A/N: Sorry for not updating! The reason this time was the same as the one before: my computer caught a virus, and I had to send it to my uncle so he could clear it. I can't promise anything, but I hope it never happens again!

Okay, on with the chapter!


Chapter 9 - The Precious Ekans

Stepping outside of the Pokemon Center's doors, Celeste stretched her arms out and allowed the morning sun to bathe her body with its warm rays. She smiled. "What a perfect day!"

Marcus exited the building after her, grinning up at the cloudless blue sky. "It sure is. Perfect day for a Gym battle, right? How about we head to the Gym right away?"

Celeste nodded vigorously in excitement. "Heck yeah! Let's"

"Celeste!"

Hearing the sound of her name being called, she whirled around. Nigel was heading toward her, sprinting down the street, seeming desperate to reach her. I thought the voice was familiar...

"Celeste! Marcus!" he shouted as he skidded to a stop in front of them.

"What's wrong, Nigel?" Celeste asked.

"And you don't have to yell," Marcus added, grumbling in annoyance. "We're right here, you know."

The two of them waited patiently as Nigel slouched forward, hands on his knees, taking deep breaths to refill his lungs with oxygen. After a long minute, he managed to spit out, "I-I saw... something... really awesome... on Route 4...! You guys have to see it!"

"You did?" Marcus said, raising an eyebrow. "What was it?"

Nigel shrugged. "No clue. I think it's a Pokemon, but it's not one I've ever seen before." His expression brightened. "You know what that means? If I've never seen it before, then that means it's probably an undiscovered Pokemon!"

With a chuckle, Marcus shook his head. "Actually, Nigel, just because"

"What are you guys just standing around for?" Nigel interrupted, his voice raising with excitement. "Come on! I'll go show you my awesome discovery!" He jabbed his index finger in the direction in which he came. "It's this way! Come on!" Not even waiting for an answer, he took off down the street.

"Well?" Marcus asked Celeste, who remained in her spot, hesitating. "Are you going to go see his 'awesome discovery'?"

She shrugged, heaving a sigh. "If it makes him happy... then I guess."


"It was around this area," Nigel said once he, Celeste, and Marcus, reached Route 4, the route leading from Mount Moon to Cerulean City. The area they were in was a wide, grassy clearing in the middle of the route's path, surrounded by tall mountains on either side. But there was nothing of interest in sight.

"Okay, then..." Marcus muttered, glancing around. "So, where is this discovery you were so worked up about?"

Nigel paced in a circle in the middle of the clearing, cerulean eyes examining the area. "I... I don't know. It was here a few minutes ago..."

Celeste sighed in irritation. "You know, Nigel, we have things that we need to do back in Cerulean City."

Marcus nodded. "That's right. So, since your 'awesome discovery' isn't here, we'll just be heading back to the city now."

"Wait!" Nigel cried hastily, following the duo as they headed west. "Guys, it was right here a few minutes ago! It couldn't have gotten very far, so if you guys would just look around with me"

"Not worth it," Celeste stated, her glare directed straight ahead of her as she walked. "There are better things that I'd rather be doing now, like battling the Cerulean City Gym Leader and winning my second Badge."

"But it is worth it! You should've seen it. It was, like, this long"he extended his arms out to either side, holding his hands about six feet apart"and it's body was this odd shade of green"

"Nigel," Marcus interrupted, "there are a lot of Pokemon that look like that. The one you saw was probably something really common and not worth seeing, like a"

He stopped mid-sentence as a cry of surprise escaped his lips; as he spoke, an unfamiliar Pokemon jumped out unexpectedly from behind a bush. The Pokemon had a green, serpentine body that was about six feet long. A yellow band on his scaly skin wrapped around his body underneath his head, and his underbelly, the rattle at the tip of his tail, and his glaring eyes matched this color.

"Ekkkkaaaaaaa!" he hissed at them.

"That's it!" Nigel shouted, pointing at the Pokemon. "That's the Pokemon I saw before!"

Marcus gaped. "That's an Ekans, but... he's a different color than most Ekans..."

"What's an Ekans?" Celeste wondered as she rummaged through her backpack, whipping out her Pokedex. She directed it at the Pokemon, flipping the top open. The Pokemon that appeared onscreen looked exactly the same as the one in front of her, only the majority of its body was purple rather than green.

