Pokedex One-Shots (PG)

[IJuggler]

I liked it. But, aren't poffins just berries mixed up? A bread made of berries would be pretty ugly :/

[Ysavvryl]

@IJuggler: Poffins are referred to as bread in the games. I like to think of them like muffins. Blueberry muffins are not ugly.

I was thinking today about all the subjects I've covered in this thread: pirates, ninjas, dragons, princesses, serial killers, ordinary folks, scientists, heroes... I haven't gotten around to zombies, though.

In Process: Mantyke
On Deck: Banette, Drowzee/Darkrai, Dratini, Ekans/Koffing
Reserve: ???/??? (#246-7)


CHINCHOU AND LANTURN


The view outside the window was dark. Sometimes they had the outer lamps on, but not tonight. Instead, all that could be seen in the darkness were twinkling spots of light. But they weren’t the stars of the sky. These were the deep sea stars, the Lanturns who lit up the dark ocean depths with their brilliant antenna light. Those moving star lights could be seen from three miles up at the surface. Or so Chipper’s trainer said.

Thus, the Chinchou had no idea how far away his kin were right now. They could be just outside the underwater research lab, or they could be miles away. He twitched his two antennas together to cause a bright spark. It was a greeting. But were there Chinchous or Lanturns in view of his hello? He couldn’t tell.

“Chipper! We’re ready for the experiment.”

“<Coming,>” he replied, turning from the window and swimming towards his trainer. A globe of water around him kept his gills working properly. It went wherever he did, so being in this environment of air wasn’t troublesome. Maybe a bit lonely from time to time. There weren’t many of his kind inside the lab.

His trainer was a man of red hair and thick glasses. He wore a white lab coat with an insignia of the TriTech Research Group, the blue one that was used at this undersea station. With a smile, he scratched Chipper’s chin. “Today, we’re doing a full test of the teleport gate system. It’s a derivative of Bill’s wireless trade transfer system. But while you can only trade one Pokemon at a time through that, this gate system should allow for transport of multiple beings, including trainers with their Pokemon. That is, transferring them safely without accidental blendings and body switching. You ready to go with me, Chipper?”

“<I know what we’re doing,>” he replied. “<I helped you with it. So it should work just fine.>”

“Of course, you may already know how this system works, given you’ve assisted me this whole time. I wish they would hurry up with the Pokemon translation device. Anyhow, although it should work perfectly, I need to go over the safety protocols,” he rolled his eyes. “For insurance reasons.”

“<Of course,>” Chipper said.

But as they were going over that, another scientist came in the room. “Dr. Mitchell, something great has happened! You know about the Pokerus injections?”

“Yes, where all the injected subjects fell into death-like comas,” he replied. He and Chipper didn’t think much of that experiment. It took a modified version of the natural Pokerus virus and combined it with Super Vitamins, hoping to attain new strengths for all Pokemon. However, it promised to put too much of an advantage into the hands of wealthy but lazy trainers, denying the natural efforts and hard work of the rest.

“The subjects are beginning to revive and all current signs point to the injections as being a success. You want me to tell you when they put them to the battle test?”

Mitchell waved his peer off. “No thanks. I’m running tests of the transport gates and since me and Chipper are the only ones on this highly important project, we’re going to be busy.”

“Suit yourself.” He then left.

“<And our project will be helpful to more people,>” Chipper said, showing his support through a flicker signal that his trainer understood.

“Yeah, you don’t need some experimental drug to be great.” Mitchell looked over his checklist, adjusting his glasses. “Let’s get back to this.” They finished their safety protocol, noted all the current settings, and made a last check for instabilities. Then Mitchell and Chipper went into the transport gate.

And that was when disaster struck.

-+-

Chipper appeared in a different lab than before. That was to be expected. And he seemed to be himself, still a Chinchou with Mitchell still a human. That was what they had hoped for. The lab they entered was completely wrecked, with only the red emergency lights active. That was not planned for.

The sea Pokemon looked up to his trainer. Mitchell put his hand to his chest. “Well, I’m still breathing… but what happened here?” He went to a computer and turned it on.

Swimming around the room, Chipper tried to figure out what had happened. Brightening his antennas for light, he found blood splatter. Human, with some Pokemon too. And the damage was all caused by violence: jagged edges caused by claws ripping metal apart, holes created by a Poison-types acids, holes created by a gun, scorch marks from fire… at least none of the holes pierced the armor of the research lab. Then Mitchell would be in trouble.

A bright light pierced the dark room. Chipper looked out the window and saw a Lanturn passing by. Since they were separated by protective armor, he used light codes to speak to her. “<Hello out there, Lanturn.>”

The blue fish stopped and peered into the window. Her antenna flickered in response. “<Hello in there, Chinchou. Something odd has happened in there.>”

“<I know, but I do not know what. Do you?>”

“<No. It was a moon cycle since this place went dark. There was a lot of noise coming from inside at first. It is quiet.>”

A month since it went dark? Something must have gone wrong with the gate experiment. And some other experiment as well. “<My human and I may have to leave,>” he told her.

“<Should I stay to give you light?>”

“<Yes, thank you.>” He went back to searching.

It took half an hour, but Mitchell finally turned from the computer. “Chipper, is there a working data drive around? Something awful has happened.”

“<I saw one earlier.>” He went to another desk and looked in a drawer. After nosing the drawer open more, he was able to take the drive out with his mouth and take it to Mitchell.

“Thanks,” the scientist said, putting it into the computer. “Something messed up with the gate system. It’s a month since we stepped into it.”

“<So she was right.>” He looked back out to the window, where the Lanturn was watching patiently.

“But even worse,” Mitchell went on, setting up files to transfer, “the Pokerus program got terribly out of hand. The injected Pokemon did become very strong. However, they also became uncontrollable and savage. Injuries don’t even stop them from attacking.” He rested his chin on his hand, then added, “It looks like they’ve managed to create Pokemon zombies.”

“<Zombies?>”

“The injected Pokemon are able to infect other Pokemon by biting them. At least that’s what Reynolds theorized. He also notes that the escape shuttle had an unexpected malfunction, so they were unable to escape when the zombies started killing them.” He looked to Chipper. “And since his notes ended a week ago, with the shuttle still registered as docked here, it seems that he, and all the other staff, was killed.”

“<I’ll protect you,>” Chipper said. “<But… zombies… this won’t be a usual battle.>”

Mitchell had grown quiet, tapping his fingers on the desk. It was a sign that he was nervous, trying to think of some plan. In all their time together, Chipper had never seen him panic. “If you could, would you ask your peer out there to try traveling with us? Her light will be helpful if only the emergency lights are on.”

“<Right.>” However, there wasn’t a word in the light code for killer zombies. Chipper went up to the window. “<Lanturn, may I ask that you give us your light as we travel through here?>”

“<Sure, I will help,>” she replied. “<What is going on?>”

“<Pokemon have turned into cold killers,>” he said. It was the closest thing he could come up with in code.

“<Bad things. Okay. Where are you going?>”

“<Escape to the surface.>”

She closed her eyes, thinking. Then she opened them and looked around. “<I will try to follow,>” she replied.

Chipper went back to his trainer. “<She’ll come,>” he said, with an affirmative flicker.

