Japanese Title: Pokemon Zukan Codes! I Need To Send A Letter!
By: Kat of Pokemon: The Hokubu & Nanka Trek
Eevy yawned and sat up, looking around the dim Pokemon Center. She noticed a note jammed in her bag and pulled it carefully from over top Medira's sleeping body. If she pulled too hard, the pack and all its contents would go raining down on top of her friend. She managed to weasel it out without crushing her and unfolded it slowly to avoid waking anyone...
~~~
Eevy,
We got up earlier that you, obviously. We're leaving now. Be sure to tell Medira JP took the liberty of giving her his Poke'Dex bar code. I'm sorry I don't get to say goodbye in person. I'll try my best to see you again, though I don't promise anything. Don't you start doubting yourself simply because I'm not there to lecture you about it. Sorry I never got to tell you who I was. I will, though it may not be in person. I'm going to miss you something wicked. See you around.
Love, Yes Love,
Dragon
~~~
"I missed them? How could I miss them? It's 4:30 in the morning. Love?" she rubbed her eyes and stood up, pulling on her boots and walking outside into the frigid morning air.
"Eevy?" someone asked to her left.
She turned and saw Dragon trying to jam his overly packed back pack onto his Dragonite's back. JP, Phantom and Starla were all standing around, watching him struggle with it, mostly laughing at his idiotic antics even though they knew he was only doing it to stall so he could see Eevy.
She laughed, "I should have checked the liquidation of the ink. I could have known you had just put it there. Let me get that."
"How are you going to get it?" he asked as she shoved him out of the way.
"Like this," with one deep breath and a tremendous heave, the pack was thrusted onto the Dragonite's back holder with no problem, "That wasn't so hard."
JP shook himself straight, "You have one hefty throw."
"Nah, I just have to left a lot of junk a lot of the time. Gives me practice. Medira's going to kick herself if she doesn't see you leave. I'll be right back," she turned and marched back inside, trotting over to Medira, "Hey," she shook her, "Wake up sleeping beauty. The prince is taking off without you."
"What are you talking about?" Medira yawned, groaned and coughed all at the same time.
"JP's going to high tail it out of here without saying good bye if you don't get up."
"I'm up! I'm up! Get me sugar, hurry!"
"I think you've got enough of an adrenaline flow right now. He's outside. Let's go."
Medira zipped to the door and ran out, leaving Eevy in the dust. Eevy slowly clomped her way out, finding Medira pouting and suffocating JP at the same time as she attached herself to his waist. She rolled her eyes and shook her head until she also felt like breaking down. She lowered her head and slowly brought it back up again to come about chest level with a black shirt. She looked up to his face. His eyes were so immensely sad, the color of wet beach sand. She hadn't yet put her hair up and used it as a cover for her face when she looked back to her feet again.
"Don't look at your feet," his voice was cracking ever so noticeably, "Look at me. Aren't I any better looking than the ground?"
She laughed once and looked back up at him, "I suppose."
She smiled, causing a huge smirk to whip across his face, "You look so much nicer with a smile."
"I suppose," she said once again as her head kept attempting to drop to the ground again.
"Is 'I suppose' all you can say? Wait! Don't answer it. I don't want to know."
"Come on you two. Break it up. We've got a long way to travel and we're waiting," Phantom snorted as he clung to Starla's waist on the back of her Dewgong.
"Shut up, Phantom," Dragon growled, "Excuse him."
"Don't worry," Eevy smiled toward Phantom who scowled and looked away.
"I do suppose he's right, though. We should get going."
She twinged a bit at that, "I guess so."
Medira finally let JP breath, "I don't want you to go!" she whined as she started to grab him again.
He put his hands up to stop her, making it appear that he had been reaching out to take her hands, "I don't really want to go, but I've got to."
"Why?" she sniffed as she kicked a rock, realizing a lot of people kicked rocks.
"I've got a job to do and like I said I've been weaseling out of my work way too much. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm going to miss you," she just barely started crying, but he could have heard that skip in her voice from a mile away.
