Okay, stop Vic. Breathe. Think.

You didn't even like the stupid Charmander anyway. It didn't like you. And those guys seemed… nice enough.

I sighed (Bad decision, seeing as my breathing was still on the fritz). Sarcasm wouldn't get my Pokémon back. Maybe it was a good idea to be a little nicer to the professor… maybe he would have given me another one?

Who was I kidding, I didn't want another one. Charmander was so… fired (Haha, sarcasm may not work, but puns will!) What was I gonna tell Dad…?

And what was that about those guys knowing my name? Were they stalkers? No… they weren't even from here. Bagon and Trapinch were found in Hoenn. Maybe they were distant relatives…?

All right, Vic, the heat is getting to you.

I rolled over to the water and stuck my head in it for a few seconds. The water was cool, so I cooled down as well. All right… think… They left me with an empty Pokéball. I could just catch a new one, and say that Oak ran out of decent ones. Yeah, that would work…

I took my head out of the water, gasping. Well, my breathing had returned to normal, but my stomach was still killing me. I rolled onto my back and lifted up my shirt. I was bruised pretty badly, and maybe I had a broken rib or two. But I doubted it. And if I did, I'd have to get it checked out in a different city.

Yeah yeah, I know. I can always get it looked at here, at home, but here's the thing: I've got an ego. So it was either I returned without a Pokémon and tell everyone what happened so I look like a wimp, or I can lie and look good.

I pick the looking good part.

And so, with tears coming to my eyes, I stumbled trying to stand up. I picked up the empty Pokéball and walked over to a tree, clutching my stomach. I used the tree as support while I looked around. There were Goldeen on the lake… but they'd be useless anywhere not near water. There were Rattata north of Pallet Town… but they were rats.

I hate rats.

Ugh… maybe I could spare just a teeny bit of a bruised ego… just this once.

And then my answer fell from the heavens.

I heard a bunch of noises from above, and when I looked up I was extremely surprised. And trust me, you would be too.

I saw a bunch of Pidgey gathered around a Pidgeot, holding a black form. The Pidgey were all picking at the black form. Haha! A Pidgey! Or, better yet, a Pidgeot! Of course, it'd be so easy.

With my newly found strength, I picked up a few rocks and began to throw them at the Pidgeot. Most of them missed and hit several Pidgey, but one hit the bird Pokémon on its head.

When I hit the Pidgeot, all the Pidgey seemed to scatter and go in different directions. Thee Pidgeot dropped whatever it was holding and flew away as well.

Damnit!

I ran to the lake and looked up, almost screaming for them to come back.

But instead I was interrupted by a large splash in front of me. The black thing that they were attacking fell into the lake. It looked like it was holding on to something for dear life. It was a Pokémon, no doubt, and it didn't look like it could swim.

Ooooh no.

I dove into the water. I betcha this Pokémon would be able to swim fine if it let go of it's…

Egg?

I scooped up the Pokémon in my arms and kicked up hard, surfacing. I swam with it over to the shore and placed it on the earth so I could look at it.

It was a Sneasel, and it was holding an egg. But it was a guy Sneasel though; it had a long red ear (Thank the Poké Gods for Television). I pulled myself into a standing position as the Sneasel regained opened its eyes.

He looked around for a minute; his eyes fell on me, then on the egg in his hands. Then he smiled, and… ate the egg.

Eugh! I jumped backwards to my tree and picked up my Pokéball. This Pokémon ate it's young. What was wrong with it?! The Sneasel chewed the egg in its mouth happily.

Wait a sec. This Pokémon… that had just gotten the crap beat out of it by a bunch of Pidgey (Waaait a sec that must be a Pidgey egg. That's why they were attacking him.)

I looked at the Pokeball, and then grinned melavolently.

Click. Dink. Booooop… boooooop….

Sneasel made the Pokéball wiggle a few times before it stopped.

Woohoo! You caught a Sneasel! Doot dee dee doo!

Yeah, wouldn't it be weird if that actually happened in real life? I walked over and picked up the carnivorous Pokémon that was now mine. I can tell you right now, it wasn't going to be a happy camper when I let it back out of it's new prison, but hey, no bruised ego!

Just an unbelievably throbbing stomach.