From: Rob (robfrompw@yahoo.com) Subject: [PW!] Trends Are So Fickle Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2003-10-08 17:00:37 PST "...and that's when *I* said: 'If I left it in there, you wouldn't be able to walk through doorways'!" Captain Briney, an old man sporting a white goatee, squints his eyes in anger at the middle-aged magician sitting across from him on the small boat he's steering towards Dewford TOwn. Marvin, the magician, hasn't stopped talking since they boarded the boat hours ago, mainly recalling magic acts from his past and the lame jokes he came up with during those acts. "Don't you get it?" When Captain Briney doesn't respond to the question, Marvin explains, "The sword was long, you see, and it was sticking through his neck... horizontally, did I mention I put it through his neck horizontally? Wait, maybe horizontally's not the word I'm looking for... Uhm, I put the sword in through the SIDE of his neck, not through the part of his neck under his face. So then if he were trying to walk through a door, the sword would get in the way!" "Land ho!" Captain Briney looks past Marvin to spot Dewford Town on the horizon, "Oh, thank all that is good in the world! Peeko, prepare for docking!" A Wingull that's been flying in circles around the boat swoops down and grabs the end of a coiled rope on the boat with his beak. Within minutes, Captain Briney's boat is docked at Dewford Town's small pier. Captain Briney leaps off the boat, followed by Marvin. When the captain notices that Peeko isn't the only one following him and that Marvin's also on his trail as he walks to Dewford Hall, he stops in his tracks. The magician, who was glancing to the sides to admire the small town's buildings, crashes into the captain. A very annoyed Captain Briney quickly turns around and shouts, "Why are you still following me?!" "Aren't you leading me to the local Gym?" Marvin backs away from the man he just crashed into, holding his hands up, "I've never been to Dewford Town before, and I don't want to get lost here." "Los- LOST?!" Captain Briney violently flails one of his arms, gesturing towards the surrounding buildings, "There are like FIVE buildings in this beach town! There isn't even a POKEMART here! It's like the town's motto says: 'a TINY island in the blue sea'. How could you POSSIBLY get LOST in DEWFORD TOWN?!" Marvin admits, "I have a bad sense of direction." Captain Briney sighs, "Didn't you tell me on the boat that Professor Birch gave you a Pokenav? All Pokenavs contain very detailed maps of each city and town in the Hoenn region." "Oh yeah..." Marvin pulls his tan Pokenav out of one of his many pockets, "I forgot about that." Captain Briney shakes his head in disgust, turns around without saying another word, and continues marching to Dewford Hall. "If this town's so small," says Marvin, still trailing Captain Briney since he's still a little concerned he might get lost on his own, "And you're not going to the local Gym... then where ARE you going? Can you at least tell me that?" "I'm going to Dewford Hall to find out what's been happening in Hoenn recently," says Captain Briney as he walks, "The people there are very trendy - they know what's hip and happening. I don't want to fall out of touch with modern times like so many people my age. Now don't you have a Gym Leader to interrogate? Let me catch up on Fall Fashions in peace!" That said, Captain Briney enters a large blue building, Peeko the Wingull flies in after him, and the grumpy captain slams the door on Marvin. "Trendy, eh?" Marvin glances down at the dirty golden tuxedo he's wearing and smiles, "Maybe one of these trendy people can help me pick out a hip new wardrobe." He glances around and sees a young brown-haired man standing near Dewford Hall, "Hey, kid, can you help me out? I'm trying to find a new look that screams: 'I used to work as a magician, but now I'm thinking of becoming a Pokemon Master in addition to being a magician'. Do you think you can help me?" "Well..." The teenager eyes Marvin's attire and grimaces at how very tacky it is, "I'll help you if you help me first. I like what's hip, happening, and trendy. I'm always checking it out. Listen, have you heard about this new 'TICKLISH THICK FAT'? That's right! Of course you know! I mean, sheesh, 'TICKLISH THICK FAT'... It's the hottest thing in cool! Wherever you're from, 'TICKLISH THICK FAT' is the biggest happening thing, right?" Marvin disagrees, "I haven't even heard of 'TICKLISH THICK FAT' and I've lived in both Kanto and Johto. I've even been to the Orange Islands and I didn't hear that phrase spoken there either." "Hunh? It's not the hip and happening thing? Well, hey, you have to tell me, what's new and what's 'in'?" Marvin, not being one of the "coolest" people in the world, struggles to answer, "Uhm, it's..." "Of course I know about that! 