He stepped forward and hugged her, trying not to let his hood fall back, "I heard that cry. Please don't."
"How did he hear that? I hid it as well as I could," Medira left her arms at her sides and didn't speak out loud.
Eevy was trying to keep the conversation moving, but she couldn't hold it in any longer and started crying slowly. She put both hands on her face and tried not to upset him, but it didn't work.
"Please, geez, don't cry," he fumbled for something to say or do and for the first time in his life turned to Jason for an answer.
Following his younger friend's lead, he stepped up and pulled her closer. She slightly calmed, but kept her hands over her face. His cloak billowed down and covered her shoulders. She gasped to herself as she realized that was the exact feeling she was getting of something over her shoulders. He sat the side of his face down on her head and tried not to put too much pressure on her. This was hard on everyone, even Will and Luri. It was like they were going off to war or something and leaving everything behind. In a way, they were.
"Don't forget," Dragon said as he stepped back, "bar codes. Alright? Bar codes in Willow Town. I swear you'll find the answer there."
"You'd better watch too," JP looked at Medira as he let go, "You've got mine and I've got yours. Keep your eyes open in Willow."
"Don't doubt yourself. You hear me? Don't you ever doubt your talent," Dragon turned around and stepped to Dragonite's side.
"Keep that Flamedance of yours fast. There's a really good race coming in Hokubu," JP nodded and walked to Sapphire's loaded side.
"I'll try my hardest to get to see you again," Dragon pulled himself up to Dragonite's back, "It's unbearably hard for me to go."
"I do believe I'll be back, but," JP paused as he climbed on Sapphire, "this is the hardest thing I'll ever have to do."
Medira didn't quite get that but Eevy was pretty sure she did, "Hey," she closed her eyes and smiled as she turned away, "I bet you'll be back. I'll be watching and I'm sure she will too."
"Yeah. Eevy will watch the sky and I'll watch the routes," Medira slightly smiled, "After all, Rapidash can't fly but Dragonite can."
"Bye Eevy," the hulking Dragon- type turned and ran a few steps before taking off and out of ear shot because of the wind of its huge wings, "I do love you, truly I do and I'm so sorry."
"See you around, I hope, Medira," the blue Rapidash bolted away, making too much noise for her master to be heard, "I'm going to miss you, but I really have to leave. I-I love you."
Eevy stood facing away, but jumped around and screamed as loud as she could, "I love you too! And I won't deny it!"
Medira looked at her with her eyes almost falling out of her head, but following her lead, "I love you, JP! You'd better come back!"
Lance almost slipped off Dragonite's back at that, "She-she what?"
Jason coughed and rubbed his ear, "Did she really just-?"
"Why did I do that?" Eevy looked at Medira blankly.
"I don't know, but I need a hug!" both started bawling and threw their arms around each other, falling to their knees.
"Great," Jason shouted to Lance now that they couldn't be heard at all, "They say they love us, then start crying. That's just lovely."
"Yeah. But," Lance looked down at him, "did they really mean it?"
*^~^**^~^*
"Onward to Willow Town!" Eevy ran in the door of the Pokemon Center, kicking Yuu-Yuu, Sooney, and Mizu in the backs to wake them up, "Up, up, up you three! There's a long walk to Willow Town and I want to get there today! Up!"
"Shut up, Eevy," Mizu pulled her sleeping bag over her head, "It's 4:45 in the morning."
"Now it's 4:46! That's one more minute we could have been making progress! Get up!"
Yuu-Yuu moved her mouth tiredly as she sat up, "I'm getting there."
"Me too," Sooney rolled over and jammed her head in the pillow.
"GET UP!" Medira blared at them, causing all three to zip about four feet into the air.
"Someone go grab my heart. It ran into the attic," Mizu gasped.
"I think mine's in the basement," Sooney coughed.
"Scare me but don't deafen me," Yuu-Yuu panted.
"Good," Medira slightly laughed, "You're up."
*^~^**^~^*
"Why are we up so early?" Yuu-Yuu groaned as they walked down Route 60.