"Ekans, the Snake Pokemon. A very common sight in grassland, as well as other areas. It flicks its tongue in and out to sense danger in its surroundings."

Marcus is right, Celeste thought as she returned the device to its respective space in her bag. If that Ekans's body is a different color than the one shown on the Pokedex, then that means he must be a very unique Ekans...!

"See?" Nigel said, flashing them an arrogant grin. "I told you guys that there was an awesome Pokemon out here. But noooo, you thought I was crazy and didn't listen to me." He folded his arms across his chest, turning away from them and sulking. "Well? What are you two waiting for? Apologize."

Marcus averted his gaze up to the sky, pretending to be in deep thought. "Really? I don't remember you ever mentioning anything about a Pokemon..."

Celeste giggled. "Yeah, I don't recall you saying such a thing until now," she mocked, playing along with Marcus. "Maybe... you really are crazy?"

Nigel scowled at them, stomping his foot on the grass. "Real funny, guys!" With a scoff, he whirled around, facing the Snake Pokemon. He drew a Poke Ball from his backpack. "Forget you guys. This Ekans is mine!"

What?! Celeste rushed forward, throwing her arm out in front of Nigel to stop him. "Whoa, wait. What if I want to catch this Ekans, too?"

"Why would you want to catch him?"

"Why wouldn't I want to catch him? This Ekans has a different color than other Ekans, so that must mean he's really awesome and unique!" She glanced at Ekans, who snarled menacingly at her; her aquamarine eyes brightened. "Plus, he seems really strong! He'd be an awesome addition to my team!"

"Well, too bad," Nigel snapped, pushing her out of his way. "I saw this Ekans first, so he's mine!"

Celeste opened her mouth to object, but after a moment of thought, she closed it again. He's right. He saw Ekans first, so I guess it's fair for Nigel to be the one to catch him. Folding her arms across her chest, she turned away with a huff of breath, sulking.

Grinning, Nigel returned his attention to the wild Snake Pokemon. "Okay, Ekans, you're Where'd he go?!"

Puzzled, Celeste turned around, seeing that Nigel was right: Ekans was nowhere in sight. She moaned in disappointment. He must've ran away when we were arguing...

"Darn it!" Nigel groaned, stomping his foot in the dirt. "I'm going to go find him! I'm not going to give up just because he ran away!"

"I'm going to go find him, too," Celeste said, beginning to follow his tracks as he walked across the clearing.

"No, you're not! Ekans is mine!"

"I have every right to capture him, just like you do!"

"Knock it off!" Marcus shouted, hopping between the two Trainers with his arms extended. "If you continue fighting like this, Ekans will just keep getting farther and farther away. Besides..." He grinned, pointing at himself with his thumb. "...I think I'm the only one worthy of that Ekans!"

"What?!" Celeste and Nigel shouted in unison.

"What makes you think that?" Nigel demanded.

Marcus chuckled, holding his hands up in defense. "Calm down! I'm only imitating the way you guys are acting! But honestly, I do want to catch that Ekans. That rare color of his body... If I caught him, Mr. Fuji would be so proud of me!" His voice became higher with excitement when he spoke the last sentence; his bright jade eyes gazed off into the distance.

"What are you rambling on about?" Nigel asked, grumbling.

Celeste snapped her fingers, catching the attention of the two boys. "I have an idea! Since we all want Ekans, how about we split up and search the area for him? And the one who finds him gets to capture him!"

"That's a great idea!" Nigel said.

"And it seems like it'd make things fair, too," Marcus agreed, nodding.

Celeste grinned. "Great! So let's split up. May the best Trainer capture Ekans!"


Where could Ekans be? Celeste wondered as she traveled farther into Route 4, eyes examining the area for any trace of the Snake Pokemon's presence. Nearing the mountains, the grassy clearing around her gradually turned into a rocky terrain as she ventured east. What did the Pokedex say again? "A very common sight in grassland, as well as other areas..." She groaned. "As well as other areas." That means Ekans could be—

A crack opening in the rocky ground snapped her from her thoughts; suddenly, a large hole opened up, a long figure swiftly bursting from it. Celeste shrieked.

