Catching Up To You
(part 2 of 7)
by Maeyan (maeyan@mailcity.com)
DISCLAIMER: While I have traded many pieces of paper for their goods,
I have no ownership or rights to the characters, etc of Pokémon.
Part two:
-----------------
Misty dumped the last potful of dirt over the ex-campfire and sighed. It had been a long week, but now she was sure that Ash wasn't coming back and she was ready to move on. She looked down at her friends and smiled weakly. She had released Squirtle and Bulbasaur yesterday and, with Pikachu's help, told them the entire story. Or rather, what she knew of it. She didn't plan on telling the other Pokémon until she knew what was going to happen to them. But Bulbasaur and Squirtle... Bulbasaur had been with Ash almost from the beginning, like Pikachu. And Squirtle? After his return from helping the firefighting Squirtle Squad, he and Ash had become closer than they ever were before Johto. Misty had to tell them.
The only thing that happened was an argument about whether or not they would get back into their Pokéballs. And no, they were still out. With her, now. On *her* quest.
And she had a quest; she'd decided yesterday and had gone into town for the supplies last night.
Oh, she had considered her options, of course. Lily needed help with the gym, now that Daisy and Violet had families of their own. The last letter from Cerulean had suggested that maybe Misty could take some time off and come home. And then there was the scholarship waiting for her, the one she had been given after the Johto trip. She had never thought of accepting it, but college was certainly another option. Or she could journey on and even try for her own Masters title. She just needed the actual badges, and that wouldn't take too long. Not with her experience and background.
She shouldered her pack, a larger one now that she was carrying Ash's discarded belongings as well as her own, adjusted his faded League cap on her red hair and sighed. They were heading back to Pallet Town, as it seemed the best place to start. She'd thought to call Ash's mother while she was in town buying supplies, but the small burg didn't have a Pokémon Center or public phone; she'd have had to knock on one of the few houses and ask to borrow a phone. And she didn't have any cash - just her credits. After she thought about it, Misty was actually glad: she really didn't want to discuss something like this over the phone anyway.
"Okay, guys. Let's go find Ash."
They set out early in the morning, knowing it would take longer than expected to get back to Ash's hometown. For one thing, Bulbasaur and Squirtle were not used to walking long distances; they needed a number of stops along the way to rest. For another, Misty now had to feed three Pokémon and herself, so they were forced to take the long route, staying near towns and grocery stores instead of heading straight through the forests as she had always done with Ash. She simply couldn't carry enough food for them all as well as both her and Ash's belongings.
They managed along fairly well, for all that, and Misty was actually kind of glad about using the roads. Most trainers stuck to the paths and trails of the forests in order to catch Pokémon so that only a few people passed her on the road. It wasn't long, however, until Squirtle began to complain about his feet. Despite his years with the Squirtle Squad, he still wasn't used to long journeys on foot. They stopped for lunch and after treating him as best she could, Misty set about fashioning a pair of sandals from some strips of bark and cloth while the Pokémon ate.
"What is that you're making?" The soft voice startled her and she turned to see a young girl looking over her shoulder. Misty smiled at the dark-haired little girl.
"A pair of sandals for Squirtle." She handed the girl a finished shoe for inspection. "He's a water-type Pokémon; his feet aren't really made for walking distances on the ground."
The girl was obviously confused. "Why don't you carry him in a Pokéball like my brother carries his Pokémon?"
"Brother?" Misty looked around. "So your brother is a Pokémon trainer?" She finally spotted the boy standing about four feet away from where Bulbasaur was eating his lunch and watched as the new trainer inched closer to the relaxing Pokémon. Misty was unable to quench a small giggle as Bulbasaur stretched out a vine and tripped the boy before he could get too close. While still eating, mind you, she thought fondly. She turned back to the girl. "What's your brother's name?"
"Mark," the girl replied, still fascinated by the idea of shoes for Pokémon. "And I'm Kim."
"Nice to meet you, Kim. My name is Misty." She looked again at the Pokémon picnic to see Mark once again on the receiving end of a gentle vine whip attack, and laughed as this time Squirtle joined in, dousing him with a light watergun. She had to warn the poor boy: "Mark? You might want to leave them alone before Pikachu gets irritated."