"Because," Eevy said, totally awake, "We're getting to Willow Town today!"
"But Willow's a two-day walk from Sunflower," Mizu drooped.
"Don't be a baby!" Medira marched along, "We can do it!"
"But can we?" the announcer was already panting, not caring whether or not the viewers saw him like that or not.
"Sure you can! Just go, go, go and don't stop!"
"Oh no," the rest said together as the two leaders trotted away.
*^~^**^~^*
"Please! Please can we stop?" Mizu fell to sit, "I can't go any more. Just a little break? Ten minutes tops."
"Alright," Eevy sat down and pulled her knees to her chin, "Just know why I'll be ticked at you when we don't get to Willow today."
"Whatever," Yuu-Yuu flopped down, "As long as I get to rest for a bit, I really don't care."
"Oh, please," Medira scolded, "You are such pathetic babies! What's a little walking if we get to a new town?"
"A little walking? Are you insane?" Sooney groaned, "We've been walking since 4:50 this morning and it's 2:00 in the afternoon! I'm going to wilt!"
"If you wilt, Hell will have frozen over," Medira laughed.
Sooney scowled at her for a moment, but just gave up, "There's no point in fighting you. You never give up."
"Got that right," Eevy laughed slightly.
The announcer fell next to a tree and sat there silently before turning to the camera, "We're still in route to Willow Town on Route 60. Sooner or later...we'll get there."
"OK everybody! Your precious ten minutes are up! Time to get moving!" Eevy stood up and immediately started walking.
"No! No more, please!" Mizu pounded the ground.
*^~^**^~^*
It was getting darker and darker with each passing minute and they were still walking. There had only been about three more breaks since 2:00 and it was now about 7:30. Mizu's eyes were stuck open and in one position, Yuu-Yuu was almost dragging her knuckles on the ground and Sooney was truly wilting. The announcer and his men had stopped filming and were dragging the camera along behind them. Eevy and Medira? They were still marching diligently, but not quite as awake as they had been, but still overly energetic for the time of day.
"Look!" Eevy's eyes brightened yet again, "Willow Town!" she jetted forward, "We made it!"
"Alright! We did it!" Medira bolted up and stopped in the gate to the city, "Willow from Sunflower in one day on foot!"
"Don't remind me," Mizu fell over face first.
"Can we please stop now?" Yuu-Yuu fell beside her.
"Please? Pretty please? Pretty, pretty please?" Sooney landed next to Yuu-Yuu
The camera men sat down on the dirt and sighed. Eevy and Medira shook their heads.
"You guys go to the Pokemon Center. We'll meet you there in a bit," Eevy turned around and pulled out her Poke'Dex as she walked away.
"See you guys later," Medira did the same and followed Eevy.
"Those two are acting weirder than usual," Sooney commented.
*^~^**^~^*
"Let's see," Eevy looked at her Poke'Dex while Medira looked at the Gertan Rin guidebook, "Bar codes...bar codes...What the heck is a bar code for?"
"Ask Dexter, maybe he can tell you," Medira kept her eyes glued to the book as she searched for answers.
"Dexter. Please tell me, if you can, what Poke'Dex bar codes are used for."
"No information available," the Poke'Dex beeped.
"Well, that was a load of help," Eevy shook her head at the Poke'Dex and jammed it back in her pocket.
"This says Poke'Dex bar codes have a number of uses. Too many to even begin to list. That was at least a little helpful," Medira tossed the book over her shoulder and into her backpack.
Eevy's cell phone rang, sending her into the air, "I never catch a break!" she bellowed, prying it out of her pocket, "Hello," she stopped and turned away from Medira, "Evangelina Hikoboshi speaking. Oh hi Yuu-Yuu...A box?...I suppose I will, now won't I?...See you."
"Who was it?" Medira looked at her.
"I've got a box at the Pokemon Center. Let's go."
*^~^**^~^*
"Where's the box?" Eevy grunted as she walked in.
"You've got to sign for it," Nurse Joy said, holding out her hand.
"Sign for it?" Eevy questioned, "I never had to sign for anything."
