His mind raced as he walked briskly around the back of the museum to reach
the more commonly used entrance to Pewter City. What would he do if
this…thing were alive? Did he have the patience to deal with a companion?
It might make the days at the shop go a little faster. Besides, if this
thing were as rare as those museum people said it was, I'm sure I could
find someone who'd trade for it. But he was getting way ahead of himself.
He didn't even know if this thing was alive or not. It may just be a heavy
shell. Maybe there's some mud at the bottom or something. Yeah. It was
probably just some dirt. Or something. The few townspeople who were
outside gave him strange glances as he carried the large spiral shell
through the center of town, down to the southern edge near the Viridian
Forest, where he knew the Pokecenter was.
He stepped into the domed structure and it was like walking into a whole new world. Sure, he had made deliveries to Pokecenters before, and he had been inside them and everything…but he had never brought a Pokemon to one before.
"Uhm…I think this Pokemon…uh…I think this might be a Pokemon…or something…Uhm…I think this…" He had trouble speaking, both because of the trouble he was having lifting the heavy shell onto the counter, and because he didn't really know what to say anyway.
"Is that your Pokemon?" she asked sternly, interrupting his stammer.
"no…yes…kinda."
"Kinda?"
"Kinda."
"….Kinda?"
"Okay, here's the deal. I run the Pokemart right outside Moon. I fell out of my chair and started digging…"
"You fell out of your chair?"
"Yeah, that's not important. I was digging and I found…"
"Why did you start digging when you fell out of your chair?"
"I just did. I was bored. I don't know. Ignore that. Anyway, so I find this shell, and I take it to these guys at the museum and they think it's alive."
"alive?"
"alive."
"So it's yours?"
"No…maybe…yeah…….yes. Yes, that is my Pokemon."
"Can I have its Pokeball?"
"It doesn't have one. I carried it like this."
"Well, that would tell you if it was alive or not." She fished around in the drawers behind the counter for a few moments, and retrieved a sphere, half red, half white, from one of the cluttered storage spaces. "Here…" she said. "…toss this at it..." handing the ball to Andy. He looked at the ball in his hand. He moved it back and forth against his palm, running his thumb across the black button. It felt…weird.
'Just……throw it?"
The nurse gave him a very confused look, and was slow to respond. "…yes?"
"I've never…you know. I've never done this."
"aw!! HOW CUTE!!!" she yelled, as Andy's face turned beet red. "Your first Pokemon!" Well here, let me show you. Usually you do this to a wild Pokemon after you've battled it. Just tap the black button once.." Andy held the ball in his left hand, and slowly moved his right over, grazing the button with his index finger. "Harder." She said, and he poked the ball quickly. It felt warm in his hand…not hot, just warm, and the white section of the ball became almost translucent, showing a grid of wires and microchips. Andy didn't know whether to be scared and push the ball away from himself, or to be curious and inspect it more closely. Instead of doing either, he just stared blankly at Nurse Joy. "Now toss it at your Pokemon." He pulled his arm downward, keeping the ball away from his legs, and lobbed it underhand at the counter on which the Omanyte shell sat. The ball hit the counter and bounced once in the direction of the shell, and opened in a flash of red light. When the blinding flash died down, the only remaining light was a thin beam that appeared to be connecting the shell and the opening of the ball. Slowly, the shell began to dematerialize…fading into the background of machinery and wall…and after a couple of seconds (which felt like hours to Andy) it finally had disappeared completely.
"I…have…a Pokemon?"
"Oh YAY!" said Nurse Joy, as she ran around the counter and flung her arms around Andy, hugging him. She seemed an awful lot happier than he was. He stood gawking at the ball on the counter, with an expressionless face and an ecstatic girl clinging to him. "I'm so happy for you!" she giggled.
"I…have…a Pokemon." He said, a little more sure of himself this time.
Joy pulled herself off of him, and ran to the counter to grab the ball. "Let me just heal this little guy right up for you!" She placed the ball in the top left hole in a machine that had five other similar holes. She pressed a sequence of buttons, and some lights flashed while the Omanyte's Pokeball sank into the machine, and resurfaced again. "I hope it's okay..' she said, handing the ball back to Andy. He held the ball in his hand. It felt the same as it did before…slightly warm. "So? Toss it!"
"Same way as before?" he asked.
"Yup."
Feeling slightly more confident now, he tapped the button with his thumb, and dropped the ball to the ground. Same Red flash…totally different result.
"Ahm."
"whoa……"
"whoa……"
Joy and Andy looked at each other. Neither of them had ever seen anything like this before. The shell was exactly as it had been before, but oozing out of the hole at the bottom was a luminescent blue slime-like substance, and two huge, wide-open eyes. The slime formed itself into what seemed like feet…or at least tentacles, and the creature began to slide its way towards Andy.
"Oh god…." Joy shrieked as she walked around to get out of its way. "it's bleeding!"
"uh…" Andy didn't know how to react. He too noticed a translucent pinkish red substance coming out of the shell. Joy bent down, and touched the blood with her index finger. Holding the finger to her nose, she began to laugh. Andy was still unable to speak, but he looked at her for an answer.
"Berry juice." She said. She placed her finger inside her mouth, and slid it back out, leaving it clean of the liquid. "Mystery Berry." He must have been using "withdraw" all this time, thanks to the berries.
"Amnahm."
Andy knelt down beside his Pokemon. His……Pokemon. He slowly reached out his hand and patted the shell. The Omanyte pointed its huge eyes up at him, and he felt a feeling…a strange tingly feeling…a conection.
