From: Saint84_98@yahoo.com (Saint84_98@yahoo.com) Subject: [PW!] Flashbacks Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000/05/03 [PW!] Flashbacks By Saint 5/1/2000 Taron was in the forest laying on his back, "staring" at the sky peaking through the tops of the trees. He had been there for over an hour, wondering, thinking, planning, arguing, debating with himself. All over one question. "How am I going to beat Misty?" Now, you'd think, with four reasonably strong pokemon, only one of whom was actually weak against water, this battle would be no problem. This would be true only if you disregarded certain glaring facts about Taron's pokemon. The pokemon in Taron's roster: A Spearow, a Metapod, a Tauros, and a Sandshrew. Now, obviously against Misty, the Sandshrew would not be a bright choice. The Metapod as well was out. It only had one move which was not an attack. Now I know you're saying, ok fine but a Tauros, that's gotta be able to do SOME damage right? Well, you'd be right. However Rampage (as it was known) tended to be a bit, shall we say independent-minded? Right. That left him out. All of these facts were going through Taron's mind as he lay in the peaceful calm of the forest. "How am I going to beat Misty?" he said into the silence. "Sand?" A curious sounding voice replied. Taron sat up slightly and looked towards the voice. "Oh. hey Tumbleweed." Tumbleweed walked over and laid down next to his trainer, mimicking his position. Taron turned towards his pokemon. "I don't know Tumbleweed, I just don't know how I'm going to beat Misty." This is just like when I was a little kid. Taron thought to himself ****Flashback**** "Ok Pidgey, use a Wing Attack." A young boy, probably ten or eleven years old wearing shades called to the bird in the center ring. The pidgey looked at it's opponent, a rattata being trained by a man in his late thirties. The pidgey tucked it's head under it's wings and fell asleep. The man recalled both of the pokemon, walked over to the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Taron, but if you can't even control the most basic pokemon, you have no hope of being a trainer." The man looked at a clipboard in his hand. "Lexing, Ashley." He called into the crowd of waiting students. A young girl with brown hair and a bright smile stepped onto the platform just as Taron backed away. He felt his way through the back door, not realizing another boy was following him. "Hey Sharon, wait up!" Sharon, that was this boy's nickname for him. Rather imaginative, don't you think? Taron started walking faster. The other boy ran up and body checked him, causing Taron to fall flat on his face. "Where do ya think your going Sharon?" The boy leered as Taron pulled himself to his feet. He brushed himself off a glared at the bully. Well, as well as a blind person can glare at someone. (Which is actually pretty well, since his all white eyes tended to creep people out.) "Back to the dorms, why do you care Justice?" Justice, interesting name for a jerk. Justice laughed. "Well, I was just going to give you a bit of friendly advice." Obviosly this was going to be advice that Taron wouldn't be needing. "So, Sharon, why are you still hanging around pokemon Tech?" Justice said tactlessly. "I mean come on you know you're no good at this." ******** "What do you mean you dropped out of Pokemon Tech?" His father screamed at him. "We saved for ten years so you could go there, it pratically reduced us to being poor!" Taron bowed his head shame faced. "Do you want to know why?" "Why what?" Taron asked meekly. "Why we saved so much you idiot!" Taron nodded. "Why?" "Because we were hoping you could go on to become the greatest pokemon trainer and make us lots of money." Taron's head shot up and he glared blindly at his father. "What?!" He said through gritted teeth "Oh yeah, your mother and I we were going to live in a big mansion. Have three limosines at least." His father went on babbling about all the riches Taron's efforts were supposed to bring. Then he said the secret words. "It was the only reason we had you." Taron's mother stood up and glared at him. "What are you talking about Jim, it was not the only reason we had him, it wasn't even one of the reasons we had him." "Shut up woman!" Taron heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh at an impressive speed. He also heard another thing that added to his horror, the sound of liquid sloshing around in a bottle. His father was drunk. His mother fell to the ground. Crying. Taron snarled at his father a sound of pure anger. "What the hell is your problem?" He turned to hit him. Taron heard the sound and blocked it amazingly. "What the...?" He balled his fist and punched his father in the face. He crumpled and fell to the ground. Taron rushed to his room and grabbed a few items, he stuffed them into his backpack, then turned to leave. "Please, Taron.... don't go." His mother rasped through a swollen lip. Taron turned and gave his mother a hug. "I'm sorry mom, I have to, I can't stay here, not after this." Taron turned and left it all behind him. ********** Taron stood in the middle of a pokecenter. "I'd like to get my pokemon healed please." The Nurse Joy nodded and took the lone pokeball from him. a few minutes later it was returned to him. Taron left the center and ran out to the nearby forests. "Go Cammy!" he threw the pokeball down and a moment later a Likitung appeared. He knelt down to talk to it. "Cammy, I'm turning you loose. I'm giving you this last gift for being so loyal to me all this time." "Liki?" it said a bit confused. "Cammy, I'm giving you your freedom. Go on now, your life is your own." It stood there for a moment. "Go on!" Taron shouted. He waited a moment, then ran off. Cammy tried to catch up with him but Taron out ran it easily. It stopped, panted then turned and waddled into the forest. A lone tear glistened next to it's beady black eye. ******** Taron sighed and sat up, Tumbleweed followed his lead. There was a fire in Taron's blind eyes it had never seen before. "I don't care how, but somehow, some way I am going to make it. I am going to beat Misty and earn the Cascade Badge." He took three pokeballs off of his belt and summoned the pokemon that they contained. Soon a Metapod, a Tauros, and a Spearow surrounded him as well as his Sandshrew. "Come on you guys, we've got some training to do." TBC