Subject: [PW!] [WC] [SF] Rudy Rudy, Oh No, Saturday We Go, Go Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2002 20:47:10 GMT From: Adrian Tymes <wingcat@pacbell.net> Organization: Prodigy Internet http://www.prodigy.com Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon As Misty made her way towards the gym leaders' seats, unaware of her sisters' giggling gossip spurred by the stars in her eyes after a final pre-match chat with Rudy, another familiar face came into view. Her cheery mood vanished in an instant, years of dark memories rising to the surface. "Ja-" No...something was different. Kinder, but perpetually tired eyes. Hair not nearly as neat, and a bit longer. "Mimic?" Mimic looked up from where he had been discussing Becky's win with a lady in a kimono, while one of the earlier defeated contestants - a stage magician, she guessed from his clothing - sat down opposite the lady and started digging into the lunch he had just purchased. "Misty?" Misty ran up and hugged him. "It's been years. Where have you *been*?" Mimic returned the hug. "In time warp, believe or not. Venture around Johto after that." "Okay, fine, don't tell me." Misty winked. Knowing him, he was probably telling the truth. "So, who's your friend?" "This Xerox. Xerox, Misty need any introduction?" Xerox smiled. "Of course not. I do try to stay informed about the world." She extended a hand across Mimic's lap. "It is a pleasure to meet you." Misty judged just how close Xerox was to Mimic, and how at ease they seemed with each other, then smiled a cat's smile as she shook Xerox's hand. "Sooo, Mimic. Is she your friend, or your...*friend*?" Mimic sweatdropped. "She, ah, childhood friend. Knew each other growing up." Misty blinked. "Oh! Then you're from, err...you were, ah, in *that* lab?" "Yes, and I am not ashamed of it." Xerox shrugged. "I could not control the circumstances of my earliest years any more than you could." "Well. I will say, with that murderer Trent walking around, this is probably the safest seat in the stadium." Misty gingerly sat down next to Mimic. "But I never thought I'd see you at a tournament, Mimic." "Mimic here because Mimic niece here." Which was true, so far as it went. "Oh? Is it your daughter, Xerox?" "No," Xerox sighed. "Aerie is Doppler's daughter." The small, simple sentence hit Misty's mind in stages, like so: #Aerie, the mystery contestant, is the daughter of one of these dittos. That kind of explains why she's such a mystery.# #Doppler's daughter is in the tournament? Wi-ierd! I'm just glad I'm not fighting her. It's probably not safe, especially for a gym leader like myself or Ru-# #DOPPLER'S DAUGHTER IS FIGHTING RUDY?!?!?!? OHMYGODDISHSHE'SGONNAKILL-# Mimic's hand, forcing her back into her seat when she did not remember standing and preparing to run to Rudy's side to warn him, snapped her out of her panic. "Rudy safe, no worry. *That* no Aerie's target." Misty hyperventilated for a few seconds, trying to calm her racing heart, before responding. "Who...?" "Mimic." "GWAHAaaauh?" Misty leaned away from the ditto, unsure of whether running or staying would be the greater danger. "And anyone with shiny unown. But probably not until after match. Mimic think Aerie using Whirl Cup to boost own ego, to fight down shiny unown control." Mimic frowned, looking to the side where Fire Wand was Nuzzling Marving. "Though still think no good idea brandish shiny unown in Aerie sight." Xerox sighed again. "I shall try once again to convince him to recall Fire Wand, but I can not promise results." "Mimic can only ask try, no can ask do." "Umm..." Willing to believe Mimic had the situation under control, Misty returned to her seat. "I think you had better tell me exactly what's going on. I *am* one of the Kanto Gym Leaders, Mimic; if this is as big as it usually is, knowing you, I should know so I can spread the word. But more importantly, you're my friend. I'd like to help." "Misty friend. That why Mimic no turn to Misty; no want drag into this. But, now Misty ask, Mimic no have choice but tell." Down at water level, Rudy walked out into the sunlight, basking in the smell of freshly rain-washed air. This promised to be excellent conditions for a water pokemon match. He