From: Bandraptor <bandraptor@aol.com> Subject: [PW!] Wartortles--What Are They Good For? Date: Friday, October 15, 1999 6:59 AM "Absolutely nothing." "C'mon," Rubix pressed, "there's gotta be something I can say--something I can *do*, to change your mind about this..." Nori rolled her eyes. They'd been on the road for all of ten minutes, and she'd already fielded this question eight times. "There is nothing you can say. There is nothing you can *do*. There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING...that will keep me...from going to Celadon! "Damnit!" * * * "Look, Nori," Rubix sighed. "I know we've had our differences before, but I'd really, really appreciate it, if we didn't go to Celadon." "Eh, makes no difference to me," the girl shrugged. "DAMNIT!" * * * "Y'know what? I don't care. Go to Celadon. See where it gets you." "That's th' plan." "GOD DAMNIT!" The Wartortle lost his temper. "RUBIX! HYDRO PUMP, NOW!!!" There was a blast of water and a flash of light, and when the dust cleared, a drenched Nori was holding a rattling Pokéball. The girl coughed twice, half drowned. "Y'know, Rubix," she groaned, addressing the Pokéball, "I take solace in knowing you only have four more of those in ya. I wish you'd just *tell* me why you don't wanna go to Celadon, but I guess you're too prideful to do that. Or maybe you just hate me." "It's because I hate you." Nori narrowed her eyes at the quivering Pokéball, and clamped it shut, to prevent the Wartortle from escaping. "Now then, where was I going? Oh yeah, Celadon! That's right. Iku zo!" Nori marched down the road to Celadon, singing as she went: "Arukou, arukou! Watashi wa genki! Arukou ga dai suki...notte no hou." She was promptly met by another blast of pressurized water. "HYDRO PUUUMMMP!" Rubix screamed. The Wartortle cocked an eye at his collapsed trainer. "Critical hit! Enemy NORI fainted!" "Don't be so quick to judge," Nori growled, grabbing him by the throat. "Uhh... WATER GU--er, I mean, HYDROOOO PUMP!" Nori clamped Rubix's mouth shut, forcing him to swallow the attack. "You don't really know Hydro Pump, do you." "No," the Wartortle sneered, "But you sure *thought* I did. RUBIX! WATERFALL!" "GYAA!!!" Nori cried, not quite dodging the attack. "RUBIX! DRAGON RAGE!" Rubix stomped after his trainer, who was quickly being thrown out of range, by the barrage of Water Gun attacks. "RUBIX! SURF!" The last attack was so powerful, that it sent Nori flying into one of the sign posts that bordered the path. She grabbed at the metal sign post, to pull herself up, and received a nasty shock--quite literally. The whole time that she'd been walking, scuffling her feet over doormats and whatnot, Nori's body had been accumulating electricity. In most schools, this phenomenon would be explained as Static Electricity. However, Nori lived in the Pokéverse, where all that's taught about electricity, is that it's super effective against Flying and Water types. "Water types..?" Nori repeated, suddenly recalling this tidbit of information. She jumped to her feet. "NORI! THUNDERBOLT ATTACK!!!" Rubix blinked. "You don't really know Thunderbolt, do you?" Nori tapped the Wartortle's nose with her index finger. The amount of electricity that passed between them was infinitesimally small, but the sight of his human trainer performing an electrical attack was enough to knock Rubix out cold. "No," Nori replied, returning Rubix to his Pokéball, "But you sure *thought* I did." She tossed the Pokéball into her backpack, and continued towards Celadon, her sopped dreadlocks bullwhipping her as she walked. TBC... -Beth "Ii kanji!" http://members.aol.com/bandraptor