“Good. Thank her for me.” He waited a minute, then took the data drive out. “I took as much as I could about the on-going projects and the failures. Now we have to hope we can figure out the shuttle malfunction. Let’s go, Chipper.”

After giving a nod, he flickered out to the Lanturn, “<We thank you. I will try to lead.>”

Mitchell and Chipper left the room. The whole lab station was a mess. Where the once-familiar halls had been bland but reassuring, they were now dangerous and disturbing. There were skeletons around, both human and Pokemon. When Chipper swam closer to one, he noticed teeth marks on it. Something had eaten this human’s flesh after he or she had died. Feeling disgusted, Chipper swam back to Mitchell and stayed close by his side.

For the most part, all they could hear was the hum of the life support systems, Mitchell’s footsteps, and the occasional snap from Chipper’s antennas. There were occasional other noises: metallic creaks, other footsteps (maybe), a flutter of wings. While the Chinchou stayed alert for any strange Pokemon about, none of them had appeared yet.

Outside of the halls, the Lanturn flickered a message. “<Something approaches from your right.>”

Chipper was on Mitchell’s left side, so he swam ahead to guard his trainer. There were slight scraping sounds coming from that hall. Noticing the change, Mitchell slowed some, looking more defensive. Something, possibly those zombies, was just ahead.

A Cloyster appeared in that hall. Its hard outer shell had a severe crack in it and it was lacking the water shield that most captive Water-types had. Once it saw them, it growled roughly and fired a dozen of its spikes at them. Mitchell stepped back in time. Chipper avoided them and sent a sparkling ball of electric energy at it.

“I think that was one of the test subjects,” Mitchell said. “Chipper, just paralyze it so we can get out of here.”

“<All right.>” After avoiding another volley of shell spikes, he adjusted his electrical flow, then built up a wave around him. Slamming himself into the Cloyster, he had it unable to move. Still, he swam back to Mitchell’s side quickly.

The human and Chinchou ran down the hall leading to the escape shuttle. As they passed the Cloyster, it growled into a cry of rage. Not long after, there was the sound of an explosion from the insane Pokemon. Chipper wondered what the point of that was, but felt it was safer to keep on the path to escape than to stop and examine the zombies.

When they got to the escape shuttle’s location, the room was dark. Lanturn had probably lost them in the crossing without windows, Chipper thought. He checked around for any enemies while Mitchell went to the escape shuttle. As there didn’t seem to be anything lurking yet, the Chinchou went to the largest window and flickered as brightly as he could. The zapping of his antennas was enough to make his spine tingle. But he hoped…

Light came into the room as Lanturn appeared on the other side. “<Good, you are okay,>” she said. “<How is your human?>”

“<He is fine. He is checking our ship. Could you move down and to the left please?>”

“<Show me where.>” The two Pokemon went down until they found a spot that illuminated Mitchell’s work.

“They already tried a number of things,” Mitchell murmured. “I can guess what based on what’s here… thanks Chipper, and say thanks to her again. This could take a while.”

About an hour later…

Chipper watched the entrance. Three of the zombie Pokemon were here now: a Golbat, a Hypno, and the Cloyster from before. While they were staying away for now, they were fighting with each other. That could draw attention of any others that remained. However, the three all looked to be in bad shape: thin, many wounds, looking exhausted. Maybe they were stronger than normal, but if they haven’t eaten in a while, they wouldn’t be up to full strength. And they would be more likely to kill him and Mitchell for food.

“Chipper!” Mitchell waved him over. “This might be tough to work with, but I think the problem is outside. Can you ask the Lanturn to help us again?”

“<I can try.>”

“Good. I’ll have to come up with some reward for her. The shuttle appears to be working fine, as does everything else in here, so it might be the outer launch mechanism. If I could just know what you say for certain…” He paused, then went on, “We’ll try. There should be a sensor outside the airlock hatch and a silver-colored box with the machinery inside. If they’re damaged, we could be stuck.”

“<If I knew the color of the sensor thing, that would help.>” Still, he went to the window and figured out the coding for the request. “<Is there a silver box and a blinking light out by this place?>” He pointed with a fin to the airlock hatch.

“<I will see.>” She drifted away, making the room darker. Chipper used his own antennas to keep some light. When the Lanturn came back, she said, “<Box is there. The light is covered by seaweed. Should I remove that?>”

“<Yes please, and many thanks.>”

After a few minutes, Mitchell got a smile on looking at the status screens. “Great! It looks like the safety sensor got covered up, so the computer felt it was more dangerous to leave than stay. Let’s get out of here before those ones notice.”

He nodded, but went to the window while his trainer prepared the shuttle. “<We can get out now. Could you meet us at the surface?>”

“<Yes. I will follow.>”

“<The ship will lead.>”

“Come on,” Mitchell called from the shuttle. Chipper swam inside so the door could be shut.

Upon reaching the surface, Mitchell opened up the hatch and brought out a small radio. The main unit on the escape shuttle seemed to be malfunctioning. Under the starry sky, the dark ocean waters spread to all horizons save one: a patch of land to the northwest was visible. While the human tried to communicate with land, the Lanturn popped her head above water. “<I hope no one else got left behind,>” she said.

“<They all got killed by Pokemon zombies,>” Chipper replied.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “<Pokemon zombies? How strange. Can they get out of there?>”

He thought. “<I don’t think so. Maybe the Cloyster, if a break appears in the station walls. But they were constructed not to break, and held up even when he exploded.>”

On checking the atmosphere, Mitchell looked down to see the Lanturn there. He smiled, then slipped down onto the fin of the shuttle to pat her on the head. “Thank you very much, Lanturn. We wouldn’t have been able to get out without your help. I’m afraid there’s not much I can give you as thanks, unless you wish to come along with us.”

“<I could?>” She looked up at Chipper.

He rapped his antennas together. “<It’s been a while, but the land is a neat place to visit.>”

She smiled. “<Sure. Just so long as we don’t run into any zombies.>”

...

Sapphire entry: Chinchou’s two antennas are filled with cells that generate strong electricity. This Pokemon’s cells create so much electrical power, it even makes itself tingle slightly.

DPP entry: Lanturn’s light can shine up from great depths. It is nicknamed ‘The Deep Sea Star’.

[IJuggler]

I liked it. I expected Lanturn to become a zombie. You definitely should've done that

For one, at the end you had Chinchou refer to Pokemon zombies, when earlier in the chapter you said there wasn't a light signal for it. Seems odd, unless tey were actually talking at the surface.

Also, depending on the depth of the lab, wouldn't Mitchell need some sort of depressurizing? Or did you mean for the story to end off with Mitchell's lungs exploding out of his chest cavity in a messy, gory way?

[The_Shuppeteer_]

EEEEEEE! That was...fantastic.
Scared the heck outta me, though. Keep writing!

[SugarPesticide]

zombies

YES. You pulled this off brilliantly, especially with such unlikely Pokemon - if anything, I might've expected some mystical undersea dancing from Chinchou. But this is all the better for being unexpected. And with the setting, those descriptions of skeletons and violence ... it just adds to the win. Although, a Cloyster trying to bite something puts weird images in my head. XD

Keep up the good work ^_^

[Drifblim25]

Can I request Drifblim/Drifloon? This is an awesome thread!

[Ysavvryl]

@IJuggler: Well yeah, that would be realistic... but when have zombie stories ever been realistic? Yeah, I know, there's some out there. It's just for fun.

