From: Bandraptor (bandraptor@yahoo.com) Subject: [PW!] Delibird From Evil Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2003-11-20 01:26:06 PST * * * Four years ago... * * * "Hey, Rubix! Remember the time when Magmar fell into that cave at the bottom of the Burned Tower?" "Uh-huh?" "...And remember how he hooked up with that female Magmar, and we didn't see him for a couple of days?" "Okay..." "Well, you know that egg that Magmar's been carrying around for the past few months?" "Yeah, what about it?" "It's starting to hatch!" A twelve-year-old Nori, her Magmar, and her Wartortle, Rubix, are crouched in a small cluster around a wiggling, pink and white egg. A tiny, orange beak breaks its way through the shell, then a head emerges, and finally, the remainder of the shell falls away, leaving a bright red bird sitting on the ground in front of them. The chick yawns widely, then cranes her neck around in all directions, fixing each of them with her big, blue eyes. Nori picks the hatchling up, and hands her off to the Magmar. "Congratulations, Magmar! It's a Magby!" "Mag!" Magmar exclaims with full paternal pride, as he cradles the newborn against his chest. "What do you want to name her?" Nori queries, "I was thinking about 'Magby'..." "Nori." Rubix tugs on Nori's arm to get her attention. "That's not a Magby." Nori lowers her voice so that Magmar can't hear her. "What do you know about Magbies?" Rubix hisses, "I don't know nothin' about Magbies, but that's no Magby!" "Of course she is!" Nori whispers back, "She's Magmar's daughter!" "She doesn't look anything like Magmar!" "Yes she does," Nori counters, "she has red feathers, just like Magmar. She has little crests over her eyes, just like Magmar. She has a goofy beak, just like Magmar." The baby bird opens her mouth, and squawks, "Deli!" "Did you hear that?" Rubix gesticulates, "She just said 'deli'!" "Aww, she must be hungry!" Nori beams, "She's telling us what she wants for lunch! What a smart Magby!" She rejoins Magmar in fussing over the baby. Rubix scowls at the pair, "You're both idiots, and you deserve to look stupid." * * * Present day... Nori and her Pokemon are trudging down the Ice Path that's just east of Mahogany Town. It's, cold, and it's wet, and it's miserable. Also, it's cold and it's wet. Cerberus the Dodrio is stopping every couple of steps to shake ice from its feathers, and Set the Natu is buried somewhere inside Nori's jacket. Anubis the Houndour is hopping cheerfully along, very much amused by how his hot little feet melt through the snow beneath them with every step. Nori is taking everything in stride. She's moping along a few feet behind Cerberus, her arms practically dragging on the ground. "I'm cold," she says, "and I'm wet. Why does my life have to be so damn unpleasant?" Cerberus narrows all of its eyes, and quickens its pace, trying to put distance between itself and Nori, so that it won't have to listen to her anymore. "It's not fair," she continues, "I led those Bomb Ball guys right to Giovanni, I accomplished in two weeks what Ted Brotlov failed to do in years, and what do I have to show for it? That fink Allan took credit for my hard work, and I'm stuck taking the blame for something that I didn't even do." She sulks a bit more, "And I still can't believe that Grey ran off with my Arcanine. Figures he'd skip town right when I actually needed him." <Thine heathens recognizeth not the glory that is the trinity of Natu,> Set mumbles from wherever he's hidden. Everything he says is muffled beyond comprehension, and therefore makes even less sense than it would under normal circumstances. "Well, it's a good thing Mahogany Town is close to the Ice Path. With any luck, we can find my Magmar, and still make it back to Mt. Silver before the tournament gets underway." Set pops out of Nori's jacket, and gives her an incredulous look, baffled as to why a Fire-type would be living in the coldest part of Johto. Nori blushes, and explains, "There was some confusion regarding an egg that my Magmar found a few years back. Since it was found in the nest belonging to his mate, everyone assumed it was his." She rolls her eyes, "It turns out that Delibirds occasionally 'deliver' their eggs in the nests of other Pokemon. Working parents, you know? They don't have time to raise their chicks, so they pass them off on other monsters." Set sulks a bit, because he wishes that his parents had dropped *him* off in the nest of some other species of Pokemon, instead of forcing him to grow up alongside his preachy older