From: Bandraptor <bandraptor@aol.com> Subject: [PW!] Fushigi da, ne? Date: Thursday, October 28, 1999 6:27 PM Nori's clothes were drenched. She'd just been hit with 25 Water Guns, 20 Bubble Beams, and a couple of Struggles, all courtesy of her Wartortle, Rubix. "Hmm..." she mused, as she approached the oversized greenhouse that was the Celadon City Gym, "I can't go into a Gym Battle looking like this. And my only other outfit is my Rocket uniform, which wouldn't be much better...I need to find a way to dry my clothes off quickly." Nori snapped her fingers, hit with a flash of inspiration, and pulled a Pokéball from her sash. "Fushigidane! Come out now!" "Dane!" The Bulbasaur replied, squinting in the bright sunlight. "All right, Fushigidane," Nori stepped back several paces, and spread her arms, making herself a wider target. "I want you to hit me with a Solar Beam!" "Dane?" Fushigidane cocked its head. "You know, Solar Beam. It's an attack. Remember that TM I gave you?" "Dane..." Fushigidane whimpered, still not understanding its master's command. "Suck up some energy in that big bulb of yours, and release it as an attack!" Nori explained, becoming frustrated. "Daneeee~!" Fushigidane began to run circles in confusion, until it crashed into its trainer's legs, and fainted. "Oh, now I remember," Nori sighed, scooping up the injured Bulbasaur, "Fushigidane won't learn any new moves. That's why I was taking it to the Celadon Gym, in the first place." A few minutes later, Nori was walking down a narrow dirt path, through the elaborate gardens within the gym. Fushigidane was riding on her back, its vines wrapped around her shoulders, so that it looked something like a backpack. The pair wove their way through several lanes of topiaries, and eventually made it to the reception desk. "Hey, stop right there!" The busty receptionist cried out, "Where do you think you're going, young man?" Nori sweatdropped. "Um... I'm a gir--" "You're probably just another Peeping Tom! Well, we know how to deal with voyeurs around here! I'm calling your parents! ...Er, could I have their number?" "No." Nori responded. "Anyway, I'm just here for a Gym Battle." "Ohhh..." the receptionist nodded, though she still seemed dubious. "Well, Celadon Gym is a haven for Grass Pokémon. You'd better not bring any Bug or Fire types in here!" "Eh, it's not like I wanted to win," Nori shrugged, "Can I please speak to the Gym Leader?" "Yeah, let me see if she's here." The receptionist began to walk away, then thinking better of it, looked back towards Nori. "You wait right here! And if I catch you peeping in on the aerobics class..." Nori flashed the girl an "okay" signal. She shifted Fushigidane's weight on her shoulders, and took a seat on the ground, awaiting the receptionist's return. Suddenly, a voice sounded, from the garden in front of her. "Feed me!" Nori looked around. "Huh?" "Feed me!" "Who said that?" Nori scanned the area once again, but there was nobody there. "Feed me!" Nori glanced over her shoulder, and came face to face with a Victreebel! "Wow!" she cried, "A talking Victreebel! I've heard that talking Pokémon are really rare, and stuff, and now I've finally met one! This is too cool!" The Victreebel seized her in one of its leaf-like forearms. "I said, FEED ME!" "Er...what do you feed a talking Victreebel?" "Must be blood. Must be fresh." Nori's face went pale. "Wh-where am I supposed to get it?" "There's a bucket full of crickets over to your left. Please bring it to me." "Oh. Okay." Nori watched as the Victreebel poured the contents of the bucket into its flytrap-like orifice, occasionally spraying her with its acidic slaver. "Crickets, huh?" she mumbled absently, "I prefer Grasshoppers, myself. Or Pinwheels." "Halt!" the receptionist had returned. "I saw what you were doing! You're trying to sneak into the girls' dressing rooms!" "Really," Nori sighed, "what's the point of opening your gym to the public, if you're just gonna accuse all the visitors of spying on you?" "Actually," the Victreebel whispered, confidentially, "that whole "voyeur" thing is an odd little fantasy of theirs, which allows the girls to believe they're more desirable than they actually are." "What did you say?!?" the receptionist demanded, looming over Nori. "But...I didn't...it was the Victreebel who..." Nori looked over her shoulder, and saw that the Victreebel was gone. "Aw, slag." * * * "So," Erika was saying, "you're having some problems with this Bulbasaur of yours?" "Yeah." Nori rubbed at her face, still trying to remove the red "X" that had been stamped on it. "I found it over in Vermilion a coupla months back--I guess it was abandoned by its previous owner. It was taught Mimic at an early age, and I think