Kiera Namir
April 25th, 2006, 03:40 pm
Alex stepped out of the Pewter City Pok?mart, humming happily to himself. Pinned to the lapel of his coat was the Boulder Badge.
"Man I wish I could've been there to see you fight Brock!" Matt exclaimed. Alex's Butterfree settled on his shoulder with a soft coo and proceeded to snoop through his pockets, looking for a treat. It came back with a piece of Rare Candy and, when Alex didn't protest, started nibbling at it.
"Luka gave 'em quite a show." The hybrid replied, reaching up to pat the bug's head. "All that difficult training paid off; Brock's Onix didn't stand a chance again Confusion."
"Bree!" Luka agreed, and shoved the rest of the candy in its mouth.
"Well, now that I have some money of my own, let's do lunch. I'm starving!"
The trio walked down the street, looking for a small restaurant. Peter was looking through a city map. "Did you know they have a museum here? We should check it out before we leave."
"That does sound fun." Alex agreed. "Where is it?"
"Other side of the city; there should be some sort of public transportation that can take us right to it."
"Food!" Matt cheered, running into a Burger King. The two older trainers cast each other questioning glances.
Peter shrugged. "Well, it's better than nothing." They walked in together, and found Matt giving the poor cashier a headache.
"Is he yours?" the cashier asked, giving the blond an accusing glare.
Peter nodded reluctantly. "Unfortunately." He grabbed Matt's shoulder and squeezed hard, making the boy yelp.
"Ow, hey! Lemme go!"
The cashier decided to ignore the boys and turned her gaze to Alex. "I'm sorry sir, we don't serve Pok?mon here."
Alex froze, thinking his disguise had been seen through, when he realized she meant Synder and Luka. He frowned at her then turned to the boys, handing Peter ten dollars. "You know what to get for me." He said, and left with his two Pok?mon.
Seven minutes later, the two boys joined their friend outside. They sat on a bench on the sidewalk, and Peter handed out their meals. Alex had barely bitten into his cheeseburger when an ambulance rushed by, heading for the Pok?mon Center. Before he could even begin to wonder what happened, a strong sense of foreboding washed over him. Something... Something definitely wasn't right.
Alex jumped up, completely forgetting his lunch. "Stay here!" he demanded, and ran off. Matt and Peter exchanged confused glances, and decided to stay put.
The hybrid walked through the Center's front doors and found Brock pacing in the waiting room. Alex could feel strong waves of worry and sadness coming from the young man. "Brock..." he called softly, and the Gym Leader looked up at him. "What happened?"
"Gi... Giovanni came, and asked for a battle, saying he wanted to try out his new Pok?mon... That... that thing he brought with him nearly killed Geodude and Onix!"
Giovanni... Oh dear god!
"If I had known how strong it was, I would have refused..." He took a deep breath to calm his jumbled nerves. "Joy's doing all she can to help them, but she doesn't have the equipment needed to deal with such high-leveled injuries..."
Alex sighed. I wish there was some way I could help... He twirled a strand of hair around a finger, thinking. So Giovanni did this, that bastard...
They both turned as Nurse Joy entered the waiting room. "I called the Celadon City Pok?mon Center," she announced. "Your Pok?mon are being sent there to receive the treatment they need. They're sending a helicopter to give you a lift."
Brock managed a smile and nodded his thanks, and Nurse Joy disappeared to the back to tend to other injured Pok?mon.
Twenty minutes later brought Brock's ride, and Matt and Peter, both very curious. After Brock walked outside, Alex explained what happened.
"Oh wow..."
"You're going after him, arent you?" Peter asked. "That's why you train so hard..."
Alex nodded. "At first, it was a personal vendetta... I wanted revenge for my ruined life. But now... There's no telling what that new Pok?mon of his will cause. I have to stop him."
"I'm staying with you!" Matt exclaimed. "Cause someone's gotta be there to give you that extra push when you need it!"
Peter and Alex stared. That was a rather mature thing to hear coming from a twelve-year-old boy...
