Chapter 3
Dark Lesson
Only a few people knew that Jessica had even come back: Bryan, Tyler, Philip, the doctors, and my mom. We hadn't even told her family. They had grieved enough already.
After a while, I had to get over her. But I couldn't. I lost her, again. I wandered around school in a daze. My friends tried to ask what was wrong but I couldn't tell them.
"Jim, there's got to be something wrong with you," said Carol. "You haven't been this down since.ever!"
"It's kinda personal," I told her. It wasn't a lie.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm okay. I'll get over her--it in a few weeks."
I did. I finally woke up one morning and felt a lot better. I was ready to take on the world again.
The Dark class teacher asked me to cover for him in class again that day. I was excused from my regular class, Care for Pokemon.
I entered the room, which was slowly filling up with students. I pulled out my lesson, which I had thrown together during Study Hall, this one about Darklett.
Oak had studied my gene-Pokemon, and I got copies of his notes. I was also involved in some of the tests, so I knew about each Pokemon pretty well.
When everyone sat down and the bell rang, I checked roll. I looked at each student's face when they answered. I saw some familiar faces, including my bud Isaac.
"de Cos, Martín!" I said, seeing a kid with Mexican heritage answer, "Here!" He's new, I thought.
I began the lesson by reviewing the origin of the Dark/Ground Pokemon.
"As most of you know, I fought against the terrorist organization Team Rocket recently. In addition to their takeover of all of Johto and attempt for White, they performed illegal experiments and operations on Pokemon.
"They apparently used certain types of drugs on a certain Pokemon and bred them with another. The drugs enhanced different trait-inheritance probabilities in the Baby.
"They would breed Pokemon with a Dark-type, and force the Dark characteristics to manifest themselves with the use of the drugs.
"You have seen the Goldeen mutate, named 'Goldark' by its creators, and 'Cacti', the Dark counterpart of Oddish, but this one is one that most people have not even heard of."
I pulled out a Pokeball and said to the class, who were all on the edge of their seats, "I assure you, he's very tame. He's only attacked people twice, when he was wild and during the time of the new moon, which makes Dark-types stronger and wilder.
"I present Darklett!"
And there in the floor sat a black lump with a red nose and evil-looking eyes. It almost looked like a possessed Diglett. He sat in a hole I prepared beforehand.
After a short lesson on the attacks and stats of my Pokemon, I finished with a homework assignment that the regular teacher had left and then asked for questions.
But the bell rang right then.
"Okay, catch me after class for those questions!" I said while everybody gathered their things. I followed suit and returned Darklett to its Ball.
I was about to leave when a red-haired girl walked up to me. I recognized her as Chloe from the roll call list.
"Um. Mr. Hawkwind?" she said uncertainly.
"Jim."
"Okay, Jim, you said that Team Rocket bred a Dark-type with an Oddish, a Goldeen, and a Diglett. Aren't they all in different egg groups, therefore incompatible?"
"That's a really good question, because I dunno the answer. I'll get back to you on that."
She was a little shorter than me, with shoulder-length strawberry-blonde hair and a lot of freckles. She was pretty cute. She looked about my age.
"Hey, what grade are you in?" I asked.
"In public school, I'd be in eighth. Here, I'm fifth."
My age. "Cool, okay, I'll get you that answer."
* * *
Later, I was walking from Algebra 1, my least favorite class, when I ran into this girl in the hall. "You're Jim, right?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"I heard you taught the Dark class today. I'm in the Alternate Colorings class, and I heard you once had a green Zubat."
"It's now a pink Crobat, but yes. Why?"
"I was gonna ask the teacher if you would do a lesson on it."
"Sure, if you can get permission."
"My name's Maya. I'll see you around." She walked off, and I saw a white Charmander following behind her. I hadn't seen it before.
"Hey, Maya!" I yelled after her. "Nice Charmander!"
A strange voice replied, "Yeah, and I'm a whole lot better than any old Crobat!"
I slowly turned and walked towards my SST class. It stood for Speed and Strength Training, the EPA equivalent of PE.
I changed in the locker room into my gym clothes and headed for the cafeteria, where we met and then proceeded to the weight room for work out.
Afterward, I was burned out. I was glad it was my last class, so I could go home and take a shower. Then I could visit Prof Oak about Chloe's question. I didn't have homework, since I had missed Pokemon Care, the only class I ever got homework in.
After a cold shower I headed down the street to Oak's lab. I knocked on the door. "Professor? It's Jim Hawkwind!" There was no answer. I knocked again, and the entire door fell off its hinges!
I stepped in to see what had happened. It looked like there had been a struggle. Papers were strewn all over the place. The computer was thrown on the floor, wires hanging off of it.
I looked around, trying to find some trace of Oak. I found a scrap of paper with cut-and-paste letters from a newspaper.
"We have Oak. If you ever wanna see him or Erika again, bring all your gene-Pokemon to the abandoned warehouse on Ampharos Street. Come alone. Signed, Sabrina and General Cos."
Sabrina had been the Saffron Gym Leader until she betrayed us to Giovanni. They had also kidnapped Erika, the Celadon Gym Leader, and nobody ever found her after Giovanni was defeated.
But who was this General Cos character? He had to be another of Giovanni's under-bosses.
I couldn't give up my Pokemon. I would have to sneak into that warehouse and stop those two and save the hostages.
I had to tell the others. They could help me.
Author's Note: Maya and Flame Creamfire belong to moonymonster. I have special permission to use them from her.