brothers. Nori continues, "Even after he learned the truth about Magby, Magmar still thought of her as his daughter. He said that he wanted to rear her in her natural environment, so I released the two of them here." She pauses, thoughtfully. "Magmar's a good guy. He may not be as strong as Gurion, but I'm sure that he'll come with us to the Silver Conference if we ask him to. Assuming we ever find him. Which we may not, because we're all going to freeze to death first. Cerberus, have you found his scent yet?" Cerberus shakes one of its heads no. Nori sighs, and goes back to moping. "I'm cold. I'm tired. I'm hungry." Cerberus gets so sick of Nori's whining that it spears a nearby Swinub on one of it's beaks, stomps over to where Nori is standing, and throws the corpse down at her feet as an example of what it's going to do to her if she doesn't shut up. Nori looks down at the mangled piglet, and up at the blood that's dripping off of Cerberus' middle beak, then, clearly misunderstanding her Dodrio's intentions, she politely says, "That's really sweet of you, Cerberus. But lacking an advanced digestive system, I think I'd better cook it first." She points to a small pile of tinder, "Look, Anubis! It's my prized, autographed copy of 'The Venusaur Heresies'!" Anubis promptly lays into the branches with an Ember attack, and they begin to cook their dinner. Since the Swinub that Cerberus killed happened to be particularly small and cute, it doesn't take very long for it to cook, and pretty soon, the icy cave is filled with the smell of roasted pork. Nori and her three Pokemon are gathered around their small campfire, when they hear a skittering sound, like claws scratching against stone. They all turn towards the source of the noise, in time to see a furry black head with angry little eyes peer up at them over some rocks, then disappear back into the snow. A few seconds later, the creature appears again, climbing stealthily around the cavern wall before vanishing behind some thick clumps of icicles. Suddenly, "SNEEAASEL!" It leaps out right in front of them, its hackles raised, and its claws fully extended, sniffing hungrily at the air, as if to say that it will slaughter them all if they don't give it their food RIGHT NOW. Nori is not bothered by this behavior. In fact, she is thrilled that a bloodthirsty Dark Pokemon is deigning them with its presence. "Hey, brother. Want to join us? Take a seat." The Sneasel shoots her a suspicious glare, but squats down tentatively on the ice beside her. In a flash, it snatches the Swinub out of the fire, and stuffs the whole thing in its mouth so that it won't have to share! Cerberus shrieks in fury, and starts to advance on the interloper, but Nori motions for the Dodrio to sit back down. "Eat all you want," she says soothingly, "and maybe when you're done, you can help me out." Cerberus hisses when it hears this statement, because it doesn't want to have anything to do with the Sneasel! Nori pays no mind. She watches as the Sneasel polishes off the remains of the pig, and begins to lick its talons clean. "I'm looking for a buddy of mine. He's a Magmar, and his name is Magmar. He's about four feet tall, has a big beak, a long tail, flames all over his body, and he--" Nori gives her Dodrio an odd look. "Cerberus, did you just step on my foot?" The Dodrio nods, and growls at the Sneasel with all three of its throats, "Drrrrrri." "Well, stop it." To the Sneasel, Nori says, "...So, have you seen anyone like that around here?" When the Sneasel nods, Nori goads it, "Can you tell me where he is? It's very important that I find him, because I--" Cerberus stomps on her foot again, trying to cut her off before she can reveal any more information to the Sneasel. Nori continues on, regardless, "...I'm on my way to the Silver Conference, and my team's in need of a good Fire-type--" Cerberus stomps Nori's foot as hard as it can, but not in time to prevent this particular bit of intelligence from escaping her lips. The Flying Pokemon bristles its feathers, wondering how its trainer can possibly ignore something so perceptible as a 200 pound weight on her foot. Nori scoffs, as if in answer, "You know, I wear steel-toed boots for a reason." The Sneasel seems to be considering whether or not it should help Nori and her Pokemon out. Finally, it beckons the group over to one of the glacial tunnels, and gestures down the path with its claws. The black mongoose eyes them shiftily, and then, its skittishness getting the best of it, takes off down a different