quickly spied Misty talking to someone in the audience, and waved, until he noticed himself on the other trainer's platform doing the same thing. "Hey, Misty, over here!" "What's going on? Misty, I'm on this side!" Misty looked at the two, then waved to the Rudy on her right. "Hi, Rudy! Don't let Aerie fool you: she's just Mimic's niece." Rudy's brain clicked for a few seconds. Misty had told Rudy about Mimic, once, but it was a long time ago. He figured it out just as Aerie changed back to her normal form. "Well, I'll say this: you and Misty must know each other pretty well if she can pick you out that easily." Misty smiled, deciding not to say that she actually just remembered which of the two trainers' preparation areas she had last seen Rudy in. Rudy, meanwhile, was blushing fiercely. "We're just good friends, honest!" "Oh?" Aerie smirked, shifting into Misty and fingering the shoulder of her shirt. "I wonder, would it distract you if I-" "CUT IT OUT! Corsola, GO!" One pokemon release later, Rudy continued, "Choose a pokemon or forfeit." Aerie hmphed, returning to her usual self. "You're no fun. Okay, Goldeen, you're up first." "Corsola, Tackle attack!" The purple haired girl yawned, looking away. "Aren't you going to give Goldeen an order?" She made a brushing motion in his direction. "Goldeen knows what to do." Indeed, and as most of the crowd expected after the past few rounds, Goldeen's mouth locked on to the tiny coral pokemon, shaking it around under the water. "Corsola, Spike Cannon!" "Won't work." "Who asked you?" Aerie shrugged. "Juuust trying to keep you from wasting your time." A barrage of spikes shot out. Unfortunately, Corsola found itself unable to rotate in Goldeen's grip, and the spikes soared off into the air, where a patrolling dragonite incinerated them before they could arc back down and hit someone. Goldeen had, by now, made its way to one of the columns, and bashed Corsola hard against it. In short order, Corsola's antlers broke off, leaving hard stubs. Fortunately, the antlers were like so much hair; the Corsola barely felt them snap off, compared to the pounding it was taking. Unfortunately, they had been all that kept Goldeen from swallowing its opponent. Rudy gaped. "What do you call that attack?" "Digestion." Sputtering, Rudy pulled out Corsola's ball. "RETURN!" The beam was right on target, but bounced off Goldeen's hide, recognizing Aerie's pokemon as not the one it was matched to. Half a minute passed, as Goldeen lazily swam laps around the coliseum without much apparent discomfort. "H...how long does this attack last?" Rudy eventually asked. "Well...you and I normally digest our food until it's digested, right? So does Goldeen." "WHAT?!? That'll kill Corsola!" "No, *really*?" Aerie smiled, finally returning Rudy's gaze. "Of course, I could get Goldeen to spit it out, *if* you remove Corsola from the match permanently. That's all I really want." Rudy growled, then relented, "Fine." "Goldeen, spit Corsola out." Goldeen kept swimming. Aerie frowned. "Goldee-een." Goldeen kept swimming. Sighing, Aerie held out a hand, and Goldeen lifted from the water, still trying to swim. As Aerie made slapping motions, Goldeen abruptly twisted left, then right, then a thoroughly fainted Corsola shot out of its mouth, each motion accompanied by a *SMACK* from Goldeen's position. Aerie let Goldeen drop back to the water as Rudy recalled his rented pokemon. "Okay, you may have gotten Corsola, but let's see you try to eat Misty's Politoed!" As Rudy said it, the named pokemon materialized in the water in front of him. "He's way too big!" Aerie smiled and peered at Politoed across the arena. "Hmm. Nahh, he's way too tiny for *me* to eat. Even a diglett would complain that he's too small." Only half the audience got the joke, and only a few of those were willing to laugh at it coming from someone as young as Aerie looked. Rudy just stared, slack-jawed. Aerie snickered. "Hey, Goldeen! Maybe you can show him the right size down below! Something big 'n short, in his face!" Goldeen jacknifed, quickly swimming downwards. "After it, Politoed!" The Jumbotron display showed the two pokemon chase towards the bottom, all views from the side or above. Goldeen swam from side to