Vulpixtrainer: Well, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter of The Journey of Matt.
As always, I want to thank Negrek for beta reading my chapters.
Matt: VT owns nothing of Pokemon, that belongs to Nintendo and Game Freaks, Inc.
A New Start for Ethan
"What in the world kind of Pokemon are you?" Ethan gasped as he gazed at the figure. Meanwhile, Matt and Becky both regained their senses and just stared in fear at the creature standing before them
The creature was a humanoid female wearing the typical Rocket uniform but with slight differences. For one thing, she had a tail sticking out behind her as well as the muzzle and ears of a Mightyena. She just gave a wolf-like smirk at the reaction of everyone.
"I am Shadow Moon, and that human is my name. Secondly, I'm like your older brother, someone able to take the form of one Pokemon at will. So, Matt I think it's time for you to fill in your paperwork for us." At this she pulled out a clipboard and pen. There was a single piece of paper attached by the clip to the top of the board.
"I must say that you are loonier then any Pokemon I have ever seen," Matt said as he slowly readied himself for whatever this Rocket grunt would do. "As for me being like you, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Me, a Poke….whatever you are, that is impossible." Matt was scoffing at the lady, trying to bluff his way out of the sticky situation.
"Well, if you want to play it that way, I can play just as hard." With this she took out a blow dart and, just as she puffed into it, sending a dart out of the tube, Ethan knocked Matt down, taking the dart in the left arm. He fell and landed on his stomach.
"Matt, that's it, use a Fire Blast attack on her now. Firestorm, you use a Fire Spin, and Flare, you use your Flame Thrower attack," Matt yelled, but he was too slow for Flare.
Flare, upon seeing Ethan take that dart for Matt, just let loose. His eyes glowed red, and he took a deep breath, calling upon a move that Magma had taught him, though he never used it nor like to use it, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
"Flare, what was that?" Matt choked as a very strange stream of fire came from Flare, something that looked like it was not from nature, something that would be taught only by an organization like Magma.
Shadow Moon just staggered back after being hit by a combo of different moves, one of which burned her. She had one choice left, one that she was not happy to make.
"We will meet again, Experiment Six Four Five and Experiment Six Four Four." With those final words she vanished into the shadows, but Matt didn't look for which way the Rocket had gone. His main focus was on Ethan.
"Eve, don't lick the wound. I don't know what was in that dart. I just really hope it isn't what I fear it is." Matt was truly concerned for Ethan. If there was one thing he wanted more then anything, it was that Ethan would never get mixed up with this crazy plan of world conquest.
Flare was, meanwhile, talking to Matt and Firestorm about what that strange attack was, but he was so weak and winded that he was breath heavily during the explanation. "It's called Inferno. It is a move taught to all fire type Pokemon by Team Magma. Unfortunately, it has a very devastating effect on the user: it drains all fire energy, but it is as powerful as a Fire Blast and a guaranteed burn." This just made Matt frown and make a face.
"That Team Magma is always looking for ways to further their power. Sadly, this just doesn't surprise me, and in fact I should have thought that this would have happened sooner." Matt then looked over at Ethan and, being more in tune with change than humans, he just gasped and then shook his head. "I'm afraid we are going to have a third partner. I'm afraid that Ethan is starting to shift, I think into an Eevee, but she was aiming for Matt…how is this possible?"
"I think it's because the serum came in contact with Eevee DNA. If so, then the serum takes the DNA and fuses it with the host's DNA," Flare commented. "I was in the Magma Lab a lot. They were always trying to find ways to make me cooperate, but those never worked out. Why? I just hated all those missions." Flare was explaining what might be occurring in Ethan as Matt and Becky also noticed the changes.
"I think that the dart is a…. NO!" Matt yelled the last part, causing the whole group of Pokemon jump. "This can't be happening, not to Ethan! All he has ever done was hang around me. I knew I should have left as soon as possible. If only I had left right after he got Kyle." Matt was now just staring as Ethan slowly shrank into the form of an Eevee.
"I will not be trained by him unless he uses his own attacks," Kyle said as he looked on with a mixture of shock, horror, and interest. "Only sad thing is, it's going to be really tough on the kid's brain," Kyle said in a tone of sadness.
"Please wake up, Ethan; I don't want to lose you." Eve was crying her eyes out, so she was unable to see what was going on.
"Eve, will you stop crying and look at Ethan," Firestorm snapped, as the crying just made her crazy. "Besides, Ethan is going to be able to know what it's like, being at your size," Firestorm said the last to try to ease up Eve's mood.
Eve stopping for a moment and looked in Ethan's direction, only to see an Eevee. "What happened to Ethan?" She screamed this, waking Ethan up. Jumping to all fours, he looked everywhere, trying to find the person who screamed.