path. Nori turns to Cerberus, "See, *that's* why you can't just go around killing everyone who pisses you off--you don't get any information that way." She starts to walk away in the direction the Sneasel indicated, then remembers, "And also because killing's wrong." Cerberus rolls its eyes so violently that it gets dizzy and falls down. The group continues to make its way through the Ice Cave, skating along the glassy floors, and dodging Jynxes whenever they appear. After twenty or so minutes of this, however, they still have not come across any Magmars. Cerberus is getting extremely impatient, and it keeps "accidentally" crashing into Nori to remind her of how displeased it is. As Nori is picking herself up off the ice for the fourth or fifth time, she questions the bird, "Do you think that Sneasel misled us?" Cerberus responds affirmatively, "DRI!" "Nah." Nori dismisses this. "Dark Pokemon may seem evil at times, but that's just because people don't take the time to try to understand them. Anyway, they'd never betray one of their own. There's brotherhood among Dark-types, just like there's honor among thieves." "DRIO!" Cerberus shouts out in alarm, because it thinks Nori's proverb is dubious at best. "I don't know what you're so worried about." Nori argues, peevishly, "It's just a harmless little Sneasel. It's not like it's going to conjure up some complicated scheme to lure us all into a trap and kill us..." At that precise moment, several dozen black mongeese drop down from the ceiling, and swarm onto the path, blocking their escape in all directions. Cerberus manages to smack itself in all three foreheads with one of its tiny wings. Nori, realizing what's happening, quickly becomes infuriated. "I can't believe it! We were nice to that Sneasel, and it stabbed us in the back! I'm tellin' ya, Cerb, there's no such thing as karma." The Sneasels slowly creep forward across the ice, using all four of their clawed feet for traction as they close in on the group. They are baring their razor sharp teeth, and many of them are drooling voraciously. Each of the creatures is snarling ever so slightly, and taken together, they sound like a hive of angry bees. Nori moves very cautiously, so as not to force the Sneasels to attack prematurely. She recalls Anubis into the safety of his Pokeball, and places the ball, collar and all, in her pants pocket. Next, she zips up her jacket, making sure that both her own body and that of her Natu's are fully covered. These things done, she addresses the rout: "So, you want a fight, do you? Well, that's just peachy, because I'm in a venting mood." She commands her Dodrio without taking her eyes off the Sneasels, "Cerberus, don't hold back." Cerberus is so pleased that it's been given permission to kill something, that it bounces up in the air three times, as if performing its own version of the Return technique! Provoked by the sudden movement, the ten Sneasels that are nearest to Cerberus pounce on top of it, weighing it down until its knees buckle. From beneath their bodies, Cerberus uses Substitute twice, separating its body into its three components--a lightning elemental controlled by its left head, an ice elemental embodying its right head, and a fire elemental commanded by the middle head. The three phantoms collide with each other in a Tri Attack, causing an explosion that throws the Sneasels every which way. A recongealed Cerberus charges out of the smoke, and proceeds to blaze a trail through the sea of mongeese, slashing furiously with the blade on its middle beak, while brandishing the other two heads like maces. One of the Sneasels leaps at Nori, silver claws raised high. Nori reacts instinctively, and uses her arm to block the blow. There is a sharp clang as the iron talons glance off the sleeve of her jacket. The Sneasel hops backwards, preparing to strike again, but Nori catches it off balance, and kicks it in the face. Another four Sneasels promptly jump on her from behind, and wrestle her to the ground. Set pokes his head out of Nori's collar just as one of the Sneasels is preparing to drive its claws into her skull. Reacting immediately, he Teleports himself and his trainer to the safest place in the immediate vicinity--twenty feet above the floor of the cave. His plan is to levitate above the crowd until he can spot Cerberus, then Teleport the three of them to Mahogany Town. It's a good plan, but since Nori isn't affected by psychokinesis, when the Natu tries to shoulder her weight, she slips right out of his ethereal grip, and lands