It's been far too long! Sorry!
High school is going smoothly for me now. I'm actually starting to get the feel for writing this story again. Thank goodness!

...Or I just get lazy sometimes.

Chapter 22
Slowpoke Well and Ilex Forest!

Afternoon spread through Azalea Town, the mid-summer sunlight scorching the backs of those the sun could reach. The light breeze swayed the warm temperature in bountiful bursts. Though his black jacket helped him cool off as much as a heater would, Silver pretended that it didn't bother him. He shuffled through the streets in one solid direction, his straightforward eyes set ahead of him.

It irritated him that he had to weave through the other pedestrians that blocked his way. By this time of day, a few citizens gathered amongst each other during lunchtime. But their vague talk made his swift gait slow.

"I heard from my son that those shady characters came back to the Azalea Gym the other day."

"They didn't do nothin', did they?"

"They left right when Bugsy showed up."

"I remember seein' a couple goons wearing the some black garb scramblin' down the street. Was that them?"

"Now that I think of it, wasn't that good man guarding the well wearing black too?"

"...It might be me, but I think they have something to do with why the Slowpoke have gone and went missing—."

Silver continued and passed them. The chatter consistently ended with the Slowpoke, the dopey Pokémon that the Azaleans adored and took pride in. But, when it lacked both power and even decent looks, the boy only scoffed at its uselessness. If Slowpoke were being herded into the well, so be it. In his opinion, the town was better off without the dull pink roadblocks.

Silver glanced back over his shoulder, bearing a shrewd scowl as the collar of his jacket slipped against his cheek. "Humph," he grunted.

Facing one of the houses on the western outskirts of the town, the redheaded boy glanced at its cabin-like appearance as he walked toward the front door. It was unlocked, much to Silver's convenience, and as he pulled it open, his ears caught wind of a grumbling outburst.

"I'm going to teach them a lesson in pain! Don't you worry, Maisy, I'll get back the Slowpoke!" a fit old man muttered furiously, scurrying about in the wide living room. His gray-white hair was balding, but fire burned in his narrow eyes with intense vitality.

"Grandpa?" A little girl watched him from where she sat. Her eyes glistened in curiosity as she first noticed Silver's arrival. The man stomped toward the front door, but stopped before the red-haired boy, who witnessed the scene with his usual frown. The man's scraggly eyebrows rose.

"Hm? Who are you?" he asked, and went on without an answer, "I'm Kurt, but I assume that you know that since you look like a Trainer. You want me to make some custom Poké Balls for you, don't you?"

"...No." Silver answered vaguely, but not without his usual hint of demand. "There's a Poké Ball that I want you to tell me about."

Kurt shook his head. "Sorry, but that'll have to wait. Say, do you know Team Rocket?"

Silver scowled and snorted disapprovingly. "What, those weaklings?"

"Weaklings? Those crooks were feared everywhere in Kanto at one point! They're supposed to have disbanded three years ago, but Team Rocket's at the well cutting and selling off Slowpoke tails! There isn't any way I'm standing for that! So I'm going to chase them out!" With that quickly-spoken explanation, Kurt pushed past Silver and rushed outside, the flaps of his blue robe fluttering wildly.

Still sitting at the table, the little girl fiddled with her brown braided ponytail. Concern and quick loneliness plagued her at an instant. "Um...Grandpa will be back soon; you can stay if you want. What's your name?"

Silver, scowling to himself, left without a word.

On Route 33, Kenta trekked the dirt road that lead away from Union Cave. In his arms rested a white egg speckled in a familiar pattern of red and blue triangles. He released a brief sigh and smiled at the peaceful quiet atmosphere that was only disturbed by the occasional scratchy caw of a Spearow or the singsong hum of a passing Hoppip.

"That was some detour," he said to himself. Kenta glanced at the warm shell pressed against the red cloth of his jacket.

Professor Elm had recently contacted him in Violet City, entrusting him with the Pokémon egg that belonged to Mr. Pokémon. He told Kenta to call when it hatched, most likely to hand it back over for research. The boy agreed to help out, of course. After questioning Elm, he learned that Jackson—who Kenta knew would be more than willing to help first—was already too far from Violet City to turn back and get the egg himself.

So Jackson decided to go this way... I wonder if Marina did too? I didn't see her in Violet City... or Goldenrod, either, Kenta contemplated curiously. How many badges have they earned? How many Pokémon have they caught so far?

