Post by WT on Oct 8, 2008 14:09:18 GMT 12
Episode 3: It’s all Family, Friends, and Rivals!
Ash tightened the strap and pulled his bag over his shoulders, breathing out and watching his breath linger in front of him for a moment, then dispersing.
The sun was shining brightly, but emitted no heat, as they packed up from the previous night’s stay. They camped out last night, since it got too late to keep walking. Before they pitched their tents and rolled out their sleeping bags, they decided that they’d go to Mossy Town on the way to Serpintine City. Cole told Ash that his family lived there, and that he wanted to show them his newly received Purrlit. He was very excited.
Ash gripped his backpack’s straps and started down the road with Cole right behind him. Pikachu rested quietly on his shoulder as he moved down the pathway with ease. No rush, he thought.
“This is so awesome!” Cole said, fidgeting as he walked. He couldn’t keep still. “I can’t wait to show them Purrlit! He’s so cool!” He looked down at his belt where his one pokéball was attached. He smiled when Purrlit came to mind. “Ash, isn’t this awesome?”
Ash looked at him. It really wasn’t awesome, but he didn’t want to sound rude. “Yeah, awesome.” He said, not the slightest sound of sarcasm in his voice.
They walked together for a while down the path, silence befalling them. Cole was still trembling with excitement and Pikachu was still taciturn upon Ash’s shoulder, ears perked high.
Ash stepped over a pothole in the path and so did Cole, continuing to walk and still not talking on this fine day in the forest. The birds were singing in the green canopy above, ruffling their feathers and huddling together to keep warm on this cool morning. Animals in the hollow trees watched the two as they meandered down the causeway, caution welling up in their gentle souls.
The two soon came to a river that ran far into the mountains and up the rocky masses, weaving in and out of stone towers and into the breathing ocean that swelled serenely. A thick fallen tree acted as a bridge across the river, touching down on the other side. They each stepped onto the long log and walked across it, stepping down onto the dirt path on the other side. A herd of Bibaral and Bidoof were hacking away at trees in the forest with their mighty teeth, letting them fall onto the ground with great thuds that shook the earth. The river sloshed around underneath the log, cold spray lashing up at the passersby, then falling back into the running water below.
Finally Cole broke the silence that befell them all this way.
"Did you know my brother's a Gym Leader?" Cole stepped beside Ash, looking at him with his sea-blue eyes.
"No, I didn't. Was I supposed to?" Ash said, feeling a pain in his stomach. Cole’s brother was to be his future opponent.
"No. It’s just that you'll have to face him soon and so'll I."Cole too felt a pain in his stomach as he thought of fighting his brother.
"Oh, so you're doing Gym Battles?"
"No. Gym Contests,"
"What're those?" Ash stopped and turned to Cole.
"They're just like Gym Battles, except you don't get badges, you get medals. And you only need five medals to go into the championship."
"Well, what do you get when you win the championship?" Ash started walking again.
"To be a Gym Leader,"
"So, you want to be a Gym Leader, then?"
"Yeah, just like my brother, Wade. And my Dad, and my Mother, but they're retired. My brother's one in Waytide City. He specializes in water types."
"What type do you want to specialize in, then?"
The thought struck Cole. He had no clue what type. He never really thought about it much; just the fact about being Gym Leader was hard enough to overcome.
He just shrugged his shoulders and things became quiet again.
After hours of walking deeper into the forest, they came across a Pokémon Centre.
Ash pushed the door inward and the warm air greated him and Cole. The woman behind the counter greated them and Ash stepped up, handing her his Pokédex. She had a look of distraught for a moment, staring down at the device, then, as if remembering a long lost thought, jutted it into a machine and a green light flashed on. She smiled and said, “Just a moment, it’s loading your identification into the Trainer Mainstream; you’ll be entered into the Rikoto League soon.” She pointed to a couch. “You can have a seat there if you like.”
Ash moved to the couch and made himself comfortable. Cole handed her his Pokédex too and she did the same, plugging it in right next to Ash’s Pokédex.
