Subject: [PW!] The New Recruit Date: Mon, 07 Oct 2002 09:08:48 GMT From: Rob <robfrompw@yahoo.com> Organization: AT&T Worldnet Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon >Belle thinks about it, then looks at the Flaaffy, which bleats twice. Taking it as a sign, she >picks up the middle pokeball, the one with the Tyrogue. She releases the Tyrogue from >the ball. The Tyrogue opens his eyes, then looks up at Belle. He seems to be a bit >ticked off to be given to a girl. >"Now, what to call you ..." Belle says, ignoring the Tyrogue's looks. Before she can come up with a name, Bob Raiser runs into the Gym, a stone in his hand, and taps her on the head with it, "Sarah, snap out of it!" "..." Chuck turns his attention to the young man who's just hit his newest apprentice on the head and asks, "...and who are you? Her boyfriend?" Belle turns around and the moment she sees Bob, she leaps back and swings her wooden crook into a fighting position, pointing it at him, "No, he's a STALKER! This guy was sneakin' around my bedroom earlier and I have NO IDEA who he is, and now he's followed me all the way here." Bob peers down at the stone he was given moments ago quizzically, when suddenly two large, muscular arms pick him up by his collar. The arms belong to Chuck, who asks in a very angry, intimidating voice, "Is that true?" "Actually, no - that's my friend Sarah, except she doesn't know that..." Bob starts, but decides to try a different approach when Chuck simply narrows his eyes in response, "You see, I got this stone from the drug store and it was supposed to..." The oldest of Chuck's students rolls his eyes, "The drug store? You bought something from that old witch? She'll sell you dirt she finds in her backyard, claiming it'll cure schizophrenia. You should've gone to the local Pharmacy, they're a respect-" "Silence, Timmy." Chuck declares, then stares at Bob, "I don't like it when people storm into my Gym and hit my pupils over the head with rocks, no matter where they found 'em. Now if you'll kindly leave my Gym right now, you won't have to find out why I'm nicknamed 'Chuck'." That said, he releases Bob. Bob argues, "But I came here to earn a Storm Badge, and if I know the Pokemon League Rules, you have to accept my challenge." "Fine. I'll accept it outside." Chuck puts one hand on Bob's shoulder to make sure he doesn't lunge at Belle again, and they head outside together to battle. Three of Chuck's students follow him outside to see their master battle, but two stay behind. Belle relaxes a little, then crosses her arms when she notices that the two boys who stayed inside the Gym are staring at her, "What, never seen a girl before?" "Who do you think you are?" The older of the two Cianwood Gym trainers asks. The younger one adds, "Yeah, who?" "I'm Belle. Weren't you paying attention when Chuck introduced me?" Belle looks at the older trainer right in his green eyes. He's a young man with short red hair who's wearing a white uniform and a blue belt, the same uniform all the Gym trainers wear, including the blue-haired boy who's helping him interrogate Belle. Barbie the Flaaffy tilts her head in confusion, trying to figure out why her Trainer is calling herself Belle. She hasn't spent more than five seconds pondering this when Blazer the Cyndaquil runs past her, breaking her concentration. She now wonders what her brave Cyndaquil companion could be running away from - right after her paranoid mind envisions about a dozen horrifying monstrosities, a happy little Sunkern floats by, pursing her little lips, wanting to lay a kiss on Blazer, the object of the seed Pokemon's affection since the day she was captured. "We don't like it when newcomers show us attitude..." The red-haired kid shakes his head, "Especially you - you're a girl and you should show us men respect." The blue-haired boy blurts out, "Respect, yeah!" "You're not men." Belle narrows her eyes at the older child, "You're a bunch of little boys. And if anythin', you should respect me. I'm such a good fighter that Chuck invited me to join this Gym even though he only normally invites boys, so I'd get on my good side if I were you, unless you wanna get beaten up by a girl." The blue-haired boy's eyes go wide, then after a moment of thought, he walks