From: Worry (Nuh@uh.dummy) Subject: Re: [PW!] Workin' In The Charcoal Harvest Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2001-08-21 11:33:41 PST In article <3B821381.CD97C799@yahoo.com>, Rob <robfrompw@yahoo.com> wrote: >Meanwhile, Sarah thanks Sylvester and leaves him and Trevor to chat amongst >themselves. She walks over to Travis, who is now talking to Becky, and >overhears him telling Becky that he hasn't found the owner of the talking >Pokeball he caught. Happy to hear that she'll soon be able to apologize to PK >Ball for throwing him out of a window at Kurt's house but afraid to interrupt >Travis' conversation with Becky, Sarah stands there quietly, politely waiting >to be addressed. "Do you own a Pikichu?" Sarah jumped slightly at the gentle sound of Travis's voice. She had been waiting politely to ba addressed, but her eyes, as per normal, were downcast and she didn't see the purple haired trainer turn towards her. "N-no." She answered. "Hmmm, I suppose you don't know anything about a talking pokeball then." Travis replied. "A-actually." Sarah stammered. "I-i do. I don't think anyone owns it." Sarah then proceeded to haltingly tell Travis about meeting the ball, and the circumstances surrounding the encounter. Travis listened to the tale impassively, not interrupting. When the girl was finished, Travis reached into his jacket pocket and removed the sentient object in question. As he pressed the button on the front that enlarged the ball, Trevor, the neighbor boy Sylvester had invited approached the front door of the crowded cabin and announced to no one in particular, "I'm going out for some air. be right back!" PK Ball, freed from the prison of Travis's pocket, floated quickly away from the trainer. Unable to see, and able to hear only muffled sounds from within the cloth of the wind breaker, PK Ball suddenly found himself in a room surrounded by what he could only assume were enemies. Still cowed by it's earlier encounter with Travis, PK Ball said nothing, just looking around for escape. Then he spied the open door. "P-PK Ball, I want to..." Sarah began. But she didn't get to finish the sentence as PK Ball made a break for it. As the sentient pokeball sped towards the open door, Sarah cried out, "Wait!" And began to give chase. Trevor, who had been about to exit the open door, turned at the sound of Sarah's cry. However, in turning, he had put himself in the path of the escaping PK Ball. unable to alter it's course in time, the sentient pokeball struck Trevor hard in the left ear, sending the lad stumbling a few feet into the night before righting it's course and disappearing into the darkness. Sarah, intent on at last getting the apology out of the way, prepared to give chase. But she was stopped at the door by a very angry Trevor. Rubbing his left ear and scowling, Trevor asked "Who the hell threw that at me?!" Sarah blinked and shrunk back, intimidated by the boy's rage. Seeing the shy girls expression as a admittance of guilt, Trevor rounded on the scared teenager and demanded, "Why did you do that, i didn't do anything to you!" 'I-I-I-I-" Sarah stammered becoming truly frightened. "Don't try to lie now!" Trevor replied getting into her face. "Hey, man, chill out." Travis said soothingly. "She didn't throw any..." "Mind your own business!" Trevor shouted. he turned back to Sarah, ready to heap on more abuse, but instead found himself staring into the eyes of both Becky and Amber, who had inserted themselves between him and the girl. "You be nice!" Amber demanded angrily. "She didn't throw..." But the halfling girl was shoved by Trevor and ended up sitting heavily. "Get out of my way!" Trevor ordered the remaining obstacle, Becky, putting his hand against her shoulder to shove her as well. Trevor quickly found out that you don't try to get physical with anyone sporting a black belt. As his hand made contact with her shoulder, Becky grabbed his wrist, twisting it around so it's palm faced the boy and exerting pressure with her fingers binding his wrist painfully. the action drove the boy to his knees with a cry of pain. Paralized by the pain and unable to gain leverage due to the black belts positioning of him, Trevor was helpless as a now angry Amber got to her feet, her claws glinting menacingly as she advanced on the helpless boy. "HEY! NO FIGHTING IN MY HOUSE!" The deep voice of the Charcoal man, who had just returned from the bathroom, rang out into the room. Amber reluctantly backed off as Becky released her hold on Trevor. Trevor, free from pain, jumped to his feet ready to enact vengeance against the girls. "TREVOR!" The Charcoal man said firmly stopping the boy in his tracks. Sarah, who had watched all the action with wide eyes and hands up to her mouth, was horrified. As an uncomfortable silence fell across the room, Sarah began to cry and retreated into the bathroom. She put her head in her hands and cried, and after a few minutes, she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She recoiled from the touch as though it burned. opening her eyes, she found Travis, who had put has hand by his side, smiling down at her. "It's ok, Sarah." Travis said gently, taking a step back and crouching down to look the girl in her tear stained eyes. "It's all over. No need to cry." "I-I-I'm nothing