"Man, this place is beautiful. I've never been to Kanto before!" The young Pokemon Trainer said, his eyes scanning the tree line for any Pokemon. He was rather tall for his age, with a rather athletic build, meaning traveling around wasn't an issue at all for him. He had short green hair that covered about half of his face, and was wearing a short sleeved white T-shirt and green camo pants. Brown hiking boots made it easy for him to cross rough terrain. He had a backpack on that read "Gotta catch em' all!" across the front.
Sparky quirked an eyebrow at the phrase on the Trainers backpack. He never did understand that phrase fully.
"Who's the Muk-head who came up with that?" He asked to himself, making Zappa roll her eyes in minor amusement, before ducking behind her tree again. Sparky did the same.
"Careful, now! We need to get this camp set up. Then we can go looking for Pokemon." The Professor called out to the Trainer, grabbing a large tent kit out of the back of their vehicle and carrying it over to a patch of flat land nearby. The two assistants were right behind him, carrying other things they would need, including sleeping bags.
The Trainer scratched the back of his head, chuckling.
"Alright, sorry." He said, before running over to help with the unloading.
Just when Sparky thought he and Zappa would end up having to drive them away themselves, Hotsauce showed up. She took one look at the large van being unloaded by four people, and her eyes widened. She hadn't been expecting anything like this.
She quickly dove behind the tree with Zappa, narrowly avoiding getting spotted by the Trainer, and peeked out to observe the situation.
"Well... this won't be easy. We've got four people to drive off and one of them is a Trainer, and the other three all appear to be researchers, or Professor's. I hope one of you has a plan." She said to Sparky and Zappa. They both frowned. So much for Hotsauce making their great plan of action.
"We were hoping you would have a plan." Zappa said, giving Hotsauce a disappointed look. Hotsauce just frowned.
"I would if Colors were here. He's usually my go-to guy when it comes to driving away humans." She said sadly, and Sparky remembered that Colors was currently recovering from some serious injuries in Tribe Delta's village. He sighed in frustration.
"Well, we gotta think of something, or they're gonna find us. They're not to far out." Sparky warned, taking note of how close these humans were to the line of trees that kept their village hidden. They had to act quickly, or it wouldn't stay hidden for long.
Hotsauce forced her mind to try and come up with a plan. And with a light gasp, one came to her.
"I got it!" She exclaimed, causing Sparky and Zappa to look at her. They had mildly surprised expression on their faces, as if Hotsauces sudden outburst had caught them off guard.
"Well, let's hear it!" Sparky said, as the three huddled together to go over the plan. With any luck, it would be enough to chase away these humans.
- ONE HOUR LATER -The Trainer, now that the camp site was completed, was now wandering around the plains, taking in the sights and keeping an eye out for any Pokemon. Many of the Pokemon in Kanto weren't usually seen or found in his homeland, and he was eager to catch some and take them home to show to his folks.
The Pokemon Professor who happened to live in that same town had wanted to come here with his assistants and study the Pokemon in Kanto, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity for the four to journey to Kanto and try to find some rare Pokemon.
And unfortunately, Sparky, being a Pikachu, fell under the category of "Rare" Pokemon ( taking into account the fact Pikachu only have a five percent chance of appearing in the Generation 1 games Red and Blue/Green ), which is why it was important that he, along with Zappa and Hotsauce, stay out of sight.
It was also why Sparky was in total disapproval of Hotsauces plan to use him as live bait to lure the Trainer and Professor's elsewhere.
"This is not a good plan. It's a terrible plan." Sparky complained, but Hotsauce wouldn't hear of it.
"Come on, quit being a baby. It's our only chance." Said Hotsauce, chuckling to herself. She seemed to like this plan, judging by the smirk on her face. She thought she had struck gold.
Zappa, however, was on Sparky's side. She folded her arms and gave Hotsauce a cold stare.