"It had insurance."
"Oh. Give me a pen."
"Give me your Poke'Dex."
"Whoa!" Eevy leaned away, "Pardon me?"
"I need your Poke'Dex."
"If you weren't a Nurse Joy I wouldn't trust you. Here," she handed her her Poke'Dex.
Nurse Joy took out a scanner and scanned the back of the Poke'Dex once over, "Yes. You're clear. Evangelina Hikoboshi of Rose Town."
Eevy's smile grew and grew and grew as did Medira's as the two of them faced each other with huge smirks. They nodded as Eevy took her box and the two of them walked away.
"Great," Eevy's smile faded, "From my brother. Lucky me," she opened it just to get it over with, "Cute. A Gengar doll. If he thinks this makes everything better he's nuts. It is kind of cute though. No notes or anything. Now, Nurse Joy. About that scanning thing."
"What about it?"
"How does it work?"
"I get a bar code and scan it or type it in. Then I scan or type in the sender's code and that marks the letter or package's to and from sections. Then we give it to either a Pidgey or one of its evolved forms. Then, when it's delivered, the code from the receiver's Poke'Dex is scanner for clearance. If the receiver can't get to a Pokemon Center the Pokemon's mobile scanner can get the code."
"Ah," Medira looked to Eevy, "Bar codes."
Eevy and Medira ran to the counter, "I'd like to send a letter!" they blared in unison in Nurse Joy's face.
"OK! OK! Back off a bit please. You go over there to get the paper and things than bring it SLOWLY back to me," Nurse Joy leaned away.
"OK! Let's go!" Eevy and Medira ran to a long counter.
"It's like a letter buffet or something," Medira looked left and right, following the table.
"Let's start here and work our way down," Eevy pointed to the far left.
"OK."
"Pen."
"Check."
"Paper. Look at that."
"Whoa. There's a selection for you."
"Which should we get? Surf Mail, Portrait Mail, Sugar Mail? Oh! There's mine! Eon Mail! Go Eevee!"
"I think I'll use the Sugar Mail. Hearts forever."
"I'll use the Sugar Mail envelope, I suppose."
"I'll use that one with the flame on it."
"Look at those two go," Mizu commented at Medira and Eevy speeding down the table, grabbed at this and that.
"Now we need stamps," Medira slouched, "More choices!"
"Here," Eevy grabbed at a Rapidash stamp, "I'm sure you'll want this. I'll use Eevee, but of course."
"Now we write!" they both sped over to a table and scribbled away.
"No need to fill out the envelope, just put the stamp on," Nurse Joy called, "The computer can do the rest."
Medira finished first, simply because she wrote faster than anyone would think to be humanly possible. Eevy finished soon after, and even though she had rushed, her handwriting was almost perfectly legible. They raced each other to the counter, but Medira got there first. Eevy slumped at that.
"I need your Poke'Dex," Nurse Joy took Medira's Poke'Dex.
She scanned the back, then flipped it open to bring up the bar code menu. She looked and saw there was only one choice, but decided to be sure.
"This is the one, right?"
"Yeah. It's the only one I've got."
She typed in the code and hit enter, "That's weird. It comes up anonymous. All I've got it JP under the nickname."
"That's fine. I know that."
"Alright," Nurse Joy shrugged and took the letter, "Next time please fold it. I don't want to accidentally read anybody's mail," she slightly laughed.
Turning away to keep from reading even a single word, she folded it perfectly. She stuck it in the envelope and checked for the stamp. She stuck it in a printer and hit enter again. The envelope filed through, getting printed with the to and from sections and was then dropped into a box with a Pidgey on the front.
"Done!" Nurse Joy looked to Eevy, "Your turn."
Eevy quickly folded hers, "Sorry," she smirked, "I forgot too."
"Don't worry about it," following the same ritual, Nurse Joy finished Eevy's letter and it too was dropped into the Pidgey printed box, "Let me go get a couple of Pidgey to take them out."
"That was interesting. I've just got to get more of those Poke'Dex codes," Eevy nodded.
