From: "Rob" <robfrompw@yahoo.com> Subject: [PW!] Young At Heart Date: Saturday, March 20, 2004 11:08 PM "You call that gulpin'?" A middle-aged man named Marvin asks the small green blob stationed in front of his Mawile. "I'll show you gulpin'! Mawile, Bite that Pokemon!" The Poison Pokemon blocking Marvin's path to Mauville lets out a quiet "gulp" a mere second before he's encased in Mawile's enormous Steel jaw. Most people and Pokemon avoid putting anything poisonous in their mouths, but Marvin's Mawile knows that the huge maw protruding from her head is made of Steel and is thus immune to poison attacks. Besides, she doesn't plan on keeping the Gulpin she's chewing in her mouth for long. Right after Marvin steps out of the tall grasses on the northern end of Route 110, his Mawile swings her maw behind her head and spits out a fainted Gulpin whose Liquid Ooze is now mixed with Mawile saliva. "Maw ilemaw!" The Mawile calls out to Marvin before following him north. Marvin dusts off his sapphire blue tuxedo, annoyed that the alternative to riding a bike up the Seaside Cycling Road was taking a long, winding road full of overgrown weeds and wild Pokemon. He's glaring at the northern entrance to the Cycling Road when a nearby old man who reminds Marvin of Captain Briney says, "The two roads, one above, one below... A road each for people and Pokemon. Perhaps that is right and fair." "What are you talking about?!" Marvin asks, turning to face the old man, "What would be right and fair is if they provided a nice, safe road - maybe one with a conveyor belt - for those of us too old or out of shape to be riding a bike all this way! Heck, on my way over here, I saw an old woman who was complaining that she didn't have a bike and had to take the low-road. I can only hope she hasn't been killed by a pack of wild whatever those Electric Pokemon I saw on the way here are called." "They're called Electrike, and the 'old woman' you're referring to is probably my friend Prudence," says the old man, "You don't have to worry about her - Pru absolutely loves taking her leisurely walks. Walking is good exercise, something you clearly need if you aren't able to ride a bike from Slateport to here at your age. Why, I'm 94 years old and I go bike riding all the time." "It's not that I CAN'T ride a bike from Slateport City to here," Marvin argues, feeling self-conscious that a man twice his age is more physically fit than he is, "I just thought the low road would've been better for me, that's all. I have to go now." Embarrassed, Marvin continues his journey to Mauville. He passes a young man who asks, "Wouldn't it be great to ride a bike at full speed on cycling road?" Marvin cries out, "Oh sure, rub it in!" and doubles his walking speed, making it hard for the Mawile behind him to keep up since she has to drag her heavy maw behind her. The young man shrugs and goes back to walking around aimlessly, his favorite activity in the world. "We're finally here, Mawile!" Marvin comments to his panting Mawile when he steps on the pavement of Mauville City. He looks down at the Steel Pokemon at his side and observes, "Wow, Mawile, you look even more tired than I do! You deserve a rest after helping me defeat all those wild Pokemon." Marvin recalls his Mawile into the black Luxury Ball he's holding and places the Ball in one of his tuxedo's pockets. Not sure where to begin his search for Terri, the little girl who stole his three Shiny Unown, Marvin pulls out the tan Pokenav that Professor Birch gave him, opens it up, and pushes a few buttons on it. Within seconds, a detailed map of Mauville City appears, showing Marvin the city's major attractions. "Hmm, it appears this city has a Gym." Marvin decides that the local Gym should be the first attraction in Mauville City he visits, remembering that Terri was exiting Dewford Town's Gym the last time he encountered her. Marvin heads towards Mauville's Gym, looking down at his Pokenav every time he's uncertain which way he should turn. The trip takes him over fifteen minutes, but he arrives at the Gym without getting lost. After he enters the building, his penny-loafers make noise against the yellow tiles below him as he walks down a hallway. At the end of the hallway, Marvin encounters a man who's both older and fatter than he is. Marvin tells the white-haired old man wearing a brown vest and yellow pants, "Excuse me, sir, but I need to ask the Gym Leader a few questions. Is he or she in?" "Wahahahahah!" The jolly old fat man grabs his ample belly as he laughs. "He certainly is! Now, what is it that you would like to ask me?" "YOU'RE the Gym Leader?!" Marvin had heard about old Gym Leaders before, but he had never seen such a fat Gym Leader in his life. The old man nods. "Indeed I am, fellow Trainer. The name's Wattson." He extends his right hand. "Hello, Wattson, my name's Marvin." The younger of the two men takes the older one's hand and shakes it. "I'm here in search of a young black-haired girl named Terri. She has a shiny Zigzagoon and a Magcargo. Have you seen her?" "Why are you searching for her?" Wattson asks, "Is she your daughter?" "Nope, though if she was, she'd be in for the time-out of a lifetime," Marvin remarks, narrowing his eyes. "She stole three of my Pokemon in Goldenrod City and I've been trying to catch up with her ever since." "Is that so? And she seemed like such a polite youngster..." "You saw her?" Marvin's eyes shift from showing anger to expressing hope, "When did you see her? Did she say where she was going next?" "She visited my Gym just yesterday, as a matter of fact," says Wattson, "After her Magcargo defeated my Magneton, I awarded her a Dynamo