Screensaver Problems Part 5

PDM: Wow... you kept reading... Well, I have to summarize. It's the code of the ficwriters. (I looked it up during the break) So, Misty made a major confession about her true feelings, and she made it to yours truly! Let's see what happens next, shall we?

M: I know what happens next!

PDM: No fair using your psychic powers.

M: Darn. They'll just have to read, then.

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We ate breakfast, and then I decided to go down and see if my film was ready yet, and then go do the Pokemart purchases for everyone while the others went to do a few more errands. We decided to meet at a certain restaurant for lunch. Then we would decide what to do next.

I headed straight for the Pokemart to buy the various healing items we needed. I jammed for the store owner with my Pokeflute again. (This time, I played both theme songs!) He gave me a 20% discount, bringing the total plus food to about $10,000. Then I backtracked to the hotel to pick up all the film plus the last two rolls of Misty last night I had dropped off later that night. I then dropped Kadabra and Drowzee off at the Pokemon Center in the daycare for a little R&R before the big battle. Afterwards, I headed for the restaurant, which was called the Vulpix Café. I got a table for four and waited. In about ten minutes, Misty and Brock showed up loaded down with bags. More accurately, Brock was carrying all the bags and being dragged by the ear by Misty. I looked outside and saw Officer Jenny. That explained it. Misty sat down next to me and Brock sat on the other side on the inside. Brock always had to sit on the inside so he wouldn't hit on every pretty girl that passed.

"Hey, guys. Have a good shopping trip?" I asked.

"Yeah, except Romeo here had to hit on the checkout woman and almost get us thrown out." Misty said, shooting Brock a dirty look.

"I have the pictures here, if you want to take a look. We should wait for Ash before we start."

"Okay. I think Ash said he was going to call Professor Oak, so he might be a few minutes more." Brock noted.

I handed them the pictures, holding back the two rolls of Misty. I wanted to respect her wishes, so while Brock was preoccupied with staring at a picture that had a girl in the background, I asked her if it was okay to show the pictures to the others.

"That's fine, I guess."

"It should be okay, cause I plan to shoot them, too, at least to protect Ash's ego."

"Fine."

Right about then Ash walked in. He sat down, apparently in pretty good spirits. "Gary just tried to compete in the Pokemon championships and lost again!" he practically cheered.

"Gary Oak, you mean?" I asked. "The infamous snotty cheerleader-packing rival?"

"That's him. But at least I have one advantage over him- he never got an Earthbadge, and I did!"

"Ash, you know that's unfair! He had to fight Giovanni and Mewtwo, and you had to fight Team Rocket! That's about the same difference as a Mew is to a Magikarp in terms of power and intelligence." Misty said.

"Definitely in intelligence, at least!" I chuckled. "Should we order?" Everyone agreed, and I called a waitress over. This one required a mallet hit to calm Brock down, but we managed to order. I then handed the pictures of Misty over to Ash, since Brock was unconscious and lying on top of the others. He looked at them pretty intently and seemed to be debating whether to keep one or not.

{The plot thickens.} I thought. Luckily, he put them all back and handed them over. Then our food came, Brock woke up, and we started eating.

In between bites, we discussed what to do next. We all wanted to visit Brock's family, and I persuaded the others to let me battle Flint first before we went to visit. We paid the bill and headed for the Pokecenter to pick up my Pokemon, and then straight for the Pewter Gym and a Boulderbadge.

On the way, Misty saw a sale in a department store and practically dragged the boys in there while I kept walking. Near the gym, I saw an old man with spiked hair like Brock's that had some rocks laid out on a blanket with price tags on them.

"Special rocks! Unique in the whole world!" he was shouting into the crowd, but nobody noticed. I decided to stop and wait for Ash, Brock, and Misty here while I looked at this guy's rocks.

I stopped with Kadabra and took a look at the rocks. They didn't look all that unique, so I decided to ask what made them so unique. "Sir, what's so unique about these rocks?"

The old man gave me an analyzing look. Apparently deciding I was trustworthy, he beckoned me to lean in close. "I am a rock expert, young man. Some of these rocks are evolution stones, and some might even be new types of evolution stones! But nobody will even look at them, not even when they're a quarter of the price they are in Celadon!"

"Evolution stones? I thought there were no new ones!"

"Ah, they never did find a Psychic Stone or a Poison Stone among others, did they?"

"Good point."

"Would you like to buy one?"

"How much are the Psychic Stones?"

"Precisely $15,000."

"WHAT?"

