From: Rob (robfrompw@yahoo.com) Subject: Re: [PW!] The Afternoon After Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2001-08-22 16:00:39 PST Adrian Tymes wrote: > Before Becky realized what had happened enough to apologize, Travis > came walking up from behind Sarah. "There you are, Becky! This path > just goes around in a loop. We think there's a point you can cut > through, but it's a bit narrow and we didn't want to lose you." Sarah stands up and shows the empty palms of her hands to Becky as she walks back without looking back, "P-please... d-don't hurt..." But before she can finish this statement, she bumps into Travis, who gets a face full of blonde hair. Sarah gulps and turns around, finding herself face-to-face with Travis, "H-hi." "Hey." Travis replies, backing away from Sarah lest she have a heart attack. He points towards the point he just mentioned to Becky, "You CAN cut down trees, right, Becky?" When Becky nods with a grin on her face, Travis looks over at Sarah, who has lowered her head, "Sarah, I think you'd better tag along with us until we get to the lake where I'm going to train my Jolteon." Charmbolt the Jolteon, eager for a workout, barks, "Jolt! Jolt!" Becky adds, "I agree with Travis. You already got lost once in this forest and Amber before you. They should call this place the Imlost Forest, not the Ilex Forest." Before anyone can groan at this comment, Luthor the Slowpoke lets himself out of his Lure Ball to disagree, "Infidel! How dare you suggest such a thing? This forest was rightfully named after Luthor's namesake's first name and I will not sit idly by while..." Before Luthor can finish his rant, Sarah pulls him back into his Lure Ball, hoping her Slowpoke will stop popping out whenever he feels like it. Sarah glances up at Becky momentarily and tells her, "I'll t-tag along..." Barbie the Mareep is suspicious of the two trainers from the party, the Jolteon, and even Sarah's scarf, but she has no choice but to go with them when her trainer follows Travis' lead since she's not about to stay all alone in the forest. "Keeeya!" Becky shouts, startling Sarah and Barbie, but successfully chopping down the small tree blocking the path heading north with one bare hand. She bows and waves northward, "After you, Travis." Travis continues to be the leader as he heads towards the forest's lake with Charmbolt at his side, followed by Becky, then Sarah and her Mimic scarf, and trailed by Barbie the paranoid Mareep. They continue to walk until they arrive at a large lake surrounded by thick trees. Sarah glances up at the lake, but ends up pulling her head up so fast that she looks past it towards a gated building. The only apparent way to arrive at the gated building is to cross the lake. Sarah turns her head to the right and sees that the Ilex Forest continues towards the east, an alternate route she can take. However, she's afraid that taking that alternate route might end up leading her to a pack of thieving Houndour, or to a Skormory trainer who'd beat up Blazer, or maybe even to another forest full of Ursaring much meaner than the Winnie the Teddiursa, a character she read about when she was little. Becoming frightened due to imagining what could happen, she approaches the edge of the lake, points to the gate across from it, and asks, "C-can any... anyone help m-me cross over?" "Mim-" Sarah's scarf is about to speak, but before he can suggest anything, a large Tentacruel materializes on the lake. Travis, the Tentacruel's Pokeball still in his hand, says, "Tendril, my Tentacruel, knows Surf. She can help you cross. Tendril - let this girl and her Pokemon ride on your back." When he hears a faint "thanks" come from Sarah and an acknowledging "tent" come from Tendril, he smiles, and watches as the shepherdess, a bit frightened but trusting Travis, climbs onto Tendril's back. Since Barbie doesn't trust the Pokemon, or the Pokemon's trainer for that matter, Sarah has to pull out her crook and drag her onto the Tentacruel's back. Once Sarah, her scarf, and Barbie are on the Pokemon, Travis points northward, "Go, Tendril." Tendril rapidly Surfs across the lake. A happy Sarah and a trembling Mareep leap off the Tentacruel and land on the other side of the lake. Sarah waves over to Travis, whose Jolteon is already fighting a Psyduck who came out of the water due to being afraid of Tendril, and she shouts out, "Thank you so much!" She removes her crook from Barbie's neck, slings it onto her back, and walks through the nearby building's open gate. She adjusts her eyes to the brightness in the room, happy to have finally left the darkness of the Ilex Forest but also happy that she made some new friends during the time she spent there. -Sarah