From: Saint (Saint84_98@yahoo.com) Subject: [PW!] Squaring the Circle Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000-08-22 22:10:10 PST Taron, Suik and Procyon stood outside the impressive looking mansion that was the Fuschia City Pokemon Gym. "Shall we go in?" Procyon asked. "Yeah, I guess we should." Taron said as he pushed open the door. "You know Taron this should be a real easy battle for you, with TumbleweeAHH!" "Procyon?" Taron called. "Are you alright?" "Taron, down here! Hurry pull me up, I'm hanging by my thumbs." Taron and Suik both knelt down and each took one of Procyon's arms and hauled him back up. "Geez, someone could get killed here." Taron commented unneccesarily. Procyon nodded wordlessly forgetting Taron couldn't see him nod. They leaped over the trapdoor that had nearly killed Procyon. Taron nodded to himself. "Okay let's go." WHAM! Taron backed away. "OW! Geez! Who put a wall there?" "Taron watch out!" Procyon shouted. "AAAHHH!" Taron shouted as he fell down the trapdoor. WHAM! "Taron!" Suik shouted. "You okay?" "Yeaah..." Came the weak reply. "Anything broken?" Taron checked himself over. "Don't think so." He pushed himself to his feet, and dusted himself off. "Man, mega headache ohh." He groaned rubbing the back of is neck. "Anybody got a rope?" "I've got a string!" Procyon called down helpfully. Taron smacked his forehead. "D'oh!" He felt lower down on his head, over his eyes. "Damn! I cracked my shades!" He sighed and chucked the ruined pair of sunglasses off into a corner. "Hey procyon, I found a way around the wall." Taron heard Suik call from up above. "What about Taron?" Procyon asked staring down the hole. "I'm okay. Go on I'll find another way." Procyon hesistated but only for a moment. "Tumbleweed, I summon thee." A moment later his sandshrew stood beside him. It looked up at its trainer quizzically. "Sand?" Taron shrugged. "I dunno, I thought it sounded cool." "Sand, shrew." Tumbleweed climbed up onto Taron's shoulder. Taron nodded and began walking. Tumbleweed would occasionally tap him on the side of his head, telling him which way to turn. Taron entered a room where Tumbleweed told him to stop. "What?" He asked. "What is it? Which way do I go?" "Sandshrew sand sandshrew..." "Two brooms and a dancing boar? Tumbleweed, buddy, you feelin' okay?" Taron felt a small claw hit him on the head twice. "Sand shrew! Sand shrew sand sandshrew!" Tumbleweed repeated slowly. "Oh! A circular room with a bunch of doors!" Taron chuckled. "Sorry, I'm just starting to understand your sandshrew-ese." He scratched his chin. "Any of 'em fake looking?" WHAM! The door that Taron had entered through slammed shut. Then the floor beneath him began to spin. after about a minute it stopped. "Great! Now I can't even back pedal!" Taron shouted. He sat down to try and figure this one out. Unknown to Taron a hole in the ceiling had opened and a piece of paper floated to the ground. Tumbleweed picked it up and brought it to Taron, who immediatly noticed it had something written in braille on it. Taron smiled. "Finally something has gone right today." He sat down and ran his hands over it. "Half off admission fees at the Safari Zone this weekend only." Taron glanced up at the ceiling. "What is this? An advertisment?" another piece of paper floated out of the hole in the ceiling and landed on the Taron's head. He read it. "Hey, all these traps cost money you know!" Taron smacked his forehead again. "How about some help here?" "No." Taron scratched his chin, pondering the situation. "Well, can you at least go down to burger king and get us some food or something? I can't think on an empty stomach." "Okay." "Cool, lessee. I'll have a Whopper, no onions or tomatos, large fries, and an orange soda. What d'you want Tumbles old boy?" "sand, sand shrew sand shrew, sandshrew shrew sand." Taron glanced at his friend. "You sure?" "Sand." He shrugged. "Whatever. Tumbleweed says he'd like a big kids meal with a sprite." "Hey Tumbleweed, why exactly do you want a big kids meal?" "Sandshrew." "The 3d pokemon cards? Why do you want those?" "sand." Taron sweatdropped. "Uhh, Tumbleweed there ISN'T one of a sandshrew." Tumbleweed glared at him his eyes glowed an evil red and steam erupted from his ears. "SAND?!!?" "Whoa, calm down bud maybe you'll get Lugia or something." Taron said