“No, Gym Contests, not the League.”
She brought her hand to her mouth. “Oh, dear!” She quickly pressed a series of buttons and keys and his Pokédex was ejected and she placed it into a different machine. She smiled and he took a seat by Ash, sinking his back into the soft couch.
“Cole?” a voice said. He turned and saw a girl about his age, sitting not too far away from him. Her purple hair hung brilliantly, acting as a curtain. She was clothed in pink, from head to toe. It was Ella. “Is that really you, Cole?”
“Ella, why’re you here?” he asked.
“I could ask you the same question.”
They both stood up in unison and gave one another a hug.
Cole turned to Ash. “Ash, this is Ella. We were friends since kindergarten.” He turned back to Ella. “But why’re you so far away from town?”
“Well, I heard from your mom that you were on your way to Professor Pinewood’s lab in Soltree, so I came to find you.”
“Well, why, though?”
“Well, duh silly; so I can battle you.”
Cole was confused. “What? You don’t have a Pokémon, though.”
“Yeah I do.”
“Then where’s the pokéball.”
She pointed at the lady behind the counter. The lady looked up and smiled, her hand waving profusely back and forth. She went back to her work.
“She has it. This is a Pokémon Centre, idiot.”
“What happened?”
“On the way here, me and my Pokémon ran into some trouble. Some wild Poochyena ambushed us from out of nowhere.” She said, gesticulating the attack. “My Pokémon fought long and hard, but there were too many, and it got worn out, and they beat it up badly. So I had to carry it through the crowd of Poochyena all the way here. Luckily this place was close by.”
“I’m sorry.” Cole said sympathetically.
“It’s okay; she should be healed back to normal in no time. She’s a trooper, that girl.” Ella looked back at the lady and the lady waved profoundly again. Then two beeps sounded from the machines.
“They’re ready, you two!” the lady jerked them from the machines and waved them in the air, jumping up and down.
Ash confronted her and snatched it from her hand, Cole did the same.
“These are delicate. Treat them with care.” Ash said, frowning. “But thank you.” She smiled and handed Ella her pokéball. The three walked out the door into the cool morning.
“So, Cole; are you ready to battle?”
“What?”
“I didn’t come all this way for nothing.”
Ash took a seat on a nearby bench.
“Oh, yeah.” He gripped his pokéball and it grew in his hand as he pinched it. “I’m ready.”
“Okay, it’s a one-on-one battle.” She threw her ball to the ground and a pallid cat emerged.
“No duh.” Cole threw his to the ground too and Purrlit readied itself; flame smoldering hot at the tip of its tail.
“Purrlit? Why’d you choose Purrlit?”
“You’ll see in a sec.”
Ash held out his Pokédex and flipped the screen up, an image of Ella’s Pokémon appearing on it. A voice activated and said: “Pruddy: the pretty Pokémon. When it wiggles its tail, supersonic waves pulsate through the air and nearby people are overwhelmed with happiness.” Ash closed it and placed it in his pocket.
The battle began.
Pruddy dashed forward with incredible speed and bashed into Purrlit, the two tumbling together in the dirt. Pruddy bit down on Purrlit’s ear and yanked around, its teeth not quite biting down hard enough. Purrlit rolled over and tossed Pruddy aside, sending the Pokémon crashing into the ground. Pruddy let out a yelp as it collided with the earth. It looked up, smiling, and then raced back to Purrlit, bashing into it again. Purrlit bared its teeth and snapped at Pruddy, forcing Pruddy off of it. Pruddy jumped back and wagged its tail. Purrlit smiled too, and wagged its tail just like Pruddy.
Pruddy wasn’t fighting, it was playing.
Cole ignored the playfulness and told Purrlit to knock it off and finish the battle.
Purrlit let out a conflagration of fire, locks of smoke twisting in the air. It surrounded the white creature and raced inward. Pruddy watched as the smoldering flames leapt out toward it, a stream of light escaping its mouth, a sparkling radiance wrapped around it. Then, the fire was gone and in its place was just a ring of smoke, dispersing into the cold air. Cole saw that Purrlit lay on the ground, out cold, abrasions covering its body.
