1 POKEMON: THE FIRST NOVEL By Paul "Twoie" G.
Please Review! This is going into bookstores soon!!!
"Click." I shut off my Game Boy Advance and took a deep breath. I had just beaten Lance at the top of Indigo Plateau, and claimed the title of Champion. I just got done watching the end credits roll, with the little Pichus and Sentrets dancing around. Of course, I had done this many times before, but it felt special each time I did it. Pokemon is my favorite video game, and to triumph like this was what I worked for the whole time. My team that I trained was really strong, and they knew excellent moves. I was so proud of them. I had put over 30 hours total into building this team, and it was all worth it. I was especially proud of my Starmie, who knew many different move types, including Ice Beam, Zap Cannon, Psychic, and Surf. My Typhlosion was awesome, too. It knew my favorite Fire move, Flamethrower. Now, I got up and went to go grab something to eat.
Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Paul. I live in a small town in New Jersey, I go to a really nice school, I have some cool friends, and I'm all around happy with my life. There are still some things that could use improvement, but everything on the whole was pretty much okay. My family is cool, my friends are cool, I'M cool… things are pretty chill.
But let me let you in on a little secret… ever since I became the owner of the Red Version of Pokemon, I've wanted to live in that world. It would be so cool, battling and catching Pokemon, fighting other Trainers, being a hero, meeting girls like Misty… Of course, that's impossible. We all know that. I don't think it's likely I'll be pulled into a set of zeros and ones on a little electronic chip. Not in this universe, anyway. So the only way I could fantasize was by actually playing the game and watching the corny little sprites on the screen. Lame-o! One day, I'm going to write a story where I live in the world of Pokemon. I'll capture lots of monsters, save the world from evil, yadda yadda yadda. One day……
But enough with the boring explanations. Today was Saturday, and I had the whole day in front of me. I speculated on the many things I could do to pass the time. I could read comic books, I could fiddle with my "Magic" cards, or, of course, play "Pokemon".
Just then, the phone rang. I picked it up. "Hello?"
"Yeah, Paul," said the other end. It was my friend Donald.
"Yo, Don-man, wassup?" Donald was about the only other person in town I could talk about Pokemon with. Everyone else kinda shied away from it, calling it "babyish" and whatnot. They just didn't see the real challenge.
"Oh, not much. My little sister is being a pain in the ass."
"Heh heh. Yep, little sisters tend to do just that." I replied.
As if to attest to his statement, I heard him put his hand over the phone and say, "Shelby leave me the hell alone!" I laughed. I had a BIG sister, but it was the same way.
"So Donald…" I began, "How's that Zelda game comin'?"
"Eh. Still can't find the Golden Leaves."
"Still?"
"Yeah. What a pain they are."
"Even with the gameshark?" I asked.
"Yep. I can walk through walls, I can never die, but I CAN'T FIND THOSE FRICKIN' GOLD LEAVES!"
"Ha ha! You know, it took me a while to find them, too. I almost tore my hair out. Tell you what… how about you come over one day and I'll show you their locations?"
"Speaking of which, Paul, are you able to have anyone come over today?"
"Afraid not, buddy. Folks are out of town."
"Oh."
"But let me ask you something," he said. "Do you know where I can catch a Wobbuffet?"
"Wobbuffet? I think he's in Dark Cave."
"OK, thanks." he said.
"But what do you want a Wobbuffet for anyway?" I asked. "He sucks."
"Wobbuffet kicks ass!" was the immediate reply.
I figured I'd better talk some sense into this kid.
"Dude…first of all, Wobbuffet only learns four moves in his whole life! And he can't even attack! And he learns no TM moves! Believe me, Donny, you can do better."
"You'll appreciate Wobbuffet's power soon enough."
Something about how he said that sent chills through me. "What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing, nothing."
"Oh, by the way, Don… One of these days I'm gonna write a Pokemon story. Can I put you in it?"
