Scene 55: Jolteon, No Swiping!
Kari pushes the button at the PC. She watches as the last Pokéball vanishes before her. On the other side of the screen Prof. Oak speaks, "Your Pidgeot has arrived safe and sound." Kari nods, looking down at the two balls in her hand.
After meeting with Bill and learning about the PC System, Kari knew that she would have to start Trading out her Pokémon. It was only fair, after all. She'd be able to Train and play with them all this way. She thinks back to catching her very first Pokémon, Ratatta, and to when he evolved while Training in the forest. She laughs remembering how irritated he was during their intense game of chase with Poliwag… There was also the time Pidgey was caught- she was a tough one, too, but no matter the challenge Pidgey always pulled through! First when she evolved facing off against Brock at the Pewter City Gym and just the other day when they battled against Lt. Surge, both times she pulled through surprising them all with a beautiful evolution..!
The screen goes black as the Professor hangs up. Eevee jumps onto her shoulder. He can sense that she's feeling a bit down having to say goodbye to their friends. Kari gives him a reassuring smile, "It's ok, though! Because I'm sure Poliwag and Bulbasaur here are excited to play with us again, don't you?" Vee! He nods. Kari clips the two Pokéballs to her belt and exits the Pokémon Center.
Kari recounts her conversation with Nurse Joy who told her about Route 11, "There's supposed to be a whole bunch of Wild Pokémon we can catch before we even reach the next town over!" On the edge of Vermillion City, Kari notices something in a shop window. Her eyes light up and she dashes inside, Eevee holding on tightly to her shoulder.
Several minutes later Kari and Eevee are walking back out, a satisfied smile on her face. Across the street a Jolteon comes walking out of an alleyway. He yawns, stretching after his afternoon nap. The voice of a human girl catches his attention. He looks up and sees an Eevee sitting atop her shoulder. Jolteon rolls his eyes. He's never been fond of those "Trainer-Loving" Poké'mon. The girl reaches inside her shopping bag to show Eevee something.
Kari kneels down as Eevee jumps down beside her, "Ta-da! Isn't it cute!?" She shows him a little bowtie with polka-dots, a matching raspberry red to Kari's shirt & hat. Eevee makes a face- he wasn't so sure about it… but he couldn't tell Kari that..!
Suddenly, something comes flying by. Kari and Eevee blink, "That was strange." She looks down at her hands, "Ah! Where'd the bowtie go!?" Ee-Eevee! He points to her head. Kari feels, "Ah! My hat!" There's a snickering nearby. The two turn to look, meeting their eyes to Jolteon's. Dangling from his mouth is the hat and bowtie. Kari stands, "Hey! It swiped my hat!" Jolteon cocks an eyebrow, giving one last look before dashing off.
"Oh no you don't! Let's go Eevee!" Vee! They make chase through the streets, but soon realize that there's noway they can keep up with him. Kari's panting, "So… Fast!" From far ahead Jolteon looks over his shoulder. He smirks- might as well make this interesting..! He makes a sharp turn and heads for the docks.
Turn after turn Kari and Eevee continue after the Wild Pokémon. Any time they lose him, luckily, a local is able to help them out. An old man watching his shop laughs to himself. He smiles apologetically, "Unfortunately, this isn't the first time that Jolteon's made off with a Trainer's belongings?" Kari and Eevee take a swig from their water bottle, nearly choking at his words, "Really? How come?" The man shrugs, "Not sure. Guess he's just jealous..?" Kari twists the black lid back onto the bottle, looking down at the bright red Team Rocket Insignia on it. The red… her hat and the ribbon… [ "Jealous..? I wonder…" ]
Meanwhile, Jolteon is still running. He stops, looking around to see if the girl was still following. She's nowhere to be found. Jolteon is proud of his speed, but… a small part of him seems annoyed. While he's thinking a tall shadow appears behind the Jolteon. His ear twitches as they approach, dauntingly…
Kari is walking along the docks now, Eevee a few paces ahead trying to smell out the Jolteon. Kari clicks at Dex, hoping to find out more about the Eevee Evolution. Dex speaks out loud: "The Lightning Pokémon. A sensitive Pokémon that easily becomes sad or angry. Every time its mood changes, it charges power." Kari sighs, "I wonder if what that guy said was right… Maybe Jolteon was upset…"
"If you're looking for a Jolteon, I can tell you where to go." The unfamiliar voice surprises Kari. She stops in her tracks and turns to look back. She had completely passed this old man without even noticing him. He's just a few inches taller than Kari and is wearing a black suit and hat, large sunglasses and white beard, with a wooden cane in-hand. He chortles as he looks at the picture on Kari's Pokédex. He repeats himself. Kari gets excited, "You know where Jolteon ran off to?"
The man, who introduces himself as the Pokémon Fan Club Chairman, points off towards a couple of warehouses down the way, "Jolteon hangs out in that area sometimes, but you have to be careful." Kari stops herself from running off without heading this old man's warning. He adjusts his glasses, giving her a serious look, "Jolteon isn't the only Wild Pokémon that hangs out in those rundown buildings…" Kari gulps.
Jol! Jolteon is knocked back into a pile of boxes. He's covered in bruises, but still refuses to give-in to these bullying Pokémon. He looks around at them all: a Machamp, Hitmonlee, Electrode, Beedrill, and Charmeleon. They controlled this area and, just as Jolteon did, they didn't approve of Pokémon Trainers. Usually they would leave Jolteon alone, but when they caught sight of him holding the hat and bowtie they needed to give him a punishment. How dare he have anything to do with those humans..!
