Subject: Re: [PW!] Aerial Assault Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2003 06:01:36 GMT From: Adrian Tymes <wingcat@pacbell.net> Organization: Prodigy Internet http://www.prodigy.com Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Clayton wrote: > Falkner didn't need to be told that he lost before he recaled the chilled > bird > and handed Bob the Zephyr Badge. After accepting the badge, the breeder > scratched his head. "Um, are those birds going to mob me again?" > > "They shouldn't have the first time. They really only attack grass-types." > Falkner replied chuckling. > > "Um ... yeah ...." Bob replied. > > A while later, The sun was setting and Bob was back in the Pokemon Center. > He was scarfing down a plate of food, and somehow wondering what was > missing. Raffy was eating his own stuff while somebody was in the back > room, > tending to his Ninetales and Dragonair. "Well, I guess it's find Aerie and > see if she knows where to go next. Anything to get this fight out of my > head." It did not take long to find Aerie, once again curled into a ball and quietly bawling her head off. Bob winced as he approached. He had not heard exactly what passed between Kitsu and Aerie, but apparently Kitsu had strongly objected to Aerie wanting to accompany Kitsu somewhere private - or perhaps just to Aerie's attempted method of accompanying. Aerie had taken it hard, enough that this was the third...fourth?...time she had almost spontaneously broken down in tears since then. Even Bob's compassion could only go so far, but held strong as he sat down next to Aerie and slipped an arm around her. "Hey." Aerie's sobs quieted in to a silent stream of tears. "Remembering Kitsu again?" "Uh-uh." Bob blinked. "What is it?" "I...ran into my parents. They were fighting again." Bob looked around, but the few adults in visual range all seemed to be satisfied with what they had at hand - a newspaper, a friend, a pokemon, or whatever. "What was it about?" "Doesn't matter." Aerie sniffed. "I think they just want to fight with each other." "Hey! Now that can't be true. Even your parents must care about each other a little bit." Aerie nodded slightly. "'T's why mama hasn't tried to kill papa again." Bob winced, remembering exactly which parents they were talking about, from Aerie's description of them. "Mama cares for the pokemon at the center more'n she cares about me. An' papa...I don't think he knows how to care, not really." "Hey, now." Bob looked to the local pokemon center just down the street, wondering...but no. Surely Aerie would have teleported out of town if her parents *were* there. "Your mom has responsibilities. You can't expect her to drop everything just to come find you, especially not when she sent you out to catch all the shiny unown in the first place." "..." Aerie sulked, knowing that her father would be so caught up in trying to trace a teleport he would not even think to check that she had actually just been hiding and ran away when she was done, not even sparing the power to fly. "And your dad...well, he went looking for you, right?" Bob guessed from the fact that she had not said he had not. "...nn-hmm," she reluctantly admitted. "You know, I bet they'd like to see you right-" "NO!" Aerie jerked away from Bob, but let his hug gently settle back into place. "I don't wanna see them until they can get along with each other!" "Aerie..." Aerie spun around, sticking her tear-streaked face into Bob's. "If you're thinking about taking me back there, think again! What if you take me back there and they're just fighting again? Hmm? I admit, I'm running away. That's what I'm running away FROM!" Her expression slowly melted, like unfired clay in a waterfall. "Wouldn't...you...?" She hugged Bob and buried her face in his chest, launching into a fresh crying fit. It was at about that point that Raffy walked into the pokemon center. Marcia looked up, having mostly calmed herself down. "Can I help you?" #Yeah, I'm looking for a Marcia and Dee, parents of Aerie.# Dee was there in a literal flash, but Marcia got her words off first. "Do you know where she is?!?" #Yes.# Raffy sent a picture of Aerie in Bob's arms. #She's with a good friend.# "Take us to her," Dee demanded. #Sorry, no can do. She's rather upset with you two right now. If I got you near her, she'd just run away from us, too. It's all I can do to let you know she's alive, well, and safe.# His ears perked. #And that's all the time I have. Gotta run.# Raffy was out the door before Dee or Marcia could put further objections into words. --- "Are you sure about this?" Bob questioned, nervously eying the flying pokemon circling above, as Aerie led him along a rocky path to the east of the main route. "Sure. Unless you're more scared of those," Aerie replied, gesturing upwards, "than the Ruins of Alph. The route most trainers take passes right by them." Bob glanced ahead, and sure enough, the clearly marked Alph Ruins Resarch Facility could be seen up ahead on the main route. He cautiously edged a bit further to the east side of their path, until he could no longer see the buildings. TBC?