"Sure you can. I wouldn't mind. Well, thanks for your help. I'll see ya." And he hung up. Donald was famous for raising every Pokemon he owned, even all of those in his PC boxes, up to level 100. Every single one. So whenever I would battle him I'd have to rent Pokemon off of the game pak. And he always beat me. I just raise my teams up to level 50, register them for the Poke Cup and Gym Leader Castle, and then start a new file. But hey, to each his own.
I decided to go into town to grab some food and buy a couple of "Magic" booster packs. "Magic" was my other passion. It was a role- playing card game featuring fantastic creatures, magic spells, and powerful wizards. I had no desire, however, to live in that world, where if you looked at a goblin the wrong way he tears your spleen out. Not my bag. But the card game kicks ass! Usually when I wasn't playing Pokemon, I was playing Magic.
I put on my coat and Yankees hat (yes that's right! Die hard fan of the Bronx Bombers!) and stepped out into the chilly January afternoon.
Chilly wasn't the word. It was FRIGID! I pulled my gloves out of my pockets and put them on. Was it really worth all this just to buy "Magic" cards? YES! I walked down my driveway onto First Street.
As I walked down the sidewalk, I reflected upon how perfect my town is, as I often do. It was a humble town, only one square mile, but it was just right. It had a movie theater, several general stores, (or snack joints, as I called them), a couple of churches, places to eat, an arcade… I wouldn't live anywhere else. Because the town was so small, everyone knew everyone, and as I continued up Madison Avenue, I saw several people I knew. I tried to avoid them, though. I'm really not much of a "conversationalist."
Soon, the familiar scenery of Uptown Dunellen became the bustling streets and stores of Downtown Dunellen. Route 28 ran right through here, and there were always tons of people and cars here. As I passed each store on the way to the Comic Shop, I looked in each window and the scene within. I stopped for a moment when I came to the apartments above what used to be a bakery. I used to have a friend who lived there, but he moved, and now I can only talk to him VIA email.
I continued walking, and I must have been looking at the ground, because when I looked up I saw my friend John standing there.
"Yo, Paul!"
"'Sup, John? How you chillin? Like Bob Dylan? Or like a villain?"
"Riiiiiight. So how you doin'?"
"Alright I guess. I just got done beating the crap out of Lance."
"What is that, in Pokemon?"
"Of course. What else do I play? C'mon."
"You gotta get a hobby, bro." He said.
"I have one. Pokemon Trainer Extraordinaire!"
"Yeah, OK. Hey, I got a joke for ya!"
"Let me hear it." John and I were always exchanging jokes, and I always told him any new ones I heard.
"OK… There's this guy, right? And he's a little lonely, so he figures he'll go out and get a pet."
"Right…"
"So he goes to the pet store and tells the manager he wants an unusual pet. So after they discuss a bit, he picks out a centipede. It comes with a box for his house and everything."
"OK…"
"So after the guy brings it home, he figures he'll celebrate by going to the bar with it for a drink."
"Um…"
"So the guy says to the centipede, 'Do you want to go to the bar with me for a drink?' But it doesn't answer. So he waits a few minutes and asks again. Still no answer. Finally, he flings off the lid of the box and says very loudly, 'Do you want to go get a drink?' And the centipede says, "I heard you the first time! I'm putting on my freakin' shoes!"
I threw my head back and laughed. That was so clever a joke. Normally, John didn't have very good jokes, but this one was truly a gem.
"That's good, John! Ha ha ha! I love it!"
"Yeah, I got it off that website you sent me."
"I actually don't have any new jokes right now." I said. "That's surprising, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess." He said. "Oh, by the way, Paul! Check out this Pokemon Card I got." He held up a holographic Wobbuffet.
"Dude, what is it with everyone and Wobbuffets these days? Geez…"
"Oh, Donald told you he was looking for one, too?"
This completely took me by surprise. How could John have known about our earlier conversation? "H-H-how did you know that?" I asked.
"He told me. He said I should get one, but I only have the Blue Version."
