From: RobfromVoid <RobfromVoid@prodigy.net> Subject: [PW!] Showdown at the Viridian Pokemon Center Date: Wednesday, December 22, 1999 1:08 PM Robert sits at a counter inside the Viridian Pokemon Center. In the time that it took him to eat lunch in Brock's Diner, the Pokemon Center cleared out, since all the people participating in the League Tournament headed back to Indigo Plateau for their third round battles. Robert sits with his face buried in his arms, which are folded on the table before him, and he thinks about Mithril-rama constantly, wondering where she is and how he's going to find her. He looks up every few minutes to glance out the window. Sundown approaches, and he's going to have to face Jeremy, his rival, when the sun touches the horizon. "98, come claim your Pokeballs." Nurse Joy coughs from the counter, not quite her joyful self after so much work. Robert pulls out his ticket and looks at it: "99." He ponders the year that is about to end, and here he is, alone, without anyone to kiss when the clock strikes midnight. He also wonders if the Y2K bug that he heard about will shut down all the computers. The computers? Robert glances at the row of computers set up at the eastern wall of the Pokemon Center, but sighs when all of them are being used. He buries his face back into his arms, until he hears a familiar voice on television... "That Kathy brat got lucky! How else could Splashy lose?!" The high pitched squeal that follows forces Robert to look up at the television to see Candi, the girl who he met at the Laramie Ranch, who was Sarah Jane's inept rival at the time. The news reporter on the television, who has a blank stare on his face, raises his microphone and states the obvious, "Splashy is a Magikarp." Candi crosses her arms and pouts, "I know! And it's a Water type, just like Goldy! Jeeves told me water would win." The reporter raises a microphone to the well dressed butler standing beside Candi and he answers, "No comment. Come along, Candi." They walk off the screen and the reporter hurries to find another League participant to interview. Robert's jaw is ajar from shock, "They let *her* in the Pokemon League? What kind of a Tournament is this?" "One not worth *my* time..." Jeremy's screechy voice is heard behind Robert, "...though if you hurry, you still might make it. It's the only way you're ever going to become a Pokemon Master." His obnoxious laugh follows. Robert spins around in his chair to see the blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy. Jeremy is wearing his usual white shirt, khaki pants, and brown penny loafers with pennies resting inside. Bambi, the tall green-eyed girl hugging Robert's rival, is wearing a tight blue shirt, a short black skirt, and flip-flops. It looks like she combed her long blue hair for the event, but it is still a tangled mess. Robert notices how different Bambi is than Rilli, even in the aspect of hair. Rilli's hair is always straight... "99, come claim your Pokeballs." Nurse Joy nonchalantly commands while she places Robert's belt on the counter, then leans back in her chair with her fair-skinned arm pressed against her forehead. A Chansey next to her pats her on the back. Robert leaps up, tosses the ticket on the counter, snatches his belt, and ties it around his waist. "Thanks!" His four Pokeballs and one Ultraball are latched there, the Pokemon within the devices feeling relaxed and healthy. Robert watches as Jeremy goes out the door with Bambi still latched onto him, beckoning Robert with a single finger. Robert adjusts his belt and runs outside. He takes his place at about 20 paces away from Jeremy, and holds his fingers over the first Pokeball on his belt. Jeremy holds his hand over his pocket, wiggling his fingers in anticipation, "The Pokemon League ain't big enough for the both of us. You said that you can beat any of my Pokemon... I'm going to use my first and best Pokemon, who out of 999 matches has only lost one against your ex-chick. Thank you for volunteering to usher in the new millennium of wins for my Machoke." "Actually, the new millennium of wins would start at 1001..." Robert starts, but then changes his mind and decides to stay dramatic about the showdown, "What a coincidence that you're going to use your first Pokemon, because so am I. I've been waiting for this showdown for a long time, varmint. Draw!" Robert snaps his Pokeball off its belt and hurls it moments before Jeremy removes a Pokeball from his pocket and tosses it. Both Pokeballs hit the ground and pop open at the same time! The muscular gray Machoke that belongs to Jeremy is leaner than