From: RobfromVoid (RobfromVoid@prodigy.net) Subject: [PW!] Empathetic Meets Just Plain Pathetic Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000/05/04 "I am a political prisoner." The dry, raspy voice of a Slowpoke away from his natural environment is only heard by the spandex-sporting Machop sitting next to him, "I cannot know for sure how long I have been confined to this grassy prison, though it seems like a month since that horrible Teenage Witch sent me here. I am surrounded by people and Pokemon that hate me for who I am. The sunlight amplified by the glass windows above is not healthy for me. Worst of all, I, one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse, have resorted to telling my life story to a feeble-minded goon so that my legacy can live on." Bane the Machop looks up, past the foliage of the trees in the room he is sitting in. He speaks and the translator on his shirt releases some sparks before poorly translating what Bane said as, "Me like here. Sun good. Plants pretty. Ladies very pretty. Why Luthor no like here? Ladies give Luthor water and food, just like give Bane. Let ugly bug play with we sometime, too." Luthor the Slowpoke tries to lift one paw to strike Bane with, but can't find the energy to carry the motion through, "You fool! We lack our freedom! How can we take over the world unless we are free? I've thought up a multitude of plans for world domination. You know this since I have told them all to you. I fear that they will die with me, since you are too stupid to remember what they are. All my attempts to escape this place have failed due to lack of proper nutrition. I require much more water than the tiny bowl they place for me! I believe that I may already be dehydrating, and not even the most benevolent super-hero could save me now, despite the way that they are all trained not to kill villains such as myself." Bane furrows his brow, then says, "But at least ladies very pretty. It almost time for them come give us food. Me can't wait." Footsteps are heard coming from behind the large metal door that is barely distinguishable from the four metal walls that make up the smallest greenhouse in the complex. The room that Luthor has been staying in for almost a month is about the size of a closet, and just as drab as one, except full of exotic plants and trees instead of shirts and coats. As the footsteps draw closer to the room that Luthor refers to as his 'prison', two female voices can also be heard by the Slowpoke and Machop. "How could you do this behind my back, Sarah?" The first voice complains, a mere pinch of anger mixed in with the disappointment in her tone, "I am the Leader of this Gym, and I should have the right to know what is going on here!" "I'm sorry, Erika, but we knew that you'd be against this so we had to keep it from you!" The other female voice replies, sounding slightly apologetic but mostly rationalizing, "This lewd talking Slowpoke deserved much more than a red X on his forehead and a banning from the Celadon Gym. He Teleported into the Locker Room while we were showering then started attacking all of our Pokemon with his Psychic attacks. My Tangela was able to Constrict him, but not until after he caught a glimpse of my birthday suit. All of us who were violated agreed to keeping him in the driest room in the Gym, so he could suffer for what he did. Now that you know about all that he did, you must realize that we had to punish him in the name of justice!" When Erika slams open the door into Luthor's prison, her eyes are watery and silent tears work their way down her cheeks, "There are times when we must be just and there are times when we must be compassionate, especially when dealing with Pokemon. Many Pokemon have less sentience than humans, even if they can speak English, and we must understand this before judging them. Leave me alone with these two Pokemon and go tell your friends that everyone in this Gym who knew about this is going to receive a lower salary for this month, except Lilly, who told me about this the moment she found out." "Hey! What happened to compassion?!" Sarah, the green-haired woman standing behind Erika, protests while frowning. Erika turns to Sarah and stares at her with her eyebrows slightly lowered, "I *am* being compassionate. If Lieutenant Surge's assistants kept a secret about his Gym from him for so long, they'd probably get fired. Now, go. Leave me alone with them." Sarah marches away, murmuring something under her breath, wondering why anyone told a snitch like Lilly about Luthor. Erika steps into the small room where she keeps trees and flowers that strive in warm climates. She hadn't been inside this room for quite a while, an action that she now regrets. The empathetic young woman is wearing her favorite blue kimono with matching wooden sandals, but has her short dark blue hair loose instead of in the traditional bun. She kneels in front of Luthor, then sits on her calves. She grabs Luthor's arms with her pale slender fingers and places him on her lap. She runs her feminine hands down his sleek pink back, which has thickened in places due to overexposure to sunlight. She manages to smile at the suffering Slowpoke, despite the overwhelming feeling of sadness she is experiencing, "Hello, friend. You have nothing to fear." Luthor is speechless at the way he is being treated. The woman who is caressing him certainly isn't a villain that is trying to seduce him, but she's way too kind to be a superhero. He remains cautious, wondering if this is some sort of trick the evil women are playing on him, but there is a kind of ethereal feeling of goodness emitting from the serene woman whose lap he is sitting on that the Slowpoke has never felt coming from anyone before. The Slowpoke responds the only way he knows how to, "How dare you touch Luthor this way?! Luthor is not some infant for you to coddle. Luthor is the next ruler of the world! Luthor will escape your prison soon enough, you temptress. Luthor will not fall for your evil scheme to weaken his resolve!" "Don't worry, Luthor." Erika sniffs and stops rubbing Luthor's back since he protested the action, "You are now free to leave whenever you want, but I feel that you should stay here until you recover from all the suffering that you've gone though. It seems that you are delusional from all the heat you have been enduring. I will personally make sure that you are not hurt anymore by those people who put you here. You can sleep with me on my bed until you are ready to get back on your paws." Luthor's angry eyes close. When he opens them, they seem less stressed. "You... want to protect... me?" He shakes his head. All the humans he's ever met have treated him horribly. His gut tells him that he's being deceived, but something he'd never felt before, his heart, is telling him that he should trust this woman. He ignores the foreign feeling of desire to trust. His eyes narrow again, "This is all a plot to trap Luthor in your chamber so you can prevent him from taking over the world! Luthor is one of the most intelligent beings in the universe, so there is no way that you can trick him with your insincerity, female human!" Erika closes her eyes, dislodging a tear that falls on top of Luthor's head. With her eyes closed, she quietly says, "If you would rather leave this Gym that has caused you such suffering, I can understand. I will let you, but I know that I will feel horrible if I don't help you recuperate. Your imprisonment was partly my fault for not keeping track of all the corners of my Gym. If you ever change your mind, you are welcome here whenever you want. Shall I take you and your friend outside?" Luthor feels Erika's tear as it rolls down his head, down his face, and onto his lips. When he opens his mouth, he can taste the tear, and it makes him feel very odd, "On second thought, I don't... I mean Luthor doesn't want to leave yet. I want... Luthor wants to stay here in order to... get revenge on those who imprisoned me... or rather, him." Luthor looks up at Erika, waiting for her response, wondering if she'd get angry at him because he wants vengeance. Erika opens her eyes and her lips curl into a quaint smile, "Thank you for letting me show you how much I care, Luthor. While you stay with me, I'll try to explain to you why revenge is not the best way to deal with your problems. You are a smart Pokemon, but it seems that you are misguided. Should I carry you to my room or would you rather walk behind me?" Luthor can't see any hints of evil in Erika's expression. After some slow and careful thought, Luthor replies, "Carry me. I want to be alone with you for a while." He glances over at his Machop, "Bane, I'm sure you want to be with those 'pretty ladies' anyway. Go find them and locate Parasite and stop the 'ladies' from brainwashing him to do their bidding." After Bane nods and wanders off, Erika lifts Luthor and holds him close to her bosom. As Erika slowly heads towards her room, wooden sandals clapping under her feet, Luthor looks up at her smiling face and says, "Please coddle me like an infant. It feels good." -Luthor