"And what if this whole thing goes array? Sparky's going to be left running for his life all over Kanto, with a Trainer and THREE Professor's on his tail! And they have a car, too!" She complained, but Hotsauce simply shushed her.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine. Sparky just has to use Quick Attack to stay out of range of those Pokeballs. They can only fly so far, you know." Hotsauce explained. She then turned to Sparky, who was still wearing a disapproving expression on his face. "You hear me, Sparky? You'll have to be fast to outrun their Pokeballs. Just get their attention, then lure them away with your Quick Attack. Try to lose them in the forest, if you can. They won't be able to follow you in there for long. Especially in their vehicle."
Sparky gave a sigh, feeling as if he had just been handed a death sentence.
"Well... let's get this over with." He said, turning around and getting ready to take off with Quick Attack toward the Trainer, who was once again heading straight toward the village.
Zappa, however, ran up to Sparky, causing him to look over it her. She had a single tear in her eye and looked visibly distressed.
"Sparky... please, please be careful! If we lost you, I'd... I'd..." She stammered, failing to find the right words to complete her sentence.
Sparky, however, put a hand on her cheek and shushed her.
"It's alright, Zappa. I'll be fine. It's not the first time I've had to lure someone away from our village." He told her, giving her a comforting smile. She still looked distressed.
"It's the first time you've had to lure four humans away at once, though, isn't it?" She asked him, making him chuckle. Hotsauce chuckled, too.
"Well, you got a point there." He replied. He then turned and, after a deep breath to prepare himself, took off at an incredible speed with Quick Attack.
Zappa watched him go, before looking over at Hotsauce, who was keeping a sharp eye on the Trainer, who hadn't yet noticed Sparky coming across the plains at full speed.
"I wish I could go with him." Zappa had said, watching Sparky run like a comet across the plains. Who knew Quick Attack was so useful for moving around quickly?
Hotsauce looked over at her, a quizzical look on her face.
"You have Quick Attack, to, don't you?" She asked the Jolteon, who nodded back at her. Hotsauce let out a little laugh.
"Well, then, what are you standing here next to me for? Get out there and go help him!" She instructed, but the Jolteon frowned at her.
"What if I make a mistake? I don't want to put myself and Sparky in danger." She worried, clearly not feeling confident in her ability to help Sparky with this difficult task. If she made a mistake, it was either death, or a lifetime of being dragged who knows where to do who knows what.
Hotsauce signed at Zappa, not liking where this conversation was going at all.
"You can't just live in doubt and worry, Zappa. You've got to start taking some chances and living life to the fullest. Especially if you want to be with Sparky. How do you think he feels right now? He's probably really nervous to be trying to lure away four humans at once, and he's out there doing it anyway! Come on, Zappa. Don't you ever want to be strong and brave like Sparky?" She asked Zappa, who was now suddenly lost in thought. Hotsauce had a point. Zappa didn't want to spend the rest of her life in doubt. She wanted to be able to stand alongside Sparky, through thick and thin.
But how could she do that without endangering anyone? Especially herself and Sparky? She could never forgive herself if her actions led to one of her friends or allies getting hurt... or worse. She had already hurt herself once by carelessly using Volt Tackle.
"That's easy for you to say. It's hard to get out there when so much is at stake. If I mess up, it could be all over for us." Zappa said, still not completely convinced that she should go out and help Sparky, who was now dangerously close to attracting the attention of the Trainer.
Hotsauce gave Zappa a reassuring smile.
"So life's throwing a curving shadow ball at you. You can't let that get in the way, Zappa. Just get out there and follow Sparky's lead. You'll be fine." The Flareon said. Zappa was still unsure. Should she risk it and help Sparky, or try to let him handle this alone?
The answer to that question came when the two heard a commotion out in the plains. They turned to look. Sparky had whistled loudly, getting the Trainers attention.
The Trainer, upon finally seeing Sparky, let out a shout, getting the attention of the Professor and his assistants.
"Look, it's a Pikachu! Those are super ultra rare!" He exclaimed, as the eyes of the Professor widened. This was his first time seeing a Pikachu, too.
"My word, the electric mouse Pokemon! I never thought we'd end up actually seeing one!" He exclaimed, grabbing a special examination tool from the workbench he had set up in front of him. He was clearly excited to have found such a rare Pokemon so early into their Kanto trip.
Sparky just chuckled to himself, which they heard as "Pika-Pika!".