"If that's the case," Peter added, "then I'm sticking with you as well."
Alex raised an eyebrow. It was a comforting sentiment, but... "Sure, you say that now... We'll see if you keep your word when we actually reach Giovanni." The boys nodded.
It was silent for a while, then--
"Are you gonna finish your lunch, Alex?"
Alex sighed and took his re-wrapped burger and strawberry milkshake away from Matt. "Yes, I am." The boy groaned in disappointment, but otherwise didn't argue.
~~*~~
The trip to the museum had been canceled with the promise that they'd visit it next time they were in Pewter City. Right now, Alex was eager to get on with his training.
The trio had stayed overnight in the Pok?mon Center at the base of Mount Moon, letting their Pok?mon rest before beginning the trip through the caves.
Alex had been up with the sun, and somehow managed to push two half-asleep trainers and their Pok?mon out the Center's front doors.
"Come on! I wanna get going before any other trainers are up!"
Peter grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'evil bastard' but followed Alex out anyway. Matt, on the other hand, showed no resistance whatsoever. He simply trudged out behind Peter, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Alex gently nudged Synder ahead of them, the flame of her tail lighting the dark cave. They found remains of a few fires further in, showing that some trainers had decided to camp out in the caves instead. Alex made a mental note to try that at the next cave they passed through.
It wasn't until nearly four hours later that they finally sat down for breakfast. Peter was looking over the map of Mount Moon he'd gotten at the Center, and stated that they were already a third of the way through.
"It's not very long, actually." The blond explained. "If there was a direct path through the mountain, we'd be in the fields just outside of Cerulean by now. No one wanted to destroy the caves though, so we're kind of stuck going through this maze." He turned the map around to show them.
"Oh, well that's not so bad." Alex thought aloud. "I mean, if we just ignore all these ladders going off into different caverns, there's no possible way we'd get lost." Matt nodded his agreement and stuffed the last of his sandwich into his mouth.
~~*~~
It was nearing midnight and they still hadn't made it out of the caves, on account of Matt tripping over a Geodude and spraining his ankle. Alex had opted to carry the boy on his back, wishing they'd thought to bring some painkillers for themselves. He told Peter to add 'ibuprofen' to their list of things to buy in Cerulean City. A run-in with a group of hikers provided them with some extra money for such things.
Noticing that Peter and Synder were both dragging their feet (Matt had already fallen asleep on his back), Alex decided to call it a night. He helped to tuck Matt into his sleeping bag, then stretched out on his own. Synder and Peter were unconscious in mere seconds. He, however, couldn't seem to get to sleep.
After a few minutes of just lying there with his eyes closed, they snapped right open again and he sat up. Something was moving just beyond the reach of Synder's light. A tiny pebble tumbled just into view, and whatever it was froze. Alex slowly shifted off his bed roll, and padded silently toward the stilled figure. Just as he was within a couple feet of it, it suddenly moved again and tried to run off, but very quickly found a long purple tail wrapped around it. "Pii!" it squealed.
Alex rose an eyebrow, bringing the struggling creature into the light.
It was a Clefairy...
He stared. It stared back, apparently just as surprised as he was. It had seen plenty of humans before, but nothing like him.
Alex knelt down to seem less threatening and set the fairy Pok?mon back on the ground, but didn't loosen the grip of his tail. "I won't hurt you..." he soothed, reaching out to stroke its head. The Clefairy flinched away, laying its ears back, but it didn't deter him. He gently stroked its head, rubbing behind its ears, until it came closer to him of its own will. "That's it..." He smiled.
The hybrid reached over to his coat, pulling it closer and retrieving a plastic bag from one of the pockets. Contained inside were various pieces of candy. The Clefairy eyed it curiously. Alex smiled and pulled out a strawberry candy, unwrapped it and held it out.
The Pok?mon sniffed at the treat in his hand, then carefully took the candy and licked it. Apparently it liked the candy, since it had happily stuck the while piece in its mouth afterward.
