From: Dreadite <dreadite@tsoft.com> Subject: [PW!] [NC] Progress takes away... Date: Sunday, August 15, 1999 1:31 PM PW! NC: Progress takes away... Previously on this NC series, Robert located the Master Sword, and needs.. badges. Dreadite has a bag of sage, and is looking for something to put it on. ------ "Look, we've been reading cookbooks for hours. This is stupid." Dreadite threw down the bag of sage in disgust. Shard dove to catch it, barely making it as Dreadite out of the isle in the library. "Hey, wait up!" Shard yelled, dashing after him. The librarian grabbed Shard by the collar, and glared. "Young man, there is no running or yelling in the library." "Hey, lemme go.. I gotta catch up!" Shard kicked free, and ran after Dreadite. "Dread, wait!" "No way. You're staying in this city to find what to put the sage on. I have something else to do," Dreadite said, stepping out onto a terrace. He looked down onto Celadon park, watching the people play around the fountain. He left from the terrace onto the lawn, and walked towards the fountain. "Don't get into too much trouble. I'll meet you back at the Game Corner." Shard sighed, and walked back into the library. He turned to see Dreadite vanish into the fountain. Shard boggled. "What the..." Dreadite walked out of a tree in Veridian, and smirked. "They're all over." A fog started to spread around the forest as Dreadite stepped into a small clearing. ----- Robert hummed as he and Rilli walked through Veridian. With no bugs in sight, Robert was starting to enjoy his trip. His Haunter floated behind him, bobbing and flickering. Bushes rustled with unseen creatures, but nothing so drastic as a horrible, slimey, scary, awful... caterpie. Robert knelt down to tie his show. When he looked up, the entire forest was covered in fog. "Rilli, when did the fog set in?" Rilli looked around, puzzled. "I don't know... it must have been just now, but that's not possible." Robert's Haunter appeared out of nowhere, babbling. Robert just stared. "What? Enemy? Oh no, a caterpie!" The haunter just let out a sigh and a dull "haunt" before pointing frantically at the clearing in front of them. The fog obscured a figure, crouched low to the ground. Robert just glanced over at Rilli. "Is that a Pokémon you've seen before?" "No.. I've never seen anything like that," Rilli said, as she pulled out the Poképedia. It blinked on, and let out an error noise. "No data available, subject is not a Pokémon. Searching other databases..." The Poképedia buzzed with activity. After a few minutes of waiting, Robert decided to act heroic. "Well, it's not a bug! Since I'm the hero, I'll go see what it is." As he stepped closer, Dreadite leapt out of the mist, slashing at Robert with his sword. Rilli yelled as Robert ducked under the slash, crawling back. Dreadite kicked him aside. "Not worth my time, I see. But that's not why I'm here. You're not the one I'm after. See, there are these Sages. And you hang out with one of them." "Simon?" Robert asked, puzzled. Dreadite teardropped, and stepped towards Rilli. "No, not Simon. It's her," Dreadite said, pointing his sword at Rilli. "And I'm afraid you can't be allowed to find them before me." Dreadite pulled out a Pokéball, and a Jynx appeared. "Jynx, freeze her." Rilli started reaching for a Pokéball, but not quick enough. Dreadite turned to Robert. "She may not look like much in person, but she does make a fine statue." Before Robert could do anything to fight back, Dreadite was gone, and so was Rilli. Robert collapsed, and his Haunter just broke down crying before trying to cheer his master up. A dark mist set over the forest, not to be disturbed. The Poképedia flashed to life. "One file found. Rocket, Dreadite. Age, Unknown. Birthplace: Unknown. Pokémon: Unknown. Relatives: Unknown. Police record: None available, file is classified. Continue? Continue?" The dex kept pinging. ----- Dreadite smiled smugly. So she wasn't one of the sages he was looking for, but she would do just fine. He set the statue in the middle of an empty room, and locked the door behind of him. The bottle would make an excellent storage space. This will, as always, be continued! Dreadite ------ "And here comes the question whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved. It might perhaps be answered that we should wish both; but since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved." --Machiavelli's 'The Prince'.