@Drifblim25: Hi! I already got Drifloon (it was with Umbreon). I'll add Drifblim, though.

Ever wonder what my creative process is like? This story is sort of a sample. Yay metafiction!

In Process: Banette
On Deck: Drowzee/Darkrai, Ekans/Koffing, Dratini, Drifblim
Reserve: ???/??? (#246-7)


MANTYKE


Ysavvryl: Hmm, another toughie. The obvious match is Remoraid, which was already covered. Let’s see…

In the cold waters of Sinnoh, a little Mantyke soared underneath the waves. His wing fins helped him to glide along the currents at high speeds. But he wanted to go even faster. Feeling the conditions of the water with his antennae, he shifted down and to the right, catching a faster current. After taking this ride for several minutes, he sharply turned upward and broke out of the ocean’s surface. He caught a breeze and glided through the air now, squealing in delight. Several nearby swimmers saw him and laughed with joy at the little Pokemon’s antics.

Inner Critic: HOLD IT!
Ysavvryl: What? I’m just getting started.
Critic: It’s dumb already.
Ysavvryl: It’s only one paragraph in. I’m just playing with the Pokedex entries.
Critic: It’s just some little Pokemon playing around. It’s going nowhere. Get into gear.
Ysavvryl: But he’s so cute!
Mantyke: Yay!
Ysavvryl: And see, he’s having such fun. Just roll with it and we’ll see where it goes.
Critic: I don’t like it.
Ysavvryl: I can stick you in your little mental prison again…
Critic: Okay fine. Grumble grumble.

Mantyke crashed back into the water gleefully, then swam back the way he’d come. It was slower, as he was going against the current. When he got into a good position, he caught the fast current again, then leapt out of the water to glide closer to the swimmers. However, they had started a Pokemon battle between a Seaking and a Pelliper. Mantyke wasn’t interested in fighting. He got hurt during fights more often than he got hurt while playing. When he landed back in the water, he caught the fast current and headed south.

After a while of gliding in and out of the water, Mantyke started to get bored. Playing by himself was okay, but now he wanted to play with somebody else. He looked around, eventually finding a Tentacruel. Smiling, he swam up to the jellyfish Pokemon and called out cheerfully, “Hey, hey, come play with me.”

Critic: This is still dumb.
Ysavvryl: What’s your problem now?
Critic: It’s starting to sound like some little kid’s storybook.
Ysavvryl: And the problem with that is…?
Critic: Most of your readers are old enough to not be interested in preschool stories!
Mantyke: I like those stories.
Ysavvryl: He’s a baby Pokemon, for crying out loud. A storybook format fits him. But then I might want to really simplify the language later on.
Critic: Grumble grumble.

Tentacruel snorted. “Play? That’s for kids and babies, like you. I‘m not interested in playing.” He then floated off into the dark depths.

Ysavvryl: Gotcha.
Critic: Grumble grumble.
Mantyke: *laughs*

Mantyke pouted. “Aw…” But then he reminded himself to not give up. There were lots of Pokemon in the ocean. Surely one of them would want to play. He swam on.

Next, he encountered an Octillery. The red octopus Pokemon was swimming along in search of something. “Pardon me,” she said.

He grinned. “Hey, hey, come play with me!”

But she shook her head. “Not right now, sorry. Go find some of my unevolved kin; they usually play with the likes of you.” She then continued her search, jetting through the blue waters.

Disappointed but not deterred, Mantyke swam on. Eventually, he spotted a different tint of blue in the ocean. He swam closer and realized that it was a Pokemon. And not just any Pokemon, but the biggest and largest Pokemon ever, a Wailord.

Critic: Hold on a moment. Are there even Wailords in that area? Where are you setting this anyhow?
Ysavvryl: The water passage to the Elite Four. I’m pretty sure that’s where you find Mantykes.
Critic: But what about Wailords?
Ysavvryl: I dunno. But I’m not changing it! It’s funny.
Critic: No it’s not.
Ysavvryl: You don’t find anything funny.
Critic: And why are you still on this flimsy plot of finding a playmate?
Ysavvryl: It’s the rule of three. He has to run into three Pokemon to ask. And since it’s a rule, you can’t argue against it.
Critic: Fine, but get onto something more relevant after.

Now delighted, Mantyke called out as loudly as he could, “Mr. Wailord! Hey, hey, come play with me!”

“HMMMM?” the giant Pokemon said, shifting his head left to right. “WHO’S SPEAKING TO ME?”

“It’s me, Mantyke!” he yelled. “I want someone to play with!”

“I DON’T SEE YOU,” Wailord replied. “I’M SORRY. I WOULDN’T MIND PLAYING WITH YOU BUT IF I CAN’T SEE YOU, I MIGHT HURT YOU BY ACCIDENT. NOT TODAY.”

“Ooooh. Well, have a nice day anyhow.”

“YOU TOO, LITTLE ONE.” Wailord then swam on, creating a wake so powerful that it threw off Mantyke’s directions for a second.

Saddened, Mantyke sighed. He wasn’t having much luck finding someone to play with, and now it didn’t seem as fun to play on his own. He wondered where his kin were. Sooner or later, he had to run into another Mantyke. So he swam on.

Then, after he passed through the shadow of a boat, he got hit on the head with a beer bottle.

Critic: Stop right there! I’ve got you now.
Ysavvryl: Huh? I was getting into a good trance there…
Critic: If you’re going to have a storybook feel, you can’t just throw in a beer bottle.
Ysavvryl: Nobody’s gonna drink out of it! It’s empty, I swear.
Critic: You still can’t have it in there. It implies that somebody was drinking, probably whoever’s in the boat.
Ysavvryl: I know some guys who drink while fishing. I don’t do that, but…
Critic: Can’t have it.
Ysavvryl: Okay, fine.

Then, after he passed through the shadow of a boat, he got hit on the head with a glass bottle.

Ysavvryl: Well?
Critic: It could still be a beer bottle.

Then, after he passed through the shadow of a boat, he got hit on the head with a glass soda bottle.

Ysavvryl: Happy now?
Critic: No.
Mantyke: Are you ever happy, Mr. Critic?
Ysavvryl: No, critics are never happy. But at least I can move on with the story.

Then, after he passed through the shadow of a boat, he got hit on the head with a glass soda bottle. “Owie,” he said, wishing his fins could bend around so he could rub his head. Since he couldn’t do that, he grabbed the bottle and swam up to the surface. There was a single fisherman in the small boat, so Mantyke threw the bottle back at him. “Hey, don’t go dropping your trash on us!”

“Ow!” the man said, after the bottle hit him on the elbow. He turned to the Mantyke and glowered. “That was uncalled for.”

“No it wasn’t. You hit me with that bottle.”

“I didn’t see you under there,” the fisherman said.

Critic: Why are the human and Pokemon speaking to each other normally? They shouldn’t be able to!
Ysavvryl: This is one of those exceptions. Plenty of kid storybooks have humans and animals talking, so it’s not like it’s new.
Critic: And what’s with the sudden anti-littering message?
Ysavvryl: You wanted a more relevant plot.
Critic: But you haven’t shown any indication of an environmentalist theme in this story yet! Not even a mention of ‘pristine waters’ or ‘trash troubles’. It just came up out of nowhere. This story is utterly weak and stupid. You should trash it and write something entirely different. It is in no way entertaining and…
Ysavvryl: Hey Mantyke.
Mantyke: Yeah, what?
Ysavvryl: I’m going to ask something a bit unusual of you. Here’s what you’re gonna do next.

