pokemon, for a baby! "Kabutops, Absorb its health!" Brock yelled. The attack didn't deal much damage. "Spark attack!" A spark flew from Plae this time. Kabutops didn't know what hit it until it was down for the count.
Brock pulled out yet another Great Ball, which held an Aerodactyl, I was sure. He threw it. I held my breath...
But instead of an Aerodactyl, out came an Omastar! Another Water/Rock combo. "Recover, Plae!" Plae regained almost all of its health. "Spike Cannon!" Omastar's spikes shot out at Sparky, hitting it four times. "Thunderbolt!" Plae looked into the sky. A huge bolt of lightning flew down and struck Omastar, felling it.
I had won!
A small compartment on the platform opened, revealing an octagon- shaped Boulderbadge! I was about to recall Plae when it started glowing. It changed shape, now looking like a small TV set with eyes on the screen and a VCR attached to it by a cord. "Fastforwurd," a voice said. I turned around to see Jack, who was standing by the stairs. "Told ya it was about to evolve." I laughed. "Yes, you did." I grabbed my Boulderbadge. The platform lowered itself back down to the ground. Now it was time to go to Mount Moon...
* * *
The huge mountain loomed above me. I had heard that the tunnel had worn down over the years. I headed in.
As I stepped in, a figure ambushed me. He jumped out of the shadows next to the entrance. I got up. "I've been waiting for you, Jim," he said. It couldn't be! Then I saw the dirty-blond hair. "Ryan! Hey, what's up?" I said. "Ha! You don't know what's up? Zubat are up!" he said in a rude tone. I looked up. He was right. Hundreds of Zubat were clinging to the ceiling! I thought I saw a weird flash, but Ryan said, "You were right. It is your fault that Jessica is missing." He pulled out a Pokeball. "Prof Oak gave me a Pokemon of my own. One with an advantage against your puny Cleffa. Go, Hitmonlee!" He released his Hitmonlee. "Now you send out your Cleffa!" he yelled.
It looked like he was pretty mad at me, so I sent out Moonstone. "What? It evolved already? You have a way with Pokemon. Oh well, Tyrogue evolved quickly, too."
I knew what would get Hitmonlee down fast. It was male, and Moonstone was female, so... "Attract, Moonstone!" Clefairy started releasing a powerful scent, which attracted Pokemon of the opposite gender. Hitmonlee froze. It had worked! Hitmonlee had become infatuated, and was now at Moonstone's mercy!
"Moonstone, Metronome!" Moonstone waved her hands back and forth. Suddenly, she launched a burst of Psychic energy from her forehead. Hitmonlee was a fighting type, weak against Psychic, so he was down easily.
Ryan was mad now. He sent out a metallic bird. Skarmory! I sent out Sparky. "Spark, now!" It missed. The spark of electricity bounced away, hitting the wall and disappearing. "Skarmory, Metal Claw, now!" Ryan commanded.
The Flying-Steel combo flew at Fastforwurd, claws ready to strike. Fastforwurd leaped out of the way at the last second, but the claws hit the VCR, dealing some damage. Another Spark, which hit, but Skarmory wasn't down, only paralyzed. It fell to the ground. "Thundershock!" was the last thing Skarmory heard before it drifted into unconsciousness.
"How could you, of all people, beat me? Where'd you get the TV set? I built up a team for Normal-types, and you have a Fastforwurd?" Ryan yelled. He stormed off, still mumbling to himself.
As Jack and I continued through the dark cave, he asked, "How do you know that guy?" I sighed. "We were best friends back in White City. Me, Jess, and Ryan were a pretty close circle." A Zubat shrieked. "How did you meet Jessica, anyway?" he asked. "Well, I attend Earl's Pokemon Academy, and so does she. Three years ago, we both were finally old enough to enroll..."
* * *
August 20, 1998. The year I turned 10. The day I started attending EPA. I was a crazy kid, obsessed with Fire Pokemon. I especially loved Charizard. My mom finally let me enroll at EPA in White City. I took the Fire course.
