From: Bandraptor <bandraptor@aol.com> Subject: [PW!] Still in Pallet... Date: Sunday, May 16, 1999 5:25 AM With a great sigh, Nori sunk to the ground, and leaned back against a wall. She'd been hanging around Oak's lab for several hours-- ever since Simon had been rushed inside-- and she was bored out of her skull. "There's nothin' to do here!" she lamented, to no one in particular. Her six pokemon were safely tucked inside their pokeballs, and Meowth was snoozing in her backpack. Thinking about Meowth, Nori's mind turned somersaults. There was something about her Meowth, something sinister. The Ditto had mentioned what it was, but when the girl tried to summon his words, she hit a mental block. Nori rubbed her temples, and tried to concentrate. Slowly, her eyes began to fill with apprehension. Why should she trust a Ditto, anyway? They made their lives of deceiving others... and this one seemed to be pals with the ATRs, to boot. The girl grinned, completely reassured. There was nothing odd, about her Meowth. Deep inside her backpack, Meowth grinned too. But none of this changed the fact, that Nori was bored. She wandered around the lab for a few minutes, until she got tired of Oak's aides shooing her away. She found out a few things of interest, though... mainly, that Oak's lab contained a breedery; one of the few that hatched Charmander, Squirtles, and Bulbasaur. Oak often gave the stronger ones out to trainers, as gifts, and had been said to release the remainder into an undisclosed area of the wild. Nori eyed one of the sleeping Charmander, thinking back to Maria and Black Hole's Charizards. She considered stealing it, partly because of its potential power, in its evolved state; but mainly because she was bored out of her skull, and wanted to cause some trouble. Nori was about to act on that impulse, when inspiration struck her, in the form of Rubix's Water Gun. "That's for tryin' to stuff me in a pokeball!" the Wartortle scowled, before administering a Bubblebeam, "And *that's* fer tryin' to kidnap an innocent Charmander! One wrong move outta you, and I'll have this whole town knowing what you were up to!" To prove its point, Rubix opened its mouth, to yell. Nori backhanded the Wartortle. "Shaddup. And where'd you pick up Bubblebeam? You didn't have it when I got you, and I sure as hell didn't teach it to you..." Rubix smirked, and tossed her a small, black TM box. "Sometimes, us pokemon gotta take matters into our own hands." "You used my Bubblebeam TM?!?!" Nori exploded. "That was a gift from the Cerulean City Gym Leader! You can't get those things just anywhere!" Rubix responded, by Bubblebeaming her once again. Nori recoiled, as thousands of stinging bubbles collided with her face. Rubix cackled, wickedly. "That blue freak's Flareon is next!" "Blue freak?... Flareon?" Nori managed to filter pertinent information, from Rubix's rant. "What Flareon? Last I heard, Car'tos had an Eevee..." "He did. Until I evolved it." Rubix snickered again, and began to walk away. Nori decided that she'd had enough. In an animalistic flurry of movement, she leapt atop the turtle, and slammed it, head first, into the ground. "Listen up." she snarled, pulling the turtle's face to within inches of her own, "You're going to find a way to change her back. Or. You're going to get down, on your FRICKIN' knees, and pray to GODDISH that I RIP YOUR HEAD CLEAN OFF, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO SUFFER!!!!!" Rubix lay there with its mouth hanging open, and blinked twice, before regaining its bearings. "Well, boo freaking hoo. Poor little Eevee had to grow up." "Don't you get it?!?" Nori practically spat in its face, "You've crossed the line! How'd you like it, if somebody went, and evolved *you*?!? You'd be the first to start bawling!" "JUST TRY ME!!!!" Rubix screamed, drawing back its lips, to reveal sharp fangs. Nori swung out an arm, and with all her might, drilled her fist into the side of Rubix's head. The turtle fell over in a faint, and was automatically sucked into its pokeball. Nori remained on the floor, still trembling with rage. Finally, she brushed her hair out of her face, and slowly walked outside. In the bushes beside her, a dark creature was stirring... TBC? (Your turn, Car'tos.) -Beth "Ii kanji!" http://members.aol.com/bandraptor