Mark stopped his third advance and seemed to consider her advice, joining the ladies after a glance at a twitching (but smirking, Misty noticed) Pikachu. Kim held the sandal up to him with a smile. "Look, Mark! A shoe for Squirtle! Because his feet hurt when he walks on the ground! Isn't that a neat idea?"
Mark looked at Misty's hand where the second sandal was almost completed. "But why? Why not keep him in a Pokéball?"
Misty shrugged. "He wants to walk with me. And I like his company."
Mark looked almost scandalised, but the expression immediately faded to a hopeful determination. "I just got my first Pokémon, miss. Would you mind if I battled you and Bulbasaur?" His fingers fairly twitched at his belt where his lone Pokéball was secured. Misty tightened the last cord on the sandal and thought. Bulbasaur could definitely take any beginning Pokémon, but she wasn't sure that he would battle. For her or even at all. She wasn't even sure that she wanted a battle. She sighed and stood.
"My name is Misty. Let's go give Squirtle his sandals and see if Bulbasaur wants to battle." She led the way back towards the picnic.
"If Bulbasaur *wants* to battle?" Mark squeaked from behind her as she knelt in front of Squirtle and slipped the sandals on his feet. The water Pokémon stood and wobbled a bit.
"Squir Tel! Te-eh ehl. Squir!"
"Walk about, Squirtle. Get used to them. Pikachu, could you help him a bit?"
"Pi!"
Misty turned to Mark as Pikachu and Squirtle tottered off to find a more level piece of practice ground. "Bulbasaur is an intelligent creature who knows his limits and abilities better than I ever could. I'm not going to force him to battle if he doesn't want to. That's something you'll need to learn if you ever hope to get the most from your Pokémon."
Surprisingly, it was Kim who asked the most obvious question, "But isn't that what a Pokémon trainer does? Make them battle?"
"What's the point of battling? That's the question you have to ask yourself." Misty sank to the grass and stroked Bulbasaur, who had walked over to sit next to her. "Pokémon bond with the humans who capture them. Battling isn't natural - they don't use attacks in the wild except for extreme defense or hunting needs. Pokémon battling was something humans forced them into a long time ago - something they do *for* us, even if we've long forgotten the original need for it. Forcing a Pokémon to battle when it can't or doesn't want to will only hurt your Pokémon. And if you continue doing it, your Pokémon will lose trust in you and will eventually make you lose everything you've worked for." Misty smiled down at Bulbasaur. "Right?"
"Bulba." The grass Pokémon nodded lazily, his head falling to her lap as the afternoon of good food and warm sunshine combined to drag him into slumber.
Misty stroked Bulbasaur as he napped. The children were silent and Misty smiled. They'll learn quickly enough, she thought. There's a big difference between learning about Pokémon care and caring for Pokémon. She closed her eyes and leaned into the sunlight, feeling its warmth on her face. She'd lived in a gym all her childhood and still found that there was a great deal that she didn't know about Pokémon. Even water Pokémon. That was why these journeys were so important. She said as much aloud, adding, "You can only go so far without experience." She opened her eyes and saw that Mark was frowning at her: his respect for an elder trainer was apparently warring with his impulse to blurt out that she was doing things all wrong. She smiled softly, remembering how it had taken a defeat at Brock's hands to knock the most sense into Ash. And, she admitted, to herself as well.
"Bulbasaur?" She nudged the drowsy grass Pokémon awake. "Mark here just got his first Pokémon. How would you like to be his first opponent?"
"Bul? Bul saur bulba." He frowned softly, chucking his head in the young boy's direction.
Misty nodded, "Yes, well he may surprise us, you know. What do you say, are you up to it?" Bulbasaur looked up at the late afternoon sky for a moment before nodding. He stood and shook himself fully awake, then headed towards a flattened area that looked as if it had been used for battling before.
"Bulba?" he called.
Misty stood and nodded to Mark. "Let's go!" She walked over to stand beside Bulbasaur as Mark removed his Pokéball.
"Go Bully!" he cried, and a fresh young bulbasaur appeared in front of him.
"Bulba!" it said as they jauntily walked to the opposite end of the 'battlefield.' Misty took a moment to check and saw that Kim had wandered off and was helping Pikachu and Squirtle. She turned back to Mark, smiled, then reminded him that challengers had the first move.
