Meager Beginnings
Daisyrock Mountain
Alexis walked slowly but steadily towards the lone, looming mountain ahead of her, glancing once back at the town she had just left. She murmured something to herself. Mickey, on one shoulder, cocked his ears at this, but Tubby made little reaction, giggling quetly while sitting atop her head.
She glanced around. She thought she saw a shadowy shape in the corner of her eye, but when she turned to look, there was nothing there but trees. "Does it seem... quiet... to you guys? The people back at Daisyrock Town said that this was usually a very busy area for Pokèmon."
"Ziiih..." Mickey looked around uneasily and hopped off her shoulder. He looked to be on his guard.
"Geeheehee!" Gulpin replied.
Alexis sighed. "Oh well. I'm sure it's just me," she stated as she started to walk again.
But it wasn't just her.
"Jen, come have a look at this..." a gruff voice whispered from the bushes, too low for Alexis to hear.
"What is it, Blaze?" a low female voice replied.
One of two forms edged closer.
"Ah... it's just a kid. So?"
"She's got Pokèmon with her. She'd be an easy target."
"You're starting to sound like the dolts over at Team Rocket. Never underestimate anyone. Besides, she's got a gym badge..."
"Oh. Right. But we will have the advantage of surprise..."
"True. Let's watch her for a bit longer though."
Alexis continued on towards the mountain, walking on a path surrounded by thick pine trees. She paused. "Are you two getting hungry?"
"Gul!"
"Goo!"
They replied in unison. Alexis laughed slightly. "I thought so." She sat down on a rock at the roadside. Tubby hopped off with a light thud as he hit the ground. Alexis took off her backpack and rummaged through it. She handed Mickey a piece of fruit, but it was immediately snatched and devoured by Tubby. Alexis glared at him. "Can't you guys share?"
"Geeheehee!"
Alexis, keeping a close eye on Tubby, pulled out another fruit and gave it to Mickey, who ate it quickly, also watching the impish Gulpin. Alexis found two sandwiches and ate both of them rather fast, though not as quickly as the others. All seemed to have big appetites. Suddenly Tubby cried out.
"Guu-UUUUUUUL!"
A net sprang out from the top of the tree, engulfing him, and with one terrific yank he disappeared into the tree.
"TUBBY!" Alexis stood immediately and whirled around.
Another net flew towards Mickey, but the Zigzagoon was too quick. He jumped onto Alexis's shoulder.
The net withdrew, but had barely done so when it shot out again, covering both Alexis and Mickey and pulling them off their feet. They flew to the top of the tree then fell down behind it.
"Hmm, I guess you were right, Blaze. That was easier than I thought," Jennifer, a girl with dark brown hair and eyes commented absently.
"Mmhmm, I told you so..." a tall, muscular man with blonde hair and near-black eyes said. Both were wearing black with a small gray shape on their chests, probably the uniform of some team.
"What are you doing? Who are you?" Alexis asked, panicked. She hugged Mickey close to herself, noting that Tubby was in a net nearby, looking rather angry. She had never seen the Gulpin mad before.
"Oh, we're just borrowing your Pokèmon... permanantly!" Jen said, laughing. Blaze joined in with gruff chuckling. "And we... are the Shadowthieves!"
"WHY?" Alexis's eyes filled with tears. Not Mickey... not Tubby. She had just gotten them. She loved them both.
"It's our job, little girl," Blaze said, crouching to look at her face-to-face. Something like sympathy, or regret, flashed over his face, but immediately disappeared.
"I'm not a little girl! I'm ten!" Alexis protested, hot tears falling down her face.
The two only replied by laughing. "I suppose we'll have to do something with the girl... she won't be of much use to us," Jen said.
"Not... that..." Blaze said, standing and looking at her.
"Oh no, not that. We'll just... get her out of our way." She walked over to Alexis and crouched, a malicious smirk on her face. "Now, little girl. We are going to open this net and let you out. If you try any funny business..." she beckoned to Blaze, who had just released a black dog Pokèmon with a skull mask and rib bones on its side, "We'll hurt your other Pokèmon. And you'd better drop that one. Now."
"No!" Alexis cried, grasping Mickey tighter. The Zigzagoon dug his claws into her shirt, not wanting to leave either.
"Blaze...?" Jen didn't look up at him, but continued to stare at the netted girl.
The bulky man nodded to his Houndour. The Pokèmon shot a column of flame at the Gulpin. "GUUUUUUL!" When the fire subsided, Tubby looked burnt and dismayed.
