Chapter 7

Gotta Catch'em All

"What just happened?! Where am I?!" the Caterpie said in the voice of Chloe the Butterfly, much to the surprise of Mikey and Jun.

"Chloe?!" they both exclaimed.

"Mikey? And that voice… is it… Jun?" Chloe wondered, looking at the duo. "What happened? Where are we? And what am I?"

"Oh boy…" Mikey gulped.

"Oh boy, indeed, you fool!" Jun snapped. "It's not bad enough that you got me trapped in here with you, but you did the same to her! And who knows how many else! How many else?!"

"Could someone please explain what's happening?!" Chloe yelled, as she got more and more worried by the second.

"Yeah! Explain the mess you've gotten us into!" Jun growled at Mikey.

"Okay, okay, just calm down!" Mikey said holding up his hands, then he looked at Chloe. "Well, you see, we're trapped in my new Pokémon game. My bad."

"What?" Chloe blinked a few times as her brain struggled to process what she had been told. "WHAT?! We're trapped in a game?! How?!"

"That's the big question, isn't it." Jun growled.

"Well, um, it includes a magical quartz die, that may have messed things up more than I intended. Again, my bad. But, in short, I'm the main character, and Pokémon Trainer, and you guys are Pokémon, so that means that I'm calling the shots. Sort of."

"Unfortunately, he's right on that." Jun sighed. "And we have to play by those rules to be sure we can finish this game, as we apparently can't leave until we win it."

"So you mean… that I'm stuck like this… like this… worm until then?" Chloe gasped.

"Well, not entirely." said Mikey, causing the two Pokémon to look at him. "You see, you're a Caterpie, and they evolve very quickly, so you won't have to be a worm all the time, at least."

"Evolve? I'm sorry, biology wasn't my best subject in school, but doesn't that take, like, millions of years?"

"You're asking the wrong turtle about that. School in general wasn't my best subject." Mikey chuckled. "But when it comes to Pokémon, they can evolve into stronger forms, if they do certain things."

"Such as?" Jun asked, his interest having been piqued at the possibility of becoming stronger, and hopefully not having to be a house cat any longer.

"Well, most of the time, you just have to fight other Pokémon a lot to level up. It is a roleplaying game, after all. There are some others that need certain items, but not you two. I think."

"So… I will change?" Chloe asked, still trying to wrap her head around everything.

"Yeah. Two times, actually." Mikey explained. "First into a Metapod, and then again into a Butterfree."

"Butterfree? What kind of silly name is that?" Jun wondered.

"It's from the first games, not all names were very good back then."

"But, a Butterfree… is that some kind of butterfly?" Chloe asked.

"It is, yeah. And Metapod is one of those cocoons. So you've got worm, cocoon, and finally a butterfly, just like in real life." said Mikey. "Speaking of which, were you ever a worm before, Chloe?"

"What? No. Of course not. When I mutated, I became a butterfly. I was never a worm, or a cocoon for that matter. I don't think anyone has gone through something like that."

"But all of you insect Mutopians were teenagers or adults, right? So it could happen if there were any kids, couldn't it?"

"Does it matter?" Jun argued. "She's a worm now, no matter what she was before, just like I'm a house cat when I used to be a human, followed by a tiger."

"This is so confusing…" Chloe sighed.

"Hey, don't sweat it, little dudette. We'll get out of this mess." Mikey say, gently patting Chloe on her head. "Oh, and before I forget, I better register a name for you, just in case?"

"What? A name?"

"Hold that thought." Mikey picked up her ball and used the holographic display's keyboard to enter her name. "There, now it's official that you're Chloe."

"Okay? Is that really necessary?" she wondered.

"No clue, but I think it helps." Mikey shrugged, then he pulled out his Pokédex. "Now let's see what this thing say about you.

Caterpie. The Worm Pokémon.

Perhaps because it would like to grow up quickly, it has a voracious appetite, eating a hundred leaves a day."

"A hundred leaves!? I'm all for more vegetables in my diet, but leaves! No thank you."

"Just ignore it. I try to do just that." Jun suggested. "But how long have you been here?"

"Before you two found me? No more than a couple of minutes, I think. Before that, I was eating dinner in the mess, then I suddenly found myself here."

"Only a few minutes?" Mikey wondered. "It's been at least three months for me, going through a big move to this island paradise."