Kenta shifted some stray black strands of his bangs out of his face and cradled the egg with one hand to check the PokéGear on his wrist. Just as he looked up, he flinched as a droplet dabbed his nose. He gazed above at the cerulean sky, which was slowly being swallowed up by a cluster of temperate gray clouds.

"Rain? That's not good." His pace quickened, and though the roofs of Azalea Town were clearly in his sight, the road curved to his right. He slowed as he approached a short flight of steps, and paused as he reached the top.

A short distance away, a man sat at the rim of a large well, lazily looking at the well's worn down bricks. When he spotted Kenta, he donned a silly sort of sneer and crossed his arms with dignity.

"This is Slowpoke Well, young lad, but it's dangerous so I'm not letting anyone in," he exclaimed with a chuckle, and continued brightly, "Aren't I a good Samaritan—?"

"HEY YOU!"

Both he and Kenta jumped at the booming bellow, and the young man in black uniform turned as a vigorous elderly man stampeded toward him, waving a fist in the air.

"You best get you and your cronies out of here!"

Just as the shady fellow started to move from his comfortable position on the well, Kurt rammed into him full force.

"W-What the hell?!" he stuttered and wobbled back, reaching out to grasp for the solid bars of the ladder. Unable to react in time, he tumbled back and vanished from sight into the well shaft, pulling the shouting old man down with him.

Kenta gawked in shock at the few seconds that passed, but rushed to the edge of the well. Peering down, he could see nothing but darkness.

"Hey, are you alright?!" he called, his voice echoing distantly. There came no reply.

Gritting his teeth, the boy glanced around and, seeing no one, worked quickly to set down his backpack. With utmost care, he placed the Pokémon egg inside it. Kenta stood and heaved a deep breath, gripping onto the ladder to prepare for the climb down.

Dewy grass sunk under Marina's tennis shoes as she strolled along through Ilex Forest, which was covered in puffy shadows and cookie-cutter blots of glittering sunlight. A small, old trail was marked by flattened grass, and it wove ahead through the numerous trees that towered over her.

"It's so pretty here," Marina said to herself merrily as she strolled along. The canopy whispered fervently as wind graced the forest. She smiled as the breeze teased her short bangs.

As Marina came to a split in the road, she stopped to glance back and forth. She had taken a wrong turn before, which landed her in an area that was sprawling with overgrowth. Not only that, but when she had made a U-turn, she stepped on a large weed that turned out to be a Pokémon known as Oddish. It unleashed a screeching wail, outright scaring her, and angrily popped out of the ground for a battle. Marina captured the critter in the end, but she tried to remain wary of where she walked.

Neither paths looked promising, nor did they seem to share any differences with the exception of their direction. Troubled, the girl checked her PokéGear. A considerable frown etched onto her face as she saw the plain "Ilex Forest" label on the Johto map. Marina sighed, groaning a little.

A cumbersome flutter of leaves and wings suddenly rustled at her side. She blinked and turned at once, jolting in surprise to find she was suddenly not alone. Standing beside her was a brown duck Pokémon, which wagged its tail feathers with a sudden jerk. Its wings were flexible like fingers, and clenched in one was an ordinary spring onion.

The eccentric bird craned its head to look up at her.

Marina stared, standing stuff before grabbing her Pokédex. "It can't be... A Farfetch'd?"

"Farfetch'd, the Wild Duck Pokémon. Type: Normal/Flying
Farfetch'd carries the stick it holds as both a means of defense and an emergency ration. This Pokémon is always carrying one, and will search for a new one if lost or consumed. Farfetch'd are dwindling in its number; to prevent extinction, people have made an effort to breed these Pokémon."

The duck cocked its head and poked the crimson device with its trusty leek.

Marina smiled and giggled. "I never thought I'd get to see a Farfetch'd in the wild."

A grin seemed to curve on the Pokémon's beak, and it stepped back and faced her properly. It puffed its creamy white chest feathers out as it spread its free wing, then bending low toward the grass.

"Oh!" Marina nearly squealed in delight, bowing as well. "Hello, Farfetch'd, nice to meet you!" The Wild Duck Pokémon slid out of the greeting pose and watched as the girl bended over it with a friendly smile. "Are you lost, or are you just really smart?"