The battle was over.
A red light surrounded Purrlit and it was gone. The same was done to Pruddy, as Ella walked forward to Cole.
“Good, job.” She held out her thumbs. “But not quite what I was expecting from you, Cole.”
“It was playing, though.”
“No, it was fighting. Pruddy lets its opponents think that it’s just a game to weaken them. When the opponent thinks it’s an easy win, Pruddy takes advantage and hits their weak spot.”
“But—” a hand was on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, we all lose sometimes.” It was Ash. “Even I do.”
“So where are you two going?” Ella asked.
“Mossy town. Wanna come?” Cole replied, looking back at her.
“Sure, I’m heading back anyway.”
They each looked at their pokéballs, the two cats resting peacefully inside the red and white spheres.
Small box houses lined the street in perfect measurements. The smell of freshly cut grass hung in the air, as the group walked down the sidewalk. The sun was high in the sky and still, no heat. It was growing colder every hour, even though the sun was growing brighter. Cole stopped at a house and turned onto the driveway, walking up to the front porch. He let himself into the house, poking his head through the doorway and scanning the front hall. No one was there. There was a car in the driveway, but no sign of anyone in the house.
Cole stepped into the hallway and checked a closet. Empty. He walked through the kitchen, checking the pantry and under the table. No one there either.
“What’re you doing?” Ella asked.
“Shh. I’m looking for people.” She was quiet and he continued to look. He searched upstairs, through all the rooms and in the basement: no one. Then he made his way to the back door and slid it open quietly.
“Surprise!” his mom jumped out at him and wrapped her arms around his frail body. He was trembling with fear.
“You scared me, ma.” He said, sharing the hug. Cole’s dad walked up to him and Cole smiled. An Aron was resting in his arms, smiling too.
“This is Aron, Cole.” He held the steel-framed Pokémon up to him. Cole took it in his hands and smiled. The Aron’s smile grew bigger and it let out a tiny purr. His dad took it back and set it down on the back porch, watching it scamper away into the yard.
“Russ, here, just caught it yesterday. It was wandering the streets, trying to find its mother, but it failed. So he took it in.”
“And Kitty, here, is nursing it back to health. It was attacked by a Tailow and had a large gash in its foreleg. Did you notice the bandage?” They smiled at each other, then a blonde boy pushed in between them and confronted Cole. The boy looked at Ash.
“Who’s your friend?”
“Oh, yeah, this is Ash and Pikachu. Ash is an awesome trainer and is your future opponent, Wade.”
“Trainer, huh? You won’t win at my Gym.” He rolled his hand into a fist and punched it into his other hand. “I’m awesome!”
“Stop being so self-absorbed, Wade.” Ella said.
“Oh, hey, Ella. I haven’t seen you for a while.”
“It’s been like four days.”
“Oh, yeah.” He backed up.
Then a cry was heard from the back yard. Everyone turned to see Aron scampering into the bushes and a robotic leg planted into the earth. Ash pushed through Cole’s parents and ran down the staircase and into the yard. The robot was large and green, steel thorns and puffy body. It was built like a Solshrub.
“Go away, Team Rocket!” Ash screamed at the top of his lungs.
A robotic arm shot out and latched onto Pikachu, pulling him from Ash’s shoulder. Cole and Ella gripped their pokéballs and threw them to the ground releasing Purrlit and Pruddy. The Pokémon purred as they hit the ground, readying themselves for the battle. Two more robotic arms reached out and picked up the cats, pulling them back to where Pikachu was held. The three Pokémon cried out, scared of the evil mass of metal suspending them high off the ground.
“No!” the two kids shouted in unison.
“Yes!” the three thieves answered, rising on a platform.
“Not so fast!” Wade runs forward, throwing three pokéballs out, three Pokémon emerging and growling. A bright pink mass of coral waddled forward and let out a series of spikes, penetrating the metal surface. A tall blue salamander twisted its body fluidly and rolled its hand into a fist. The green spots on its hand glowed purple and the Pokémon dashed forward with incredible speed. Its purple fist bashed at the robot, leaving large dents in the metal structure. Then the creature with a lily pad atop its head leaped forward and a beam of light surged at the robot, sparkling radiance wrapped around it.