most. He flexes his muscles to impress the purple Haunter floating in front of him, but all the sad ghost can think about is his girlfriend, who he hasn't seen in a long time. Jeremy's Machoke gets angry that Robert's Haunter isn't responding to him in any way, and glances over his shoulder at Jeremy for the order to pulverize it. "Machoke?" Jeremy grins and nods, then says, "Machoke, let's finish him off quickly. Submission." Robert raises an eyebrow, wondering why Machoke's into that kind of stuff, but shrugs it off and shouts, "Haunter, Confuse Ray, now!" Haunter doesn't attack, and instead faces Robert, and cups his hands on his ghostly belly, "Haunter Haunt... Haunter Haunt Haunt?!" Robert replies, "I don't know where your girlfriend is... Look out!" Robert's warning is too late, and Jeremy's Machoke grabs onto Haunter from behind. He wraps his enormous arms around the Haunter, and for some reason, the ghost can't phase through them. The Machoke leaps into the air, then comes crashing down, face first! When Machoke slams onto the ground, he hurts himself, but the Haunter underneath the Fighting Pokemon's massive body is hurt much more than he is. Machoke sits up and scratches the muscles on his head, "Maaa? Machoke!" Haunter uses one of his floating disembodied hands to peel his flattened body off the ground. He then places the thumb of his other hand inside his mouth. He blows into it a few times, inflating himself, then shoots a ray that engulfs the light around it at Machoke. When the Confuse Ray hits Machoke, the oaf mimics Haunter's earlier action, and starts sucking on his own thumb. Despite Haunter's pain and lost love, he laughs at the sight, "Haw Haw Haw Haw!" The ghost's insane laughter becomes louder when the Machoke bites his own thumb because of his confusion. "HAW HAW HAW HAUNTER!!!" Jeremy narrows his eyes at Bambi, who is giggling along with Haunter, "That's not funny, babe. Machoke, Seismic Toss." Robert's eyes widen when he sees Machoke snap out of his confused state and stomp over towards Haunter to Toss him Seismically. Robert knows that Haunter can't take much more punishment before fainting, "He can't hurt you if he's sleeping. Haunter, Hypnosis!" Haunter nods and waves his disembodied hands in circles. Hypnotic waves emit from Haunter's eyes and make Machoke's muscular eyelids feel heavier than usual. Machoke falls to the floor, asleep. The burly Pokemon's thumb somehow finds its way back into his mouth. Haunter's grin widens and he circles the sleeping Machoke, laughing. Jeremy kicks the dirt angrily, "That's the only way you ever win! Through cheap moves... Wake up this instant, Machoke!" "It's called strategy. It comes in handy against brute force." Robert chuckles and looks up at his Haunter, who is holding his stomach again and narrowing his eyes in an impression of his girlfriend. Robert tries to figure out what his Ghost Pokemon is trying to say, and snaps his fingers when he thinks he's figured out what it is, "You're hungry, eh? Haunter, Dream Eater!" Haunter sighs, frustrated that his trainer doesn't understand him, but decides to eat Machoke's dreams for dinner, anyhow. The Ghost Pokemon leaps into Machoke, possessing him in his sleep. Machoke shifts around uncomfortably in his sleep, his eyelids twitching. After the Fighting Pokemon spasms for about a minute, Haunter emerges out of the back of the Machoke's shorts. The Dream Eating session not only heals Haunter, but it also awakens the hurt Machoke, who looks very grumpy. "Even strategy won't save your Haunter now that Machoke is angry." Jeremy narrows his eyes and points at Haunter, "That Pokemon is the one who put you to sleep and ate your dreams, Machoke. Seismic Toss it to kingdom come!" Robert tries to think of a clever way to counter the attack, but figures that Machoke is weak enough to finish off, "Sometimes brute force is necessary. Haunter, Night Shade!" Haunter raises his disembodied hands and is about to use his dark forces against Machoke, but Machoke grabs him before he can so much as conjure the incredible powers of the undead. Machoke leaps into the air, swings Haunter over his shoulder, and tosses him onto the ground! When Machoke falls back to the ground, he finishes off the attack by landing on Haunter feet first. Machoke raises his arms in a cheer, "Machoke! Maaachoke!" Haunter's gaseous body starts to expand from the ground, and his usually friendly face becomes grim and evil-looking. He grows to twice the size of Machoke. Haunter's giant hands flank Machoke, and dark matter is released from them, engulfing Machoke in a cloud of darkness