"I could lend you my Gold Version." I said. "This way you would have a taste of the challenges of Johto!"
"No thanks. I'm happy with what I've got." He said.
"But John… Gold, Silver, and Crystal are SO MUCH better! You've got an Experience meter, you can hold items, there's better moves, better move animations…"
"I know, I know," He said. "But I'll stick with Blue."
"But Blue's not even in color!" I cried.
"So?"
"Alright, I tell ya what. REGARDLESS of what anybody says, you play the Blue Version."
"OK, I will." He replied. "So where you off to?"
"Ah, I'm on my way to The Break for a bite, then to Boyhood Dreams. Want to come with me? Play a little Street Fighter 3?"
"I can't. Sorry. My mom thinks I'm at Katrina's Pizza, and I have to be home by 2:00 to go shopping."
"Aw, man…"
"But maybe tomorrow. I don't think I'm busy tomorrow."
"Aight, cool. Take care, John."
"See ya, Paul!" he said as we parted ways. John was pretty cool. We had been classmates for a while at the Public School, and we talked on the phone every so often. I was proud to have him for a friend.
Soon I came to the front door of 8 On The Break, the local arcade and hangout. They have the coolest games, and some very good munchies as well. I went there sometimes for lunch or dinner. While they're making it, you can go play the video games, and when it was ready they came and got you. Talk about service!
As I stepped through the door, I was greeted by the familiar drone of dozens of games all going at the same time, and the chatter of the patrons within. I smiled. I loved this place. It was so cool.
Before I got my lunch, I wanted to try my hand at Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, one of the hottest fighting games around. It pitted the "Marvel" superheroes against the "Street Fighter 2" combatants. I always selected Ryu and Cammy as my team, but I never made it past the second level, which was the case today. I slammed the buttons in disgust. That damn second level! It always got me! Oh, well.
Now it was time to eat! I moseyed on over to the bar-like counter near the back of the room, and sat down on one of the stools.
"What can I get you?" the lady asked.
"I'll have the cheesesteak special with an RC Cola, please."
"No problem. Do you want barbecue sauce, or…"
"No thanks. Just cheese and onions."
"You got it." She said. She turned and started taking the necessary food products out of the freezer. I leaned back and looked over at the TV on top of the vending machine. Some show about teen pregnancy. BOR-ING! As if I didn't see enough of that on "Springer."
"Hey…" The lady behind the counter called, "Can I ask you something?"
I turned back to the counter. "Yeah, sure."
"Do you play that game…um, Pokey-man?"
I wondered why she would ask me of all people. "Yes, I do. Why?"
"Well, I'm not asking for me," she said, "but my nephew has the game and he needs some help. I just knew that at least one person here had to be familiar with it."
"Um, OK, what can I help you with?"
"Uh, he needs to find this one Pokeman, or whatever they're called. He doesn't know where it is."
"Which one?" I asked.
"It was…um…damn, I can't remember the name… something about a 'buffet…'"
I raised my eyebrow. "You mean, Wobbuffet?"
"That's the one."
Now things were starting to get strange. That's the third time in a day different people asked me about Wobbuffet. It was like he was the newest "fad," like Pogs had been. I couldn't understand why anybody would want one. He really sucked.
"Do you know where it is?"
"Uh, yeah. He's in the place called 'Dark Cave.'"
"Hold on, let me write that down…Dark…Cave…okay, I've got it. Thanks."
"You're welcome." I said. "You know, it's so odd…you're the third person today to ask me about a Wobbuffet. It's like they're the latest 'thing.'"
"Well, my nephew was over his friend's house, and he comes home and he's all like, 'Auntie! Auntie! Danny just captured a Wobbuffet and I want one, too! I want one, I want one!'"
"Interesting…" I mused.
"And I said to him, 'Well, when I go to work, I'm sure one of the kids can help.' Of course, I didn't know that would be true."
"Well, I'm glad I could help." I said.
"I appreciate it." She replied, "Now, here's your cheesesteak. You wanted Cola with that, right?"
