Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ When It All Falls Down ❯ Dead Men Tell No Tales ( Chapter 6 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: TheShadowInTheMirror 
Please be better, PLEASE BE BETTER!!! I've had to reload this chapter so many times... this being the sixth.
Anime/Manga: Pokemon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.18.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 223 | Status: Work In Progress
Please be better, PLEASE BE BETTER!!! I've had to reload this chapter so many times... this being the sixth.
Anime/Manga: Pokemon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.18.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 223 | Status: Work In Progress
Sand. He was laying on warm, soft sand. Tall trees shifted and blew gently above his head, the slight shadows shading him from the sun. He was alone.
‘Where am I…?’ he thought. He sat up and looked around. He was in a peaceful beach area, a crystal blue ocean layed out before him. ‘Huh?’
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” a little girls’ voice said next to him.
He turned his head to see a cute pink Pokemon sitting next to him. She had a tail longer than her body, her hind legs large compared to her short arms, tiny fingers barely visible. Her eyes were as green as grass, her frame even smaller than his. She turned her pretty face towards him, waiting for an answer.
“I… guess.” he replied. “But how did I get here? Did you bring me here? Where’s Alaina? Who are you?”
She giggled. “You ask a lot of questions.”
He blinked. She seemed so… familiar. Her appearance… he felt as if someone told him about her before. She certainly wasn’t human, and yet he had no clue what kind of Pokemon type, or if she was even a Pokemon, at all. He just assumed she was.
She had no scent. But aren’t Ghost Pokemon the only ones who don’t have a scent?
“What did you bring me here for?” he asked.
She slowly levitated into the air. She wore a sad expression. “You can stop it,” she said.“Stop what?”“You can stop it,” she repeated. “You can stop the destruction. No one else can. You can prevent it from going to far…”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, now afraid and confused.
She looked to the sky. “They will come… and they will destroy until there is nothing left. Nothing.” She looked back towards him.“You must help me, help me please!”, she said in a panicked tone. “If I don’t get out, they’ll…” The sky turned black.
Something shot out of the clouds.
“NO!” she screamed. “I won’t go back, I…” But something clamped around her. A glass case in the shape of an oval, just big enough to fit her and her only. As if it was specifically made for her.
He was frightened, but still wanted to help her. He had no idea why. Why was he so determined to help someone he didn’t know?Before it took off into the clouds, he jumped and did his best to keep a hold on the case.
“It’s no use…” she said, her lovely face streaked with tears.“No!”, he said, “I’ll come for you. Wherever you are, I’ll find you somehow and help you escape! I promise!”
“You promise? But… you’re not strong enough!”
“I’ll get stronger! I will… and when I do, I‘ll help you!”She nodded, smiling despite her crying. “I have your word, then?”, she asked hopefully. “…Yes.”
“I’ll be seeing you…” she whispered as she closed her eyes.“I’ll be seeing you…”, he whispered in return.
His grip released the case, and he began to fall headfirst into the ocean waves. He realized the actions that just took place. He had made a promise… to a Pokemon he just met. He made a promise to help her… when he didn’t know what she needed to be saved from. He promised to help her escape… when he didn’t know where she was.
What did he do it for? Had he been caught up in the moment? Was it her pretty face, her familiarity? Pity?
“What have I done?”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jacoby sat up. “…Toto?” he said, breathing heavily. He looked around. He was laying on the couch in the living room. Bright sunlight was pouring into the room. “…How long was I sleeping?”
His dream flashed before his eyes. The shore, the strange girl Pokemon… that thing that shot out from the sky. His promise.Jacoby thought for a minute. ‘It was a dream, stupid! It didn’t mean anything.’
He ignored the sinking feeling in his gut, trying his best to erase the strange Pokemon’s pleading and sorrowful face from the mental image he had.
“Good morning!”, a voice said from the entrance. Alaina stood there, fully dressed and a slap-stick-happy smile on her face. “There’s my brave guy! Sleep well?”
Jacoby blinked, and memories from last night rushed back to him. Their kidnapper. The Bulbasaur. His first battle.
He returned his trainer’s smile. “To- Totodile!”She walked over to him, her eyes soft. Her hand reached up and stroked his head.