The figure landed on the ground in front of her; once she could clearly see it was the green Ekans, she sighed in relief.

"Ekkaaaaaaa!" the wild Pokemon hissed at her.

Celeste grinned, pulling a Poke Ball from her backpack. "Hello again, Ekans. You're mine now! Charmander, let's go!" She tossed the ball; the Lizard Pokemon was released from it with a flash of white light.

"Char mander, char!" he cried, matching Ekans's intimidating scowl with his own.

"Charmander, use Ember!"

His jaws opened wide, Charmander fired a barrage of fiery spheres from his throat. The embers hit their target, singing the Snake Pokemon's shimmering green scales; he hissed in pain. However, he seemed to recover quickly, for he then lunged out at Charmander. The Fire-type flinched away; before he could escape, Ekans curled his long body around his, constricting his movement.

Celeste gasped. "Charmander! Try to break free, quick!"

Charmander obliged, struggling against Ekans's body, but to no avail. The more he tried to escape, the tighter his opponent's grip became. The Lizard Pokemon groaned in agony.

"Charmander!" Celeste cried again, concerned. "Get out of there by using"

Her starter Pokemon's shriek interrupted her as Ekans snapped his large jaws around the Fire-type's neck. The Snake Pokemon's body unwrapped from around his opponent's, his jaws still holding him. In one swift movement, he whirled around, releasing Charmander as he did so. Charmander flew through the air, colliding with a large rock. With a hiss, Ekans flipped backwards, burrowing a hole through the craggy ground and vanishing.

Whimpering, Celeste dashed to Charmander's side, crouching down beside him. She lifted her groaning Pokemon into her arms, examining the scrapes on his orange skin. "Charmander, are you okay?"

"Charrr..." he moaned in response.


Bursting from the ground, Ekans found himself in the grassy area of Route 4 once again. Panting, his golden eyes surveyed a nearby row of bushes that were speckled with blue berries. Despite his previous opponent taking more damage, he still managed to feel tired from the battle. He slowly slithered over to the bushes, enclosing his wide jaws around one of the blue fruits.

"There you are!"

The Snake Pokemon whirled around at the sudden cry. Marcus approached, grinning with excitement, his Rattata running alongside him.

"We've got him cornered," he said to the Mouse Pokemon. "I'll catch him for sure!"

"Raaaa," Rattata snarled, her sharp front teeth gleaming in the sunlight.

Swallowing the berry in his mouth and feeling somewhat restored, Ekans hissed at them.

"Not so fast, Marcus!"

Turning to the source of the voice, the three saw Nigel burst from another row of bushes, a Poke Ball in hand. "I saw this Ekans first. He's mine!"

"Nigel, I cornered him first," Marcus argued, "so I'm the one that gets to catch him, fair and square!"

Nigel shot a glare at him. "Alright... How about this: We both use our Pokemon to weaken Ekans, and whoever weakens him the most gets to keep him. That cool with you?"

Marcus nodded. "It's a deal."

"Alright! And I'll weaken him with my new, crazy-powerful Pokemon! Come on out!" Nigel hurled the Poke Ball he had in hand. It burst open with a flash of white light; the light condensed into the form of the Pokemon before fading away. The Pokemon left behind was a medium-sized fish with reddish-orange scales. His tail fin and the fins on either side of his body were white while the stiff, three-peaked fins extending from his back and stomach were yellow. Two long, yellow barbels sprouted from either side of his gaping mouth. His large, round eyes contained beady, coal-black pupils.

"Kar, karp," the Pokemon blubbered, flopping in the grass.

"A Magikarp?" Marcus questioned, staring at Nigel in disbelief. "That's your 'crazy-powerful' Pokemon?"

"Yeah. What's the problem?"

"You're actually being serious, aren't you? You do know that Magikarp is one of the most useless Pokemon in existence, right?"

Snarling, Nigel stomped his foot on the ground. "Are you doubting Magikarp's strength?! Well, we'll show you!" He turned around, pointing at the wild Snake Pokemon. "Magikarp, show them what you've got! Use Splash!"