“I didn’t see you under there,” the fisherman said.

Mantyke frowned at him. “You is bad man. You no can has cookie. The sign sayz no litterin’! And the Walrein sayz to return his bukkit.”

Critic: What the fudge was that?!
Ysavvryl: LOLcat.
Mantyke: That was funny!
Critic: That wasn’t proper English, or even a proper half-language! It was… was….
Ysavvryl: Okay, let’s finish the story while the critic is stumped.
Mantyke: Yeah!
Ysavvryl: But we have to redo that line.
Mantyke: Awwww.

“I didn’t see you under there,” the fisherman said.

Mantyke frowned at him. “There’s lots of Pokemon in the ocean, so you could have hit anybody! You could have hit the Wailord.”

“There’s Wailords around here?” He looked around the waters, searching for surface signs.

“You’re gonna pay for messing up the water.” He then dove back under the surface.

But what could he do? He was just a little Pokemon, not big enough to capsize the boat like the Wailord could have. He wasn’t too good with attacks, so he couldn’t hit the fisherman like the Octillery could have. And he wasn’t intimidating or sly, so he couldn’t scare him off like the Tentacruel could have. What could he do?

Watching the boat, Mantyke saw the fisherman’s line drop back into the water. A Magikarp came up, investigating the tasty-smelling bait. Then he knew what to do. Mantyke swam up to the Magikarp. “Don’t take it!” he cried out.

“But it leads to a Trainer,” Magikarp pointed out. “Trainers make you strong.”

“Yes, but he doesn’t respect the water,” Mantyke argued. “He dumped his old glass onto my head.”

“Did he? That’s not right.”

“Help me tell everybody around not to come to this guy, all right?”

With the Magikarp’s agreement, Mantyke swam around and informed other sea Pokemon of the troublesome human. No ocean Pokemon would go with a Trainer who willfully disrespected the water. And thus, the fisherman didn’t catch anything that day.

Mantyke: And good wins out over the polluters!
Ysavvryl: That’s right. Thanks for working with me, Mantyke.
Mantyke: It was fun, so I’ll say thanks too. Thank you!
Ysavvryl: You’re welcome.
Mantyke: But what about your inner critic?
Ysavvryl: It’ll be back in true form shortly. It always recovers. But I have other ways of making it shut up.

...

Mantyke Diamond entry: A friendly Pokemon that captures the subtle flows of seawater using its two antennae.

[The_Shuppeteer_]

YESSS! That was so funny! Especially the lolcat references (I love canhascheezburger.com).
The critic was a fun add-on, too. I'll look forward to the Banette one.

[IJuggler]

I liked it. I definitely felt the inner critic, too :P Glass soda bottle looks awkward in small sentences!

I especially liked when you pulled together the supposedly useless mentions of Tentacruel/Octillery/Wailord. Those sorts of endings are always fun to read, because you can't really expect the exact ending based on them.

/ramble

[Drifblim25]

Can I sign up for the PM list? I like these alot!

Mantyke frowned at him. “You is bad man. You no can has cookie. The sign sayz no litterin’! And the Walrein sayz to return his bukkit.”

Now that was awesome

[growlithe_master]

loving the LOLcats. especially the reference to the LOLrus. use moar LOLcats from nao on!

[solovino]

Ever wonder what my creative process is like? This story is sort of a sample. Yay metafiction!

Actually... :

The idea itself is quite... strange to me. Writing about writing? And with the comedic view. Then the Wailord, the environmentalist message (I had never laughed so hard at water pollution since Lisa “reformed” Mr. Burns in The Simpsons) and the lolcats as the cherry on top? Man, that completely is relevant to my interests...

As a matter of fact, after three readings I could swear the dialogue went like this:

Mantyke frowned at him. “You is bad man. You no can has cookie. The sign sayz no litterin’! And the Walrein sayz to return his bukkit.”

Critic: What the fudge was that?!
Ysavvryl: LOLcat.
Mantyke: That was funny!
Critic: That wasn’t proper English, or even a proper half-language! What is this, I don't even-
Ysavvryl: Okay, let’s finish the story while the critic is stumped.
Mantyke: Yeah!
Ysavvryl: But we have to redo that line.
Mantyke: Awwww.

Ahem... anyways, as for some of the previous stories, I felt Lanturn's tl;dr (seriously, I'm not just memeing around), maybe because of the zombie stuff. Yeah, zombies somehow bore me. To death.

Ledian story had a nice preapocalyptic touch to it, with Jirachi looking a bit ****** of, if anything, with the issue. Great is the might of the city to have sent it to chase the boy, after all.

Bayleef+Stantler one was a simple and pretty story-- until the hunter in Mightyena hide, that came of a bit as a surprise. I felt the hunter running away when Houndoom attacked a bit strange, wasn't he so close to his goal? But anyways, it helped the story.

And the Cradily story was fun to read. I had been expecting it for a while but hadn't got in the mood to review 'til now. You are right in that most of Cradily's entries are not exactly suitable for a nice story. The FR/LG entries in particular are a bit nightmarish when thought about for too long. But you made it into a comical story what with the little geographical detail that Lugia lives in Johto-- an ending I wasn't expecting. Also the idea of a Cradily who wants to fly was to me hillariously bizarre (considering that they can do something akin to that while in water).

I‘m glad that you wrote about Cradily, though, because that reminds me I have a story with a Lileep to update. With any luck, he will soon evolve.

Have a good time and I wish you best of lucks with the entries you are going to do next.

Requests? I have none, and most important I'm a bit lost on what Pokémon have not been requested yet. Just in case, I'm going to request Ivysaur (one of the two, I think, starter lines not having starred yet!) and Linoone.


All in all a good work, and I hope to be seeing you soon!

[Ysavvryl]

Heh. I have to be sparing with my use of LOLcat, though, so I don't get in trouble. But every now and then, it's fun to throw in unexpectedly. And thanks for the long review, solovino!

So, I never got a specific request for Valentines Day. Or the Chinese New Year, which happens to be this day too! I didn't even remember that. I decided to do a holiday themed story based on the Pokemon next in line. Which happened to be Banette. Yikes. Well, I could have already done Banette and wound up on the next one for this holiday... So here you go, a Valentine Day themed story about Banette.

In Process: Drowzee/Darkrai
On Deck: Ekans/Koffing, Dratini, Drifblim, Ivysaur, Linoone
Reserve: ???/??? (#246-7)


BANETTE


A teenaged boy came into the house; he wore a brown jacket over a white shirt with black pants in an almost but not successful attempt to look nice. He smiled nervously at the man who had opened the door. “Good afternoon, Mr. Price. I’m Jacob.”

“Afternoon, Jacob,” he replied in a gruff voice, while he shook hands with the teen. “Iris should be down in a few minutes. Would you take a seat?” He offered one of the chairs at the kitchen table while he sat in another one.

“All right,” Jacob said, sitting down nervously to the inevitable ‘are you worthy of dating my daughter’ grilling session. He looked around the kitchen and found a strange doll sitting on the kitchen counter.