known as Night Shade. When the cloud disperses, Machoke is face first on the floor, fainted. Haunter shrinks back to his regular size and laughs out loud, "Haw Haw Haw Haw Haunter!" Robert laughs and dances around, then points at Jeremy, "See?! I told you I could beat any of your Pokemon! What do you have to say now, huh? Huh, big mouth, what're you going to say now? That I was cheap? That I got lucky? HUH?!" "I say: Congratulations." Jeremy applauds and nudges Bambi so that she does the same. While Robert tries to figure out how what Jeremy said is an insult, the Machoke's trainer pulls a Revive potion out of his pocket, walks up to his Pokemon, and pours it on him. Machoke sits up slowly and rubs the back of his head. Jeremy offers his hand so that Robert can shake it. Remembering what happened last time, Robert dubiously goes in to shake it, and Jeremy doesn't pull it away. After shaking hands, Robert looks at his hand to see if there's any spit on it. When he finds nothing wrong with his hand, he looks up at Jeremy, and raises an eyebrow, "What's the big idea? You're my rival... you're supposed to be a sore loser." "Maybe some other time. I have an offer for you." Jeremy pats his Machoke on the flaps of muscle on his head, then glances at Robert's Haunter, who is moping over his girlfriend instead of celebrating his win. Jeremy looks at Robert, "While I was at the University of Rosetta, I read that my Machoke can only evolve when traded. I remember that Haunter was also on the list of Pokemon that evolve when traded. My offer is that we trade Pokemon so that they evolve then trade back. I normally wouldn't give you the benefit of evolving your Haunter and would've traded with Bambi, but I want to be a good sport." Robert furrows his brow at Jeremy, who looks like he's being sincere. Without Rilli's voice there to him to remind Robert that Jeremy might be scaming him, Robert actually considers the offer, "Hmm... I had Gastly for three years before he evolved into Haunter. I've had Haunter for three years now. I think the time has come for him to finally evolve into Gengar. Don't you, Haunter?" Haunter strokes his chin with a disembodied hand, wonders if it would impress his girlfriend when he sees her again, and nods. Robert can tell that his Haunter does want to evolve, "I accept your offer, Jeremy. Let's go to the Trading Machine inside the Pokemon Center." Robert recalls his Haunter into his Pokeball. Jeremy recalls his Machoke and smiles, "Thanks, Robert. They say that trading Pokemon is a great way to become friends." Robert leads the way back into the Pokemon Center, followed by Jeremy and Bambi. Once inside, he notices that Nurse Joy looks like a stressed out mess, with her feet propped up on the counter and a bottle of liquor in her hand. He ignores her and walks to the other side of the Pokemon Center, where the Trading Machine is located. Robert places Haunter's Pokeball on the right side of the Trading Machine. Jeremy places Machoke's Pokeball on the left side. Robert pushes the button, and both Pokeballs are sucked into the tubes suspended over them. "Ooooo!" Bambi squeals when she sees the outlines of the two Pokemon slide past each other on the machine's monitor. She giggles for apparently no reason at all when the Pokeballs drop out of the tubes, onto grooves, "That reminds me of somethin' Jeremy likes to do to me hehehe..." She stops giggling when Jeremy jabs her on the ribs. "Ouchie! What was that for?!" "Girls were made to be seen, not heard." Jeremy hisses at Bambi, then addresses Robert, "Now release my Machoke so that he can evolve, then I'll release your Haunter." Jeremy crosses his arms and waits. Robert removes Machoke's Pokeball from the groove on the trading machine and drops it on the floor. The moment that the gray Machoke appears, he starts to glow. "Choke?" The three flaps of muscles on his head split and change color from slate to orange. He grows an overbite, while two brand new arms spring out of his shoulders. The two new limbs take a few seconds to strengthen, while all of the muscles on his entire body tighten. The Pokemon's torso expands, while his legs remain the same. When he stops glowing, he raises all four arms high, "Maaachamp! Champ, CHAMP!" Jeremy removes Haunter's Pokeball from the groove on the trading machine and drops it on the floor. The moment that the purple Haunter appears, he starts to glow. "Haunt?" His hands attach to newly formed arms on the sides of his body and shrink down to a normal size. The Ghost Pokemon's lean waist expands to form a large belly and two legs pop out below