"They really are fooled easily by rare Pokemon. Colors might end up out of a job at this rate." Sparky thought to himself, before turning his attention back to the Trainer, who was starring at Sparky as if he were a Legendary Pokemon.
Then, in typical Trainer style, He reached for a Pokeball in his bag. Sparky smirked to himself and stood ready.
Then a terrible sound reached his ears. It sounded like someone banging on hardened glass. He looked over, and gasped at what he saw.
A Servine, no older then Sparky, was stuck inside a containment tank sitting in the back of the humans truck, or van. He looked visibly distressed, and was holding what was unmistakably a Quick Claw. As soon as the commotion with Sparky started up, he started banging on the tank, calling for help.
"Hey! Hey, you there! Get me out of this thing!" He called, trying to get free. The Professor turned to look at him, before frowning and turning to his assistants.
"Would you two please shut that Servine up!? I can't work with all that racket!" He exclaimed, to which the two assistants nodded, before starting to make their way over to the containment tank.
The Servine, seeing them coming, gasped loudly, clearly afraid of what was going to happen. Sparky's eyes widened. What were they going to do to him?
He didn't want to wait to find out. He turned back to the Trainer, who was about to throw his Pokeball.
"Pokeball, GO!" He shouted, firing the Pokeball at Sparky like a fastball in a major league baseball game.
Zappa and Hotsauce gasped, and their eyes widened.
"What in the world is he doing!?" Hotsauce exclaimed, unable to understand why Sparky was refusing to move, despite seeing a Pokeball flying in his direction.
Zappa covered her eyes in horror.
"Sparky, no!" She exclaimed, unable to watch Sparky being captured within that ball. It would be to much for her to take.
Sparky eyeballed the incoming sphere, and then, with a well-placed Iron Tail, hit it away like a professional batter.
The Trainer was dumbfounded.
"W-W-What!?" He stammered, unable to believe that this Pikachu had hit his Pokeball away for a home run.
The Pokemon Professor and the two assistants had to dive for cover as the Pokeball flew past them faster then a speeding formula one police car, and slammed into the Servines containment tank with Richter rocking force. The tank was heavily cracked to the point of almost shattering. The Pokeball was smashed to pieces.
The Servine was able to use his tail to shatter the tank easily. He was free!
"Heh heh, to easy." Sparky thought to himself, watching the Professor and his assistants gaze around in mild bewilderment. They had never seen anything quite like THAT before!
"Nice one, Sparky!" Hotsauce cheered, even though she knew Sparky couldn't hear her. Zappa had uncovered her eyes to see what was happening.
"Huh? What happened?" She asked, having not seen what Sparky did.
"He deflected that Trainers Pokeball, and freed that imprisoned Servine, that's what!" Hotsauce said happily, clearly in approval over what Sparky had just done. Even Chopper would have been impressed.
"He... he did?" Zappa asked, looking out from behind the tree at the scene. Hotsauce just smiled at her.
"Still unsure about going out there and helping him? It could be fun, you know." She had asked Zappa. The Jolteon had to admit, it did look like fun. Even though it was very dangerous.
The Trainer was just reaching for a new Pokeball when Sparky suddenly Quick Attacked his way over to the van, having noticed the Professor and the assistants climbing to their feet, and noticing the Servine was free.
"The Servine! His containment tanks broken! Catch him, qu--" The Professor had started, but before he could finish his sentence, a huge bolt of lightning struck the ground nearby, causing the three to fall back in fright. Sparky had used Thunder, startling them.
He then turned to see the Trainer throwing another Pokeball at him. Sparky sent this one right back into the Trainers face, knocking him to the ground. The Pikachu chuckled, before dashing over to the Servine, who simply nodded his head in appreciation.
"Thanks for helping me, friend. I thought I was done for..." He said to Sparky, carefully stepping out of the shattered remains of the tank, as the Pikachu chuckled.
"No problem. Just happy to help. But what were you doing in there, anyway?" Sparky asked, clearly confused as to why this Servine was trapped in a glass containment tank, and not a Pokeball. The Servine just shrugged, not fully knowing himself.
"I wish I knew. They just grabbed me on the way here and threw me into that containment tank. It was really painful. I'm surprised I'm still alive..." He told Sparky, before shuddering. He didn't want to say anymore. Some things were better left unsaid.