"Bully! Tackle attack!" Mark cried and his bulbasaur thundered across the small field and smacked into Bulbasaur. For its size, Misty was surprised to see that it had actually managed to move Bulbasaur back about two feet.
"You're pretty tough, Bully!" Misty smiled at the young Pokémon and then at the opposing trainer. "You've obviously been training hard, Mark. Bulbasaur, Razor leaf." Bully was forced to retreat as the sharp leaves came flying at his face.
"Bully! Vine whip those leaves away!" Bully's small, uncoordinated vines began flicking at the leaves.
"Bulbasaur! Vine whip!" Misty countered quickly before the entire cloud of leaves was gone. Bulbasaur's own larger vines reached out and looped around Bully's feet, lifting and tossing him to the ground. He was obviously knocked for a loop, and Mark ran onto the battlefield to examine his Pokémon. Misty knelt and stroked Bulbasaur's chin. "Thanks, Bulbasaur. You were great, as always."
Mark walked up to her, Bully already returned to his Pokéball. "How did you do that?"
Bulbasaur sighed, shook his head, and walked off in the direction of a small stand of trees.
"Bulbasaur may not be my Pokémon," Misty started to answer his question when Mark interrupted.
"What! He's not your Pokémon?"
Misty looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "No. I'm watching the three of them for a friend of mine while he's... away." She winced a bit at the phrasing, but continued. "I'm a water-Pokémon trainer, actually, but I've known these three for years."
Mark whistled. "Wow. But why did Bulbasaur take your commands if he's not yours?"
"Because we're friends." Misty shrugged. "He trusts me and I trust him."
"And that Vine Whip attack? He just guessed that was what you wanted him to do, then."
Misty shook her head and clapped his shoulder. "Mark. When you and your Pokémon have absolute faith in each other, you can almost read each other's minds. I saw an opening in Bully's defense and when I told Bulbasaur to use Vine Whip, he saw what I did. He's a seasoned fighter too, Mark, remember that. If he'd hesitated in the least, I would have followed with more specific instructions."
Mark smirked. "So it was luck."
Misty had to laugh. "Isn't everything just a matter of luck?" Mark frowned and Misty pulled him to the tree where she opened her satchel and handed him a sandwich.
"Training will get you to the point where you know every single thing about your Pokémon. You will be able to tell by a twitch of a tail or a quiver of an ear exactly what they are thinking or doing. Know your Pokémon and you have won half the battle. Learn the other person's Pokémon too, and no matter what technique they use, they will have a hard battle."
Kim, Pikachu and Squirtle joined them at that point with an excited squeal as the young girl exclaimed that Squirtle had managed to not fall for five whole minutes. For his part, Squirtle stumbled his way to Misty and fell on her with a happy "Squir!" Misty returned the hug and set him upright again.
"I'm glad you like them, Squirtle!" She offered Kim a sandwich and the three sat and watched as Pikachu and Bulbasaur chased after the still wobbly Squirtle to try to topple him.
"So where are you going that Squirtle needs shoes? Why can't you just carry him in his Pokéball?" Mark still sounded confused.
Misty thought about it for a moment. "Well. We're headed to Pallet Town, to return Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Pikachu to my friend. And I don't carry Squirtle in his Pokéball because he won't let me." She looked at the boy. "Have you been to the Pokémon Research Facility in Cerulean? They have a permanent exhibit where you can experience what it's like to be inside a Pokéball. Just like a Pokémon." Misty frowned. "You should go; it's a good experience: it's not too bad, but it's very lonely and you feel so glad when they let you out. Most Pokémon sleep when they're inside, but if they don't want to go, I don't like to force them." Not anymore, she silently added.
Mark pulled his Pokéball from his pocket. "But don't the Pokéballs heal Pokémon who're inside?"
"Y-es," Misty said hesitantly, and she wondered briefly that she felt so at-ease explaining Pokémon to these new trainers. "But sometimes it's best to let wounds heal on their own." She went on to explain about battle scars and memories. She wound up her lecture by releasing Starmie. "And see here where this arm seems a little bit darker than the others? Starmie was in a fierce battle against a wild Totodile and at one point his arm was almost ripped off." She pointed to a ring of flesh at the base of the arm. "This is the only place it was still attached. The nearest Pokémon center was miles away, and the injury was too severe to be healed by simply resting."
