From: Roberto Perez-Vila <RobfromVoid@prodigy.net> Subject: [PW!] The Pokeflute And Pokestock Date: Sunday, July 18, 1999 2:14 PM Nendil wrote: > "Oh, You have a cat too? Rilli loves kitties, you know?" > > Rilli let out the short breath she'd been holding and decided it was > safe to > resume breathing. Looks like maybe Mom wouldn't think too badly of > Robert, at > least. She'll worry about the inevitable "Be careful around guys" > lecture > later. Robert nods his head, "Rilli loves kitties and I love Rilli!" He places his arm on Mithril-rama and hugs her sideways. Mithril-rama's Ma doesn't seem to approve of this, and Robert notices, so he backs away, "So..." . . . "The silence has returned." Mithril-rama solemnly declares, ironically enough, to break the silence. . . . Robert clears his throat, scared to move since Mithril-rama's mother might not like what he does. . . . "Mithy! Mithy!" Tommy, Mithril-rama's voracious little brother, runs into the room and starts tugging at her shirt, "I want you to make me lunch! I'm hungry!" Mithril-rama looks down at her brother, "Not right now, Tommy." "PLEASE!" Tommy squeals, apparently unembarrassed in the presence of guests. "Pleeeaaaaasssse!" Robert chuckles, knowing that though he doesn't get along very well with his friend's parents, he is usually adored by little children for some odd reason, "Hey, Tommy-rama, what do you want, ribs? You know you're famous for them, right?" "Huh?" Tommy turns around, his eyes bulge when he sees Robert still there, and he hides behind Rilli. Robert scratches his head, "Tommy-rama... Tony Rama's... Get it? Ahhh, never mind." He runs behind Mithril-rama, and Tommy runs to the front of her. When Robert reaches the front, Tommy's already hiding behind her again. Within seconds, Robert is chasing Tommy around Mithril-rama. He doesn't even notice Kathy's unapproving glare. Mithril-rama does, however, and sweatdrops at the situation, "Uhhh, Robert..." Robert hefts Tommy up into the air in his arms and spins around. Tommy starts to giggle... He didn't know grown-ups could be so goofy. Robert tickles Tommy's sides, "That'll teach you to make me run!" Tommy's mad giggles continue until Robert sets him back down on the ground. In fact, he continues giggling after that, and runs around Robert, wanting to play some more, "C'mon Robby, pick me up again!" Mithril-rama grabs Tommy's shoulders to suspend his hyperactivity. It doesn't work, since Tommy continues to struggle around even while being held in place, "Want to go see my room, Robert?" "Mithy is a room!" Tommy starts to chant annoyingly, "Mithy is a room!" "I'm a room?" Mithril-rama pauses and shakes her head, "No, I'm not! Start behaving or you're going to bed." "Mithy is a bed!" Tommy's chant is slightly altered by the new information, "Mithy is a bed! Mithy is a bed!" Robert adds in with a very similar chant, "Tommy is a noying! Tommy is a noying!" Mithril-rama's mother can't take the lack of discipline anymore, "Mithril-rama, please accompany me into the kitchen for a chat on maturity and a lack thereof." The woman heads into another room. Mithril-rama sighs the familiar "Yes, ma." as she heads into the kitchen with her, leaving Robert alone with Tommy. Tommy's shyness kicks into effect again, as he initiates a game of hide and go seek. Robert looks all around the Living Room, "Oh, Tommy-rama... Where are you? Come out come out, wherever you are!" "NO!" A child's voice shouts out, followed by some restrained chuckling. "Ahhhh HA!" Robert peeks behind some furniture to find Rilli's brother behind it, sucking his thumb. Tommy shrieks, jumps off the ground, runs into his room, and shuts the door. Robert runs over to the door and starts knocking on it, but Tommy only responds with, "Go away, Robby! I want Mithy!" Robert starts to sing, completely off tune, "I keep on knocking, but I can't come in! I keep on knocking, but I can't come in!" Tommy chuckles and shouts, "You're craaaazy! I need to potty! Go away!" After the brief moment of chaos, Robert sits down on a couch. He waits patiently for either Mithril-rama or Tommy to come back into the room. He checks his watch, "Alright! The Pokemon Volunteer House is open!" "Yes, *of course*, Ma." Mithril-rama emerges from the kitchen, after having been lectured to for a long time. She sits down on the couch next to Robert, "So what do we do now?" "We can go see Mr. Fuji now." Robert offers as an option. Mithril-rama gladly nods. She walks over to Tommy's door, knocks on