From: "STEFFAN HEDD ALUN" <sha3@aber.ac.uk> Subject: [PW!] The Five Problems Date: Sunday, April 25, 2004 10:14 AM Mike Smith hurried towards Cerulean City. He had a lot of things to accomplish. "LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD!" Most immediately important was taking a bunch of baby Geodudes and their unconscious mother to a Pokémon Centre, where they could be properly looked after. "LOUD LOUD LOUD!" That done, Mike had to retrieve another of the babies, the one he'd nicknamed Destiny, from a crooked scientist. "LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD!" Oh, and then there was the fact that he was on the run from the law. He needed to avoid the police, or even being seen, and find a way to clear his name before being caught. "LOUD! LOUD!! LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD!" Not forgetting, of course, that during all this, his daughter Shelley was ill in hospital, and required an expensive operation. Mike therefore needed to get money in abundance in order to save her life. "LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD!" Oh, and if THAT wasn't enough, there was STILL the fact that Mike's boss, Ralph Harrison, had been missing for a disturbingly long time, and Mike desperately wanted to find him. What had become of him? Was he still alive? If so, what was he up to? Where did he go? Where was he now? "LOUD LOUD LOUD!" "For God's SAKE, be quiet!" snapped Mike. "LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD!" responded his recently-evolved Loudred. PokéWars!: Mike Smith "The Five Problems" Steffan Alun Mike reached the outskirts of Cerulean. "LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD!" Mike groaned. He was trying to keep a low profile, but having a Pokémon this loud would surely give him away instantly. "LOUD LOUD!" "What do you WANT, Loudred?" asked Mike, exasperated. "You have to be quiet." "LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD!" insisted Loudred, proving that he didn't have to do anything of the sort. "Right," said Mike, scanning the city. "We'll find something to- Aha!" Mike had spotted the solution in the form of Cerulean Gym. The last time Loudred had become unbearable was back when Mike had first received him, in the form of a Whismur. He'd used him to battle, and Whismur had been silenced. "Let's see if lightning can strike twice," said Mike, smiling half-heartedly. *** "Look!" exclaimed Misty, talking on a phone. "I haven't got the time for this! You'll get your forms next week, and not a second before then!" Misty threw a large rubber ball into the pool of water below her, to keep her Pokémon occupied. It hit her Psyduck on its head. It did not seem to notice. "We had to clean the pool today!" insisted Misty. "I had to send everyone home! I've got no time to look over the forms. They're just too complex to do by tonight." She paused as the speaker on the other end of the phone said something critical. "You can't do THAT!" she exclaimed suddenly. "It's not fair! I couldn't complete them even if I didn't have anything more important to do! I have to keep this place running around the clock in case trainers want to fight for a badge! You can't close-" The line went dead. Misty turned around as she heard the door open. She quickly assessed the man who entered; a tired, thin-haired man in a creased, sweaty shirt. He probably wouldn't waste too much of her time. "Ah..." said the man. "I was looking for a...well, one of the lesser trainers, you know..." "They've been given the day off," explained Misty. "It's your lucky day. You get to fight me without the hassle of my friends!" She beamed. "Hassle," said Mike. Hassle. All I wanted was a small battle to shut Loudred up. I can't battle the leader! Mike's stomach lurched. Since he was only babysitting Loudred, he couldn't allow him to be knocked out. And of course, there was no running from a trainer battle. Unless he could beat Misty, he may not even get paid for taking care of the loud-mouthed beast! Mike felt sick at the idea. "Ok..." he said nervously. "Alright, I'll fight." "Excellent!" "One-on-one only, though!" he added hurriedly. "Alright," said Misty. Usually, she wouldn't have accepted such an offer, but she had work to do. Mike approached her. Loudred followed through the door. "LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD!" "Argh!" squealed Misty. "Sorry about that," apologised Mike. "He's a touch tempramental." Misty leaned over the pool. "Corsola! Come here!" A rocky, pink-and-white Pokémon swam towards her. "LOUD LOUD LOUD!" "Get ready to battle!" Corsola hopped out of the pool and faced Loudred. "Ok, Loudred," said Mike, shouting to make himself heard over Loudred's noise. "Get ready to fight." "LOUD!" "Corsola! Use your Bubblebeam attack!" Immediately, Corsola released a powerful wave of bubbles, causing Loudred quite a bit of discomfort. "LOUD LOUD LOUD!" "Use your Howl attack, Loudred," pleaded Mike. "You'll need all your strength for this." For the first time in a long time, Loudred stopped repeating the first syllable of its name. The gym was filled with an ominous silence. Corsola looked confused. Misty's eyes were wide in anticipation and fear. Mike covered his ears. Loudred breathed deeply, and- "OOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW!" The noise was deafening. Even Mike, who'd been prepared for this, could barely handle the noise. Misty, however, her experience as a trainer clearer than ever, gave Corsola a determined look. "Harden, Corsola. Now!" Corsola began to stiffen its outer shell, but was too slow. Loudred Pounded it. "Harden! HARDEN!" Once again, Loudred used its Pound attack, but Corsola was ready for it. Loudred paused to Howl once more, but Corsola was Hardening yet again. "Recover, Corsola!" shouted Misty. Loudred frowned. No. Corsola would NOT Recover. His ears twitched. Once again, the gym became eerily silent. Loudred opened its mouth. Mike clamped his hands over his ears once more. Misty flinched. Loudred let out a- Mike looked up, confused. Yes, it looked as though Loudred was shouting, but... "I've gone deaf," said Mike aloud, but hearing his own voice confirmed that this was not the case. He looked at Misty. Misty looked slightly annoyed, and mildly nervous. She did not appear to be hearing anything either, but she was focusing on Corsola with all her might. Mike suddenly realised why. Corsola was looking at the ceiling, its eyes rolling around in their sockets. It blew a single bubble in Loudred's general direction, then started beating itself on the head. "No!" cried Misty. "No! Recover, RECOVER!" Corsola tried to pull itself together, but was lost in a state of utter confusion. "Refresh, then!" Loudred Pounded Corsola, finishing it off. He smiled. Misty stared at Mike. "I don't believe it. I was finished by a SUPERSONIC attack?" "You were?" said Mike. "That's what it was?" "Of all the lousy, cheap results..." she muttered, fishing in her pocket for something. "Here you go." Mike stared at it. It was a small, blue badge, in the shape of a droplet of water. In the excitement of the battle, he'd forgotten that those who defeated Gym Leaders were awarded a badge. "It's the Cascade Badge," said Misty, still sounding a bit grumpy. "Hmm," said Mike, taking the badge and examining it. "How much do you think this would sell-" "It can't be sold!" snapped Misty. "It's just proof that you've defeated a Gym Leader. Eight of them grant you the right to battle in certain tournaments." "Oh." Mike could not have cared less if he'd tried. "Now, you'll have to leave," said Misty. "I've got some really difficult forms to fill in, and not nearly enough time to do..." She trailed away. Mike was staring at her, his jaw dropped, his eyes wide. "What is it?" "Menial paperwork..." breathed Mike. "Menial PAPERWORK?" He broke into a smile. It almost hurt, it had been so long. "Need any help? Get me a pen. Get me the forms. Have you got any records? Come on, help me out here!" Forgetting his worries for the time being, Mike spent several happy hours doing what he loved best - filling in menial paperwork. Misty, happy now that she didn't have to do all the work herself, thanked Mike and wished him luck on the rest of his journey. As Mike left in the darkness of the night, he wondered what his journey might actually be. TBC?