From: Viashino <aashe@email.msn.com> Subject: [PW] Derek Frist Battle Date: Thursday, August 19, 1999 10:38 AM The television blared as Derek walked into the kitchen, decked out in his Pokémon apparel. His bright red blazer clashed with his blue shirt and black jeans. A blue ball cap read “Pokémon League” in yellow block letters. “Hey butthead, where are you going?” His father said playfully. Derek smiled at him. “Don’t you remember, Dad?” He asked. “Today I’m starting my Pokémon journey.” He smirked, lacing up his red shoes. “I remember, but do you really have to color code?” He smiled. Derek smiled back, and playfully punched him in the arm. Derek was 14, and could have started his journey four years ago, but he had only gotten into Pokémon last year when his friend Stuart had sneaked a Polywag into school. Over the summer they had trained together, learning, and practicing. Sadly, however, Stuart moved away a month ago, so they couldn’t travel together as they had planned. By mail, they had communicated, and agreed that Derek should travel by himself, but win enough battles for the both of them. “Dad, you won’t see me for a while you know.” Derek said, suddenly solemn. His dad frowned. Ever since Derek’s mother died in that car accident, Derek was the only family his father had. “I realize that.” He murmured. “But you haven’t been getting out much. You’ re starting to get a bit of a paunch there.” He smirked motioning to Derek’s flat stomach. Derek hit him in the arm again. “Now I owe you two.” He smiled again. “You had better get going, You’re gonna miss your bus.” Derek gave his father a hug and grabbed his green backpack. He took a last look at his father. “I’ll call you every two days.” “Get outta here! I’m missing my show!” “Oh, dad!” He chuckled. Derek Blair, 14, was out the door, running towards the bus stop. He saw his bus pulling away. Frantically he chased the bus, pounding on the side, until the driver saw him and stopped. He leaped up the steps, and flashed his ticket that read: Pallet Town. Derek nervously made his way to the back of the bus, Butterfrees tickling the sides of his stomach. He took a seat next to a beautiful, and rather voluptuous young women. Of course, he had to take off his cap, and smooth out his brown hair like every love-starved teenage boy. The ride was mostly uneventful. Derek found out that the girl’s name was Nova Tajeri. Although she wasn’t Japanese, her blond hair clearly stating that, but her father was Koga Tajeri of the Fuchsia City gym. She was an expert at martial arts, namely Ninjutsu and Jujitsu, and her favorite Pokémon was Hitmonlee and on the lighter side, Rapidash. Apparently, she was off to see the famous Professor Oak, as was Derek. “Its, like, he is a household name in my dojo.” She had said, enthusiastically. Derek liked her a lot. The bus pulled into the stop. “Okay, everybody off.” The bus driver barked in a rather gruff voice. He stood and stretched his arms. Nova stood to get her bag. “Here, let me get that for you.” Derek said, reaching into the compartment above their heads. Pulling out his backpack, he brought out a black duffel bag with a white ninja executing a perfect sidekick. “I’m guessing this is yours.” He smiled at her. Nova smiled back, showing off her straight, white teeth. She swung the bag over her shoulder and placed the bag at her back. The strap went over her left shoulder and met the other end of the bag at her right hip. She was wearing the duffel bag like a backpack. “What?” She quipped at the quizzical look on Derek’s face. The exited the bus, first Nova, and Derek right on her heels. No sooner had he stepped down from the steps did the doors snapped shut, nearly crushing Derek’s rear-end. “Yipe!” he cried. Nova turned, smiling. “What’s the matter? Don’t like getting you butt pinched?” She joked. His face went a deep crimson hue. He started to stutter, but managed to change the subject. “We should be getting to Professor Oak’s place, shouldn’t we?” He suggested. “Oh God! We’re gonna be late!” Nova exclaimed. She grabbed his hand and literally pulled him down the road. Although it felt good to hold the hand of a beautiful girl, Derek was wincing. She sure was strong for a girl. ‘It was probably the 13 years of martial art training she has had.’ He thought. They moved down the street at top speed. Nova, much faster than Derek was literally dragging him by his arm. “Hurry!” She cried. Derek was running as fast as he could, but just when they had rounded the corner to the street where Prof. Oak’s house was located, Derek stumbled and fell. With the momentum, he sailed into the air. However, the only object in front of him was Nova. He hit her full force in the back and they both toppled over the curb. Nova moaned, and pushed Derek off of her. “What was that all about?” She strained. Derek tried to answer, but his head was swimming and the only sound that came out of his mouth was a moan. All of a sudden, there was a whoosh and a spray of gravel was thrown in their faces. “Nova, you loser. You are always following me around. Just give up, you’ll never be a Pokémon master.” Came a nagging voice. “Oh jeez… not now.” Nova sighed. Derek looked up and saw another girl. She was pretty, with long eyelashes, but was not stunning like Nova. “Who is the dork?” The stranger said. Derek growled at her like a dog and tried to bite her ankle. Nova giggled and the stranger just glared at him like an Arbok. Derek struggled to pick himself up, but Nova effortlessly jumped to her feet. “Jazz, why can’t you just accept the fact that I am better at Pokémon training you are? You always have to make yourself look big by making fun of other people. If you were a good trainer you would know it’s not the talk that makes the person, it’s the actions. And your actions are no better than your words.” Nova finished matter-of-factly. Jazz stuck her tongue out at her. “If you don’t want to get your face beat in, you had better not go to my house.” Jazz sneered. Before she could react, Nova reached out and snatched her lapel with lightning speed. “Don’t you ever threaten me, little sister.” He eyes narrowed. Jazz faltered, and pushed her hands away. She murmured something under her breath and rode down the street on her bicycle. “She… she is your little sister?” Derek asked, confused. “Not really… my half-sister. But she is still younger than I am. She is Professor Oak’s Granddaughter.” “Than when she said her house, she meant…” “Professor Oak’s house, right.” Derek sighed. “She is a real jerk.” “No inner disciple.” Nova responded. A typical ninja response. Derek struggled to regain his breath as Nova grabbed his hand and continued to pull him down the street. They finally reached Prof. Oak’s house, Derek huffing and puffing the entire way. Nova pulled him up to the doorstep. Desperately, she tried to pull down her green cut-off tee shirt past her belly button as she rang the doorbell. The door slowly opened, and a tall gray haired man appeared. “Nova! My half-Granddaughter!” He took the girl in a warm embrace. “Hi Grandpa!” She kissed him on the cheek. Prof. Oak suddenly took notice of Derek. Derek took a big, exaggerated bow. “Derek Blair, at your service.” He smirked. Nova giggled and Professor Oak smiled. “Welcome Derek and Nova. Come in, come in.” Nova smiled, thanked him, and entered. Derek hesitated, struggling the keep the ButterFrees in his stomach under control. After a moment of deep, slow breathing, he stepped into the monstrous residence. It was very warm inside the house. Derek removed his coat and backpack, dropping it to the floor. He hung up his coat on a hook next to the doorway. The parlor was quaint and elegant, hinting of a past Japanese heritage. He took of his hat and followed Nova into the dining room, fanning himself with the brim of his cap. They knelt down on to two pillows at a low table. Professor Oak came back into the dining room, carrying a silver tray with a ceramic pitcher and three cups on saucers. “Would either of you care for some Green Tea? It is wonderful for the body, and calming to the soul.” Professor Oak politely asked. Derek could see the resemblance in the talking from Nova to The Professor. Although Derek turned down the offer, Nova graciously accepted. Derek’s stomach flopped as he saw Nova gulp down the steaming liquid completely straight. He remained quite, softly fanning his face with his hat as Professor Oak and his half-Granddaughter caught up on old times. Suddenly, Professor Oak took notice of the red-faced, sweaty young man. “I’m sorry.” He apologized profusely. “My air conditioner has not been working lately, and in this dry summer heat, all I can do is sweat.” “It’s quite alright.” Derek chuckled. It actually seemed cooler outside the house than inside of it. The Professor