From: Adrian Tymes <wingcat@soca.com> Subject: Re: [PW!] Outside Oak's Lab Date: Friday, May 21, 1999 11:12 PM Mobius101 wrote: > "Whether she likes it or not, I'm getting her some help," Seth whispered. > > Mimic hopped out of his hands and spun up into the air as a Clefairy. Then he > alighted on Slasher's back. "Soon be in Viridian....doctor there. Though > could be trouble...." > > Seth nodded. "I know." As if Aerie's sudden strange state wasn't enough to > worry about, he also had his mind on the Viridian Gym, and it's Gym Leader.... > > "Ahhh...CHOO!!" A few minutes later... "AHCHOO!" Nearby, a Hitmonlee turned, alerted by the noise. Seeing another one of its kind, with what presumably was its traner, the Hitmonlee went into an impressive kata. "Ahchoo! Koaaa...waxon, waxoff, ah CHOO!" "AHCHOO!" Now seeing only a Caterpie where its potential challenger had been, the Hitmonlee shrugged and returned to its business. "AHCHU!" A Pikachu looked up... "AHCHU!" ...but lost interest when only a Pidgey presented itself. "AH...AAaaAAhh...unh..." "Aerie?" Seth looked again. Aerie was now back in her default shape, her faced screwed tight with pain. "Oh, Seth...it hurts...aah...I'm burning..." Slasher experimentally touched one paw to her forehead- "SIAN!" -and retracted it quickly, shaking the paw vigorously. Seth carefully picked Aerie up, holding her at a distance in order not to contribute his body heat to her problem. "Mimic! We've got to DO something!" "Mimic no think hospital be able to help. But Pokemon Center might. They heal pokemon." "They won't touch her, not like this." "Maybe if in poke ball?" "WHAT?!? No way, Mimic! Aerie is *NOT* going in one of those things!" "Not even to save life?" A bead of sweat rolled down Seth's head, and it was not a direct physical reaction to Aerie's temperature. "No matter. Mimic know other way...Mimic no like, but it necessary." He hurried towards the center. "Enter three minutes after Mimic." "What are you going to do?" "Trick Mimic learn from Rockets." Seth stared after Mimic in confusion, until he heard gunfire, shortly followed by a chorus of screams, shortly followed by a stampede of people fleeing the center. After counting off 180 seconds, he carried Aerie in, motioning for Slasher to stay outside, and saw a masked Rocket wielding two machine guns. One was pointed at a Nurse Joy, who had her hands over her eyes and was facing away from the door. The other was pointed towards the ceiling; looking up, Seth could see that it had just shot out all of the security cameras. "Tha-" "SHH!" The gunman waved towards the quick-heal unit present at the front desk of most centers. Silently, Seth put Aerie in the unit, just barely managing to stuff her human form into the tray made for six poke balls, and switched it on. Joy started at the familiar sound. "If you just wanted me to heal your pokemon, you could have just-" "QUIET!" One gun pressed into the nape of her neck, and Seth could almost swear the gunman's voice sounded like one that Doppler had used. "For your own safety. And ours." One play of the tune that most would-be Pokemon masters had heard more times than any other, Seth removed Aerie and walked out. "Count to ten. Die if you peek before nine." Joy shivered, then nodded once the gun left her neck. "One...two..." Mimic was outside before she reached five. Once out of sight of the center, Seth gently set Aerie down. "Mimic? I can't believe you..." "Mimic can barely believe, too. Mimic no like show anger. Mimic really no like be desparate. But Mimic no can let friend die...or be hunted. Mimic suspect that Joy on Rocket payroll. She tell Rocket security about this before tell cops, if ever tell cops. If Giovanni knew human-copying ditto here, he suspect Mimic or Doppler, and send goon squad. Now all he know, is someone break in to heal pokemon. Mimic disable unit recording device, so machine no remember what it heal." "Let's just hope it worked." "Probably did. Mimic see machine control panel, say it find and remove virus. Should wake Aerie; heal unit usually leave pokemon full heal and ready for fight." "I wonder why she's still asleep." Seth leaned over Aerie, almost as if to kiss her, but stopped short... ...only to be grabbed and pulled into the kiss by a suddenly-smiling Aerie. Mimic shrugged, realizing belatedly that he was still carrying realistic looking and sounding replica guns (which he had extended into the cameras to "shoot" them). Transforming into just another trainer, he smiled too. "Look like Aerie want wake like princess: need prince kiss." "Sian." Slasher plopped down, head on his paws, as if expecting not to move for a while. "No, Slasher, Mimic no think Aerie take fairy tale that far. Aerie no look good as toad, even if did transform back upon kiss." TBC?