Hey, has anyone seen the villains for Pokémon X and Y? It's...really bizarre how they look. :( Ah, well, it's too early to judge, really. In other news, I have become very obsessed with Hoenn since summer started. I had finally gotten my hands on Sapphire in June, and I don't get why everyone bashes Gen III. It looks pretty nice to me-and you know what? I like the trumpets. I LIKE THE FRIGGIN' TRUMPETS. XD I also got my hands on Pokémon Special Ruby and Sapphire arc, and I just love Ruby to bits. If I could pick an English voice actor for him, I'd have to go with Todd Haberkorn. -shot- XD
But enough about me!
Special Thanks To: Whismur Publishing House, bloodyrosethorns, nostalgicCyanide, Bellaluna18142, Geekachu, MilleniumScar, and Ten-Faced!
Enjoy!
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Pokémon Bold Bronze and Strong Steel
Chapter 2: Gold Eyes
New Bark Town, Johto
Unknown
New day, new disguise—that's what his mentor used to say. The boy appraised himself in the pond's reflection: the brown vest and matching trousers had been replaced with a lab coat and suspenders that hid his tools for the job; the eye-dye had completely change his now bespectacled eyes blue; and a short, blonde wig was perched upon his head. Satisfied, the boy turned to face New Bark Town, the location of his first heist in Johto.
From above the hill, the thief could see a gentle breeze rustle through the village-like town, propelling the turbines of the windmills that powered every home. Few people crossed the dirt roads, which lead to a clinic, a post office, two schools, some small businesses, and of course, Elm's lab. The entire town was surrounded by tall, healthy trees.
In short, a sleepy, unremarkable hovel of a town practically begging to be robbed, he thought, and I am more than happy to do the honors.
He had heard rumors back in Kanto that the Regional Professor of Johto was conducting a 'secret' project, studying how the environment affected the evolution rate of Pokémon. Thus, he kept a wide variety of the creatures in specially-designed habitats in the vast basement of his lab—creatures that would ultimately become members of his Pokémon team.
Normally, the young thief wouldn't deal with the beings called 'Pocket Monsters'—his heists didn't require them, and his fighting skills and tools kept most aggressive 'mon at bay. But his newest mission would require at least six of the beasts.
The thief headed down the hill and into the two-story building that was Elm's lab. The interior was sterile and pristine, with tiled floors and walls with pictures of various landscapes adorning their surfaces. Desks filled the room, occupied with lab aides typing reports on typewriters, making phone calls, or scurrying about.
He walked with caution at first, but eventually relaxed once he realized that no one suspected him. The boy took the stairs towards the basement, where he was greeted by a large steel wall with only a card-sized hole engraved into its right side—a typical Punch-Gear Lock System*.
Such a system required a specially designed and issued card to open, but the thief had something better. It had taken several years, but he had finally created what he called the Mimicker—a flat-topped, gun-like device that could imitate just about any Punch Card imaginable.
The boy removed the device from his belt and pulled the trigger. A small metal arm shot out of the Mimicker, extending a metal card into the slot. Within the door, gears began to churn, triggering a device that slammed a series of metal cylinders onto the metal card's surface. Unable to pass through, the cylinders retracted back into the device. While he couldn't see any of this, the thief knew from reading about PGLSs that he only had one more chance before the alarms in the door went off. Thankfully, one more chance was all he needed.
The gears churned again, causing the cylinders to slam back down, this time passing through the newly-formed holes in the card and hitting a second set of cylinders underneath, which in turn unlocked the door. Once the first set of cylinders retracted, the Mimicker card became solid once more and returned to the device from which it came. The steel wall slid back with a groan, exposing a door that automatically opened.
The gas lamps ignited the minute the boy stepped inside. On each side were rows of simulated Pokémon habitats, each separated by transparent walls—Cacturne, Seviper, and Arbok in deserts; Eevees, Caterpies, and Pikachu in fields; Frosslass, Crygonals, and Snovers in arctic tundras. There were so many—such a shame that he was limited to six.
After a quick survey of several habitats, he decided on his team. The thief approached an escalator affixed to a cave habitat, pulling the lever on its side to ascend, then descend into the area. Inside was a grassy path that led to a massive cave. Awestruck, the boy ventured inside, guided by a few hidden lights. According to the plaque attached to the habitat wall, this was home to Geodude, Graveler, Nosepass, and Probopass—all Rock-types more than capable of taking down the first Gym Leader.
