Don't Give Me Diamonds
Diamond 074: Give me Eagerness
Brock got off the bus and headed towards the Cerulean gym. His friends were supposed to be out shopping all day, but surely they would be back by then. It was already well into the evening. He thought he should meet them after all, he wouldn't get over his sadness for being unable to get a date if he spent all his time at Rock On. Besides, with the news of Tempest having been apprehended he was feeling better about leaving the breeding center. He had heard the detailed story about how they were captured from Ash.
Brock saw something unusual as he approached the gym. There was a man with yellow hair carrying Lily outside. He put her in the passenger seat of a blue car that had a broken window on the driver's side. He rushed over as he called, "what happened to Lily?" The man looked at Brock for a split second, before rushing to drive away. "Come back here!" Brock couldn't allow the apparent kidnapper to get away. "Go Steelix!" He jumped on the pokemon's back, "follow that car!" With a loud roar, the large pokemon began to chase the car as fast as he could.
Not too far from the Cerulean gym, Ash, Misty, her sisters and their dates, were at a fancy store. The store focused on men's formal attire. Ash came out of the change room wearing a tuxedo. As far as he could tell it was the same as the many others he tried on. Besides, that was the first store they visited early in the day. He had tried on that very same tuxedo before.
A collective gasp followed by fan girlish squeals escaped the Waterflower sisters. Their voices mixed into one with phrases such as, "you look great," "so handsome," "absolutely amazing," and such compliments.
Ash adjusted his tuxedo and grinned. His expression changed when he realized that the Waterflowers were rushing over to Pikachu, who was wearing a tuxedo top. Ash pouted and cleared his throat, "how do I look?"
Several seconds later, after some understanding looks from Lando and Kenobi, the Waterflowers finally stopped fussing over Pikachu. "You look very handsome," Misty complimented.
Daisy nodded, "I think this is the right one,"
"Yes, you should definitely wear that one," Violet agreed.
"I think this was the first one I tried on this morning," Ash reminded.
"We needed a point of comparison," Daisy calmly replied as if the day long ordeal had been nothing. "Oh, your bow-tie isn't on right. Misty, you'll keep an eye on him, won't you?"
Ash fiddled with the bow-tie, he could find nothing wrong with it. "Let me," Misty offered, fixing some unperceivable fault in the bow-tie. Daisy and Violet nodded their approval. Ash, nor Lando, nor Kenobi, noticed anything different about the bow-tie.
At that moment, everyone was facing towards Ash. Ash was facing in the opposite direction towards the glass windows of the shop. He saw a car drive by wildly, avoiding traffic. Brock rushed after it in pursuit riding on Steelix. The noise caught everyone's attention, but by the time they turned around, they were only on time to see a police car zoom by. "That was Brock!" Ash exclaimed. "He was chasing some car riding on Steelix and the police was chasing them."
"I thought Brock was in Pewter City," Misty mused. The possibility of Brock rushing through the street chasing a car sounded very unusual.
"You don't have to like make up such silly stories," Daisy laughed, "we're like finished shopping anyway."
"Yeah," Violet agreed, "someone like ran a red light or something, I'm sure that's all."
"I'm serious!" Ash insisted. The approaching noise was heard again. "Listen, they're coming back around!" The same blue car from before drove up the street again with a police car after it. Brock and Steelix were no where to be found. Ash rubbed his eyes in confusion. "I saw them!" He insisted.
Misty gently patted his back, "it's okay, you're just tired."
Ash thought about it for a moment. What he claimed to see was indeed unlikely. "I guess you're right. My imagination must have played a trick on me."
Ash changed back into his normal clothes and purchased his and Pikachu's tuxedos. The group exited the store to the sound of Ash's stomach growling in hunger. They got in Lando's limousine and were on their way to get something to eat.
xoxox xox xoxox
Caedus, known in the illegal world as Solo, drove up the street trying to lose the police. He cursed his luck; he had almost made a clean get away if not for that guy with the Steelix. Misty didn't know who he was, but Caedus had seen Misty in pictures Lily had shown him of her family. He knew she was one of the trainers that ruined things for Tempest and wanted revenge. He remembered just why it was best to work alone, getting involved with Tempest brought him nothing but trouble.
Suddenly, Steelix dashed out of another smaller road into the main one. They had taken a shortcut to head off the kidnapper. Caedus tried to go around Steelix, yanking the steering wheel to the right. It was too late so he stomped on the breaks. The tires screeched and pealed, leaving black lines imprinted on the road. A loud crash echoed as the car collided with the large pokemon. The car was a mess, but Steelix stood strong with nothing but minor scratches.
