From: Bandraptor <bandraptor@aol.com> Subject: [PW!] Taming of the Shrewd (ATTN SHARD) Date: Thursday, January 06, 2000 7:09 AM Nori tromped back towards the Pokémon Center, feeling rather dejected, although she couldn't quite place the reason why. Possibly, it was because she was annoyed with a trainer named Andrew Benjamin, and because she was rather envious of him, having an overpowered Venusaur like he did. And apparently, she wasn't the only one. When Nori entered the Center, she noticed Misty standing in the middle of the room, relating the story of her horribly unfair loss to anyone who would listen. Shard was sitting in a chair several feet away, wondering whether he should revel in Misty's misery, or be insulted that she wasn't complaining about her loss to *him*. "Aaaahhh!" Nori suddenly remembered, "I haven't had my Pokémon healed, since *my* last gym battle, way back in Celadon! Magmar's gonna hate me..." She rushed to Joy's desk, and shoved a pile of Pokéballs in front of the nurse. Joy did a quick spot check, to make sure that none of the Pokémon were seriously injured, then brought the balls to the Insta-Healer. "Miss, your Pokémon are ready!" Nori whirled around, at the sound of Joy's voice. "Wow, that was fas--" Then she realized that Joy was addressing Misty. Misty snatched her Pokéballs back, with no sign of acknowledgment other than a frustrated grunt. "If it's not one thing, it's another! First I have to deal with that idiot Slowpoke, and then that Venusaur guy shows up; and when I get back to the gym, I can look forward to cleaning up pawprints left by that stupid white Persian!" "White Persian?" Nori's eyes went wide. She only knew of one white Persian, and that was the one she was supposed to catch for Giovanni. "You don't mean Blizzard..?" "Bli...huh?" Misty turned to look at the younger girl. "Are you that Pokémon's trainer?" "Well..." "Good! Then you can pay for the damage it did to my favorite shirt!" Somebody from the back of the room piped in, "What? She's the one that owns that lousy alleycat? Then she can replant the garden it uprooted!" "She can replace the Farfetch'd it ate!" "She can clean out my kid's sandbox!" Nori scrambled away from the descending crowd, just as Joy was returning to the counter with her Pokéballs. "Thank you, your Pokémon are fighting fit! We hope to see you again!" Nori glanced at the tray that her Pokéballs were sitting on. Four of them were closed, and in their compressed state, but the fifth one was wide open... "Oh!" Joy added, lifting a Wartortle from behind the desk, "We released your Wartortle, from its Pokéball after healing it, as per your instructions." "WHAT instructions?" Joy shifted Rubix to one arm, and used her free hand to show Nori a note. It looked like it was written in crayon, by someone who didn't have thumbs. Rubix smiled innocently, and snuggled up against Joy's chest. "Waarrrrr..." The nurse tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh, as one of his furry ears brushed up against a very ticklish spot on her neck. Nori sweatdropped. "Uh..." "Wartortle, war?" Rubix seemed instinctively to know that his behavior was embarrassing his trainer-- so he kept at it, burrowing his head inside the nurse's blouse. Joy, like many people, didn't mind having a cute Pokémon cuddle her; since it was well known that Pokémon were sweet little animals with no ulterior motives.. She smiled warmly, "What a cute little Wartortle! It's so affectionate..." "Tortle, tortle," Rubix agreed. "Stupid trainers, and their stupid Pokémon," Misty fumed, returning to the counter for her Tentacruel's Pokéball, which she'd left behind the first time around, "If that trainer dares to show his face around my gym ever again, I'll make him regret it! And as for that Venusaur, 'Terzo'--" "Terzo?!?" Rubix exclaimed. Joy narrowed her eyes at him, not at all pleased to find that the creature with its head buried between her breasts was not only sentient, but also male. "Uh...Wartortle, wart?" Rubix tried to cover. The nurse picked him up by the scruff of his shell, and dumped him over the side of the counter, in what was, perhaps, the closest thing to an act of rage, ever displayed by a Joy. After enduring a pointed lecture from Joy, regarding her inability to restrain her Pokémon, Nori grabbed Rubix by the tail, and dragged him over to where Shard was sitting. She turned to the Wartortle, who was flashing a rather lude smirk in the nurse's direction. "Why do you have to be such an obnoxious little son of a Growlithe? You're making my life miserable!" Rubix sneered back at her, "I think you just answered your own question." Nori was trying to come up with a suitable comeback, when something else occurred to her. She slowly broke into a grin that was both self-satisfied and malicious, "Y'know...I just remembered something. That Benjamin guy said he could control his Venusaur, because he has all eight badges. I may not have gotten all eight yet, but I do have the first five..." Rubix scowled at his trainer, not sure he liked the direction this conversation was going in. TBC... -Beth, of the ever changing sig. Holder of 15 Zeni Points! http://members.aol.com/bandraptor