later explained that his lab in the other side of the house had fans set up, so it was cooler than the rest of the place. “Oh wait a second. I have something for you two.” He said. Prof. Oak rose and disappeared around the corner. He came back holding a jar containing peculiar morsels in strange purple wrapping. “These are called Rare Candies. Take a few.” Upon hearing the word “candy”, Nova proceeded to put on into her mouth. Professor oak abruptly stopped her. He explained the importance of the rather large blue candies. Each Rare Candy boosts the power level of the Pokémon it is administered to, raising it an entire level. It had been about an hour since Prof. Oak let the travelers through his door, roughly 12:37 now. The Professor offered them some lunch. They politely refused, however. Both children were too anxious to eat. “Well, I believe it is time to get down to business.” Said Prof. Oak, setting down the Rare Candy. Derek’s eyes lit up with excitement. He jumped up and stretched, trying to get the kink in his back out. He had spent the last hour quietly thinking about which Pokémon he wanted to start his journey with. He was down to two. Either Growlithe or… Professor oak led them into the laboratory. Indeed, it was much cooler. So much cooler, in fact, that stepping into the mild environment cause a flock of goose bumps to form on the skin. “Well, I see you losers decided to show up.” Came a familiar voice from the middle of the lab. Jazz’s head rose from behind a bookcase, where she had been seated, patiently waiting for her Grandfather. Prof. Oak’s eyes narrowed. “Jasmine Lela Oak! You will be polite to our guests, especially to your own sister!” “She is not my sister.” Jazz protested. Nova and Jazz exchanged dirty looks as they met in front of a table laid out with Pokéballs. Derek decided it was better to stay out of a cat fight, as they usually end up messy. All three’s attention turned to the table. There was about 30 Pokéballs in all, each sitting in a recess shaved into the table, and all had small, gold-plated plaques with the names of the Pokémon on it. They scanned the desk looking for their Pokémon of choice. Ash saw Growlithe on the top right corner. He never took his eye off the ball (good advice for baseball, I might add). “Now you may each choose the Pokémon you want. These are all second level Pokémon, however, each either evolves into a fourth of fifth level, and those that don’t evolve gradually get stronger over time. A second level Pokémon without an evolution will grow into a level five Pokémon. Now, you may select.” He said briskly, and stepped back, as a fistfight sometimes resulted over a Pokémon. He was always there to stop one when it broke out, however. Nova scanned the table and saw the Pokémon she wanted. With a speedy hand, she snatched the ball out of the recess and held it close. Derek reached out towards Growlithe, but with the same blinding speed as her sister, Jasmine swiped the Pokeball out of his grasp. “Yes! I got a Growlithe!” She exclaimed. Although disappointed, Derek searched for his second choice. Not finding it, his eyes filled with tears. The girls didn’t notice, each cradling their Pokéballs, but Prof. Oak asked what was wrong. Derek whispered into his ear. Prof. Oak reached into a metal lock box and pulled out a Pokeball. “Are you positive you can handle it? They are very aggressive.” He warned. Derek was so grateful that he merely nodded and accepted the red and white sphere and held it close, his eyes glinting with happiness. He held the ball close, nuzzling it like a mother dog her puppy. Now that each had chosen their separate Pokémon, it was time for the traditional before-the-journey warm up battle. “Jasmine, I challenge you!” Shouted Nova. “Now we’ll see who is the better trainer.” She smiled wickedly. “Pokéball, Go!” Nova let loose her Pokéball. It soared across the room, landing about ten feet away from Jasmine. The ball cracked open, there was a flash, and a peculiar looking Pokémon stood before them. It was about five feet tall, with a solid tan body, narrow eyes, and long wrapped legs. “Hitmonlee!” It cried, taking a traditional karate stance. “The Kicking Fiend.” Derek whispered quitely. “Impressive.” Jazz responded to the lanky Pokémon before her. “Most impressive. Pokéball go!” Her own Pokéball flew to the floor, and a dog-like Pokémon emerged. “Grooooooooooowlithe!” It