Waking with a yawn I stretched then turned over into a face full of fur. "Huh? Eevee?" I lifted myself up and looked around, seeing the sparkling chandelier on the ceiling and the various silks that cascaded around me. "Wow, this is really something. Hey Eevee, it's time to wake up." I shook her gently and she lifted her head and yawned, rolling over into a stretch with her paws tucked into her chest before she tilted her head towards me.
"Vee?" Unable to resist I pulled out my camera and took a photo, smiling down at her before tickling her belly.
"Come on, we'd better make ourselves look presentable for his lordship." I said to her, putting the camera away then went over to the bathroom to freshen up. Once my hair wasn't tousled and I looked half decent I picked up Eevee and went out to the front where the flight attendant smiled at me.
"Hello miss, I'm glad to see you're awake. We're just coming in for landing so if you would please sit down." She gestured to a seat so I sat down, ate mom's packed breakfast then settled back to relax. As we descended Eevee began to nudge at my hand so I lifted it up, thinking she wanted to be petted but instead she wriggled towards my Pokéballs and began to paw at one of them.
"No Eevee, Dratini can't come out to play right now." I said to her gently as the plane prepared for landing. "Later I promise."
"Vee?" She blinked softly up at me then snuggled up instead, satisfied with my answer so I smiled and stroked her fur.
"Excuse me, but I suggest you return your Pokémon to its Pokéball." The attendant said to me quietly. "The descent will witness a little turbulence and it might upset your Pokémon and Mayor Trovipolis is not very fond of Pokémon, he will not appreciate seeing this darling little Eevee when you arrive." I turned to face her with slight offence.
"Eevee doesn't have a Pokéball, she's my friend." I answered simply. "So I can't do that I'm afraid." The woman bit her lip and knelt down beside me, her short skirt tightening as she did so.
"Please, he'll surely fire me if he finds out I let a Pokémon onto his plane and sleep on his private luxury bedspread, if he sees that Pokémon then he will be so angry with me…" She begged, tears beginning to shine in her eyes so I slowly looked down at Eevee. She beamed up at me.
"Vee!"
"You sure?" I questioned and she nodded her head.
"Vee Vee!" Sighing slightly I picked up one of my spare Pokéballs and lifted it up.
"Well, here you are. This one is just for you." I told her with a smile and she pressed her nose to the button, allowing herself to be caught. I felt a warmth spread through me as Eevee allowed herself to be caught as she was demonstrating the level of trust she shared with me.
"Thank you." The attendant sighed with relief then looked up as the plane shook slightly. "We're coming in to land, please relax and do not worry, you're perfectly safe." I nodded my head and leaned back, lifting a hand to stroke Eevee's fur but then remembered she wasn't there. This is weird, it's going to take some getting used to.
I relaxed as we descended, gazing out the window to see the rolling clouds and beautiful vast sky until before I knew it, we were back on solid ground again. I rose and left the plane only to be greeted by a large swarm of reporters all shouting and snapping pictures. I blinked in surprise then looked up at the lady beside me.
"Have they mistaken me for some sort of celebrity?" I asked and she giggled sweetly.
"No of course not. You're just the hero of the city agreeing to find out what the monster in the sewer is so everyone is just dying to meet you." Suddenly there was a loud voice and a woman cut through easily, clapping her hands as she went.
"Okay break it up, break it up!" Officer Jenny called, shooting glares at the reporters as she came and stood before me. "You. You must be Ruby Bates am I correct?"
"That's right Officer Jenny, it's a pleasure to be here." She smiled and nodded her head.
"Well you seem alright, come on. Let's get you up to speed with things." Officer Jenny said then led the way. I turned and waved back at the plane and the lady waved back with a smile before returning to her duties so I followed Jenny to her vehicle. Which just so happened to be a limo with more press reporters shouting outside. "Please step this way." She opened the door for me and I climbed inside.
"Welcome!" I yelled in shock and fell into my seat, staring at the man who was obviously the mayor. "Welcome to Trovipolis!" People really need to stop trying to give me heart attacks. It's very rude you know! "I'm so glad you came at such short notice, Professor Oak tells me you are something of a great Pokémon trainer, hm?"
"Oh…I wouldn't say great." I quickly put in, setting myself straight then placed my hands on my knees. "My Pokémon are strong and I can keep a cool head whilst in battle so your little menace in the sewers shouldn't be too much of a problem." I assured him but he tittered his tongue and wagged a finger at me.
