Double Trap Trouble

I held my Dowsing Machine out in front of me, watching as the beams of light began to change color and slowly begin to cross. Krystal and I were walking through Route 20, or Winding Woods. Many people claim it to be a bewildering maze, but it was nothing Krystal and couldn't handle. Krystal's senses were keen, and I took good notes.

I smiled triumphantly as the beams of my Dowsing Machine changed to orange and crossed into an X. X marks the spot.

"My turn to dig, Krystal," I said as I bent down and pulled out my small shovel. In a few seconds, I had unearthed a perfect blue Comet Shard.

"Awesome," I said as I picked up the treasure and stored it away safely in my bag. I got up and turned to look at Krystal, only to see her hind-legs and rear sticking out of some bushes. I approached her and asked, "What's so interesting in those bushes."

"Take a look for yourself. It's pathetic," she said to me through telepathy, and in a pleasantly amused sounding voice.

That piqued my interest. Was she talking about a Pokemon, or maybe a human? I briskly made my way to her side and pushed my way through the bush. In a smallish clearing before me was a tree stump, and atop the tree-stump was a Basic Spice Pokepuff.

"What simpleton set this trap up?" Krystal said with a shake of her head and a blasé expression on her face.

I looked at the set-up, and the surrounding area, and shrugged, "Well, it is a pretty simple trap, but it'd probably catch a Pokemon who didn't know any better."

Krystal turned and gave me a rather sullen look. "Really?" she asked, with a hint of resent in her voice.

I was pretty sure I knew what I was talking about here, so I explained, "Well, if the Pokemon was hungry enough, or just never knew about Pokemon Hunters, he or she might think nothing of just. . . grabbing it?" My voice trailed off as Krystal stared back at me, looking unperturbed and very impatient with what I was saying. I started to wonder if I shouldn't have added the "or she" part.

"Hmm," was all she said as she stared at me, but I got a little relief from the way her mouth twitched as she repeatedly licked her lips. But then, to my shock, Krystal turned to the Pokepuff and began walking toward it.

"Wait, what? Stop!" I shouted, totally thrown for a loop by Krystal's action.

Krystal stopped a few feet from the tree stump and said without looking back at me, "Just stay quiet, and watch." My ears detected the sound of a gentle laugh and she continued, "This'll be fun!"

I trusted the assertiveness and confidence in Krystal's voice. It was clear that she had a point to make here, so even thought my hand was more than halfway up to the Luxury Ball in the necklace hanging from round my neck, out of my respect for my Absol friend, I watched and waited in silence. However, I still planned on recalling her if she ran into trouble.

I watched as Krystal slowly circled what she must have perceived to be the radius of the obvious trap. Standing at about 6 o'clock, she stopped to bend down slightly and sniff at what appeared to be normal leaf covered ground. Then she turned around and gently tapped the ground with her blade-like tail. Once she was apparently satisfied enough, she turned around and again, and gently placed her right forepaw onto the area. After getting a feel for the ground, she then stepped lightly and quickly over to the tree stump.

I wrung my hands and bent my fingers nervously as I watched my best friend in the world approach the obvious trap. I had to force myself to not grab the Luxury Ball as Krystal placed her right forepaw on the side of the stump. I could tell she was avoiding touching the top of it, or the Pokepuff on it. She carefully felt the bark, occasionally giving it a quick sniff. She knocked on it a few times, then she carefully laid her head against it and knocked on it a few more times.

I spotted the confident smile on her face, and watched with suspense as she turned and casually strutted away from the tree stump in a straight line. Then, she turned around, narrowed her eyes at the stump, made sure of her footing, and then swung her horn horizontally, sending a strong Psycho Cut right at the stump.

What happened next dumbfounded me, and convinced me that Krystal was some kind of genius. The Psycho Cut sliced longways through the stump, and there was a loud "sproing" sound as the top of the stump popped open like a jack-in-the box, catapulting the Basic Spice Pokepuff into the air.

I spotted the metallic glinting of springs and other small machine parts for a brief moment, but in the next moment, the ground all around the stump erupted in dirt, grass, and leaves. 8 sections of chain-link fencing swung up out of the ground and came together in a tight, restrictive cage in a tremendous crash. My stomach churned briefly as I pictured Krystal being snapped up by that trap.

I spotted the Pokepuff spinning through the air as it fell back down in an arc, and my eye followed it as Krystal caught it right in her mouth, much to my amazement.

Krystal brought a forepaw to her mouth and ate the Pokepuff up quickly. Then, turning to me, she gave a graceful bow. Then she was suddenly hoisted into the air without warning.

I nearly fell backwards with fright when Krystal cried out in fear as she was yanked up into the air by her right hind leg. I took a second to get my bearings on what just happened, and I soon realized that Krystal had been caught by a snare trap. I could see the thick braided rope that ran out from the tree branches above, which came to a loop which had caught her leg.

Once I had regained my nerve and composure, I was suddenly possessed by a strong urge to laugh. Instinctively, a put my left hand over my mouth.

Hanging suspended in mid air, Krystal turned her body around and looked at me from her upside-down position. "Do something!" she said loudly, glowering at me with eyes still widened in surprise.

That was just too much. I could hold it back any longer. The whole situation was just too ironic. Holding my stomach with both arms, I burst out laughing.