The airbag on the driver's seat didn't activate and Caedus was thrown forward against the windshield. Lily was trapped between the passenger seat and the airbag. The police car came to a screeching halt, with another track of burnt tires edged into the road. Brock jumped off Steelix and rushed to Lily's side. He threw the door open and pushed the airbag aside to get her out before she suffocated. "Lily! Lily! Answer me!"
xoxox xox xoxox
Meanwhile, Lando's limousine was moving quite slowly. The driver's voice came from the intercom, "it seems there's been an accident up ahead. We might be stuck in traffic for a while. I apologize for the inconvenience. I can't see exactly what happened from here, but it looks like it involved a Steelix."
Ash jumped in his seat, "I knew it! I knew it! I told you I saw Brock riding on Steelix! I have to go see what happened." Ash was quick to hop out of the limo and dash to the side of the road. He hurried up the street on the sidewalk.
"Wait for me!" Misty followed suit, rushing after Ash.
"Shall we?" Kenobi inquired.
Violet decided to go with the flow, "we might as well go too."
"That's right, let's be adventurous," Daisy followed as well.
"We'll be back later," Lando said to the driver, before rushing out after the group.
xoxox xox xoxox
Ash was the first to arrive at the site of the accident with Pikachu on his shoulders. He was followed by Misty. They found Brock with Lily in his arms, crying like a baby. "Lily, you have to hold on! This is all my fault," he blamed the accident for her unconscious state and thus he blamed himself. The fact that she was already unconscious when Caedus put her in the car eluded him in the rush of the moment.
"Lily!" Misty called out, her voice drowned out by the sound of the two approaching ambulances. The rest of the group arrived soon after.
Caedus was taken to an ambulance; he was badly injured but alive. The police network was informed about him, though only the Viridian public knew about his escape. The Jenny of Cerulean City immediately recognized the wanted man.
Lily was placed in the other ambulance. She wasn't injured beyond a few scratches and bruises. Because Caedus was trying to make a turn when he crashed, the driver's side received most of the damage. Lily was unconscious and that was what worried the paramedics. Even if the airbag had apparently worked, they didn't discard the possibility that she might have hit her head.
It was decided that only her sisters would ride in the ambulance with her, it would be too crowded if everyone did. The rest of the group returned to Lando's limousine and followed the ambulance to the Cerulean hospital. The entire way, Brock was a wreck. It took the combined efforts of Ash, Lando and Kenobi to calm him down.
While the group waited for the doctor's examinations and testing to finalize at the Cerulean Hospital, Jenny came by. Caedus had been safely locked up and she needed to file some reports. Brock received the most questions. He finished his replies just on time for when a nurse informed them that they could see Lily. Jenny followed after the crowd to hear Lily's side of the story.
"Don't worry, she's going to be fine," a doctor confirmed in Lily's room as the group of worried expressions entered. "She was just given a fast working sleeping chemical, it's nothing particularly harmful. Lily will be free to leave as soon as all the test results are in, it's just a precaution." Among looks of relief, the doctor left the crowded room.
Jenny wasted no time in stepping forward, "I know this is too soon," she apologized. "Could you tell me what happened?"
Lily was sitting up on the hospital bed. She was still light headed, but felt a little more awake when she wasn't laying down. "Caedus came back when I was at the gym," she began; the name was familiar to Daisy and Violet. Misty had heard it before, though she was away traveling with Ash often and wasn't well informed about who he was. She had never met him as Lily's boyfriend. Ash and Misty only recognized the man taken away in the ambulance from their battle with Tempest.
"Your ex?" Violet had arrived a few minutes after Ash and Misty, along with the others. Caedus was already in the ambulance and out of sight by then.
"Yes," Lily nodded sadly, "he said he broke up with me because Tempest was like after him and he didn't want to get me into trouble. He apologized and like told me about that, since Tempest has been arrested. He said he got on their bad side because he like saved a girl they were trying to kidnap. I think he was lying. He gave me roses and chocolates. When I ate some of the chocolate I felt really tired. I was like falling asleep and I couldn't help it. That's all I remember."
"I see," Jenny took in the information. She would fill up the report herself. There was no need to burden these people any longer. "Caedus Calrissian is a wanted man, though many people are unaware of that. He'll be going to jail as soon as he's out of the hospital. I'd like to speak to you again tomorrow when you're feeling more awake. If you don't mind, I'll drop by the Cerulean gym."
Lily nodded slowly, "yes," she could barely find her voice after learning the truth about Caedus.