Dark Lesson
Only a few people knew that Jessica had even come back: Bryan, Tyler, Philip, the doctors, and my mom. We hadn't even told her family. They had grieved enough already.
After a while, I had to get over her. But I couldn't. I lost her, again. I wandered around school in a daze. My friends tried to ask what was wrong but I couldn't tell them.
"Jim, there's got to be something wrong with you," said Carol. "You haven't been this down since.ever!"
"It's kinda personal," I told her. It wasn't a lie.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm okay. I'll get over her--it in a few weeks."
I did. I finally woke up one morning and felt a lot better. I was ready to take on the world again.
The Dark class teacher asked me to cover for him in class again that day. I was excused from my regular class, Care for Pokemon.
I entered the room, which was slowly filling up with students. I pulled out my lesson, which I had thrown together during Study Hall, this one about Darklett.
Oak had studied my gene-Pokemon, and I got copies of his notes. I was also involved in some of the tests, so I knew about each Pokemon pretty well.
When everyone sat down and the bell rang, I checked roll. I looked at each student's face when they answered. I saw some familiar faces, including my bud Isaac.
"de Cos, Martín!" I said, seeing a kid with Mexican heritage answer, "Here!" He's new, I thought.
I began the lesson by reviewing the origin of the Dark/Ground Pokemon.
"As most of you know, I fought against the terrorist organization Team Rocket recently. In addition to their takeover of all of Johto and attempt for White, they performed illegal experiments and operations on Pokemon.
"They apparently used certain types of drugs on a certain Pokemon and bred them with another. The drugs enhanced different trait-inheritance probabilities in the Baby.
"They would breed Pokemon with a Dark-type, and force the Dark characteristics to manifest themselves with the use of the drugs.
"You have seen the Goldeen mutate, named 'Goldark' by its creators, and 'Cacti', the Dark counterpart of Oddish, but this one is one that most people have not even heard of."
I pulled out a Pokeball and said to the class, who were all on the edge of their seats, "I assure you, he's very tame. He's only attacked people twice, when he was wild and during the time of the new moon, which makes Dark-types stronger and wilder.
"I present Darklett!"
And there in the floor sat a black lump with a red nose and evil-looking eyes. It almost looked like a possessed Diglett. He sat in a hole I prepared beforehand.
After a short lesson on the attacks and stats of my Pokemon, I finished with a homework assignment that the regular teacher had left and then asked for questions.
But the bell rang right then.
"Okay, catch me after class for those questions!" I said while everybody gathered their things. I followed suit and returned Darklett to its Ball.
I was about to leave when a red-haired girl walked up to me. I recognized her as Chloe from the roll call list.
"Um. Mr. Hawkwind?" she said uncertainly.
"Jim."
"Okay, Jim, you said that Team Rocket bred a Dark-type with an Oddish, a Goldeen, and a Diglett. Aren't they all in different egg groups, therefore incompatible?"
"That's a really good question, because I dunno the answer. I'll get back to you on that."
She was a little shorter than me, with shoulder-length strawberry-blonde hair and a lot of freckles. She was pretty cute. She looked about my age.
"Hey, what grade are you in?" I asked.
"In public school, I'd be in eighth. Here, I'm fifth."
My age. "Cool, okay, I'll get you that answer."
* * *
Later, I was walking from Algebra 1, my least favorite class, when I ran into this girl in the hall. "You're Jim, right?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"I heard you taught the Dark class today. I'm in the Alternate Colorings class, and I heard you once had a green Zubat."
"It's now a pink Crobat, but yes. Why?"
"I was gonna ask the teacher if you would do a lesson on it."
"Sure, if you can get permission."
"My name's Maya. I'll see you around." She walked off, and I saw a white Charmander following behind her. I hadn't seen it before.
"Hey, Maya!" I yelled after her. "Nice Charmander!"
A strange voice replied, "Yeah, and I'm a whole lot better than any old Crobat!"
I slowly turned and walked towards my SST class. It stood for Speed and Strength Training, the EPA equivalent of PE.
I changed in the locker room into my gym clothes and headed for the cafeteria, where we met and then proceeded to the weight room for work out.
Afterward, I was burned out. I was glad it was my last class, so I could go home and take a shower. Then I could visit Prof Oak about Chloe's question. I didn't have homework, since I had missed Pokemon Care, the only class I ever got homework in.
After a cold shower I headed down the street to Oak's lab. I knocked on the door. "Professor? It's Jim Hawkwind!" There was no answer. I knocked again, and the entire door fell off its hinges!
I stepped in to see what had happened. It looked like there had been a struggle. Papers were strewn all over the place. The computer was thrown on the floor, wires hanging off of it.
I looked around, trying to find some trace of Oak. I found a scrap of paper with cut-and-paste letters from a newspaper.
"We have Oak. If you ever wanna see him or Erika again, bring all your gene-Pokemon to the abandoned warehouse on Ampharos Street. Come alone. Signed, Sabrina and General Cos."
Sabrina had been the Saffron Gym Leader until she betrayed us to Giovanni. They had also kidnapped Erika, the Celadon Gym Leader, and nobody ever found her after Giovanni was defeated.
But who was this General Cos character? He had to be another of Giovanni's under-bosses.
I couldn't give up my Pokemon. I would have to sneak into that warehouse and stop those two and save the hostages.
I had to tell the others. They could help me.
Author's Note: Maya and Flame Creamfire belong to moonymonster. I have special permission to use them from her.