but t-t-trouble." Sarah stated miserably. "You didn't do anything." Travis replied soothingly. "It was just a misunderstanding! Becky is explaining everything, and Trevor is sorry for scaring you." "I wish..." Sarah said hesitantly. In a rush, she finished the thought. "I wish I could be like her! I wish I could be that strong, but instead, I am just so very weak!" "you not as weak as you think.": Travis stated with surety, surprising the shy girl into meeting him eye to eye. "Sure, you may not know all the kung fuey stuff that Becky does, but you are brave in your own way." "I-I am?" Sarah asked doubtfully. "Sure!' Travis assured the girl. "After all, you came out to look for me when you thought I might be lost out in the forest. Doing so alone was a bit foolhardy, but still you came after me. i really appreciate the thought." "Yeah, but look what happened when I did." Sarah replied. "I got attacked by hoot hoot and ended up having to be rescued." "nonsense.' Travis stated dismissively. "You would have found a way out. I think you are a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for! After all, you're a COUNTRY GIRL!" Travis added expansively drawing a smile from the shy girl despite herself. 'And as for Becky being stronger than you," Travis pressed on further trying to cheer the girl. "Well, don't tell her I told you this, or she will beat me to death." Travis went on lowering his voice to a conspiritable whisper and leaning in to Sarah. "But Becky is afraid of the dark! If it was her out there rather than you, she would have been so scared, she couldn't have made a move to defend herself!" "Really?" Sarah said with wonder in her voice, unable to believe the female black belt was scared of anything. before Travis could answer, a knock came at the bathroom door. "Sarah?" Trevor's voice came as the door cracked open. Seeing Travis, Trevor said, "Oh sorry, didn't mean to interrupt." "Your not." Travis stated. "Oh, well, I just wanted to say," Trevor said stepping into the bathroom. "I'm sorry for scaring you Sarah. Becky and Amber explained what happened. i didn't know about PK Ball. I'm sorry I misunderstood and accused you of throwing it." With that, Trevor extended his hand. The wrist was tied with a bandage. Trevor blushed and drew it back, saying 'oh, yeah, Becky sprained it. he then extended his other hand as he sweatdropped. Sarah took his hand in hers and said. "Apology accepted." Trevor nodded and smiled, then left the bathroom. "You see? All over no harm done." Travis said laying a hand on the shy girl's knee and shaking it gently. "Feeling better now?" Saran nodded and gave a shy smile. "Good, let's get back to the party!" Travis stated standing up. Sarah reached out with a timid hand to his arm, stopping him. "Travis?" "Yes?" "Thank you." "Your welcome." he replied, opening the door. Sarah followed him through. "And just what do you think YOU were doing in there?" Becky asked Travis, her hands on her hips and eyes narrowed at her traveling companion. Travis put his hands up waving them like he was fending the female black belt off. "Nothing! We were just talking!" "I bet!' Amber, who had come up beside Becky and struck a similar pose, said. Then her eyes narrowed and she added slyly, "Trying to talk her into giving you a kiss, I bet!" Travis swaedropped and Sarah blushed the deepest blush of the evening. "Oh, look, refreshments!' Travis said retreating to a table where food and drinks had been laid out, Amber and Becky gave chase saying "Oh no you don't! No changing the subject!" * * * In the other room, where exhausted pokemon rested, Luthor the Slowpoke was continuing, in vain, to try to invade the minds of Sarah's pokemon and Mimic. he was having no success. Luthor couldn't believe the minds of these pokemon were so resistant! Seeing a plush toy in the corner of the room, Luthor decided to try for easier prey, just to practice. he sent out his mental probe... .and recoiled in shock! here, in what he thought was a mere toy, was the most powerful mind yet! Eye had been doing his own scanning, with much more success and much subtler. He had sent his mental probes into each of the other pokemon, absorbing carefully all of their life experiences. Barbie and the newly named Blazer had each yielded easily to the expertly done probing. Their experiences now filed away in Eye's memory for later consideration. But in Mimic, Eye had discovered a veritable wealth of information. the shiney Unown had to be much more careful scanning the ditto, as Mimc had experience with psychic types. it had taken much longer, pulling back as soon as Mimic gave any hint of feeling the probes, then patiently stroking the memories of a long lifetime. "the watcher? here?" Luthor commented incredulously, being quiet so as to not awaken the other pokemon. "Luthor has heard of thee, ancient Watcher. Luthor respects your power. But why, in all the universe, do you watch here?" Eye made no response. it had scanned the Slowpoke earlier, and knew him to be quite insane...and quite harmless. "Ah, of course!" Luthor went on after a moment. "You have learned of Luthor's grand designs and have come to record them for Cosmic prosperity! As it should be! But Luthor would remind you of your great Oath. To observe but never interfere!" TBC?