Chapter 3: A Strange Encounter
The next week was more or less the same for Kari. She was surrounded by beautiful scenery and a never ending road. Kari was beginning to feel as though her journey was pointless, even mundane. She had no idea what she'd see early one morning.
It was dawn. Rose and orange sunbeams took over the sky like arms spread wide in an embrace. Kari stretched her arms and shook Aria into life. The packed up and left, with nothing out of the ordinary happening.
About a mile or so down yet another dust road, Kari caught a glimpse of a pink thing to her left. She turned to look at it and saw a bubble gum pink Pokemon flying toward a crystal blue lake.
Curious, Kari motioned for Aria to follow her. The crept up on the Pokemon, and it turned it's triangular shaped head toward them. Kari recognized the cutie from some new discoveries book or other.
Once it had spotted them, the Pokemon turned tail and ran. Slightly shocked, Kari watched it go, wondering what on earth it could have been.
Not but an hour after the encounter with the strange Pokemon, Kari and Aria came upon their 1st town, Mapleleaf City. The pair stopped just outside the town to take a rest and look over the map.
Kari unrolled her map, located Mapleleaf, and fond that this town held her 1st Gym! She excitedly pointed at the Gym sign. Aria giggled and leapt up, bearing it's fangs in mock combat.
Upon entering the town, Kari was overwhelmed. Everyone she met was selling something or other. Kari ducked into a Pokemon Center for Aria to have a treatment.
A Nurse Joy picked Aria up with care and quickly examined it. She smiled and exclaimed "What an interesting Vulpix! I've never seen one with coloration like yours."
"Yes, my Aria is very special," Kari said.
"Well, she seems to be in fighting shape to me!" Nurse Joy declared as Aria leapt into Kari's outstretched arms. Joy giggled. "You two seem to get along very well, too!"
"Thanks," Kari said as she tickled Aria's tummy.
Just then, a man in a tan shirt and tan cargo shorts burst through the Pokemon Center's doors.
"Nurse....Joy..." the man panted. "Mew..... it's.... back again!" he added, collapsing into a chair.
Mew!? Kari thought wildly. Is that what I saw!?
Nurse Joy gasped. "Oh John! Quick, run and get Officer Jenny and her team! They've got a new Pokeball to try!"
"Too late," said the man, catching his breath. "It's escaped again. Took off right to the bottom of the lake."
Nurse Joy sighed. "Oh, I wish someone could capture it so we could study it. Wouldn't it be great to be able to learn if all the legends are true?"
John also sighed as he shifted in his chair. "Yes it would, Joy. But you know as well as I do that there's not a Trainer out there skilled enough to capture it, or a Pokeball strong enough to hold it."
"I know," Nurse Joy relented. "But it's nice to dream."
Kari was about to say something about her encounter with the cat-like Pokemon, but stopped. She quickly thanked Nurse Joy and headed to a PokeMart.
The PokeMart owner was a kindly old man. He was quite large, and balding. Kari bought a Potion, Antidote, Burn Heal, Paralyze Heal, a ton of herbs, a new sketch pad, Pokepellet ingredients, and some nonperishable snacks. After paying for her shopping spree, Kari sat on the steps outside the mart and packed everything away appropriately.
Kari turned to Aria and said, "Next stop: Mapleleaf City Gym!"
"Pix! Vulpix!" Aria said, leaping down the steps. She turned to Kari and swished her golden tails excitedly.
"Okay, okay! Let's go then!" Kari said, jumping down the steps herself and heading to the Gym.