side, kicking up eddies to obscure Politoed's vision of what lay ahaed. Thus, both audience and Politoed were taken by surprise when Goldeen swerved to the side abruptly, leaving Politoed's momentum to carry him into the sharp remnants of the column Squirtle had broken the day before. Politoed found himself impaled on the coral, but soon pulled himself free and headed for the surface. Goldeen dogged his ascent, landing several fierce blows with its tail before they broke the water, Rudy immediately recalling his pokemon and handing its pokeball, plus Corsola's, to a waiting Nurse Joy for emergency treatment. Goldeen merely swam in place as Politoed's blood, having risen slowed than Politoed himself, bubbled up around it. Rudy glared at the fish. "Alright, THAT'S IT! I'm through playing games! Starmie, take this monster out with a Water Gun! Whatever you do, don't let up! Don't let it get near you!" Starmie landed on the platform nearest Rudy, aimed, and sent a stream of water at Goldeen. "Continuous fire means lower power." Aerie folded her arms. "Even my dad wasn't the first to find that out. Goldeen, swim upstream!" Goldeen complied, slowly but surely finding its way up the air-borne stream Starmie was providing. When it reached Starmie, it shot out of the water and spun in the air, managing to land three progressively lighter hits with its tail before momentum took it out of range. It then slowly circled Starmie's platform, only its fin visible. "Starmie, keep firing!" "Goldeen, Peck!" Starmie quickly reacquired its target, only for Goldeen to launch from the water, sail over Starmie's attack, bounce off Starmie, and land on the other side. This cycle repeated twice more before Starmie fell over, its jewel blinking. "Ha!" Aerie posed, holding forth one hand with thumb and pointer finger in a zero and her other three fingers outstretched. "Tres-oh!" As Rudy recalled his pokemon, Aerie's squirtle surfaced from where it had been hiding next to her platform. Aerie patted it on the head, produced a white rock almost as large as Squirtle, and nodded to the victorious fish, indicating that Squirtle was once again to take it to the pokemon center and meet with Aerie just before the final match. Leaving it to do so, Aerie jumped in the water, coming out again apparently on top of a gyrados, which she "recalled" once it deposited her atop the transparent barrier surrounding the arena. Sliding down the other side, she raced into the stands, towards where she had seen a shiny unown just before the match. Unfortunately, no such target was to be seen. "Hey, Aerie!" Misty waved her over. "You really are Mimic's niece?" "Yeah." Aerie looked around. "I *know* I saw a shiny unown around here somewhere..." Misty leaned close and whispered, "Doppler's daughter? And Minax's?" Aerie blinked. Backing away to normal conversation range, Misty continued, "I saw your parents in action. I could tell you things about them they'd never tell you." Slowly, Aerie looked at Misty, her question almost written on her face. "I mean, I have the closest gym to where he used to live, and I saw her on vacation, though she didn't see me. I saw both of them change. You want to know why they changed?" She cast a glance around the crowd, but no one else appeared to have heard her name names, and no one she could see seemed to be paying that much attention. "..." "Follow me. I know where we can get some privacy." Rudy was a bit surprised to see Misty leaving without him by the time he got up to the gym leaders' section, until a blue haired man and a kimono clad lady stepped in front of him. "Excuse me." "Sorry." The lady put an arm in her way. Rudy knew something was up when he tried to shove his way past only for the arm to be far stronger than it should be. "Duty calls." "Duty? What?" A puff of smoke distracted his eyes for a second. When Rudy looked back, he had lost Misty in the crowd. Annoyed, he turned around and made for the pokemon center. Marvin smiled. "Well, that's not the usual way I make people disappear. Usually, they're chased away by my show!" "Whatever works, master." TBC? [NS: A Sixties Trivia point to anyone who can guess the title's ref. One clue: it's not (just) Aerie's intro in this post. ^_-]