Sparky just lowered his head.
"I see. Well, you're free now, and that's all th--" Sparky said, but halfway through his sentence, someone had shouted.
"Rapidash, use Flamethrower!"
"WATCH OUT!!" The Servine screamed, as he and Sparky dove aside. A powerful Flamethrower hit the inside wall of the van, nearly incinerating it.
The two turned and looked. The Trainer was back on his feet, a tall Rapidash standing in front of him. It obviously belonged to the Trainer, as it had been the one who had fired that Flamethrower, and the Trainer was the one who had given the command.
"OK, Rapidash, use Fire Wheel!" The Trainer commanded. The Rapidash reeled back and prepared to launch a Fire Wheel at the two. Sparky stood ready to jump aside along with the Servine. Out of the corner of his eye, Sparky saw the other three climbing to their feet, still slightly worried as to whether or not anymore giant lightning bolts were going to rain down on them.
Just as the Rapidash was going to use Fire Wheel, a Thunder came down from seemingly out of nowhere and hit the fire-type. Hard. The Rapidash roared in raw agony before collapsing.
The Trainer gasped in horror, before running to his fallen Pokemon.
"Rapidash!" He yelled, hoping beyond hope that his Rapidash wasn't to badly injured.
Sparky and the Servine were currently looking around for the source of that Thunder. Who had come in and helped them?
The answer to that question came when Zappa landed in front of the two, who then proceeded to launch another Thunder at the humans, creating a thick cloud of dust around the Professor and harming the Rapidash further, even paralyzing it. The Trainer had to dive aside in order to avoid being hurt.
Sparky blinked in mild surprise, and then let out a slight laugh. He had never seen Zappa attempting something like this. And it made him proud to know her.
"Not bad, Zappa. Even Zapdos would be impressed with that one." He told her, making her blush and chuckle. She loved it when he complemented her.
The Servine was pleased, too.
"Yes, thank you, miss. It's always a pleasure to meet such powerful Pokemon." He said, before putting a hand to his chin and thinking for a moment. "So those rumors about the four tribes I heard are true..."
That got the attention of the two electric-types. They both turned to him, confused looks on their faces.
"Where did you hear about the four tribes?" Sparky asked, as Zappa came running up next to him. The Servine just sighed sadly, before giving the two a somber look.
He opened his mouth and started to speak, but before he had even said one word, the cloud of dust was starting to settle, and the four humans were all looking in their direction.
Sparky turned to the other two, a slightly worried look on his face.
"Actually, you can tell us on the way. We gotta book it!" Sparky exclaimed, turning and running into the forest. Zappa and the Servine were right behind him.
The Pokemon Professor was now running toward the van, the assistants and the Trainer ( who had recalled his fainted Rapidash ) already jumping in.
"They're not getting away from us!" The Professor exclaimed, inserting the key and turning on the engine. It revved to life, and the van had taken off after the three Pokemon.
Sparky looked back and saw the van headed toward them. He gasped.
"Change of plan! Into the trees!" He shouted, jumping up into a nearby tree branch. Zappa and the Servine were right behind him, hopping up into the trees and taking off into the dense forest. But the Professor wasn't going to give up that easily.
"Oh no, you don't!" He shouted, and slammed down on the gas pedal. The van roared forward at full speed, causing the passengers to worry as to what he was up too.
Sparky saw them speeding through the forest. He had an idea.
"Let's lead them to the highway on the far side of the forest. We can ditch them there." He told the other two, who nodded in agreement, before heading for the other side of the forest, the four humans still on their tails.
They heard the sound of a Pokeball opening behind them. The Trainer had sent out another Pokemon. This time, it was a Haunter.
"Figures he'd have more then one on hand." Sparky thought to himself.
"Haunter, use Shadow Ball!" The Trainer commanded. The Haunter fired a Shadow Ball in their direction. Luckily, they were able to avoid it.
"I'll handle this one!" The Servine said, before beginning to charge up solar power. Sparky and Zappa wondered what he was up too. What was he going to do to that Haunter?