"Don't be so sure. I've sent trainer after trainer down there to sort out the problem and they always came back screaming." I blinked in shock, my confidence slowly beginning to plummet.
"Oh…well, then I'll just do my best sir." I told him as we were carted through the streets in such a fine limo. This guy really had it all. He was a portly man with a long moustache. His hair was greased back a little too much and it conflicted horribly with his bright orange suit. This guy seriously needed some fashion pointers.
"Excellent! Exactly what I want to hear. Nothing like a little enthusiasm and excitement to get you going. Driver! Stop here!" The limo screeched to a halt and I instantly slammed my hands to the side to stop me from flying forwards, gasping for breath as I felt a rush of shock race through me. "Well, no time like the present. Off you pop and get rid of that little monster for me and I'll reward you handsomely." He said, opening the door and pushing me outside. "Swing by the office if you're successful and if not, then don't come back!" He yelled as he slammed the door shut behind me then raced away with a screech of wheels.
"Wow, now that's just plain rude." I scoffed then shook my head. "Gives Gary a run for his money." Turning around I spotted a manhole literally two feet away from me so I unplugged it then climbed down, picking up my flashlight and switched it on to look around.
The smell hit me first but I ignored it, continuing the descent then jumped down the last little bit. I slowly scanned my surroundings but found nothing but the sewer water and the moisture on the walls. Right, time to start the research. I took sample bottles from my bag and took some of the sewer water, the moisture from the walls and also some of the slime from the ground, glad I had brought surgery gloves with me because it was all disgusting.
Once I had labelled, dated and bagged the samples I turned and started to walk. It was like a labyrinth down here with so many twists and turns that I was certain I was never going to be able to find my way out of here. It was eerily quiet save for the gulping gush of water.
After a while I just became bored. Was this just a hoax? Some publicity stunt just to get some attention and brownie points for the next election? Because if so then I am charging big time for wasting valuable hours of my life down in a sewer.
"Where even are we?" I heard a voice and stopped, frowning slightly. "I can't see a thing down here!"
"Just keep going and stay close to the wall, we'll find our way out sooner or later." Hey…that was Misty's voice!
"Misty? Ash? Was that you?" I called out and for a moment there was silence.
"Guys, was that just me or did you hear someone?" I smiled as I heard Ash for definite so I rounded the corner. Instantly the three of them screamed and yelled in fear, leaping back and Pikachu sparked at his cheeks, ready to blow me away so I quickly lowered my torch from their faces and shone it on me.
"Whoa it's okay! It's just me! Please don't zap me Pikachu!"
"Pika?" Pikachu blinked, staring up at my face then gasped. "Chuuuu!" He leaped up into my arms and I caught him with a laugh, rubbing his head as he nuzzled into my cheek and the others all recovered from their shock.
"Ruby what are you doing down here?" Ash asked as I turned to him with a smile.
"I'm doing research on a mysterious menace down here in the sewers. Professor Oak sent me." I explained to him. "What about you? What are you guys doing down here?"
"We fell down a hole now we can't get out." Misty explained simply. "I'm so glad to see you, I've heard nothing but Ash's stomach growling for the last half hour!" I giggled, shaking my head. Same old Ash it seems.
"But I'm hungry!"
"Hello, my name's Tracey Sketchit, it's nice to finally meet you." A new face introduced so I shone the torch on him to get a better look. He had longish brown hair with a red headband to keep it back and a green shirt. "I'm a Pokémon watcher." I smiled and shook his hand.
"Hey, I'm Ruby. Pokémon trainer, researcher and complete fanatic!" I beamed at him then let Pikachu go back to Ash. "Well, since you guys are lost you'd better come with me. I'll show you the way back out."
"Yay! Then we can eat something!" Ash cheered, punching the air victoriously then tried to bolt ahead of me. "Come on let's go!"
"Hold it genius." I told him firmly, grabbing the back of his collar so that as he ran he stayed in place. "You're about to go running off a very steep slope, genius." Letting him go once he was still I shone the torch down to reveal the slippery slope I had just climbed. "So how about you let the one with the torch go first, huh?" He laughed with slight embarrassment, smiling as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah I guess that's a good idea." Winking at Misty s I turned I lead the way. "So what's this about a menace Ruby?"