"Yeah, me too," Medira agreed, "Let's go."
Eevy stopped and reached into her pocket, "You'd better be home," she snorted into the phone as it rang, "Pick up! Pick up!"
"There! I picked up, happy?"
"Sorry! Didn't know you were already there."
"Don't even worry about it. So what'd you want?"
"You ever used Poke'Dex bar codes?"
"Once or twice, why?"
"Want to trade numbers?"
"With you? Absolutely!" Cain almost jumped in blissfulness, but contained himself, "How are we going to manage that?"
"Can you get to a video phone?"
"I'm sitting next to one right now."
"Give me the number to it."
After babbling off a number, they hung up as they both jumped to the video phones to their sides. Eevy called the number and up came the screen.
"Hey. It worked," she shrugged, "Put your Poke'Dex in the slot below the screen."
"I'm going to trust you on this," they both put in their Poke'Dex while Eevy fooled with buttons on the side of the screen.
She slightly spoke out the directions as she hit the buttons and a few minutes later, both Poke'Dex were finished, "Make sure it worked," she said as she opened up the bar code menu, "I have yours."
"I've got yours. I'll send you a letter sometime."
"I've got to go. See you later," her connection fizzled down.
"I just got the bar code of the prettiest beginning trainer in Nanka! Shurdi and Iskur are going to hate me forever...Oh well."
"Who else should I get the number from?" Eevy asked herself out loud.
"I just got Ash, Misty and Brock's. You should too," Medira walked to Eevy's side, "Whose did you get?"
"None of your business!" she pulled the Poke'Dex away.
"Ah, forget it. I know. It was Caino wasn't it?" Medira smirked.
"Shut up!" Eevy pushed her back, "Let me call them and I'll get you back for that even though you're right."
After she spent a while talking with Ash who was mostly bragging about his Violet Badge, Eevy decided on one last person whose number she had to have. She dug around in her head for the phone number and finally resorted to her cell phones speed dial.
The screen popped on with the exact opposite person than she wanted to speak to, "Hey, angel! Calling to say you miss me?"
"Get off the phone and put your sister on you little maggot."
"Now that's no fun! This is video phone! I can see you and you can see me! Just like being in person!"
"No, nothing like being in person. From here you can't infect me. Now put your sister on!"
"Geez. You're a nasty flirt."
"Please don't make me hack."
"I'm going, I'm going. Get on the phone, she's being mean to me!"
A voice rang out from beside the phone, "And who wouldn't be? Get out of the way."
"Hi Kayla," Eevy smiled until she noticed Taylor leaning over Kayla's shoulder, "Go away!"
"Get back!" Kayla slapped him in the face, sending him back, rubbing his nose, "Ignore him. So where are you?"
"I'm in Willow Town. We're traveling into Hokubu tomorrow."
"Through the Moss Bogs? Oh, Eevy! Please be careful!"
"I'll be extra careful. Is your Poke'Dex handy?"
"Yeah," she pulled out her Poke'Dex with the peach cover, "I always have it with me, why?"
"Do you know how to use bar codes?"
"Yeah. I use them all the time."
"Am I the only one who didn't?" Eevy moaned.
"No. I just started using them, but I use them all the time now. Oh! Let's trade numbers!"
"You read my mind, Kayla. You really do. Here goes mine."
"There's mine. You want me to register it?"
"Would you?"
"Sure. Just a second."
Eevy sat and waited patiently and got her Poke'Dex in about three minutes, "Thanks Kayla. I'll send you a letter when we leave tomorrow and when we make it to Javelin Town."
"OK. Bye, bye!"
"Bye Eevy! I'm here if you want to send me something!" Taylor was cut off by Kayla hanging up, "Give me her code!"
"Forget it!"
"Give it to me!"
"Buzz off! Get away! You can't have it!"
*^~^**^~^*
"I wonder if they figured out the bar codes like you said they would..." Jason trailed off in a yawn.
"I'm sure," Lance tipped over as he started to fall asleep, but the appearance of a Pidgey on his knee woke him up.