"Who did that? Who screamed right into my ears?" He paused as he looked around even closer at the world around him. "Why is everything so big? I mean, Eve, you're as big as I am. Did something…." His voice trailed off as he looked at his own hands, which where now paws supporting the front part of his body weight. He looked, looked some more, closed his eyes, counted to ten, looked again, and screamed, "WHAT HAPPENED?" What came out of his mouth, however, was actually, "VEE EVEEE?" He then thought for a second and, being a ten-year-old boy, but a smart one, uttered a very dumb statement. "I'm an Eevee, and I speak like one….This is so cool."
Matt just shook his head and goes over, picks Ethan up and carries him, holding him so he would be comfortable. Becky then picked up Eve, and Kyle and the rest of the Pokemon just followed Matt as he goes off into the woods so as to tell Ethan what is going on, and that they will have to be very careful from now on.
"Now, Ethan, will you please concentrate on your human self so we can understand you?" Matt had placed Ethan on a stump in the middle of a clearing, one that was far from the path and the prying eyes of anyone that might be looking for wild Pokemon.
"Eve? Eevee, vee." (Why? Being an Eevee is fun.) Ethan, at that moment, just scratched behind his ear without thinking about what he was doing. A moment later he had stopped, staring wide-eyed at Matt and a suddenly he was in human form with his trainer outfit, a red Charmander T-shirt with the same color vest, blue jeans, brand new Trainer 605's, and a cap with a Charizard against a white background. "On second thought, I think I will be up here for a few days." He then pondered a moment and asks the question Matt and Becky had been dreading. "Is it true what that…Uh…grunt said about you being like her?"
Matt shook his head "no" but continues talking to clear things up. "No, Becky and I are not like her. Well, it's sort of half and half. We can take a Pokemon's form. It's kind of complicated, but in truth I wish I couldn't. It's just trouble, I mean, sure, you get a better understanding of what they feel like, but wild Pokemon just love attacking you, especially when you're in your Pokemon form." Matt then looked at Becky. "Is that all? Did I leave anything out?"
"No, I think you got it all," Becky replied while at the same time brushing Ruth's fur as she sat on the grass.
"So, uh, can you get caught in a Pokeball?" Ethan asked with a little fear in his eyes.
"Yes, you can be caught. In fact, you brought back some bad memories about New Year's Eve Day. Becky and I were out training one last time before the party that night, and four Rockets came out of nowhere and attacked us. Well, they tried using a strange ball called a Dark Ball on Becky and, well, I, without thinking, threw my only Great Ball. It hit Becky in the side and right away she turned red and rushed into the Great Ball. It shook three times and dinged. Let's just say that after that her team battled even harder against the Rockets and took some pot shots at me. In the end the Rockets ran off and tried and sore, and I picked up the Great Ball and opened it. When Becky appeared, she turned into a human, and we at that time learned that the Rockets had a one-chance capture. If they failed, we would become immune to Pokeballs. So, as an agreement, I became a Ninetales and Becky threw her only Great Ball at me, thus ending the chance of us being taken that way." Matt, after this small monologue, sat down on the grass and breathed a sigh as though something burdensome had been lifted off his shoulders.
"So that is why you two wear a minimized Great Ball! It's you safety net. So, do I get my own safety net?" Ethan asked the last part in an excited voice.
"No, Ethan, these don't work anymore. It seems our bodies adapted to them after the first try, so I had mine turned into a locket with a picture of Matt on one side and my team on the other," Becky replied from her spot.
"I also made a locket out of it. Hey, I'm not going to be carrying an empty Great Ball around with me, and it has Becky's picture in it along with my team. As for you having your own safety net, that isn't a bad idea. So, please be calm and don't struggle." Ethan then shifted to his Eevee form and waited for what would come next.
Matt got up from his sitting position and, taking out another Great Ball, one that was given to him by Mr. And Mrs. Vixen as a farewell gift this morning, enlarged and threw it, yelling "GO GREAT BALL!" for a bit of action. The Ball flew across the field, hit Ethan on the head and sucked him up in the usual way. It shook three times, dinged, and became still.
Matt, upon seeing this, sighed in relief and walked over to his brother. "Now we are all protected," Matt said as he picked up the Great Ball and released Ethan. He handed the Ball to him, saying "Now, when we get to Pewter I think we can find someone to make a locket for you, just decide whose picture will go in there, okay?"
"I sure will, it's going to be my team and…..I haven't really thought of who to put in the other side," Ethan said as they began to pack up and head off to see Pewter. He stopped and, turning to Matt, asked one last question, "Matt when are we going to go to Kanto National Park to keep up on that bargain?"
Matt face faulted and, after getting, up he just blurted out, "I can't believe I forgot to do that! So, change of plans, I will get Dad's Alakazam to Teleport us up there. Then Becky can fly us on Pideotto to the Mount Moon Pokecenter, and then we'll walk to Pewter."
VulpixTrainer: I know, short, but not much is happening to make it drag out further. I think chapters are going to be longer if there is a battle or some huge development.