"No, no, no! Just for you, I will give you a..." Here he started clicking on a calculator. "A two-thirds discount. So only $5,000 for you!"

"That seems like a good deal... I'll take it, but can you guarantee that they work?"

"I promise you, they do work perfectly. I have had cause to use some of them in my career." This statement was coupled with a secret smile.

"Fine. Here's your money." I said, handing over the $5,000, hoping I wasn't being stupid.

"Thank you, and here is your Psychic Stone! Take good care of it."

"You're welcome. Now I'm off to get the Boulderbadge!"

"You are going for the Boulderbadge? Good luck. I hear the gym leader is the best ever!" And with this, the weird guy threw a small ball on the ground. It exploded in a blast of smoke, and when all the smoke cleared, the man was gone.

"Okay, that's weird..." I said to myself as I saw the others beating their way through the crowd, loaded down with bags. "Are you about done shopping? Can we go to the gym now?" I called.

"Yes, we are. That is unless Misty doesn't see any more sales on the way!" Ash replied, having to dodge the mallet shortly afterwards.

"Good. Let's go!" I said, walking off.

In about ten minutes' walk, we reached the gym. It looked like it had been carved from a boulder, and who knows? Maybe it had. This gym was of the rock-type, unsurprisingly. We all entered it and were greeted by a door that was blocked by a boulder. A voice then suddenly came out of nowhere. It said, "Which of you wishes to challenge for the Boulderbadge?"

"I do." I said, stepping forward.

"Please verfy that you are a licensed Pokemon trainer."

I held up my Pokedex, where it opened and started its standard opening spiel.

"Very good. The rest of you must enter through the spectator's door to the right."

The others left after wishing me good luck. Then the voice continued. "To prove your worth, you are required to battle one trainer before being allowed access to the gym leader for the final battle. If you are ready for your first battle, then step through the door and let the battle begin!" With this, the voice died away as the boulder began to crack. It split cleanly in half and slid away, allowing me entry. I stepped through.

The doors opened into a darkened arena where I was greeted by a young child of maybe ten. He introduced himself as Junior, short for Junior Trainer. "You're light years away from facing the gym leader!" he shouted.

Suddenly, the lights snapped on, revealing a broad, flat arena with seats on either side. I looked to the right and saw Ash, Misty, and Brock all sitting on one of the benches. "Go, Chris!" they all cheered. I smiled at them and turned to the matter at hand. Junior released his first pokemon.

"Pokeball, go!" he shouted as he tossed the red-and-white ball out. It opened as it hit, and red light spilled out and transformed itself into a Sandshrew. (Pokedex Info: A Sandshrew is a small mole-like Pokemon of the rock type. Its skin is hard as rock.) He then waited for my choice of Pokemon. I decided to save Kadabra for the final battle if necessary, and told him to stay back. He obeyed, albeit reluctantly. I pulled my other Pokeball off my belt and tossed it out. My Drowzee appeared.

The same voice from the doorway rang out again. "The battle to proceed shall be two Pokemon each. Potions and healing items only! Let the battle begin!"

I took the initiative, calling for Drowzee to use Hypnosis. Drowzee began to move his arms and create sleep waves.

"Sandshrew, Dig!" Junior ordered.

Sandshrew dug underground and dodged the sleep waves. Knowing what would happen next, I gave Drowzee a new command. "Drowzee, brace yourself! When it pops out, use Hypnosis again!" Drowzee nodded, signifying understanding. Then the ground under Drowzee began to shake as he braced himself. Then Sandshrew popped up, hitting Drowzee, but only damaging him slightly due to his defense move. Then Drowzee used the Hypnosis move again. Sandshrew wasn't quick enough that time, and fell asleep.

"Good move." Junior acknowledged.

"Thanks. Now, Drowzee, Dream Eater!"

Drowzee concentrated, powering up for its best move while Sandshrew snoozed. Then Drowzee let out a yell as it shot a purple ray that seemed to have a ghostly face at Sandshrew. The ray entered Sandshrew's head, and then Sandshrew began to shake and moan in his sleep. Then the ray appeared again and shot back at Drowzee. Drowzee absorbed it and was healed as he ate Sandshrew's dream.

"Now follow up with Tackle while it's still asleep!" I called.

Drowzee charged straight at the Sandshrew and hit it head on. The Sandshrew bounced back a few steps and woke up. It tried to get back up, but couldn't and crumpled back to the ground with one final cry.

"Sandshrew is unable to battle! Drowzee is the winner!" the unseen voice rang out again.

