From: "Chet Weaver - Chicks Dig Giant Robots" <zeroohki@netscape.net> Subject: [PW][NC] The Death, You Say? Date: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 6:46 PM Beep... Beep... Beep... The beeping of the heart monitor had long since lulled Amber Powers into hypnotic half-sleep. Nutrient-rich fluid flowed around the comatose, starshaped Pokemon in the tank before her. Amber hadn't left Shuriken the Starmie's side since returning to Lavender Town, where Shuriken first hatched. It was also the home town of the extreme Pokemon trainer and little known celebrity Adam "Smasher" Samson, who happened to be the trainer of said comatose starshape. Beep... Beep... Beep... At first, Amber had been inconsolable. Now, however, she seem almost as comatose as Shuriken itself. For months, she had sat there, waiting for news about Smasher or some sign of life from Shuriken. Not even her girlfriend knew how to break her out of her spell. As it was, Amber both pitied and envied Shuriken, for it was in a state of peaceful, oblivious sleep. Shuriken might not even be aware of Smasher's possible death. Beep... Beep... Beep... Sometimes, Amber would wonder who was to blame for Smasher's disappearance. She had tried to kill the direct cause of the event, the half-Ditto Aerie, who had fired the Hyper Beam that either disintegrated Smasher or merely sent him flying across the continent, but couldn't bring herself to finish the job. It was an accident anyway, so she couldn't be blamed for it. Beep... Beep... Beep... Likewise, she couldn't blame Rob, Lavender Town's unofficial Gym Leader and Smasher's opponent at the end of that fateful tournament, or his Forretress, which had deflected the Hyper Beam with its Protect technique. No one in that match could possibly have known what would've happened. Beep... Beep... Beep... Aerie would not have even been in that match if it was not for SHAKKmaster, Smasher's previous opponent. It was SHAKKmaster's unruly Salamence whose attack put Shuriken in its current state and necessitated a substitution. Smasher's Larvitar, Big Time, could have substituted if Nori hadn't Pokenapped him, but Smasher probably would not have used him anyway. Nobody knew where SHAKKmaster fled too after the tournament, and that among other things made it easy to blame him. Perhaps even too easy. Beep... Beep... Beep... "There were so many things I wanted to talk to him about, Shuriken," Amber said. She put a hand against the glass. "If only I had shown up a little sooner, so we could meet before the match, or even later so maybe I wouldn't have distracted him. I wish you could wake up so you could help us find him. I wish I could've told him that... That I..." Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee............ With a start, Amber realized that the sound of Shuriken's monitor had gone from the rhythm of a steady heartbeat to the shrill cry of the fatal flatline. Amber hysterically began shaking Shuriken's tank, attempting to illicit some response. When that didn't work, she plunged them into the fluid and began pushing against Shuriken's core gem like the EMTs on television always did when they needed to restart someone's heart. Granted, they never did it on a starfish, but it was the thought that counts. "Don't die on me, dammit!" Amber pleaded. "Don't leave me like this! Don't you...!" "Ms. Powers, please!" Nurse Joy said as she pried Amber away from the tank. A pair of Chanseys gathered around it to see what they could do. "Get a hold of yourself! This isn't helping!" "No!" Amber cried. "I have to save him! He's...!" Nurse Joy gave Amber a hard slap across the face. While it did stun her for a second, it didn't really have the desired effect. Amber's face turned red with rage and she pulled her fist back to strike at the nurse. Fortunately, before she could follow through a Chansey tackled her and held her to the ground. As Nurse Joy went to work on Shuriken, the Chansey holding Amber began to Sing softly in an attempt to get her to fall asleep. Shuriken's eye focused as the bright light washed over him. He found himself hovering in a large corridor. At the end and up a short series of steps stood a Houndoom-headed man with a balancing scale in one hand and a feather in the other. "Hounubis, I presume," Shuriken was surprised to hear himself say. He had intended to say it, of course, but didn't expect it to come out verbally. This was mainly due to a complete lack of vocal cords that made sounds other than "Ku." Apparently, everything speaks the same language in the spirit world, or so Shuriken surmised. "That is correct," Hounubis confirmed. "You appear to have arrived earlier than expected. Are you here to be judged?" "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to pass the 'Is my heart lighter than a feather' test just yet, erm, your deathliness," Shuriken replied respectfully as possible. "I was just wondering if my trainer had passed through here at all. Sir?" "This is just one of many passages to the Great Beyond," Hounubis illucidated. "But suffice it to say he has not passed my way." "So he's still alive!?" Shuriken exclaimed. "I did not sa..." Hounubis started. "That's great news!" Shuriken cheered as he turned and flew out the great doors behind him. "I can't wait to tell Amber! She's been such a doll, waiting by me all this time!" "Wait!" Hounubis warned. "Be careful on your way..." Through the doors a from the void beyond, Hounubis could hear Shuriken call out, "HOLY CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...." "...Back," Hounubis finished as Shuriken's voice faded from hearing. Nurse Joy sighed. She did everything she could. She was able to save Shuriken's body, but its mind... Whatever had happened to it, the Starmie was now deeper into the coma than it was before. Shuriken's chances of ever waking up again were next to nothing. With help from one of the Chanseys, Nurse Joy lifted Amber's sleeping body onto a nearby bed. It was going to be hard telling her what happened. The poor girl had been through so much. But for now, Joy let her have her peaceful, oblivious slumber. The End? -- Chet "Tech" Weaver AIM: PanGatomon MSN: Nichirasu@hotmail.com eMail: zeroohki at netscape dot net Yahoo! Messenger: tech_weaver ICQ: 122744531 Webcomic: http://desperadocoyote.keenspace.com My Adventure Quest character: http://www.battleon.com/aq-chardetail.asp?temp=131213 You can play Adventure Quest at http://www.battleon.com Sometimes, I notice someone has posted a reply to one of my messages and I think, "Oh, great, what did I say this time?"