I walked into the classroom. The walls were painted red, orange, and yellow. I was wearing my favorite cap, a red one that said, "Cinnabar Magmar" on it. They were the best Kanto/Johto football team that year. I saw a ton of other kids, but one caught my eye. He was wearing a Magmar cap, too. I sat next to him. "My name's Jim," I said, smiling. "I'm Ryan." After that, we were best friends.
That year, I learned all I could about Fire Pokemon. I also met Jessica, whose favorite Pokemon was, and still is, Growlithe. She was okay, but she never noticed me.
The next year, I took the Normal course. That's when I became interested in the relationship between Normal- and Dark-type attacks. Jessica was still in the Fire course, but Ryan was in Steel, which was only for a semester, since the Steel-type had only just been discovered. Then he took the single-semester Fighting course. That year, Jessica actually called me for help with her homework!
The third year, last year, I took Dark. Jessica also took that course. Near the first of the year, we had our Homecoming. The White City Wigglytuff had their game at the EPA football field. I liked Jess that year, but she hated me, or so I thought. A girl in the Electric class lived on Jessica's street. I asked Hope to ask Jess what she thought of me, but she must have said something that tipped Jess off.
The next week, Homecoming week, Jessica asked me about Hope. "Did you ask her to ask me something?" I stammered out, "Um...no." I ran out of the building.
Everyone at school had a date to the Homecoming dance except those who weren't going. I wasn't going. But I was going to the party after the dance. So was Jess, or so everyone said.
At the game, Paul, a guy in the Dragon class, who knew that I liked Jess, asked me if I wanted to go to the party with Jessica. He said, "If I ask her, 'If someone asked you to go to the party with him, would you say yes?' " I said it was okay. He asked her, and she said, "Yes, I will go to the party with Jim." Paul was surprised.
At the party, I waited for Jessica. I sat on a bench with Ryan for thirty minutes before I decided to sit by the bonfire. She never showed up.
The next Monday at school, I asked Jess what happened. "My brother ha a football game in Johto, and we got back later than I expected. I'm sorry." She hadn't stood me up. Good. "It's okay, but to make up for it, will you go out with me?" I asked. I waited for the no, but it never came.
She stood there. "Y-yes. I will." She smiled. "But I thought you hated me. You don't?" Huh? "I thought you hated me!" I laughed.
* * *
"And we've been going out since then." I finished. "Wow. And now she's missing?" Jack asked. "Yeah."
Suddenly, we came to a fork in the path. We went left. A ladder was at the end of the tunnel. When we got to the top, there was dark sky. I looked around. A small shop stood next to a fenced field with a gate. A rock stood in the middle of the field.
"We took the wrong path!" Jack said. "No, we didn't. We can pick up some Moon Stones here." I said, pointing to the shop. A sign said, "Mt. Moon Square: DON'T LITTER." We walked into the store. A guy behind the counter said, "May I help you?" I walked up. "Yes. Do you know where we can get some Moon Stones?" He pulled out an Ultra Ball. "Yes, but first ya gotta battle me!"
We walked outside the store. He threw the ball. Out came an Articuno. "What the...?" I said. "Where'd you get the bird?" I asked. I'd never seen one outside of captivity. "I'll tell ya if ya beat me!" he yelled. Out came Fastforwurd. "Thunderbolt!" The huge bolt hit the Articuno. Half damage?!? Wow! Something was wrong here... "Wait!" Jack yelled.
"That's not a real Articuno!" he said. "It's a robot! Look at the eyes! They're yellow, not red!" I realized why Sparky had done so much damage to it. I saw the eyes. They had no pupils, no color except that they were totally yellow.
"How did you figure that out?!?" the guy asked. "I've seen you before. My Power short-circuited your 'Mewtwo'." Jack said. Power was the evolved form of Fastforwurd. It looked like a TV with eyes, but it had amplifiers attached to it.