"Please." I said.
Please Review! This is going into bookstores soon!!!
"Click." I shut off my Game Boy Advance and took a deep breath. I had just beaten Lance at the top of Indigo Plateau, and claimed the title of Champion. I just got done watching the end credits roll, with the little Pichus and Sentrets dancing around. Of course, I had done this many times before, but it felt special each time I did it. Pokemon is my favorite video game, and to triumph like this was what I worked for the whole time. My team that I trained was really strong, and they knew excellent moves. I was so proud of them. I had put over 30 hours total into building this team, and it was all worth it. I was especially proud of my Starmie, who knew many different move types, including Ice Beam, Zap Cannon, Psychic, and Surf. My Typhlosion was awesome, too. It knew my favorite Fire move, Flamethrower. Now, I got up and went to go grab something to eat.
Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Paul. I live in a small town in New Jersey, I go to a really nice school, I have some cool friends, and I'm all around happy with my life. There are still some things that could use improvement, but everything on the whole was pretty much okay. My family is cool, my friends are cool, I'M cool… things are pretty chill.
But let me let you in on a little secret… ever since I became the owner of the Red Version of Pokemon, I've wanted to live in that world. It would be so cool, battling and catching Pokemon, fighting other Trainers, being a hero, meeting girls like Misty… Of course, that's impossible. We all know that. I don't think it's likely I'll be pulled into a set of zeros and ones on a little electronic chip. Not in this universe, anyway. So the only way I could fantasize was by actually playing the game and watching the corny little sprites on the screen. Lame-o! One day, I'm going to write a story where I live in the world of Pokemon. I'll capture lots of monsters, save the world from evil, yadda yadda yadda. One day……
But enough with the boring explanations. Today was Saturday, and I had the whole day in front of me. I speculated on the many things I could do to pass the time. I could read comic books, I could fiddle with my "Magic" cards, or, of course, play "Pokemon".
Just then, the phone rang. I picked it up. "Hello?"
"Yeah, Paul," said the other end. It was my friend Donald.
"Yo, Don-man, wassup?" Donald was about the only other person in town I could talk about Pokemon with. Everyone else kinda shied away from it, calling it "babyish" and whatnot. They just didn't see the real challenge.
"Oh, not much. My little sister is being a pain in the ass."
"Heh heh. Yep, little sisters tend to do just that." I replied.
As if to attest to his statement, I heard him put his hand over the phone and say, "Shelby leave me the hell alone!" I laughed. I had a BIG sister, but it was the same way.
"So Donald…" I began, "How's that Zelda game comin'?"
"Eh. Still can't find the Golden Leaves."
"Still?"
"Yeah. What a pain they are."
"Even with the gameshark?" I asked.
"Yep. I can walk through walls, I can never die, but I CAN'T FIND THOSE FRICKIN' GOLD LEAVES!"
"Ha ha! You know, it took me a while to find them, too. I almost tore my hair out. Tell you what… how about you come over one day and I'll show you their locations?"
"Speaking of which, Paul, are you able to have anyone come over today?"
"Afraid not, buddy. Folks are out of town."
"Oh."
"But let me ask you something," he said. "Do you know where I can catch a Wobbuffet?"
"Wobbuffet? I think he's in Dark Cave."
"OK, thanks." he said.
"But what do you want a Wobbuffet for anyway?" I asked. "He sucks."
"Wobbuffet kicks ass!" was the immediate reply.
I figured I'd better talk some sense into this kid.
"Dude…first of all, Wobbuffet only learns four moves in his whole life! And he can't even attack! And he learns no TM moves! Believe me, Donny, you can do better."
"You'll appreciate Wobbuffet's power soon enough."
Something about how he said that sent chills through me. "What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing, nothing."
"Oh, by the way, Don… One of these days I'm gonna write a Pokemon story. Can I put you in it?"