"Well then, I'll be on my way, may you recover soon," Jenny referred more so to the shock then to any physical injuries. The officer left the room where everyone offered their words of encouragement to Lily.
Caedus Calrissian, alias Solo, turned to a life of crime after his father's cargo company was taken over by the Antilles family, under the guidance of Team Rocket. It all began when Caedus was a small child. His father was forced to sign an unfavorable contract. From that point on, the takeover slowly commenced until Calrissian Cargo became Antilles Oceanus. The Calrissian family was left in ruin.
xoxox xox xoxox
At the Viridian City gym, Delia was flipping through a catalogue looking at dresses. "Explain to me again why I'm doing this?" She sighed.
"Because all the gym leaders are socially required to go to Daisy's wedding," Giovanni explained as he typed something into his computer. They were in his secondary office above ground. He made himself available for gym battles. He had defeated a few trainers that day. "Since everyone thinks we're dating and you're going to be there too, then it's reasonable we go together."
"Yes, I already said I would go," Delia replied, "what I don't understand is why I can't wear what I intended to wear. I already have a dress. How do you know it's not proper if you haven't even seen it?"
"You told me," Giovanni reminded.
Delia raised an eyebrow, "when did I say that?"
"When I gave you some jewelry to wear," Giovanni recalled, "you said it was too much to go with your dress."
"So instead of just wearing less jewelry I'm supposed to get a new dress?" Delia found the approach to be rather inconvenient. "Forgive me your majesty. This peasant has forgotten that she needs to look like a queen if she's going to be the king's date in a formal event."
Giovanni's reply to Delia's sarcasm was a simple and slightly amused, "you're forgiven."
Throwing the fancy designer's catalogue at him was quite tempting for Delia, but she refrained from doing so. She continued looking at the dresses.
Giovanni interrupted with an annoyed, "what is the meaning of this?"
At first Delia assumed he was annoyed at some report or something he was reading on the computer. She couldn't see the screen from her angle sitting across from his desk.
"Delia!" Giovanni insisted, turning the screen around so she could see it.
Delia found herself looking at a picture of a sleeping Giovanni with red ink all over his face. The design was reminiscent of a Persian. "So you were spying on my cell phone." Thankfully she had a backup copy of that picture in her computer at home, and several printed copies hidden in the bottom of some drawers.
Giovanni had been too busy to keep up with such details. Delia couldn't be making suspicious calls if she was with him most of the time and they had an agreement. It took him too long to realize that she had taken such a picture. He quickly sent the wireless signal to delete it from Delia's Rocket cell phone. "If you have any more copies of that," he looked threatening.
Delia was amused, she smiled sweetly, "just the one on my cell phone," she grinned mischievously, purposely hinting that she was lying.
Giovanni leaned back in his chair, and massaged his temples, "you're such a handful to deal with sometimes."
"So are you," she kept the same sweet smile. Giovanni returned to his work and for a moment only the sound of his typing was heard in the office. Then Delia suddenly asked, "do you want to hear a story?"
"A story?" He questioned. "Is this completely random?"
"Not at all," she paused. She was looking at elegant dresses to go to a wedding. The thought of a wedding reminded her that she never had one, though she almost became officially engaged. Those memories made her think of when she left Team Rocket to raise Ash peacefully. That reminded her of when Ash was born. Maybe the links were too long and many to be easily followed, "actually yes, let's say it is random. I realized I never told you about when Ash was born."
"Was there something unusual about it?" Giovanni wondered with curiosity. Why else would Delia offer to tell the story? If it was just a normal childbirth, he didn't think there was much to tell. Go to the hospital, give birth, wait a few days, go home, end of story.
"Not really," Delia mused, "well it was a little early, but it turned out fine. I just thought you might want to hear the story," she clearly wanted to tell it.
Giovanni didn't understand Delia's sudden eagerness to share that tale. He decided to listen. She would tell the story anyway, he was sure. "Alright, tell me the story."
He was discreetly reading something from the screen, but Delia decided not to mention it. Instead she began her story.
xoxox xox xoxox
Ash had been born just a few days after Gary. He came early, thus Delia was a little unprepared. Mrs. Oak had given birth in the Viridian City hospital. Pallet Town didn't have its own big hospital; the closest one was at Viridian. There was a small clinic in town to take care of check ups and minor injuries. Gary's mother and Delia had been going there for check ups.
Mrs. Oak was very talkative. She would go on for hours about how glad she was they would give birth at close dates. She was convinced that the children would become best friends. She even hoped that they would end up dating when they were older if they were a boy and a girl. If the children were of the same gender then they would become sibling-like best friends. Mrs. Oak never would have guessed that the boys would develop such a rivalry, though they did become friends later on.