"Great job, Chris!" Ash called from the sidelines. "At this rate, you'll have the Boulderbadge by dinner!" But he shut up quickly as Brock began to grow, anime style, in his anger at Ash dissing his dad, however indirectly.

I was chuckling to myself as Junior recalled his KO'd Sandshrew in a flash of light, shaking his head.

"Pretty good, but I still have one more Pokemon. You won't defeat this one! Pokeball, go!" he shouted as he tossed out another red-and-white ball. It opened in the typical flash of red light to become a Diglett. (Pokedex Info: A Diglett is a mole-type Pokemon that is always partially underground so only its head shows.)

"A Diglett, huh? Drowzee, let's go!" I called as Drowzee moved up.

"Your Hypnosis trick won't work this time. Diglett, Dig!"

"Drowzee, use Confusion on it when it comes up!"

Diglett dug underground and popped out underneath Drowzee, damaging it. Then Drowzee attempted to use Confusion on Diglett, but Diglett just popped underground again.

"Like I said, your tricks won't work on Diglett. He can pull his head underground at 100 mph, much faster than any Confusion or Tackle attack."

I thought for a second, and then decided on what I had to do. "Drowzee, return!" I shouted, returning him to his pokeball in a flash of light. "Kadabra, go!"

Kadabra eagerly stood up from where he had been practicing bending his spoon. "Kadabra dabra!" He floated forward to battle position.

"Why'd he do that?" Ash asked.

"He knew that Drowzee was overmatched in terms of speed, so he decided to even the odds a bit." Brock replied.

Meanwhile, Junior commanded Diglett to use Dig yet again. But this time would be different. "Kadabra, Teleport!"

Kadabra waited until Diglett was just about to break through and then Teleported away to a different spot, letting Diglett pop out and look around in confusion for a split second. And a split second was all we needed.

"Kadabra, Psybeam!"

Kadabra immediately shot out the rainbow-hued beam, which hit Diglett dead on. Diglett was severely damaged, and became confused. (Pokedex Info: With every psychic attack, there is a 10% chance of confusion, which means that three things can happen. The Pokemon can either do its attack correctly, attack itself, or use a completely different attack, but, even then, it might still attack itself.)

"No! Diglett, use Scratch!"

"Perfect! Kadabra, use Confusion!"

Diglett was so confused that it scratched itself instead, putting it on the brink of fainting. Then Kadabra followed up with its Confusion attack, leaving no contest. Diglett slumped right over in its hole without even a last cry.

"Diglett is unable to battle! Kadabra and Drowzee are the winners! Junior has no more Pokemon! Chris has won the match!" the strange voice pronounced yet again.

"Darn! I messed up in more ways than one! Light years isn't time, it's distance! Very good battle, however. You and your cheering section may proceed to the final battle." Junior said.

Suiting him to his words, two more stones cracked behind him, one in the arena and one in the stands, both revealing a door leading to the final match. I took a second to give each of my Pokemon a Potion, and then went up to the stands to talk to the others before I went on with them.

"Great battle, Chris!" Ash said.

"That was a really smart move, taking out Drowzee like that!" Misty added.

"Thanks, guys. But I'm betting that guy's nothing compared to Flint."

"Correct!" Brock practically shouted, being nailed on the head with a mallet and in the gut with a fist two seconds later.

"You're supposed to be rooting for Chris!" Ash and Misty both shouted at the same time. Afterwards, though Ash didn't notice, Misty turned away to hide a blush. (Guess why!)

"Okay, I'm going on. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" Ash and Misty both said, followed up by a rather strained duplicate from Brock, although I didn't know if it was due to his slight bias for his father or the fact that his face and probably his stomach as well were mostly a solid mass of bruises.

I walked on through the newly formed doorway as my friends did the same a little farther away. The room that we entered was very different from any other battleground I had been in. The floor was littered with stones of random shapes and sizes. There were small squares with railings around them that were apparently for the trainers. The seats were still there, though, so I waited as the others sat down. Then a voice rang out.

"Please step into the trainer's ring and release your pokemon." Strangely, this voice sounded slightly familiar. I had heard it somewhere before, but I could not figure out where...

Suddenly, there was a small explosion at the other trainer's ring. Smoke billowed out from the ring for a few seconds, and when it cleared, a man with spiked hair similar to Brock's was standing there clad in a trenchcoat. He looked at me for a few seconds.

"So it's you. Have you used my stone yet?" he asked. Suddenly, the memory of the strange rock seller and his subsequent disappearance popped into my mind.

