From: Rob (robfrompw@yahoo.com) Subject: [PW!] Slowpoke Not So Well Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2001-06-18 15:38:59 PST Adrian Tymes wrote: > ...but does not drift off too far to not step out of the way of the > cave's mouth, dragging Barbie along, when her body feels the rumble of > a stampeding herd and her eyes tell her that the nearby cave is the > only place they could be coming from where she couldn't see them. Her > instincts are not dissapointed when many slowpoke pour out, almost as > if the Slowpoke-shaped cave mouth were vomiting the spirits that gave > it its shape. She quickly scrambles to high ground above the cave > mouth, reaching the top just as a toolbox bounces out of the herd and > lands at her feet. Sarah blinks at the toolbox below her. She bends down, pops it open, and out pops her Cyndaquil, leaping to her arms. Both trainer and trainee shout, "Cyndaquil!" "Ma?" Barbie the Mareep takes a step back. She wonders if the Cyndaquil, the strange Ditto's little accomplice, arranged the slow Slowpoke stampede that is still dragging on below her in an attempt to knock her and her beloved trainer off. It all makes sense to the paranoid Mareep, despite the lack of motive, partly due to the intolerable heat that is frying her brain. Barbie's eyes scan the area, trying to see where the mastermind behind the scheme is, so that he doesn't catch her by surprise. The shepherdess notices her Mareep's head moving left and right, and she thinks that Barbie is concerned for Mimic's well being rather than her own. Knowing how distrustful Barbie usually is, Sarah smiles. Concerned herself, she looks down at the Cyndaquil who is clutching onto her sweaty wool shirt, "Where's Mimic?" "Present." The toolbox enlarges into a large cardboard box covered in purple wrapping paper with a giant red bow on it. Sarah can't help but grin. She stands up straight, tucks her Cyndaquil under one arm, and undoes the present's bow with her free arm. The box morphs into a blue haired male human being. The shepherdess looks over the side of the cliff, watching as Slowpoke continue to sluggishly pour out of the Slowpoke Well's cave mouth. The quickest Slowpoke have already occupied the streets of Azalea Town, but the slower ones are taking much longer to flee from the car that startled them moments after it had already left. She glances over at Mimic, "Why are all those Pokemon so scared? Did your trip to the car factory have somethin' to do with it?" "Reep!" Barbie narrows her eyes at the Ditto who is currently in a human disguise, already suspicious of what he's going to answer before he even says anything. Mimic watches the Slowpoke below him as he answers Sarah's question, feeling like he's watching a slow-motion replay of the first wave of the cave evacuation, "Friend drove car to well. Scare Slowpoke. That all. Mimic and Cyndaquil have fun, by way. Sarah no miss much, though. Mimic no think race Sarah's tea cup." "Did you hafta mention tea?" Sarah swallows what little saliva is left in her mouth, trying to moisten her parched throat, "Let's go back down to the pump. Barbie got to drink some water before the Slowpoke swarm, but I'm still very thirsty." By the time Sarah and her friends climb down to the cave entrance, only the slowest Slowpoke are left struggling to leave the Slowpoke Well. Mimic volunteers to pump the water out of the Slowpoke fountain for Sarah. Cyndaquil leaps out of Sarah's arm when he realizes that he might get splashed with water. The nearly dehydrated shepherdess kneels in front of the Slowpoke-shaped contraption and opens her mouth wide. When Mimic pumps away at the stone Slowpoke's tail, water ejects from the fountain, straight into the girl's mouth... ...but she spits it out in surprise the moment she hears a deep voice that doesn't belong to Mimic call out: "Come back, you infidels! We could have teamed up and stolen the Batmobile from Batman, but instead you all fled! COWARDS! I bet that if Batmobile had lost a wheel, you jokers would STILL have run away!" "Wh-who... wa-was... that?" Sarah is suddenly overcome by her usual shyness once again, which had been dormant while she was traveling with Mimic in the wild. She looks all around, wondering who the deep, imposing voice belongs to, but she only sees Mimic, Barbie, and Cyndaquil, who are all wondering the same thing. The only other being in the vicinity is the only Slowpoke left at the cave entrance - the slowest one who was in the Slowpoke Well. Sarah starts shivering right where she kneels, which looks odd since the heat is unbearable and it appears as if she's cold. With scared hazel eyes, she looks at Mimic, "M-maybe it's a... gh-ghost...?" The Slowpoke in the cave entrance opens his eyes wide when he sees Sarah kneeling in front of the Slowpoke statue, and his jaw falls open in delight, "This is most excellent! Luthor's efforts to become ruler of the world have been realized during his unsuccessful trip to retrieve a King's Rock from the bowels of the labyrinth built in his honor. Why else would Supergirl, of all people, be kneeling before Luthor's statue, trembling out of fear for her new overlord, the unquestioned ruler of the world and quite possibly this universe?" Five seconds later, he tilts his head up towards Mimic, who is staring at him in disbelief, "Well, if you have a better explanation, I'd like to hear it." "Sarah was thirsty." Mimic explains. Luthor the Slowpoke scoffs, "Likely story." He begins to slowly crawl towards Sarah and the girl is so terrified and at the same time shocked by the English speaking Slowpoke that she is frozen stiff in the blistering heat. While he crawls, the Slowpoke talks to the shepherdess, "So tell Luthor, Supergirl, what brings you to Luthor Lake? Did you think that you could stop Luthor's plans to become a Slowking in order to gain psychic power infinitely more destructive than Luthor's already awesome power and a cool crown too? I suppose I do not need to tell you that your quest is futile, as I see that you have realized this since you pay me homage." Even after this speech, Luthor is only one foot in front of where he began it. He sighs. "Come to Luthor, Supergirl, my newest minion, or face my horrible wrath!" "M-m-me?" Sarah points to herself, waits the few seconds that it takes for the angry Slowpoke to nod his head, then stands up and walks in front of the Slowpoke who has just hurled a threat at her, bowing her head down in order to meet him eye to eye, "Wh-what d-do... you... w-want, Slowpoke?" "You obey me!" The Slowpoke's eyes go wide for a moment, before they shoot back down into an angry glare, "Luthor means - YOU, OBEY ME. Luthor commands you to capture him in a Pokeball, because Luthor needs to be traded soon in order to become a Slowking, a form more fitting of the current monarch of the world, future tyrant of this universe. No one has been able to capture me since I arrived at Luthor Lake months ago. I blame Chameleon Boy for capturing me in the past. But if there's anyone who can assist Luthor, it's Supergirl, the blonde superheroine who has just recently realized her inferiority to the mighty Luthor during his most recent journey and has now willingly become his minion, humbling herself and obeying his every command. Now, where are your Pokeballs, Supergirl?" Sarah doesn't know what the Slowpoke is talking about, or why he keeps calling her Supergirl, but when Luthor mentions Pokeballs, she does remember one of the two reasons that she's in Azalea Town, "I d-don't have Pokeballs... b-but I will have some... s-soon enough! I gotta go see Kurt, the Pokeball maker..." "Then take Luthor with you." The Slowpoke voices the order while squinting his large eyes at Sarah, "After all, it is a long walk for Luthor but a brief flight for you." On the road to Kurt's house, while entering the Azalea Town limits, Sarah wonders why the heavy Slowpoke she's carrying with both of her arms is so bossy, Mimic wonders why Sarah didn't leave the annoying Pokemon back at the well to fend for himself, Cyndaquil wonders why he keeps having the bad luck of meeting up with scary Water Pokemon, Barbie wonders if Luthor is all part of the fiendish master plan she imagines Mimic to have, and Luthor wonders why Sarah isn't flying. -Sarah