Solareon : The Forgotten One
Chapter IV - An Odd Meeting
Lisa was waiting for him outside. As they walked to the restaurant, they did not speak. Only Eevee and Conker were chatting, apparently now the best of friends.
"PokéChow," Alex read, as they approached the building.
"Yeah. I thought it would be good since it has a Pokémon playing field out back."
"Wicked!"
Alex released his Pokémon. Scyther jumped out, and immediately leapt at Alex, bearing its huge blades in front of it. Alex was scared out of his wits, but suddenly it stopped in mid air and crashed to the ground. It got up, and started pushing against the air with all his might. Some sort of force-field had protected him! Porygon floated up in front of him, a grimace on its face. It was keeping the force-field in action.
"When I say 'now', drop the force-field. Okay?" he whispered to Porygon. It nodded slowly.
"Now! Return!"
The force-field dissolved into thin air, and Scyther buzzed towards Alex frantically, but the beam of red light from the Poké Ball had already hit it, and it changed into energy, before being sucked into the ball.
"Phew. That was close!" Alex said. "It must be a high level. That's why I can't control it!"
"Let's just get some food."
"Okay."
Eevee, Conker and Porygon were shooed into the field area, where they reluctantly left their trainer after a kind word from the assistant. Alex and Lisa ordered, and looked out through the window. Their Pokémon were playing a version of hide-and-seek. Porygon would camouflage itself into the background, then the other two would race around looking for it until Porygon reappeared right next to them and made them jump.
"Looks like fun," Lisa commented. "Wish I was a Pokémon."
Alex fell about laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, I'm just trying to imagine a Pokémon with your face. Bulbalisa!" he announced, before collapsing in fits of laughter.
They finished their meal in silence. Lisa was very annoyed with Alex, so when they left the restaurant she walked off in the opposite direction.
"Come on. We don't need her anyway," Alex said to Eevee.
"Veee!!!" Eevee was going to miss his new friend.
"Don't worry, we'll make lots of new friends, right?"
"Ee." Eevee looked forlorn, looking at the ground.
"Okay okay. I'll go find her."
He found her looking up at the sign over the gym.
"Cerano Gym." She looked at him sadly, the afternoon's anger forgotten. "I'll never be able to win a badge here. Conker is too weak versus Heidi's Pokémon. She uses water types."
"I know! My Scyther looked as if it liked you before. It completely avoided you. I think it should be better than Conker against her."
"That's right! Bug and Grass beats Water! Oh thankyou!"
"That's okay."
"We need to find somewhere we can trade."
"Look, there's a small Pokémon Center in front of the gym. It has healing places and a Trade Center too."
"Brilliant!"
They raced up to the Center. Alex placed his Poké Ball containing Scyther into the receptacle and Lisa placed her Conker's ball in the other. The assistant tapped a button.
"Goodbye, Conker," Lisa whispered as the Poké Ball was sucked up and she saw the silhouette of a Larvitar cross the screen. Then the Scyther's silhouette was shown, moving in the opposite direction. The two Poké Balls popped out of the tubes, and Conker's spun for a while, then set down. They each picked up their new Pokémon.
"I think it's best if Conker doesn't see you battling. He'll get all angry because you didn't use him."
But as it turned out, as they walked together into the Gym, the receptionist stopped them.
"Sorry. Only one trainer at a time. Heidi must only be seen by one of you. She needs no distractions," the receptionist said mechanically.
"Okay. I'll wait outside," Alex said. "See you soon."
"I'll be getting this badge before you!"
"Don't count on it!" Alex joked, sitting down on the roadside, waiting for Lisa to emerge.
"You look determined." A voice cut in. "Mind if I sit next to you?"
"No, course not."
"Right." The owner of the voice squatted, with some difficulty, on the curb next to him. "I see you have potential. You don't look like a quitter."
All Alex could do was mumble, as his mind was on Lisa and whether she would be winning her battle already.
"I want to offer you my guidance."
For the first time, Alex looked at the man next to him. He saw an old, balding man with a neatly trimmed beard, thin-rimmed glasses and deep eyes that suggested there was more to what he was letting you know.
"As soon as I saw the symbol, I knew. But perhaps you are not a trainer? I see you have no licence."
"Oh, I have a licence," Alex said. "But I haven't had time to sew it on yet."
"Here." The old man handed him some black thread and a needle. "Do it now. If I know you, then you don't like to leave things undone." His eyes twinkled.
"But you don't…" Alex began, confused.
"You're right. I don't know you. But I'm right, am I not?"
All Alex could do was nod.
"Then stitch that up right now. And hurry up, your friend will be out soon!"
Alex knelt on the kerb, quietly threading the needle, and pushing it through the fabric slowly and thoughtfully. He tore the end from the last stitch with his teeth, and admired his handiwork, and noticed that not one single stitch could be seen. Chuckling to himself, and thinking he must be a natural, he turned to give the man back his needle and thread. Yet the man was not there. He had disappeared into thin air, just like the thread.
