From: Spawn <nmvds@aol.computers> Subject: [PW!] Magic Show Mayhem Date: Monday, June 21, 1999 2:02 AM Continued from "[PW!] The Performance in Cerulean City..." >"It's all MAGIC!" Marvin answers, "Now unless you want your friend here to >stay this way, >I suggest you help me rearrange her properly and remove the blades! Being >the excellent >assistant that you are Steve, I'm sure you can do it all by yourself. I'll >just sit here >and watch, and I'll tell you if you do anything wrong..." > >-Marvin "Oh, but you can't sit down so quickly," said an ominous voice. "I have a card to show you." "Doesn't he mean card TRICK?" asked Steve. Just then, a single card floated down to the stage. Marvin walked over to pick it up. "The ace of spades?" Marvin asked. "The death card," the voice echoed. Everyone was caught off guard. A figure wearing a cape and trenchcoat leapt from the ceiling, with his attire flapping wildly in the air. It was the never before seen TR-BOT. (http://members.aol.com/nmvds/TR-BOT.JPG) "Allow me to introduce myself," the figure began, "I have been sent here on a mission on behalf of Team Rocket. I have become aware that you have possession of two rare variants of the Ditto from Cinnabar, and I would like to have them." "Xerox and Famifax?" Marvin asked. "Correct," the TR-BOT responded. "Forget it," Marvin began, " I need those for... let's just say I need them." "Dittos? Oh, that explains it," said Steve as everything seemed to make sense. Marvin began to really, REALLY hope no one in the audience could hear that. "Why don't you stop by Cinnabar Island for some Pokemon? That's where I got those two." The TR-BOT grabbed Marvin by the throat. "I'm not in the mood to argue," he growled. "Steve, is this part of the show?" Karen asked. "I can't see." "I'm not sure..." Steve began, "maybe that would explain the way he acts. No one could be that pathetic." "You have until the count of 3," the TR-BOT warned, "one... two..." Several beads of sweat dripped from Marvin's forehead, even more so than the number that was usually there. He was 38 and felt he was too young to die, although some of his former assistants might say otherwise. He needed a miracle. "Freeze!" shouted yet another voice. It was Officer Jenny. He was saved. The TR-BOT was now distracted. "Marvin," Steve whispered, "rearrange Karen back to normal." "This is an act of attempted Pokemon theft!" Officer Jenny shouted. "Oh no it isn't attempted theft," the TR-BOT said, "I plan on succeeding." "You're under arrest!" she told him. "Under arrest?" the robot laughed. "I believe you have to actually restrain me before you can arrest me. And how, may I ask, do you plan on doing that?" "Okay, this is definitely not staged..." Steve began to think. "Growlithe, attack!" Officer Jenny yelled. "Ah, a Growlithe," the TR-BOT observed, "I have one of these at home. An Arcanine, actually. And I know that these critters have a certain weakness towards certain things." "Growlithe, flame-thrower!" Jenny yelled as the Growlithe ran towards the TR-BOT. The TR-BOT raised his left arm and aimed. Once the Growlithe was only a few feet away, he fired a blast of freezing water. "GROW!!!" the Pokemon screamed in agony. "Now Jenny, what exactly were you planning on doing?" he said in a mocking tone. She wasn't sure of her next move. In desperation, she raised her gun and aimed for him. "Ah, how cute," he replied. He reached into his belt and took out a sword. "This should make things interesting." He began to walk towards her with increasing speed. Officer Jenny wasn't sure what to do and fired, and then she watched as the bullets fail to even phase him. Suddenly, he leapt up a few stories high and begin to descend again, the sword high about his head. Jenny was terrified by now. She was like a deer caught in a pair of headlights. "MOVE!" shouted a voice. This time, it was Steve, who pushed her out of the way and into safety. The TR-BOT crashed into the floor, its momentum forcing it to roll several feet forward. It recovered quickly, however, and Steve could sense it starring at him through his visor. "Ah, Steven Fugues," the TR-BOT laughed. "You know me?" Steve asked. "I know you better than you know yourself." Somehow, Steve didn't doubt that. He had once been hit by an Alakazam and lost his memory as a result. The TR-BOT lifted its sword and prepared to attack. Steve turned around and saw that Karen was now reassembled. "Karen, a little help?" he shouted as he realized the approaching danger. Karen had to think quick. "Psyduck, go!!!" she yelled. "Psyduck?" the TR-BOT began, "how cute. They have