When Mrs. Oak went to give birth at Viridian City, she took the local Pallet Town doctor with her. The doctor had been keeping up with her check ups all that time and she wanted a familiar doctor with her. She also wanted to have the resources of a large hospital available. Professor Oak had gone to Viridian City with his son and daughter-in-law. For the next few days, Delia would be without her closest people in Pallet Town.
She assured them she would be fine. They would return before her due date. Then later she would journey to Cerulean City with Professor Oak. She didn't want to give birth in Viridian, it felt too close to Team Rocket. She wasn't really hidden in Pallet Town, but she wouldn't purposely do anything that might make her presence stand out. She knew Giovanni had many connections in Viridian City. Pewter City was also too close.
It was a sunny morning in Pallet Town. Delia was beginning the preparations to serve breakfast at the Pallet House. People sometimes told her that she should take a break since she was so close to her due date, but she refused. She didn't want anyone thinking they had to feel sorry for her. After a wave of unusually strong morning sickness, Delia went to the kitchen and started to get things ready. She was running a little late that morning.
She dropped the bag of coffee beans she was holding, when the baby made an unusually strong movement, "what's gotten into you today, Ash?" She patted her large belly as is trying to soothe her child. The pain ceased and she carefully picked up the bag of beans from the floor, keeping her back straight. She lifted herself upright with her legs, thankful that the coffee beans had not spilled out of the bag.
She left the bag on the counter and reached for the little radio she kept in the kitchen. She was in the mood for some soothing music. As she tried to find a good station, the sudden sharp ache came again. Her face contracted in pain and her hands went to her stomach. "Ow, Ash, no..."
Her breathing turned labored as she carefully reached for a chair and sat down. She took long deep breaths. It had to be a false alarm, she couldn't be giving birth. It was not her due date yet. She looked at the calendar in the kitchen wall. It was May twenty-two. Her baby was supposed to be born at the start of June. The Oak family was still in Viridian City. Little Gary was only a few days old. More nausea came and she pushed herself to her feet, rushing to the bathroom. Minutes later her water broke. Another sharp pain came; there was no denying the truth.
"Delia!" A voice called from outside. It was Mrs. Alderaan, she often went to drink coffee at the Pallet House in the mornings. "Are you there?"
Delia took a deep breath and willed her child to stay still. She reached for the bathroom sink and splashed cold water in her face. She composed herself and went over to the kitchen door that led to the area with tables and chairs outside. "Good morning Mrs. Alderaan, I'm running a little late this morning."
"Oh, don't worry dear; I just came to say hi, you really should take a break." Mrs. Alderaan began her endless story about her Bellsprout, which she carried in her arms. "When Belle is exhausted, she gets asthma."
Did pokemon even get asthma? Delia smiled sweetly and interrupted, "I heard that the local doctor left the keys to the clinic with someone in case anyone needed some first aid supplies. Just out of curiosity, who was it?"
"It was me. At least I can count on having first aid supplies on hand if Belle ever got hurt. Oh but I will make sure she doesn't," Mrs. Alderaan continued. "Sometimes I call Professor Oak to look at Belle when she gets sick. My poor sweet Belle often chokes on air and gets the most violent hiccup attacks. Sometimes I call Dr. Quigon too. A human doctor should at least know the basics of pokemon medicine. It's just so unfortunate that they're both away at the same time. What if something happened to Belle? Don't you think it's just nerve wrecking to be without the doctor and the professor in town at the same time?"
Delia felt another wave of pain wash over her. She kept her legs firm and straight. If she bent her knees even a little, she was sure she would crumble to the floor. She clenched her teeth in a forced smile. "Yes, terribly nerve wrecking. Can I borrow the keys?"
"Of course, let me get them for you," Mrs. Alderaan didn't move, "speaking of keys, Belle was playing with the keys earlier, it was so cute!"
"Thank you so much, I'll come get the keys, just as soon as I get back from running a little errand," Delia walked past Mrs. Alderaan. Walking very stiff and pained, she headed up the street. If she let people take pity on her, they might treat Ash differently. She would prove she didn't need any pity.
"Such impatience!" Mrs. Alderaan raised one arm dramatically, palm up. In her other arm the Bellsprout seemed to be more aware of the situation than her trainer.
Delia hurried up the street to Professor Oak's place. She didn't bother with the stairs, instead calling at the top of her lungs, "Marty!"