'UM IT'S', right?" The brown-haired boy smiles, "Isn't 'UM IT'S' the coolest, or what?" *** Meanwhile, On Route 119 *** Six separate schools of Feebas swimming in a river suddenly decide to migrate for no good reason. *** Back in Dewford Town *** Marvin sweatdrops at the enthusiastic reaction to what he just said, "Uhhh, yeah..." The trendy young man clasps his hands eagerly, "Is that also a trendy new phrase?" "No..." Marvin backs away slowly from the trend-tracker, "I have to go now." "But didn't you want me to help you pick out new clothes?" The trendy teen calls out to Marvin, even as the magician flees, "We could buy you some official 'UM IT'S' brand clothing to make you feel at home!" "No, that's okay - thanks anyway!" Marvin turns around, runs away, and hides behind the nearest building, which just happens to be the local Pokemon Center. Smelling the fresh food being cooked in the Cafeteria within the Center, Marvin decides to eat a quick lunch before visiting the Dewford Town Gym. Half an hour after entering the Pokemon Center, Marvin waddles out rubbing his now-full belly in contentment. Staring down at the map of Dewford Town displayed on the Pokenav he's now holding in his hand, he waddles all the way to the entrance of Dewford Town's Gym, where he literally bumps into someone. That someone just so happens to be a black-haired, green-eyed little girl wearing a black dress who was distracted since she was admiring a Knuckle Badge that she just received from Dewford Town's Gym Leader. She looks up at the 5'7 tall man who she just collided with and complains, "Hey, mister, you should really watch where you're going - look out! It's very rude to crash into people - it is! Now if you'll excuse me - hey wait! You look familiar... where have I seen you before - where?" Just then, Marvin notices a few sparkles emerging from next to the girl's feet. He looks down and sees that the sparkles were emitted from a shiny, light brown Zigzagoon, who is tugging at the girl's dress with one of his claws, trying to tell her that she should flee from the magician. But the girl says, "Not now, Ziggy... I'm trying to remember who this is - hold on." Marvin realizes who the little girl is before she recalls who he is - she's the little girl who had her Zigzagoon to steal his three shiny Unown during his last magic act in Johto, "I finally caught up with you, Terri!" Upon hearing his voice, Terri shrieks, "AHHHHHHH - oh no!" Marvin grabs her arms with both of his hands and demands, "Give me back Fire Wand, Tickler, and Blower, and all those wallets you stole from my audience!" But Marvin's grip on Terri is loosened when Ziggy crawls up his pant leg and bites the middle-aged man in a very sensitive area, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" "Yeah, 'no' is exactly what I was gonna say - good guess!" Terri pulls her Zigzagoon off Marvin and runs as fast as she can on the beach sand to Dewford Town's pier. Marvin slowly limps after the girl, still in pain from the Zigzagoon's bite, and watches as she climbs into Captain Briney's boat, unties the rope holding it to the dock, and starts sailing the boat eastwards all by herself. Terri shouts at the top of her lungs, "So long - sucker!" "Octillery," Marvin pulls a Pokeball out of his tuxedo's coat pocket and drops it on the sand. When the red Octopus Pokemon appears, Marvin pleads, "Please swim after that boat, climb onto it, and bring me back my three shiny Unown." "Oct?" Marvin's Octillery snarls, angry that Marvin just wants him to perform another chore instead of wanting him to battle another Pokemon. The Water Pokemon extends his tentacles up to Marvin's face and slaps him around a few times. Marvin sighs, recalls his Octillery, then watches Captain Briney's boat, his only way off the island, sail into the distance. -Marvin