all that mimicry confused it...it doesn't know who it really is, anymore. It doesn't act like a Bulbasaur: hasn't learned any new moves, hasn't evolved, and can't even say its own name. It just goes 'Dane-dane-fushigi', or something like that." "Hmm, that *is* odd," Erika admitted. "And it can't learn TMs, either?" "Nope." Nori shook her head. "I gave it the TM for Solar Beam, and a few others, as I recall. It forgets the attacks, as soon as it learns them." "This must be very frustrating for you, as a trainer." "That's not the worst of it," Nori continued, "since all it ever does is lose, my Bulbasaur's afraid to battle now. I think its spirit's broken, and I don't know how to handle that." Erika seemed lost in thought. "Nori," she began at length, "do you think you could get it to battle, one more time?" "Possibly," Nori glanced at Fushigidane, who was still riding on her back. "Why?" "Well, this is a Grass gym," Erika explained, "so we have some Bulbasaur of our own here. If Fushigidane was to fight them, and Mimic their attacks..." "...That just might jog its memory, and remind it that it's a Bulbasaur, as well." Nori finished. "Well, it's worth a shot." * * * Nori stood at the competitor's end of the Celadon Arena, with Fushigidane beside her. Erika was at the other end of the arena, her Bulbasaur also in tow. "This is perfect," Erika smiled slightly, "you still need your Rainbow Badge, don't you? Since we're in the arena anyway, let's just make this your badge battle. For the first round, our respective Bulbasaur will fight, and afterwards, I'll have two other Pokémon for you to battle." "A three-on-three dual," Nori nodded, "fair 'nuff." "Well then, let's get started! Bulbasaur, go!" "Fushigidane, attack!" "Bulba!" "Dane!" The two Bulbasaur charged towards each other, meeting in midair. Erika's Bulbasaur, who had the advantage of knowing an attack, drew out one of its whip-like vines, and brought it down on Fushigidane's head! "Dane..." Fushigidane whimpered, backing away from its opponent. "No sweat, Fushigidane," Nori coaxed, "just Mimic his Vine Whip, and throw it right back!" "Dane!" Fushigidane clenched its jaw, and focussed on learning the other Bulbasaur's attack. "BULBASAUR!" it crowed, mimicking not only the attack, but its opponent's voice, as well. "Bulba bulba bulba!" It raced towards the other Bulbasaur, lashing its vines out ahead of its body. Instead of whipping the opponent, however, it wrapped its vines around the other Pokémon's legs, and pulled them out from under it. In the same fluid motion, it whisked the other Bulbasaur into the air, and hurled it back at its trainer. "Bulbaaa!" The Bulbasaur squealed, flying straight into Erika's waiting arms. Realizing that its mistress had caught it, the Pokémon broke into a grin, and began to lick her face. "Well done," Erika placed the Bulbasaur on the ground beside her, where it curled up into a ball, and went to sleep. "Now, for the remainder of your battle. I'm sure you've heard stories about my old friend, Gloom. Well, here's your chance to meet it!" A foul stench permeated the arena, as the bizarre flower Pokémon waddled out from some bushes, and entered the ring. "That's odd..." Erika frowned. "Gloom only releases a scent, when it fears for my safety, or that of my gym. I hope there aren't any Rockets in here..." "Bah," Nori waved her hand in dismissal. "What would a Rocket be doing in your gym? Anyway, let's get this round over with, before that marigold of yours causes ME to faint." Fushigidane glared at the newcomer, who just smiled back, stupidly. Well actually, since its eyes were always closed, Gloom couldn't see the look that Fushigidane was giving it, much less respond to it. Nori wondered how it intended to fight. The girl turned to her Bulbasaur. "All right, Fushigidane, Vine Whip!" "Da...ne?" Nori sunk to her knees. "Don't tell me, you've already forgotten it..." "Dane daNE DANE~!" Fushigidane sobbed in frustration, and began to run in circles again. "DANE DANE! DANE FUSHIGI! FUSHIGI FUSHIGI DANE! DANE DA! FUSHIGI DANE FUSHIGI FUSHI! DANE! DANE DANE DANE DANE DAAAA~!!!!" Erika placed her hands over her ears. "I know it's dishonorable to attack a defenseless opponent, but that Bulbasaur's really starting to get to me. Gloom, please perform your Petal Dance." "Gloom gloom!" Gloom cried, brightly. It brought its tiny arms in close to its body, then unfurled them, releasing a cloud of pink cherry blossoms! It skipped through the fallen petals, each step creating a slight gust of wind, which scattered the blossoms throughout the ring. "Dane?" Fushigidane broke from its tantrum, long enough to nose one of the blossoms. "DANE!" The petals appeared soft, but they were actually razor