“True, we’ve only known each other for 26 hours,” she began, “but you already mean the world to me. I would have felt like a complete failure if that jerk had succeeded in taking you and Sonny.” “I’m glad you’re still here… very glad.”, she whispered, her forehead against his.
Jacoby’s heart pace quickened immensely. “T-Toto…” he replied. He realized he, too, had grown to care for his new trainer. He didn’t love her, no; it would take a while for him to love her. But he cared. He cared for her just as much as she cared for him. He accepted that.
She leaned back, and he noticed her eyes were bright with tears. Jacoby flinched. He had never seen a human cry before, and he felt uneasy. He didn’t like it. He didn’t want to see her cry. She looked so…
“Dile?”, he whispered. But the tears fell, and a sob escaped her throat. She leaned her back against the couch, her shaking hands clutching her loose jeans. “I… I’m sorry…”, she said. “I’m sorry… for all of it. What you had to go through last night…”. Another sob stopped her sentence.
Jacoby was confused. None of the events that happened last night were her or anyone else’s fault except for the thief himself. Yet, she was crying. Crying because she thought it was her fault? It didn’t make sense.He reached his tiny clawed hand out to her.
“Di-dile? Toto?”She looked at his small hands, and smiled sadly. She took his hand into hers, no bigger than her palm. “It’s okay…”, he said. He knew she couldn’t understand him, but he felt he had to say it anyways.
“Alaina?”, came Damien’s voice as he entered the room. She immediately scrubbed away her tears. “Yes?”, she answered as if nothing happened.“There’s someone here I think you’ll want to meet.” he replied with a slight smile. Curious, Alaina stood up.
She glanced at Jacoby, asking, “Coming?” “Tot! Di!” he said as jumped down from the couch. She smiled.As they entered the kitchen, she heard two voices, both male.
She looked to see Mr. Pokemon talking to a man who had his back turned to her. He had gray-mostly white hair, and a white lab coat with gray trousers. For her to see his face, Damien cleared his throat.
Mr. Pokemon took notice and smiled. “Damien, my boy! Here to introduce the new trainer to the infamous Prof. Oak?” Alaina’s stomach dropped, her eyes as wide as saucers. “P-Prof…. Oak?” she repeated.
The man finally turned. He seemed to be as old as 70 years, showing his stern, tired, but still friendly face and a dark blue shirt. “Ah, you must be Alaina! Mr. Pokemon was just telling me about you and you’re brave action to retrieve your stolen Pokemon! Might I say, a very well done act indeed.”
Jacoby yawned, already have lost interest in his praise. He looked up at Alaina, but alas, she was in a trance. He gave her pant-leg a quick tug to let her know he was exiting, and waddled out to find Sonny.
Alaina swore she was going to pass out. While her father was a champion coordinator and popular trainer, her mother worked at the research lab with Prof. Elm (though she is presently on maternity leave). She idolizes Prof. Oak, always rambling about his recent discoveries and his breakthrough on Pokemon knowledge. Boy, wait till she told Mom about this!
“Ah, buh-n…”, was all the brunette could say. Prof. Oak laughed loudly yet somewhat nervously. “Yes, this tends to happen a lot. No worries, mind you.” Alaina could only nod while Damien looked like he was about to burst from with held laughter.
“Anyways,”, Prof. Oak continued, “I have a gift for you and your companion. Your cousin, correct?” “Oh, um… yes!” she finally spoke. “Well then, here!”, he said cheerfully, handing her a red device.
Damien’s jaw dropped, clearly not finding anything humorous anymore. “A Pokedex? You’re giving her a Pokedex? Why would you-”
“What’s wrong with him givin’ her a Pokedex?” Kasey’s voice said from directly behind him.“Oh… you’re awake.” he said sourly. “Good morning to you too, sunshine.” she snapped sarcastically. She pushed him out of her way, careless if the seniors saw her do so. He gave her a dirty look. Alaina tried to sigh, but ended up giggling.