it, and since the knock is recognized as belonging to Mithril-rama, Tommy walks out and gives her a big hug on her legs, saying, "Bye, Mithy! Bye, Robby!" Rilli then swings open the kitchen door and gives her mother an appropriate farewell. In addition, Robert calls out from his place on the couch all of his good-byes, and soon the duo are ready to leave again. Robert and Rilli stroll through the streets of Lavender Town. The purple haze in the air dies down during the early afternoon, so they can clearly see all the buildings in the Town, which should actually be called a small City. One of the largest buildings in the area is the Pokemon Volunteer House, so Robert has no trouble finding it. "Ah, welcome home, Robert! ...and Rilli, isn't it?" Mr. Fuji, the middle aged man, smiles and offers a friendly handshake to the two visitors to his Volunteer House. It is still early, so no children are in the building, and many of the Pokemon housed in the complex look lonely and eager for attention. "What brings you to Lavender Town?" Robert becomes dignified once again in front of his mentor as he explains, "Myself and Rilli were headed to the Safari Zone. We decided to take the Bike Route, since it's much faster than walking there. When we headed west of Celadon City, we found a Snorlax blocking our path, so I was wondering..." Mr. Fuji withdraws a shiny Pokeflute from his pocket, "You wish to own a Pokeflute?" "I just want to borrow one of yours... and I'll give it back when I don't need it anymore." Robert looks down reverently, and awaits his mentor's response. "Very well. Here." Mr. Fuji raises the Pokeflute up to Robert's face, "And look at people when you're talking to them. Didn't I teach you anything about manners during High School?" Robert nods while he takes the Pokeflute from Mr. Fuji's hands, "Yes, Mr. Fuji. I'm sorry." "So, you have five badges now?" Mr. Fuji asks the rhetorical question while admiring the shiny medals of honor pinned on Robert's black shirt, "You are doing well... but you're still missing the Marsh Badge. I instructed you to attempt to win it on the first day or your journey. Now, twenty days later, you still don't have it? What are you waiting for, Robert?" "Oh, that..." Robert reaches behind his back, but withholds his sweatdrop in the presence of the man he admires most, "Well, my mind needs to be fit to win in a Pokemon Battle against a Psychic Gym Leader. To know when my mind is ready, I must be able to pass the Pokemon Test conducted by the Cinnabar Island Gym Leader, Blaine. Right now, I'm learning about Pokemon alongside Rilli, preparing for that test. That's why I need to get to the Safari Zone..." "I regret that I never formally taught you about Pokemon..." Mr. Fuji bows his head down, before looking back up at Robert, "I'd offer to teach you now, but I'm not as energetic as your current teacher. Or pretty, for that matter." Mithril-rama blushes and is unsure of how to respond. Robert chuckles, kissing Rilli on the cheek, "She's been helping me ever since I met her... Now it's just more formal." "Well, I suppose I should let you go now..." Mr. Fuji smiles, shaking Robert's hand again, "There's at least 150 Pokemon out there to learn about, so you have a long way to go! I hope the Pokeflute works. Good luck!" "Good bye, Mr. Fuji." Robert and Mithril-rama both state at the same time, then they head outside. The trip westward through the Underground Tunnel beneath Saffron City isn't much more eventful than the one made on the trip eastward. However, this time Robert and Mithril-rama are more used to the immense amount of monotonous walking. They entered the Tunnel in the early afternoon, and when they exit, it's late afternoon... approximately 5 PM. When Robert and Rilli arrive in the outskirts of Celadon, they notice something strange... The place is much more noisier than usual. Except, the noise isn't produced by motor vehicles... It's produced by instruments. They run into the City, curious as to what is going on. A strange foul-smelling, long-haired man outside the Pokemon Center, who is only wearing some battered up shorts, shouts out, "Yeah, Pokestock '99 is on, baby! Want some free love, sexy?" Robert isn't sure which member of his two person team the man is addressing, so he simply runs away with Rilli in tow, "Pokestock? What's that? It sure is noisy... but maybe I can learn more about Pokemon here!" "Maybe... Let's check it out." Mithril-rama answers, already bobbing her head to the music. -Robert