From: "Dave Stangel" <David.R.Stangel@uwsp.edu> Subject: [PW!] Stating the Obvious Date: Sunday, October 31, 2004 6:34 PM Hydro looked around. Actually, he mostly looked down. Here he was in Professor Oak's Pokemon Lab, filled with little 10 and 11 year olds, each with his or her own Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. All of the little guys were loud, obnoxious, and totally uncontrollable. Hydro, meanwhile, was 19 (which explains his thoughts on the other trainers). Hydro was just starting out. He, too, only had one Pokemon. It wasn't like any of the others, though. He had gotten it from his brother, Smash, a very talented Pokemon trainer who had just started on his own journey to collect badges so that his Pokemon would obey him. "Hydro Caner!" a voice shouted over all the racket. Everyone stopped. Rather startled, Hydro pushed past the diminutive pipsqueaks toward the front of the room, where Professor Oak (who called him forward) was waiting. "I understand that you have a Pokemon that is different than the normal ‘starter' Pokemon." Oak said. "…Yes." "Can I see it?" "Uh, sure. Do you have a water tank?" "Yep, right here." Professor Oak wheeled over a large, five-gallon tank filled with water. Hydro held out his Pokeball and called out his Pokemon. "GO! LEVIATHAN!" A few seconds later, a Pokemon was in the tank. Everyone stared. "It's… a Magikarp." Oak slowly said. "…Yes. My brother gave it to me." Hydro and Smash never got along too well. Smash didn't want to see his younger brother overcome him, but his father said to give him a Pokemon. So, he presented him with quite possibly the most useless Pokemon in existence. Unless, of course, there's a fish fry. "Am I correct in assuming that it only knows Splash?" "…Yes." "Man! How pathetic!" The shout came from the crowd of munchkins behind him. Hydro whirled around to come face-to-face with a youngster with a Charmander. "My Pokemon could beat that, and he's a fire type!" Hydro slowly advanced towards the boy. "Really? Well, let's find out. I'll take your Charmander and dump him into the tank, since my Pokemon can't come out, and then we'll see who wins." The boy was stunned. "But Flare would DIE!" he cried. Hydro smirked. "Well, well, the tables have turned, haven't they?" "Hydro! Clem! Stop this right now!" Oak yelled. Hydro managed to hold in his laughter at the little punk's name. "Alright, Hydro. Well, as you can see, I have tons of able Pokemon trainers and capable Pokemon, whereas you have a Pokemon who cannot attack. I want you to go to Hoenn and see Professor Birch in Littleroot town. He doesn't have any new trainers right now, so he could give you some… individual attention, I guess." "…OK." Hydro recalled his Magikarp, took his bag, and started to head out. "Man, I hope I get to fight YOU someday!" Clem yelled after him. Hydro looked behind him. "So do I." To be continued…