“And you as well,” he continued, handing her a Pokedex. She took it and began to study it, saying “How to you work this piece of-” “Ah, you press this!” Alaina said quickly. It flipped open. “Now… entertain yourself for a while. There’s tons of data on different types of Pokemon in there.” Alaina whispered.
The orange-head smirked. “Why, Alaina, are you worried that I might embarrass you? How could you think of me in such a way?”Alaina gave Damien a pleading look. He rolled his eyes, saying, “C’mon Kasey. I, uh… need to show you something. It’s important.”She stared at him for a minute. “…What’re you gonna show me?” she asked cautiously.
Damien turned bright red. “Oh, you’re so perv-!” he began, but quickly calmed down so as not to make himself look immature in front of the older men.Still flaming red, he persisted. “Just- just c’mon!” Kasey had a mixture of a triumphant yet uncertain smile on her face as she followed him out.
“Yes, well…”, Prof. Oak continued, “Those Pokedex’s have the latest upgrades yet. It has documentations on every known species out there presently. But I have a favor to ask of you in return for this gift.”Alaina nodded. “Anything.” “You have heard of Ash Ketchum, correct?” “Who didn’t know who he was? The greatest Pokemon Champion to ever live!”Prof. Oak nodded, now saddened. Mr. Pokemon placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, urging him to continue.“Then you also know what happened about 3 years ago?”, his voice was now choked up with slight overwhelming emotion.
Alaina was now a bit uncomfortable, seeing a legend of a man on the verge of crying.She then felt like punching herself. ‘You expectant bitch, how could you think that? He’s human too, so stop acting stupid! Don’t judge people like that!’
Alaina gave a sigh and said, “Yes, I do. My father was one of the first to hear it, and he told me. His death at the cavern in the depths of the Hoenn sea? Wasn’t there a cave in?” she asked, still trying to remember all of what her father had told her.Prof. Oak nodded again.
“He was traveling everywhere, even places he had already been to, in search of new Pokemon to capture or record data. He and his friend Todd even managed to get pictures of Pokemon never seen before.”
“Todd fell ill, and had to be treated at the Mossdeep City Hospital for a few days. Ash was anticipating going on another hunt, but still stood by Todd’s side. Todd would not have it, and urged Ash to keep going forward if he wanted to keep searching, and that they would meet up in Lilycove.”
“Ash bid his goodbye, and went out to the sea. His wife, Misty Waterflower, was the last to hear him alive. You see, once in awhile he would call her and to tell her of his progress, telling her he was alright and that he would be home soon. So was the situation that she had been the last to hear his voice.”
“According to professionals, he had found a cave at the mid-bottom of the ocean. He searched it thoroughly, but when he went further in, something made the entire ocean shake… an earthquake, perhaps… and it collapsed right onto Ash.”
“His body was lost to the ocean, his belongings, including his Pokedex, and every piece of research he ever discovered… gone with him.”
“Todd’s photos were the only remaining proof that they had seen what we merely thought was unimaginable.”, he finally finished.“No other’s Pokedex comes close to what Ash accomplished. And now, I ask of you, Alaina… will you join the hunt with the few other trainers? Search for different kinds of Pokemon, far and wide?”
Alaina nearly swallowed her tongue, but gave a quiet “Yes.” ‘What else can I say if I’m given this opportunity?’
The Prof. immediately cheered up. “Thank you, Alaina, thank you very much!”In a matter of minutes, he registered his number into her Pokegear.
“You must call me when you’ve found some type of discovery, alright?” Alaina smiled weakly, “Yeah.”“Here,” he said, handing her 5 pint-sized poke balls. He put 5 more on the table, “and these are for your cousin.”
He turned to Mr. Pokemon. “I should be on my way now, Tom.” Mr. Pokemon nodded. “Of course, of course. You’re a busy man, Samuel! You’ll stop for another visit soon?” “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”, he replied.
He was exiting through the back door, but turned and stared at Alaina for a bit. “Y’know…”, he began, “you seem so… Ah, never mind. We’ll definitely meet again. I’ll be sure to attend the Pokemon Championships, because I already know you’ll be there.”, he finished with a smile. Alaina swelled with pride, clearly visible in her smile.
“Tom.”, he bid farewell with a nod and walked out the door.