Alex grinned. Apparently he'd just gotten himself a new (and rare) Pok?mon.
"Man I wish I could've been there to see you fight Brock!" Matt exclaimed. Alex's Butterfree settled on his shoulder with a soft coo and proceeded to snoop through his pockets, looking for a treat. It came back with a piece of Rare Candy and, when Alex didn't protest, started nibbling at it.
"Luka gave 'em quite a show." The hybrid replied, reaching up to pat the bug's head. "All that difficult training paid off; Brock's Onix didn't stand a chance again Confusion."
"Bree!" Luka agreed, and shoved the rest of the candy in its mouth.
"Well, now that I have some money of my own, let's do lunch. I'm starving!"
The trio walked down the street, looking for a small restaurant. Peter was looking through a city map. "Did you know they have a museum here? We should check it out before we leave."
"That does sound fun." Alex agreed. "Where is it?"
"Other side of the city; there should be some sort of public transportation that can take us right to it."
"Food!" Matt cheered, running into a Burger King. The two older trainers cast each other questioning glances.
Peter shrugged. "Well, it's better than nothing." They walked in together, and found Matt giving the poor cashier a headache.
"Is he yours?" the cashier asked, giving the blond an accusing glare.
Peter nodded reluctantly. "Unfortunately." He grabbed Matt's shoulder and squeezed hard, making the boy yelp.
"Ow, hey! Lemme go!"
The cashier decided to ignore the boys and turned her gaze to Alex. "I'm sorry sir, we don't serve Pok?mon here."
Alex froze, thinking his disguise had been seen through, when he realized she meant Synder and Luka. He frowned at her then turned to the boys, handing Peter ten dollars. "You know what to get for me." He said, and left with his two Pok?mon.
Seven minutes later, the two boys joined their friend outside. They sat on a bench on the sidewalk, and Peter handed out their meals. Alex had barely bitten into his cheeseburger when an ambulance rushed by, heading for the Pok?mon Center. Before he could even begin to wonder what happened, a strong sense of foreboding washed over him. Something... Something definitely wasn't right.
Alex jumped up, completely forgetting his lunch. "Stay here!" he demanded, and ran off. Matt and Peter exchanged confused glances, and decided to stay put.
The hybrid walked through the Center's front doors and found Brock pacing in the waiting room. Alex could feel strong waves of worry and sadness coming from the young man. "Brock..." he called softly, and the Gym Leader looked up at him. "What happened?"
"Gi... Giovanni came, and asked for a battle, saying he wanted to try out his new Pok?mon... That... that thing he brought with him nearly killed Geodude and Onix!"
Giovanni... Oh dear god!
"If I had known how strong it was, I would have refused..." He took a deep breath to calm his jumbled nerves. "Joy's doing all she can to help them, but she doesn't have the equipment needed to deal with such high-leveled injuries..."
Alex sighed. I wish there was some way I could help... He twirled a strand of hair around a finger, thinking. So Giovanni did this, that bastard...
They both turned as Nurse Joy entered the waiting room. "I called the Celadon City Pok?mon Center," she announced. "Your Pok?mon are being sent there to receive the treatment they need. They're sending a helicopter to give you a lift."
Brock managed a smile and nodded his thanks, and Nurse Joy disappeared to the back to tend to other injured Pok?mon.
Twenty minutes later brought Brock's ride, and Matt and Peter, both very curious. After Brock walked outside, Alex explained what happened.
"Oh wow..."
"You're going after him, arent you?" Peter asked. "That's why you train so hard..."
Alex nodded. "At first, it was a personal vendetta... I wanted revenge for my ruined life. But now... There's no telling what that new Pok?mon of his will cause. I have to stop him."
"I'm staying with you!" Matt exclaimed. "Cause someone's gotta be there to give you that extra push when you need it!"
Peter and Alex stared. That was a rather mature thing to hear coming from a twelve-year-old boy...
"If that's the case," Peter added, "then I'm sticking with you as well."