Hitmonlee is wearing Kari's hat, dancing around and making the others laugh. Machamp takes the bowtie from Beedrill and tries to put it on- what a lame fashion statement..! They all snicker. What kind of Pokémon would really wear something so dumb? Jolteon looks at the bowtie, thinking back. The smile on that girl's face… she had been so excited to give that gift to her Eevee. The way those two looked together…
Kari and Eevee arrived at the warehouse entrance as the sun was starting to get low in the sky. The last two buildings had been deserted, but they could see a light on inside this one. After that warning from the Chairman, Kari is sure to be cautious as they approach. The door is open just wide enough for someone of her small size to slip into without being seen. Her and Eevee sneak their way closer. A sudden crash causes them to jump. Kari slowly peaks around one of the boxes hiding her from view. She must cover her mouth so as not to gasp out loud at the sight.
A group of scary looking Pokémon are towering over the poor Jolteon. He's outnumbered..! Kari uses Dex to check their data. She looks back up at the sound of Jolteon's whimpering. He staggers to his feet. Kari shakes her head, "No..!" Why was he fighting against them? Wasn't there something she could do to help? Next moment, Jolteon leaps forward at the Machamp. He's too quick for the four-armed Pokémon to defend, but upon making contact, Machamp manages to grab hold. He pulls at Jolteon's leg and tosses him. The other Pokémon just continue to laugh.
Jolteon stands back up, if only barely. But although he's completely beat up for some reason he's smiling. Kari notices the bowtie hanging from his mouth. [ "That must have been why he attacked them! To get the bowtie back..!" ] Machamp, who seems to be the leader of this gang, speaks to his subordinates. Electrode obliges, spinning and readying a Rollout Attack. Jolteon stands his ground. He's ready to take another hit, but last second, he winces. He starts to fall- this was just too much- a blackness falls over him. Electrode closes in with its attack-!
There's a shriek followed by a resounding crash! Jolteon looks up. He'd lost consciousness for a few seconds. He realizes that he's a couple feet away from where he was a moment ago. Jolteon turns and sees the girl laying nearby, Electrode rolling away from its attack. The Eevee comes running out of the shadows, ready to defend his Trainer. Jolteon is shocked with this human's actions. How stupid could you be?
He sees her move. Relieved, Jolteon limps over to the girl. She shakes herself a bit, meeting Jolteon's eyes. She smiles up at him, "Don't worry. We won't let them hurt you anymore." She manages to sit all the way up. Jolteon is still confused, though. If he couldn't stand up to these Pokémon how could a wimpy little human-loving Eevee manage it?
"Eevee- let's go all out!" Vee! He nods in response, dashing forward. The bullying Pokémon laugh to themselves boisterously, as if this puny Pokémon stood a chance. But something heavy slammed suddenly into Charmelon! The others try looking to find the source, but they can't see anything..! Again and again they're hit! None of them can even keep up with Eevee's speed, or was it because he was so small their eyes just couldn't follow? Kari gets to her feet and summons two other Pokémon: her Ekans and Bulbasaur. And with their help, they manage to defeat the group in no time at all. Led on by Machamp, the gang of bullying Pokémon run away in tears.
Bulbasaur, Ekans, and Eevee are all cheering with Kari at their victory. Jolteon goes to pick up her fallen hat. He walks up to the girl, offering the hat and bowtie to her. Kari looks down at him, giggling. She kneels down to meet his eyes, "Thanks! I'm glad you're ok." He smiles bashfully, looking down at his feet.
"Oh! I almost forgot. Since you diiiid steal my things, I think I owe you something..!" She give him an evil grin. Kari reaches out and Jolteon flinches, thinking she was going to strike him. Instead, he feels her warm hands on the back of his neck. There's something soft there now. Looking down, Jolteon recognizes the bowtie. He blinks. Kari place her hand on his head, petting him, "I don't want you to hate Trainers and their Pokémon, ok? Just make sure you don't go swiping anymore things, ok?" Jolteon's eyes are wide as she speaks to him kindly. Kari looks over her shoulder at Eevee, "I know it was a gift for you, but you don't mind, right?" Eevee shakes his head. He breathes a sigh of relief as she turns away.
When Kari looks back at Jolteon she notices the tears in his eyes. He sniffles, "H-hey! It's alright! You don't have to be upset, or anything! I'm not mad anymore!" Jooolt! He jumps atop her, licking her face and blubbering at her kindness. He'd never been treated this way by a human, et alone a Trainer. Kari is laughing at the big goof, "There, there! It's alright. It's alright..!"
Back outside the moon has fully risen by now. In its light Kari looks down at her new friend. She nods, "That bowtie looks good on you!" Jolteon wags his tail happily. Kari puts her hands on her hips, "So! Now it's time for the big question." The others all stop to stare at her. Kari looks Jolteon directly in the eyes, "Do you want to come along with us?" Jolteon looks from Kari to the Pokémon behind her. He considers for only a moment- it's not a hard answer, really. He barks his approval. Kari throws her fist in the air, "Yes!" She reaches for a new Pokéball and gives it a toss. It twitches at the capture and Kari gives a squee of delight. She's got herself a Jolteon!
((Raticate&Pidgeot ~PC Poliwag&Bulbasaur))
{{Current Team: Eevee, Metapod, Ekans, Sandshrew, Poliwag, Bulbasaur}}
Total Poke'mon: Eevee, *Pidgeot, *Raticate, Metapod, *Beedrill, Ceffairy, Spearow, Ekans, Sandshrew, Goldeen, Poliwag, Jolteon…