From: Bandraptor <bandraptor@aol.com> Subject: [PW!] Pitstop in Pallet Date: Tuesday, July 20, 1999 3:49 AM Blizzard hummed to herself, as she trotted down the dusty road to Pallet Town. It had been a while since she'd passed any trainers, which meant that it had been a while since she had eaten. This was a bad thing. A short distance away, Blizzard could make out the shapes of houses. "Persian," she thought "Houses are a good thing. Houses have people. People have food." Even as she heard the words running through her mind, Blizzard felt ashamed. She didn't like to think of herself as dependent on humans... unfortunately, she was a long way from her home in the Seafoam Islands, and she had to make amends, in order to survive. The large, white cat slunk into the quiet town, and looked around for an open door. "Open doors inevitably lead to kitchens," she mused. "And kitchens have food. Once I find food, I'll be full. And then I can catch a Jigglypuff." Blizzard broke into a huge grin, at the thought of a squishy, huggable Jigglypuff. Blizzard found a door that was open a crack, sucked in her gut, and squeezed her way through. Inside, it was as bright as high noon on a sunny day. Sharp neon lights reflected on the cold tile floor... and everywhere she looked, Blizzard saw humans, in strange white coats. "Purr..." she mumbled, "This doesn't look like a kitchen to me... it is like... like the place I came to, after I left my home. A lab. That's what the humans call it." "YO!" Blizzard looked up in alarm, as a human addressed her. "Purr?" "Yo, Persian," the voice continued, "I know what you're here for." Blizzard's brow furrowed, in confusion. An aged man stood in front of her. Like all the other humans in the room, he wore a white lab coat. He had graying hair, which stuck out on the sides, and bushy black eyebrows. "I'm Professor Oak!" the old man exclaimed, good naturedly. "You must have come here, because you want to be a Pokémon Trainer!" "Pershian..." "Don't be shy, now! It's not that Farfetch'd for a Pokémon to want to become a trainer. Why, you're the third one I've seen today! Now, let's get you set up... I can give you your choice, of three Pokémon." "Persian..." "Would you like... CHARMANDER, the Flaming Fighter?" As if on cue, three Charmander appeared behind Oak, and made a display of their Flamethrower attack. "Or would you prefer SQUIRTLE, the Water Wizard?" "Squirtle Squirtle Squirtle!" the Squirtle called out, as they ran out from behind a curtain. For some reason, they were all dressed as firemen. "And then, there's always Bulbasaur, the Plant Prodigy!" A pair of Bulbasaur stepped out from behind the curtain, and took their place beside the Squirtle. Suddenly, the curtain caught on fire, as a result of the Charmander's fire attacks. The Squirtle immediately trained their Water Guns on the flames, trying to put them out. Meanwhile, the Bulbasaur weaved their vines into a makeshift ladder, which another Squirtle scaled, to rescue a stranded Jynx. Blizzard wondered how the Jynx had ended up at the top of the curtain, to begin with... "Ah, that was much better than this morning's performance," Oak noted, as the Pokémon came to take their bows. "So, which one would you like?" he asked, showing Blizzard three Pokéballs. Blizzard placed her paw on one of the balls. "Oh, so you want Bulbasaur. He's really feisty!" Blizzard pranced out of the lab, the new Pokéball held delicately, between her teeth. She wondered what Bulbasaur salad would taste like. TBC... -Beth "Ii kanji!" http://members.aol.com/bandraptor