"You! You're the idiot who found me out! You had pity on me, so you didn't report me!" the guy said. I checked my Pokedex. It said that the guy was classified as a Cooltrainer...
"Look, I'll tell you where the Moon Stones are. See the field over there? At night, Clefairy come out and dance around that rock, but only on Mondays. If you use Rock Smash on the rock, there'll be a Stone in there. I would charge you, but today I'll break the Moon Stone into two for free."
I ran over to the rock. Sure enough, there were Clefairy dancing around it, they scattered when I approached. I sent out all of my Pokemon to see if they could break open the rock without Rock Smash. "All right, everybody, use your strongest attacks!" Bubbly used Rollout, Sparky used Spark, Puff used Pound, Moonstone used Metronome, which made it use Blizzard, and Eevee used Tackle. The rock was barely affected.
I recalled all of them and went back to Jack and the weird Cooltrainer. "Where can I get Rock Smash?" I asked. "Some Geodude in the cave already know it," the guy said. I ran back to the ladder. I popped out a Heavy Ball, custom made by Kurt and given to me by his friend the Prof. "These babies can catch a heavy Pokemon like Geodude almost immediately!"
I dropped down the ladder and landed hard, but I was okay. I needed those Moon Stones! The first rocky Geodude I ran into didn't know Rock Smash, but I defeated it for experience anyway.
The next one knew the Fighting-type move. I threw the black-and-gray ball. I nicknamed it Rocky, and practically flew up the ladder! I ran over to the huge rock. "Rock Smash!" The rock crumbled. I picked up the glowing blue stone hidden underneath. "Here it is." I said to the Cooltrainer. He took it and we went into the store. The real owner had returned. He was a tall man that looked like...
Jessica's father! I forgot that he worked at Mt. Moon Square.
"What are you doing here, Jim?" he asked. "Didn't Jess tell you?" I asked. I'm traveling all over Kanto." He sighed. "No, I'm afraid she didn't talk about you much before...you know. Anyway, this is Philip, my nephew. Has he been helpful?" I laughed. "Uh, yes. He's been very helpful. He was just showing us how to get the Moon Stone." Jack said. "Oh, so you are this week's winner of the Moon Stone Search!" said Jess's dad. "Phil here was going to break it in half for us..." Philip gave me a helpless look, "...because, um, we know Jessica!" I had saved him, for now...
"Oh, okay. Just don't make a mess." Jess's dad walked to the back of the store to restock the Portrait Mail. Only $50. Sorry. He asked me to advertise. Anyway...
Philip broke the stone in half. I slipped him $100. He looked like he needed it. Thanks, I saw him mouth.
I walked outside and sent out Puff and Moonstone. Jigglypuff's eyes glowed eerily in the moonlight. I held out the Stones to them. Jigglypuff's ears grew longer. So did her body. Both changed, but not dramatically. You could still see Jigglypuff and Clefairy in them.
I recalled them and looked up at the full moon. Suddenly, I saw a dog-like Pokemon get up on a distant hill. It tilted its head back and howled. As it howled, fire jetted out of its mouth. I yanked out my Pokedex to see what it was, but when I looked up, the hound was gone!
"What was that noise?" Jack said as he came out of the shop. "I'm not sure, but it was a Pokemon." I answered. My Pokedex beeped in my hand. Wigglytuff was trying to learn Sunny Day. Sunny Day? I opened up the attack program, Pokemove 2000.
Sunny Day:
Enhances all fire-type moves used for 2-5 turns. Also found to have strange effect on any Dark-type Pokemon.
Why was Wigglytuff...? Oh well. I let it learn the move. I was still a Fire fan.
We returned to the darkness of the cave. I saw the weird sparkle on the ceiling again, but this time I saw what it was. A Zubat flew down from the ceiling. It was green! Green? A colored Pokemon! It sparkled, as did all other colored Pokemon. I had to catch it! It was a male at L21. I pulled out a white Fast Ball. It had a high Speed rating. Funny, I'd never seen a fast Zubat... Must be the alternate colorings.