"Except that! I mean - I - that's not what I meant! Jayron!" Krystal said, sounding the more frustrated than ever before. This was also the first time I've seen her get flustered.

This just made me laugh all the more, and I had sit down before I fell over. Although I knew that I wouldn't be laughing if roles were reversed, I was also quite sure that Krystal would be the one laughing in that case. The whole thing was just funny, I wasn't trying to be mean.

Krystal huffed and reached down to the ground with her forepaws. When stretching as far as she could, there was still a good too inches between her forepaws and the ground. As my laughing died down and I began to get a hold of myself, Krystal sighed and said to me, "Okay, I admit it. It's funny. I figure out a huge elaborate trap, I break it, I even eat the Pokepuff it was bated with, and then I get caught by a snare trap. You can laugh at me. I'd be laughing too if, well, you know. Please get me down?"

I took a deep breath and let it out to calm myself. As I stood up, I asked, "Can't you cut yourself down?"

Krystal huffed a second time as she looked upwards at her leg and said, "If I used a move from this angle. . . well, I'd probably still have all my legs afterwards, but there kinda will be blood."

I nodded, feeling a bit of anger at how horrible these traps are for any wild Pokemon who got stuck in them. "Yeah, I see what you mean," I replied.

Krystal licked her lips, then looked over at me again. "Yeah. So. . ."

I stood where I was, folding my arms as I said calmly, "You know, there might be a lesson to be learned from this."

"What?!" Krystal replied shrilly.

"Figuring out how to set off that trap was pretty amazing. I mean it, it was genius. You're a genius," I said proudly, pointing at her cheekily, although I'm sure my sincerity shone through, "But maybe you got a bit too cocky, and messed with something you should have left well enough alone just to prove a point."

"W-what point?" Krystal replied anxiously.

"Krystal, you know that I know how intelligent Pokemon are," I said kindly, "I knew that ever since I've met you. You don't have to prove yourself to me."

Krystal's eyes widened a bit, and she gave her lips a long lick.

I approached her and scratched her tuft of fur as she hung swinging back and forth slightly from her inverted position.

"But you can if you want to, cause it's always amazing," I said stated.

Krystal's smile still made me happy, even when it was upside down. We stared at each other for a moment, then Krystal motioned upwards with her forepaws and said, "Okay. So, now?"

I didn't exactly want to push this too far, but I felt one more thing couldn't hurt. So, as I took out my utility knife and opened it to reassure her, I said nonchalantly, "You know, it's been a while since I've seen your cute face."

Krystal blinked her eyes at me, then gave a sigh and a smile. She then tilted her head and pouted, her gorgeous ruby eyes wide and sparkling.

With a soft chuckle, and a warmed heart, I reached and stretched as high as I could. I was just able to put the knife blade to the rope looped around Krystal's leg. I carefully sawed at the rope, slowly breaking the chords, being extra careful not to hurt my friend. Eventually, with a loud snap, the rope finally broke and Krystal fell to the ground.

As Krystal quickly righted herself and stood back on all fours, I caught her in a hug and said truthfully, "You know I'd never leave you hanging, Krystal. What would I do without you?"

Krystal grinned at me and said, "What would I do without you?"

We shared a quick laugh, and the two off us walked over to the bushes and towards the Route.

"We better let Officer Jenny know that there's Pokemon Hunters in the area," I said seriously, then I blinked thoughtfully and said, "Hey! This could make a good story for the Lumiose Press!"

"You're not gonna write about what happened to me, are you?" Krystal said in concern as we pushed our way through the bushes.

"How about I write about your expert trap disarming technique, and leave out a certain detail or two?" I said cheekily.

"That's more like it," Krystal replied.

"Prepare for trouble, you got that right!"

"And make it double 'cause we're here for a fight!"

Krystal and I froze when we heard the female and male voices behind us.

"To infect the world with devastation!"

"To blight all people in every nation!"

We quickly, yet silently, turned around and peeked in through the bushes.

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

Out of the forest jumped a man and woman dressed in black uniforms with large red capital "R"s on them.

"Cassidy!"

"Butch!"

"We're Team Rocket, circling the Earth all day and night!"

"Surrender to us now, or you will surely loose the fight, fight, fight!"

The two people stood in a dramatic pose before the sprung trap, until the woman, Cassidy, suddenly shouted "Hey! There's nothing here!"

Buck saw it to, and stomped his foot angrily, shouted, "WHAT! Don't those Pokemon know how long I worked on that trap?!"

"You worked? I did all the work you simpleton!"

"Who are you calling a simpleton you nag!"

As the two Team Rocket grunts argued, Krystal and I slowly turned to look at each other.

"Jayron?" she asked.

"Fire at will," I replied seriously.

Without a moments hesitation, Krystal jumped out of the bushed and landed right next to the two grunts. She growled fiercely, causing the grunt to recoil and scream in fear. Then she fired a powerful Dark Pulse at them, and the resulting explosion blasted them off into the air.

"This was a disaster!" Cassidy shouted.

"Of course it was! That was an Absol!" Bach shouted.

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" the two of them shouted as they disappeared into the distant sky in a twinkle of light.

Chuckling and shaking my head, I walked over to Krystal, who was patiently sitting down on her haunches as she waited for me, and gently scratched underneath her chin, much to her apparent delight.

"Good girl," I said.