“Um…”, Alaina began, “thank you so much for your hospitality Mr. Pokemon. Kasey and I should be leaving now.”
“Very well,” he said. “I bid you the best of luck on your quest, lassie.”Alaina smiled and walked out to get Kasey.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After giving Prof. Elm a call to let him know they were okay (Alaina apologized for not doing it earlier) and calling home to reassure their family, the girls had gathered their belongings, Pokemon as well, and headed out.
As they went back towards the road, they heard running footsteps behind them. The group turned their heads to see Damien running towards them… a bag slung over his shoulder.
Jacoby sweat-dropped and Sonny frowned. ‘Why is that loser coming?’, the Charmander thought. Kasey twitched.
“He’s coming with us?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”, she whispered in a high pitched voice to Alaina.“I didn’t… know he was coming. Honestly,” Alaina replied.Kasey could tell when the brunette genuinely meant what she said, and she wasn’t lying by the obvious puzzled look on her face that mirrored Kasey’s.
Damien finally reached the girls, a big smile on his face.
“Hello.” The girls blinked. He looked between them. “What?”
“Thanks for asking to come with us.” Kasey stated sarcastically. “Why are you here? Doesn’t your daddy need you?”He stared Kasey down for a minute, but his tone became shockingly serious.
“You guys are a pair of dumb asses, reckless and all that. The stunt you pulled last night made me realize this. Your Pokemon are still weak, *both Jacoby and Sonny growled at this* so you need some kind of protection. A more experienced trainer, really.”
Alaina frowned and snapped, “No need for name-calling, Damien.” “No Alaina; allow me.” Kasey said rather sweetly… but the sickly kind of sweet.
She turned her auburn-hazel gaze of wrath to Damien. “Thanks so much for your… ‘selfless’… concern, asshole. You’re right about one thing, though. We should get a more experienced trainer just in case… so there really is no need for you, little boy, since you don’t fit the description. Run on home to daddy, now.”
Damien stood his ground, his blue eyes now a treacherous black-green looking color. “Listen, short stack,” he rasped, “I’m comin’ whether you like it or not. Not just to look after you, but to improve my skills as a trainer as well.”, he stopped to catch his breath.
“So don’t think this is all about you, because it isn’t. In fact, you should be thanking me for even wasting my time with you guys. This was a request for me from Prof. Oak, and he looks forward to see what kind of Pokemon I can catch and breed… since I‘m fairly experienced in those fields already.”, he finished cockily.
Kasey nearly pounced on him. Not only did she detest and reject his demands with ‘colorful’ words, she hated the name ‘short stack’ with a passion. She had been called that ever since she was a child.
If it weren’t for the small reptiles attaching themselves to her legs that weighed her down, and Alaina’s arms around her stomach holding her back… she certainly would have destroyed him.
“Kasey, calm down! He’s right… well, not completely, but still… Prof. Oak sent him to watch our backs, and that’s a nice thing, right? So I agree; he should come.”Kasey stared at Alaina for a minute, and Sonny snickered, already predicting what his trainer would do next.
“Alaina, as much as I love you… that speech meant nothing to me. He’s a cocky bastard, and doesn’t deserve to come with us! He’d only bug the hell outta me for the sheer humor of it!” Kasey growled, returning her glare towards the boy.
“Hey, Kasey? If I recall correctly… I saved you from breaking your neck when we gave chase after Alaina. You could’ve died from that fall… so I pretty much saved your life, you inconsiderate brat!” he shot back.
Before Kasey could say another word, Sonny scorched Damien’s foot with an Ember. Damien swore so loudly that people from 30 miles away could probably hear him.Kasey smirked for an instant, then played innocent.
“Sonny, you bad, bad, Pokemon! You shouldn’t do that to He-Who-Thinks-He-Is-Better-Than-Everyone-Else!”She picked him up and whispered into his ear, “I think I love you!”, and giggled.
Alaina sighed and Jacoby shook his head. ‘They’ll be the death of me.’ ‘They’ll be the death of me.’, they unknowingly thought in unison.
