Chapter 19

Samantha quickly ran over to see if her two friends were ok…

"Kat! KAT!" Samantha was crying, "Say something!"

Samantha got closer, and breathed a sigh of relief…

"Oh thank goodness! They're just asleep…"

Bobby and Blaze looked relieved as well.

"Ewww…gross! They were probably making out!" Samantha said. She then got serious.

"Uh, Lianne…did you use SING?"

"Wiggly…" she shook her head "no".

Julie decided to get a closer look. She circled around Tony, seeing if he was OK. She leaned over and sniffed his hand. Immediately, the little Pikachu became groggy herself, and settled down fast asleep next to Tony. Now Samantha knew what was wrong…

"SLEEP POWDER!" she said, "But if Bobby didn't…then wha…"

She was interrupted the responsible party, coming out of a bush and smiling at Samantha with a set, dopey smile…

"Gloom?" the Weed Pokémon said looking up at Samantha and her Pokémon.

"A ha! A Gloom! So that's what got Kat and Tony…" She looked down at her Pikachu alongside her sleeping friends, "Bobby! BATH TIME!"

Bobby responded by washing off the powder with his WATER GUN. The same splash of water was enough to awaken Julie too.

"Ugh…what happened?" Tony said rubbing his eyes.

"I don't feel too hot…" Kat yawned.

"Well you look too hot…" Tony groggily joked.

"Pika…" Julie groaned.

Gloom bounced around happily in the glistening sunset.

"I'll bet you two tried to capture it!" Samantha said accusingly.

"Well…no…" Kat started, "Tony stepped on its foot."

Tony blushed with slight embarrassment. Samantha looked down to the little Gloom.

"Well you're a little cutie, aren't you?"

Gloom stopped bouncing around and began to blush just like Tony. "Gloom! Gloom, Gloom!"

Kat interrupted, "Oh man, it's getting dark Sammie! We'd better set up camp for the night!"

"I think we had better keep going towards Fuchsia City! I need to get there by morning, I just have to!" Samantha whined, "I guess we could all make the best of it…"

"Lots of different Pokémon come out at night Sam…" Tony said.

"Like, what?" Samantha asked curiously.

"Well, like Gloom there. It's nocturnal. That means you only see them around night time…" Tony wisely said.

"Yeah, I caught my Spearow at night…" Kat added.

Gloom was playing with Bobby, meanwhile. Gloom would jump up high, and Bobby would water her with WATER GUN.

"Guess those two hit it off nicely…" Samantha said watching Bobby and the Gloom play.

The three young trainers headed southward towards Fuchsia City, despite the late hour. They were making good time, considering how tired Samantha actually was. Tony and Kat were fine…you would be too after a long nap! Samantha let her Pokémon stay out of their Poké Balls…it was a very pleasant night, after all.

Julie chose Tony's shoulder as her perch. She would alternate between Tony and Samantha's shoulders. She carefully monitored the surroundings from both of their shoulders. Not far behind, Cubone was trying to hit Joelle with his bone. Joelle cackled heavily every time the bone just went straight through her ghostly form… Lianne was playing with Blaze. Lianne would use an ICE BEAM to freeze rocks, and Blaze would melt them just as quickly with a short FLAMETHROWER attack…

Bobby was the furthest behind. He was having a friendly Pokémon conversation with that very same Gloom. Samantha supposed it was all right if Gloom followed them. Capturing her seemed pointless. Besides, Bobby needed something—or someone to keep his depression away…that Gloom would do nicely.

Trainers came, and trainers went…this road seemed to have more than usual…even that late at nigh. During the tenure of the battle, Samantha got to see what Pokémon Kat and Tony had acquired during that little hunt they went on. Although Kat won her matches mainly with her Fearow, she also revealed to have a Sentret and a Rattata. Tony and Blaze were an excellent team. Tony not even once had to reach for his other Poké Balls. Samantha began to wonder if he even had any other Pokémon to begin with! Oh well, as long as he got the job done…

After many, many hours, Samantha and her friends reached the entrance to Fuchsia City! By that time, it was already 1 AM! Off in the distance, the Pokémon Center was a sight for sore eyes. It was the perfect place to spend the night. After much open debate, Samantha won:
Kat and Tony could NOT share a room!

"Okay, RETURN everybody!" Samantha said holding up four Poké Balls…

Julie, Lianne, Joelle, and Cubone all returned to their homes within the confines of their Poké Balls for a good rest.

"Well now, THIS could be a problem…" Samantha said looking down at Bobby and the Gloom. Her Bulbasaur looked to her with pleading eyes.

"Oh all right, Bobby…she can come…"

Samantha picked up a VERY happy Bobby and walked into the Pokémon Center…

"You coming?"

"GLOOM!"