"Get back here!" Mai shouted as she dashed through the t hick forest, branches grabbing at her jeans and tank top. She bit her lip as a thorn ripped a jagged wound down her arm. In that pause, the man she had been chasing lept into a balloon and fired the burners. Mai finally burst into the clearing, holding her arm, "Give me back my pokeball you bastard!" she yelled over the roar of the burner. As the balloon rose out of sight, Mai saw the man drop something out of the balloon. As the item rapidly fell towards her, she began to make out the familier blue and white of her custom-made pokeball.
She dove for it, tearing her arm open even more. As she slid to a stop, the pokeball fell into her hands. It was empty. As an almost inhuman moan left her lips, she crushed the pokeball. The small circuitry inside sparked, then began to burn. Immune to the pain in her grief, Mai held the fire in her hand and it slowly ignited the flames of hate deep withen her soul.
Mai winced as Akemi rinsed the last bit of grime out of her arm,
"Now that it's clean, I'll bandage it up with some ointment" Akemi said, washing her hands,
Mai sighed, can't you just put some herb on it and be done with all this?"
"Of course not! Why do you think that will cure every open wound?" Akemi carefully began wrapping Mai's arm after drying her hands on her apron, "This scrape is a good foot long! Why were you chasing this guy anyways?"
"He took Keitaro."
Akemi dropped the roll of gauze and sent it rolling into a corner, "Pidgeot! You put your life into that bird! Captured it right outside of Nivi, level 2 with a broken wing. You sold all your other pokemon to buy performance enhancers and rare candy," she picked up the gauze and finished wrapping the bandage in silence, "What are you going to do about it?" she finally whispered,
"I'm gonna find the jerk," Mai said, her voice soft, "and rip his head off," she looked up and put her other fist through the wall.
"But," Akemi objected, "You don't have any pokemon!"
Mai shrugged, "I'll do it myself. Keitaro and I were unstoppable, so I'll avenge him myself."
Akemi looked up as if in prayer, then looked Mai square in the face, "Please then, take Starmie with you…"
"I won't take your pokemon. This is my fight."
"If you don't I'll just worry. Here." Akemi pushed the ball hard into Mai's throbbing palm, "Mai, take Starmie. Even if you never use him."
"Alright, Akemi, I will." Mai stood and tested her heavily bandaged arm, "You did a good job on this thank you."
Akemi smiled, "I got some clothes ready for you as well, they're waiting on your bed."
"Wow! Thanks!" Mai walked into the room and carefully shut the door. She pulled off the slightly torn tank top then looked at the neatly folded clothes.
There was a small red shirt, which she quickly pulled on, and some cargo shorts. She slipped off her dust-covered jeans and exchanged them for the shorts. She turned to her dresser and finally pulled out a pair of bicycaling gloves, a thick belt and a blue pouch.
She buckled the belt around her waist and clipped the pouch onto it. She quickly yanked the glove onto her left hand but winced as she carefully slipped it over the growing blister on her right. "Thank god Akemi didn't see that," she thought, "She'd still be fussing over me,"
She took Starmie off the dresser and threw him into the pouch, it cluttered againt she pocket knife and pokedex.
Akemi's watchful eye would be on the front door, so she'd have to get out another way. "Keitaro…" she whispered softly, then climbed out the window and left for a journy.
Keitaro had always been a loyal Pidgeot, and at level 93 would sell well on the black market, only a master could stop such dealings. Mai had 3 badges; the star badge from Teiroon City, the Flare badge from Areftin City, and the Mystic badge from Heitoru City But she needed 5 more before she could enter the league. She opened her pokedex and started listing.
"There are many badges," the computerized voice began, "ranging in difficulty from the Boulder badge in Nivi City to the Earth badge in Viridian."
"What can I get with a water?" Mai demanded, impatiant.
"The Fire pokemon on Cinnibar Island and the rock pokemon in Nivi city would be at a disadvantage. The thunder and Ranbow badges in Vermillion and Celadon would be a challenge.."
"Shut up! I got it, off to Nivi City then." She shielded her eyes and looked west towards a nearby peak, "It's not out of the Celestial mountains," she snapped her mouth shut, realizing she was talking to a machine. She leaned against a tree and watced, as the sun set behind Mt. Moon.