"You!" I shouted as Brock stood up in the stands and shouted "Dad!"

"Huh?" the man, who I now knew to be Flint Shale, said as he whipped his head toward the source of the shout. "Brock!"

"Hello, Dad."

"So, Brock, is this one of your friends?"

"Yes."

"Well, just know I won't go easy on him!"

"I don't expect you to, Dad."

Then Flint cracked a small smile and said, "Your little brothers and sisters miss your cooking."

"Hello? I'm sure this is a tearful reunion, but do you think we could battle first?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Let me introduce myself. My name is Flint Shale, the leader of the Pewter City Gym. I believe in rock-hard defense. Do you still wish to challenge me?" Here he smiled again and turned to Brock. "I kept using your famous gym leader speech, son..."

"Oy!" I said, doing one of those anime falls. "Can we battle already? Yes, I wish to challenge you!"

Suddenly Flint's eyes became hard as rock as he looked at me and my Kadabra. "That is your choice, and you are now bound to it. I wish you luck. You will need it."

"This battle will be two Pokemon each! The winner of the battle will receive a Boulderbadge!" the same voice shouted.

"Go, Onix!" Flint shouted, throwing out a brown pokeball. The light that spilled forth transformed itself into an Onix. (Pokedex Info: An Onix is a rock snake Pokemon that resembles a giant snake made up of sections that look like boulders. It is nearly thirty yards long.) "Choose your Pokemon."

"I choose Drowzee!" I shouted, tossing out Drowzee's Pokeball. He appeared in the same way with a flash of red light. "Drowzee drow!" he screeched upon seeing the Onix.

"Let the battle begin!" the voice shouted.

Flint shouted his first command. "Go, Onix! Use Bind now!"

"Drowzee, let's show them size doesn't matter! Use Hypnosis!"

The Onix crawled up to Drowzee like an anvalanche falling. Drowzee was visibly rattled, but managed to use Hypnosis. But the Onix just shook it off and wrapped itself around Drowzee, squeezing it tight. Drowzee let out an anguished squeal as it was squeezed.

"Drowzee, you can do it! Hang in there and use Confusion!"

Drowzee was on the edge of fainting, but managed to use Confusion. This time, Onix could not shake it off. It only damaged Onix slightly due to its high defense, but it did manage to confuse Onix.

The only problem with that was that a damaged and confused Onix is a dangerous Onix. It uncoiled from Drowzee and went on a rampage. We, the trainers, were safe, but the audience was not as well protected. Onix was using Rock Throw randomly, and it used it in Misty's direction. Misty was too paralyzed with fear to move, even with everyone screaming for her to. Ash, then, showing some quick thinking, whipped out Squirtle (Pokedex Info: A water-type turtle that can shoot powerful streams of water.) and commanded it to blast away the rocks, saving Misty.

"Are you all right?" he asked, recalling Squirtle.

"Yes, I'm fine, Ash. Thank you for saving me!"

Ash blushed. "It wasn't that big of a deal..."

"Oh, yes, it was! I'll find some way to pay you back for it, Ash Ketchum, and don't you forget it!" Misty said with a lot of conviction.

"Thanks, Misty..." Ash said, blushing again.

While this drama was unfolding in the stands, I had managed to get Drowzee to use Hypnosis on Onix, calming it down. I then used Dream Eater on it a few times, and managed to knock it out by a lucky chance. I was beginning to think I was a little overmatched here, but I had not neglected to notice the events in the stands, and I had seen that Brock and Flint had noticed, too. Brock seemed to be paying special attention, though.

Flint recalled Onix with a snort. "You got lucky that time, but this one will end your lucky streak." He then threw out another brown pokeball, releasing a Geodude. (Pokedex Info: A Geodude is a rock-type Pokemon. It looks like a rock one foot in diameter with two strong, muscular arms and a face. It has no legs. It also hovers about two-and-a-half feet in the air.)

"Drowzee, do you wanna stay out there?" I asked.

"Drowzee drow owzee!" he said, nodding.

"Okay, but if you get too tired, I'll have you go out, okay?"

Flint then gave the first order. "Geodude, Rock Throw!"

"Drowzee, use Tackle!"

Geodude picked up one of the rocks littered around the arena and threw it at Drowzee. He valiantly tried to dodge it, but it connected solidly, and Drowzee fainted.

"You did a good job, Drowzee." I said softly as I recalled him. I then called Kadabra out. "Kadabra, you're my last chance!"

"Geodude, use Rock Throw again!"

"That won't work this time, Flint! Kadabra, Teleport!"

