Chapter Seven: Not Him Again!
After a nice lunch at home (with Allie, Ash, and his friends as guests), we started on the way to Elm's lab. I had almost forgotten about Mr. Pokemon's package, but it was safe the whole time in my fanny pack. On the way over, Ash, Misty, Brock and I talked. "So, how'd you know my name?" Ash asked. "Well, I remembered it from what Elm told me. I'd asked him who had saved the Totodile, and he said that you had. Then he told about the GS Ball." I looked over at him. It had been about a year since he'd passed through, I knew that much. I was curious how far he'd gotten on his journey through Johto, but I had a very important question to ask him first. "What did Kurt say about it, anyway?" "Well, I don't know," he said. "We left it there with him after I won my Hive Badge from Bugsy. We never really heard about it after that." He looked at me questioningly. "Why did you want to know?" I brought out the odd Pokeball that Kanna had been in at first. "This is why." Kanna saw it and shied away from it. She didn't like what it had done to her, that was for sure. "Kanna was in this right before we met. It seemed like it did something to her, and she's been wary of it ever since being put in a regular Pokeball. It's strange, though," I said, looking down at Kanna, "She's a baby Suicune, or at least we think, but I once could've sworn that she spoke to me." I shook my head. "I know it sounds crazy, but legends do say that the Legendary Dogs - Entei, Suicune, and Raikou - can talk to humans. Do you think that, just maybe, as a baby version, Kanna has the same ability?" Ash and Misty smiled, and Brock nodded knowingly. "Well," said Misty, "Maybe. And maybe she will evolve into a Suicune for you, too." "I'm almost afraid of that," I said sadly. "I'm afraid that if she does, she won't want to be my Pokemon anymore. I'm also scared that if I use her in a Gym battle, then someone will want her for a collection or a zoo or something, and try to steal her." "We've already dealt with people like that, Nicole," Allie cut in. "And we know that, together, we can fight 'em off. And I don't think Kanna is going to let you fight a battle without her, anyway. So it's really already been decided." I acted hurt. "What? A decision made without consulting me? Oh, it can only end in tragedy!" Everyone laughed as we walked up the steps to the door of Elm's lab.
~*~*~*~*~
"So this is what Mr. Pokemon was all excited about," mumbled Elm as he held the strange stone up to the light. Ash leaned over the table for a closer look. "What is it, Professor?" Misty leaned over too. "It looks almost like an Evolution stone, but I thought there were only six of them?" Elm nodded, then yelled as Pikachu tried to get closer. "Careful, there, Pikachu! We don't know what it is, let alone what it may do to Pokemon!" "Piika." Elm relaxed as Pikachu apologized. "It's ok. I just don't want you evolving on Ash here!" "Mm. Pikachu and I agreed a long time ago that Pikachu would stay Pikachu. I don't want him evolving without discussing it with me first!" He reached up to pet Pikachu, who was sitting on his hat. I looked down at Kanna. "Don't you touch it either, Kanna. I'm not sure I'm ready for a Suicune yet!" "Kanaun!" "Hey, Elm!" Kory walked into the room with his shiny Caterpie on his shoulder. It looked even bigger than last time I'd seen it, when Kanna and I fought it. "Guess what? Paul's back! He made it to Violet City, and won his badge. He came to show you his Tyrogue. He says he defeated Falkner with it alone!" Paul walked in, his Tyrogue beside him. "Yup, cause I taught to move faster than Falkner's Pokemon." Ash looked at Paul with a look of surprise. "Even faster than his Dodrio?" Paul sized Ash and his friends up, then answered, "No, he didn't use his higher level Pokemon because that wouldn't be fair. He used a low- level, and fairly pathetic, Pidgey and Pidgeotto. It was easy out doing them!" Ash glared at Paul. "I doubt they were that pathetic. I had a Pidgeotto once, and it was a great fighter." Paul laughed at Ash. "That just proves how much you know about Pokemon! The Spearow and Fearow family can easily outdo a Pidgeotto! They must be the weakest Bird type there is!" "You take that back!" Paul looked at Ash in disbelief. "Why should I? Everyone knows it's true." Brock kept Ash from strangling Paul while Allie kept me from the same objective. A thought hit me, and I stopped straining against Allie's death grip on me. "Forget him, Ash. He doesn't really care about Pokemon as individuals. He's more interested in their stats and levels. Numbers are his deal." Ash looked at me in surprise. "How could someone not care about his or her Pokemon?" he asked. "By raising some before he grew a heart!" I replied coldly. I turned to Paul, whose eyes were glued on Kanna. "And if you so much as look at her wrong, I'll have you thrown in jail! Creep," I muttered as Kanna jumped into my arms. I walked out past an astonished Paul, under the eyes of an even more astonished Ash, Brock, Misty and Allie. Elm and Kory were used to it, after having had me work in the lab with them. I stalked my way out of the lab and towards the path to Cherrygrove City. "Hey, Nicole! Wait up!" I turned to watch Allie as she ran to catch up to me. She gave me a funny look as she slowed. "What was that all about?" I sighed and let Kanna down to walk beside us. "I'll tell you on the way to Violet." And so my Johto League Challenge began.