quite powerful psychic attacks. But it is rare for a water Pokemon to not have a weakness to electricity." He raised his right arm and aimed, bolts of electricity shooting from him. "Psy-yie-yie!" it cried in agony. Karen realized that her Psyduck's headache was starting to built. "Psyduck, confusion attack!" she yelled. "PSIE!!!" it responded, letting out a bolt of psychic energy. The telekinetic blast sent the TR-BOT crashing through a wall. "Psyduck, return!" she yelled. She didn't know who this guy was, but he seemed to be too prepared against normal Pokemon. "Does anyone else have a psychic or a ghost Pokemon?" she asked. "Well, I have an Exeggcute," Marvin responded as they rolled across the floor. "Exeggcute, use your hypnosis on this man!" "Exeggcute... Exeggcute... Exeggcute..." they chanted. "That doesn't work for me," the TR-BOT laughed. Suddenly, he re-aimed his right arm and shot a blast of fire. "I love the smell of fried eggs in the morning." "Exeggcute, return!" Marvin cried. They were all shocked. "Here's a tip," Karen advised to Marvin, "guard your dittos with your life. Something tells me that this guy isn't backing down too easily." **************** Officer Jenny began to look around the auditorium. "Who are you looking for?" Steve asked. "Ash Ketchum, Pokemon champion," she replied. "I saw him in the audience earlier." "And where is this Ash fellow?" "Not here anymore, I guess," she grumbled. "That little bastard couldn't have waitedanother FIVE MINUTES before leaving the show to make out with Misty." "Huh?" asked Steve. "It was all over the National Enquirer the other day," she explained. Steve began to look at the problem at hand and realized he was low on options, until he decided he would try using his most recently captured Pokemon. "Zubat, go!" Steve yelled. "Supersonic attack!" The Zubat let out a piercing scream. To Steve's surprise, the TR-BOT seemed to be in agony and tried to shield itself from the sound. Steve was the most surprised of them. He didn't think that anyone would react that way. "Good job, Zubat!" he yelled. "Keep doing that." ************* "@#*%$!!!" Blind Tom shouted as he tore the headphones from his head. He had been handling the controls for the TR-BOT from a distance. "What's wrong?" asked a local henchman. "I was born blind!" Tom continued to shout. "My hearing had to compensate. When you have hyperactive hearing and a bat uses Supersonic screaming, it hurts!" "I suppose," the henchman replied. "You should turn the perception simulation down so you don't get too involved in this. This experiment sounds more dangerous than we thought." "You may have a point," Tom admitted, adjusting the controls. "You have any aspirin on you? I feel a migraine coming on." ************ Finally, the TR-BOT dropped his sword and fell to the ground. Steve had an idea and began to withdraw a Pokeball. "Don't even think about it," said Karen. "Think about what?" asked Steve. "Using Magikarp." "Why do you think I would use Magikarp?" "You always use Magikarp," she explained. "If it were up to you, the world of Pokemon would have nothing but Magikarp. Forget it, this isn't the time to try to earn more experience." "This is the perfect time," Steve pointed out. "More powerful opponents means more experience." "Steve," Karen said abruptly, "don't." "Zubat," Steve commanded as he put the Pokeball back into his pocket, "check if he's still breathing." The Zubat began to approach the TR-BOT. As it neared, a tiny spark jumped a few inches towards it, providing a miniature shock. The Zubat pulled back in terror as the TR-BOT began to stand back up. "I can reroute my power systems to form a protective electric mesh around me," he explained. "And now, little Zubat, you've been a bigger thorn in my paw than any other Pokemon imaginable. Now you must pay." He took out his sword and began to swing at the Zubat. The Pokemon was fast, but not fast enough to avoid getting a little cut. As it flapped its wings wildly to stay airborne, the TR-BOT smiled and took a swing right down the middle. The Zubat fell to the ground in two separate pieces. "I can't believe you just did that," Steve muttered. "Believe," the TR-BOT replied. Steve reached into his pocket for another Pokemon. It was at that moment that Steve realized just how pathetic his Pokemon collection was. He glanced at Karen. "Jigglypuff, go!" she shouted. "Have you managed to teach her not to put the rest of us asleep while singling yet?" Steve asked. "Jigglypuff, return!" she quickly shouted. "Charizard, go!" "Karen, this guy can shoot water!" Steve warned. "Any better ideas?" she