A small crack is all that appeared.
Team Rocket laughed as they watched the struggling Pokémon.
Then Russ threw a pokéball and a large steel snake towered in the air, roaring in anger. It coiled its body, waiting for a command. Russ yelled out what to do and its tail beat down at the robot, tearing the leg away, sparks flying. Team Rocket screamed as the robot shook. A series of bubbles streamed from the bright pink coral. The bubbles exploded with contact of the robot and the fracture was made bigger.
“Good job, Corsola.” Wade said.
The coral squeaked with happiness.
The beam of light surge again from the lily pad Pokémon and a ring of water pulsated through the air, colliding with the robot, breaking the other leg off and sending the robot crashing to the ground. Purrlit, Pruddy, and Pikachu, crawled toward their trainers, ready to finish the battle. Jesse threw two pokéballs out and a large snake slithered toward the group, its tail glowing purple, and a large dragonfly buzzing in the air, pointing its stinger down.
James tossed his ball out and Solshrub made its dramatic entrance. The Pokémon rolled around and started charging a green ball. Yanmega zipped forward and slashed at the lily pad Pokémon with its stinger, the lily pad Pokémon jumped back and a blast of water sent Yanmega flying backward and hitting the ground.
“Excellent, Lombre!” The lily pad Pokémon held its thumbs up as if agreeing. Seviper lashed out, with its fangs bared, at the salamander and the salamander held up its arm in defense, but Seviper sunk its fangs into it and threw it to the ground. “No! Salanip!” Wade ran toward it and returned it to the ball. It was in too much pain to keep going.
Cole entered the battle and commanded Purrlit to use ember. A fiery blast was exerted from the cat and the flames hit Solshrub. The green Pokémon shook away the pain and finished charging the green ball, sending it toward Purrlit. The ball was moving at a tremendous speed toward Purrlit and just as it was going to fire another round of flames, a white surge blasted through the air at Solshrub and sent the Pokémon packing.
Then Pikachu let out a surge of electricity and a large crack of lightings struck the yard, smoke billowing in the air as it pounded down at the thieves. The three thieves were sent flying through the air from the impact, away in the sky, rising higher and higher.
Pikachu made a squeal of enjoyment as it resumed its position on Ash’s shoulder. The red splotches on its cheeks were still buzzing with electricity.
“Thanks Wade.” Cole said, giving him a hug.
“No problem, but it was Ash that sent them packing.”
“But it was you who got Pikachu back for me.”
“And Purrlit back for me.” Cole pitched.
“And Pruddy for me.” Ella pointed out.
Everyone looked at Wade: the hero.
The sun was rising again, and the bright morning colors where losing their hue to the baby blue sky.
Ash and Ella stood outside the house, waiting for Cole to finish saying his goodbyes. They heard a ‘thank you for stopping by’ and a ‘here, take this’ but nothing else. Finally Cole was out the door, holding a package in his hands. He was opening it while he walked, unwinding the thin strings and stuffing them in his pocket. He unfolded the brown paper and saw a metal tin. It was a Medal Case and on it, was a note. He read it:
Dear, Cole
You’re a great brother, you know that, right? And soon, you’ll be a great Gym Leader. Here’s a little gift for your troubles of dealing with me over the years. I’ll be going back to Waytide City in a month or two and hope to see you there. Thanks.
Love,
Wade
P.S. I heard that Nate started his journey too. He says ‘hi’ and something about he’s looking forward to seeing you. Good luck!
He closed the note, smiling, and put it in the tin then moved onto the next gift. It was a strange device, round and red and white in color. It had a sticky note on it reading: Pokepod, from Mom and Dad.
He placed that in the tin too and wrapped the package back up and placing it in his bag. The group walked down the sidewalk and into the nearby forest, following the dirt trail off into the sunrise, ready to start their new day and their new journey of Rikoto.