"Sure you can. I wouldn't mind. Well, thanks for your help. I'll see ya." And he hung up. Donald was famous for raising every Pokemon he owned, even all of those in his PC boxes, up to level 100. Every single one. So whenever I would battle him I'd have to rent Pokemon off of the game pak. And he always beat me. I just raise my teams up to level 50, register them for the Poke Cup and Gym Leader Castle, and then start a new file. But hey, to each his own.
I decided to go into town to grab some food and buy a couple of "Magic" booster packs. "Magic" was my other passion. It was a role- playing card game featuring fantastic creatures, magic spells, and powerful wizards. I had no desire, however, to live in that world, where if you looked at a goblin the wrong way he tears your spleen out. Not my bag. But the card game kicks ass! Usually when I wasn't playing Pokemon, I was playing Magic.
I put on my coat and Yankees hat (yes that's right! Die hard fan of the Bronx Bombers!) and stepped out into the chilly January afternoon.
Chilly wasn't the word. It was FRIGID! I pulled my gloves out of my pockets and put them on. Was it really worth all this just to buy "Magic" cards? YES! I walked down my driveway onto First Street.
As I walked down the sidewalk, I reflected upon how perfect my town is, as I often do. It was a humble town, only one square mile, but it was just right. It had a movie theater, several general stores, (or snack joints, as I called them), a couple of churches, places to eat, an arcade… I wouldn't live anywhere else. Because the town was so small, everyone knew everyone, and as I continued up Madison Avenue, I saw several people I knew. I tried to avoid them, though. I'm really not much of a "conversationalist."
Soon, the familiar scenery of Uptown Dunellen became the bustling streets and stores of Downtown Dunellen. Route 28 ran right through here, and there were always tons of people and cars here. As I passed each store on the way to the Comic Shop, I looked in each window and the scene within. I stopped for a moment when I came to the apartments above what used to be a bakery. I used to have a friend who lived there, but he moved, and now I can only talk to him VIA email.
I continued walking, and I must have been looking at the ground, because when I looked up I saw my friend John standing there.
"Yo, Paul!"
"'Sup, John? How you chillin? Like Bob Dylan? Or like a villain?"
"Riiiiiight. So how you doin'?"
"Alright I guess. I just got done beating the crap out of Lance."
"What is that, in Pokemon?"
"Of course. What else do I play? C'mon."
"You gotta get a hobby, bro." He said.
"I have one. Pokemon Trainer Extraordinaire!"
"Yeah, OK. Hey, I got a joke for ya!"
"Let me hear it." John and I were always exchanging jokes, and I always told him any new ones I heard.
"OK… There's this guy, right? And he's a little lonely, so he figures he'll go out and get a pet."
"Right…"
"So he goes to the pet store and tells the manager he wants an unusual pet. So after they discuss a bit, he picks out a centipede. It comes with a box for his house and everything."
"OK…"
"So after the guy brings it home, he figures he'll celebrate by going to the bar with it for a drink."
"Um…"
"So the guy says to the centipede, 'Do you want to go to the bar with me for a drink?' But it doesn't answer. So he waits a few minutes and asks again. Still no answer. Finally, he flings off the lid of the box and says very loudly, 'Do you want to go get a drink?' And the centipede says, "I heard you the first time! I'm putting on my freakin' shoes!"
I threw my head back and laughed. That was so clever a joke. Normally, John didn't have very good jokes, but this one was truly a gem.
"That's good, John! Ha ha ha! I love it!"
"Yeah, I got it off that website you sent me."
"I actually don't have any new jokes right now." I said. "That's surprising, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess." He said. "Oh, by the way, Paul! Check out this Pokemon Card I got." He held up a holographic Wobbuffet.
"Dude, what is it with everyone and Wobbuffets these days? Geez…"
"Oh, Donald told you he was looking for one, too?"
This completely took me by surprise. How could John have known about our earlier conversation? "H-H-how did you know that?" I asked.
"He told me. He said I should get one, but I only have the Blue Version."
"I could lend you my Gold Version." I said. "This way you would have a taste of the challenges of Johto!"