"We'll do it again, little girl. Don't think we won't. It would be best, for you and your Pokèmon, if you..."
"GULPIIIIIIIIN!" Tubby suddenly spat a huge cloud of purple gas which engulfed the Houndour and Blaze. It spread out to Jennifer, but did not touch Alexis and Mickey.
They heard coughing, then slowly the fog subsided. The Houndour looked visibly shaken, and dimly surprised, but too weak to show it.
Blaze glared at Gulpin. "Houndour! Teach that thing a lesson!"
Tubby yawned audibly. The Houndour opened its mouth to let out another flamethrower, but instead, it yawned, wobbled back and forth slightly, then toppled over, snoring loudly.
"WHY THAT LITTLE-" Jen screamed, throwing her own Pokèball. A gray doglike Pokèmon with black socks, stomach, and face, came out, yellow eyes glaring. "Poochy!"
"Poochyena, rip that squirt to shreds!"
The Pokèmon obediantly leapt forward, ripping the apparently fireproof net apart easily, and charged, teeth bared.
"Tubby! Pound attack!" Alexis shouted from her prison.
The Gulpin waited until the Poochyena was a fraction of a step away, then swung out, stretching both hands out surprisingly. The Poochyena yelped and hit the ground sharply.
"Now finish it off with poison gas!"
Another purple cloud, smaller but more focused, hit the Poochyena. It took a moment to clear, and the Poochyena did not move.
"YOU WRETCHED GIRL! I AM GOING TO STRANGLE YOU!" the woman was enraged.
Mickey leapt from Alexis's arms and clawed the net hard. It snapped. He and Alexis crawled out, Tubby joining them.
The two black-wearing people ran forward as if threatening to fight themselves, but Tubby let out another poison gas attack and the three were able to escape, running blindly for the road and holding their breaths.
"Phew..." Alexis said as they sat down on another rock, considerably farther past the first one. "That was close. We'd better be careful for now on guys..."
"Gul..." Tubby glared at the woods that covered their view.
"We'd better get going. We don't want them catching up to us. They'd probably still be dangerous even without their Pokèmon, and they might have more," she added, standing. Tubby crawled onto Mickey's back again, holding one hand up to his forehead as if keeping an eye out for danger. Like a trusty steed, Mickey trotted slowly onward as Alexis began walking.
At last they reached the foot of the mountain. Alexis glanced around, spotting a small cave entrance at the base. "Well guys, we can either go over it, or go through it."
Tubby stared up the tall mountain with a sweatdrop expression, then pointed towards the cave. Mickey shrugged and headed that way, so Alexis followed.
It was dark inside, and soon only an occasional crack filtering light in lit the way. They did quite a bit of blind walking, feeling ahead with their hands or paws and calling out to figure out where the others were.
Alexis looked around, though she could see nothing. "Hey, uh, guys? I think we should stay closer. Why don't you ride on my shoulders again?"
"Guuul..." Tubby's voice came from somewhere up ahead.
"Zigoon..." Mickey said.
Quiet pawsteps were heard, heading towards Alexis. She guessed they were Mickey's.
"SOL! ABABABAB!" a voice shrieked.
"Huh?" Alexis looked down as if expecting to see something. It had come from right in front of her.
"AAAAAAAAB!" it screamed again.
Alexis began running blindly. "Run!" Lighter pawsteps, Mickey's, sounded, but some came from behind her as well.
Suddenly they saw a faint glow up ahead. As they rounded a corner, they saw crystals that seemed to give off a very dim blue light, illuminating the cave enough to see. They turned and watched the figure following them enter the light.
It was mostly white and catlike in figure. It had a raindrop shape over its head that curved downwards to form a sort of ear, but the other ear was a dark blue sickle shape curving upwards. Two beady red eyes watched them warily. A blue gem was centered on its white raindrop 'hat,' and it had a furry white mane. Its claws were large and navy blue like the second ear and gem, as was a strangely shaped tail.
The Absol backed away from the light slightly, suddenly not seeming so sure of itself. "Aaab..."
Alexis watched it with surprise, then kneeled. "It's okay. We won't hurt you."
The Absol turned and darted away, disappearing into the blackness.
Alexis sighed. "Oh well. At least it didn't hurt us." She turned and began walking again. There was a sort of door where the cave narrowed then opened up again into a high roofed room with more of the blue crystals. In the center there was a huge gathering of them. Now and then they thought they saw a pair of red eyes gleaming from a shadowed area, or heard whispers.