Ash tightened the strap and pulled his bag over his shoulders, breathing out and watching his breath linger in front of him for a moment, then dispersing.
The sun was shining brightly, but emitted no heat, as they packed up from the previous night’s stay. They camped out last night, since it got too late to keep walking. Before they pitched their tents and rolled out their sleeping bags, they decided that they’d go to Mossy Town on the way to Serpintine City. Cole told Ash that his family lived there, and that he wanted to show them his newly received Purrlit. He was very excited.
Ash gripped his backpack’s straps and started down the road with Cole right behind him. Pikachu rested quietly on his shoulder as he moved down the pathway with ease. No rush, he thought.
“This is so awesome!” Cole said, fidgeting as he walked. He couldn’t keep still. “I can’t wait to show them Purrlit! He’s so cool!” He looked down at his belt where his one pokéball was attached. He smiled when Purrlit came to mind. “Ash, isn’t this awesome?”
Ash looked at him. It really wasn’t awesome, but he didn’t want to sound rude. “Yeah, awesome.” He said, not the slightest sound of sarcasm in his voice.
They walked together for a while down the path, silence befalling them. Cole was still trembling with excitement and Pikachu was still taciturn upon Ash’s shoulder, ears perked high.
Ash stepped over a pothole in the path and so did Cole, continuing to walk and still not talking on this fine day in the forest. The birds were singing in the green canopy above, ruffling their feathers and huddling together to keep warm on this cool morning. Animals in the hollow trees watched the two as they meandered down the causeway, caution welling up in their gentle souls.
The two soon came to a river that ran far into the mountains and up the rocky masses, weaving in and out of stone towers and into the breathing ocean that swelled serenely. A thick fallen tree acted as a bridge across the river, touching down on the other side. They each stepped onto the long log and walked across it, stepping down onto the dirt path on the other side. A herd of Bibaral and Bidoof were hacking away at trees in the forest with their mighty teeth, letting them fall onto the ground with great thuds that shook the earth. The river sloshed around underneath the log, cold spray lashing up at the passersby, then falling back into the running water below.
Finally Cole broke the silence that befell them all this way.
"Did you know my brother's a Gym Leader?" Cole stepped beside Ash, looking at him with his sea-blue eyes.
"No, I didn't. Was I supposed to?" Ash said, feeling a pain in his stomach. Cole’s brother was to be his future opponent.
"No. It’s just that you'll have to face him soon and so'll I."Cole too felt a pain in his stomach as he thought of fighting his brother.
"Oh, so you're doing Gym Battles?"
"No. Gym Contests,"
"What're those?" Ash stopped and turned to Cole.
"They're just like Gym Battles, except you don't get badges, you get medals. And you only need five medals to go into the championship."
"Well, what do you get when you win the championship?" Ash started walking again.
"To be a Gym Leader,"
"So, you want to be a Gym Leader, then?"
"Yeah, just like my brother, Wade. And my Dad, and my Mother, but they're retired. My brother's one in Waytide City. He specializes in water types."
"What type do you want to specialize in, then?"
The thought struck Cole. He had no clue what type. He never really thought about it much; just the fact about being Gym Leader was hard enough to overcome.
He just shrugged his shoulders and things became quiet again.
After hours of walking deeper into the forest, they came across a Pokémon Centre.
Ash pushed the door inward and the warm air greated him and Cole. The woman behind the counter greated them and Ash stepped up, handing her his Pokédex. She had a look of distraught for a moment, staring down at the device, then, as if remembering a long lost thought, jutted it into a machine and a green light flashed on. She smiled and said, “Just a moment, it’s loading your identification into the Trainer Mainstream; you’ll be entered into the Rikoto League soon.” She pointed to a couch. “You can have a seat there if you like.”
Ash moved to the couch and made himself comfortable. Cole handed her his Pokédex too and she did the same, plugging it in right next to Ash’s Pokédex.
“No, Gym Contests, not the League.”