She waited a few seconds and the young man came out, breathing heavily from all the running. He spotted Delia at the base of the stairs and hurried to her. "Is there an emergency?" Professor Oak had left one of his Pallet Town neighbors taking care of things while he was away. He only really needed to feed the pokemon.
Delia smiled sweetly; it felt relieving to be able to scream as loud as she could at least once. "There's no emergency, I just want to borrow Chansey. I feel like having the company of a Chansey, that's all."
"Oh..." Marty assumed it was all due to some kind of odd mood swing. "Okay, I'll go find Chansey for you, I'll be right back." The seconds ticked away painfully until Marty returned and gave Delia a pokeball, "here you go, is there something else you need? Is everything okay?"
Delia forced herself to keep smiling, "everything is fine, thanks for asking. See you later," she went on her way, pained and stiff down the street.
After making it to Mrs. Alderaan's house, Delia found the old lady in the front yard playing with Belle. Thankfully she had remembered to get the keys and promptly handed them over. "Isn't it a lovely day?" Mrs. Alderaan continued with her usual chatter. "That's why I brought Belle out to play in the yard, I'm sure she enjoys nice days like this."
"Oh yes, lovely day, thanks for the keys, see you later!" Delia rushed away as quickly as she could.
Mrs. Alderaan watched her leave. "Such impatience!" She threw her hands in the air. "I bet that patience will not be that baby's strong point." Standing on the ground beside her, Belle continued being more aware of the situation than her trainer.
Delia let herself into the clinic and hurried with difficulty to lay in bed. "Go Chansey!" She released the pokemon from her pokeball. The Chansey immediately realized what was going on. Her caring nature made her want to help the human. "Chansey, I'll be counting on you!"
Delia wasn't sure how much time passed, but it wasn't more than a few hours. The birth happened relatively quickly. Chansey was at a loss of what to do with something that wasn't an egg. "Chansey!"
"It's okay," Delia gasped for air, "I' know what to do." She did her best to guide the pokemon through the process of human birth. Delia had read up on it to feel more prepared. Chansey was nervous, but did as she was told and everything worked out in the end.
xoxox xox xoxox
By the time Delia finished her story Giovanni had stopped reading from the computer screen and was staring at her. "You were always good at blurring the line between brave and crazy," he finally spoke, impressed that Delia was able to handle the birth practically on her own.
"That's funny," Delia smiled as she remembered, "Professor Oak said something like that when he came back to town the next day and found out what happened. You should have seen his face. The Chansey that helped me was his pokemon. He allowed Dr. Quigon to keep her in the clinic. She's a Blissey now. She's still helping out at the Pallet Town clinic."
To be Continued
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Don't Give Me Diamonds
Diamond 075: Give me Parties
"Relax; I'm not going to do anything crazy. You don't need to keep an eye on me twenty-four seven." Delia reassured Giovanni before he even had the chance to protest on her decision. She had just informed him that she was going back to Pallet Town. She missed her home and Mimey must be getting lonely without her. "I already tried on the new dress and it fits, I'm all set to go to the wedding. I just want to be in Pallet Town for a while before going to Cerulean City."
"I wasn't going to stop you," Giovanni half complained, though in truth he was going to remind her about a few things.
Delia had, as promised, been visiting Binks. The visits went more or less the same way as the first. On the bright side, the dark circles under Binks' eyes were less prominent and she had talked him into eating a decent amount of food. She didn't expect him to be anything but thin; he had always been that way. At least he could return to being relatively normally thin, rather than in the bones.
"Be mindful of Binks' health," Delia recited. It was not how Giovanni would have phrased it, but it encompassed the basic idea. "Secrets should remain secret," she continued, "no big family revelations will be made until after the wedding," she paused in thought, "am I forgetting something?"
"That just about covers it," Giovanni voiced, at least she was aware of those points, even if she seemed much more relaxed about it than in the past. He knew she wouldn't keep up trying to avoid him as she did for a short time.
"Why do I get the feeling that you're assuming whatever you want?" Delia mused; she knew that confident look all too well.
"You're imagining things. Besides, aren't I always plotting something?" There was no use in denying it.
"That is very true," Delia admitted. "Anyway, I'm concerned about the illness that's spreading. It still hasn't been declared an epidemic but it's worrisome. I trust you're not withholding any information?"
"No cure has been found, but the researchers claim they're making progress," Giovanni truthfully replied, 'they better be,' he mentally added.
"Binks said that too. Let's hope they have a breakthrough soon," Delia felt she had nothing more to do but to hope. Yet she wished she could do more. She had been reacting to things rather than taking action beforehand for the most part in her life. She wanted to change that.
