From: "Rob" <robfrompw@yahoo.com> Subject: [PW!] Beat it, Volbeat! Date: Friday, January 09, 2004 4:25 AM If there's one thing that beckons Pokemon more than the Sweet Scent of a Bellossom in heat, that's the Illuminated tail of a Volbeat. While a Bellossum must release her Sweet Scent to call Pokemon forth, Volbeat that possess particularly bright tails don't need to put forth any effort to draw in admirers. Ironically enough, Illumise, the female counterpart of the male Volbeat, is Oblivious to the tail, forcing Volbeat to pursue Illumise instead of the other way around. In Route 117, at this early morning hour before the sun rises, a Volbeat uses Tail Glow to help him find breakfast Berries. All the nearby Pokemon feel compelled to approach the Firefly Pokemon when his tail lights up, including a Roselia that had, up to now, been following a human who was headed to Mauville City. "Roselia rose," she comments as she changes course, heading north towards the Volbeat instead of east. The human, a brown-haired young woman named Elsa, looks down at the one foot tall Pokemon that had been at her side a moment ago. Seeing the Roselia walk away, she looks up to see where the Pokemon's headed, and she too is mesmerized by the Illuminated tail, despite not being a Pokemon. Elsa had not been out at night since she was ten years old because the Asylum she had strict rules that prevented children from going out into its fenced garden at night. Therefore, she's been awake all night, marveling at the moon and the stars above as well as the behavior of nocturnal Pokemon on her way to Mauville City. Elsa follows the Roselia, eager to get a closer look at the Volbeat herself. When two Zigzagoon, a Surskit, an Azurill, a Roselia, and a human form a circle around the Volbeat who was minding his own business, he gets annoyed. The Bug Pokemon tries shooing them away with his small black arms, saying, "Beat eat! Beat eat!" The young Azurill is easily frightened, so she runs away, but the others stay, seemingly hypnotized by his Illuminated tail. "BEAT EAT," the Volbeat yells, shooting a Signal Beam out of his tail that hits one of the two Zigzagoon, scaring off both of the Raccoon Pokemon. "That wasn't very nice," Elsa scolds the annoyed Volbeat, "They just wanted to admire your bright and beautiful tail." "Vol?" The Volbeat turns his gaze towards Elsa, wondering who she thinks she is to reprimand him. He uses Double Team two times and Elsa soon finds herself surrounded by five Volbeat. All five Volbeat have menacing looks on their faces as they circle Elsa, flapping their wings. "I didn't mean to offend you..." Elsa argues as she turns to flee. After turning, nine Volbeat surround her and she finds herself trapped, scared to run into any of the Volbeat around her since they might attack her. Sensing trouble, the Surskit scurries off on his four small blue legs. The Roselia, however, stays. She places her red rose on her chin and her blue rose on her hip as she looks up at the nine Volbeat, taking the opportunity to see how Elsa reacts to her opponent's anger. She wants to see if Elsa will attack the Volbeat, like she imagines most Pokemon Trainers would do in that situation, or if she'll try to negotiate. "Beat, beat, beat, beat..." The Volbeat start to chant, warning Elsa of what they're about to do to her as their Tails Glow brighter. Elsa puts her hands up, showing her empty palms to the Volbeat circling her, "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I just came to see your beautiful glowing tail, just like those Pokemon. I don't think any of us wanted to hurt you, not even the Zigzagoon you attacked!" "Vol, vol beat volbeat beat VOLBEAT?" The Volbeat scowls, thinking that Elsa's tone is condescending. The only one of the nine Volbeat that is real hits her with a Quick Attack! The attack knocks Elsa off her black pumps and she shatters two illusory Volbeat on her way down to the tall grasses below. "SEL!" The Roselia's mouth opens wide in shock as the normally U-shaped slits that she views the world through slant in anger. She points the thorns on her head up at the Volbeat that attacked Elsa without direct provocation and shoots a barrage of Poison Sting needles at him! "Beat!" Volbeat looks up at the moon and its Moonlight regenerates his energy. Feeling better, he points his Glowing Tail at the Roselia and shoots a Signal Beam at her, one more powerful than the one he hit the Zigzagoon with! The Grass Pokemon is hit directly on her body by the Bug attack, but her Poison streak keeps her from being too damaged by it. "Roselia, sel!" Roselia lifts her two rose hands and waves them, beckoning the angry Volbeat to come closer as she uses Growth to double her size. "BEAT!" Thinking that the Grass Pokemon is calling him a coward, Volbeat flies over to her and hits her with a Quick Attack... but not before she lowers her thorn-covered head. When the Volbeat makes contact with the thorns, he becomes Poisoned. He hovers away from the enlarged Roselia. Sensing the Poison oozing into his system, the Volbeat decides to search for a Pecha Berry that would not only serve as breakfast but would also cure him. Knowing that the sun will rise soon and that he won't be able to heal himself fully using Moonlight when it does, the Volbeat decides to cut the battle short and flees from the Roselia who Poisoned him, the illusory copies of the Volbeat disappearing as he flies off. Her opponent gone, the Roselia runs to Elsa and places her two roses on the fallen girl's arms, regretting that she didn't help her sooner. Feeling the Roselia's roses, Elsa sits up. The Quick Attack hadn't hurt her too much, but she was pretending that it did, hoping that the Volbeat would go away if he thought he had inflicted enough damage. She looks at the Roselia, "Did you scare him off, Roselia?" "Se." The Roselia nods as her shut eyelids resume their usual U-shape, happy that Elsa isn't too hurt. "Thank you!" Elsa smiles and pets the leaf covering the Roselia's body to show her appreciation. When the Pokemon cringes and places both roses over the area Elsa just touched, Elsa immediately knows why, "Oh no! That Volbeat hurt you when you were fighting him! We have to get you to Mauville's Pokemon Center right away!" "Sel, sel," Still holding her leaf with her red rose, she lifts her blue rose to dismiss Elsa's concerns, "Roselia sel selia sel." "It might be worse than you think it is." Elsa carefully lifts the Grass Pokemon into her arms, not wanting to pull on her roses or make contact with the thorns on her head. Elsa stands up and quickens her pace towards Mauville City, wanting the Roselia who protected her from the Volbeat to recover from her wound as soon as possible. On the way to the Pokemon Center, the hurt Roselia shrinks back down to her normal size, surprised that she's actually rather comfortable in Elsa's arms. -Elsa