"hey little guy. Or…or girl." He spoke in a quiet, whisper-like tone. "I'm Andy." The Omanyte reached up with its top two legs/arms/tentacle things and held Andy's hand. He couldn't help but laugh. "It's nice to meet you too."
"…never………too………..late……" he thought.
He stepped into the domed structure and it was like walking into a whole new world. Sure, he had made deliveries to Pokecenters before, and he had been inside them and everything…but he had never brought a Pokemon to one before.
"Uhm…I think this Pokemon…uh…I think this might be a Pokemon…or something…Uhm…I think this…" He had trouble speaking, both because of the trouble he was having lifting the heavy shell onto the counter, and because he didn't really know what to say anyway.
"Is that your Pokemon?" she asked sternly, interrupting his stammer.
"no…yes…kinda."
"Kinda?"
"Kinda."
"….Kinda?"
"Okay, here's the deal. I run the Pokemart right outside Moon. I fell out of my chair and started digging…"
"You fell out of your chair?"
"Yeah, that's not important. I was digging and I found…"
"Why did you start digging when you fell out of your chair?"
"I just did. I was bored. I don't know. Ignore that. Anyway, so I find this shell, and I take it to these guys at the museum and they think it's alive."
"alive?"
"alive."
"So it's yours?"
"No…maybe…yeah…….yes. Yes, that is my Pokemon."
"Can I have its Pokeball?"
"It doesn't have one. I carried it like this."
"Well, that would tell you if it was alive or not." She fished around in the drawers behind the counter for a few moments, and retrieved a sphere, half red, half white, from one of the cluttered storage spaces. "Here…" she said. "…toss this at it..." handing the ball to Andy. He looked at the ball in his hand. He moved it back and forth against his palm, running his thumb across the black button. It felt…weird.
'Just……throw it?"
The nurse gave him a very confused look, and was slow to respond. "…yes?"
"I've never…you know. I've never done this."
"aw!! HOW CUTE!!!" she yelled, as Andy's face turned beet red. "Your first Pokemon!" Well here, let me show you. Usually you do this to a wild Pokemon after you've battled it. Just tap the black button once.." Andy held the ball in his left hand, and slowly moved his right over, grazing the button with his index finger. "Harder." She said, and he poked the ball quickly. It felt warm in his hand…not hot, just warm, and the white section of the ball became almost translucent, showing a grid of wires and microchips. Andy didn't know whether to be scared and push the ball away from himself, or to be curious and inspect it more closely. Instead of doing either, he just stared blankly at Nurse Joy. "Now toss it at your Pokemon." He pulled his arm downward, keeping the ball away from his legs, and lobbed it underhand at the counter on which the Omanyte shell sat. The ball hit the counter and bounced once in the direction of the shell, and opened in a flash of red light. When the blinding flash died down, the only remaining light was a thin beam that appeared to be connecting the shell and the opening of the ball. Slowly, the shell began to dematerialize…fading into the background of machinery and wall…and after a couple of seconds (which felt like hours to Andy) it finally had disappeared completely.
"I…have…a Pokemon?"
"Oh YAY!" said Nurse Joy, as she ran around the counter and flung her arms around Andy, hugging him. She seemed an awful lot happier than he was. He stood gawking at the ball on the counter, with an expressionless face and an ecstatic girl clinging to him. "I'm so happy for you!" she giggled.
"I…have…a Pokemon." He said, a little more sure of himself this time.
Joy pulled herself off of him, and ran to the counter to grab the ball. "Let me just heal this little guy right up for you!" She placed the ball in the top left hole in a machine that had five other similar holes. She pressed a sequence of buttons, and some lights flashed while the Omanyte's Pokeball sank into the machine, and resurfaced again. "I hope it's okay..' she said, handing the ball back to Andy. He held the ball in his hand. It felt the same as it did before…slightly warm. "So? Toss it!"
"Same way as before?" he asked.
"Yup."
Feeling slightly more confident now, he tapped the button with his thumb, and dropped the ball to the ground. Same Red flash…totally different result.
"Ahm."
"whoa……"
"whoa……"
Joy and Andy looked at each other. Neither of them had ever seen anything like this before. The shell was exactly as it had been before, but oozing out of the hole at the bottom was a luminescent blue slime-like substance, and two huge, wide-open eyes. The slime formed itself into what seemed like feet…or at least tentacles, and the creature began to slide its way towards Andy.
"Oh god…." Joy shrieked as she walked around to get out of its way. "it's bleeding!"
"uh…" Andy didn't know how to react. He too noticed a translucent pinkish red substance coming out of the shell. Joy bent down, and touched the blood with her index finger. Holding the finger to her nose, she began to laugh. Andy was still unable to speak, but he looked at her for an answer.
"Berry juice." She said. She placed her finger inside her mouth, and slid it back out, leaving it clean of the liquid. "Mystery Berry." He must have been using "withdraw" all this time, thanks to the berries.
"Amnahm."
Andy knelt down beside his Pokemon. His……Pokemon. He slowly reached out his hand and patted the shell. The Omanyte pointed its huge eyes up at him, and he felt a feeling…a strange tingly feeling…a conection.
"hey little guy. Or…or girl." He spoke in a quiet, whisper-like tone. "I'm Andy." The Omanyte reached up with its top two legs/arms/tentacle things and held Andy's hand. He couldn't help but laugh. "It's nice to meet you too."
"…never………too………..late……" he thought.