"Now that I think about it, there is one thing you're forgetting." Giovanni stopped Delia as she was about to exit his gym office.
"Not that I know of," Delia couldn't think of anything that was pending for her to do.
"Transportation," Giovanni reminded. "You need a reliable form of transportation in case I need to call you here for some reason. He gave her a key with a leaf shaped keychain that looked like the Earth badge. "It's for the orange car, in front of the gym."
"I don't really need-" Delia was interrupted.
"Just take it," Giovanni insisted, "if you don't want it, you can give it to Ash or something."
Didn't he just say it was in case she needed to be there quickly? Delia decided not to read too deeply into it. Instead she pocketed the keys and went on her way, "thank you."
xoxox xox xoxox
The trip from Viridian City to Pallet Town went by quickly in the car. It was late when Delia decided to return, but that didn't stop her. She parked the orange car in front of her little house. The evening had already given away to the night. She entered the house quietly.
Mimey had heard the car in the stillness of the atmosphere. He looked out the window and saw Delia get out of the car. "Mime!" Mimey ran to hug her.
"Aw, did you miss me, Mimey?" Delia gently petted his blue hair. "Next time, you can come with me."
"Mime?" Mimey glanced at the living room, "mime?" He gazed towards the kitchen, "mime?" He looked towards the stairs.
"Don't worry about the house chores. The house will be fine by itself for a few days," she let Cloyster and Kingler out of their pokeballs. "How about we all have a snack then go to bed early? A good night's rest is important," she smiled. All the pokemon agreed.
xoxox xox xoxox
Down the street, Gary was ready to turn in for the night. His new employee was helpful but odd. It seemed he sometimes forgot how the most basic items worked and expected everything to be automatic. Then some kind of hidden realization overtook Skye and he knew what should have been obvious from the start. Other than being an oddball there didn't seem to be anything wrong with him so far. Maybe he was just a really big fan of science fiction. Gary yawned and went to bed.
Meanwhile, in one of the guest rooms, the boy who claimed to be called Skye was still awake. "Maybe I should check the house one last time just to make sure Delia is still with Team Rocket."
Dia and Givan had their collars on, which allowed them to speak the human language. "Do you think she'll come back this late?" Dia's black collar traced the sound waves in red lines.
"We never know," Skye decided it was best to be on the safe side. If anything happened, he would at least have the proper information for a second attempt at his mission. However, he might not get that chance. One try was already a lot to ask for. "I'll take a quick look." Skye headed out of the guest room. His two pokemon followed him towards the front door. They exited silently and made their way down the stairs. From behind the locked gates, they looked towards the Pallet House. "There's a car, she must be back!"
It would look suspicious to ask Gary to unlock the gate, so Skye and his pokemon jumped over it. They hurried towards Delia's house stopping in front of the orange car. "It's pretty cool even if it's an antique. It must be new for everyone here," Skye observed. He looked towards the calm and quiet house. "I don't think anything has happened. We'll have to keep an eye on her just in case. At least until the danger passes. I wonder how long it will be? We don't even know what to expect. It was all so long ago."
"All of this could bring consequences," Dia's doubts plagued her again. "At the same time given what came as a result of that event, it can also bring improvements. It all feels so..."
"Confusing?" Skye offered.
"Convenient?" Givan suggested.
"Familiar," Dia finished unexpectedly. "Why don't I guard her for tonight?" She looked at Givan, "I'm trusting you not to be a bad influence on Van while I'm gone."
Givan grinned mischievously, "I always give him the best ideas, don't I, Vandel?"
Vandel, alias Skye, grinned in agreement, "most of the time."
"Stay out of trouble you too," Dia insisted. After Vandel took her collar off, she climbed into the house through the window.
"We should go back before anyone gets suspicious," Givan reminded. Vandel agreed and they hurried back to their assigned guest room at the Oak lab.
Dia quietly made her way to the source of light in the kitchen. The other pokemon, Mr. Mime, Cloyster and Kingler, noticed her, alerting Delia. "Hello there," Delia petted the Vulpix, "how did you get in?" She was too friendly to be wild. Maybe she belonged to someone in town. Most likely, she lived with the Oaks. Delia would take her there tomorrow and ask. For the time being, the Vulpix could stay in the house. "Do you want to join us?"