"What did you do?" Mark asked, leaning forward to get a better look at where she was pointing.
"I cut it off." Misty's grimace was accompanied by gasps from the two youngsters. "It was one of the worst moments of my life up to that point. I'd seen others do it, but I'd never..." She shrugged. "Well, it was for the best. Starmies can re-grow limbs. And because Starmie's arm grew back naturally, it's a good deal stronger than usual. He went up two levels just in the weeks it took his arm to grow back."
She recalled the pokemon, and Kim stood. "Oh Misty! You are so smart! I want to be a great Pokémon teacher like you when I grow up!"
Misty blushed. "I'm not a teacher, Kim. I've just been doing this for so long that it's all second nature to me now." She looked at her watch, then at the fast darkening sky. The trees were next and she watched a moment as they started to sway a bit harder than normal for the time of year. "And speaking of nature, we'd better find some shelter. It's going to rain tonight, starting soon." When Misty turned around, Mark was just releasing Bully.
"Mark? What's wrong?" she asked, as the still groggy but standing Bulbasaur appeared.
Mark shook his head with a soft blush. "Nothing. I uh, just thought Bully would like to spend some time with your bulbasaur. If that's all right?"
Misty hid her grin. "Sure. Bulbasaur?" She motioned and Bulbasaur walked over, extending a tendril to Bully. "Could you make sure Bully here gets to the shelter with us?"
"Bul!" He winked knowingly and Misty did smile, then.
"Great! Thank you, Bulbasaur. Now." Misty pulled her satchel onto her shoulders and helped Mark and Kim with their packs, the rain just starting to pitter as they headed back to the road. "If I remember right, there's a shelter just around the bend."
To Be Continued...
-------------------------------
DISTRIBUTION: Please respect my (limited) copyright and ASK
permission to borrow this story. This will be posted to my website
(http://draxonious.tripod.com/), fanfic.net, fanfic.org, the AAMRN
yahoo group and the PFFML yahoo group.
Please send any feedback to maeyan@mailcity.com
(part 2 of 7)
by Maeyan (maeyan@mailcity.com)
DISCLAIMER: While I have traded many pieces of paper for their goods,
I have no ownership or rights to the characters, etc of Pokémon.
Part two:
-----------------
Misty dumped the last potful of dirt over the ex-campfire and sighed. It had been a long week, but now she was sure that Ash wasn't coming back and she was ready to move on. She looked down at her friends and smiled weakly. She had released Squirtle and Bulbasaur yesterday and, with Pikachu's help, told them the entire story. Or rather, what she knew of it. She didn't plan on telling the other Pokémon until she knew what was going to happen to them. But Bulbasaur and Squirtle... Bulbasaur had been with Ash almost from the beginning, like Pikachu. And Squirtle? After his return from helping the firefighting Squirtle Squad, he and Ash had become closer than they ever were before Johto. Misty had to tell them.
The only thing that happened was an argument about whether or not they would get back into their Pokéballs. And no, they were still out. With her, now. On *her* quest.
And she had a quest; she'd decided yesterday and had gone into town for the supplies last night.
Oh, she had considered her options, of course. Lily needed help with the gym, now that Daisy and Violet had families of their own. The last letter from Cerulean had suggested that maybe Misty could take some time off and come home. And then there was the scholarship waiting for her, the one she had been given after the Johto trip. She had never thought of accepting it, but college was certainly another option. Or she could journey on and even try for her own Masters title. She just needed the actual badges, and that wouldn't take too long. Not with her experience and background.
She shouldered her pack, a larger one now that she was carrying Ash's discarded belongings as well as her own, adjusted his faded League cap on her red hair and sighed. They were heading back to Pallet Town, as it seemed the best place to start. She'd thought to call Ash's mother while she was in town buying supplies, but the small burg didn't have a Pokémon Center or public phone; she'd have had to knock on one of the few houses and ask to borrow a phone. And she didn't have any cash - just her credits. After she thought about it, Misty was actually glad: she really didn't want to discuss something like this over the phone anyway.
"Okay, guys. Let's go find Ash."