It was in such poor shape that it was almost a sad thing, if it weren’t so creepy. The fabric of its body was visibly old, thin in patches and stained in others. Covering that was a white dress with a rainbow array of polka dots, only it was ripped and apparently chewed at one point. Its red yarn hairs were frayed or missing, while one black button eye was loose, tilting off the face. For some strange reason, it had a red zipper strap for a smile and a wide red ribbon bow around its neck.

Somehow, the doll was watching Jacob. He looked away, but the whole time he spoke with Mr. Price, the teen knew it was still watching him. It made him anxious for Iris to come downstairs so they could leave. Really, the doll made him more nervous than his girlfriend’s father. The doll noticed, but stayed where it was.

“Maria!” a girl’s voice rang through the house. “Where are you?”

To the boy’s surprise, the rag doll lifted off the counter and changed shape. It now had a sack-like black body, with a round head and tubes for pigtails. The Banette still had a zipper for a mouth and a red ribbon bow, though. Making an eerie laugh, she floated to a doorway.

A girl in a blue dress came into the kitchen. “Oh, there you are sweetie.” She took the Banette into one arm, then gave a broad smile to the boy. “Hi Jacob! It’s good to see you.”

He smiled back. “Hi Iris. You look really nice today.”

“Thanks. I hope you don’t mind Maria coming with us. She’s with me everywhere, you know.”

“That’s fine. Are you ready to go?”

As she nodded, her father added, “Make sure to be back by eight.”

“Sure thing,” Jacob agreed. “It was good meeting you, Mr. Price.”

They went some goodbye exchanges, but as the two teens went out the door, the father mouthed to the Pokemon, “Keep them in line.”

Since the Banette’s mouth was always zipped into a smile, she blinked, then looked out to the boy’s car. It wasn’t anything impressive, just a practical vehicle for a young driver. That was a plus for this one’s chances at staying Iris’ boyfriend, at least with respect to her parents’ opinion. And while Maria did belong to Iris, she knew to keep on the good side of the parents.

The date started out with a movie. He paid for the tickets while she paid for the soda and popcorn. For herself, Maria didn’t much care for what movie was playing. But she did always like the darkened theater. The Banette sat herself on the back of the chair next to Iris.

“She was a real sorry-looking doll when I came in the house,” Jacob commented while the lights were on. “I didn’t recognize her until you called her name and she changed to her normal look.”

Iris scratched Maria’s head, making the Pokemon coo contentedly. “Yeah, she does that from time to time. That little red-headed ragdoll is the one she possessed in order to evolve.”

“She had to possess a doll? Weird. My Pokemon just had to get strong enough.”

“Shuppets evolve that way, by taking over a discarded doll. And even if they take a nice-looking one, they tend to make it look worse.”

“Huh. They’re kind of creepy. But then I guess Ghost Pokemon are all that way.”

“To most people. But when they love you and give you big soulful eyes, they’re just so adorable.” Iris laughed and patted Maria.

Interested in the boy’s response, the Banette got up and floated forward a short distance. His eyes showed that he still thought it was creepy, but he smiled anyhow. “Yeah, it’s great when your Pokemon become friendly with you.”

As the lights went dim, they had to stop the conversation. Maria went back to the seat. However, her duty was to supervise them and make sure the boy wasn’t trouble. She had supervised dates before and knew many tricks for stopping an overeager boy.

But Jacob behaved himself. At times, the teens held hands, but that was it. Maria was a little disappointed in that. She liked rebuking the bad ones. One time, a boy had tried to sneak his hand on Iris’ breast. Maria had gotten back at him by pinning her paws together in such a way that his hands suddenly went cold and numb. Iris had gotten rid of that boy not long after that.

In the middle of the movie, Maria did spot a couple a few rows ahead who were smooching in the dark. They were trying to be discreet, but when the movie characters quieted, they could be heard. And according to Mr. Price, that was a public display of affection, which should not happen. Well if she couldn’t punish Jacob, she could at least punish them.

Unseen by the humans, the Banette reached back to her crooked tail and pulled out two long pins. She rubbed them both between her paws, looking at the kissing couple to make an unseen connection with them. Then with great care, she took one pin and gently poked it along her zipper mouth. It had to be in the right spot. Once she had it, she pushed the pin in.

She had done so with such expertise that she didn’t feel a thing from the pin. However, there was an audible “Ow,” from the woman a few rows down. Maria’s curse had struck. The couple made some hushed argument, only to be shushed by someone in front of them. For good measure, Maria then stuck the second pin into her chin. She gave the curse a few minutes to sink in, then removed the pins and replaced them to her tail. That couple wouldn’t be interrupting this movie now.

At the end of the movie, Jacob took Iris out to a small sit-down restaurant. It wasn’t as classy as some past boys had tried, but it had a kindly relaxed atmosphere, like a family dining room. Several potted plants were placed strategically to give each table a private feel. Of course, Maria was brought along even if she didn’t eat like most creatures.

“Sometimes I think I should get a small and well-behaved Pokemon too,” Jacob said. “It’s nice when you can bring one along wherever you are. All of mine are either too big or too wild to let free in a place like this.”

“It’s fun to have a companion Pokemon,” Iris said. “It’s like always having a good friend at your side. Isn’t that right, Maria?”

The Banette cooed and clasped her paws together. It didn’t bother her to be just a companion Pokemon, not a competitor or fighter. In exchange for love and attention, all she had to do was return the same. Besides, at this point she couldn’t imagine being without Iris. They had been together constantly for several years now. Maria could easily resist the Ghostly temptation to lay a curse on anyone who provoked her. Most of the time.

“I’m trying to get mine to be friendlier.” He picked up the menu. “So, order whatever you like. I’ll cover it.”

As the dinner went along at a lazy pace, the two teens chatted happily on whatever subject they came across. Maria watched and listened silently. But then she came upon her own problem. Jacob and Iris were getting along really well. The warmth of their exchanges touched her, even if it was on silly subjects. Maybe this time, there really was love. At any rate, they both seemed happy just to be with each other.

But the Banette was used to solving problems. She could curse boys who made Iris uncomfortable, or tried to take things too far too fast. She could enact revenge against careless or thoughtless boys. However, what did she do to a boy who genuinely liked Iris? What kind of curse could be used to encourage love?

Try as she might, Maria couldn’t think of any. She watched and listened for anything that she could object to, as a spy for the parents. But nothing came up. Indeed, all the signs showed that it would be very bad if she tried to curse Jacob at all. Then Iris would be spiteful towards her.

So what could a Banette do about love?

...

Ruby entry: Banette generates energy for laying strong curses by sticking pins into its own body. This Pokemon was originally a pitiful plush doll that was thrown away.

[Drifblim25]

Yes! First to review!
I loved this one as it had Bannette as somewhat of a tattle- tale pokemon contrary to what I thought it would be. Though it was a bit mean to the couple kissing rows up...

[SugarPesticide]

Mantyke:

“You is bad man. You no can has cookie. The sign sayz no litterin’! And the Walrein sayz to return his bukkit.”

LOLcats! =D Possibly my favorite line in the entire thread so far. For that, you can definitely haz cookie.

The critic commentary is win. That is all. *nod*


Banette:

They were trying to be discrete,

Spelled like this, discrete means distinct or isolated. Methinks you meant "discreet", which means tactful.