Alexis continued on, following the lit path. In a few places the cave had tunnels curving off, but they had no crystals and she ignored them, hoping she was going the right way. Mickey and Tubby rode on her shoulder and head respectively.
Slowly the crystals and lights diminished and they were left again in the dark, but continued on in the same way the had before. Once Alexis thought there were pawsteps behind them, but after a moment they stopped.
Finally another dim light with no bluish hue signalled the end to the cave. Alexis walked out, one hand shading her eyes from the sudden light. Mickey jumped off her shoulder and stretched, but Tubby chose to remain.
Alexis sat down on a large pile of rocks. The sky was turning slightly dark. "I'd say it's time for a meal." She cleared away an area, put rocks around it, and piled sticks on. She was lucky enough to start a fire by rubbing a rock and stick together. She took out a large, tender piece of meat she had bought at the store and put it on a spit, watching it cook slowly. The fire glowed gently, illuminating the faces of the three companions.
Suddenly there were no longer three companions, but four. A familiar navy-and-white face appeared at one end. "Ab?"
Alexis jumped, and the Absol disappeared, startled. "Oops. I scared it again."
Mickey turned towards the darkness. "Zig?"
Slowly an answer came. "...Sol."
"Zig, zigoon!"
"Ab... sol? Absol ab, sol?"
"Zigzagoon. Goon, zigzagoon!"
Slowly the Absol returned to the firelight, looking shyly at Alexis, who glanced at Mickey, wondering what he had said to it.
"Ab?"
Alexis noticed the meat was done and took it off the spit, cutting it into four slices rather than the planned three. When she held it out to Absol, it stared at it for a moment, then began eating it daintily, much different from the messy eating of Mickey and Tubby. Between the four there was soon not a bit of the meat left. Alexis gazed into the fire, though she was really watching the Absol.
The Absol began to sing softly. "Ab, absol a-a-a-ab, absol abso-ol... absol absol, absol absol, absol absol ab..."
Mickey picked up the tune and began to sing along. "Zig, zigoon zi-i-i-ig, zigzag zi-igoon... zagoon zagoon, zigoon zigoon, zigoon zagoon zig!"
Tubby started a humorous dance, bouncing up and down in time to the music. Alexis smiled and laughed.
And so Alexis gained yet another friend as the night passed.
Daisyrock Mountain
Alexis walked slowly but steadily towards the lone, looming mountain ahead of her, glancing once back at the town she had just left. She murmured something to herself. Mickey, on one shoulder, cocked his ears at this, but Tubby made little reaction, giggling quetly while sitting atop her head.
She glanced around. She thought she saw a shadowy shape in the corner of her eye, but when she turned to look, there was nothing there but trees. "Does it seem... quiet... to you guys? The people back at Daisyrock Town said that this was usually a very busy area for Pokèmon."
"Ziiih..." Mickey looked around uneasily and hopped off her shoulder. He looked to be on his guard.
"Geeheehee!" Gulpin replied.
Alexis sighed. "Oh well. I'm sure it's just me," she stated as she started to walk again.
But it wasn't just her.
"Jen, come have a look at this..." a gruff voice whispered from the bushes, too low for Alexis to hear.
"What is it, Blaze?" a low female voice replied.
One of two forms edged closer.
"Ah... it's just a kid. So?"
"She's got Pokèmon with her. She'd be an easy target."
"You're starting to sound like the dolts over at Team Rocket. Never underestimate anyone. Besides, she's got a gym badge..."
"Oh. Right. But we will have the advantage of surprise..."
"True. Let's watch her for a bit longer though."
Alexis continued on towards the mountain, walking on a path surrounded by thick pine trees. She paused. "Are you two getting hungry?"
"Gul!"
"Goo!"
They replied in unison. Alexis laughed slightly. "I thought so." She sat down on a rock at the roadside. Tubby hopped off with a light thud as he hit the ground. Alexis took off her backpack and rummaged through it. She handed Mickey a piece of fruit, but it was immediately snatched and devoured by Tubby. Alexis glared at him. "Can't you guys share?"
"Geeheehee!"
Alexis, keeping a close eye on Tubby, pulled out another fruit and gave it to Mickey, who ate it quickly, also watching the impish Gulpin. Alexis found two sandwiches and ate both of them rather fast, though not as quickly as the others. All seemed to have big appetites. Suddenly Tubby cried out.
"Guu-UUUUUUUL!"
A net sprang out from the top of the tree, engulfing him, and with one terrific yank he disappeared into the tree.