Badge and she asked me where the next Gym was. I directed her towards Flannery's Gym up in Lavaridge Town, informing her it was near Mount Chimney, Hoenn's only active volcano, so she could find it from here." "Then that's where I'm headed - Lavaridge Town!" Marvin turns to run out of the Gym, planning to catch up with Terri before she arrives at her next destination, when Wattson grabs one of his shoulders, keeping him from leaving. Marvin turns around and asks, "Hey, what's the hold up?" "I've built up many connections in my many years of being Mauville's Gym Leader." Wattson tells his visitor with a wide grin on his face, "I have Flannery's phone number programmed into my computer's videophone. I can call her and tell her to have Terri arrested the moment the little thief walks into her Gym. That way, you won't have to run after her." "Really?" Marvin asks, surprised that a Gym Leader would go out of his way to help him, "That's great! Thank you so much!" Wattson walks over to the desk in the corner of the room where he keeps his computer, followed by Marvin. The old Gym Leader sits down on the swivel chair in front of the computer, starts his videophone program, and pushes the button he's programmed to dial Flannery's work number. While the videophone rings, Marvin comments, "I'm surprised you know how to work that thing. I bought one of my Ditto a computer a few years ago and I still have no idea how to use it." "Wahahahah," laughs Wattson. He swivels towards Marvin and says, "I like keeping up with new technology. It keeps me young at heart." "Talk to me." The female voice draws the attention of both Wattson and Marvin to Wattson's monitor. They see the face of a rather pretty girl surrounded by wild orange hair. Recognizing the older of the two men, Flannery smiles, "Hey hey, I didn't realize it was you. 'Sup, Watts?" "Hi, Flanny. I have a man here named Marvin who says a black-haired girl named Terri stole three of his Pokemon," Wattson gestures towards Marvin, who's too distracted by the beauty of Flannery's face to say anything, "So, anyway, she's headed your way. I was hoping you could call Lavaridge's police force and have them station a Jenny or two at your Gym in case the girl shows up so she can be arrested." "Sure thing, Watts. I'd do anything for you." Flannery winks at Wattson, making Marvin extremely jealous of the Gym Leader. The orange-haired girl asks, "Can I have a better description of the girl? I wouldn't want to have the wrong girl arrested and get sued by her family, y'know." "When I saw her, she was wearing a black dress and holding a basket," says Wattson, "She has a Grovyle, a Magcargo, and shiny Zigzagoon." "What color are her eyes?" "Green, I believe." Wattson scratches his head, trying to recall the opponent he faced yesterday, "Marvin, are Terri's eyes green?" Wattson's question snaps Marvin out of his trance, "Wha- huh?" "Are Terri's eyes green?" Marvin thinks about it then nods, "Yeah, I think her eyes are green." "That should be enough info," says Flannery, "I'm gonna call the cops right now. Don't be a stranger, Watts!" When Flannery's face is no longer displayed on the monitor, Wattson leaves his swivel chair and pats Marvin on the back, "There you go, sport. Terri will be put in jail soon enough, then you just have to visit Lavaridge Town to claim your stolen Pokemon! Is there anything else I can help you with?" "Well, now that I'm not in such a hurry..." Marvin pulls a Pokeball out of one of his pockets, "Can I try to earn a Badge from you?" "Wahahah! Certainly!" Wattson pulls a Pokeball out of his brown jacket and says, "We'll have a one-on-one battle, as is the style of the time... To be honest, I usually like having three-on-three battles, but I've recently been experimenting with this new one-on-one style. That youngster Gym Leader Roxanne's been raving to me about it, and I like keeping up with new trends." "Fair enough," Marvin says before following Wattson to the Arena in a nearby room. He takes his place across from the old Gym Leader, who throws his Pokeball into the battlefield, saying, "Go, Magneton!" "You like Steel, eh?" Marvin rubs his chin, trying to remember what attacks are effective against Steel Pokemon. "Actually, I'm an Electric Pokemon Trainer, but I guess it would be hard for you to figure that out since I'm only sending out one Pokemon..." "Fire! Fire defeats Steel!" Marvin exclaims, deciding to stick with the Pokemon stored within the Pokeball in his hand. He throws the Pokeball and a young orange Torchic emerges on the battlefield. "Torchic, Ember!" Wattson calls out, "Magneton, Shock Wave!" Being much faster than the little Torchic, Wattson's Magneton unleashes a powerful Shock Wave of electricity upon the Fire Starter. Marvin's Fire Pokemon falls over and twitches for a few seconds before fainting. Marvin sadly recalls his defeated Torchic. "I guess she still wasn't ready for a Gym battle. I should've sent out Exeggutor." "You have an Exeggutor? Hmmm..." Wattson shakes his head, "This trendy one-on-one battling may be faster than the traditional form of Pokemon battling I'm used to, but it sure doesn't prove much. I think I'll have a three-on-three battle with you the next time you challenge me." "And considering how fast my Pokemon became Hoenn Fried Torchic, I think I should train my Pokemon more before I challenge you again," Marvin points out before shaking Wattson's hand, "Thanks again for calling Flannery! I'll head out towards Lavaridge first thing in the morning!" His plan for tomorrow decided, Marvin heads out of the Gym and east to Mauville City's Pokemon Center, consulting his Pokenav twice on the way. -Marvin