They set out early in the morning, knowing it would take longer than expected to get back to Ash's hometown. For one thing, Bulbasaur and Squirtle were not used to walking long distances; they needed a number of stops along the way to rest. For another, Misty now had to feed three Pokémon and herself, so they were forced to take the long route, staying near towns and grocery stores instead of heading straight through the forests as she had always done with Ash. She simply couldn't carry enough food for them all as well as both her and Ash's belongings.
They managed along fairly well, for all that, and Misty was actually kind of glad about using the roads. Most trainers stuck to the paths and trails of the forests in order to catch Pokémon so that only a few people passed her on the road. It wasn't long, however, until Squirtle began to complain about his feet. Despite his years with the Squirtle Squad, he still wasn't used to long journeys on foot. They stopped for lunch and after treating him as best she could, Misty set about fashioning a pair of sandals from some strips of bark and cloth while the Pokémon ate.
"What is that you're making?" The soft voice startled her and she turned to see a young girl looking over her shoulder. Misty smiled at the dark-haired little girl.
"A pair of sandals for Squirtle." She handed the girl a finished shoe for inspection. "He's a water-type Pokémon; his feet aren't really made for walking distances on the ground."
The girl was obviously confused. "Why don't you carry him in a Pokéball like my brother carries his Pokémon?"
"Brother?" Misty looked around. "So your brother is a Pokémon trainer?" She finally spotted the boy standing about four feet away from where Bulbasaur was eating his lunch and watched as the new trainer inched closer to the relaxing Pokémon. Misty was unable to quench a small giggle as Bulbasaur stretched out a vine and tripped the boy before he could get too close. While still eating, mind you, she thought fondly. She turned back to the girl. "What's your brother's name?"
"Mark," the girl replied, still fascinated by the idea of shoes for Pokémon. "And I'm Kim."
"Nice to meet you, Kim. My name is Misty." She looked again at the Pokémon picnic to see Mark once again on the receiving end of a gentle vine whip attack, and laughed as this time Squirtle joined in, dousing him with a light watergun. She had to warn the poor boy: "Mark? You might want to leave them alone before Pikachu gets irritated."
Mark stopped his third advance and seemed to consider her advice, joining the ladies after a glance at a twitching (but smirking, Misty noticed) Pikachu. Kim held the sandal up to him with a smile. "Look, Mark! A shoe for Squirtle! Because his feet hurt when he walks on the ground! Isn't that a neat idea?"
Mark looked at Misty's hand where the second sandal was almost completed. "But why? Why not keep him in a Pokéball?"
Misty shrugged. "He wants to walk with me. And I like his company."
Mark looked almost scandalised, but the expression immediately faded to a hopeful determination. "I just got my first Pokémon, miss. Would you mind if I battled you and Bulbasaur?" His fingers fairly twitched at his belt where his lone Pokéball was secured. Misty tightened the last cord on the sandal and thought. Bulbasaur could definitely take any beginning Pokémon, but she wasn't sure that he would battle. For her or even at all. She wasn't even sure that she wanted a battle. She sighed and stood.
"My name is Misty. Let's go give Squirtle his sandals and see if Bulbasaur wants to battle." She led the way back towards the picnic.
"If Bulbasaur *wants* to battle?" Mark squeaked from behind her as she knelt in front of Squirtle and slipped the sandals on his feet. The water Pokémon stood and wobbled a bit.
"Squir Tel! Te-eh ehl. Squir!"
"Walk about, Squirtle. Get used to them. Pikachu, could you help him a bit?"
"Pi!"
Misty turned to Mark as Pikachu and Squirtle tottered off to find a more level piece of practice ground. "Bulbasaur is an intelligent creature who knows his limits and abilities better than I ever could. I'm not going to force him to battle if he doesn't want to. That's something you'll need to learn if you ever hope to get the most from your Pokémon."
Surprisingly, it was Kim who asked the most obvious question, "But isn't that what a Pokémon trainer does? Make them battle?"
"What's the point of battling? That's the question you have to ask yourself." Misty sank to the grass and stroked Bulbasaur, who had walked over to sit next to her. "Pokémon bond with the humans who capture them. Battling isn't natural - they don't use attacks in the wild except for extreme defense or hunting needs. Pokémon battling was something humans forced them into a long time ago - something they do *for* us, even if we've long forgotten the original need for it. Forcing a Pokémon to battle when it can't or doesn't want to will only hurt your Pokémon. And if you continue doing it, your Pokémon will lose trust in you and will eventually make you lose everything you've worked for." Misty smiled down at Bulbasaur. "Right?"