sweatdropping. He paused to think that one over. "Then again, maybe you'll get Pikachu." Tumbleweed glared at him. The hole in the ceiling opened and Taron's food was lowered in a basket to the ground. Inside the basket was a piece of paper. with $12.00 written on it. Taron dug into his pockets and pulled out the cash. He showed it to Tumbleweed. "that right?" After recieving an affirmative, he placed the money in the basket and tugged on the rope. The basket was raised through the ceiling once again. Taron took a bite out of his whopper. "So, what card did you get?" Tumbleweed handed it to him, he felt the unmistakeable outline of a Pikachu. "Oops looks like I probably shouldn't have said anything." He handed it back to him. "Well, at least it won't be able to shock you or anything..." WHAP! "OW!" Taron yelled rubbing the side of his head. "Who would've thought those cards would hurt so much? Stupid corners." Taron finished his food. he put all the trash in the bag and placed it against the wall. What else was he going to do with it? He sat cross legged on the floor in the center of the circular room. He took a deep breath, clearing his thoughts, focusing his energy, his very being towards the ancient mantra that would lead him out of the room. "eenie meenie miney moe..." eventually he ended up choosing the third door from the left. It wasn't easy, he had trouble deciding exactly which door was the left door, since it was a circular room, but he did it eventually. He grabbed the doorknob, twisted it and slowly opened it. Smiling confidently, he walked into the doorway. WHAM! Taron recoiled from the brick wall. Clutching his face. "Tumbleweed! You're supposed to warn me about stuff like that!" The sandshrew shrugged his little shoulders. "Shrew, sand." Taron glared at him over his shoulders. "What do you mean you thought it was funny?" "Sandshrew." Tumbleweed said laughing lightly. "Yeah, well you'd be the only one." Taron muttered darkly. Taron tried the next door, nothing. The next door down nothing. nothing, nothing. NOTHING! Taron checked the next door, there were only two left. He opened the door and felt around inside the frame. Empty space. YES! He walked confidently through the doorway inside was a dark tunnel that went straight for a few yards then turned right. He found a left turn immediatly afterwards followed by a hallway that went straight a few yards then ended in a door. Taron reached the door and placed his hand on the doorknob. He grinned at Tumbleweed, "Well, next stop, Koga!" He opened the door. He felt Tumbleweed fall off his shoulders in a facefault. Taron asked what the matter was. A moment later he joined him on the floor. "What do you mean we're back in the same room?" Taron moaned. a moment later the door slammed and the room spun again. "D'oh!" Taron pulled himself into a sitting posistion slumped against the door. He sat there for awhile not moving. Barely breathing. Suddenly he laughed, breaking the uneasy silence. "I've got it. Tumbleweed, you old son of a shrew, I've got it!" He pulled himself to his feet and began running around the edge of the room. "If i can just run fast enough, to get the earth to spin in the opposite direction, thus turning time backwards, I can go back to before we entered the gym! After that it's just a simple matter of NOT falling into the hole!" Tumbleweed blinked at him. "Sandshrew. Sandshrew sand." Taron glared at him as he continued to run around the circle. "Of course it'll work! I saw it in a cartoon once!" He stopped suddenly and began to dance a jig. "Look at me, I'm the Lord of the Flies!" "Sandshrew." "Lord of the Dance? Who is that?" Tumbleweed stared at his trainer. *I think he's finally lost it, one too many hits today methinks* He thought to himself, as Taron hopped about the room having a swordfight with an invisible opponent, using his Suddenly-appearing-out-of-thin-air-when-needed-and- disappearing-just-as-quickly walkingstick as the sword. "ARRGH!" He shouted as he was impaled by his opponent. *Un Be Leivable* Tumbleweed thought. *He lost?!? He was fighting thin air.* he waddled over to Taron. Only to find that his trainer had blacked out. *WHAT? After all the blows he's taken today THAT'S what finally conks him out?* He sighed and returned himself to his pokeball. *Shrew this I'm taking a nap.* TBC...