"Well, the people here have been terrorised by some sort of monster in the sewer for years now. They've never seen it but apparently it steals food all the time from underneath the city and they've just about had enough of it, so Professor Oak sent me to try and catch it when they called him for help." I explained as I walked, carefully finding my step in the dry patches. "So how did you meet Tracey?"
"Well we were on a beach when we found three guys hurting a baby Lapras." Instantly I was furious but I said nothing. "So Ash challenged them to a battle to protect the Lapras and then Tracey just sort of showed up." Misty explained with a smile. "And he's stayed with us since."
"Is it true you're working as Professor Oak's assistant?" Tracey asked, leaping forwards to walk close to me and I blinked.
"Um…yeah. I've been helping him with research and taking care of the Pokémon at the lab." I answered.
"Is he great to work with? I can only imagine how amazing it must be to help him with his work, you are so lucky."
"Yeah I am." I smiled. "It seems like you're a really big fan of his." Tracey blushed a little and nodded his head.
"Yeah, I've been wanting to meet him for a very long time now. Could you tell me what's he working on at the moment?" Nodding my head I turned to face where I was going, making sure I took the right turns so we didn't get too lost.
"Well, he's actually working on three projects that I know of. One is the G-S ball, another is this mystery menace and the last is a Pokémon egg I found in the forest." Instantly Ash and Misty gasped, intrigued by the news.
"A new egg? Wow that's so cool! Is it close to hatching?" I shook my head.
"No, it got caught in a storm and was torn from its nest so it nearly died, but then last night Professor Oak got a reading of life from inside it so it looks like all is going to be well." I then went on to explain how I found it and everyone was pretty impressed, though Ash was confused.
"So what, you heard it in your head?"
"Crazy, right? I really don't know what's going on with me but it's happened once or twice before. It seems I have no control over it at all and it's actually the Pokémon who decide whether or not to connect with me."
Our footsteps echoed through the darkness that sprung around, chased away only by the dim lights above and the light in my hand. Pikachu's ears twitched as he walked in front of Ash, looking around before giving a low, eerie call.
"Pika-chuuuu!" His voice echoed in exactly the same manner and he started in fear and raced to hide behind Misty's legs, cowering slightly at the sound which made us all chuckle.
"It's okay Pikachu. There's nothing scary down here. It's just a little dark." Misty said to him and I looked back to smile gently at him.
"We'll be out of here in no time. Don't you worry." Turning back to my search I craned my neck upwards. Ash suddenly hummed and I glanced back to frown at him. "What is it Ash?"
"Did you guys just here a little bell ringing?" He asked and Misty and I looked at one another before shaking our heads.
"No Ash, we didn't hear anything." Misty answered. "Maybe your ears are still ringing from that fall." I gave a little smirk.
"Well, there's enough space between your ears for a pretty long echo." Ash shot me a look and growled.
"Hey, I'm not stupid! Take that back!" Shooting him a playful laugh and smile I arched an eyebrow.
"And how are you going to make me? Mister Master of all Pokémon?" I teased and he pouted before looking away. I have to admit, he did look adorable when he did that. Like a stroppy little brother but then he gasped.
"There it is again! Don't tell me you didn't hear it that time." I shook my head.
"It's just the water dripping around us Ash, don't be such a worry wart." Tracey answered so we continued, though I don't think Ash was entirely convinced that he was just hearing things. But how could he hear a bell? We were down in the sewers, what else would be living down here aside from a couple of accident prone travellers who happened to fall down a hole.
"What's the matter Pikachu?" I heard Ash asked but didn't stop looking upwards in case I missed a manhole. "Knock it off will ya?!" This time I stopped, looking back at Ash who was talking to shadows. Okay, this was a little weird. Maybe we should stop and wait until he's recovered a little more from the shock of the fall? "Hey where…"
"Pika?" Pikachu looked up at Ash, one ear standing upright as the other sloped downwards. Ash blinked in surprise.
"You were in front of me?"
"Pikachu." He nodded his head in answer.
"Then what was behind me?" Suddenly I heard something cutting through the air and a swift shape rose up from the darkness within the water, the vine spiralling quickly as it rose higher. Misty and I gasped, stepping backwards in fear as Misty shrieked and pointed whilst Tracey just stared with his mouth wide open.