sharp! Before it knew what was happening, an entire cloud of the blossoms had descended upon the Bulbasaur. Fushigidane let out a scream, as they began to lacerate its skin... "Enough of this!" Nori cried, recalling Fushigidane into its Pokéball, "It's time to fight fire with fire, or grass with fire, as the case may be. Magmar, go!" "Mag!" Magmar squealed, looking almost as cheerful as Gloom. "Magmar! Ember attack, now!" "Maaag!" Magmar spun around like a ballerina, the bright flames of its body immediately incinerating the delicate flower petals. "All right!" Nori cheered, "Now go for the Gloom!" "Gloooom..." Gloom looked back towards its mistress, trembling slightly. Nori's Magmar was stomping towards it, and to those unfamiliar with its incompetence, it might appear intimidating. "Don't worry Gloom," Erika bit her lip, for she was a bit worried, herself. "Gloom, if you use your Sleep Powder to disable it, then it won't be able to attack you!" "Gloom!" Gloom agreed. It pointed the crown of its head at Magmar, and released a cloud of brightly colored pollen. Magmar's eyes lit up, upon seeing the pollen. It was so pretty-sparkly-golden-swirly, that it needed to get a closer look. Without giving the matter a second thought, it ran straight into the cloud. "Magmar, you doof!" Nori smacked her forehead. When the cloud had dissipated, Magmar was lying face down on the ground; snoring loudly, and drooling slightly. "Great job, Gloom!" Erika cheered, "Now finish it off with Mega Drain!" "Gloom!" Gloom waddled over to where Magmar was lying, and stood over its head. Its body began to take on a pinkish glow, as it slowly sucked away Magmar's health... Magmar's beak began to twitch, and its eyes clenched in discomfort. Having a Gloom stand over its head, was like having smelling salts passed under its nose! It got to its feet, and balled its fists. The flames surrounding its body flared up, like some sort of dark aura. It was angry. How dare that flower try to trick it, with pretty-sparkly stuff? Pretty-sparkly stuff should never be used to trick people, for once the pretty-sparkly things in life had been corrupted, there was nothing left to live for. Magmar drew back its left fist. The flower would have to be punished. It flexed its fingers, then clenched them back into a fist, which promptly burst into flame. "What's it doing?" Nori pointed her Pokédex at Magmar. "Fire Punch." The Pokédex beeped, "This technique originated, when a Magmar tried to integrate an Ember attack into its Mega Punch, many years ago." "Sweet!" Nori exclaimed, "Magmar! Ember Punch that thing!" "MAAAAGGMMAAAARRRR!!!!!" Magmar roared, unleashing its attack. Gloom flew out of the ring, and into the bleachers surrounding it. "YEAH!" Nori cried, flashing the victory symbol, "Way t' go, Magmar!" "Mag!" Magmar cheered, mirroring Nori's "V". "Indeed, that was well done." Erika admitted, "But you have one more Pokémon to face, and this one shall prove to be a greater challenge. I choose... Victreebel!" "Bel." Victreebel bounced into the ring. "Hey..." Nori pointed at the Victreebel, "You wouldn't happen to be the talking Victreebel, from before..." "Ee?" Victreebel cocked its head, which was actually its whole body. "Yeah!" Nori pointed to the "X" on her face. "You got me in trouble!" "Tr'bel?" "I have half a mind to kick you in the gut!" Victreebel's eyes widened. "Bel'ee?" Nori nodded. "Right where it hurts." Victreebel pouted. "I'd rather you didn't--I just ate." Erika crossed her arms. "Enough stalling! Victreebel, go!" Nori glowered at the Victreebel. "Magmar, Ember attack!" The flames of Magmar's body flared up, sending sparks in all directions. Victreebel winked at Nori, and fell to the ground. Nori's eyes filled with tears, in typical anime fashion. "Victreebel remembers what I did for it when it was hungry, so now it's throwing the match for me! Thanks, Victreebel! You're the greatest!" She turned to Erika. "Looks like your Victreebel is down for the count! Ready to hand over that Rainbow Badge?" "Hmm?" Erika blinked. "You can't honestly think that Victreebel's fainted, after only one attack. It's just charging a Solar Beam." Nori never would've thought a Victreebel was capable of grinning, until just then, when she witnessed one doing so. "Victreebel, you suck." She reached into her backpack, and pulled out another Pokéball. "Fire duck, stand aside! Fire wall, I choose you!" Rubix popped out of his Pokéball, and immediately turned on his trainer. "For the last time, I don't freakin' WANT to go to Celadon!" "And whyever not?" Erika challenged, somewhat insulted. "Because, uh..." the Wartortle paused, realizing where he was. "You're mocking me, aren't you?!?" he wailed, seconds before getting knocked