Obeying his Trainer's order, Magikarp flailed around on the ground. There was a long, awkward silence.

"Rattaa," Rattata moaned, shaking her head at the pitiful sight.

Marcus slowly clapped his hands together. "Congratulations, Nigel. You have given a whole new meaning to the term 'epic fail.'"

"W-wha...?" Nigel stammered, gazing in disbelief. "How come nothing happened?!"

"Clearly, we don't have anything to worry about," Marcus joked, smirking down at the Mouse Pokemon. "I'll just go ahead and capture Ekans now. Rattata, let's go! Use Quick Attack!"

Rattata broke into a sprint, her movement so fast that she passed in a blur. In the blink of an eye, she had already closed in on Ekans; she lunged at him, tackling his body. He cried out in pain.

"Good job, Rattata!" Marcus praised, pumping his fist. "He's getting weaker!"

Once again, the Snake Pokemon recovered quickly; he whipped around, quickly snatching the already-close Mouse Pokemon in his jaws. She squirmed in his grip, trying to break free. The Poison-type vigorously shook his head, causing his captured opponent to become dizzy.

"Rattata, no!" Marcus shouted worriedly.

"Magikarp, use Tackle!" Nigel commanded.

The Fish Pokemon's body flopped across the grass, surprisingly managing to bound about a foot in the air. Reaching the Snake Pokemon, he slammed his body against his opponent's. The impact, shocking the Poison-type, caused him to release Rattata; the Mouse Pokemon staggered onto her feet on the ground, stumbling a bit from dizziness.

Relieved, Marcus sighed. "Thanks, Nigel!"

Nigel grinned. "No problem! You regret doubting Magikarp's true power now?"

Marcus glanced at Ekans, examining the effect Magikarp's Tackle attack had on him. "Not really. That Tackle doesn't seem to have caused much damage. It just managed to catch him by surprise..."

"Oh, whatever!"

At that moment, Celeste rushed onto the scene, taking her place at Marcus's side. "Hey, what did I miss? I see you guys found Ekans."

Marcus nodded. "Yup, we did. And Nigel had the idea that we see who weakens Ekans the most, and whoever does gets to capture Ekans. Oh, and..." Stifling a snicker, he pointed at Nigel's Magikarp, who flopped and blubbered uselessly in the grass. "...that's Nigel's 'new, crazy-powerful Pokemon!'" As he repeated Nigel's words in a high voice, his eyes grew wide and his grin stretched ear to ear in exaggerated amazement.

Eying the unfamiliar Pokemon, Celeste pulled her Pokedex from her backpack. "Who's that Pokemon?" she wondered, flicking open the top of the device.

"Magikarp, the Fish Pokemon. It is virtually worthless in terms of both power and speed. It is the most weak and pathetic Pokemon in the world."

Celeste giggled at the entry, slipping her Pokedex back into her bag. "Yup. He seems really crazy-powerful."

"Shut up!" Nigel shouted, his face growing as red as his hair in anger. "Just because you haven't seen how truly powerful Magikarp is, doesn't mean he's weak! You should have seen him when I reeled him in from the pond; he was slapping me silly and"

Celeste waved her hand. "Yeah, whatever you say. Anyway..." She smiled, pulling a Poke Ball from her backpack. "You guys mind if I join in on this challenge?"

"Yes, I do mind!" Nigel objected.

"Metapod, let's go!" She threw the ball, and it popped open, releasing a flood of white light that condensed and then faded away, leaving the Cocoon Pokemon in its place. "Use String Shot to wrap up Ekans!" Celeste commanded.

Following her Trainer's command, the Bug-type shot a long, white thread from her mouth. The thread wrapped around Ekans's body; the other end of it still in her mouth, Metapod pulled back, making it tighten around him.

"Kaaaaaa...!" the Snake Pokemon snarled. He then leaped forward, swiftly slithering toward Metapod.

"Metapod, dodge it!"

When Ekans closed in, the Cocoon Pokemon hopped to the side, managing to keep her hold on the silk lasso that bound him.

"Now, Metapod"

"Magikarp!" Nigel shouted.

"Use Tackle!" the two commanded in unison.