"Quick Ash, look out! There's a giant monster right behind you!" Ash turned then cried out in fear as he saw the monster's vine and I felt frozen in place, my flashlight dropping out of my hand as all I could think to do was stop and stare. "Ash, do something!" Misty yelled and Ash suddenly pointed.
"Pikachu, Thundershock it!" Both Misty and I gasped and the three of us lunged for Ash, stopping his arm from pointing at the creature.
"No Ash, you can't." Misty said and I nodded my head in agreement.
"If you use an electric attack here, the entire sewer system will get a taste, including us!" I said to him and he nodded his head.
"You're right." So instead he grabbed one of his Pokéballs and I watched as he flung it forwards. "I choose you, Bulbasaur!"
"Bulbasaur!" The little grass dinosaur landed on the ground, feet anchored and ready to battle.
"Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf attack!" Ash ordered and fine blades of leaves flew out from the bulb on Bulbasaur's back, flying towards the vines as more rose out but they knocked them aside easily without there being any effect or damage. Hmm…interesting. Maybe this wasn't a monster after all?
Suddenly the vine shot out and grabbed Bulbasaur, wrapping him up tightly as everyone gasped and shielded themselves, though I stared as Bulbasaur was dragged into the water. "Bulbasuar no!" Ash cried in fear, running to the edge and prepared to dive in but Misty and Tracey caught him and held him back.
"No Ash, it's way too dangerous!" Ignoring this little detail, I lifted my flashlight and gripped it in my teeth, racing forwards then leaped into the water in a perfect dive, hearing the others call out my name. "Ruby!" I slid into the water then used the light to shine my way forwards, swimming expertly downwards as Misty's sisters had taught me.
I could see Bulbasaur's shape not too far away from me, being dragged forwards from the vines though he clenched his eyes tightly shut to block the effect of the water as I continued to swim after it. I would need air soon but I kept pushing on, following Bulbasaur and the vines until I was led into a tunnel in complete darkness, where I relied completely on my flashlight to see where I was going.
The moment I saw Bulbasaur being pulled up to the surface, I rose up to join him and instantly gulped down fresh air. "Bulbasaur!" I called, shaking out my face and pulling my hat back to see properly. "Bulbasaur where are you?"
"Bulba Bulbasaur!" I heard his answer and turned to see not one, but two Bulbasaurs facing each other down, though one was considerably larger than the other. Huh?
"Bulbasaur? You kidnapped Ash's Pokémon?" Blinking in shock both Pokémon watching me in surprise. Ash's Bulbasaur stepped forwards and used Vine Whip to wrap his vines around my arms and pulled me up out of the water. "Thanks Bulbasaur, are you okay?" I asked, clipping my flashlight back onto my belt and rubbed his bulb, checking to make sure he wasn't hurt.
"Bulba, Bulba Bulbasaur." I then turned to look at the other Bulbasaur.
"Bulbasaur." It greeted with a smile and I chuckled, crawling forwards slowly as not to startle it.
"Hello there, I'm Ruby Bates. It's nice to meet you." I said, holding out my hand and a vine found its way into my palm so I shook it, still smiling warmly. "What are you doing down here all alone?" I asked and this time, the Pokémon looked away.
"Bulba…" Ash's Bulbasaur moved closer to me, glancing up then moved over to the wild Pokémon, however something then caught my eye. Wait, was that a collar? Scooting closer I looked at the little bell around its neck, seeing a small design that looked something like the letter 'M'.
"Hey, do you have a trainer?" I asked but the Bulbasaur shook its head.
"Bulba."
"But…" Then it clicked. Turning my enraged face away I breathed deeply, trying to get my anger under control. So. Someone had just abandoned this Bulbasaur because they couldn't be bothered to raise it themselves. Why I oughta…I swear I'll pummel them if I ever find them!
"Bulbasaur." The Bulbasaur smiled then walked towards me, turning its head then began to rub into my knees as I knelt before it.
"Oh, you must be really lonely down here." I said, letting my anger go for now and began to tickle and massage it. The Bulbasaur laughed and rolled onto its side, kicking its legs as I tickled its belly with a giggle then slowly began to massage it, checking for any injuries. "Well, for an abandoned Pokémon you're pretty healthy." I said thoughtfully then looked to Ash's Bulbasuar. "Don't you think so?"