"Vulpix," Dia nodded. Delia gave her some food. Dia sniffed the cookies then began to eat them. She and Givan preferred human food for the most part. The chocolate chip cookies were welcomed.
xoxox xox xoxox
Morning came in the peaceful town of Pallet. Ash was still away, he had been talked into helping Lando with his bachelor party. As a result, he and Brock journeyed to Vermillion City with Lando and Kenobi, while the Waterflowers stayed at Cerulean City. Jenny did visit the gym, but her questions were quick and to the point. Lily was unaware of Caedus' illegal activities as Solo. Either way, they had enough accusations waiting for him, including kidnapping and car theft.
Delia woke up, got ready for the day and began the breakfast preparations. It had been a few days since the Pallet House was open. A quick group email to the town the previous night brought back her customers. The town woke up to the pleasant news in their inboxes that the Pallet House was open for business. Those who didn't see the message that morning, heard from their neighbors. It was a small town where anything resembling news was a rarity that traveled quickly when it came.
Among the chatter in the tables at the Pallet House, Delia filled her customers' cups with coffee. Gary was at one of the tables reading the news paper. "Good morning Gary. I think one of the pokemon from the research lab snuck into my house last night." She looked at the Vulpix by her feet. "She's a real sweetie."
"Good morning," Gary was able to take his time with breakfast that day. He started preparing the pokemon's food and setting it out for them with his new employee, then left Skye to finish the job. "Dia?" Gary recognized the Vulpix. "She belongs to Skye; I just hired him to work at the lab. I have to admit it feels good having more time to do research with some extra help taking care of the pokemon. It's been pretty busy ever since Tracey returned to the Orange Islands a couple of years ago. I told Skye to come have some breakfast over here when he finished getting the pokemon's breakfast ready." Gary looked towards the road, "there he comes."
A few minutes later, Skye arrived looking exhausted. He could run, jump and fight all day long, but chores tired him out quickly. He had plenty of physical endurance for some things and almost none for others. Perhaps it was the tediousness of a task that should been automatic that got to him. "All the pokemon have been fed," he collapsed into a chair at Gary's table, glancing at Delia with curiosity.
"Good," Gary commended, "this is Delia," he introduced, unaware of the fact that Skye, whose real name was Vandel, already knew who she was. "She's the best cook in town."
Skye woke up from his tired daze, "nice to meet you, I'm Skye," he gave her a grin that reminded her of both Giovanni and Ash. The boy's face seemed to be a blend of both their faces.
"It's nice to meet you too," Delia smiled sweetly, not letting her surprise at the resemblance show. Additionally Skye dressed in a similar way to Ash. "This Vulpix is yours?"
"Yes," Skye petted Dia, "Dia likes to explore sometimes. She must have gotten curious about the town. She didn't bother you, right?"
"Of course not, she's such a sweetie, it was nice to have her visit," Delia petted Dia as well. "You're welcome to come visit me whenever you like. Who's this handsome gentleman here?" She reached out to pet Givan.
"Be careful with that one," Gary warned, "he's not very... friendly?" He watched in awe as Givan allowed Delia to pet him, even purring in response.
"He seems friendly enough to me." The Persian reminded Delia of Giovanni.
"Is Givan one of those pokemon who are only nice to women?" Gary had come across a few pokemon who only allowed humans of the opposite gender to pet them.
Even Skye was surprised, "I don't understand, he usually doesn't let anyone touch him like that, even if it is a woman. I guess he likes you." Skye observed Givan; he didn't seem to be pretending to be nice for the sake of their mission involving Delia. It looked as if he honestly didn't mind if she petted him.
Gary got an idea, "maybe you can help me study him," he suggested. Givan gave a low threatening growl, "or maybe not." His cell phone rang, making Gary wonder who was calling him so early. He took a look at the little screen and saw Ash's name. "It's Ash," he announced before answering, "good morning Ash, you're actually up early today."
Ash yawned, still sleepy, "morning, I've been really busy," he stated what his yawn had made obvious. "Do you feel like coming to a party in Vermilion City? Say yes!" Ash insisted quickly explaining, "we need to invite one hundred guests, because Lando decided that it wouldn't be a real bachelor party without that many guests. Lando, Kenobi and I don't know that many people put together," or rather not that many that could be invited and expected to make it on time. "Say yes! There will be lots of food, drinks and pokemon battles, say yes!"
Gary laughed, "yes, but you'll have to give me the specific directions and time."
"No problem, I'll write everything in a text message so you can look at it if you forget," Ash cheerfully offered. "Sorry to hang up so quickly, I need to keep searching for guests, see you at the party!"
Gary looked amused, "he didn't even give me time to say goodbye." He closed and pocketed his cell phone. "There will be a bachelor party in Vermilion City with food and pokemon battles."
Skye looked up from the menu he was examining, "are we going?"
