Subject: [PW!] A Hunting We Will Go Date: 7 Sep 2001 22:34:05 -0700 From: animeotaku50@hotmail.com (Ninja) Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon A Hunting We Will Go Eric let out a yawn as he lay in bed, casually flipping though a magazine. Nuku sat curled up in a corner, napping peacefully, letting out a soft meow every once in awhile. Across the room, Orson's Pokeball was sitting on the shelf, and a low, angry buzzing could be heard from within. For a moment, Eric considered letting the Beedrill out, but then he remembered what had happened the last time. Glancing at his television set, he winced. The moment Orson was free, he buzzed around the room in a frenzy, slicing the TV in half before Eric could get him back into his Pokeball. One day, he would have to find out why Orson always went berserk. Going back to his magazine, Eric had nearly dozed off when the doorbell rang, snapping him to attention. Hopefully it was someone rich. Work had been scarce the past few weeks, and his rent was already a week late. Eric rubbed his eyes, and opened the door to find...nobody. Slamming the door in anger, he had barely walked three steps when the doorbell rang again. He opened it, and prepared to hurl curses at whomever he met eyes with, when he realized the doorbell ringer was a little girl, no older than eight. She looked up at him with wide eyes, clutching a stuffed Charmander against her body tightly. Sighing, Eric glared at the child. "What?" "Excuse me mister, but I need your help. My name is Suzy, and I lost my most favorite Pokemon, and everybody says you're the best at helping people." Eric groaned inwardly. Over the past few years he had gotten a reputation in Goldenrod as something of a vigilante. Not that the police force minded, they were swamped with more missing Pokemon reports then they could count. As long as he kept some of his larger jobs off their scanners, there was no problem. Of course, there were times when he would be forced to go on "vacation" for a week or so. Suzy tugged on Eric's pant leg, getting his attention. "Well mister, can you help me?" "I don't suppose you have any money on you?" Suzy shook her head slowly. "Look kid, I don't know what you've heard, but I don't work for free. A small job like this is $200. Come back when you have the money." He closed the door, but not before she could slip into the apartment. Slapping his forehead in frustration, Eric opened the door again, motioning for her to leave. "Wait mister, my parents can pay! I promise!" Eric looked down at her suspiciously. There had been a few cases where he was promised cash after the job, and been stiffed. As a general rule, he demanded half upfront, and half afterwards. However, the kid was near tears, and it wasn't like an eight year old to lie. "Alright kid, just hold on a second." Eric slipped on his coat, and called Nuku into her Pokeball without waking her up. As a last minute decision, he decided to leave Orson behind. Best not to have an unbalanced Beedrill with him if the kid was going to be around. Walking out the door, he motioned for the young girl to follow him. She smiled a toothy grin, and followed behind him as he boarded the elevator. "Ok, first things first. What kind of Pokemon is it, and where'd you lose it?" "She's a Flaffy, and she's got a red collar around her neck with a heart that has her name on it. She's my most favorite Pokemon ever! I was walking through Ilex forest, and lost sight of her when I stopped to tie my shoes. I guess I'm not a very good trainer..." She trailed off, looking down at her feet. Eric unconsciously rubbed his right arm through his coat, tracing a finger across the deep scar. "We all make mistakes." He wasn't sure if he was talking to the girl, or to himself. As they stepped off the elevator, Eric allowed Suzy to lead him to Ilex forest, to the spot she had last been before her Flaffy disappeared. Before Eric could look around, he heard people approaching. He pushed Suzy behind some large shrubbery, and quietly grabbed a sturdy tree branch, pulling himself upward and out of sight. Steadying himself on the large branch, he glanced down as two people, a man and woman, walked by, talking to themselves. They were speaking in hushed tones, so Eric only caught part of their conversation. "...a good price." "Team Rocket..." Eric narrowed his eyes. The duo was either working for Team Rocket, which was doubtful considering they weren't dressed