"Bulba, Bulba." He nodded his head then joined in with the tickling, using his vines to tickle the new Bulbasaur's belly. It was twice the ordinary size of any other Bulbasaur I've ever seen before, maybe even the size of an Ivysaur, however that may be because of its lifestyle down here, the conditions helping it to grow bigger than normal.
"Hey, I bet you two are hungry." I suddenly said then slid off my backpack. "And I have just the thing." Smiling I pulled out a tub and shook it. "Pokémon cookies! Here, you try one." I said to the bell wearing Bulbasaur and selected one for it, letting it take it from my fingers with a vine as it sniffed then took a nibble.
Ash's Bulbasaur was already munching into his, devouring it hungrily then began to poke at me for more, making me laugh as I wriggled at the tickling touch. "Okay, okay! How about we have some proper lunch? I know I'm hungry." I said then began to set out some food. "But I want you to take some Calcium and Vitamin C, your skin is looking a little pale under your belly." I said to our new friend with a smile. "They taste nice, so don't worry, just open your mouth for me."
The Bulbasaur sniffed at the vitamin tablets I had shook into my hand then opened his mouth, letting me place the tablets on his tongue and I nodded at him proudly. "There. Perfect."
"Bulba!" Suddenly I had a tongue slathering over me, making me giggle.
"Thank you very much!" I laughed, trying to wriggle away but the two Bulbasaur's leaped on me, abandoning their food to start tickling and licking me affectionately, seeking a game of rough and tumble. "Hey! Stop that! That tickles!" I shrieked with laughter, unable to hide it at all so I reached for my Pokéballs. "How about you meet my other friends?" I suggested and the two Bulbasaur stopped to look at me.
"Bulba?" The larger one questioned and I nodded my head.
"It's a little close in here so I won't call out Charizard, but I'd like you to meet him later. However I would like you to meet Pidgeotto, Dratini and Eevee!" I called and let them out one by one. Their Pokéballs burst open with a flash and three Pokémon finally stood there, looking around them in confusion. "Hi guys! Meet Bulbasaur, our new friend!" I introduced and Pidgeotto looked to the larger Bulbasaur.
"Pidgeo!" She trilled then flapped her wings, flying over then landed beside him as Eevee and Dratini bounded over.
"Eevee!"
"Driii!" I giggled, sitting down then pulled Bulbasaur into my lap, stroking his head as I watched my team greet the newcomer. Dratini wound around his legs, rubbing against him as Eevee rubbed noses then played dodge with his vines, Pidgeotto placing a wing over him as he smiled and looked around him, interacting with them all.
"Bulbasaur." Ash's Bulbasaur commented and I nodded my head with a sigh.
"I know. It makes me angry too. I hate seeing Pokémon being abandoned like this, it's unfair and unkind. I wonder how long he's been down here." Judging by the firmness of his bulb and the spots on his skin, he was a fairly seasoned Bulbasaur in both age and experience.
The chime of his bell made me blink awake and look at it for a moment before an idea came to me. "Hey Bulbasaur, would you like a new bell?" I asked and he stopped and looked at me.
"Bulba?" I fished through my bag then pulled out the gift from Gary, pausing to look it over before smiling and tapping the bell, hearing the soft tinkle of its sound to look at the Bulbasaur. "Bulbasuar…" Its eyes sparkled slightly as I held the Soothe Bell out for him to sniff and inspect.
"How about we get rid of that old thing and you can have this new bell? It's really relaxing and I think it'll help you to make new friends up above the surface." I said to him, reaching forwards and unclasped the collar, which was a little tight around his neck then fastened the Soothe Bell, smiling with satisfaction as it fit perfectly around his neck. "There, you look very handsome." I complimented then yawned.
"Eevee?" Both Eevee and Dratini came close, sensing I was tired and I gave a little smile.
"I'm okay, just a little worn out from all this excitement." I assured them and Pidgeotto flew over, clicking her beck and rubbing her head into my shoulder but then I felt a tap from a vine and I looked to the Bulbasaur to see him gesturing for me to follow. He pointed over to a pile of straw and I smiled, crawling over to the soft spread. "Thank you." I said to him, flopping down then sighed as Eevee curled up into my tummy to have a nap, Dratini wriggling up my body then relaxed into the crook of my neck.
Pidgeotto spread one wing over my back and nestled against me as both Bulbasaur curled up with Dratini and Eevee for a nap, their warmth wrapping around me so I smiled peacefully then allowed myself to drop off to sleep.