"Fast Ball, go!" I threw the white ball. He was mine! The only nickname for it was Greenbat. Wow! Colored Pokemon were rare. Well, now I had a Zubat.
* * *
As I walked out of the cave on the Cerulean side, I looked up at the moon.
Wasn't it full earlier? A third of it was dark!
Remotely Normal
I stepped into the great gray building. I saw a stairwell on the other side of the room. I pulled out Bubbly's Pokeball. As soon as I stepped onto the battle floor, a boy stepped out. He was a Camper. "You're goin' down!" he said.
"You wish!" I yelled, throwing the Pokeball. Out flew a bright blue Marill. I had raised it from a Marl. He looked like a mouse, with large ears and a long, black tail with a ball on the end of it. The ball was filled with a type of oil that floated on water, keeping it from sinking.
I pulled out my Pokegear. Prof. Oak had upgraded it. It now had a Radio Card, which let me listen to radio stations on it, a Map Card, with Kanto and Johto, A Phone Card, which enabled me to convert the Pokegear into a cell phone, and my Pokedex, all rolled into one! Oak had even installed the latest version of Pokemove, the program for checking Pokemon moves. The Pokedex could even identify unknown Pokemon and their types.
The Camper sent out a Sandslash, which was at L27. Bubbly was at L22, but it could handle this. "Bubbly, Rollout!" I yelled. Bubbly rolled into a ball and charged the Sandslash, but he bounced right off. The move was Rock-type! Ground types, like Sandslash, are strong against Rock! "Sandslash, dig a hole!" the Camper commanded. Sandslash obeyed. Marill was unprotected against the hit, and I didn't know when Sandslash would jump out below Bubbly.
"Bubbly, Defense Curl!" Now he would be somewhat protected... Suddenly, Sandslash burst out of the ground, sending Bubbly flying! Dexter (my Pokedex) said that the damage was reduced by 10 hit points.
Now, it was time to get serious. "Bubbly, Water Gun, now!" I yelled. Bubbly puffed up and spurted a jet of clear water at Sandslash. It hit hard, sending the spiky Pokemon into the opposite wall. There it stayed, its spikes stuck in the wall. The Camper recalled his mouse Pokemon and walked up to me. "That Marill of yours sure is strong. Where did you catch it?" he asked, while holding out his hand. I shook it, and said, "A route south of White City."
He thanked me and left to heal his wounded Pokemon. "Next stop, Bro-- " I started to say, but I was cut off when Bubbly started glowing! The ears and tail grew longer. The white spot on its belly moved to the lower part of its body. The white area now looked like bubbling water. It had evolved into Azumarill!
Now, I was ready for Brock. I climbed up the stairs to the second floor. It was on the roof, so Grass-types could use Solarbeam. There was a pool of water over to one side, which Bubbly ran over to.
"Jim. I've heard about you...but where? Ah, yes. Jerry, the kid you just beat, called me. You have a strong Mar-, I mean Azumarill..." Brock was standing on a platform on the other side of the roof. As I stood there, a platform rose up from beneath my feet!
Brock pulled out a black Heavy Ball. He threw it, and a huge Graveler flew out. It had four rough-skinned arms. Azumarill had revived itself in the pool, so he ran up to me. Brock laughed. "I've been building up the Special Defense of my Pokemon for years. You can't penetrate their shields!!!"
"I can try!" I yelled. I inserted my Pokegear into the slot on the platform. A screen showed Bubbly and Graveler's stats. "Bubbly, Water Gun, now!" Bubbly leaped into the air and sprayed water at Graveler, knocking it down. The huge Rock Pokemon stood up. Its health was almost depleted...
Suddenly, it began to glow. Rays of light flew out of the hard shell. "Bubbly! Jump into the pool and dive under!" I knew what was going on. Plexiglass walls rose up in front of Brock and I. Suddenly, Graveler exploded! Brock must have trained it to SelfDestruct when it was almost gone.
