From: otaku (animeotaku@mindspring.com) Subject: [PW!] The Cure Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000-09-01 23:33:31 PST The Cure Azrael muttered a curse to Goddish as he and Devastator walked down the muddy path between Vermilion and Cerulean. The constant rain kept him unable to keep a cigarette lit, and that made his fuse very short. At one point, he nearly lost it when a young girl ran by, nearly knocking him over. Luckily, Devastator was there to keep him in check with an extremely mild thunderbolt. Along the way, the rain cleared enough for Quickstrike to come out and chat with Devastator, who switched to speaking in his native tongue, cutting Azrael off from half the conversation. At some point the bumblebee colored Pokemon must?ve said something offensive, because Quickstrike was swinging at his head moments later. Recalling her back to the Pokeball, he asked what that was all about. ?Er?let?s just say she?s not most feminine Scyther I?ve met.? Azrael shot him a glance and sighed. ?Great. A talking Electabuzz with a thing for my Scyther.? To this Devastator shrugged and laughed sheepishly. After another two hours of walking, the tops of some buildings could be seen. Cerulean wasn?t much farther. ?Halt!? Azrael turned and glared. ?Venus.? She did a quick bow. ?In the flesh. Giovanni heard about your plan to get the cure, and I?m here to make sure you never get there.? She held out a Pokeball, which was colored crimson red. ?This is the latest from Team Rocket. Enjoy.? She threw the ball down and disappeared in a flash of light and smoke. Before either Azrael or Devastator could move, the Pokeball opened, revealing an enormous Dragonite, charcoal gray in color, and over twelve feet tall. It thumped its tail in anger, which left large dents in the ground. ?Are Dragonites weak to electricity, fire, grass or rock moves?? Azrael asked nervously. ?Nope.? ?Just thought I?d ask. Run!? The two took off like Dodrios on fire, but the Dragonite simply took a step back, leaped forward and landed in front of them, blocking their path. It roared, charging up a large energy beam. ?What the?? ?Look out kid! That?s a Hyper Beam attack!? Devastator shoved Azrael way just in time, taking the full brunt of the attack. He was knocked back several feet, slamming his back against a tree. The Dragonite walked forward, and looked down at its fallen opponent with eyes full of malice. Raising a giant foot, it prepared to crush the life out of Devastator. ?Skywarp, Quickstrike, Inferno, attack!? The three Pokemon launched at the Dragonite from behind, before the lumbering creature could turn around. Inferno seared its body with an Ember attack, and Quickstrike added fuel to the fire with a Toxic spray. Skywarp performed repeated Fly attacks, combined with the others, caused the Dragonite to fall on its side, twitching in pain. But it was obvious to Azrael that it was far from defeated. ?Skywarp, use your Hyper Beam!? He shouted, pulling the fainted Electabuzz up. Skywarp nodded and flew upwards, gathering energy for the attack. As much as Devastator hated Pokeballs, there wasn?t another option. Azrael grabbed a Revive he was carrying, and poured it on Devastator. ?Huh, what??? The disoriented Pokemon mumbled. ?Sorry about this, but there?s no other way.? Azrael tapped him with the Pokeball, and Devastator was sucked in in a flash of light. ?Areo?dactyl.? Skywarp groaned as he gathered the energy, flapping his wings to keep from plummeting to the ground. Just as the Dragonite began to get up, Skywarp unleashed the blast, knocking the poisoned Pokemon down, but not out. Without waiting for it to get back up, Azrael recalled Quickstrike and Inferno, and ordered Skywarp to head straight to Pallet as fast as he could. Using all his remaining strength, the faithful Aerodactyl flew away. The Dragonite got up, feeling the effects of the poison and other attacks, but still healthy enough to chase after its prey. However, a blast of electricity kept him on the ground, twitching. Venus leapt down from a treetop, followed by a Raichu. ?You failed. It?s back to the scientists for you.? She recalled the Dragonite back to its Pokeball, and sent it back with her modified Pokedex. ?It is no matter.? Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small device. ?Too bad, Azrael. You lose.? She pressed a button on the device, and turned, walking back to Rocket headquarters laughing. - - - - - - - - - - - - Over the skies of Pewter, Azrael felt a slight tingling in his chest. It quickly turned into a mild pain, until he was bent over, gasping for air in a matter of seconds. Skywarp noticed this, and sped up, hurriedly landing in the middle of Pallet within less than two minutes. A large crowd gathered at the site as Azrael choked out words. ?Pro?Professor?? ?Oak? Professor Oak?? One man guessed. Azrael shook his head. ?Vash...teel.? An elderly man came out his house, and gasped when he saw Azrael and Skywarp. Rushing over as fast as he could, the elderly man ordered them to carry him into his house. Skywarp stood in front of the house nervously, until he collapsed from the exhaustion of going from Cerulean to Pallet in a matter of minutes. Inside, Azrael was stretched out on a bed, hooked up to various machines. The old man, who in reality was Professor Vashteel, spoke to Devastator, as he prepared an antidote. ?I see...after I administer the cure, I suppose I?ll have to tell him.? Devastator nodded grimly. He winced at the spot where the Hyper Beam had hit him, still not feeling 100% healthy. While Devastator held down Azrael?s arm, Professor Vashteel injected a large tube full of the cure to the virus within the young man?s body. They waited for hours, until finally, his eyes twitched open. ?Where?am I?? ?You are in my home.? Vashteel said, peering down at him. ?Are you the Professor that Devastator spoke of?? ?I am.? ?Why did you want to help me?? ?You see, Azrael?Jason?? Azrael grabbed him by the arm sharply. ?How did you know my name?? The Professor sighed; knowing this moment would come sooner or later. ?Jason, I am your father.? TBC