But when they love you and give you big soulful eyes, they’re just so adorable.

I c wat u did thar. XD

I quite liked this one. Banette as a Pokemon typically has nothing to do with romance, which would make it illogical for Valentine's day, yet the use to which it was put here was perfect, so it was extremely logical at the same time. If you follow my train of logic here. *shot* A far cry from my old guest OS, indeed. And Maria's uncertainty at the end is just icing on the cake.

Great job as usual ^_^

[Ysavvryl]

I haz cookie! Yay!

This was a fun one to write. The Drowzee entries that I didn't pick were odd, though. Did you know it eats dreams through your nose? It makes odd sense, as that would be the thinnest part connected to your brain cavity. And you're welcome for that gross-out moment.

In Process: Ekans/Koffing
On Deck: Dratini, Drifblim, Ivysaur, Linoone
Reserve: ???/??? (#246-7)


DROWZEE AND DARKRAI


He was in a bad situation. His Psychic powers were being damped by something that he couldn’t identify, or locate. Due to the foggy moonless night, neither he nor his Trainer could tell what was coming up along the forest path. And this island wasn’t large. If they weren’t careful, they could walk off into the ocean and not know it until they hit the water. But then, how were they to find their way back to the boat?

Gripping his Trainer’s arm tighter, the Drowzee said, “<Dan, you should give up so we can get out of here alive.>”

“Don’t be so nervous, Baku,” the teenager said. He kept looking in the trees for some sign of activity. “If we’re patient, one might show.”

What came from the trees, though, was a deep and menacing voice. “You should not have come here,” he said. Then the night came alive and tore Dan out of Baku’s grip. Before he could run after his Trainer, the Drowzee was drowned in the darkness as well. But he didn’t die. He simply woke up.

Baku opened his eyes wide and sat up. Immediately, the brightness of the sun against the ocean waves caused him to cringe. He spent a moment looking at the white paint of the boat and the yellowness of his skin to soothe his eyes. He felt Dan’s presence nearby, so his Trainer was fine. At the moment, the teen seemed to be happy and excited. But, was this dream a premonition?

When he could look out across the water comfortably, Baku got up and went to the control panel, where Dan was driving the boat. “Hey, you finally woke up,” the teen said, tweaking the Drowzee’s ear. “This boat is pretty easy, once I figured it out. We should be there soon.”

He took the human’s arm and shook his head. “<This may be a bad idea,>” he said. His telepathy wasn’t strong enough to work on an awake human yet, but he had been with Dan for several years. Usually, the teen knew what he was saying.

“What’re you nervous about now? We’re just hunting down another Pokemon for the team. And to show up that jerk.” Dan smiled. “He made a mistake in telling us there were rare Pokemon at new Moon Island. It’ll be another step up for us.”

Baku had been excited about the prospect earlier. His current teammates were good friends, and a new one would be welcomed as one of the group. However, he’d never had a dark premonition before other captures. What was so different about this one?

A few minutes later, an island came into view. It seemed like any of the other islands around Sinnoh, a small patch of land bearing a great many tall leafy trees. It wasn’t civilized, though, as there wasn’t even a dock. As they approached, they saw that the beaches were rocky. Dan slowed the boat and circled around the island, careful to watch the map radar for underwater snags. At one point, they found a large black rock that jutted out into the ocean. They brought the boat up there to get on the island.

Dan checked his GPS. “This is the right coordinates. Odd though, that this named island hasn’t been built on yet. Full Moon Isle even has a dock, and it’s hardly bigger than this place.”

“<There’s something creepy about this place,>” Baku noted. Sure, it looked like any other forested island, but there was something off here. For one thing, his mental senses were stopped dead right at the tree line. And the undergrowth was lush, grasses and shrubs that apparently had little to check their growth here. He couldn’t even hear the little buzzes and hums of micro-bugs. There was just the steady ocean tide.

However, the teen wasn’t worried. “Let’s go check things out. I’ve got my walking stick to clear the brush out.”

Baku tried one last time, grabbing Dan’s shirt and looking at him seriously. “<There’s something wrong with this place.>”

“Something bugging you?” He looked into the trees quietly, his expression losing some of the excitement. “There is something weird about those trees. Maybe it’s Ghost Pokemon, or Dark ones, that are freaking you out. Or Bugs. Well don’t worry; I’ll recall you if something you can’t handle comes up. Like always, right?”

“<I suppose,>” Baku relented, rubbing his snout. His Trainer could be stubborn at times. “<Let’s be careful.>”

“You keep close to me, and warn me if anything’s gonna jump at us.” Dan then led him into the woods of New Moon Isle.

The trees provided an almost total leaf canopy, letting only fragments of sunlight hit the forest floor. Due to this, dark tolerant plants grew in abundance. Baku watched, but never saw anything. The total lack of activity came to be a worry, though. Anywhere else, there would be micro-bugs and other lesser animals scrounging about, wary of humans and Pokemon. There would also be wild Pokemon around, calling to each other or coming up in curiosity. But there was nothing here.

No. Not quite. Baku sensed one being here. He didn’t so much sense it as sense the absence in the aura he could feel. That had to be some Pokemon of the Dark type. And immensely powerful at that, if the space of that absence was a clue to that. At first, he tried to keep Dan from entering that absence space.

After circling the edge of the isle twice, Dan looked over their boat. “This is really weird,” he said. “We should have run into something. But night’s falling, and nothing has appeared. Have we checked the middle of the island?”

“<You don’t want to check the middle of the island,>” Baku said, although he figured his Trainer wouldn’t listen.

“Let’s go check. We could camp on the boat if we had to, but I’d rather not, or set back out to Canalave this close to evening.”

Feeling a sense of dread, Baku followed his Trainer nevertheless. He entered the Dark aura expecting to be repelled by something painful. But that didn’t happen. It simply slid around him like oil, all around the Drowzee yet not enough to disorient him. Why? No Dark Pokemon that he had ever met was so generous with others. None had ever had this degree of control over their power either. So was this one being welcoming? Or, was it all one of their infamous tricks?

In the center of the isle, there was an open meadow. The grasses here were more controlled, not growing everywhere like a savage’s hair. It was just a quiet place. No mystical monuments, no mysterious signs, no shrines, no sign of human hands. Just a quiet, peaceful meadow which was almost entirely barren of life forms from the animal kingdom.

“This would be a nice place to set up camp,” Dan said. “But there’s just… something creepy going on. Normally you hear the calls of the Starly family everywhere, or even Hoothoots. But there’s none of that here. And I’m not sure about setting up a campfire anywhere with all this grass.” He turned around, looking.

A feeling of panic welled up in Baku. “<No, no!>” he called, crossing his arms. “<Camping here is a bad idea.>”

“What’s up with you today?” Dan asked, patting him. “If there’s nothing here, there isn’t anything dangerous. We’ll leave tomorrow. Looks like this trip was a waste. Still, we might be able to drop by another island. Oh, look, there’s a hole in the ground. It would be useful for a fire.”

Baku turned around. He had been certain that the meadow was all grass. However, there was now a nice shallow pit near where they had come in. And the grasses seemed even shorter. How could he have missed that? Or was it another trick?