"Kaa," it quacked with shifty eyes.

"There you are!"

The sudden outcry startled them both, and Marina was about to look over her shoulder when the glossy blur of Farfetch'd again pulled at her attention. Sprinting as fast as its orange webbed feet could carry it, the Pokémon flapped its wings at random and fled down one of the diverging paths.

"Wait, don't go!" Marina called after it, but it had already waddled far without ceasing.

"Farfetch'd! No!" An older boy passed by her helplessly. "W-Wait...up...!" His wobbling legs gave in and he collapsed to his knees, heaving heavy breaths.

"Are..." Marina was hesitant to walk toward him, easily noticing the rips and grass stains on the boy's shirt and shorts. "...you okay?" she finished her question.

He looked up at her, wearing a pathetically pleading expression behind his face that was smeared with dirt. "N-No—I mean yes. I don't know." At that, the boy hung his head low with a forced, defeated sigh.

"Was that Farfetch'd yours?" she asked.

A few moments passed by before the young adolescent caught his breath, and he replied earnestly, "No, it's my boss's. My boss trusted me to take care of his Pokémon for the day, but..." Again, his head dropped shamefully. "I don't know how to train Pokémon and I don't have any badges, so it won't listen to me. It just ran off and it won't listen no matter what I do. Man, my boss is going to be steamed...!"

"Oh..." Marina stood quietly, her face blank. But she smiled and placed her hands on her hips. "I'll help you then!"

At once, the boy's eyes darted up to her in desperation, gratitude, and disbelief. "You will?"

"Mmhm, I'll try!" Marina nodded and began bounding down the grass trail, calling back, "You just stay here! Wish me luck!"

"Uh...okay. Good luck..." the boy replied, gawking. As the girl trailed from his sight, he hung his head once more gloomily. "You're gonna need it," he sighed.

Kenta gripped the clammy, cold iron ladder, and the daylight above dimmed the deeper he descended. When finally reaching and feeling ground beneath his feet, he stepped off cautiously. His eyes took gradual focus of the shadows encompassing him, but he soon realized with a start that several lamps were strung about the earthen walls. The sheer volume of space in the well soon convinced him that it resembled a giant cavern, much to his surprise.

Almost immediately, he caught eye of Kurt lying on his back and ran over to him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I... fell hard on my back," the man rasped through gritted teeth. "Now I can't move... If I had been ten years younger, my Pokémon and I would teach those crooks a lesson!"

Kenta blinked, puzzled. "What? Is something going on here?"

"That doddering old coot!" a voice scolded from afar. The man who had fallen into the well with Kurt advanced toward them with a slight limp, but his face was twisted in anger. Before him was a pair of shaggy brown Raticate that chattered in unrest as they approached Kenta and Kurt. "I was just standing guard when he had to ram into me like a freakin' Tauros. I think I'll just vent my anger by taking it out on you both! Raticate!"

"Hey!" exclaimed Kenta as the pair of Raticate screeched at him. "What's your problem—?!"

Just as the rats began to charge and Kenta raised his Poké Ball in defense, a devastating flash of light accompanied by a familiar terrifying roar zipped over his head. Kenta ducked anyways, and an abrupt bang erupted, sending flying bits of mud asunder. The attack dissipated, and both Raticate collapsed, knocked out instantly.

The shady man turned his head and cursed as he recalled his Pokémon. "Dammit, this is NOT my day!" he cried out, turning and sprinting down the path illuminated by the lanterns.

Kenta watched him leave and looked over his shoulder, jumping at a large purple Drill Pokémon standing ominously beside him. "A...A Nidoking?!" he gasped.

The Nidoking shifted lazily without notice. Its crimson-haired Trainer leaped down from the ladder and landed with a defined smack as his boots pounded on the muddy floor. Kenta's surprise darkened into a guarded scowl at the boy, who refused to give neither him nor Kurt any form of recognition. Silver moved to return his Nidoking back into its Poké Ball, bypassing them silently.

"Silver!" Kenta exclaimed, standing. "What are you doing here?"

Silver turned to him slightly. His blank expression contrasted with is eyes glimmering like steel from the sunlight above. "I'm going to crush Team Rocket." A grave frown spread on his face. "So listen up. A wimp like you will get in my way, so just stay where you are."

"What are you saying?" The boy faltered as Silver carried on.