She brought her hand to her mouth. “Oh, dear!” She quickly pressed a series of buttons and keys and his Pokédex was ejected and she placed it into a different machine. She smiled and he took a seat by Ash, sinking his back into the soft couch.
“Cole?” a voice said. He turned and saw a girl about his age, sitting not too far away from him. Her purple hair hung brilliantly, acting as a curtain. She was clothed in pink, from head to toe. It was Ella. “Is that really you, Cole?”
“Ella, why’re you here?” he asked.
“I could ask you the same question.”
They both stood up in unison and gave one another a hug.
Cole turned to Ash. “Ash, this is Ella. We were friends since kindergarten.” He turned back to Ella. “But why’re you so far away from town?”
“Well, I heard from your mom that you were on your way to Professor Pinewood’s lab in Soltree, so I came to find you.”
“Well, why, though?”
“Well, duh silly; so I can battle you.”
Cole was confused. “What? You don’t have a Pokémon, though.”
“Yeah I do.”
“Then where’s the pokéball.”
She pointed at the lady behind the counter. The lady looked up and smiled, her hand waving profusely back and forth. She went back to her work.
“She has it. This is a Pokémon Centre, idiot.”
“What happened?”
“On the way here, me and my Pokémon ran into some trouble. Some wild Poochyena ambushed us from out of nowhere.” She said, gesticulating the attack. “My Pokémon fought long and hard, but there were too many, and it got worn out, and they beat it up badly. So I had to carry it through the crowd of Poochyena all the way here. Luckily this place was close by.”
“I’m sorry.” Cole said sympathetically.
“It’s okay; she should be healed back to normal in no time. She’s a trooper, that girl.” Ella looked back at the lady and the lady waved profoundly again. Then two beeps sounded from the machines.
“They’re ready, you two!” the lady jerked them from the machines and waved them in the air, jumping up and down.
Ash confronted her and snatched it from her hand, Cole did the same.
“These are delicate. Treat them with care.” Ash said, frowning. “But thank you.” She smiled and handed Ella her pokéball. The three walked out the door into the cool morning.
“So, Cole; are you ready to battle?”
“What?”
“I didn’t come all this way for nothing.”
Ash took a seat on a nearby bench.
“Oh, yeah.” He gripped his pokéball and it grew in his hand as he pinched it. “I’m ready.”
“Okay, it’s a one-on-one battle.” She threw her ball to the ground and a pallid cat emerged.
“No duh.” Cole threw his to the ground too and Purrlit readied itself; flame smoldering hot at the tip of its tail.
“Purrlit? Why’d you choose Purrlit?”
“You’ll see in a sec.”
Ash held out his Pokédex and flipped the screen up, an image of Ella’s Pokémon appearing on it. A voice activated and said: “Pruddy: the pretty Pokémon. When it wiggles its tail, supersonic waves pulsate through the air and nearby people are overwhelmed with happiness.” Ash closed it and placed it in his pocket.
The battle began.
Pruddy dashed forward with incredible speed and bashed into Purrlit, the two tumbling together in the dirt. Pruddy bit down on Purrlit’s ear and yanked around, its teeth not quite biting down hard enough. Purrlit rolled over and tossed Pruddy aside, sending the Pokémon crashing into the ground. Pruddy let out a yelp as it collided with the earth. It looked up, smiling, and then raced back to Purrlit, bashing into it again. Purrlit bared its teeth and snapped at Pruddy, forcing Pruddy off of it. Pruddy jumped back and wagged its tail. Purrlit smiled too, and wagged its tail just like Pruddy.
Pruddy wasn’t fighting, it was playing.
Cole ignored the playfulness and told Purrlit to knock it off and finish the battle.
Purrlit let out a conflagration of fire, locks of smoke twisting in the air. It surrounded the white creature and raced inward. Pruddy watched as the smoldering flames leapt out toward it, a stream of light escaping its mouth, a sparkling radiance wrapped around it. Then, the fire was gone and in its place was just a ring of smoke, dispersing into the cold air. Cole saw that Purrlit lay on the ground, out cold, abrasions covering its body.