When the smoke cleared, I could see Graveler, lying on the ground, unmoving. Bubbly jumped out of the pool. Brock recalled the four-armed Pokemon and sent out the Rock Snake Pokemon, Onix. "Onix, Tackle attack!" he commanded. Onix jumped into the air, coming straight at Bubbly! "Bubbly, use your Bubblebeam to knock it back!" The Aquarabbit spurted a beam of powerful bubbles at Onix. Its Tackle was interrupted by the blast, and it careened backward, right into the pool!
"You have done well, Jim, but now it is time for the real challenge!" Brock pulled out an Ultra Ball. What? I... What was this?
What came out made me realize that I should have studied up on Brock and his Pokemon. Out of the ball came a large shellfish-like Pokemon, with large scythes on its arms. I gasped. "A Kabutops!"
"Yes, with its water-type characteristics, it is impervious to your Azumarill's attacks. Absorb, now!" A Grass-type attack! Kabutops raised a large scythe, and a ball of green energy was sapped from Bubbly...
* * *
As I slowly trudged out of the Gym, someone standing next to the door said to me, "The Kabutops got ya too, huh?" I turned around to see a tall boy wearing jeans and a yellow T-shirt. "Call me Jack. I breed Electric Pokemon and sell them, or in this case, give them away." He held out a small red Pokeball. "Go on, take it." He gave me a friendly smile. I took the ball and threw it. Out came a small gray Pokemon. It looked strangely like a TV remote...
"It's called a Plae. Almost ready to evolve," he said. "What do you want in return?" I asked suspiciously. "Only friendship. I never stay in one place long enough to make friends. But you look like you are traveling all over the place, so you can have Plae, as long as I can come with you." I thought about it for a minute, then I said, "Okay. I'm going to heal my Azumarill at the Pokemon Center."
As we walked, I checked my Pokedex about Plae. It was a newly discovered Pokemon. " 'It is able to freeze opponents for up to five seconds. During this time, it sends an electric jolt at them. A remote Pokemon of the Electric element,' " I read.
At the Pokemon Center, I called up Prof. Oak. "Hello? Hey, Jim. Oh! Jack! How are you? I haven't seen you in a while. Have you given Jim a Plae yet?" Jack laughed. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. I'm fine. How are you?"
"Are you in Pewter City? Say hello to Brock for me. Have you challenged him yet?"
"Yes, but he surprised me with his Kabutops." I said. Oak laughed. "That happens a lot. Don't worry, you'll beat him next time. Well, I have to go. Ryan wants to speak with me."
He hung up. I took my Pokemon to the counter. A nurse took my Pokemon and walked off to heal them. As we waited, I told Jack why I was collecting Gym badges.
"Will Jim report to the front counter, please? Jim, report to the counter." a voice said over the intercom. I got my Pokemon and headed out the door, Jack behind me. We reached the Gym, still as gray and boring as ever. I walked in, while Jack went to check out the new museum, which had just opened.
"Brock! Come out where I can see you!" I yelled. He came out of the shadows. "I'm here for a rematch!" The platform once again rose up. "Are you ready for more punishment?" he asked. I pulled out Sparky's (Plae's) Pokeball. "I'm ready this time!"
He hadn't recalled his Kabutops since I left. I saw the sunlight reflecting off one of its scythes. It stepped out. "Kabu!" it said. "Sparky, I choose you!" I threw the ball, and out popped Plae. I pulled out my Pokedex. It had some good attacks. "Plae, Thundershock!" Kabutops froze. A small lump on the top of Sparky's body lit up and sent a jolt of electricity out. The shellfish unfroze right before the attack hit, but didn't have time to dodge the lightning.
My Pokedex showed half damage. This was a good Pokemon, for a baby! "Kabutops, Absorb its health!" Brock yelled. The attack didn't deal much damage. "Spark attack!" A spark flew from Plae this time. Kabutops didn't know what hit it until it was down for the count.
Brock pulled out yet another Great Ball, which held an Aerodactyl, I was sure. He threw it. I held my breath...