Alarmed by all the strangeness, the Drowzee remained alert while helping to set up a campfire and a tent. He remained alert while they ate some simple dinner under the darkened sky. And he remained alert when Dan went to sleep. As the minutes drifted by, there was only the wind stirring up the leaves and the distant rhythm of the tide.

Nothing happened for the first hour. Then, his sensitive snout picked up on something. Dan was fully asleep now, and entering the phase where he dreamed. The scent of it drifted from the human’s nose. It was always the nose, although other Pokemon thought that specific dream scent was non-existent. To a Drowzee or Hypno, that scent told many things. Usually, Baku would take a bit of Dan’s dream energy to consume every night. It never hurt him, so there was nothing wrong with it.

But this night the dreams had a bitter tinge of nightmares. It wasn’t very strong, but it was enough to make his stomach queasy. Nightmares always disagreed with him later, and there were tales that a Drowzee that ate too many nightmares would fall horribly sick and die. That was a theory that he didn’t want to put to the test.

Instinctively, he knew that the Dark Pokemon residing here was causing this. Baku crept into the tent and tried some things to stop it: making significant signs on his Trainer’s forehead, trying to unsettle the dream stage of sleep, blocking off all of Dan’s senses temporarily. But his efforts seemed to do nothing to the dense aura.

Baku then left the tent and looked around the meadow. He couldn’t see any strange movements in the grass. Aside from the bitter nightmare, he smelled nothing out of the ordinary. He couldn’t feel anything in the aura because he could not feel the Dark aura. It had to be out here. But where?

“<Come out of hiding, you,>” Baku called into the meadow. “<I know you’re hurting my human, and I won’t allow that.>”

“You should not have come here,” a deep voice replied from behind him.

He turned and saw the stranger by the campfire. Only a foot taller than the Drowzee, the Dark Pokemon was some kind of black phantom with long white hair and leathery wings. Although Baku couldn’t read its thoughts or feelings, it didn’t seem aggressive. Still, Baku felt defensive, if only for Dan’s sake. “<Why not? And who are you to forbid anyone from doing something?>”

It switched from human speech to the language all Pokemon shared. “<I am Darkrai, of the new moon. I came here to be alone many centuries ago. No one is to disturb me here.>”

“<We haven’t heard anything like that,>” Baku replied. Although he felt cautious (any Pokemon that could claim it had been alive for centuries had to be strong and talented), he would still stand up for his Trainer. “<And you didn’t give any warnings, so you have no right to be hurting him like you are. I know it’s you! Don’t deny it.>”

“<I won’t. But I am holding back; I do not wish your human any true harm. I do not wish you harm either, so do not try to battle me. It would be fruitless for both of us.>”

Although puzzled by Darkrai’s words, Baku could see that it was being honest. It showed no signs of aggression as it floated by the fire. It turned its eyes to the fire now, as if watching something unusual and curious. Still, the situation unnerved Baku. Dan was still emitting a bitter dream scent.

“<But if you won’t deny giving him nightmares, and you don’t wish to harm us, then why is he having nightmares due to your power?>” the Drowzee challenged. Even if it would be tough, even fruitless, he wouldn’t stand down and do nothing.

“<That is why I came to be alone,>” Darkrai said, still watching the fire. “<My power is to control nightmares. There have been those who abused my power for evil purposes, causing war, despair, fear, tragedy. Others hated me for it, even though it was not under my control and I had no desire to be evil. So I forsook the society of everyone. He came looking to capture a Pokemon, didn’t he? I am the only one here.>”

Baku looked back to the tent. “<He’s not evil,>” he defended for his sleeping Trainer. “<He just wants to be a strong Trainer, like many others.>”

“<Even if his intents are not evil, he would still be bringing my power back into civilization, where it would hurt everyone around him, including you. I want you both to leave tomorrow. But I watched you today. I have seen that he can be stubborn and ignore the signs that gave you fear. I will hold back for him, but I will also make certain that you leave in the morning.>”

“<Can’t you just leave a clear message then? Or do nothing; he’s planning on leaving anyhow because he didn’t find any Pokemon today.>”

Darkrai moved its hand forward, barely keeping its fingers out of the sinking flames. “<People are more likely to avoid fire if they’ve been burned touching the flames. At least, that is the philosophy that I have followed. I managed to keep up a good rumor that this island was cursed. Perhaps I’ve been neglecting that as of late. More people have come the past few years, even as I dissuade them. Still, I will not allow myself to be captured and used again.>”

Baku clenched his hands. “<I still don’t like this.>”

“<I understand. But he will be able to sleep tonight, or else he won’t be able to pilot the boat back to the mainland.>” It looked back at him finally. “<You are not entirely convinced of my intentions, it seems.>”

“<You’re hurting my Trainer and friend,>” he retorted. “<Of course I’m not fine with that.>” He could put this strange Pokemon to sleep; that wasn’t an ability it could block. Then he could eat its dreams, so that its power over dreams would be broken. If he took all the dream energy from someone, that person or Pokemon would not be able to concentrate.

Raising its hand up, Darkrai wove a strange pattern in the air with its fingers. At that, its aura ceased to be like oil and came to be like water, like the energy usually was. It overwhelmed Baku’s mind, giving him a flashback to his own nightmare during the day. With his psychic senses being drowned in the Dark aura, the Drowzee could hardly tell up from down, left from right. He looked at his five-fingered hands and felt disconnected with them.

It only lasted a second, though, as Darkrai retracted the aura so that it acted as oil again. Then it looked back into the fire and was silent. From that, Baku felt like it had been reluctant to do that. He didn’t want to bother the Dark Pokemon now. Instead, he stayed by the tent and made sure Dan was okay, besides the nightmares.

In the morning, Dan seemed nervous as he cleaned up the campsite. “I think you were right to be nervous about this place,” he told Baku. “I had some weird dreams. Maybe there’s some Pokemon here, but it doesn’t want us to be here. We’d better leave it alone.”

“<That’s for the best,>” the Drowzee replied. He hadn’t seen Darkrai since the sun came up, but he knew it was out there, somewhere under the dark canopy.

...

Drowzee Leaf Green entry: Puts enemies to sleep, then eats their dreams. Occasionally gets sick from eating only bad dreams.

Darkrai Platinum entry: To protect itself, it afflicts those around it with nightmares. However, it means no harm.

[The_Shuppeteer_]

Wow, the Darkrai/Drowzee one was just great! Darkrai was so awesome, with his Dark abilities.
The Banette one was cool too. Maria was such a fun character. Keep up the good work!

[Missingno. Master]

Loved it. I'm always glad when Darkrai isn't portrayed as a villian.

[Ysavvryl]

Ekans would be the fifty percent mark for Kanto Pokemon. Yay!

I am looking for some reserves for March holidays: St. Patricks Day and the first day of spring. I'll also take an Easter reserve if it's a good one, since that's in early April.

In Process: ???/???
On Deck: Dratini, Drifblim, Ivysaur, Linoone


EKANS AND KOFFING


The ground was becoming warmer as spring took hold of the grassy plain east of Vermillion City. Elliot the Ekans was finding it easier to get around, now that the winter cold was no longer freezing his blood, and motivation. Today, he wasn’t looking for a meal; he’d caught something days ago, when it had been groggy from post-hibernation weakness. Those around him were still struggling to find food, but he wouldn’t need to eat again for a few days more.