It was half an hour before he found a Nosepass playing in an alcove. Slowly, the thief approached the Rock-type, who only glanced at him before resuming play. He removed one of the spray cans attached to his belt and pulled a mask over his nose and mouth before spraying liquid tranquilizer into the Pokémon's face. The poor creature didn't stand a chance. Grinning, the thief pulled out a PokèBall—
"Hey!"
He flinched, removing the mask, then whirled around to find two lab aides marching towards him.
"No lab aides are allowed down here until Professor Elm arrives!" one of them shouted.
The thief scowled. His contact had told him that none of the habitat staff were coming until at least 10:30! The two men reached him as he scoured his mind for strategies.
To buy himself some time, the thief replied, switching to a nasally voice, "Oh, I am so sorry! I was just so eager to study this Nosepass."
"That's no excuse!" the other man snapped, "What if…"
As the lab aides began to rant, the thief spotted his spray can from the corner of his eye. New plan. "Once again," he began, reaching for the spray can with his foot, "I'm really sorry…"
He kicked it into the air before seizing it and tranquilizing the two men.
"…but I'm not sorry." Returning the spray can to his belt, the thief picked up his PokèBall. But as he was about to capture the Nosepass, a blast of energy accompanying a screech knocked him away from the Rock-type and back several feet.
"What the-?!" The boy angrily shot up, only to find that some of the Pokémon—Misdreavus, Whismur, Zubat, and Diglett—had witnessed what had transpired between him and the aides.
And they were very displeased.
"Oh…fuck."
He narrowly dodged a Psywave attack before taking off, the horde of Pokémon in pursuit. Unfortunately, one of the Pokémon must have gotten reinforcements, because before the thief knew it, a gang of Graveler was rolling after him as well!
By some miracle, he made it out of the cave and onto the escalator. But the Pokémon weren't going to leave him be. The Zubat and Whismur screeched and the Misdreavus launched another Psywave attack. Combined with the Graveler, who failed to stop rolling, the Pokémon shattered the outer wall, causing the thief to fall as he was descending the escalator and covering him in a shower of glass-like shards. This, in turn, set off a hidden alarm, bathing the room in red light as a strident screech filled the air.
The escaped Pokémon, disoriented by the sudden noise and flashing light, went on rampage, shattering equipment and banging against the other habitats, agitating the Pokémon inside. This only led to more habitats being destroyed.
Swearing, the thief got onto his feet, trying to remember the layout of the basement. Thankfully, he recalled that there was a back door and rushed over to it, determined to escape before any of the other aides arrived or the Pokémon remembered to attack him.
On the way, he spotted an array of PokèBalls on trays labeled 'STARTERS'—most likely what those aides had been down there for—and snatched one at random.
He was an infamous thief, after all. He couldn't exactly leave empty-handed.
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Cherrygrove College for Charming Girls
Cherrygrove City, Johto
Sun streamed through the balcony windows and onto the carpeted floors as an array of girls stood in front of their dorm room doors on each side of the hallway. Dressed in gray and white, they whispered nervously amongst themselves.
"What do you think the surprise inspection's about?"
"Dunno, but I heard that someone escaped from the College last night."
"Did you hear that? Someone broke out of the school last night!"
"Really? Who?"
"Lucky tramp. I've been trying to get out of here for months!"
Someone cleared their throat. The girls immediately stood to attention, all eyes on the young matron at the end of the hall. Wordlessly, she walked down, keeping a tally of the girls, who were all present and accounted for…at least until she reached the end of the hall.
The matron sighed. Crystal Hart was always a troublemaker. "Miss Hart?" she said, knocking on the door, "We're having an inspection. Would you like to join us?"
No response. The matron knocked again. "Miss Hart?"
Silence. The girls began whispering once more.
The matron grumbled before she removed a series of keys from her pocket. Once she found the Master Key, the woman said, "Miss Hart, this is your final warning. I'm going to open the door, and you will join us—"
She opened the door…only to find a completely empty bedroom.
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New Bark Town, Johto
Kris
Kris emerged from the forest of Route 29 after spending the night in one of its trees, stretching out the kinks in her back and trying to dispel the pins and needles in her legs. Upon her arrival in town, the blue-haired girl in disguise was greeted by a large crowd of townspeople surrounding Professor Elm's lab, chatting anxiously.
What's going on?
As she drew closer, she could see police and Pokémon Center carriages around the building, but not much else. She pushed through the crowd, earning yelps and shoves as she tried to get a closer look. In the process, she accidentally elbowed someone in the neck.
"Argh!" cried out the victim, a boy about Kris's age.