Alex raised an eyebrow. It was a comforting sentiment, but... "Sure, you say that now... We'll see if you keep your word when we actually reach Giovanni." The boys nodded.
It was silent for a while, then--
"Are you gonna finish your lunch, Alex?"
Alex sighed and took his re-wrapped burger and strawberry milkshake away from Matt. "Yes, I am." The boy groaned in disappointment, but otherwise didn't argue.
~~*~~
The trip to the museum had been canceled with the promise that they'd visit it next time they were in Pewter City. Right now, Alex was eager to get on with his training.
The trio had stayed overnight in the Pok?mon Center at the base of Mount Moon, letting their Pok?mon rest before beginning the trip through the caves.
Alex had been up with the sun, and somehow managed to push two half-asleep trainers and their Pok?mon out the Center's front doors.
"Come on! I wanna get going before any other trainers are up!"
Peter grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'evil bastard' but followed Alex out anyway. Matt, on the other hand, showed no resistance whatsoever. He simply trudged out behind Peter, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Alex gently nudged Synder ahead of them, the flame of her tail lighting the dark cave. They found remains of a few fires further in, showing that some trainers had decided to camp out in the caves instead. Alex made a mental note to try that at the next cave they passed through.
It wasn't until nearly four hours later that they finally sat down for breakfast. Peter was looking over the map of Mount Moon he'd gotten at the Center, and stated that they were already a third of the way through.
"It's not very long, actually." The blond explained. "If there was a direct path through the mountain, we'd be in the fields just outside of Cerulean by now. No one wanted to destroy the caves though, so we're kind of stuck going through this maze." He turned the map around to show them.
"Oh, well that's not so bad." Alex thought aloud. "I mean, if we just ignore all these ladders going off into different caverns, there's no possible way we'd get lost." Matt nodded his agreement and stuffed the last of his sandwich into his mouth.
~~*~~
It was nearing midnight and they still hadn't made it out of the caves, on account of Matt tripping over a Geodude and spraining his ankle. Alex had opted to carry the boy on his back, wishing they'd thought to bring some painkillers for themselves. He told Peter to add 'ibuprofen' to their list of things to buy in Cerulean City. A run-in with a group of hikers provided them with some extra money for such things.
Noticing that Peter and Synder were both dragging their feet (Matt had already fallen asleep on his back), Alex decided to call it a night. He helped to tuck Matt into his sleeping bag, then stretched out on his own. Synder and Peter were unconscious in mere seconds. He, however, couldn't seem to get to sleep.
After a few minutes of just lying there with his eyes closed, they snapped right open again and he sat up. Something was moving just beyond the reach of Synder's light. A tiny pebble tumbled just into view, and whatever it was froze. Alex slowly shifted off his bed roll, and padded silently toward the stilled figure. Just as he was within a couple feet of it, it suddenly moved again and tried to run off, but very quickly found a long purple tail wrapped around it. "Pii!" it squealed.
Alex rose an eyebrow, bringing the struggling creature into the light.
It was a Clefairy...
He stared. It stared back, apparently just as surprised as he was. It had seen plenty of humans before, but nothing like him.
Alex knelt down to seem less threatening and set the fairy Pok?mon back on the ground, but didn't loosen the grip of his tail. "I won't hurt you..." he soothed, reaching out to stroke its head. The Clefairy flinched away, laying its ears back, but it didn't deter him. He gently stroked its head, rubbing behind its ears, until it came closer to him of its own will. "That's it..." He smiled.
The hybrid reached over to his coat, pulling it closer and retrieving a plastic bag from one of the pockets. Contained inside were various pieces of candy. The Clefairy eyed it curiously. Alex smiled and pulled out a strawberry candy, unwrapped it and held it out.
The Pok?mon sniffed at the treat in his hand, then carefully took the candy and licked it. Apparently it liked the candy, since it had happily stuck the while piece in its mouth afterward.
Alex grinned. Apparently he'd just gotten himself a new (and rare) Pok?mon.