"Bulba." The grass Pokémon nodded lazily, his head falling to her lap as the afternoon of good food and warm sunshine combined to drag him into slumber.
Misty stroked Bulbasaur as he napped. The children were silent and Misty smiled. They'll learn quickly enough, she thought. There's a big difference between learning about Pokémon care and caring for Pokémon. She closed her eyes and leaned into the sunlight, feeling its warmth on her face. She'd lived in a gym all her childhood and still found that there was a great deal that she didn't know about Pokémon. Even water Pokémon. That was why these journeys were so important. She said as much aloud, adding, "You can only go so far without experience." She opened her eyes and saw that Mark was frowning at her: his respect for an elder trainer was apparently warring with his impulse to blurt out that she was doing things all wrong. She smiled softly, remembering how it had taken a defeat at Brock's hands to knock the most sense into Ash. And, she admitted, to herself as well.
"Bulbasaur?" She nudged the drowsy grass Pokémon awake. "Mark here just got his first Pokémon. How would you like to be his first opponent?"
"Bul? Bul saur bulba." He frowned softly, chucking his head in the young boy's direction.
Misty nodded, "Yes, well he may surprise us, you know. What do you say, are you up to it?" Bulbasaur looked up at the late afternoon sky for a moment before nodding. He stood and shook himself fully awake, then headed towards a flattened area that looked as if it had been used for battling before.
"Bulba?" he called.
Misty stood and nodded to Mark. "Let's go!" She walked over to stand beside Bulbasaur as Mark removed his Pokéball.
"Go Bully!" he cried, and a fresh young bulbasaur appeared in front of him.
"Bulba!" it said as they jauntily walked to the opposite end of the 'battlefield.' Misty took a moment to check and saw that Kim had wandered off and was helping Pikachu and Squirtle. She turned back to Mark, smiled, then reminded him that challengers had the first move.
"Bully! Tackle attack!" Mark cried and his bulbasaur thundered across the small field and smacked into Bulbasaur. For its size, Misty was surprised to see that it had actually managed to move Bulbasaur back about two feet.
"You're pretty tough, Bully!" Misty smiled at the young Pokémon and then at the opposing trainer. "You've obviously been training hard, Mark. Bulbasaur, Razor leaf." Bully was forced to retreat as the sharp leaves came flying at his face.
"Bully! Vine whip those leaves away!" Bully's small, uncoordinated vines began flicking at the leaves.
"Bulbasaur! Vine whip!" Misty countered quickly before the entire cloud of leaves was gone. Bulbasaur's own larger vines reached out and looped around Bully's feet, lifting and tossing him to the ground. He was obviously knocked for a loop, and Mark ran onto the battlefield to examine his Pokémon. Misty knelt and stroked Bulbasaur's chin. "Thanks, Bulbasaur. You were great, as always."
Mark walked up to her, Bully already returned to his Pokéball. "How did you do that?"
Bulbasaur sighed, shook his head, and walked off in the direction of a small stand of trees.
"Bulbasaur may not be my Pokémon," Misty started to answer his question when Mark interrupted.
"What! He's not your Pokémon?"
Misty looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "No. I'm watching the three of them for a friend of mine while he's... away." She winced a bit at the phrasing, but continued. "I'm a water-Pokémon trainer, actually, but I've known these three for years."
Mark whistled. "Wow. But why did Bulbasaur take your commands if he's not yours?"
"Because we're friends." Misty shrugged. "He trusts me and I trust him."
"And that Vine Whip attack? He just guessed that was what you wanted him to do, then."
Misty shook her head and clapped his shoulder. "Mark. When you and your Pokémon have absolute faith in each other, you can almost read each other's minds. I saw an opening in Bully's defense and when I told Bulbasaur to use Vine Whip, he saw what I did. He's a seasoned fighter too, Mark, remember that. If he'd hesitated in the least, I would have followed with more specific instructions."
Mark smirked. "So it was luck."
