From: "Steffan Alun" <sha3@aber.ac.uk> Subject: [PW!] Diverting Time! Date: Wednesday, June 23, 2004 9:01 AM "Listen now," said Lauren, talking to her partner Diego. He wasn't listening. "The quickest way to get to where we want to go is a straight line, so- Are you listening, Diego?" Diego had been insufferable for the last few days. They'd been lying low, sleeping in the bushes that surrounded Route 111, hoping to avoid running into anyone from Mauville for a while. Lauren had used this time to devise various schemes and work out where to go next. Diego had used the time to spurt cooing noises at his baby Geodude and warm the light-blue egg he'd received. Currently, Diego had wrapped some of his warmer disguises – specifically, his eskimo, old lady and Flaaffy disguises – around the egg, and was currently singing to it. "Diego, I swear, if I've told you once, I've told you once a day for the last seventeen years – do NOT do absolutely ANYTHING in the ENTIRE WORLD that requires ANY DEGREE OF MUSICAL TALENT." Diego didn't hear her, and he continued to butcher a lullaby. Out of sheer frustration, Lauren grabbed Diego's face and aimed it upwards at her own. "Now, Diego, as I was saying," she said. "What's the quickest way to get from one place to another?" "Um, running," said Diego, mildly confident. "No! A straight line!" growled Lauren. "So we're going to..." She stopped. She'd heard something. "What was that?" Diego looked ahead. "Oh," he said softly. "She's fully naked again." "Who are you talk- Oh, no. No!" PokéWars!: Lauren and Diego "Diverting Time!" Steffan Alun Keiko, sweating a bit having been wearing unfamiliar clothing in the hot weather, was walking back towards Mauville. She was disappointed at having failed to find her Minun's captors, but she had a phone number now, and could report the matter to the police. Suddenly, she spotted someone. "Look, Skyler!" she exclaimed, whispering. "A tall one and a short one! Just like those con artists. Think that might be them?" Skyler the Swablu chirped in agreement from Keiko's arms. Keiko made her way over to the two figures, but was disappointed to find that they weren't the salesmen from before at all. The tall figure was a woman with curly ginger hair and spectacles with elaborate frames. A holdall hung from her shoulder. The shorter figure was a fat bald man with a large moustache that entirely covered his mouth. He wore a repulsive Hawaiian shirt. "Hello, sweetie," said the woman in a high-pitched, whiny tone of voice. "Can you tell us how to get to Mauville Street from here?" "Sure," said Keiko. "Assuming you mean Mauville City. It's to the south of here. I'm on my way there if you'd like me to show you the way." "Oh, no, that's not necessary," huffed the little man. His moustache muffled his speech somewhat. "We'd like to have a picknick before going back anyway. It's such a lovely part of the world, this, isn't it?" "I guess," said Keiko. She wasn't as keen on Route 111, having searched it far and wide for traces of the people who'd tricked her into giving them her Minun. Suddenly, she was struck by a thought. "I wonder if YOU could help ME." "In what way?" whined the woman suspiciously. "Well, I'm looking for two people. One's a woman of about your height, and one's a man, much shorter." She looked at the man in the Hawaiian shirt. "About your height, I'd say." The woman's mouth hung open. Keiko wasn't sure how to interpret her expression, but she quickly closed it, and then said, "Yeah, we saw some people like that. Were they wearing suits?" "Yes! That's them!" Suddenly, Skyler bounced out of Keiko's arms, and started walking towards the nearby bushes. "Not now, Skyler," grinned Keiko. She bent over and picked up the small bird. She turned back to the couple. "Did you see where they went?" "Sure," said the man. He quickly looked around, presumably trying to recall where the con artists had gone. He pointed towards a smaller path heading away from Route 111. "They went that way." "Oh, how odd." Keiko had spotted the path during her earlier search for the pair, but hadn't explored it further since it apparently led to a mansion where a concert of some sort was being prepared. "Why would they hide at a gig?" "Beats me," said the woman, a slight edge to her voice. "Why WOULD they hide at a gig, Harry?" "Well," said the man huffily. "If two people wanted to hide, where better to go than a place that's full of people?" "I guess you're right," said Keiko. "Thanks for your help!" She left the two to ponder her next move. When they were sure she'd gone, the couple removed a full layer of clothing and accessories in one swift movement. "We had her completely fooled," said Diego, removing the egg he'd used as padding from inside his t-shirt. "I'm a better actor than I thought." "Or maybe she's just dumb," said Lauren. She quickly combed her hair, and then got to work on Diego's. Diego loved using his bald cap, despite the mess it made of his hair underneath. They quickly stuffed their disguises into the holdall. Lauren looked north. "Alright, we can make our getaway now. Nothing can prevent our glorious escape!" TBC?