it. He phases out of existence. Before Robert can worry about his Pokemon, a ghostly toothy grin appears, much like the Cheshire cat's. The dark purple body of a Gengar materializes around the grin, "Gen, gen, gen, GENGAR!" Robert's grin matches the Pokemon's, and he steps up to hug his Gengar, but the ghost disappears into a Pokeball. "Huh?" Robert looks up to see Jeremy running towards the exit of the Pokemon Center, shouting, "So long, sucker! Hahahaha!" Bambi, who is still standing next to Robert, calls out, "Jeremy! Come back here! You forgot your Machoke!" "Don't you get it, Bambi? He's trying to steal my Gengar because he knows its better than his Machamp!" Robert looks around the relatively empty Pokemon Center for help and shouts, "Somebody, stop that thief!" He glances at Nurse Joy, who has passed out from overexertion, then at Jeremy, who is willing to abandon his girlfriend for a good Pokemon. "Somebody, stop that kid before he leaves!" Robert looks at Jeremy's Machamp, whose jaw is hanging open at his trainer's actions. "No one's going to stop me! I'm not some stupid Rocket, I'm the smartest guy in the..." Jeremy bumps into an innocent looking Chansey on his way to the exit. "Get out of my way, you pink pile of lard." He kicks the Chansey in her egg, and continues running. "Chanseeey!!!" The Chansey whips out her chainsaw and does a backflip over Jeremy. She steps in front of him and swings her chainsaw at him, "CHANSEY! CHANSEY!" Jeremy scoffs, "Oh yeah, like a Chansey would hurt me. I'm calling your bluff." Jeremy reaches for the door and the Chansey drives her chainsaw into his wrist! "AHHHHHHH!!!" He falls to the floor and Gengar's Pokeball falls out of his hand and rolls up to Robert. Robert grabs it and puts it on his belt. Bambi shrieks and runs over to Jeremy. She kneels beside him and covers his bleeding wrist, "We gotta get you to the hospital!" Jeremy adds some tears of joy to the tears of pain streaming from his face, "Bambi, you're the greatest." The tall, muscular girl lifts Jeremy into her arms and struggles towards the exit. Robert calls Jeremy's Machamp back into his Pokeball and runs over to Jeremy. Despite the fact that Jeremy just tried to steal his best Pokemon, Robert places Machamp's shrunken Pokeball in Jeremy's shirt pocket, "Here's your Machamp, Jeremy... I know I can forgive you for trying to steal my Gengar, but I don't think Machamp will ever forgive you for trying to abandon him. I hope you've learned your lesson." Robert watches as Bambi carries her bleeding boyfriend away. "Chansey!" Chansey hides her chainsaw and claps her tiny hands together, "See, Chansey sey..." After Robert thanks her, partly out of fear of what she might do if he doesn't, Chansey goes off to wake up Nurse Joy. With a sigh, Robert approaches one of the computers in the Pokemon Center and sits down, "I have to exchange my Pokemon if I want to beat Giovanni tomorrow..." He logs onto the Internet and is surprised to find an E-Mail waiting: "to: robert@lavender.twn In the unlikely event that you actually check your e-mail, I'm in the Celadon City Pokemon Center. Either come meet me here, or arrange some place where we can find each other. Hurry! - Rilli" "Wow! Rilli's even smarter than I thought..." Robert reads each word over again, imagining Rilli sitting at a keyboard typing them, and he starts to fantasize about her for a moment, before shaking his head, "The Earth Badge can wait. It's like I sung at Brock's Diner, I need her help to beat Giovanni... My strategy can beat a snob like Jeremy, but I need her help to figure out a strategy to beat one of the most difficult Gym Leaders in the known world." Robert shuts off his computer without exchanging his Pokemon and he runs over to where a Chansey is Doubleslapping Nurse Joy to wake her up. "Huh? Wha?" Nurse Joy asks while kicking her feet off the table and straightening out her outfit. She looks up at Robert and blushes, "Oh, hello there, young man. Can I help you with anything?" "What's the fastest way to get to Celadon City?" Robert asks, conveying a sense of urgency in his tone of voice. Nurse Joy spins in her chair and looks at a map, "Well, if you're headed to Celadon for Christmas, the fastest way would be through the Pidgeot Express. They're offering free trips there..." When she spins around in her chair again, Robert is missing. A cloud of smoke is all that is left where he stood. Nurse Joy smiles, "It looks like that kid sure has the Christmas spirit." She sees a puddle of blood near the entrance and faces Chansey, "Uh oh! Chansey, you have some 'splainin' to do..." -Robert