"TUBBY!" Alexis stood immediately and whirled around.
Another net flew towards Mickey, but the Zigzagoon was too quick. He jumped onto Alexis's shoulder.
The net withdrew, but had barely done so when it shot out again, covering both Alexis and Mickey and pulling them off their feet. They flew to the top of the tree then fell down behind it.
"Hmm, I guess you were right, Blaze. That was easier than I thought," Jennifer, a girl with dark brown hair and eyes commented absently.
"Mmhmm, I told you so..." a tall, muscular man with blonde hair and near-black eyes said. Both were wearing black with a small gray shape on their chests, probably the uniform of some team.
"What are you doing? Who are you?" Alexis asked, panicked. She hugged Mickey close to herself, noting that Tubby was in a net nearby, looking rather angry. She had never seen the Gulpin mad before.
"Oh, we're just borrowing your Pokèmon... permanantly!" Jen said, laughing. Blaze joined in with gruff chuckling. "And we... are the Shadowthieves!"
"WHY?" Alexis's eyes filled with tears. Not Mickey... not Tubby. She had just gotten them. She loved them both.
"It's our job, little girl," Blaze said, crouching to look at her face-to-face. Something like sympathy, or regret, flashed over his face, but immediately disappeared.
"I'm not a little girl! I'm ten!" Alexis protested, hot tears falling down her face.
The two only replied by laughing. "I suppose we'll have to do something with the girl... she won't be of much use to us," Jen said.
"Not... that..." Blaze said, standing and looking at her.
"Oh no, not that. We'll just... get her out of our way." She walked over to Alexis and crouched, a malicious smirk on her face. "Now, little girl. We are going to open this net and let you out. If you try any funny business..." she beckoned to Blaze, who had just released a black dog Pokèmon with a skull mask and rib bones on its side, "We'll hurt your other Pokèmon. And you'd better drop that one. Now."
"No!" Alexis cried, grasping Mickey tighter. The Zigzagoon dug his claws into her shirt, not wanting to leave either.
"Blaze...?" Jen didn't look up at him, but continued to stare at the netted girl.
The bulky man nodded to his Houndour. The Pokèmon shot a column of flame at the Gulpin. "GUUUUUUL!" When the fire subsided, Tubby looked burnt and dismayed.
"We'll do it again, little girl. Don't think we won't. It would be best, for you and your Pokèmon, if you..."
"GULPIIIIIIIIN!" Tubby suddenly spat a huge cloud of purple gas which engulfed the Houndour and Blaze. It spread out to Jennifer, but did not touch Alexis and Mickey.
They heard coughing, then slowly the fog subsided. The Houndour looked visibly shaken, and dimly surprised, but too weak to show it.
Blaze glared at Gulpin. "Houndour! Teach that thing a lesson!"
Tubby yawned audibly. The Houndour opened its mouth to let out another flamethrower, but instead, it yawned, wobbled back and forth slightly, then toppled over, snoring loudly.
"WHY THAT LITTLE-" Jen screamed, throwing her own Pokèball. A gray doglike Pokèmon with black socks, stomach, and face, came out, yellow eyes glaring. "Poochy!"
"Poochyena, rip that squirt to shreds!"
The Pokèmon obediantly leapt forward, ripping the apparently fireproof net apart easily, and charged, teeth bared.
"Tubby! Pound attack!" Alexis shouted from her prison.
The Gulpin waited until the Poochyena was a fraction of a step away, then swung out, stretching both hands out surprisingly. The Poochyena yelped and hit the ground sharply.
"Now finish it off with poison gas!"
Another purple cloud, smaller but more focused, hit the Poochyena. It took a moment to clear, and the Poochyena did not move.
"YOU WRETCHED GIRL! I AM GOING TO STRANGLE YOU!" the woman was enraged.
Mickey leapt from Alexis's arms and clawed the net hard. It snapped. He and Alexis crawled out, Tubby joining them.
The two black-wearing people ran forward as if threatening to fight themselves, but Tubby let out another poison gas attack and the three were able to escape, running blindly for the road and holding their breaths.
"Phew..." Alexis said as they sat down on another rock, considerably farther past the first one. "That was close. We'd better be careful for now on guys..."
"Gul..." Tubby glared at the woods that covered their view.
"We'd better get going. We don't want them catching up to us. They'd probably still be dangerous even without their Pokèmon, and they might have more," she added, standing. Tubby crawled onto Mickey's back again, holding one hand up to his forehead as if keeping an eye out for danger. Like a trusty steed, Mickey trotted slowly onward as Alexis began walking.