Alex glanced up at the clock. He had only been sitting at the edge of the road for two minutes, yet it seemed like about twenty. Realising that Lisa would be quite a bit longer, he heaved himself up, and released Eevee and Conker for a bit of company. They squeaked in delight at seeing each other, and nuzzled each other for a brief period, then scampered into an alleyway, knocking over some dustbins on their way, making a flock of Pidgey climb squawking into the sky. Alex hurried to the bins, and stopped just in time. For sitting on a pile of rubbish, snarling, as it had just been awoken, was a dark ferocious Pokémon with sleek orange fins.
"Sneasel. The Dark Cat. This Pokémon has the characteristics of Dark-type and Ice-type Pokémon. It also learns a Steel attack late in its levels, and it can learn many HMs, making this a very versatile Pokémon."
"Alex took a step back. Sure, the Pokédex said it was 'versatile', but from here Alex saw it as a very big threat. Just then, Eevee leapt up and knocked the Sneasel right in the back of the head. It slumped forward, and hit its chin on a dustbin. It got up, dazed, and launched a Tackle attack at Eevee.
Alex, feeling he should take control at this point, yelled, "Eevee, Headbutt!"
Eevee launched itself at Sneasel, and the Sneasel just stood there, waiting to receive the attack. Then, it began side-stepping very fast, and vanished as Eevee was about to strike. Eevee kept going, and crashed right into a bin, already bent slightly from the first impact. It struggled to get up, but then a white claw fist appeared from nowhere, rendering it unconscious.
"Eevee, return."
The Sneasel reappeared, looking Alex right in the eye. It was very determined.
"Go, Conker!"
Conker jumped from behind the bin in turn, giving the Sneasel the shock of its life. It seemed to stay in the air longer than usual, but he dismissed this as a figment of his imagination.
"Quick Conker, Bite it while it's still confused!"
Conker raced forward and bit the Sneasel right on its ear. It wailed, trying to shake Conker off, and finally gave in. It knelt on the ground.
"Yeah! Go, Poké Ball!" Alex shouted, excited. "Return, Conker, you did great!"
The ball hit the cat, and enveloped it in a red glow, before drawing it in. It wobbled, then came to a standstill. There was a slight pause, then 'Bling!', Sneasel was caught.
Chapter IV - An Odd Meeting
Lisa was waiting for him outside. As they walked to the restaurant, they did not speak. Only Eevee and Conker were chatting, apparently now the best of friends.
"PokéChow," Alex read, as they approached the building.
"Yeah. I thought it would be good since it has a Pokémon playing field out back."
"Wicked!"
Alex released his Pokémon. Scyther jumped out, and immediately leapt at Alex, bearing its huge blades in front of it. Alex was scared out of his wits, but suddenly it stopped in mid air and crashed to the ground. It got up, and started pushing against the air with all his might. Some sort of force-field had protected him! Porygon floated up in front of him, a grimace on its face. It was keeping the force-field in action.
"When I say 'now', drop the force-field. Okay?" he whispered to Porygon. It nodded slowly.
"Now! Return!"
The force-field dissolved into thin air, and Scyther buzzed towards Alex frantically, but the beam of red light from the Poké Ball had already hit it, and it changed into energy, before being sucked into the ball.
"Phew. That was close!" Alex said. "It must be a high level. That's why I can't control it!"
"Let's just get some food."
"Okay."
Eevee, Conker and Porygon were shooed into the field area, where they reluctantly left their trainer after a kind word from the assistant. Alex and Lisa ordered, and looked out through the window. Their Pokémon were playing a version of hide-and-seek. Porygon would camouflage itself into the background, then the other two would race around looking for it until Porygon reappeared right next to them and made them jump.
"Looks like fun," Lisa commented. "Wish I was a Pokémon."
Alex fell about laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, I'm just trying to imagine a Pokémon with your face. Bulbalisa!" he announced, before collapsing in fits of laughter.
They finished their meal in silence. Lisa was very annoyed with Alex, so when they left the restaurant she walked off in the opposite direction.
"Come on. We don't need her anyway," Alex said to Eevee.
"Veee!!!" Eevee was going to miss his new friend.
"Don't worry, we'll make lots of new friends, right?"
"Ee." Eevee looked forlorn, looking at the ground.
"Okay okay. I'll go find her."
He found her looking up at the sign over the gym.
"Cerano Gym." She looked at him sadly, the afternoon's anger forgotten. "I'll never be able to win a badge here. Conker is too weak versus Heidi's Pokémon. She uses water types."
"I know! My Scyther looked as if it liked you before. It completely avoided you. I think it should be better than Conker against her."