"Pidg, pidgey, pidg," it bobbed back and forth, looking at him as another landed on Jason's shoulder.
"Told you," Lance fumbled for his Poke'Dex and took the Pidgey's mobile scanner, "On your way, Pidgey. Back to Willow Town for you," he grabbed the letter from around the Pokemon's neck as it flew away.
"Told you," Jason mocked Lance as he scanned his Poke'Dex and shooed the Pidgey off, "Told you," he wobbled his head snottishly.
Lance rolled his eyes and noticed the hearted envelope, "Pink. I hate pink," he commented with a lift if the corner of his lip, "I like dark colors. Not bright happy things."
"You should have gotten this envelope. Look at it. Black with flames. But the paper is that hearted stuff. I rather like it."
"You would like Sugar Mail," he shook his head and unfolded the letter, "That's more like it. Nice bland Eon Mail."
"Bland. How can you like bland and still like her? She's not exactly bland you know."
"Shut up and read your letter and leave me in peace, munchkin," he returned to the letter with Jason again mocking what he said, "And knock that off too!" again he looked to the letter attempting to read a few things that were scribbled instead of written.
~~~
Dear Dragon,
So there! I figured out your little bar code trick! Believe it or not, my brother helped significantly. I'm planning on using the system a lot now, so be prepared for mail. We left about ten minutes after you did and just got to Willow Town now at 7:30 tonight. One day is still pretty good. We're heading into the Moss Bogs tomorrow and then into Javelin Town in Hokubu. I'm going to beat those Gym Leaders and get to the Rainbow League! (See, I'm not doubting myself.) If you're going to send me a letter, you should probably send it with a Pidgeotto since we'll be in the Bogs and a Pidgey might not be able to make it through. About that thing I said when you left...Can we keep that quiet? Not that I didn't mean it! But still...I should go now. Send me a letter soon. Give Dragonite, JP, Phantom and Starla my best regards.
Love, You Bet Love,
Eevy
~~~
"Anything interesting?" Jason asked as he sat staring at the back of Lance's letter.
"A few things," Lance folded it up and put it back in the envelope before jamming it into his coat pocket, "I'm going to the mail room. I want to send a letter."
"I'll read mine and probably be down too," Jason hadn't read his and had sat waiting for Lance instead.
"Whatever," Lance stood up and walked away, leaving Jason sitting on the floor.
"Let's see what Medira's decided to send, shall we?" he asked himself as he deciphered the hand writing.
~~~
Dear JP,
Eevy and I figured out your bar codes, obviously. Please excuse the writing, I'm a little excited actually. We're in Willow Town now and it's about 7:30 the same day as you left. We walked all the way from Sunflower since 4:50 this morning. Everyone but Eevy and I was drooping along behind and whining as usual. We're heading for the Moss Bogs tomorrow morning, so send your letter Pidgeotto wise if you're going to send one. I certainly hope you do. I don't care for goop and grime, but it's the only way to Hokubu from here. Lucky us. I can't wait to get to Dart Town, but to get there we have to pass through eight other cities and a bunch of other routes. That thing I yelled after you this morning...Uh, to clarify. I meant it, but not that loud. You get what I mean? I hope so. Flamedance and I wish everyone luck and tell Sapphire my poor boy misses her. Silly thing, my Flamedance is. I need to get some rest for tomorrow. See you around, I hope.
Love, You Heard Me Right,
Medira
~~~
"L-l-love?" Jason choked, "I've got to send a letter."
*^~^**^~^*
In The Next Chronicle:
Golden Grime Time
Notes:
OK! Now then! Look! I FINALLY got the HTML working. *cheer for me!* Now, here's the deal: The next chapter is chapter 30 and also the LAST chapter mentioning Nanka *for now*. Now, this means that in chapter 30, they'll be crossing the border. OK? This mean: For chapter 31 you'll want to look for "The Angel Adventures-The Hokubu Records" to keep reading. I'll have a better discription next Thursday when I post the last chapter of the Nanka section. Until then!!
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