Geodude tossed another boulder at Kadabra, who only teleported away, unharmed.

"Grr... Geodude, use Rock Throw again!"

"Kadabra, Teleport and follow up with Psybeam!"

Kadabra Teleported away from the rock again and then used Psybeam from its new perch on a rock. The beam hit Geodude solidly, and almost knocked it out. Geodude was reeling where it hovered.

"Perfect, Kadabra!"

"No! Geodude! I only have one last chance!" Flint said as he dug for something in one of his trenchcoat's pockets. He found it after a second. He held up what appeared to be a normal rock, but then he threw it at Geodude. I was slightly puzzled. Why would he try to help knock Geodude out? But then I got a shock. When the rock hit Geodude, it began to glow. Then Geodude started to grow as well. It seemed to grow bigger and gain two more arms. When the glow died, the stone was gone and the Geodude had become a Graveler. (Pokedex Info: A Graveler is the second stage of a Geodude. It has four arms instead of two and no longer hovers. But it weighs near to 200 pounds, and has a devastating Rollout attack.)

"That was a Rock Evolution Stone?" Ash whispered.

"Right." Brock replied.

"Uh oh..." I said. Kadabra clearly mirrored my feelings.

"Graveler, Rollout!" Flint ordered.

"Shit! Kadabra, Teleport!"

Graveler rolled at a speed in excess of 100 mph into the rock Kadabra was standing on. Kadabra just managed to Teleport out of the way before the rock exploded in a rain of rock shards. From his new perch, Kadabra looked a little uneasy.

"Graveler, Rollout!"

"Kadabra, no more running away! Psybeam!"

Graveler began to roll toward the rock. Kadabra was standing on. I could see that Kadabra wanted to Teleport, but it instead charged up and released its Psybeam. The Psybeam hit the Graveler's skin and simply dissolved, having no effect. Then Graveler connected with the rock, and it exploded, throwing Kadabra high in the air.

"No! Kadabra!" I shouted, almost in tears.

Kadabra landed on the ground with a nasty-sounding crunch.

"Graveler, finish it! Rollout!"

Graveler started its roll, aiming for Kadabra on the ground. I knew that in a few seconds, I would only have a Drowzee for my pokemon. "Kadabra, you've gotta get up! Come on! I can't make it without you!" I shouted with tears brimming in my eyes.

But Kadabra did not move, and Graveler rolled right into it with an even nastier-sounding crunch. When the dust cleared, Kadabra was lying still on the ground.

"No! Kadabra! You were my only true friend!" I screamed, finally starting to cry. But all of a sudden, I felt something new in my head. It was like a little tickling sensation. I concentrated on it, and suddenly I realized what it was. It was Kadabra making a psychic connection! Hope springing to life, I concentrated on the connection and let my strength and hope flow into him. On the arena, he began to glow with a red light. Suddenly, he was healed, as he sprang up into the air and began to float out of Graveler's reach.

"What? How?" Flint shouted.

"Kadabra! You're okay!" I cried, tears still falling. "Kadabra, let's finish this!"

"Graveler, Rock Smash!"

The Graveler started to roar as it prepared for its ultimate attack. But Kadabra floated in the air, seemingly unconcerned. He looked at me and I nodded. Then he began to concentrate on the Graveler. His spoon that he always held in one clawed hand began to shake, and then it flew up in the air in front of his forehead and started to glow. As I watched, the spoon started to be crushed into a new shape that resembled a small round bullet. Then the spoon started to glow with psychic energy. Finally, Kadabra let out a yell and launched the bullet at Graveler in a devastating Psi Bullet attack. Graveler gave a smirk, if that was possible, and simply waited. But he was in for a shock- when the bullet hit him, it smashed into his skin and embedded itself in there. Then it released all its psychic energy in one giant explosion. When the dust cleared, Flint's Graveler was lying on the ground with an expression kind of like this: X_X

It had been knocked out at last.

My voice rose with Kadabra's and the others in the seats for one giant cheer. I ran toward Kadabra, who was floating toward the ground, obviously spent. My tears drying up, I hugged him. He smiled at me as he produced a spoon out of nowhere.

"That was a very good match." Flint said, recalling his Graveler. "You and your Kadabra's bond was so strong that it broke through even the defenses of rock." Then he walked over to me. "You may now take this Boulderbadge with my blessing. I wish you very good luck on your journey." He held out a Boulderbadge, the badge we had worked so hard for. I took it and clipped it onto the side of my beret. Just then, the others burst onto the ring.

