From: Shard Fields or Megasomething (goola2u@aol.compostheap) Subject: [PW!] Toy Soldiers Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000/04/03 (OOC: Sorry for stealing your title, Reg, but I think it fits here, too. And thanks for the inspiration!) *** Bit by bit Torn apart We never win But the battle wages on For toy soldiers *** Shard wondered what had happened. Green realized he didn't know anything useful, that much he knew, but the rest was a blur, other than the battle between Clyde and Green's Wartortle, which ended abruptly when Green instructed the furry reptile to attack Shard instead. He awoke surrounded by a group of psychics. "Well, Shard, you sure put up a fight," echoed Sabrina's cold voice, "but I've finally retrieved you." "What do you want?" asked Shard. "Simple," said Sabrina, "You are my toy... And now that I'm done playing with you, I'm putting you away." Shard only now remembered something earlier... A "reality fork," he'd called it, when you remembered events going two different ways. One seemed improbable, but it may have held his only hope for escaping this. No. Not yet. "No, you don't. I have with me the one thing capable of annihilating Mewtwo. Though in its incipient state, I have no doubt that it can deal with you! Gangreen, GO!" "PAAARRRAAAASSS!" shouted the bug as it latched onto Sabrina's face, only to fall to the floor on it's back, cushioned the green, tiger-striped mushrooms on its back. "A noble gesture, insect, but to no avail." Suddenly, a new warrior appeared beside Sabrina. "Kazam!" it shouted, launching a prismatic beam at the exotic insect. "Good, Alakazam," praised Sabrina, "Keep at it with your Psybeam." "Gangreen, Leech Life, quick!" Shouted Shard. The glow did not relent, and the Paras eventually was sent on a flight across the room, in pain. Suddenly, it began to emit a glow. "It's evolving..." gasped Shard and Sabrina in unison. "Parasect, parsect!!!" scowled Gangreen. "Okay, let's see if you can do this, Gangreen, PIN MISSILE!" The Alakazam flinched and shuddered as it was pierced by a million insectoid needles. "How did you do that?" scowled Sabrina. "I'm a Rocket. I cheated," smiled Shard, before snatching up the huge tick/fungus and running like heck. He collapsed in the hall. Sabrina was upon him before he could get very far. "You are being very stubborn," she said. "This would be so mush easier for both of us if you would cooperate." "Oh, Sabrina," said Shard, "I've been meaning to tell you. I've found my inner... JADE ENERGY!" Summoning the last bit of his strength, Shard launched a beam of emerald light at Sabrina. It hit, with a powerful effect, and she disappeared silently. Shard smiled, then blacked out. *** Shard awoke to the familiar voice of Nurse Joy, although he didn't quite feel like opening his eyes yet. "You okay, kid?" she asked. "I think so, Hot Lips," replied Shard. "Well, I'm Dark Joy, and I'll have you on your feet again in no time. I was wondering where I left Snowball and Melodia. Thanks for taking care of them, Shard" the nurse continued. At this, Shard jolted into full consciousness. "WHAT?" he protested. "They were mine to begin with," she said. Shard looked, and saw that this Nurse Joy was a little different from the others. Her outfit was black and green rather than white and pink, and there was a red R on her black nurse's cap where the red cross should have been. "Okay, very funny. But you're a little late. April Fools day is over. Now what the Muk is goin' on?" Shard hopped to his feet. "You need your rest," insisted Dark Joy. "Soulstice, put our patient back to bed." Shard instantly saw before him a strangely-colored Alakazam... White as snow, with light purple on him in some places, and a red star on his forehead. "Gangreen, deal with..." "She already took the gung-ho bedbug to another recovery room," answered Banshee. "I'm out here because I wanted to say goodbye to Melodia." Shard struggled to his feet. "Thanks, DJ, but I'm out of here," said Shard. "Not before the news report," she said. "It's about your previous partner, Dark Jenny. She was found out to be an undercover Jenny. She screwed up, and they called her back." "And you?" asked Shard. "Oh, don't worry about me, I'm one of the bad guys. My closed minded relatives began calling me this because of my mischievous nature as a child. Later on, however, it took on a new meaning, a sort of loose approximation of "Guilty Pleasure". Of course, I encouraged the guys to think that, destroying their psyches was so much fun. But you, you're different, I've heard..." "Ah, I see," said Shard. "I'm leaving now." "See ya! Oh, and be careful, Dread's having one of those days!" she shouted after him. "Dread's having one of those centuries," he shouted back. TBC? Shard Fields, who thinks he might make Dark Joy a WGed character sometime. .sig not included. Shard Fields on AGNP Megasomething on ATT Team Rocket member, Evil Predacon (Diversive Tactics Expert)