But instead of an Aerodactyl, out came an Omastar! Another Water/Rock combo. "Recover, Plae!" Plae regained almost all of its health. "Spike Cannon!" Omastar's spikes shot out at Sparky, hitting it four times. "Thunderbolt!" Plae looked into the sky. A huge bolt of lightning flew down and struck Omastar, felling it.
I had won!
A small compartment on the platform opened, revealing an octagon- shaped Boulderbadge! I was about to recall Plae when it started glowing. It changed shape, now looking like a small TV set with eyes on the screen and a VCR attached to it by a cord. "Fastforwurd," a voice said. I turned around to see Jack, who was standing by the stairs. "Told ya it was about to evolve." I laughed. "Yes, you did." I grabbed my Boulderbadge. The platform lowered itself back down to the ground. Now it was time to go to Mount Moon...
* * *
The huge mountain loomed above me. I had heard that the tunnel had worn down over the years. I headed in.
As I stepped in, a figure ambushed me. He jumped out of the shadows next to the entrance. I got up. "I've been waiting for you, Jim," he said. It couldn't be! Then I saw the dirty-blond hair. "Ryan! Hey, what's up?" I said. "Ha! You don't know what's up? Zubat are up!" he said in a rude tone. I looked up. He was right. Hundreds of Zubat were clinging to the ceiling! I thought I saw a weird flash, but Ryan said, "You were right. It is your fault that Jessica is missing." He pulled out a Pokeball. "Prof Oak gave me a Pokemon of my own. One with an advantage against your puny Cleffa. Go, Hitmonlee!" He released his Hitmonlee. "Now you send out your Cleffa!" he yelled.
It looked like he was pretty mad at me, so I sent out Moonstone. "What? It evolved already? You have a way with Pokemon. Oh well, Tyrogue evolved quickly, too."
I knew what would get Hitmonlee down fast. It was male, and Moonstone was female, so... "Attract, Moonstone!" Clefairy started releasing a powerful scent, which attracted Pokemon of the opposite gender. Hitmonlee froze. It had worked! Hitmonlee had become infatuated, and was now at Moonstone's mercy!
"Moonstone, Metronome!" Moonstone waved her hands back and forth. Suddenly, she launched a burst of Psychic energy from her forehead. Hitmonlee was a fighting type, weak against Psychic, so he was down easily.
Ryan was mad now. He sent out a metallic bird. Skarmory! I sent out Sparky. "Spark, now!" It missed. The spark of electricity bounced away, hitting the wall and disappearing. "Skarmory, Metal Claw, now!" Ryan commanded.
The Flying-Steel combo flew at Fastforwurd, claws ready to strike. Fastforwurd leaped out of the way at the last second, but the claws hit the VCR, dealing some damage. Another Spark, which hit, but Skarmory wasn't down, only paralyzed. It fell to the ground. "Thundershock!" was the last thing Skarmory heard before it drifted into unconsciousness.
"How could you, of all people, beat me? Where'd you get the TV set? I built up a team for Normal-types, and you have a Fastforwurd?" Ryan yelled. He stormed off, still mumbling to himself.
As Jack and I continued through the dark cave, he asked, "How do you know that guy?" I sighed. "We were best friends back in White City. Me, Jess, and Ryan were a pretty close circle." A Zubat shrieked. "How did you meet Jessica, anyway?" he asked. "Well, I attend Earl's Pokemon Academy, and so does she. Three years ago, we both were finally old enough to enroll..."
* * *
August 20, 1998. The year I turned 10. The day I started attending EPA. I was a crazy kid, obsessed with Fire Pokemon. I especially loved Charizard. My mom finally let me enroll at EPA in White City. I took the Fire course.
I walked into the classroom. The walls were painted red, orange, and yellow. I was wearing my favorite cap, a red one that said, "Cinnabar Magmar" on it. They were the best Kanto/Johto football team that year. I saw a ton of other kids, but one caught my eye. He was wearing a Magmar cap, too. I sat next to him. "My name's Jim," I said, smiling. "I'm Ryan." After that, we were best friends.