"No thanks. I'm happy with what I've got." He said.
"But John… Gold, Silver, and Crystal are SO MUCH better! You've got an Experience meter, you can hold items, there's better moves, better move animations…"
"I know, I know," He said. "But I'll stick with Blue."
"But Blue's not even in color!" I cried.
"So?"
"Alright, I tell ya what. REGARDLESS of what anybody says, you play the Blue Version."
"OK, I will." He replied. "So where you off to?"
"Ah, I'm on my way to The Break for a bite, then to Boyhood Dreams. Want to come with me? Play a little Street Fighter 3?"
"I can't. Sorry. My mom thinks I'm at Katrina's Pizza, and I have to be home by 2:00 to go shopping."
"Aw, man…"
"But maybe tomorrow. I don't think I'm busy tomorrow."
"Aight, cool. Take care, John."
"See ya, Paul!" he said as we parted ways. John was pretty cool. We had been classmates for a while at the Public School, and we talked on the phone every so often. I was proud to have him for a friend.
Soon I came to the front door of 8 On The Break, the local arcade and hangout. They have the coolest games, and some very good munchies as well. I went there sometimes for lunch or dinner. While they're making it, you can go play the video games, and when it was ready they came and got you. Talk about service!
As I stepped through the door, I was greeted by the familiar drone of dozens of games all going at the same time, and the chatter of the patrons within. I smiled. I loved this place. It was so cool.
Before I got my lunch, I wanted to try my hand at Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, one of the hottest fighting games around. It pitted the "Marvel" superheroes against the "Street Fighter 2" combatants. I always selected Ryu and Cammy as my team, but I never made it past the second level, which was the case today. I slammed the buttons in disgust. That damn second level! It always got me! Oh, well.
Now it was time to eat! I moseyed on over to the bar-like counter near the back of the room, and sat down on one of the stools.
"What can I get you?" the lady asked.
"I'll have the cheesesteak special with an RC Cola, please."
"No problem. Do you want barbecue sauce, or…"
"No thanks. Just cheese and onions."
"You got it." She said. She turned and started taking the necessary food products out of the freezer. I leaned back and looked over at the TV on top of the vending machine. Some show about teen pregnancy. BOR-ING! As if I didn't see enough of that on "Springer."
"Hey…" The lady behind the counter called, "Can I ask you something?"
I turned back to the counter. "Yeah, sure."
"Do you play that game…um, Pokey-man?"
I wondered why she would ask me of all people. "Yes, I do. Why?"
"Well, I'm not asking for me," she said, "but my nephew has the game and he needs some help. I just knew that at least one person here had to be familiar with it."
"Um, OK, what can I help you with?"
"Uh, he needs to find this one Pokeman, or whatever they're called. He doesn't know where it is."
"Which one?" I asked.
"It was…um…damn, I can't remember the name… something about a 'buffet…'"
I raised my eyebrow. "You mean, Wobbuffet?"
"That's the one."
Now things were starting to get strange. That's the third time in a day different people asked me about Wobbuffet. It was like he was the newest "fad," like Pogs had been. I couldn't understand why anybody would want one. He really sucked.
"Do you know where it is?"
"Uh, yeah. He's in the place called 'Dark Cave.'"
"Hold on, let me write that down…Dark…Cave…okay, I've got it. Thanks."
"You're welcome." I said. "You know, it's so odd…you're the third person today to ask me about a Wobbuffet. It's like they're the latest 'thing.'"
"Well, my nephew was over his friend's house, and he comes home and he's all like, 'Auntie! Auntie! Danny just captured a Wobbuffet and I want one, too! I want one, I want one!'"
"Interesting…" I mused.
"And I said to him, 'Well, when I go to work, I'm sure one of the kids can help.' Of course, I didn't know that would be true."
"Well, I'm glad I could help." I said.
"I appreciate it." She replied, "Now, here's your cheesesteak. You wanted Cola with that, right?"
"Please." I said.