From: Adrian Tymes (wingcat@pacbell.net) Subject: [PW!] Training To Be...Yourself? Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000/03/05 "Doppler..." *BANG* *thud* Minax's head went flying. "Dop-" *BANG* *thud* Minax dropped to the floor, her heart literally in pieces. "D-" *BANG* *thud* Minax struggled to get up on her one good leg- *BANG* *thud* -then collapsed when her pelvic bone shattered explosively. "Good job-" *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* "-but you need to distinguish more between your allies' voices and that of your enemies. Wasting shots is wasting moments you might not have; for guns that are not a part of you, it also means wasting ammunition." A green-vested Ash clone - or so it appeared - stood in the practice chamber, gun smoking and eyes full of determination and hatred in equal measure. He popped the empty ammunition clip out and reloaded in a single motion that spoke of practice. "Still, your accuracy - taking into account your target - is improving. Let's try a water gun now, shall we?" The trainer morphed into a blastoise, deathly still except for its eyes, which scanned left and right for targets. The creature's expression easily confirmed that this was the same being. Minax dropped from the ceiling. Water at high enough pressure to dent (rusted) steel split her in two before she hit the ground. ****** "He progresses quite remarkably." "Indeed. It will not be long before we can pass him off as the real thing." "Blasphemer! He *IS* the real thing! Did not the Doppler say that we are all Doppler?" "Well, not in so many words..." "Bah! It is his *MEANING* that suffices. Each one of us carries his spirit. He gave us our purpose; our meaning in life. It is our duty to restore his life, that he may again lead us in our holy war." "Some might say that's not quite the real Doppler. I mean, we didn't *actually* get a psi-print or anything." "We teach him what he needs to know. He grows in power to make up for what he has lost. And we have re-indoctrinated him into the belief he gave all of us. It doesn't matter that there used to be some other barely sentient ditto soul in that body; what is there *now* is the Doppler." "Except that we're teaching him to kill Minax by using her mindless clones as his training targets." "Merely correcting a weakness. Remember, it was his love for Minax that left him open, at the end; is it not Doppler's way to overcome one's own defects in this manner?" "Well, not *quite* this manner, but yeah, something like that." "Then there you go. We have recreated the Doppler, and he will soon be ready to unleash terror on the world again." "Now *that*, I disagree with. Doppler wanted everyone to live in peace and harmony. He did not want to conquer the world and rule by fear." "YOU HAVE SPOKEN YOUR LAST HERESY, INFIDEL! THE DOPPLER MEANT FOR US TO CONQUER THE DISBELIEVERS BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY, UNTIL ALL WHO OPPOSE US ARE DEAD! GUARDS! EXECUTE THIS SPEAKER OF LIES!" "But. . . " *WHUMP* "Very good. I don't believe your assassination strikes made a single sound. Now take that body away to be burned with the trash, while I further tend to the Doppler." ****** Doppler meditated, standing battle-ready so as to show no weakness, in the pause between rounds. He knew, of course, that this was just training. Whoever these clones were of, must be pretty typical of these 'trainers' he had been told he was opposed to. He would have to ask how to tell trainers apart from people who should be protected - assuming there were any people outside this organization whose lives were worth saving. He honestly hoped that was the case; it would be a bit of a dissapointment to learn that the whole world was to be destroyed. But, if that was the case, then so be it: he was Doppler, and he was sure he had reasons for the dogma he was re-learning. TBC? [No non-clone Minaxes were harmed in the making of this post. Stung briefly by a withdrawal of blood several posts back maybe, but not really harmed.]