“Fine, you can come.”, Kasey said haughtily, Sonny still in her arms. “So long as you don’t pester me, you’ll live.” She gave him one final glare. “I’ll be sure you regret ever coming with us.”, she innocently smiled.
Damien rolled his eyes at her taunt, following after her and the growling Charmander.
Alaina and Jacoby followed after, heads down and hearts heavy. This was gonna be a looooong journey… a painful one at that.
‘Where am I…?’ he thought. He sat up and looked around. He was in a peaceful beach area, a crystal blue ocean layed out before him. ‘Huh?’
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” a little girls’ voice said next to him.
He turned his head to see a cute pink Pokemon sitting next to him. She had a tail longer than her body, her hind legs large compared to her short arms, tiny fingers barely visible. Her eyes were as green as grass, her frame even smaller than his. She turned her pretty face towards him, waiting for an answer.
“I… guess.” he replied. “But how did I get here? Did you bring me here? Where’s Alaina? Who are you?”
She giggled. “You ask a lot of questions.”
He blinked. She seemed so… familiar. Her appearance… he felt as if someone told him about her before. She certainly wasn’t human, and yet he had no clue what kind of Pokemon type, or if she was even a Pokemon, at all. He just assumed she was.
She had no scent. But aren’t Ghost Pokemon the only ones who don’t have a scent?
“What did you bring me here for?” he asked.
She slowly levitated into the air. She wore a sad expression. “You can stop it,” she said.“Stop what?”“You can stop it,” she repeated. “You can stop the destruction. No one else can. You can prevent it from going to far…”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, now afraid and confused.
She looked to the sky. “They will come… and they will destroy until there is nothing left. Nothing.” She looked back towards him.“You must help me, help me please!”, she said in a panicked tone. “If I don’t get out, they’ll…” The sky turned black.
Something shot out of the clouds.
“NO!” she screamed. “I won’t go back, I…” But something clamped around her. A glass case in the shape of an oval, just big enough to fit her and her only. As if it was specifically made for her.
He was frightened, but still wanted to help her. He had no idea why. Why was he so determined to help someone he didn’t know?Before it took off into the clouds, he jumped and did his best to keep a hold on the case.
“It’s no use…” she said, her lovely face streaked with tears.“No!”, he said, “I’ll come for you. Wherever you are, I’ll find you somehow and help you escape! I promise!”
“You promise? But… you’re not strong enough!”
“I’ll get stronger! I will… and when I do, I‘ll help you!”She nodded, smiling despite her crying. “I have your word, then?”, she asked hopefully. “…Yes.”
“I’ll be seeing you…” she whispered as she closed her eyes.“I’ll be seeing you…”, he whispered in return.
His grip released the case, and he began to fall headfirst into the ocean waves. He realized the actions that just took place. He had made a promise… to a Pokemon he just met. He made a promise to help her… when he didn’t know what she needed to be saved from. He promised to help her escape… when he didn’t know where she was.
What did he do it for? Had he been caught up in the moment? Was it her pretty face, her familiarity? Pity?
“What have I done?”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jacoby sat up. “…Toto?” he said, breathing heavily. He looked around. He was laying on the couch in the living room. Bright sunlight was pouring into the room. “…How long was I sleeping?”
His dream flashed before his eyes. The shore, the strange girl Pokemon… that thing that shot out from the sky. His promise.Jacoby thought for a minute. ‘It was a dream, stupid! It didn’t mean anything.’
He ignored the sinking feeling in his gut, trying his best to erase the strange Pokemon’s pleading and sorrowful face from the mental image he had.
“Good morning!”, a voice said from the entrance. Alaina stood there, fully dressed and a slap-stick-happy smile on her face. “There’s my brave guy! Sleep well?”
Jacoby blinked, and memories from last night rushed back to him. Their kidnapper. The Bulbasaur. His first battle.
He returned his trainer’s smile. “To- Totodile!”She walked over to him, her eyes soft. Her hand reached up and stroked his head.
“True, we’ve only known each other for 26 hours,” she began, “but you already mean the world to me. I would have felt like a complete failure if that jerk had succeeded in taking you and Sonny.” “I’m glad you’re still here… very glad.”, she whispered, her forehead against his.