The darkness enveloped Mai as she hiked across the forest. The sound of a lone Zubat ringing over the trees and the soft gurgle of a stream cast a sleepy ambiance over her mind. Mai shuddered, she'd be at Mt. Moon withen the hour. Hours, miutes, what did it matter? Night seemed endless. When she arrived, she'd camp, then skirt the base around to Nivi.
As dawn broke the next morning, Mai carefully finished her stew then readied for the day's hike. It wouldn't take more then 3 hours for her to reach Nivi, and the sun at her back seemed to give an encouraging push towards vistory. She took a deep breath and stood, then started walking, listing for a pokemon or trainer, she had to test Starmie! Mai opened her pokedex, "So what might I find in a woodland area?"
"Bug Pokemon are commonly found in forested areas," it began, "But Pikachu and Rattatas are also woodland dwellers. Plant pokemon, like Oddish, also may be found there."
"In other words, Stars is at a disadvantage here." She snapped it shut and strained her eyes deep into the trees, "Perfect." She dug her fingers into the dirt and pulled up a stone which she threw into a clump of low growing shrubs. She grinned as a sharp rustling rewarded her. A very angry Poliwhirl pushed its way out followed by an equally pissed-off trainer.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing!?" he demanded, "You'll pay for that! Poli, get ready to attack!"
Mai shrugged, then threw her pokeball up into the air, "Kei…" she stopped, she didn't have Pidgeot anymore! She reconsidered her strategy, "Starmie! Tackle it!" The pokemon flashed into view with a cry but paused at the unfamiliar voice giving the order. But after the pause, it still lept forward, into action.
"Jolteon, Thunder Wave." Came a soft voice from up in one of the trees. Mai and the other trainer each grabbed for a pokeball in an attempt to call their pokemon back in time, but both failed. In a bright flash, the 2 water pokemon were thrown back
Mai lept to the side to avoid having the large pokemon smash into her then ran into the center of the clearing, "Alright, who's there? Come out here you cowardly asshole!"
With the slight thump of paws, an undersized Jolteon lept down, followed by a cloaked man. The yellow and white pokemon snarled at Mai and the Poliwhirl's trainer as the man in the cloak brushed off a bit of dust.
"You son of a…" the other trainer began, "Poli! Use hypnosis attack, now!"
"Agility," the Jolteon flashed out of view, "Quick attack," it reappeared right in front of the Poliwhirl, and with a sneer slashed out with its sharp claws.
The Poliwhirl seemed to crumble beneath the attack as thick blood splattered to each side on to the ground.
The trainer sneered and called back to squealing Poliwhirl. He clipped it onto his belt and threw another pokeball. It skidded into the dirt,
"Phobi! Go!" He yelled. The ball clicked open, but nothing happened. The cloaked figure softly chuckled,
"Phobi? What kind of name is that?" he asked with only mild curiosity.
The trainer scratched his head, "It's short for Phobia, but I guess she hasn't learned her name yet," he clenched his fist, "Fearow! Let's go!" With a flash of white light and a billow of black smoke, the huge bird appeared, "Good! Now, use leer and teach that Jolteon what fighting's all about!"
The cloaked figure held up his hand, then turned his other hand over revealing a pokeball, "Not Jolteon," he casually tossed it forward, "Ivysaur. Put that pigeon in its cage."
The Fearow loomed over the frog-like creature in their Mexican stand-off. The trainer finally broke the silence, "Now!" The Fearow's eyes snapped wide open and took on an eerie blue glow. The Ivysaur swayed from side to side as Phobi crept forward step by step.
The cloaked figure glanced around nervously, weighing his options. "Don't just take it, Ivysaur!" he shouted at last, "Leech Seed!" the pokemon shook its head, then jumped back. The flower on its back glowed, the exploded in a white cloud.
Phobi shrieked as a multitude of vines wrapped around it with the sharp cracking of delicate wing bones. The Fearow screamed again an a red crackling of energy ran through the vines, sapping its health.
"Blizzard!" Mai's voice rang out. The cloaked figure turned to see a forgotten foe return, "Go! Freeze them both!" The Starmie swept 2 arms forward and formed a ball of water hovering in front of it.
"Star!" It swung around and burst the water into a thousand droplets that seemed to hang in the air a moment before shooting forward like so many darts.
Several slivers of ice stuck in both the Ivysaur and the Fearow. Each sliver glowed, then burst out into panels of ice, trapping the pokemon withen. The Ivysaur struggled slightly, then collapsed in defeat