in the sea of furry bodies once again. Before Set can even attempt to rescue her, a Sneasel repels off the wall of the cave, lashes out with its paw, and backhands him into the ground. At the same time, a badly lacerated Cerberus with two fainted heads is unceremoniously ejected from beneath a pile of nearly twenty of the little carnivores. The Dodrio flies through the air, and lands in a heap on top of Nori and Set. The Sneasels regroup, and being to move in for the kill... "Deli." Each and every one of the Sneasels freezes on the spot! They slowly look over their shoulders, towards the back of the tunnel, terror etched on all of their faces. A small Delibird is standing there, with her eyes narrowed, and her hands on her hips. She is wearing a cape and a cowl, and actually looks quite ridiculous, although the Sneasels are obviously intimidated. They sink to the ground, and hold there in submissive postures, waiting to see what the Delibird will do. "Deli, deli!" The Delibird chirps sternly, chastising the Sneasels for picking on unwary travelers. "Deli! Delibird!" One of the Sneasels unexpectedly breaks rank, and lunges at the duckling. The Delibird blasts it with an Ice Beam attack, and the Sneasel falls to the ground, smoking like a block of dry ice. The remainder of the Sneasels take off running in the opposite direction, with Delibird scolding them as they go, "Deli! Delibird!" Nori also begins to yell after the Sneasels, "Hey! Where are you going? Don't tell me you're afraid of a little Delibird! You can take her! Cowards! You're not fit to call yourselves Dark-types!" Cerberus and Set exchange glances, and sigh. Both Nori and the Delibird continue their rants for a little while longer, then the two of them pause for breath in unison. Delibird approaches Nori and her Pokemon, lays her sack down on the ice, and proceeds to pull out several glowing, white pellets. She distributes them amongst the trio, who, upon touching them, are immediately healed of their injuries. Gesturing with her wings, Delibird explains how to get back on the main Ice Path, which stretches from Mahogany Town to Blackthorn. Her job done, the little bird swings her sack over her shoulder, and hurries back to the cave that she came out of, eager to talk to her father, and find out what he thought of her performance. Nori watches the Delibird's retreat with disinterest, but does a double take when she sees who's waiting for her inside the cave. "Magmar? Magmar, is that you?" A red and orange hadrosaur pokes his head out of the shadows. "Magmar?" His eyes light up in recognition, and he races out of the cave! "Magmar! Mag!" Nori cheers. "Oh my gosh, it *is* you! I wasn't sure if you'd still be here after all these years--" Magmar cuts her off, as he catches her in an embrace. Nori hugs him back, but removes her arms from his hot body after only a few seconds. "Okay, that's enough. My coat isn't fireproof, you know." Magmar steps back, and sizes her up fondly. "Magmar, mag?" Nori smirks, "Yeah, I cut my hair. Dreadlocks are surprisingly high maintenance. Hey, Magmar, if you're here, does that mean the Delibird over there is Magby?" The masked Delibird sweatdrops when she hears her name, because nobody is supposed to know her true identity. Magmar grins to let her know that it's okay. He points a Nori, and explains, "Mag mag magmar mag magmar marmag." "DE Deri?" Magby asks, excitedly. "Mag." "Deli!" The oddly named Delibird runs over to Nori, and wraps her wings around her legs. She swoons, "Delibirrrrd." Nori grins, "Do you think she remembers me?" Magmar chuckles, and explains that he's raised his daughter on stories about the years that he spent battling beside Nori, and about all the great times they had training together! Nori suspects that her Magmar is a little too blithe for his own good. "So, what's with Magby's costume?" "Magmar. Mag, marmar mag mar magmar mag mar." "Oh. So the two of you have been patrolling the Ice Path, and protecting travelers from that rout of Sneasels?" "Magmar, magmar mag mag." "Magby wears the costume to protect her identity, and also because she thinks it looks cool?" "Magmar, mag, magmar." "You think that when I repeat everything you say, it makes me sound like a Meowth? Sorry, I'll stop." "Magmar." Magmar gestures to Cerberus and Set. "Magmar; magmar, mag mag mar?" "Where's the rest of my team?" Nori thinks. "Well, not too long after I released you, everyone just went their separate ways. Akuni hooked up with a guy named Yadon King, and now he's a really famous