Jacoby’s heart pace quickened immensely. “T-Toto…” he replied. He realized he, too, had grown to care for his new trainer. He didn’t love her, no; it would take a while for him to love her. But he cared. He cared for her just as much as she cared for him. He accepted that.
She leaned back, and he noticed her eyes were bright with tears. Jacoby flinched. He had never seen a human cry before, and he felt uneasy. He didn’t like it. He didn’t want to see her cry. She looked so…
“Dile?”, he whispered. But the tears fell, and a sob escaped her throat. She leaned her back against the couch, her shaking hands clutching her loose jeans. “I… I’m sorry…”, she said. “I’m sorry… for all of it. What you had to go through last night…”. Another sob stopped her sentence.
Jacoby was confused. None of the events that happened last night were her or anyone else’s fault except for the thief himself. Yet, she was crying. Crying because she thought it was her fault? It didn’t make sense.He reached his tiny clawed hand out to her.
“Di-dile? Toto?”She looked at his small hands, and smiled sadly. She took his hand into hers, no bigger than her palm. “It’s okay…”, he said. He knew she couldn’t understand him, but he felt he had to say it anyways.
“Alaina?”, came Damien’s voice as he entered the room. She immediately scrubbed away her tears. “Yes?”, she answered as if nothing happened.“There’s someone here I think you’ll want to meet.” he replied with a slight smile. Curious, Alaina stood up.
She glanced at Jacoby, asking, “Coming?” “Tot! Di!” he said as jumped down from the couch. She smiled.As they entered the kitchen, she heard two voices, both male.
She looked to see Mr. Pokemon talking to a man who had his back turned to her. He had gray-mostly white hair, and a white lab coat with gray trousers. For her to see his face, Damien cleared his throat.
Mr. Pokemon took notice and smiled. “Damien, my boy! Here to introduce the new trainer to the infamous Prof. Oak?” Alaina’s stomach dropped, her eyes as wide as saucers. “P-Prof…. Oak?” she repeated.
The man finally turned. He seemed to be as old as 70 years, showing his stern, tired, but still friendly face and a dark blue shirt. “Ah, you must be Alaina! Mr. Pokemon was just telling me about you and you’re brave action to retrieve your stolen Pokemon! Might I say, a very well done act indeed.”
Jacoby yawned, already have lost interest in his praise. He looked up at Alaina, but alas, she was in a trance. He gave her pant-leg a quick tug to let her know he was exiting, and waddled out to find Sonny.
Alaina swore she was going to pass out. While her father was a champion coordinator and popular trainer, her mother worked at the research lab with Prof. Elm (though she is presently on maternity leave). She idolizes Prof. Oak, always rambling about his recent discoveries and his breakthrough on Pokemon knowledge. Boy, wait till she told Mom about this!
“Ah, buh-n…”, was all the brunette could say. Prof. Oak laughed loudly yet somewhat nervously. “Yes, this tends to happen a lot. No worries, mind you.” Alaina could only nod while Damien looked like he was about to burst from with held laughter.
“Anyways,”, Prof. Oak continued, “I have a gift for you and your companion. Your cousin, correct?” “Oh, um… yes!” she finally spoke. “Well then, here!”, he said cheerfully, handing her a red device.
Damien’s jaw dropped, clearly not finding anything humorous anymore. “A Pokedex? You’re giving her a Pokedex? Why would you-”
“What’s wrong with him givin’ her a Pokedex?” Kasey’s voice said from directly behind him.“Oh… you’re awake.” he said sourly. “Good morning to you too, sunshine.” she snapped sarcastically. She pushed him out of her way, careless if the seniors saw her do so. He gave her a dirty look. Alaina tried to sigh, but ended up giggling.
“And you as well,” he continued, handing her a Pokedex. She took it and began to study it, saying “How to you work this piece of-” “Ah, you press this!” Alaina said quickly. It flipped open. “Now… entertain yourself for a while. There’s tons of data on different types of Pokemon in there.” Alaina whispered.
The orange-head smirked. “Why, Alaina, are you worried that I might embarrass you? How could you think of me in such a way?”Alaina gave Damien a pleading look. He rolled his eyes, saying, “C’mon Kasey. I, uh… need to show you something. It’s important.”She stared at him for a minute. “…What’re you gonna show me?” she asked cautiously.