howled, also taking a threatening pose, teeth bared. The two Pokémon stared each other down, as did the trainers. “Growlithe, Bite attack!” Jazz hissed. The Growlithe howled and threw itself at the fighting Pokémon, mouth wide open. Nova knew that Hitmonlee was much faster than Growlithe, so she waited until the last minute. Than she sent her Pokémon into action. “Jump Kick, Hitmonlee.” She calmly commanded. With the grace and speed of a mongoose, Hitmonlee spun itself into the air, flipping over backwards, catching Growlithe right under the jaw. Growlithe whined and flew back, slamming into the wall. Hitmonlee completed its back flip, landing in another perfect karate-style stance. The Growlithe strained to get up, and it finally managed to lift its injured body from the floor. As soon as Growlithe stood up, Jasmine shouted its next command. “Ember, if you can manage it, Growlithe.” Its head held high, the Growlithe spat a single flaming ember from its mouth. It sailed through the air, landing squarely on Hitmonlee’s shoulder. The Pokémon jumped back, wincing. Luckily it wasn’t burnt. “Counter with a Rolling Kick.” She ordered. The Pokémon ran and jumped, landing on its shoulder and rolling several feet. When it approached Growlithe, it stuck out a foot, kicking Growlithe straight in the chin for the knock out. The puppy Pokémon spun around twice, completely drained of energy. The Hitmonlee finished its perfect roll. It hopped to its feet and executed a bow of respect to its fallen opponent. Jasmine angrily recalled her Pokémon and stomped towards the stairs. “Wait Jasmine!” Called Prof. Oak after her. She turned to face him and stopped. He quitely congratulated Nova, who happily returned her Pokémon to its ball and strapped it on to her belt. Derek was suddenly glad he had chosen the Pokémon he did rather than the rather weak Growlithe, because at least his could withstand such powerful kicks. “Before you leave, I need to give you these.” He handed out a small computer-like device, each a different color. Derek’s was red, Nova’s green, and Jazz’s yellow. “These are called Pokédexs. They are my own creation. You point it at a Pokémon you want to learn about and it will teach you about it. It also takes care of your school work, which you must fax to me every other day, and it will serve as your identification. Simply press this white button here.” He pointed to a small white button near the bottom of the Pokédex. “And here are your five extra Pokéballs. You will need them to capture and carry the rest of your team in. If necessary, you can buy more in the towns that follow.” “Thanks, Gramps. But if I want to get ahead of these losers, I have to get going. Tell Gary goodbye for me.” She swung her backpack on to one shoulder, gave Prof. Oak a hug and shot up the steps. Nova started to run after her, but Derek caught her. “Let her be. If she wants to think she is all that, let her. You just beat the living tar out of her Growlithe, remember? You have nothing to worry about.” She sighed and agreed. They said their good-byes and The Professor wished them luck. At the door, Nova put on her duffel bag in her normal manner, over her back, and Derek quickly slipped into his bag. With that, they took off down the street. Professor Oak stood at the door, watching them walk down the street. He knew, in time, that they would be the best fighting team he had ever sent off. They walked quietly for about an hour. Going down this street and that, trying to find their way to the crossroads. They had both decided that the best place to head was to Pewter City, beyond the Viridian Forest. There, located at the heart of Pewter City, was the Pokémon Gym, led by Brock, a rock type Pokémon trainer. To be inducted into the Pokémon League, they had to earn a Boulder Badge. And to be accepted into the Pokémon League’s Top forces, they had to get all eight badges so they could face the Elite Four. The finally reach an area on the outskirts of Pallet Town, where the road led off into three directions. One read: Cerulean City, and pointed Northeast. Another read Viridian City, pointing due north, and the last pointed to the east and said Vermilion City. In order to get to Pewter, hey would need to pass through Viridian, so the chose the path on the left, and advanced towards their destiny. Another ten minutes passed, and unexpectedly, Nova dropped her bag and