asked. "Char!" the Pokemon greeted. "Dangit," Steve began to mutter to himself as he realized that Charmander would only serve as a distraction, and only for half a minute or so. He had to think quickly. "Pidgey, I chose you!" he ordered as he threw out a Pokeball. "Charizard, ember attack!" shouted Karen. "Char!" it cried, as it shot flames from its mouth. Yet despite the ferocity of the attack, the TR-BOT didn't even flinch as it aimed its water blaster. "Pidgey, gust attack!" Steve yelled. "Pig-GOT!!!" it yelled as it flapped its wings rapidly. The TR-BOT began to fire, but the water got tangled in a cyclone. A trail solid water circled him in an orderly yet chaotic manner. It was like witnessing a weather storm, and he was caught in the center. He stopped firing. Dripping wet, he starred at the Pidgey. Steve knew what to expect. "Pidgey, quick attack!" he shouted. The bird now flew quickly around the TR-BOT, even though its instincts trained it to only attack fellow Pokemon. But it knew its master needed help. Yet for all the pecking, it could not pierce the TR-BOT's rigid exterior. Once the Pidgey was in the right position, the it was slapped out of place by the back of the TR-BOT's hand. The TR-BOT raised his right arm and fired a bolt of electricity. The Pidgey screamed in agony. Steve was disappointed, yet understanding. "Pidgey, return!" he yelled, unsure of what to do. Then he noticed Jenny's gun which fell to the floor from when he pushed her to the ground earlier. "Charmander, another ember attack!" he heard Karen yell. "I'm borrowing this!" he told Officer Jenny. "Wha--?!?" she responded, caught off guard. Steve began to run perpendicular to the TR-BOT's line of site, turned 90 degrees, and jumped. The TR-BOT didn't notice Steve at first because he was paying a close eye on Charmander, humoring the tiny creature. "This is a bad idea," Steve thought as he fired. The TR-BOT began to aim its water blaster. That's when one of the bullets hit the cable supplying water to his blaster. The tube ruptured, and water started splashing everywhere. Finally, the TR-BOT exhausted its water supply which it couldn't control anyway. Steve began to approach the pool of water when the TR-BOT suddenly activated its protective electrical field, which the water so happily conducted. Then he thought of something as he began to run up to Marvin. "Give me a sword," he demanded. "You mean one of the ones you thought was fake?" Marvin replied. "Yeah, one of those," Steve pestered. "I think I have a good one you can use." Marvin said as he began to go through his boxes. ************** "Oddish, go!" Karen yelled. At first she thought of using her Diglet because it would be immune to electrical attacks, until she realized that the water itself would pose a threat. When she thought about it, her Oddish was perfect, not to mention the most in need of practice. "Oddish, use your acid attack!" she yelled. The Oddish fired, and the smell of dissolving metallic parts beginning to fill the air. It almost made her stomach turn. ************ "Oh, here's a good one!" Marvin said, offering Steve a sword. "Great," Steve replied, half smiling, half terrified. ************* The TR-BOT stopped using it's electricity and adjusted its right arm blaster to use flames. Karen realized that the Oddish wouldn't stand a chance. It wouldn't have to. With the protective field gone, Steve ran toward the TR-BOT, did a spinning jump through the air and took a quick slice at the cable. The powered weaponry systems were now disabled. Gas for the flame-throwers began to leak out. A quiet hiss began to fill the room. "Charmander, ember!" Karen commanded. "Everyone else, duck!" "&$#%@!" Steve yelled as he began to run. "Char!" BOOM!!!! The TR-BOT was now burning from its own fuel. A spectacular explosion took place right then. The TR-BOT covered itself in its cape to help smother the flames. Steve ran back towards the TR-BOT and used his sword to tear away the TR-BOT's cape. "Hello there," Steve told him. The TR-BOT swung, Steve blocked. And then vice verse. It was like watching ballet, such order and yet such chaos at the exact same time. In the heat of the battle, Steve managed to stab his opponent in the stomach. The TR-BOT began to scream in agony as it started to kneel. "Someone call an ambulance," Steve ordered. Than he noticed something funny. But not "ha-ha" funny. No blood. "Surprise!" the TR-BOT smiled as it began to pound at Steve. It lifted him by the throat, then threw him through the hole in the wall. As Steve was sent flying, his two remaining Pokeballs falling from his