Damien turned bright red. “Oh, you’re so perv-!” he began, but quickly calmed down so as not to make himself look immature in front of the older men.Still flaming red, he persisted. “Just- just c’mon!” Kasey had a mixture of a triumphant yet uncertain smile on her face as she followed him out.
“Yes, well…”, Prof. Oak continued, “Those Pokedex’s have the latest upgrades yet. It has documentations on every known species out there presently. But I have a favor to ask of you in return for this gift.”Alaina nodded. “Anything.” “You have heard of Ash Ketchum, correct?” “Who didn’t know who he was? The greatest Pokemon Champion to ever live!”Prof. Oak nodded, now saddened. Mr. Pokemon placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, urging him to continue.“Then you also know what happened about 3 years ago?”, his voice was now choked up with slight overwhelming emotion.
Alaina was now a bit uncomfortable, seeing a legend of a man on the verge of crying.She then felt like punching herself. ‘You expectant bitch, how could you think that? He’s human too, so stop acting stupid! Don’t judge people like that!’
Alaina gave a sigh and said, “Yes, I do. My father was one of the first to hear it, and he told me. His death at the cavern in the depths of the Hoenn sea? Wasn’t there a cave in?” she asked, still trying to remember all of what her father had told her.Prof. Oak nodded again.
“He was traveling everywhere, even places he had already been to, in search of new Pokemon to capture or record data. He and his friend Todd even managed to get pictures of Pokemon never seen before.”
“Todd fell ill, and had to be treated at the Mossdeep City Hospital for a few days. Ash was anticipating going on another hunt, but still stood by Todd’s side. Todd would not have it, and urged Ash to keep going forward if he wanted to keep searching, and that they would meet up in Lilycove.”
“Ash bid his goodbye, and went out to the sea. His wife, Misty Waterflower, was the last to hear him alive. You see, once in awhile he would call her and to tell her of his progress, telling her he was alright and that he would be home soon. So was the situation that she had been the last to hear his voice.”
“According to professionals, he had found a cave at the mid-bottom of the ocean. He searched it thoroughly, but when he went further in, something made the entire ocean shake… an earthquake, perhaps… and it collapsed right onto Ash.”
“His body was lost to the ocean, his belongings, including his Pokedex, and every piece of research he ever discovered… gone with him.”
“Todd’s photos were the only remaining proof that they had seen what we merely thought was unimaginable.”, he finally finished.“No other’s Pokedex comes close to what Ash accomplished. And now, I ask of you, Alaina… will you join the hunt with the few other trainers? Search for different kinds of Pokemon, far and wide?”
Alaina nearly swallowed her tongue, but gave a quiet “Yes.” ‘What else can I say if I’m given this opportunity?’
The Prof. immediately cheered up. “Thank you, Alaina, thank you very much!”In a matter of minutes, he registered his number into her Pokegear.
“You must call me when you’ve found some type of discovery, alright?” Alaina smiled weakly, “Yeah.”“Here,” he said, handing her 5 pint-sized poke balls. He put 5 more on the table, “and these are for your cousin.”
He turned to Mr. Pokemon. “I should be on my way now, Tom.” Mr. Pokemon nodded. “Of course, of course. You’re a busy man, Samuel! You’ll stop for another visit soon?” “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”, he replied.
He was exiting through the back door, but turned and stared at Alaina for a bit. “Y’know…”, he began, “you seem so… Ah, never mind. We’ll definitely meet again. I’ll be sure to attend the Pokemon Championships, because I already know you’ll be there.”, he finished with a smile. Alaina swelled with pride, clearly visible in her smile.
“Tom.”, he bid farewell with a nod and walked out the door.
“Um…”, Alaina began, “thank you so much for your hospitality Mr. Pokemon. Kasey and I should be leaving now.”
“Very well,” he said. “I bid you the best of luck on your quest, lassie.”Alaina smiled and walked out to get Kasey.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After giving Prof. Elm a call to let him know they were okay (Alaina apologized for not doing it earlier) and calling home to reassure their family, the girls had gathered their belongings, Pokemon as well, and headed out.