That year, I learned all I could about Fire Pokemon. I also met Jessica, whose favorite Pokemon was, and still is, Growlithe. She was okay, but she never noticed me.
The next year, I took the Normal course. That's when I became interested in the relationship between Normal- and Dark-type attacks. Jessica was still in the Fire course, but Ryan was in Steel, which was only for a semester, since the Steel-type had only just been discovered. Then he took the single-semester Fighting course. That year, Jessica actually called me for help with her homework!
The third year, last year, I took Dark. Jessica also took that course. Near the first of the year, we had our Homecoming. The White City Wigglytuff had their game at the EPA football field. I liked Jess that year, but she hated me, or so I thought. A girl in the Electric class lived on Jessica's street. I asked Hope to ask Jess what she thought of me, but she must have said something that tipped Jess off.
The next week, Homecoming week, Jessica asked me about Hope. "Did you ask her to ask me something?" I stammered out, "Um...no." I ran out of the building.
Everyone at school had a date to the Homecoming dance except those who weren't going. I wasn't going. But I was going to the party after the dance. So was Jess, or so everyone said.
At the game, Paul, a guy in the Dragon class, who knew that I liked Jess, asked me if I wanted to go to the party with Jessica. He said, "If I ask her, 'If someone asked you to go to the party with him, would you say yes?' " I said it was okay. He asked her, and she said, "Yes, I will go to the party with Jim." Paul was surprised.
At the party, I waited for Jessica. I sat on a bench with Ryan for thirty minutes before I decided to sit by the bonfire. She never showed up.
The next Monday at school, I asked Jess what happened. "My brother ha a football game in Johto, and we got back later than I expected. I'm sorry." She hadn't stood me up. Good. "It's okay, but to make up for it, will you go out with me?" I asked. I waited for the no, but it never came.
She stood there. "Y-yes. I will." She smiled. "But I thought you hated me. You don't?" Huh? "I thought you hated me!" I laughed.
* * *
"And we've been going out since then." I finished. "Wow. And now she's missing?" Jack asked. "Yeah."
Suddenly, we came to a fork in the path. We went left. A ladder was at the end of the tunnel. When we got to the top, there was dark sky. I looked around. A small shop stood next to a fenced field with a gate. A rock stood in the middle of the field.
"We took the wrong path!" Jack said. "No, we didn't. We can pick up some Moon Stones here." I said, pointing to the shop. A sign said, "Mt. Moon Square: DON'T LITTER." We walked into the store. A guy behind the counter said, "May I help you?" I walked up. "Yes. Do you know where we can get some Moon Stones?" He pulled out an Ultra Ball. "Yes, but first ya gotta battle me!"
We walked outside the store. He threw the ball. Out came an Articuno. "What the...?" I said. "Where'd you get the bird?" I asked. I'd never seen one outside of captivity. "I'll tell ya if ya beat me!" he yelled. Out came Fastforwurd. "Thunderbolt!" The huge bolt hit the Articuno. Half damage?!? Wow! Something was wrong here... "Wait!" Jack yelled.
"That's not a real Articuno!" he said. "It's a robot! Look at the eyes! They're yellow, not red!" I realized why Sparky had done so much damage to it. I saw the eyes. They had no pupils, no color except that they were totally yellow.
"How did you figure that out?!?" the guy asked. "I've seen you before. My Power short-circuited your 'Mewtwo'." Jack said. Power was the evolved form of Fastforwurd. It looked like a TV with eyes, but it had amplifiers attached to it.
"You! You're the idiot who found me out! You had pity on me, so you didn't report me!" the guy said. I checked my Pokedex. It said that the guy was classified as a Cooltrainer...
"Look, I'll tell you where the Moon Stones are. See the field over there? At night, Clefairy come out and dance around that rock, but only on Mondays. If you use Rock Smash on the rock, there'll be a Stone in there. I would charge you, but today I'll break the Moon Stone into two for free."