refused to move. “What’s the matter?” Derek asked, with a quizzical look on his face. “Well? Which Pokémon did you choose? I’m dying to find out.” She pressed. He sighed, hesitant to release his brand new friend. Again, she asked. He finally removed the Pokéball from his belt. He pressed the button making it the normal size, adequate for throwing. She told him to stop, then removed her own Pokéball. Hitmonlee was injured, but had enough in it to keep going for another battle. “You… you want to battle?” He swallowed. “Of course, silly. That’s what Pokémon are for.” She threw the Pokéball, the elegant fighting Pokémon jumping into a ready stance. Derek looked at the Pokémon and thought. He had an idea. Predicting her first move, he confidently threw the Pokéball. “Mannnnnnnnnkey, key, key!” The medium sized pig-monkey hopped around, its arms raised above its head in another traditional karate stance. Nova’s jaw dropped, realizing that this was going to be more than a match for her Hitmonlee. She decided to start things off with a Leer attack to lower the Mankey’s incredible attack power. “Hitmonlee, Leer!” The Hitmonlee, put its hands together, and narrowed its eyes, and stared the Mankey straight in the eyes. Too late did Nova realize her mistake as a look of intense ferocity came across the nimble Pokémon’s face. “Sorry, Nova. I correctly predicted your first move, and as any trainer knows, it is suicide to stare a Mankey in the eyes. It won’t stop now until your Hitmonlee is out of commission.” Derek chuckled. Nova let out a squeal and was about to send Hitmonlee into a round of its famous Double Kicks. However, before she could say anything, Derek sprung into action. “Mankey, Karate Chop, Now!” He shouted. The Mankey leaped high into the air, and faster than the eye could see brought down a sturdy hand onto Hitmonlee’s head. It rolled back, dazed and confused. A critical hit! Hitmonlee was on the verge of fainting. “Hitmonlee, go for the High Jump Kick!” Hitmonlee shook its head and leaped into the air, leg tucked in to fire the deadly blow. However, Mankey, with its superior speed and agility, countered with a Seismic Toss. It jumped into the air, underneath Hitmonlee, grasping its ankle and hand perched into its lower back. Caught off guard and completely to weak to struggle, Hitmonlee submitted to the finishing move. Mankey spun around several times in the air, and then let the helpless Pokémon have it. When Hitmonlee hit the ground, it bounced, then landed on its stomach. It was completely out of consciousness. Nova respectfully recalled Hitmonlee, and mimicking her Pokémon, gave Derek a deep bow. Derek recalled the gasping Mankey, and returned the bow. “For a first-timer, you sure are a good battler.” Nova pointed out. Derek blushed, and explained that he and his friend Stuart had studied everything there was to know about Pokémon, and how they spent countless hours at the video arcade, playing the simulator. Nova smiled at him and replaced the Pokéball to her belt. Derek did the same and picked up his backpack. For the next half-hour, the walked swiftly, eagerly talking about the battles to come, and the Pokémon each hoped to catch. Nova really wanted to catch a wild Ponyta, perhaps to ride on when she got tired, and later evolve it into a Rapidash. In the same respect, Derek wanted a Growlithe with all of his heart. Considering it was a second level Pokémon, it would not be a big challenge to catch. However, Arcanine, Growlithe’s evolved form, was a level five Pokémon, and is exactly what Derek strove to achieve. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime of traveling, they came upon their destination. Derek gave a sudden relieved sigh, as now they could rest, possibly to get something to eat. He rubbed his growling stomach. As Nova gazed out over the city, she thought the same thing. “I’m hungry.” She exclaimed. “Let’s find a place to eat.” “You read my mind.” They continued walking into the city, looking for a respectable restaurant in the thick jungle of fast food joints. They came to a seafood restaurant, the sign marked with a giant Gyarados, and the letters printed: The Lucky Gyarados. Nova said that she loved seafood, and hoped they had sushi. Derek wasn’t fond of the raw dish but decided to humor a beautiful girl. He held the door open for her, and they walked inside, the heavy structure slamming shut behind them.