Misty had to laugh. "Isn't everything just a matter of luck?" Mark frowned and Misty pulled him to the tree where she opened her satchel and handed him a sandwich.
"Training will get you to the point where you know every single thing about your Pokémon. You will be able to tell by a twitch of a tail or a quiver of an ear exactly what they are thinking or doing. Know your Pokémon and you have won half the battle. Learn the other person's Pokémon too, and no matter what technique they use, they will have a hard battle."
Kim, Pikachu and Squirtle joined them at that point with an excited squeal as the young girl exclaimed that Squirtle had managed to not fall for five whole minutes. For his part, Squirtle stumbled his way to Misty and fell on her with a happy "Squir!" Misty returned the hug and set him upright again.
"I'm glad you like them, Squirtle!" She offered Kim a sandwich and the three sat and watched as Pikachu and Bulbasaur chased after the still wobbly Squirtle to try to topple him.
"So where are you going that Squirtle needs shoes? Why can't you just carry him in his Pokéball?" Mark still sounded confused.
Misty thought about it for a moment. "Well. We're headed to Pallet Town, to return Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Pikachu to my friend. And I don't carry Squirtle in his Pokéball because he won't let me." She looked at the boy. "Have you been to the Pokémon Research Facility in Cerulean? They have a permanent exhibit where you can experience what it's like to be inside a Pokéball. Just like a Pokémon." Misty frowned. "You should go; it's a good experience: it's not too bad, but it's very lonely and you feel so glad when they let you out. Most Pokémon sleep when they're inside, but if they don't want to go, I don't like to force them." Not anymore, she silently added.
Mark pulled his Pokéball from his pocket. "But don't the Pokéballs heal Pokémon who're inside?"
"Y-es," Misty said hesitantly, and she wondered briefly that she felt so at-ease explaining Pokémon to these new trainers. "But sometimes it's best to let wounds heal on their own." She went on to explain about battle scars and memories. She wound up her lecture by releasing Starmie. "And see here where this arm seems a little bit darker than the others? Starmie was in a fierce battle against a wild Totodile and at one point his arm was almost ripped off." She pointed to a ring of flesh at the base of the arm. "This is the only place it was still attached. The nearest Pokémon center was miles away, and the injury was too severe to be healed by simply resting."
"What did you do?" Mark asked, leaning forward to get a better look at where she was pointing.
"I cut it off." Misty's grimace was accompanied by gasps from the two youngsters. "It was one of the worst moments of my life up to that point. I'd seen others do it, but I'd never..." She shrugged. "Well, it was for the best. Starmies can re-grow limbs. And because Starmie's arm grew back naturally, it's a good deal stronger than usual. He went up two levels just in the weeks it took his arm to grow back."
She recalled the pokemon, and Kim stood. "Oh Misty! You are so smart! I want to be a great Pokémon teacher like you when I grow up!"
Misty blushed. "I'm not a teacher, Kim. I've just been doing this for so long that it's all second nature to me now." She looked at her watch, then at the fast darkening sky. The trees were next and she watched a moment as they started to sway a bit harder than normal for the time of year. "And speaking of nature, we'd better find some shelter. It's going to rain tonight, starting soon." When Misty turned around, Mark was just releasing Bully.
"Mark? What's wrong?" she asked, as the still groggy but standing Bulbasaur appeared.
Mark shook his head with a soft blush. "Nothing. I uh, just thought Bully would like to spend some time with your bulbasaur. If that's all right?"
Misty hid her grin. "Sure. Bulbasaur?" She motioned and Bulbasaur walked over, extending a tendril to Bully. "Could you make sure Bully here gets to the shelter with us?"
"Bul!" He winked knowingly and Misty did smile, then.
"Great! Thank you, Bulbasaur. Now." Misty pulled her satchel onto her shoulders and helped Mark and Kim with their packs, the rain just starting to pitter as they headed back to the road. "If I remember right, there's a shelter just around the bend."
To Be Continued...
-------------------------------
DISTRIBUTION: Please respect my (limited) copyright and ASK
permission to borrow this story. This will be posted to my website
(http://draxonious.tripod.com/), fanfic.net, fanfic.org, the AAMRN
yahoo group and the PFFML yahoo group.
Please send any feedback to maeyan@mailcity.com