boxer. He has his own line of tabletop grills, and everything. Gurion--I don't know if you remember him, since he wasn't on the team at the same time as you, but he was one of those Arcanine that was chasing us around Johto--anyway, he fell in love with a Houndoom, and I ended up giving him away to her owner. That was probably a mistake, but he seems to be happy. Rubix is in Goldenrod, doing whatever he does; and as for Giseisha and Nemesis..." Nori shrugs her shoulders, "well, they're better off without me, too. Right now, the only Pokemon that I have with me are Cerberus, Set," she gestures to her Natu, "and my Houndour, Anubis, who's inside his Pokeball." "Mag..." Magmar nods, absorbing this information. Nori continues, "Anyway, I'm glad that you brought up the subject of the old team, because that's what I'm here to talk to you about. I'm planning to participate in the Silver Conference next month, and I was wondering if you'd like to come with me? Magby can come too, of course. It should be a lot of fun. You weren't with me when I went to the Indigo tournament, but everyone had a good time there, and this should be a lot like that." "Mag...magmar mag mar." Magmar shakes his head, explaining that he is a very old Magmar, and really not in any condition to battle against other trained Pokemon. He is enjoying his state of semiretirement, and at any rate, he would feel that he was shirking his responsibilities if he left the Ice Path without a defender. "Well, I guess I can understand that." Nori admits, "Protecting the Ice Path is pretty important--I mean, you shouldn't be picking on those poor Sneasels, but--" Cerberus and Set both Peck her relentlessly for continuing to side with the carnivores who just tried to eat them. Nori shields herself with her coat, and grouses, "I know what it's like to be frozen and hungry." "Deli?" Magby loosens her grip on Nori's calves, and petitions her father, "Delibird Deri deli de?" "Mag." Magmar nods, and Magby leaps into Nori's arms! Nori blinks. "Oh! You want me to take Magby to the tournament instead?" She asks her Magmar, quizzically, "Do you think she'll be okay? You said it yourself, bullying Sneasels and battling trained Pokemon are totally different things..." "Mag!" Magmar puffs himself up importantly, informing Nori that he's taught his daughter everything he knows, and that she has youth on her side, so he thinks she'll do fine in the tournament. He is hoping that Nori will permit the Delibird to fight in the Silver Conference, so she will have a chance to test herself against more experienced monsters; but more importantly, he is hoping that she will keep Magby with her after the tournament is over, because he would like his daughter to have a chance to travel, and see the world, as he did in his youth. "Of course she can come with me." Nori agrees. "You know I'll take good care of her." When Magby hears this, she lifts her wings high, and cheers, "De!" Nori frowns, "Listen, Magmar, I hate to take your brood and run, but I'm on a tight schedule here. I want to go to Olivine before the tournament starts, to talk to Akuni, and I think that the four of us ought to visit the Pokemon Center before we do anything else. Present is great and all, but it can only heal superficial injuries. Nurse Joy should examine Cerberus and Set, to make sure they aren't bleeding internally." Magmar nods, agreeing that this is the best course of action. He takes Nori by the hand, and leads her towards the cave's exit, by way of a path that contains very little ice, and is therefore well suited for Magmar feet. In no time at all, they are standing at the edge of Mahogany Town, blinking in a light that is filtered through layers of snow clouds, but still bright when compared to the darkness of the cavern they just emerged from. Nori asks, "Magmar, are you sure that you don't want to come with us?" "Mar." Magmar shakes his head, expressing that his days in the limelight are behind him, and it's time for Magby to spread her wings, and fly on her own. Nori smiles, understanding. "All right, Magmar, we'll be seeing you around. Take care of yourself." Magby the Delibird casts a fond look behind her, at her home and her father, then faces forward, eager to greet whatever challenges lie ahead of her. She leaps out of Nori's arms, and marches through the powdery snow towards the Mahogany Town Pokemon Center, with a cry of "Deli, deli! <Let's go!>" TBC... --Beth Pokemon o ubatte kanemouke! Pokemon o tsukatte kanemouke! Subete no Pokemon wa Roketto Dan no tame ni!