As they went back towards the road, they heard running footsteps behind them. The group turned their heads to see Damien running towards them… a bag slung over his shoulder.
Jacoby sweat-dropped and Sonny frowned. ‘Why is that loser coming?’, the Charmander thought. Kasey twitched.
“He’s coming with us?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”, she whispered in a high pitched voice to Alaina.“I didn’t… know he was coming. Honestly,” Alaina replied.Kasey could tell when the brunette genuinely meant what she said, and she wasn’t lying by the obvious puzzled look on her face that mirrored Kasey’s.
Damien finally reached the girls, a big smile on his face.
“Hello.” The girls blinked. He looked between them. “What?”
“Thanks for asking to come with us.” Kasey stated sarcastically. “Why are you here? Doesn’t your daddy need you?”He stared Kasey down for a minute, but his tone became shockingly serious.
“You guys are a pair of dumb asses, reckless and all that. The stunt you pulled last night made me realize this. Your Pokemon are still weak, *both Jacoby and Sonny growled at this* so you need some kind of protection. A more experienced trainer, really.”
Alaina frowned and snapped, “No need for name-calling, Damien.” “No Alaina; allow me.” Kasey said rather sweetly… but the sickly kind of sweet.
She turned her auburn-hazel gaze of wrath to Damien. “Thanks so much for your… ‘selfless’… concern, asshole. You’re right about one thing, though. We should get a more experienced trainer just in case… so there really is no need for you, little boy, since you don’t fit the description. Run on home to daddy, now.”
Damien stood his ground, his blue eyes now a treacherous black-green looking color. “Listen, short stack,” he rasped, “I’m comin’ whether you like it or not. Not just to look after you, but to improve my skills as a trainer as well.”, he stopped to catch his breath.
“So don’t think this is all about you, because it isn’t. In fact, you should be thanking me for even wasting my time with you guys. This was a request for me from Prof. Oak, and he looks forward to see what kind of Pokemon I can catch and breed… since I‘m fairly experienced in those fields already.”, he finished cockily.
Kasey nearly pounced on him. Not only did she detest and reject his demands with ‘colorful’ words, she hated the name ‘short stack’ with a passion. She had been called that ever since she was a child.
If it weren’t for the small reptiles attaching themselves to her legs that weighed her down, and Alaina’s arms around her stomach holding her back… she certainly would have destroyed him.
“Kasey, calm down! He’s right… well, not completely, but still… Prof. Oak sent him to watch our backs, and that’s a nice thing, right? So I agree; he should come.”Kasey stared at Alaina for a minute, and Sonny snickered, already predicting what his trainer would do next.
“Alaina, as much as I love you… that speech meant nothing to me. He’s a cocky bastard, and doesn’t deserve to come with us! He’d only bug the hell outta me for the sheer humor of it!” Kasey growled, returning her glare towards the boy.
“Hey, Kasey? If I recall correctly… I saved you from breaking your neck when we gave chase after Alaina. You could’ve died from that fall… so I pretty much saved your life, you inconsiderate brat!” he shot back.
Before Kasey could say another word, Sonny scorched Damien’s foot with an Ember. Damien swore so loudly that people from 30 miles away could probably hear him.Kasey smirked for an instant, then played innocent.
“Sonny, you bad, bad, Pokemon! You shouldn’t do that to He-Who-Thinks-He-Is-Better-Than-Everyone-Else!”She picked him up and whispered into his ear, “I think I love you!”, and giggled.
Alaina sighed and Jacoby shook his head. ‘They’ll be the death of me.’ ‘They’ll be the death of me.’, they unknowingly thought in unison.
“Fine, you can come.”, Kasey said haughtily, Sonny still in her arms. “So long as you don’t pester me, you’ll live.” She gave him one final glare. “I’ll be sure you regret ever coming with us.”, she innocently smiled.
Damien rolled his eyes at her taunt, following after her and the growling Charmander.
Alaina and Jacoby followed after, heads down and hearts heavy. This was gonna be a looooong journey… a painful one at that.