in any kind of uniform, or they were selling Pokemon to the Rocket's, in which case, he had to act fast. Gracefully jumping from the tree, he landed with a dull thud behind the two, catching their attention. "Now who's this clown?" The man grinned, twirling a Pokeball on one finger. He was large, nearly a head taller than Eric, and muscular. The woman, who seemed to be five years younger than Eric, was also twirling a Pokeball on one finger. She laughed, slipping her Pokeball onto a belt. "Looks like a rookie. You can handle him alone, bro." "Thanks sis. You go deal with that Flaffy." The girl ran off, leaving Eric and her brother in a face off. "So what's your name kid?" He asked, releasing his Pokemon from its Pokeball. An equally muscular looking Machop appeared, flexing. "I like to keep a record of my victories." Eric simply stared at his opponent. Without a word, he released Nuku, who had woken up from her nap, and was looking for some exercise. "Meooowth." The older boy grinned. "That puny little thing can't stand up to my Machop!" The Machop looked down at its diminutive opponent, and let out a laugh, striking a pose. Nuku simply flicked her tail, and with lightning speed, slashed the Machop across the face. It blinked, then fainted. The boy stood shocked, his mouth hanging wide open. "How...how...how in the hell did you beat me?" Eric allowed himself a smile. "Your Pokemon was poorly trained. I know your type. You spent all your time teaching it how to pose, and not enough time teaching it to fight. Pathetic." Without another word, Eric recalled Nuku, who was calmly licking her paw, and walked past the defeated boy, who was paralyzed with shock. Suzy, who had watched all this from behind the shrubs, could barely contain herself. It had been so exciting to see Eric battle. She jumped out of the bushes, running past the defeated boy and his fainted Pokemon. She couldn't wait to see the other girl get beaten. Amelia smiled evilly as she fired a dart into the Flaffys back. It slumped to the ground, the tranquilizer taking effect immediately. Fishing around in her pocket, Amelia pulled out a Pokeball, and tossed it at the fainted Pokemon. It bounced, and the Flaffy became red energy, and was sucked into the Pokeball. Amelia shrunk the ball down, and placed it in her pocket. "Easy as taking candy from a baby, huh?" Amelia turned, expecting to see her brother. "You got that right, b-hey, what're you doing here? I thought Andrew beat you!" "He lost. Now hand over the Pokemon." Eric clutched Nuku's Pokeball in his hand, ready to release her for battle. Amelia simply glared at him, and released her own Pokemon. A Kadabra appeared, clutching its trademark spoon in one hand. "Kadabra!" Eric paused for a moment. A psychic type would be tough, but not impossible. Still, he wished he had brought Orson along as backup. He freed Nuku from her Pokeball, and she stood at full attention, eager for battle. Amelia wasted no time, and ordered her Kadabra to attack. "Kadabra!" Kadaba used its power to lift Nuku high into the air, only to drop her roughly onto the ground. Being a Meowth however, she easily landed on her feet. With a yowl, she leapt forward, slashing Kadabra. It leapt back, bruised but not beaten. With a simple 'Ka', it used Recover on itself, and the scratch marks disappeared. Nuku hissed, and tried her attack again, this time getting in a few scratches before the psychic Pokemon used its power to shove her away violently. Again, it used Recover, but by now, both Pokemon were noticeably tired. Meowth physically, and Kadabra mentally. Thinking quickly, Amelia recalled her Kadabra, and threw down a smoke bomb. Eric recalled Nuku, and shielded his eyes as the thick smoke filled the area. When it cleared, Amelia was gone. "Damn her! If only I had brought along Orson..." Eric thought to himself. Just then, Suzy came running up to him, out of breath. "Did you get Flaffy back? Did you beat that girl like you did her brother?" She asked excitedly. Eric clenched his fists angrily, and shook his head. Suzy fell to her knees, and began to sob. Sighing, Eric punched a nearby tree in anger, ignoring the dull throb in his hand. "Don't worry kid. I'm going to get your Pokemon back. You just go home to your parents now." Suzy looked up at Eric, and smiled, then took off running back home. Eric stood still for a moment, then turned and headed back towards Goldenrod. He had a busy night ahead of him. TBC -Ninja