From: bbd127@aol.com (bbd127@aol.com) Subject: [PW!] Flight Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000/07/26 ?So, where to next?? Taron wanted to know. ?Well,? said Procyon, pulling out his map, ?we only have three badges left to get: Soul, Volcano, and Earth. Soul is next.? ?You mean-? ?That?s right. We?re going back home.? ?Fuchsia City! After all this time!? said Taron. ?I wonder if anything?s changed.? ?Sure. This time around, we have five badges each.? Procyon grinned. ?And the only thing standing between us and six badges is Koga. This?ll be a cinch.? ?Well? maybe.? Taron looked down. ?Maybe we?re not as good as we think.? ?Huh? What?s the matter?? Taron didn?t respond, so Procyon pressed, ?C?mon, what?s wrong? Is something bugging you?? ?I didn?t earn this Marsh Badge,? he replied. ?I never beat Sabrina for real. Neither did you, for that matter. It seems like half the battles we?ve won have been pure luck.? ?Ah, don?t say that,? Procyon told him. ?To get any badges at all, you have to be pretty good, no matter what. And if anything, Sabrina cheated. We didn?t have the advantage of a psychic connection to our Pokemon!? Then, remembering Taron?s own special ability, he added, ?Sorry. Didn?t mean it like that.? But he could see that Taron wasn?t feeling any better, so he sighed and reached into his backpack. He fished around until he found what he was looking for: his Pro-dex. ?This should cheer you up,? he said. ?Your Pro-dex? How is that supposed to help? And anyway,? he added hastily, ?I don?t need cheering up. I was just thinking, that?s all.? ?I know,? Procyon said truthfully. ?But still. This?ll make you feel better. I programmed it into the system for any times when I felt like I wasn?t any good at battling.? ?What is it?? ?It?s a recording of some show I saw on TV once. It?s all about Pokemon; in fact, the show itself is called Pokemon. There?s this kid named Ash, see, and he does the same thing we?re doing; going around and collecting badges.? ?And this is supposed to inspire me?? ?Not exactly. Just watch.? He flipped open the screen and both teenagers waited expectantly. After a moment, characters appeared. ?Kadabra! Psychic!? ?Ha! Too bad ghosts are strong against psychic! All right, Haunter, return! Pikachu, Thundershock!? ?Pi..ka..CHU!!? ?Wow! I can see you?re really a great trainer! Here you are, take this badge, you earned it.? ?Ha-ha! We did it!!!? The screen went blank, but neither Taron nor Procyon was watching. They were both rolling on the ground, laughing hysterically. ?Ha.. heh.. hahahaha? he? actually? thought ghosts were? strong against? Psychic?? Taron managed, still laughing. ?What? a moron? hahahahahahahaha!!? laughed Procyon. It was several minutes before either of them could get up again. Finally Taron, still hiccupping, said, ?Thanks. I needed that. After seeing that show, I will never, ever, ever feel worthless again.? ?Anytime.? Clearly Taron did feel better; he was smiling and talking like usual. The problem seemed gone. And yet? And yet, beneath the laughing exterior, buried somewhere in his sightless eyes, was a sadness. Something still wrong. Procyon didn?t have to think very hard to figure out the problem. After all, who wouldn?t be sad when one of their Pokemon died? They walked for some time in silence. Procyon thought furiously, searching for some way he could make Taron feel better. And yet, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he couldn?t. There was just no way anything someone could do or say could help in a situation like this. Or was there? Well, if he couldn?t cure the disease, he could at least treat the symptoms. ?Hey Taron?? ?Yeah?? ?Have you ever flown before?? ?You mean on an airplane? Sure, I?ve-? ?No, not on an airplane. That?s not flying, that?s just sitting in a seat watching through a little window while the world goes by below. I mean, have you ever really flown before?? ?No?? ?Well then what are we waiting for?? he laughed. ?Come on!? Procyon raced towards Bulletwing, his Dodrio. ?Wait! What do you mean?? ?I mean I think we ought to take a ride.? ?Just you and me? What about Suik?? ?What about him? He?ll be fine. C?mon!? ?I dunno? what if we fall?? ?What, you?re afraid of heights?? Procyon joked. ?Just don?t look down.? ?Very funny,? Taron mumbled, but he seemed pleased. Together they got on Dodrio?s back. ?Hold on tight, Taron! Here? we? go!!? Bulletwing began running. Slowly at first, then faster and faster until they were streaking through the forest at lighting speed. Trees whizzed by in a brown and green blur, and the air screamed across their faces. ?Hey, this isn?t bad!? said Taron. Procyon laughed. ?This? This isn?t bad? We haven?t even begun yet! We?re just getting up speed for takeoff! Bulletwing, let?s FLY!!!? The great bird took one huge leap forward, up, and into the air, and they were off. Like a feathered rocket it shot towards the stratosphere, its three beaks piercing the wind with a pleasure it could not conceal. It was wonderful. Higher, higher they flew, up through the clouds, breaking free into the glorious sunrise above. Purples, blues, reds, and vibrant oranges flowed around them, painting a picture in the sky from a pallet of gold. The sun?s rays streamed around them, and for one brief moment, they were on top of the world. Then Bulletwing slowed down, stopped, circled one time very slowly, and went straight into a nosedive towards the cold earth below. Both its riders screamed in gleeful terror, and it joined them, a scream for the pure pleasure of being free of the Earth?s pull, as if daring the universe to ask how it could fly without wings. They shot through the clouds once more, aiming for the ground in a reckless nosedive. Like some glorious arrow they sped through the air in their descent, further and further, until they were just about to plow into the earth- And then, at the last possible second, millimeters from the ground, Bulletwing pulled up from their doom in a whirlwind of flying feathers. In moments they were back in the air once more, flying through the forest, around trees, chasing Pidgeys, performing loops, swirls, dips, nosedives and barrel rolls in a performance that would forever after make roller coasters seem somehow inadequate. They skimmed along the surface of a nearby lake, kicking up foam and flying just above the water, spray filling the air around them. Just for a moment, because before they had time to blink, they were up once more, soaring away from the frail reaches of the planet below. At last, Bulletwing brought them faithfully to the ground again, setting them down gently and allowing them to dismount. Both did so quickly. ?You?re the greatest, Bulletwing!? Procyon told it. ?That was the best flight we ever had! Thanks so much!? It accepted the praise quietly, with the closest a Dodrio could come to a smile. Meanwhile, Taron was in disbelief. ?Man, that was incredible!? he breathed. ?And you say you do that often?? ?All the time!? said Procyon. ?I love it. What did you think?? For a moment, Taron just stood there, grinning, looking for the right words. Finally he said simply, ?Thanks.? Procyon just nodded back. ?Anytime.? That morning, as they set off along the road to Fuchsia City to earn their next badge, one member of their party who was still incomplete was now feeling just a little bit closer to being whole again. TBC