out of the ring by Victreebel's Solar Beam. Unfortunately, he flew right into Magmar's head, causing it to faint, as well. "That's too bad," Erika sympathized, "You have only one Pokémon left, and it happens to be that poor Bulbasaur of yours. Why don't you surrender now, and spare it some agony?" "No way!" Nori shot back, "My Pokémon's agony is a small price to pay, if it means beating you! Fushigidane, come out now!" "What a terrible attitude!" Erika tsked, "We'll just have to teach you to respect your Pokémon...Victreebel, toll the Bell of their defeat!" "Vict'ree will be ours," Victreebel chuckled, darkly. "We'll pound those Sprouts into the ground!" "They'll be Weepin' once we're through with them!" "Oh--oh yeah?!?" Nori stomped her foot. "Just you watch...we'll Saur to victory, and... Bulba... something." "You're a dim Bulb, aren't you?" Victreebel coughed. "Hey!" Erika stifled a yawn. "Victreebel, this fight is beginning to bore me. Just Hyper Beam, and finish it. Afterwards, I'll treat you to some of your favorite fertilizer, as my way of saying thanks." "Hey, Fushigidane," Nori nodded at her Bulbasaur, "Once WE win, I'll take you to Mary Coils, for MUD Pies, and SUNdaes, and whatever else plant Pokémon like to eat! Mimic the Hyper Beam!" "Oh, for Kame's sake," Rubix groaned, "would you two can the puns, and just finish your stupid match?" "Victreebel, prepare yourself!" "Fushigidane, on my mark!" The two girls stared daggers at each other. "Hyper Beam, NOW!" There was a flash of light, which blinded Nori momentarily. When she could see again, it became apparent, that both Victreebel and Fushigidane had been knocked out by the blast. "It looks like that last round was a draw," Erika noted. "However, it appears that your Wartortle is still conscious, which is more than I can say for any of my Pokémon." She gestured to her Bulbasaur, which was asleep at her feet, and Gloom, who was sprawled in the bleachers. "According to League rules, the trainer with the last Pokémon standing, wins. I concede defeat." "Wait a minute..." Rubix cut in. "You're saying that Nori's gonna get her Gym Badge, because *I* didn't faint? "That's right," Erika smiled warmly, "it's all thanks to you, little Wartortle." "Damnit damnit damnit damnit damnit!" Rubix walked off, in search of a wall to bang his head against. * * * Nori and Erika walked back towards the gym's entrance. Fushigidane was riding on Nori's back, sleeping as before; and Erika's Victreebel bounced along behind its mistress. "You know," Erika began, "when Fushigidane was mimicking my Bulbasaur, earlier today, it wielded its Vine Whips with as much skill as any plant Pokémon I've ever seen. I believe that, in the company of other Bulbasaur, it might learn to master its Grass attacks completely." "How's that?" Nori asked. "Well, as you said, it's confused, from the sheer range of moves it's been asked to mimic. However, if it was only able to mimic one type of attack, Bulbasaur attacks, for example, it might eventually commit them to memory. That's why, if it's all right with you, I'd like to ask that your Bulbasaur remain at my gym for a while." "What?" Nori cried, "You want me to give up my Bulbasaur?" "It won't be forever," Erika assured her, "just a couple of months. I think some time together with other Bulbasaur would be very beneficial for it, and this will also give me a chance to better study it. Meanwhile, if you want, I can loan you my Victreebel, to fill that slot on your team." "Eh, no thanks..." Nori glanced at the leering Victreebel, "But if you think this is what's best for Fushigidane, who am I to argue?" She carefully unwrapped Fushigidane's vines from around her shoulders, and placed the Bulbasaur in Erika's arms. "Hey, Fushigidane," she whispered, gently nudging it awake. "I'm leaving now. Erika's going to be training you for a while, so I want you to behave for her." "Dane?" Fushigidane murmered, sleepily. "I wish we could continue to fight together, but that wouldn't be fair to you. I want you to grow up to be the best Bulbasaur possible, and Erika's willing to give you more attention than I ever could. Please stay with her." "Dane..." the dozing Bulbasaur snuggled deeper into its new master's arms, and quietly began to snore. Nori patted the Bulbasaur's head. When she had first met Fushigidane, all those months ago, she had damned its previous owner for abandoning it. Now, she was doing the exact same thing. This saddened her, but she rationalized her actions, telling herself that she'd never been a good trainer for Fushigidane, in the first place. Nori gave her Pokémon one last look, and continued out the door. "Good bye, Fushigidane." TBC... -Beth "Ii kanji!" http://members.aol.com/bandraptor