After a nice lunch at home (with Allie, Ash, and his friends as guests), we started on the way to Elm's lab. I had almost forgotten about Mr. Pokemon's package, but it was safe the whole time in my fanny pack. On the way over, Ash, Misty, Brock and I talked. "So, how'd you know my name?" Ash asked. "Well, I remembered it from what Elm told me. I'd asked him who had saved the Totodile, and he said that you had. Then he told about the GS Ball." I looked over at him. It had been about a year since he'd passed through, I knew that much. I was curious how far he'd gotten on his journey through Johto, but I had a very important question to ask him first. "What did Kurt say about it, anyway?" "Well, I don't know," he said. "We left it there with him after I won my Hive Badge from Bugsy. We never really heard about it after that." He looked at me questioningly. "Why did you want to know?" I brought out the odd Pokeball that Kanna had been in at first. "This is why." Kanna saw it and shied away from it. She didn't like what it had done to her, that was for sure. "Kanna was in this right before we met. It seemed like it did something to her, and she's been wary of it ever since being put in a regular Pokeball. It's strange, though," I said, looking down at Kanna, "She's a baby Suicune, or at least we think, but I once could've sworn that she spoke to me." I shook my head. "I know it sounds crazy, but legends do say that the Legendary Dogs - Entei, Suicune, and Raikou - can talk to humans. Do you think that, just maybe, as a baby version, Kanna has the same ability?" Ash and Misty smiled, and Brock nodded knowingly. "Well," said Misty, "Maybe. And maybe she will evolve into a Suicune for you, too." "I'm almost afraid of that," I said sadly. "I'm afraid that if she does, she won't want to be my Pokemon anymore. I'm also scared that if I use her in a Gym battle, then someone will want her for a collection or a zoo or something, and try to steal her." "We've already dealt with people like that, Nicole," Allie cut in. "And we know that, together, we can fight 'em off. And I don't think Kanna is going to let you fight a battle without her, anyway. So it's really already been decided." I acted hurt. "What? A decision made without consulting me? Oh, it can only end in tragedy!" Everyone laughed as we walked up the steps to the door of Elm's lab.
~*~*~*~*~
"So this is what Mr. Pokemon was all excited about," mumbled Elm as he held the strange stone up to the light. Ash leaned over the table for a closer look. "What is it, Professor?" Misty leaned over too. "It looks almost like an Evolution stone, but I thought there were only six of them?" Elm nodded, then yelled as Pikachu tried to get closer. "Careful, there, Pikachu! We don't know what it is, let alone what it may do to Pokemon!" "Piika." Elm relaxed as Pikachu apologized. "It's ok. I just don't want you evolving on Ash here!" "Mm. Pikachu and I agreed a long time ago that Pikachu would stay Pikachu. I don't want him evolving without discussing it with me first!" He reached up to pet Pikachu, who was sitting on his hat. I looked down at Kanna. "Don't you touch it either, Kanna. I'm not sure I'm ready for a Suicune yet!" "Kanaun!" "Hey, Elm!" Kory walked into the room with his shiny Caterpie on his shoulder. It looked even bigger than last time I'd seen it, when Kanna and I fought it. "Guess what? Paul's back! He made it to Violet City, and won his badge. He came to show you his Tyrogue. He says he defeated Falkner with it alone!" Paul walked in, his Tyrogue beside him. "Yup, cause I taught to move faster than Falkner's Pokemon." Ash looked at Paul with a look of surprise. "Even faster than his Dodrio?" Paul sized Ash and his friends up, then answered, "No, he didn't use his higher level Pokemon because that wouldn't be fair. He used a low- level, and fairly pathetic, Pidgey and Pidgeotto. It was easy out doing them!" Ash glared at Paul. "I doubt they were that pathetic. I had a Pidgeotto once, and it was a great fighter." Paul laughed at Ash. "That just proves how much you know about Pokemon! The Spearow and Fearow family can easily outdo a Pidgeotto! They must be the weakest Bird type there is!" "You take that back!" Paul looked at Ash in disbelief. "Why should I? Everyone knows it's true." Brock kept Ash from strangling Paul while Allie kept me from the same objective. A thought hit me, and I stopped straining against Allie's death grip on me. "Forget him, Ash. He doesn't really care about Pokemon as individuals. He's more interested in their stats and levels. Numbers are his deal." Ash looked at me in surprise. "How could someone not care about his or her Pokemon?" he asked. "By raising some before he grew a heart!" I replied coldly. I turned to Paul, whose eyes were glued on Kanna. "And if you so much as look at her wrong, I'll have you thrown in jail! Creep," I muttered as Kanna jumped into my arms. I walked out past an astonished Paul, under the eyes of an even more astonished Ash, Brock, Misty and Allie. Elm and Kory were used to it, after having had me work in the lab with them. I stalked my way out of the lab and towards the path to Cherrygrove City. "Hey, Nicole! Wait up!" I turned to watch Allie as she ran to catch up to me. She gave me a funny look as she slowed. "What was that all about?" I sighed and let Kanna down to walk beside us. "I'll tell you on the way to Violet." And so my Johto League Challenge began.