They had to dodge several more Shadow Balls before the answer finally came. The Servine, fully charged, unleashed a powerful Solar Beam on the Haunter, blasting it out of the sky and straight into the van, nearly causing the Professor to have a wreck.
"Wow, nice shot!" Sparky said, much to the Servines delight.
"Thanks, friend." He replied happily.
After about twenty minutes of running full-speed from these persistent humans, and dispatching two more of the Trainers Pokemon, the highway was now coming into view. And on the other side of said highway, behind a guardrail, was a twenty-foot deep ditch. It was perfect.
"We gotta blind the driver." Sparky told the others. Zappa already had a solution. She pulled out a jar of thick, purple-ish liquid. Sparky looked at it curiously before Zappa explained what it was to him.
"It's a special jel-like juice mixture they use in Tribe Gamma to hold houses together. It dries and hardens almost immediately after its been used. Foredawn gave it to me, and said to only use it when absolutely necessary." She told Sparky, who let out an "Ah." in understanding.
"That should do the trick nicely." He told her, before taking the jar and holding it ready. He had to be careful with it. He was only going to get one shot at this, and if he missed, they would be in BIIIIG trouble. He didn't exactly have a "Plan B" to fall back on.
"It's now or never!" The Pikachu said, before tossing the entire jar at the front windshield of the van. It hit it's mark directly, covering the entire windshield in the purple jel.
"Holy Swiss cheese!" The Professor shouted, before turning on his windshield wipers. Nothing.The jel was already dried and hardened.
"We're going to crash!" One of the assistants shouted, covering his eyes.
"Zappa, NOW!" Sparky bellowed, as he and her suddenly launched themselves at the van with Volt Tackle. They collided with the back of the vehicle and sent it spiraling out of control onto the highway, it's four passengers screaming for deal life.
The van was headed straight toward the guardrail.
"What is going on!?" The Trainer shouted, unable to see what was happening through the jel covered windshield. The speed at which they soared across the medium had sent him tumbling into the floor of the van.
"WATCH OUT FOR THAT GUARDRAIL!!" The other assistant shouted, lunging at the steering wheel as the Professor fought to regain control.
To late.
The van plowed right through the guardrail like a bulldozer and nose-dived into the ditch. The four humans were all dazed, though amazingly unhurt. Though their van was in pretty bad shape.
The three Pokemon stopped to observe the sight. Sparky and Zappa had a good laugh at the sight of the Trainer trying to climb out of the vans window, which was tricky to say the least, seeing as how the van was now lying on it's side.
The Servine then noticed a large, tall tree hanging over the ditch, directly above the van. He smiled.
"Just for good measure." He said, as he and his companions stepped back. Sparky and Zappa watched as he sent an Energy Ball into the bottom of the tree, blowing it loose from the cliff and causing it to fall directly on top of the van with a thundering crash. The four humans screamed helplessly as the tree came down.
The Trainer tried to open the back doors. Nothing. They were stuck shut. And the tree would ensure these four humans stay in that ditch for some time.
"We're trapped!" One of the assistants shouted, hitting the windshield with all his strength to try and break out of the vehicle, only to bounce off and into the other assistant, sending them both tumbling onto the floor.
The three Pokemon laughed. This battle was over. They had won.
"Good going, guys. These cabbage heads will think twice before coming around our territory again." The Pikachu said happily. Zappa was in full agreement. These humans just got their carapaces handed to them on a silver platter, and they were unlikely to forget about it anytime soon.
"You said it, Sparky." Zappa said, before giving Sparky a high five. The Servine couldn't stop smiling. He was just happy to be free from that containment tank. Besides, it WAS pretty fun!
"You both have my thanks for helping me to escape. I hate to think what would have happened of you two hadn't come along." He said gratefully, bowing to the both of them. They both chuckled, bowing playfully in return.
They could still hear the humans trying to escape the van in the ditch below. It sounded like something heavy had fallen down and hit the Professor on the head, because they heard him let out a sharp "YEOWCH!" in pain.
"Hey, we hate to see a fellow Pokemon in trouble. Besides, I'm sure you would have done the same for us." Sparky said, folding his arms, still smiling happily. He needed to do this more often. It was fun to mess with pesky humans who were coming to close to finding their village.