At last they reached the foot of the mountain. Alexis glanced around, spotting a small cave entrance at the base. "Well guys, we can either go over it, or go through it."
Tubby stared up the tall mountain with a sweatdrop expression, then pointed towards the cave. Mickey shrugged and headed that way, so Alexis followed.
It was dark inside, and soon only an occasional crack filtering light in lit the way. They did quite a bit of blind walking, feeling ahead with their hands or paws and calling out to figure out where the others were.
Alexis looked around, though she could see nothing. "Hey, uh, guys? I think we should stay closer. Why don't you ride on my shoulders again?"
"Guuul..." Tubby's voice came from somewhere up ahead.
"Zigoon..." Mickey said.
Quiet pawsteps were heard, heading towards Alexis. She guessed they were Mickey's.
"SOL! ABABABAB!" a voice shrieked.
"Huh?" Alexis looked down as if expecting to see something. It had come from right in front of her.
"AAAAAAAAB!" it screamed again.
Alexis began running blindly. "Run!" Lighter pawsteps, Mickey's, sounded, but some came from behind her as well.
Suddenly they saw a faint glow up ahead. As they rounded a corner, they saw crystals that seemed to give off a very dim blue light, illuminating the cave enough to see. They turned and watched the figure following them enter the light.
It was mostly white and catlike in figure. It had a raindrop shape over its head that curved downwards to form a sort of ear, but the other ear was a dark blue sickle shape curving upwards. Two beady red eyes watched them warily. A blue gem was centered on its white raindrop 'hat,' and it had a furry white mane. Its claws were large and navy blue like the second ear and gem, as was a strangely shaped tail.
The Absol backed away from the light slightly, suddenly not seeming so sure of itself. "Aaab..."
Alexis watched it with surprise, then kneeled. "It's okay. We won't hurt you."
The Absol turned and darted away, disappearing into the blackness.
Alexis sighed. "Oh well. At least it didn't hurt us." She turned and began walking again. There was a sort of door where the cave narrowed then opened up again into a high roofed room with more of the blue crystals. In the center there was a huge gathering of them. Now and then they thought they saw a pair of red eyes gleaming from a shadowed area, or heard whispers.
Alexis continued on, following the lit path. In a few places the cave had tunnels curving off, but they had no crystals and she ignored them, hoping she was going the right way. Mickey and Tubby rode on her shoulder and head respectively.
Slowly the crystals and lights diminished and they were left again in the dark, but continued on in the same way the had before. Once Alexis thought there were pawsteps behind them, but after a moment they stopped.
Finally another dim light with no bluish hue signalled the end to the cave. Alexis walked out, one hand shading her eyes from the sudden light. Mickey jumped off her shoulder and stretched, but Tubby chose to remain.
Alexis sat down on a large pile of rocks. The sky was turning slightly dark. "I'd say it's time for a meal." She cleared away an area, put rocks around it, and piled sticks on. She was lucky enough to start a fire by rubbing a rock and stick together. She took out a large, tender piece of meat she had bought at the store and put it on a spit, watching it cook slowly. The fire glowed gently, illuminating the faces of the three companions.
Suddenly there were no longer three companions, but four. A familiar navy-and-white face appeared at one end. "Ab?"
Alexis jumped, and the Absol disappeared, startled. "Oops. I scared it again."
Mickey turned towards the darkness. "Zig?"
Slowly an answer came. "...Sol."
"Zig, zigoon!"
"Ab... sol? Absol ab, sol?"
"Zigzagoon. Goon, zigzagoon!"
Slowly the Absol returned to the firelight, looking shyly at Alexis, who glanced at Mickey, wondering what he had said to it.
"Ab?"
Alexis noticed the meat was done and took it off the spit, cutting it into four slices rather than the planned three. When she held it out to Absol, it stared at it for a moment, then began eating it daintily, much different from the messy eating of Mickey and Tubby. Between the four there was soon not a bit of the meat left. Alexis gazed into the fire, though she was really watching the Absol.
The Absol began to sing softly. "Ab, absol a-a-a-ab, absol abso-ol... absol absol, absol absol, absol absol ab..."
Mickey picked up the tune and began to sing along. "Zig, zigoon zi-i-i-ig, zigzag zi-igoon... zagoon zagoon, zigoon zigoon, zigoon zagoon zig!"
Tubby started a humorous dance, bouncing up and down in time to the music. Alexis smiled and laughed.
And so Alexis gained yet another friend as the night passed.