"Sorry!" she yelped before realizing how feminine her voice sounded. "I-I mean, sorry," she tried again, deepening her voice.
The boy, a black-haired male with a flap of black hair sticking out of his cap, rubbed his neck. His eyes were, to Kris's surprise, gold. "'S no problem. You just wanted to see what was going on, right?"
Kris nodded, relieved that he wasn't upset. "Pretty much…" She glanced ahead to see policemen gathered around the lab, some entering, then returning with Pokémon on stretchers or potential evidence in bags.
"Apparently, some thief broke into Elm's lab and somehow got into the basement," the boy explained, "He must've had a lot of Pokémon and supplies down there, 'cause for the past hour, that's all the police have been hauling out."
Kris spotted the Professor not far off, being consoled by some of his lab aides. "Did the thief make off with anything?"
"No one knows yet. The police aren't talking, either. I'm Ethan, by the way." The boy offered his hand.
"Christopher," Kris replied, taking the hand, "But you can call me Chris."
Professor Elm peeled away from his aides and stood before the crowd. Clearing his throat, the man managed to compose himself. "Good morning, everyone. I'm afraid I have some bad news: due to the damages caused by the break-in and the on-going police investigation, I'm afraid that I can't hand out Pokémon starters today."
There was a burst of frenzied chatter, occasionally punctuated by groans and shouts. Kris paled. Professor Elm waved his arms frantically, "Everyone, please calm down!" Once the crowd fell silent, he continued, "The police should be done with their investigation by the end of the day, and tomorrow, starter distribution will begin. Thank you." Elm walked back to his aides.
"Oh no," Kris whispered. She couldn't wait another day. The matrons had probably noticed her absence by now. And once they were done tearing Cherrygrove apart, they were bound to search New Bark!
Ethan replied, "Oh, come on. One day isn't so long a wait."
"N-no, you don't understand," Kris tried fishing for a plausible excuse, "I may come from Cherrygrove, but my parents didn't exactly want me to become a Trainer…" Which wasn't a total lie…
"Oh, I get it…" Ethan thought for a moment before adding, "Hey, why don't you stay over at my house? That way, you don't have to sleep outside or go back home."
"Oh, I don't know…" If Kris accepted Ethan's offer, she would have a decent meal, a nice warm bed, and a chance to study a boy in action (and refine her acting skills, if need be). But that came with a higher risk of exposure. All it took was one wrong nuance or accidental flash for her plans to be over before they even started.
"It's no problem! My parents love company." Ethan grinned.
He really wants me to come over, huh? "Uh…sure. It beats sleeping outside, I guess."
But sleeping outside would be better than sleeping in a jail cell…
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Unknown Location
Unknown City, Unknown Region
The office was small and sparsely furnished, with only a table and chairs. It was a windowless space, the only source of light a single lamp that dangled over the four people seated.
"So, does everyone understand the plan?" a masculine voice inquired. Its owner sat with his chin cupped in his hands, lazily smirking.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," replied another masculine voice, this one slightly nasal. This male reclined on his chair, legs on the table. "We get it already. Can I just have the prototype now?"
The first voice chuckle, reaching into his back pocket, "Very well—"
"What? Don't give it to him!" cried a third voice, this one feminine, followed by a fist slamming the table. "He'll just break it again!"
"No I won't!"
"You're the one who sat on it with your fat ass!"
"Oh, I know you're not talking about people having fat asses!"
"What is that supposed to mean?!"
"What do you think it means, fat ass?!"
The voices began to bicker passionately. The first masculine voice sighed, rubbing his temples. Why did he have to be paired with such idiots?
Watching the spectacle with a bemused smirk, the third male snickered.
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Inventions and Conventions Guide for Chapter 2:
Punch-Gear Lock System (PGLS): a special security system designed so that only specially-made cards ("Punch Cards") can be used to open it, as the holes in the card must be of a specific circumference that matches the shape of the PGL's cylinders exactly. Otherwise, not only will the cylinders not pass through, the inability for the cylinders to do so will trigger a very loud alarm after the second attempt.
Author's Notes: I rewrote the whole theft-of-the-Starter scene because as one reviewer rightly pointed out, why go to so much trouble for a Pokémon that you could get legally? I decided it would make more sense for our thief to go after stronger and less accessible Pokémon. I also altered the scene where Kris and Ethan meet, as Cherrygrove is much closer to New Bark Town than I had originally thought. As a result, I couldn't fit the assault on Elm in between the time it takes for Kris to arrive.
Don't forget to review and constructively criticize!
Japaneserockergirl
7/15/13