They all felt pretty happy, or at the very least content. But this feeling wouldn't last forever.
Zappa had let out a sharp gasp, pointing down the highway. The other two turned and looked.
"Uh-oh! It's the cops!" She exclaimed. She wasn't lying. A pitch black car with police lights on top, which were lit up and flashing brightly alongside the cars loud siren, was roaring down the highway in their direction. Someone must have seen or heard the chase and called the police. Sparky hadn't realized how much of a racket they were making, or how high that cloud of brownish smoke coming from the van was climbing into the sky. It also didn't help that Pewter City was very close to their current location.
"We better get out of here. Somehow I just know we're going to get blamed for this." Sparky told the others, before taking off into the forest back toward the village, Zappa and the Servine right behind him.
The Pokemon Professor finally managed to get the back doors loose just as the police car came to a stop on the other side of the highway. Officer Jenny stepped out of the car, looked down into the ditch, and gasped.
When she got a call about a serious accident in the area while on her way to Pewter City, she certainly didn't expect anything like THIS! The van was on it's side, with a giant tree lying on top of it. A dark smoke was coming out of the engine, warning that it could catch fire.
The Professor climbed out of the van, hurting as if he'd just been inside a clothes dryer.
"Hey, is anyone hurt down there?" Officer Jenny called down, causing him to look up after her. He squinted his eyes to try and see who he was talking too. His glasses were cracked, making it difficult to see.
"Huh? Who's that?" He asked, putting a hand above his eyes to try and see who it was. He took off his glasses and looked at them. "Oh, darnit, they're broken!"
The Pokemon Trainer climbed out and looked up at Officer Jenny, who had looked over at him.
"Wait right there, I'm going to get some help." Jenny called down, before turning and heading back to her patrol car to call for an ambulance, a fire truck, and a tow truck. These people were likely hurt, their van needed to be towed out of that ditch, and she didn't like that dark smoke rising out of the engine.
"Well, this day's been just dandy. First we lost our Servine, then we failed to catch those other rare Pokemon, then we end up crashing in a ditch!" The Professor exclaimed, before slipping and falling in a small patch of mud. The two assistants had tried to climb out of the van, but they both ended up tripping and falling to the ground. The Trainer just sighed at them. Maybe this trip was a bad idea.
"Argh... some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed." The Professor groaned.
Meanwhile, back in the forest, Sparky, Zappa and the Servine were busy making their way back to Tribe Alpha's village when something came to Sparky's mind.
"Hey, you started to mention the four tribes before. Where did you hear about them?" Sparky asked the Servine, as they all slid under a low tree branch. Zappa had been wondering that as well, and now her full attention was on the Servine.
The young grass-type sighed sadly and started to explain the situation to the two electric-types.
"It seems the world wasn't as negative about that bit of news concerning the four tribes after all. I had heard rumors that many people, from Pokemon Trainers, to Professor's, and even some Champions, were going to try and find the four tribes. For what reasons, I've heard all kinds. Some say they want to see if these four tribes are real. Some say they just want to catch some of the Pokemon, believing them to be very powerful. Others reasons just make no sense." He had said to the two, making them both look over at him in mild shock. Had people really taken Nightsides message seriously?
"Of course, the fact that message was attached to the corpse of a young girl, who many people believe was killed by the four tribes, gave the impression that you guys are willing to do anything to defend your territory. Even murder." The Servine went on, earning upset looks from Sparky and Zappa. They weren't the ones who killed that girl! It was Darkmoons doing! But somehow Sparky knew that trying to convince the humans of that would be easier said then done. Especially after this latest mishap of causing someone to have a major wreck.
"I was heading to Pallet Town to see the sights when I got grabbed by those four idiots. They had mentioned going out to find the four tribes and bring back some of their Pokemon as proof of their existence. They must have thought I was one of them and grabbed me. I'll never forget the experience I had in that containment tank..." He finished, shuddering slightly. He was still disturbed over his experience inside that containment tank.
Sparky and Zappa were just looking at each other now, both with wide eyes and pale faces. Because they both knew. They both understood.
It looked as if the humans really WERE going to be more trouble then they initially thought.