The Fish Pokemon flopped on the ground, his bouncing movements allowing him to gain momentum. He and Metapod tackled Ekans simultaneously; the Snake Pokemon cried in agony, collapsing onto the ground.

"Awesome!" Celeste cheered, pulling an empty Poke Ball from her backpack.

"Great! You're mine, Ekans!" Nigel said confidently, taking an empty ball from his backpack as well.

"Now, go, Poke Ball!" The two Trainers both tossed the balls they had in hand at the unconscious Pokemon; one ball managed to strike him just a moment before the other, which bounced off of Ekans's body uselessly. Opening up, a red light leaked out from inside the ball, enveloping his body and sucking him inside. The ball then closed, falling onto the ground; it wriggled back and forth, the center button flashing. Celeste, Marcus, and Nigel focused on it in anticipation. Then, after what felt like forever, the Poke Ball went still with a small click.

"Yeah!" Celeste and Nigel cheered, hopping with joy. "Ekans is"

"Guys," Marcus interrupted. "Do you even know whose Poke Ball caught Ekans?"

Celeste beamed, picking up the ball that contained the special Snake Pokemon. "Of course I do! I know it was my Poke Ball that caught him!"

Laughing, Nigel snatched the empty ball and extended it out to her. "Actually, this is your Poke Ball. It was mine that caught Ekans."

Celeste's ecstatic expression shifted into a glare. "And what makes you so sure?"

"Because I'm just that awesome, that's why!"

She chuckled. "That's your reason? Please, at least use something logical. Think about it: The Poke Ball that captured Ekans was thrown from his right side, which is the angle that I threw it at. Therefore, I'm the one that caught Ekans."

Nigel stared blankly back at her, an eyebrow raised. "Uh... what?"

"Never mind..." Celeste moaned, rolling her aquamarine eyes. "Look, we can go back and forth all day about who captured Ekans and get nowhere. So, how about we have a battle? Whoever wins gets to keep Ekans."

Nigel grinned, pumping his fist in determination. "Sounds good to me! And I'll be using my powerful partner, Magikarp!" He turned to face the Fish Pokemon, who flopped uselessly on the ground, blubbering.

"Then... should we just go ahead and declare Celeste the winner?" Marcus asked.

"No way! We need to prove to you guys how powerful Magikarp really is!" With that said, he spun around, running about a yard away to make room for a battle. "Let's do this!"

Celeste shrugged. Well, nothing's going to change his mind, so... "Alright. Metapod, use Tackle."

Metapod obliged, hopping across the grass toward the Fish Pokemon. Not even using much strength, she slammed her body against his. The impact was enough to send the Water-type flying; he plopped onto the dirt in front of Nigel, motionless.

"Whoa, who could've seen this outcome?!" Marcus said in mock surprise. He tossed his arm in Celeste's direction. "Celeste is the winner, and therefore, she gets to keep Ekans!"

"What?!" Nigel exclaimed, falling onto his knees beside his fainted Pokemon. "H-how did we lose...?" With a sigh, he pulled a Poke Ball from his backpack, pointing it at Magikarp. "You did your best, Magikarp. Take a break." A red beam shot from the ball's center, enveloping his Pokemon and sucking it inside. He rose to his feet, glaring at Celeste. "Look, Celeste, your win was just because of good luck. You just wait! I'll be training non-stop, and the next time we meet, we'll have another battle. And I'll be the winner! See ya!" And with that, he ran off down the dirt path to Cerulean City.

"And hopefully, he'll become a bit smarter, too," Marcus muttered as he watched Nigel disappear into the distance. Then he turned to Celeste, smiling. "Well, good job on catching Ekans! If I couldn't catch him, I'm glad that you did."

"Thanks, Marcus!" She looked down at Ekans's Poke Ball in her hand and squealed happily. She tossed the ball, catching it in her hand again and extending it high into the air. "This Ekans is super-rare, and he's all mine! Awesome!"

To be continued...


A/N: Honestly, this is probably my favorite chapter so far. I didn't really think that much of it when I first wrote it, but when I reread it before posting, I couldn't stop laughing. XD I hope you guys found it just as funny!

Thank you for reading, and also for being so patient during another unexpected hiatus! Please leave a review to tell me what you think! :)

~Hayley