Subject: Re: [PW!] Motherly Intuition Date: 25 Nov 2002 17:29:52 -0800 From: wingcat@pacbell.net (Adrian Tymes) Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Rob <robfrompw@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<3DE1D871.D2E19EC7@yahoo.com>... > "Then go look for her!" Marcia puts her hands on her hips, "You might > not be able to make psychic links over long distances, but you CAN > Teleport to each city in Johto and try to establish a connection with > her at each one." > > "Teleporting takes a great deal of energy..." Dee frowns, "You want me > to seek her out based on a hunch of yours that she's in danger?" > > Marcia sighs, "Call it motherly intuition. During the two months I spent > traveling with her, I felt every lesson I taught her went in one ear and > out the other. It's as if none of it registered. I got the feeling she > thought I was just pretending to be good so I wouldn't get in trouble > with Nurse Joy. Then I thought perhaps you'd do a better job of taking > care of her, but instead you abandoned her to come after me. She's so > young and she's got our genes - can you imagine what kinds of horrible > situations she could be getting herself into right now?!" > > Dee argues, "She may look young, but I've exchanged thoughts with her, > and she's actually very mature. She can take care of herself." > > "I don't even know WHY I'm asking you to go check up on her..." Marcia > shakes her head, once again disgusted by the Ditto who has been trying > to hook up with her for years, "I mean, if she used Hyperbeam to destroy > a building full of innocent people, you'd probably just pat her on the > back and say 'that's my girl'. I've seen you help so many Pokemon here > at this Pokemon Center, and sometimes I think it might be true that > you've really changed, but then I get the feeling that you'd just as > easily kill the very same Pokemon you helped if that's what I was into." > > "Marcia, if you want me to..." Dee starts, but Marcia interrupts him, > saying, "There you go again. If you want to look for her, fine. If not, > then don't. All I know is that I have responsibilities here at the > Center so I can't go look for her myself, though I would if I could. And > in case you're confused - no, that's not a cue for you to kill Nurse Joy > to free me of my responsibilities or any such horrible thing." Annoyed > with Dee, Marcia heads into the Pokemon Center's back room to talk with > Omelette or even Nurse Joy, who she usually dislikes socializing with. Dee sat down and growled to himself. She was right, of course, but what else was he to do? He had changed himself for her. That was what a ditto was all about: changing to the situation. Besides, if he changed to be something else, he might just chase her away, and he dared not risk that. What had not changed were his feelings for her. But she was right. Perhaps he had been a little loose with Aerie: she had seemed more than capable of going off on her own quest, without her parents' meddling, but still, he was her father. Besides, come to think of it, he was curious how far she had progressed. That decided, he resigned himself to the route Marcia had described, with more intensive searching if that failed. Go to a major city, scan for Aerie - well, he was already in a major city, and though he doubted Aerie was still nearby, thoroughness demanded he try here sooner or later. #Aerie?# #...# He blinked. The signal was weak, but still in his range. Focussing his attention, he tried again. #Hey, Aerie, are you there?# #...go away...# Dee frowned. He had done nothing to incur her anger. A misunderstanding, or...? He began to pry into her mind as he queried her consciousness. #Aerie? It's me, Doppler. I-# #GO AWAY!# Light and force exploded in front of Dee, plastering him against the wall. The blast had faded by the time Marcia came out to see what was wrong, a long rant coming to her lips just as she saw Dee's jacket and hat drop to the floor. What stayed her tongue was that Dee was a pink blob again, and unconscious. --- Reviving a fainted pokemon was short work for Marcia. Barely five minutes had passed before Dee's eyes opened to see a concerned, and irritated, nurse. "What was that all about?" Dee vibrated under Marcia's stare, but she wrote that off to the inherent instability of his natural form. "I found Aerie. S-she's..." He took a breath to try to calm himself. "You were right. She's in trouble." Marcia's frown deepened. "I knew it. You let her go, and-" "She is being used." "By who?" "A group of unown. They want something from her. I don't know what, but they kicked me out when I tried to establish contact." His shuddering resumed. "When...before, when I was Doppler...I gathered power, but always for a purpose. There was always some cause, some higher goal. Those were my morals. Now...now I'm not so sure what to believe. But Aerie is following the same path, and the unown have replaced her sense of purpose with their own. But their goals are so limited, that when it comes to the rest of her life...she has no reason to tell right from wrong, and no way of doing so. She could be more vicious than I ever was, if it suited her whim of the moment, and with my power and years of studying your techniques..." "And this wasn't what you planned all along?" Marcia rolled her eyes, and turned away from Dee. "You're probably taking a lot of pride in her. She's just what you always wanted." "Even as Doppler, she would have been just a waste: power without focus or direction. Now...Marcia, I'm scared." She froze. That was the last thing she had ever expected him to admit. But also because she had almost walked into her supervisor, who had been listening and giving Marcia a very disappointed look. "How long have you been standing there?" "I heard everything, *Minax*," Joy replied. Marcia stepped back. "You...knew?" Frowning, she nodded to Dee. "Did he tell you?" "No. He's been very good about keeping your secret. But I saw you in action, in your prior life. I had to treat some of the pokemon you left for dead. I swore then that I would never forget your face. I recognized you the instant you walked in the door. I was planning to wait until you showed your true self, so I could do to you what you were doing to the pokemon." Her scowl vanished, and she put a hand on Marcia's shoulder. "But you really have left that life behind." She glanced at Dee. "I'm not sure about your friend, but I think he just doesn't know how yet. Anyway, Marcia - if you need time off to look for your daughter, you've got it. As much as you need. Your job will still be here when you get back, don't worry." TBC?