The battle was over.
A red light surrounded Purrlit and it was gone. The same was done to Pruddy, as Ella walked forward to Cole.
“Good, job.” She held out her thumbs. “But not quite what I was expecting from you, Cole.”
“It was playing, though.”
“No, it was fighting. Pruddy lets its opponents think that it’s just a game to weaken them. When the opponent thinks it’s an easy win, Pruddy takes advantage and hits their weak spot.”
“But—” a hand was on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, we all lose sometimes.” It was Ash. “Even I do.”
“So where are you two going?” Ella asked.
“Mossy town. Wanna come?” Cole replied, looking back at her.
“Sure, I’m heading back anyway.”
They each looked at their pokéballs, the two cats resting peacefully inside the red and white spheres.
Small box houses lined the street in perfect measurements. The smell of freshly cut grass hung in the air, as the group walked down the sidewalk. The sun was high in the sky and still, no heat. It was growing colder every hour, even though the sun was growing brighter. Cole stopped at a house and turned onto the driveway, walking up to the front porch. He let himself into the house, poking his head through the doorway and scanning the front hall. No one was there. There was a car in the driveway, but no sign of anyone in the house.
Cole stepped into the hallway and checked a closet. Empty. He walked through the kitchen, checking the pantry and under the table. No one there either.
“What’re you doing?” Ella asked.
“Shh. I’m looking for people.” She was quiet and he continued to look. He searched upstairs, through all the rooms and in the basement: no one. Then he made his way to the back door and slid it open quietly.
“Surprise!” his mom jumped out at him and wrapped her arms around his frail body. He was trembling with fear.
“You scared me, ma.” He said, sharing the hug. Cole’s dad walked up to him and Cole smiled. An Aron was resting in his arms, smiling too.
“This is Aron, Cole.” He held the steel-framed Pokémon up to him. Cole took it in his hands and smiled. The Aron’s smile grew bigger and it let out a tiny purr. His dad took it back and set it down on the back porch, watching it scamper away into the yard.
“Russ, here, just caught it yesterday. It was wandering the streets, trying to find its mother, but it failed. So he took it in.”
“And Kitty, here, is nursing it back to health. It was attacked by a Tailow and had a large gash in its foreleg. Did you notice the bandage?” They smiled at each other, then a blonde boy pushed in between them and confronted Cole. The boy looked at Ash.
“Who’s your friend?”
“Oh, yeah, this is Ash and Pikachu. Ash is an awesome trainer and is your future opponent, Wade.”
“Trainer, huh? You won’t win at my Gym.” He rolled his hand into a fist and punched it into his other hand. “I’m awesome!”
“Stop being so self-absorbed, Wade.” Ella said.
“Oh, hey, Ella. I haven’t seen you for a while.”
“It’s been like four days.”
“Oh, yeah.” He backed up.
Then a cry was heard from the back yard. Everyone turned to see Aron scampering into the bushes and a robotic leg planted into the earth. Ash pushed through Cole’s parents and ran down the staircase and into the yard. The robot was large and green, steel thorns and puffy body. It was built like a Solshrub.
“Go away, Team Rocket!” Ash screamed at the top of his lungs.
A robotic arm shot out and latched onto Pikachu, pulling him from Ash’s shoulder. Cole and Ella gripped their pokéballs and threw them to the ground releasing Purrlit and Pruddy. The Pokémon purred as they hit the ground, readying themselves for the battle. Two more robotic arms reached out and picked up the cats, pulling them back to where Pikachu was held. The three Pokémon cried out, scared of the evil mass of metal suspending them high off the ground.
“No!” the two kids shouted in unison.
“Yes!” the three thieves answered, rising on a platform.
“Not so fast!” Wade runs forward, throwing three pokéballs out, three Pokémon emerging and growling. A bright pink mass of coral waddled forward and let out a series of spikes, penetrating the metal surface. A tall blue salamander twisted its body fluidly and rolled its hand into a fist. The green spots on its hand glowed purple and the Pokémon dashed forward with incredible speed. Its purple fist bashed at the robot, leaving large dents in the metal structure. Then the creature with a lily pad atop its head leaped forward and a beam of light surged at the robot, sparkling radiance wrapped around it.
