Subject: [PW!] Bottom of the Curve. Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 08:30:02 GMT From: catgonk@azureheights.com (Cat-Gonk) Organization: Adeptus Astartes Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon The Magnet Train gracefully came to a halt at the platform, its sleek outline shimmering in the bright artificial light of the Goldenrod Train Station. Its doors sliding backwards, Felix Charlesson stepped out from its confines, his dress shoes making a harsh metallic sound as they came into contact with the steel of the train platform. Munty the Pikachu clung tightly to his shoulder, trying to not get swept away by the crowd. "Felix! Over here!" A man in his late fourties, with short-shaven hair and a grey lab coat called out from the crowd surrounding the departure platform. The coat alone marked him as Professor Jarrah, of Ecruteak. A Ninetales followed him close behind, its agile steps allowing it to move through the crowd with ease. Above it floated a Voltorb, its shape marking out Felix's position amongst the horde of people rushing past him to meet their friends and loved ones. Felix felt something pull at his luggage. It was the Ninetales, who promptly led him out to safety. ------ [PW!] Bottom of the Curve. - By Cat-Gonk. ------ As Felix felt the last of the crowd squeeze past him, the Ninetales led him towards the seating area where Professor Jarrah waited. A throng of Pokemon surrounded him, among them a Sneasel and a Furret, neither of which Felix had ever seen before. "Felix. It's good to see you. Did your trip go alright?" The Professor's Australian accent was distinctly noticeable. He extended his hand to Felix, who took it. "Not bad. It's good to meet you too. I take it these are all yours?" Though he faced Jarrah, Felix's attention was more focused on the Pokemon. How had Kanto been sheltered for so many years? "Of course. I hate leaving them in the lab, so I always take some of them with me when I step out. Should we be off?" "Indeed we shall." ------ The massive spire of the Ecruteak Tin Tower grew nearer in the distance as the white ute made its way along the forest roads. Ninetales lolled in the back, enjoying the sun and casting a watchful eye at the trees passing overhead. "I think you'll need this." One hand still on the wheel, Jarrah tossed a small red box to Felix. Upon landing in his lap it sprang open into the form of a Super Pokedex, with a faint whirr as its monitor powered on. "You've managed to get by without one so far, but there's almost a hundred Pokemon you haven't had any battle experience with. Did your father give you the BattleDex?" "It's in my luggage. I haven't had a chance to fire it up." "Connect the two with a cable when you want to run the BattleDex's combat algorithms through it. I'm a programmer, and I'm working on a paper to see just how well computer-based combat simulators, and artificial opponents, size up to the real thing." Emerging from the forest, the urban landscape of Ecruteak was visible at the feet of its massive twin towers. "It's the special connection you have between Cygnet that I'm interested in. Even the best trainers have to give their Pokemon orders, but there are a few special cases where the two seem to communicate on a level we can't understand. You probably don't realise it, of course." Felix wasn't quite sure what Jarrah was on about, but went along anyway. As far as orders went, Cygnet just never seemed to need them. He'd always attributed it to instinct or being familiar with battling, but not on a bizzare telepathic level. "I hope you don't mind me talking about you like a lab rat, but it's hard not to." "No, of course not. "Also, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you left some of your existing Pokemon in my laboratory, or beam them back to Hellion Town. I'm interested to see how you raise your Pokemon, plus, as a trainer you should be increasing your stable constantly. You've only got five Pokemon, I hear." Felix nodded, and felt a slight tinge of embarassment. "Most trainers of your calibre have at least ten battle-ready Pokemon. I know you only ever fight with three, but the more you have the more you conceal your lineup. Elite trainers like your father can have up to thirty fully-trained Pokemon in their stables." "Don't feel put down or anything, I picked you for a reason. Aside from the 'spirit link', I need someone I can count on to win. Trainers learn from losing, but the Battledex learns from winning." The first of the skyscrapers in Ecruteak passed overhead as the car entered the Spirit City. ------ "I'd prefer it if you started tomorrow. I can handle all the forms and registration tonight. Just get a good night's sleep, and I'll see you in the morning with your equipment." Jarrah closed the door to Felix's room, and disappeared down the hall. From inside his room in the lab, Felix looked towards the Burnt Tower. "I have to take Cygnet with me, but who should stay back?" thought Felix. He wanted to keep at least three of his original five with him incase he was required to fight a real battle. That meant that two Pokemon had to leave, but who? Oddish was, well, Oddish, a cute little thing but hardly much use in battle. Then again, Oddish had that same unique trait of certain Grass-type Pokemon to vapourise things with Dragonite Ball Z scale Solarbeams, and he was Felix's starter after all. Munty was coming, without a doubt. Felix had taken a liking to the crippled Pikachu recently, and plus, it pulled women at an unbelieveable rate. Galahad and Felix hadn't been on the best terms recently. Of all his Pokemon, Galahad seemed to go down the hardest whenever he was taken out in a battle. However, Galahad always took down another Pokemon with him, and usually in a more grisly and horrific way than himself. His selected three would be a deterrent, and a battle lineup. Galahad would come in handy when it became necessary to turn a trainer's prized Pokemon into a bloody mess. Then Felix remembered; Galahad didn't want to come with him. He had a partner in Hellion. Tara had already been removed from Hellion Hive and lived in the Six Star Circus. It would be wrong to keep them this far apart. Now that it was in Johto, it would be possible for Chansey to evolve. This wasn't a risk Felix was going to take. Having thought it over, it wasn't worth losing Chansey's unusual fighting skills just for a small statistic increase. There might be a way she could evolve and retain her abilities, but that required a laboratory environment like the one right here. Despite being the most deadly of his Pokemon, Chansey was off the list. The choice had been simpler than he'd thought. Telling them mightn't be so easy, not just for them, but for him as well. ------ "Galahad, you can go back to Hellion. Tara's waiting for you." The large poison-bee Pokemon hugged Felix, but broke off when Felix leapt back screaming from the puncture wound in his leg caused by Galahad's stinger. ------ "Chansey, I'm going to have you leave you here." Breaking off from its weights, Chansey faced her trainer. "It'll be better if you stay here. When you evolve, you'll be stronger than ever, but we've got to hang on to your abilities." Chansey nodded, tears beginning to form in its eyes. "You'll be better off here, and I'll see you every week. I just can't give you the proper training that you can get here. In a few month's time, you might be able to evolve." Bawling, Chansey fell into Felix's arms, knocking him to the ground under her bulk. ------ The dawning sun cast long shadows across the Ecruteak Laboratory's gardens, a red haze cast across the morning sky. After one final wave to his two remaining Pokemon, Felix spun on his heel, greatcoat trailing behind him as he walked to the waiting Professor Jarrah. Today, he would take the first steps in proving himself in the eyes of not just Kanto, but the entire world. Felix's belt felt strangely lighter despite missing two Pokemon and carrying the Battledex at his waist. Galahad and Chansey would be fine, he thought, before returning his mind to the task at hand. There was a whole new league out there, and this time, it could be his. ------ [PW!] Bottom of the Curve. - By Cat-Gonk. -- ÇÃt-gôÑk®: flying jelly attack ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------¿Dº ¥õü ßè!iÈvë Ïn G¤dDì$h?------ *[ëmåÎL à)dRé$5]: catgonk@azureheights.com *[@¡M]: CatGonk *[/cQ]: 83851495 *[tH3 KitT¥ 1iTt3r þø><]: http://catgonk.cjb.net *[åZµr³ hÈ¡g|-|t$]: http://www.azureheights.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ liek omg wtf