Did he just help us? He thought in near disbelief. He looked at Kurt, who, still lying down, returned the look. "Um, sir?"

"Kurt, lad, just Kurt," he said.

"Team Rocket...I've heard about them a few times, but I don't remember exactly who they are."

"It was before you'd remember right," he grunted, "East in Kanto, they were a horrible group of scoundrels that used Pokémon to do their dirty work. Three years ago, they disbanded after being bested by a young Pokémon Trainer—Red, who was a mere rookie at the time, if I remember right... You ought to know him, at least. All kids look up to him these days."

"Then they're here? Why are they back if they're disbanded?"

"It's obvious. They want to start trouble in Johto now," Kurt said critically. "And they already have by capturing all Azalea Town's Slowpoke and cutting their tails off, selling the tails for profit." He nearly spat in disgust.

"That's horrible." Kenta clenched his fists, glaring down the only available corridor where the crook and Silver had gone. "Is it okay with you if I keep going?"

"Go right ahead, I encourage you! I can take care of myself," Kurt claimed with a reassuring grin. "Be sure to team up with that other boy too. The more, the merrier!"

The boy's brow furrowed. "...Sure." Within seconds he took off running, sprinting down the path lighted with lanterns.

Easier said than done.

"Farfetch'd? Where aaare you?" Marina asked in a cooing whisper. She searched around her, taking caution in her steps. The trail in front of her took a curve, and she stopped. A moment later, she took cover behind a vine-covered tree and smiled. Careful to disturb the grass as little as possible, she crept toward the duck Pokémon that leisurely sat in the middle of the trail in a spot of sunlight.

The Farfetch'd tilted its head back and forth rhythmically, pleasurably enjoying the sun's rays with its back turned from the girl. But it paused with a jolt when the light was swallowed up in a shadow. It blinked, puzzled, and turned its head around.

"Ka?" The leek, once held in its beak, slipped out onto the ground as it opened its beak wide. Hands out and ready, Marina loomed over the Pokémon and lunged.

"Gotcha!"

Farfetch'd flapped its wings frantically, flailing away from her reaching arms. It watched as Marina, crying out and opening her mouth in shock, slid on the grass face-first as she landed. With a hearty laugh, the Pokémon skipped further down the forest path.

"Pleh!" spat Marina as she sat up, grimacing and wiping her face of grass and dirt. She sighed, stood, and bolted after Farfetch'd, which quacked and too began to run. "I'll get you this time!" she yelled and smiled despite her serious proclamation. Gaining on its tail, she again leapt and dived at the Pokémon.

"Ka?!" Farfetch'd froze, hopping once out of her path. Marina's face met the dirt for the millionth time within the last hour; her hands sprawled out in front of her. The bird Pokémon snickered playfully, skipping around her head.

But it fluttered and sputtered in surprise as Marina's hands lifted and suddenly grabbed at its feathers.

"Got you!" her muffled voice exclaimed. She lifted her head triumphantly to see the spring onion, raised high in one of Farfetch'd's wings, come down upon her noggin with a well-defined smack.

At once, she involuntarily released her grip on the Pokémon and cried out as she held her head. "Ow!" she hollered, sitting up with a pout on her mud-smeared face. "That hurt! What'd you do that for?"

The Farfetch'd stared at her silently, with her staring back. In one rapid motion, it thwacked her once again on the forehead and turned, running off the trail and into the thick forest as Marina whined and cradled her head. Frowning, she stood and pursued, blind to the fact that she had entered taller grasses. Nearby, she could hear the annoying guffaw of the Pokémon, and she forced her way through the forest, creating her own path guided by the sound.

"Come on, Farfetch'd, you need to go back!" she called, surveying the bushes desperately. Within moments, she spotted the brown duck and made another sudden lunge to catch it, failing just the same with only the slightly soft pile of grass cushioning her fall. She sighed, lying still as she heard the Pokémon's amused laughter that grew fainter as Marina got back up. She laughed a little.

I'm not really getting anywhere with this, she thought. If only it was wild; I could just catch it. No wonder why that guy had such a hard time—.

Marina jumped back into a tree as Farfetch'd suddenly appeared right in front of her and cackled loudly at her astonishment. Watching it flee, she again chased after it with unending vigor.

"I swear, I'll get you!" she declared, her voice echoing in the trees as she ran deeper into Ilex Forest.