A small crack is all that appeared.
Team Rocket laughed as they watched the struggling Pokémon.
Then Russ threw a pokéball and a large steel snake towered in the air, roaring in anger. It coiled its body, waiting for a command. Russ yelled out what to do and its tail beat down at the robot, tearing the leg away, sparks flying. Team Rocket screamed as the robot shook. A series of bubbles streamed from the bright pink coral. The bubbles exploded with contact of the robot and the fracture was made bigger.
“Good job, Corsola.” Wade said.
The coral squeaked with happiness.
The beam of light surge again from the lily pad Pokémon and a ring of water pulsated through the air, colliding with the robot, breaking the other leg off and sending the robot crashing to the ground. Purrlit, Pruddy, and Pikachu, crawled toward their trainers, ready to finish the battle. Jesse threw two pokéballs out and a large snake slithered toward the group, its tail glowing purple, and a large dragonfly buzzing in the air, pointing its stinger down.
James tossed his ball out and Solshrub made its dramatic entrance. The Pokémon rolled around and started charging a green ball. Yanmega zipped forward and slashed at the lily pad Pokémon with its stinger, the lily pad Pokémon jumped back and a blast of water sent Yanmega flying backward and hitting the ground.
“Excellent, Lombre!” The lily pad Pokémon held its thumbs up as if agreeing. Seviper lashed out, with its fangs bared, at the salamander and the salamander held up its arm in defense, but Seviper sunk its fangs into it and threw it to the ground. “No! Salanip!” Wade ran toward it and returned it to the ball. It was in too much pain to keep going.
Cole entered the battle and commanded Purrlit to use ember. A fiery blast was exerted from the cat and the flames hit Solshrub. The green Pokémon shook away the pain and finished charging the green ball, sending it toward Purrlit. The ball was moving at a tremendous speed toward Purrlit and just as it was going to fire another round of flames, a white surge blasted through the air at Solshrub and sent the Pokémon packing.
Then Pikachu let out a surge of electricity and a large crack of lightings struck the yard, smoke billowing in the air as it pounded down at the thieves. The three thieves were sent flying through the air from the impact, away in the sky, rising higher and higher.
Pikachu made a squeal of enjoyment as it resumed its position on Ash’s shoulder. The red splotches on its cheeks were still buzzing with electricity.
“Thanks Wade.” Cole said, giving him a hug.
“No problem, but it was Ash that sent them packing.”
“But it was you who got Pikachu back for me.”
“And Purrlit back for me.” Cole pitched.
“And Pruddy for me.” Ella pointed out.
Everyone looked at Wade: the hero.
The sun was rising again, and the bright morning colors where losing their hue to the baby blue sky.
Ash and Ella stood outside the house, waiting for Cole to finish saying his goodbyes. They heard a ‘thank you for stopping by’ and a ‘here, take this’ but nothing else. Finally Cole was out the door, holding a package in his hands. He was opening it while he walked, unwinding the thin strings and stuffing them in his pocket. He unfolded the brown paper and saw a metal tin. It was a Medal Case and on it, was a note. He read it:
Dear, Cole
You’re a great brother, you know that, right? And soon, you’ll be a great Gym Leader. Here’s a little gift for your troubles of dealing with me over the years. I’ll be going back to Waytide City in a month or two and hope to see you there. Thanks.
Love,
Wade
P.S. I heard that Nate started his journey too. He says ‘hi’ and something about he’s looking forward to seeing you. Good luck!
He closed the note, smiling, and put it in the tin then moved onto the next gift. It was a strange device, round and red and white in color. It had a sticky note on it reading: Pokepod, from Mom and Dad.
He placed that in the tin too and wrapped the package back up and placing it in his bag. The group walked down the sidewalk and into the nearby forest, following the dirt trail off into the sunrise, ready to start their new day and their new journey of Rikoto.
OWNED.