pockets. "Wow, that looks like it really hurts," said Marvin. "It probably does," said Karen, unsure of what to do. "Karp, Karp, Karp..." chanted Steve's Magikarp. "Metapod," said his Metapod. "TR-BOT, BOT, BOT, BOT," the TR-BOT added. The TR-BOT began to raise its sword. "Metapod, harden!" Karen yelled. "Magikarp... uh... keep splashing!" The Metapod began to glow as his shell began to harden. Just in time to be attacked by the TR-BOT. Fortunately, the Metapod was rather light and was able to move at least slightly with the blow to absorb less damage. Magikarp, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. "KARP!!!!!!!" it scream as the TR-BOT stabbed him deeply inside. The fact that it was composed mostly of scale and bones, however, made it difficult for the TR-BOT to affect what few vital organs it had. Suddenly, the Metapod began to glow brightly. It's shell fell off, revealing-- "Butterfree!" Karen said in glee, spotting a new hope. "Try using stun spore!" "FREEE!!!!" It cried as it showered the TR-BOT with powder. The TR-BOT merely laughed. "That doesn't work on machines," it said as he aimed it flame-thrower at Butterfree. Butterfree fainted after the attack. The TR-BOT walked after Steve to finish him off. "Say good-bye, Steve," the TR-BOT told him. If one could see through his mask and if it were a person, there would definitely be a smile on his face. "You under arrest," said a voice from behind the robot. It was Officer Jenny. "And do you honestly think you can arrest me?" he responded. "Sister Xerox will," she smiled. The TR-BOT looked back at Steve. Who now morphed into a spitting image of the TR-BOT. That's when he noticed that Steve's battered body was actually a few feet to the right of him. Smiling. Suddenly, Xerox found herself unable to control herself as she began to hear voices in her head. She then starred menacingly at Steve. "Wait a minute..." Karen thought, 'If she morphs into a robot, and robots only do as they're programmed..." "Oh, that's a horrible thought!" Marvin told her. "Fight it, Xerox..." Karen thought. Suddenly, the TR-BOT began to beep rapidly and Famifax began to distance herself from the machine. Just in time to watch it self-destruct. Xerox began to do the same and shattered. As a Ditto, however, her only consequence was fainting. Her scattered jelly like parts began to join together. Everyone came together to see the explosion, not sure of what had happened. ************* "So what happened?" Gil Bates asked one of the local Rocket henchmen. "Apparently, the computer overloaded when the Ditto replicated the TR-BOT. It was getting two signals to process instead of one. It couldn't figure out to do, and so the self-destruct sequence kicked in." "And Tom?" Gil asked. "Sensory overload from two signals," the henchman replied. "He'll recover. Fortunately, we turned the simulation down following a Zubat attack." "And Steve Fugues and his friends managed to survive?" Gil asked. The henchman nodded. "We can't underestimate him again." The henchman continued to look over at Tom, who was laying in a hospital bed. "Get some aspirin when he wakes up," he said, "he's going to need it." ************* "That was an awesome show!" someone from the audience shouted. "Can I get tickets for the next time?" "Uh, sure," said Marvin. "Tell all of your friends to come and watch my show too. There is nothing more entertaining on Earth than Marvin the Magnificent." "You better take Xerox to the Pokemon Center..." Karen began. "She won't like this at all," said Marvin. "She just got back from that place. "Yeah, well, I'm a human and I got the crap beat out of me," said Steve. "Tell her she shouldn't complain. "It could be worse, Steve," said Karen, "you could be dead. "I might have preferred dead," said Steve. "I just want to eat diner, then find a hotel and sleep." " I wonder what happened with the intruder," said Karen. "Who knows?" Steve asked. "It's robotic nature would explain why it was immune to Exeggcute, but I don't understand why he had to kill my Zubat just because it was loud. Poor little guy... I mean, why would a robot care if something is loud?" Steve began to observe the parts and stuff a few in his backpack which seemed to hold an unlimitted number of things. He started to wonder if someone could turn the backpack into a weapon sort of like those portable holes on old cartoon. Only one of the parts were still completely in tact. "Looks like a power cell," he observed. "And the other parts?" Karen asked. "We'll figure those out later," he said. TBC? -Spawn To reply, remove "puters" from the e-mail address.