over to Belle's side and comments, "Yeah, you don't want that, do you, Sammy?" "Frankie!" Sammy leers at the younger trainer, "What're you doing! She's not gonna beat any of us up - we're MEN and she's just a little blonde girl!" "You made the right choice... uh, Frankie." Belle uses her free hand to pat Frankie, the blue-haired child, on the head, and when her stomach rumbles, she asks him, "Could you be a good boy and show me where the kitchen is? I'm starvin'! I haven't eaten anythin' in months." "Months?!" Frankie asks in astonishment, "Wow, you could teach master a thing or two about dieting! Right this way, Belle!" Frankie runs into another room and after Belle recalls her fleeing Cyndaquil, the love-struck Sunkern he was fleeing from, her confused Flaaffy, and her newly acquired Tyrogue into their proper Pokeballs, she heads into the other room, following Frankie. "I'm not through with you!" Sammy shouts out in frustration, "Just wait until the day master makes you face me in a Pokemon battle! You'll be sorry then!" Realizing that no one is listening to him anymore, he shrugs and heads outside to see the battle between Bob and Chuck, hoping it's not over yet. "Oh, Sa-...Belle, there you are." A tall, beautiful red-haired woman smiles at Belle when she enters the kitchen, "Mi-...I've prepared something especially for you!" She cuts a slice of the apple pie in the windowsill, places it on a plate, and waves it under Belle's nose, "Ahh, this brings back memories for me. Did your mother ever cook apple pie for you when you were a child?" "...my... mother?" Belle tries to recall who her mother is, but she has no mental image of a woman who could fit the description, "I guess. The smell seems familiar." "Mama, can I have a slice, pleeeeeease?" Frankie asks the woman, then when she gives the plate she's holding to Sarah and goes off to get a slice for Frankie, he looks up at Sarah, who's slightly taller than he is, and comments, "We all call Chuck's wife Mama - she's like a second mom to us, cooking us meals and stuff." "You know who else makes delicious apple pie?" 'Mama' asks, waving the plate she's about to give Frankie under Sarah's nose, "Professor Elm's wife. Have you ever had dinner over at Elm's house with him and his wife? I noticed you have a Cyndaquil, so I figured you might've gotten the cute little guy from him." "Professor Elm... the name rings a bell." Belle comments, taking a bite of her apple pie, then she shakes her head, "But I don't think I've ever eaten at his house." "Are you sure? Have you at least met Elm?" When 'Mama' hands the pie to Frankie, the boy makes a face at her, wondering why she waved his pie so close to Belle's nose before giving it to him. 'Mama' doesn't even notice the face, though, since she hasn't looked away from Belle since the girl entered the kitchen. Belle sits down next to a small table in the room, sets her plate down, and clutches her head with one hand, "I think... so... I don't remember anythin' about the meeting if there was one, though. I've been havin' trouble rememberin' a lot of things about myself lately. Anyway, thanks for the pie. It's delicious." When she hears footsteps approaching the kitchen, the red-haired woman sweatdrops and says, "I'll be right back!" 'Mama' leaves the kitchen through its main door. Mere seconds later, Mama walks into the kitchen through another door leading into it. She looks pleasantly surprised. "Belle, you didn't tell me you could bake!" "...that's right. I didn't... tell you that." Belle raises an eyebrow, considering the possibility that Chuck's wife acts so strangely because she's spent too many years in the company of immature boys. -Belle (( NS - Clayton, I want Sarah to remain as Belle for a while - I'll make it so that Nurse Wendy makes the proper arrangements. By the way, you shouldn't pick Pokemon or make major decisions for other people's characters. For example, I'm leaving the battle between Bob and Chuck up to you so you can decide what Bob does and how it ends. It would've been better had you left Chuck presenting the three Pokemon, then I'd get to choose what I'd like Belle to have. I wanted her to have a Tyrogue anyway, so it worked out in this case, but I'm just letting you know for future interactions. ))