"That's right! Bug and Grass beats Water! Oh thankyou!"
"That's okay."
"We need to find somewhere we can trade."
"Look, there's a small Pokémon Center in front of the gym. It has healing places and a Trade Center too."
"Brilliant!"
They raced up to the Center. Alex placed his Poké Ball containing Scyther into the receptacle and Lisa placed her Conker's ball in the other. The assistant tapped a button.
"Goodbye, Conker," Lisa whispered as the Poké Ball was sucked up and she saw the silhouette of a Larvitar cross the screen. Then the Scyther's silhouette was shown, moving in the opposite direction. The two Poké Balls popped out of the tubes, and Conker's spun for a while, then set down. They each picked up their new Pokémon.
"I think it's best if Conker doesn't see you battling. He'll get all angry because you didn't use him."
But as it turned out, as they walked together into the Gym, the receptionist stopped them.
"Sorry. Only one trainer at a time. Heidi must only be seen by one of you. She needs no distractions," the receptionist said mechanically.
"Okay. I'll wait outside," Alex said. "See you soon."
"I'll be getting this badge before you!"
"Don't count on it!" Alex joked, sitting down on the roadside, waiting for Lisa to emerge.
"You look determined." A voice cut in. "Mind if I sit next to you?"
"No, course not."
"Right." The owner of the voice squatted, with some difficulty, on the curb next to him. "I see you have potential. You don't look like a quitter."
All Alex could do was mumble, as his mind was on Lisa and whether she would be winning her battle already.
"I want to offer you my guidance."
For the first time, Alex looked at the man next to him. He saw an old, balding man with a neatly trimmed beard, thin-rimmed glasses and deep eyes that suggested there was more to what he was letting you know.
"As soon as I saw the symbol, I knew. But perhaps you are not a trainer? I see you have no licence."
"Oh, I have a licence," Alex said. "But I haven't had time to sew it on yet."
"Here." The old man handed him some black thread and a needle. "Do it now. If I know you, then you don't like to leave things undone." His eyes twinkled.
"But you don't…" Alex began, confused.
"You're right. I don't know you. But I'm right, am I not?"
All Alex could do was nod.
"Then stitch that up right now. And hurry up, your friend will be out soon!"
Alex knelt on the kerb, quietly threading the needle, and pushing it through the fabric slowly and thoughtfully. He tore the end from the last stitch with his teeth, and admired his handiwork, and noticed that not one single stitch could be seen. Chuckling to himself, and thinking he must be a natural, he turned to give the man back his needle and thread. Yet the man was not there. He had disappeared into thin air, just like the thread.
Alex glanced up at the clock. He had only been sitting at the edge of the road for two minutes, yet it seemed like about twenty. Realising that Lisa would be quite a bit longer, he heaved himself up, and released Eevee and Conker for a bit of company. They squeaked in delight at seeing each other, and nuzzled each other for a brief period, then scampered into an alleyway, knocking over some dustbins on their way, making a flock of Pidgey climb squawking into the sky. Alex hurried to the bins, and stopped just in time. For sitting on a pile of rubbish, snarling, as it had just been awoken, was a dark ferocious Pokémon with sleek orange fins.
"Sneasel. The Dark Cat. This Pokémon has the characteristics of Dark-type and Ice-type Pokémon. It also learns a Steel attack late in its levels, and it can learn many HMs, making this a very versatile Pokémon."
"Alex took a step back. Sure, the Pokédex said it was 'versatile', but from here Alex saw it as a very big threat. Just then, Eevee leapt up and knocked the Sneasel right in the back of the head. It slumped forward, and hit its chin on a dustbin. It got up, dazed, and launched a Tackle attack at Eevee.
Alex, feeling he should take control at this point, yelled, "Eevee, Headbutt!"
Eevee launched itself at Sneasel, and the Sneasel just stood there, waiting to receive the attack. Then, it began side-stepping very fast, and vanished as Eevee was about to strike. Eevee kept going, and crashed right into a bin, already bent slightly from the first impact. It struggled to get up, but then a white claw fist appeared from nowhere, rendering it unconscious.
"Eevee, return."
The Sneasel reappeared, looking Alex right in the eye. It was very determined.
"Go, Conker!"
Conker jumped from behind the bin in turn, giving the Sneasel the shock of its life. It seemed to stay in the air longer than usual, but he dismissed this as a figment of his imagination.
"Quick Conker, Bite it while it's still confused!"
Conker raced forward and bit the Sneasel right on its ear. It wailed, trying to shake Conker off, and finally gave in. It knelt on the ground.
"Yeah! Go, Poké Ball!" Alex shouted, excited. "Return, Conker, you did great!"
The ball hit the cat, and enveloped it in a red glow, before drawing it in. It wobbled, then came to a standstill. There was a slight pause, then 'Bling!', Sneasel was caught.