"And I had to spend at least a month in the care of an old fat man." said Jun. "Obviously, not all of us were pulled into this at the same time. And both you and I were sitting at completely different tables from the 'hero' here, as were a lot of other people. And like I said, who knows how many else of them that also got trapped in here?"

"This is a disaster. But, how did you find me?" Chloe asked Mikey.

"I just had a good feeling about looking in this area. Hmm… maybe that's more than just luck. What if, bear with me, what if I got like a spider sense thing? One that showed me where to find Chloe?"

"Like a tracker of sorts?" Jun said and thought for a moment. "That sounds crazy, but all of this is already more crazy that I ever thought I'd see, so I sure hope that's true, for the sake of anyone else stuck in this game."

"Agreed." said Chloe. "What if they remain trapped here if we get out without even finding them."

"We can't take that risk! Not if Dahlia is among them!" said Jun, fearing the possibility.

"Then we got just one thing to do." said Mikey, quickly striking a pose. "We Gotta Catch'em All!"

"Good grief…" Jun sighed.

"But first, we need to train Chloe." Mikey said.

"Train me? What do you mean by that?"

"You have to fight other Pokémon and win. Real simple, really."

"Fight? Me? But, I'm no fighter. If anything, I'm closer to a coward than a fighter."

"Ain't there anything else we can do?" Jun asked.

"I mean, I guess I could box her…" Mikey mused.

"Box?" the two Pokémon asked at the same time.

"Well, you see, a Trainer can only have six Pokémon with them at a time, the others have to be boxed. In most of the games, that means that I download them into a computer, somehow, but in the anime, they are sent to basically a farm, where they can relax and be cared for."

"I see, I think… Well, if those are my options, I'd rather have the latter." said Chloe after thinking for a moment.

"I'd be happy to let you, Chloe, but I don't have a computer handy right now, so I guess you're stuck with us for now."

"Then why… never mind…" Chloe sighed.

"Sorry, but we really need your help now. Otherwise, Jun will have to do everything, at least until we find someone else."

"Sad, but true, I'm afraid." Jun agreed. "But don't worry, I'll watch your back, if you watch mine."
"I guess I can do that. Not sure what good I will be as a… worm, but I will try my best."

"Sweet!" Mikey cheered. "Now, let's get going. We've got a festival to go to! Oh, right, almost forgot." Mikey then picked up Chloe's Poké Ball and aimed it at her. "Sorry, Chloe, but I think it's for the best that you stay in here most of the time. I don't think I can walk around with everyone of you out and about when we're not fighting others."

"I understand." she nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to let you take Jun's spot some times. Might even let all of you out at once if I get the chance."

With that, Chloe was recalled to he ball, and Mikey shrunk it and attached it to the side of his shorts.

"I don't envy her right now." said Jun.

"Was it really that bad in there?" Mikey wondered.

"I wouldn't call it bad, but I sure didn't want to be there against my will."

"What was it like? I've always wanted to know that."

"Swap places with me and I'll show you." Jun muttered. "But, really, it's hard to explain. It's like I'm asleep, but not really, and I'm still aware of what goes on outside, at least a bit so."

"That actually sounds pretty sweet to me. Maybe next time, we could swap roles."

"Trust me, Mikey. There ain't gonna be a next time." Jun almost snarled. "Once we get out of here, I'm gonna strangle you."

"Jeez, lighten up a bit, dude." Mikey responded. "If you're gonna be like that, I won't exactly be in any hurry to finish the game, now will I?"

"I…" Jun sighed. "No, you're right. I'm sorry. I'm just so stressed out and upset about all of this, not to mention worried about Dahlia."

"Dude… Jun, I get you." Mikey said, sitting down on his knees in front of Jun. "I'm worried about Kate too, but I'm sure that they are fine. No one dies in Pokémon games. Shell, you can't even cuss here, so nothing's gonna happen to them, and we will find them all. That's a promise."

"You know, it actually makes me feel a little better hearing you say that. Thanks."

"No worries, man. We'll get through this, if we work together. Deal?" Mikey extended his hand to Jun.

"Deal." Jun placed his paw in Mikey's hand.

"You have just the cutest little paws."

"Don't make me set you on fire."

And they've added Chloe to their party. She might be reluctant, but for now they need her help. But Jun raised a valid question; just how many others are stuck in the game, and which ones, and as what?

Mikey and Jun is starting to grow a bit closer, but their relationship will continue to be a bit rocky, as their personalities continue to clash.