Instead, he was checking out his territory for any changes that had occurred. With his tongue flicking in and out, he could learn invisible information that hung in the air. A nearby rival had been patrolling lately too, as his scent lingered on some grasses. Elliot would probably be out fighting him again when it was closer to summer. At the dirt path the humans used, he found signs of winter damage which the humans hadn’t gotten around to fixing yet. They probably would fix it soon, so he’d need to stay out of their way. They brought in machines to do that, machines that could crush an Ekans’ body on accident. Although he noted other signs, they weren’t quite as worrisome as his rival and the humans.

While he slithered back into the tall grass, he felt vibrations in the ground that had to be human footsteps. Elliot took a moment to carefully examine this human’s scent. It was a female, one of those ‘teenagers’, wearing a Leppa scented hand lotion, carrying a scent of two Pokemon (Kadabra and Gloom), although neither of those two Pokemon were around. From that, it was safe to assume this was a Trainer. Feeling no desire to be captured, he slipped further into the grasses and out of her path.

“I wonder if Kevin is around,” he thought aloud. He took a careful taste of the air. As Kevin was a Koffing, he was impossible for a scent sensitive Pokemon like an Ekans to miss. There was a slight tinge of his sour scent; he had been here a few hours ago. Elliot slithered around until he figured out which direction Kevin had gone, then went after him.

His search took him away from the dirt paths and into the dense woods where the humans never went. He occasionally thought of moving back here instead of staying out near the paths. If he did so, he wouldn’t have to deal with humans. But, doing that would require fighting other Ekans, or even other Pokemon. After all, it wasn’t like territory was something his kind traded.

After avoiding potential confrontations, he came to a small clearing where a horrid stench kept others away. Elliot was always careful to not taste the air around places Kevin was staying. It could take hours to get rid of the nasty bitter taste of poison if he got a strong taste. However, the Koffing was his friend. The odd friendship helped, in that others were less likely to challenge Elliot, in case Kevin was around.

Kevin was in the middle of the clearing, resting on the ground enough to put a flat area on his normally spherical bubble body. It was unusual; he normally floated, just off the ground if he was dealing with Elliot. With his eyes looking down and half-closed, he looked sad. As the Ekans came closer, he could see that the poison gas buildup in his body was dense. It was normally a mass of swirling colored particles, but not today.

“Are you feeling ill?” Elliot asked. “You don’t look well.”

“Huh?” He opened his eyes fully and looked over at him. “Oh, hi Elliot.”

He smiled a bit. “You’re getting good at identifying me.”

“Well you’re the only Ekans who’ll come up to me willingly, so even though your kind is over common, I know you now.”

“But you haven’t answered my questions. Are you sick? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing you need to worry about,” he replied, looking back at the ground. “I’ve just felt lousy the past couple of days.”

Elliot brought his front half up off the ground, to be more on eye-level with the Koffing. “Is that why you came looking for me?”

“Looking for you?” His attention was back at the Ekans as some visible vapors curled off the top of his body. The yellow markings on his front brightened, something he did when embarrassed or frightened. “What makes you think that?”

“Well you say you’ve felt lousy the past few days,” he pointed out. “But I caught your scent only hours old in my territory. And you’re the only one of your kind around Vermillion as far as I know, so it couldn’t have been anyone else. So, it seems you were looking for me.”

“Huh. Guess I can’t fool you on that. I felt like talking to somebody and you’re the first one I thought of.” He got quiet.

“What do you want to talk about?” Elliot finally said after a while of awkward silence.

“You know why I’m the only Koffing around here? My Trainer kicked me off his team. Over the winter, I’ve been looking for a new Trainer.”

“It’s not going well then?” While Elliot didn’t care to join the humans, he knew a lot of his peers wanted to. He wouldn’t argue against them. Although, he would miss Kevin if he was captured.

“Not exactly,” Kevin replied oddly. “I was caught quite a few times. However, every single time, I was immediately released.”

That didn’t seem right. Humans were capturing Pokemon just to let them go? “Why? That doesn’t make sense.”

“I didn’t understand it myself, but the last time, a week ago, I found out a reason. The boy who caught me was excited that he had a new entry for something he called a Pokedex and ignored me completely at first. Then he said that he didn’t need me any more and released me. Apparently they just want some information and nothing else.”

“That doesn’t seem like humans I’ve met before,” Elliot said. “Maybe this Pokedex is some new fad thing. Humans like fads, but they never last long.” He knew about fads because he’d once been trapped unwittingly near a group of female humans having a picnic. While he hid under a bush to avoid notice, they talked continually about how important it was to keep up with the latest fad. As he’d listened to the conversation, the whole concept of fads had struck Elliot as dumb. Why change yourself constantly to keep up with some vague far away fad leader?

“Maybe. Or maybe I am just a lousy Pokemon.”

“You aren’t lousy,” he replied. “You’re nicer than most Pokemon I know.”

“I might seem that way to you, but nobody else will stay around me. You’re the nice one.”

“I wouldn’t worry about what the humans say and do. They’re so hard to predict as it is.” He dropped down and slithered around. “Why don’t you blow yourself up? You always say there’s nothing like a good explosion to cheer you up. And it looks like you could use it.”

Kevin gave a negative sign, shaking back and forth slightly. “I don’t feel like blowing up today.”

“Are you sure about that? You look like you’re stuffed, or dense, whatever your kind says about it. It probably would help.”

“I don’t think so. If I’m not a good Koffing, then I shouldn’t have the right to self destruct.”

Normally, he’d flick his tongue out as a sign of challenge. But Elliot managed to hold back his regular responses. “If you won’t make yourself explode, then you’re definitely not a good Koffing. Come on, do it. Or are you that weak?”

“I am not weak,” Kevin countered, finally showing some of his usual pride.

“Well then prove it. Make an explosion loud enough to get the attention of the human Trainer you want.”

“Okay, I will. But you’d better back off.”

Nodding, Elliot slithered to the edge of the clearing. He turned in time to see the Koffing’s body condense, then release all his stored gasses in a clamorous explosion. A cloud of dark violet hung in the air for a minute; it would have knocked the Ekans right out if he had been in range. Right under the toxic cloud, grasses went into shock trying not to be killed by the poisons. As the breeze started to clear the area, Elliot came back in to find Kevin deflated. His body looked odd like that, a collapsed gel-like sack that was almost fully see-through.

It only took a minute for him to breathe back in enough air to fully inflate himself again. “Phew. I guess I was holding a lot in.”

“You feel better now?”

“Yeah, I shouldn’t be worrying too much about the humans. Thanks Elliot. If there’s anything I can do for you, just ask.”

“I’m just helping you as a friend, Kevin.” The Ekans lifted his violet scaled body off the ground again. “Although, if you could help me stake a good claim around this forest, that would be a great thing.”

The Koffing lifted himself an inch off the ground and grinned. “Sure thing. What kind of place do you have in mind?”

...

Ekans Fire Red entry: A common sight in grassland, etc. It flicks its tongue in and out to sense danger in its surroundings.

Emerald entry: Getting up close to a Koffing will give you a chance to observe, through its thin skin, the toxic gases swirling inside. It blows up at the slightest stimulation.

[The_Shuppeteer_]

Perhaps I could suggest a Lopunny/Buneary one for Easter? Cliched, but fitting.
Anyway, the new story was awesome!