From: Bandraptor <bandraptor@aol.com> Subject: Re: [PW] [NC] Of Heros and Demons Date: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 5:29 AM >The Rockets on the shore saw the plain and its set course. They knew to >duck, as they watched the B2 slam nose first into the main building. >With an explosion of pure fuel, the windows shattered >with in the heat, as fire rushed though the complex. Any and all ATR in >that building were killed in a matter of seconds. The building >collapsed as the wreckage of the plane crashed to the ground. >Nori sighed as she notice the building that Car'tos went into wasn't >the main complex that had just fallen. > As lasers and bullets flew past her head, Nori remembered that she was supposed to be commanding the troops. She drew in a deep breath, struggling to be heard over the sounds of gunfire. "Everyone, attack!" A brief look around, and Nori realized that the troops were already firing on the enemy, without her signal. The girl sweatdropped, and held her head. "Carry on," she said softly. Nori paused to size up the opposition. The ATRs had gun turrets. The ATRs had laser weapons. The ATRs also had about three hundred soldiers, rushing out the door, to greet them. She had... Nori did a quick head count, and estimated that there were about thirty soldiers beside her. The others had either died in the plane crash, or were struggling to get out of the ocean, where they had landed. Ever the good Samaritan (Even as a Rocket!), Nori rushed to the water's edge, to help some of the stragglers. One of them was still at the middle of the water, dogpaddling towards the land. Suddenly, a huge, lion-headed fish burst through the water's surface, and swallowed him whole! Nori jumped back, instinctively, as something grabbed her leg. Fearful that it was one of the fish, she trained her gun on the water... "Wooga!" Black Hole cried, pulling himself up onto the beach. "You scared me, ya freak!" Nori responded, shooting at him anyway. "I thought you were a big, ugly lion fish!" "Do I look like that?" BH grinned, making a lion fish-face at her. "Shaddup!" Nori cried, helping him to his feet. "Can't you see, there's a war going on?" BH pulled out his flame thrower, and after checking to see that it still worked, rushed towards the advancing ATRs. They shot at him, but the bullets deflected harmlessly, from his metal armor. "BWAAAHHHHH!!!" he screamed, swinging the flame thrower around half-hazardly, "Burn, ATR scum! Writhe in the fires of damnation! Burrrn!!!!" Nori smiled grimly, and released her Porygon from its Pokéball. "It's time for us to take out those gun turrets," she started, hopping on its back. "[...]..." it sulked. "Damn it, Porygon, why d'ya gotta be so depressed all the time?" Nori sighed. "Well, no matter. You ready?" The Porygon sighed, and took to the air. It flew a good thirty feet above the battling Rockets, before Nori commanded it to stop. "All right, Porygon. On my mark..." She scanned the area around the targeted turret, to make sure that BH was out of range. "FIRE!" Porygon's whole body tensed, as it began to gather dark energy from the thunderclouds around it. Then, with a burst of power that rocketed it back through the air, and almost hurled Nori from its shoulders; it released a sharply focussed beam of rainbowy light from its beak, and sent it hurting towards the ground. The beam didn't cause an explosion apon impact, as Nori would have suspected. Instead, it drove the broken turret deep into the ground, causing the earth to shake. Bursts of energy occasionally ricocheted off the target, shooting up out of the crater, and sending the nearby ATRs flying. For another minute, the beam continued to maintain its focus, but the intensity slowly waned, and soon Porygon stopped emitting light, all together. "That was COOOOOL!" Nori exclaimed, after a moment of speechlessness. "Do it again!" "[...]" Porygon replied. "You can't?" "[...]" Porygon hovered breathlessly, in midair. It had spent all of its energy on that attack, and would have to regain at least some, before it could function properly. Nori watched helplessly, as the troops below her continued to battle. Meanwhile: Rubix the Wartortle strolled through the streets of Celadon, his eyes darting back and forth suspiciously, as he surveyed the area. He'd been fairly successful in trailing Nori this far, but he'd lost site of the bombers, while scrambling through the broken city streets. Cursing under his breath, he started back towards Pallet, hoping to meet up with her there. It was funny, really. Under normal circumstances, Rubix would have been glad to be rid of Nori... but the truth was, he wanted to get back to his own time; and much as he hated to admit it, he needed Nori to get him there. "Food!" Rubix snapped out of his thoughts, to see two cloaked creatures staring at him, with hunger in their eyes. He quickly leapt out of the way, and Water Gunned the both of them. "I know you..." he growled. "You're friends of that so-called "trainer" of mine." "Not friends..." the first of the creatures hissed. "We merely keep... allies. "The humans," the second one added, "Are... how shall I put this? Tools." Rubix smiled, in spite of himself. "Finally, someone with a bit of sense!" The two creatures shifted, uncomfortably. It was not in a Pokémon's character, to be so vehemently opposed to humans, and it did not inspire confidence. "So what's *your* beef with humans?" Rubix pressed on, "Did one of 'em take you from the only person you ever loved, stuff you in a pokéball, and force you to follow her around the countryside, while she stole pokémon from other unsuspecting trainers?" "No..." the first creature said, sweatdropping, "We dislike the humans, because they are weak. Because they have made us weak." "And we dislike pokémon as well," the second creature cut in, "so don't act all familiar with us, little mister. We'll take your head clean off!" "Whatever." Rubix shrugged, Water Gunning the creatures once again. A safe distance away, he paused, to pull a pokéball out from his shell. "Okay, Dragonite. Come on out." There was a flash of red light, and a huge, dragon creature appeared in the air before him. It flapped its wings gently, and lighted on the street, with a soft "Grrrmmmbrrrr". Rubix didn't bat an eye. "Your new name is Mikado. Get it? Mi. Ka. Do. When I say 'Mikado', that means you." "Grrmmbrrrgrrrmmm..." Mikado cocked its head. <Why do you talk down to me in this manner, brother? I am not stupid.> "Like hell you aren't." Rubix sneered. "And ya wanna know why? 'Cause I'm gonna kick you around from here until next Tuesday, and you're still gonna do whatever I say. It's in your nature. Stupid, stupid, ugly monster. Now fly me to Pallet Town, and step on it, or I'll feed you to an Articuno." With that, Rubix grabbed hold of Mikado's sensitive antennae, and hoisted himself onto its back. The Dragonite flapped its wings rapidly, and flew off in the direction stated. As they rose above the decaying skyscrapers, Rubix suddenly caught sight of a downed B2 Bomber, and a smoldering white building. "Well then." he chuckled, yanking at the Dragonite's antennae, as though they were reigns, "Change of plans, lard bucket. We're going there, instead." TBC... -Beth "Ii kanji!" http://members.aol.com/bandraptor