"Chris, great job! That was a heck of a battle!" Ash shouted.

Misty gave me a quick hug. "You did the best I've ever seen anyone do."

"Thanks, you guys."

"Dad, we had planned to go visit you and the kids after the battle. Even though you lost, can we still do that?" Brock asked.

"Sure." Flint said.

"Wait a minute here! I have two extremely tired Pokemon here! Do you think we could go to the Pokecenter first?"

"That's fine." Flint said. "I'll go with you. It's been a while since I saw Nurse Joy..."

"Now I know where Brock gets it from." Misty said.

A few minutes later, we were at the Pokecenter.

"Nurse Joy, it's wonderful to see you!" both Shales cried, rushing up to her.

"Misty, a little help here?" I asked.

"Certainly." she said, taking out her mallet. Two quick hits, and then we dragged the two unconscious Romeos to a couch.

"Now, Nurse Joy, can you heal my Pokemon?" I asked, holding up the two Pokeballs that Drowzee and Kadabra were in.

"Certainly. One moment, please." She took the pokeballs and walked through a door.

While I was waiting, I talked with the others a little bit about how crazy the battle had been. Then, finally, Nurse Joy returned. "Your pokemon are fighting fit! We hope to see you again!" she said with a sigh.

"Nursing school?" I asked.

"Yep."

"Well, I guess we should wake up Brock and Flint so they can show us where their house is."

So we woke them up, and, a little dizzily, they staggered out on the street and started walking. We followed them. By the time we reached the house on the other side of the town, we had all been introduced to Flint and had been asked to buy stones. But when we got there, a veritable flood or stampede, whatever the word should be, of children ranging in age from three to seven came out of the house running toward Flint and Brock.

When we all went in the house Ash whispered to us, "Now I know how the old lady in the shoe feels!" The house was small, but it seemed like a perfect fit for all the kids. We were practically swamped by requests to see rooms, see tricks, see treasures, and even one to help someone go potty. But in a few minutes, all the kids had been shooed into the backyard, and we were all sitting down and talking.

"Ash, I saw your brave action in the gym. That was something that not many people could or would do." Flint said.

"It wasn't that big of a deal!" Ash said, turning red.

"Yes, it was!" I said. "You thought very quickly to be able to do that."

"Chris, when do you plan to use your Psychic Stone?" Flint asked.

"I don't know. Whenever I feel that the time is right and that my pokemon I choose to use it on is all right with it."

"Good philosophy. You will go far as a trainer."

We talked on through the night, and stayed for dinner. But then it got late, and we headed back to the hotel.

When we got upstairs, I was brushing my teeth when Ash walked into the bathroom. "Chris, I have to ask you something important!" he said, looking extremely nervous. "You know those pictures you have of Misty?"

"Yeah, what about them?" I said through a mouthful of toothpaste. "If you want, I'll shoot you, too."

"It's not that. I wanted to know if... If I could have one of the ones with just Misty."

"Huh." I had almost forgotten Ash's reaction to seeing the pictures in the restaurant. "Sure, go ahead. I won't ask why."

"Thank you, Chris! You're great!" Ash said happily as he left.

{I will definitely have to talk to Brock...} I thought. {This is beginning to get a little weird.}

Later that evening, I used the videophone to call the first Nurse Joy I had met in Viridian.

She picked up on the second ring. "Viridian Pokemon Center."

"Nurse Joy, it's me, Chris!"

"Hello, Chris! How is Abra?"

"It's a Kadabra now! And I won a Boulderbadge today!" I shouted, turning so she could see the badge clipped on my beret.

"Congratulations!"

"And I've found some traveling partners. You might know them- Ash, Misty, and Brock."

"Oh, those three. You know, Ash was the one responsible for us getting a new Pokemon Center."

"How?"

"He and that Pikachu demolished the old one."

"Oh."

"Is that cute redhead still following him?"

"Yeah, Misty."

"You know, I was always surprised that she wasn't interested in him. You know, romantically."

"She might just be..."

"What?"

"Sorry. I was talking to myself. It's getting late, so I'll call you back when we're in the next city."

"Okay, and bye!" Then she hung up.

I went to bed that night a little happier and more content. I was still a little homesick, but I was really getting to like it here.

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PDM: So, that wasn't too bad. Nice battle scene, if I do say so myself.

M: It was okay, I guess.

PDM: OKAY? JUST OKAY? Do you want to be released? Lose your cushy muse job?

M: NONONO! IT WAS GREAT!

PDM: That's better.