I ran over to the rock. Sure enough, there were Clefairy dancing around it, they scattered when I approached. I sent out all of my Pokemon to see if they could break open the rock without Rock Smash. "All right, everybody, use your strongest attacks!" Bubbly used Rollout, Sparky used Spark, Puff used Pound, Moonstone used Metronome, which made it use Blizzard, and Eevee used Tackle. The rock was barely affected.
I recalled all of them and went back to Jack and the weird Cooltrainer. "Where can I get Rock Smash?" I asked. "Some Geodude in the cave already know it," the guy said. I ran back to the ladder. I popped out a Heavy Ball, custom made by Kurt and given to me by his friend the Prof. "These babies can catch a heavy Pokemon like Geodude almost immediately!"
I dropped down the ladder and landed hard, but I was okay. I needed those Moon Stones! The first rocky Geodude I ran into didn't know Rock Smash, but I defeated it for experience anyway.
The next one knew the Fighting-type move. I threw the black-and-gray ball. I nicknamed it Rocky, and practically flew up the ladder! I ran over to the huge rock. "Rock Smash!" The rock crumbled. I picked up the glowing blue stone hidden underneath. "Here it is." I said to the Cooltrainer. He took it and we went into the store. The real owner had returned. He was a tall man that looked like...
Jessica's father! I forgot that he worked at Mt. Moon Square.
"What are you doing here, Jim?" he asked. "Didn't Jess tell you?" I asked. I'm traveling all over Kanto." He sighed. "No, I'm afraid she didn't talk about you much before...you know. Anyway, this is Philip, my nephew. Has he been helpful?" I laughed. "Uh, yes. He's been very helpful. He was just showing us how to get the Moon Stone." Jack said. "Oh, so you are this week's winner of the Moon Stone Search!" said Jess's dad. "Phil here was going to break it in half for us..." Philip gave me a helpless look, "...because, um, we know Jessica!" I had saved him, for now...
"Oh, okay. Just don't make a mess." Jess's dad walked to the back of the store to restock the Portrait Mail. Only $50. Sorry. He asked me to advertise. Anyway...
Philip broke the stone in half. I slipped him $100. He looked like he needed it. Thanks, I saw him mouth.
I walked outside and sent out Puff and Moonstone. Jigglypuff's eyes glowed eerily in the moonlight. I held out the Stones to them. Jigglypuff's ears grew longer. So did her body. Both changed, but not dramatically. You could still see Jigglypuff and Clefairy in them.
I recalled them and looked up at the full moon. Suddenly, I saw a dog-like Pokemon get up on a distant hill. It tilted its head back and howled. As it howled, fire jetted out of its mouth. I yanked out my Pokedex to see what it was, but when I looked up, the hound was gone!
"What was that noise?" Jack said as he came out of the shop. "I'm not sure, but it was a Pokemon." I answered. My Pokedex beeped in my hand. Wigglytuff was trying to learn Sunny Day. Sunny Day? I opened up the attack program, Pokemove 2000.
Sunny Day:
Enhances all fire-type moves used for 2-5 turns. Also found to have strange effect on any Dark-type Pokemon.
Why was Wigglytuff...? Oh well. I let it learn the move. I was still a Fire fan.
We returned to the darkness of the cave. I saw the weird sparkle on the ceiling again, but this time I saw what it was. A Zubat flew down from the ceiling. It was green! Green? A colored Pokemon! It sparkled, as did all other colored Pokemon. I had to catch it! It was a male at L21. I pulled out a white Fast Ball. It had a high Speed rating. Funny, I'd never seen a fast Zubat... Must be the alternate colorings.
"Fast Ball, go!" I threw the white ball. He was mine! The only nickname for it was Greenbat. Wow! Colored Pokemon were rare. Well, now I had a Zubat.
* * *
As I walked out of the cave on the Cerulean side, I looked up at the moon.
Wasn't it full earlier? A third of it was dark!