"I am going, you are staying here and taking care of the pokemon," Gary replied, much to Skye's annoyance. "Grandpa can't take care of all the pokemon by himself anymore. Besides, you're too young to drink."
Skye scowled, then remembered his mission, "fine." He couldn't leave Delia out of his sight unless she was with Team Rocket. No one ever said that the tragedy had to occur when she was in Pallet Town, but it was only logical. She was safe with Team Rocket, he assumed.
xoxox xox xoxox
The day went by uneventfully, giving way to a night of parties. Charla was at Cerulean City, she had stayed there since she was a girl, thus she would attend Daisy's party. She looked at the glass bubble on her tail. It would protect her flame from the water that would be abundant in the pool party. The large gym pool had just been cleaned and needed to be refilled with water. Misty left the pool automatically filling itself with water, the mechanism would shut down the flow of water automatically when the level was proper.
Next to the pool there was a large supply of paint. It was temporary body paint that they would play with later. Daisy thought it would be original. She had definitely ordered far too much paint. Misty shut the doors to the gym arena so that the guests wouldn't wander in before the area was ready. She went to the aquarium area to talk to the guests.
A little later, music was playing and Daisy's party was going well. Other than playing Rattata maze with the pizza delivery boy, nothing too out of the ordinary had happened. The game consisted of blindfolding a person and having them make their way out of a maze of people without bumping into them. Their voices would be the guide. It was a childish playground game that was much more amusing than usual when the person declared to be the Rattata was a terrified handsome young man who was never actually asked if he wanted to play. Aside from being blindfolded, his hands were tied behind his back. It was hilarious watching him stumble around. It got better when his also handsome co-worker came asking about why his friend never returned to the pizza parlor. He became another victim of their game.
"Misty, did you fill up the pool?" Daisy inquired, she wanted to move the party there since all the guests had already arrived.
"Yes, I filled it up a while ago," Misty replied.
The festivities were interrupted by the arrival of officer Jenny. It was Violet who opened the door. "Hi!" She cheerfully greeted. "Have you come to join the party?" The local nurse Joy had attended. They had conveniently forgotten to invite Jenny, but decided to act natural if she showed up.
Jenny looked very displeased, "I'm here because of the complaints from the neighbors," she seriously informed.
"I didn't think the music was that loud," Violet mused, "alright, we'll turn it down."
"It's not the music; it's the massive amount of water coming out of your window. It's flooding the street and painting it!" Jenny dramatized.
"What?" Violet blinked in confusion.
"Come have a look," Jenny urged.
Outside, Violet noticed that there was indeed a very unusual amount of water out in the street and it was indeed unusually colored. A small rainbow stream made its way down the sidewalk, filtering in under people's doors. The water fell to the lower ground of the road, making it difficult for cars to drive by when their tires caught the sticky paint. They went around the gym and found that there was a large amount of water coming out of the windows that led to the arena area. "Oh no," Violet hurried back inside."
Misty and Daisy stood in front of the door leading to the arena area where the big pool was. "Why is there water coming out from under the door?" Daisy asked with worry.
"I don't know, the pool should have stop filling itself with water when it reached the right amount," Misty observed Daisy's worried expression.
"Since you have like been away traveling you didn't know," Daisy realized. "The mechanism is like broken," both sisters shared wide eyed expressions.
Lily walked by, "why are you two like standing there? Everyone is ready to like have fun in the pool."
Violet rushed inside, her voice mixing with Daisy's and Misty's as they yelled, "don't open it!" It was too late, Lily opened the door and a flood of water came rushing out.
xoxox xox xoxox
Meanwhile, in Vermilion City, Lando was quite happy with the amount of guests in his party. Even if many were pokemon, there had to be more than a hundred guests in his mansion. "How wonderful," he cheered, "I am quite pleased to have entrusted the guest list to you, Ash. Now, how do we properly have a bachelor party? Such celebrations are not familiar to me," he admitted. "Shall we play classical music? Oh, but who would we dance with? Maybe we should do something else."
Kenobi paused for a moment in thought, "well, we could threaten some small company somewhere and take over their business. That would be a celebration," he suggested with a carefree smile.
Brock took Kenobi's suggestion as a joke, "Can we even call it a party if there are no girls?"
Ash rolled his eyes, the rich, the mafia and the obsessed didn't know how to have fun. "You have it all wrong. This is a party not a ball or a business meeting. We're supposed to listen to super loud rock music while we eat, drink and have pokemon battles until we pass out from exhaustion!" Lando and Kenobi looked at each other, then back at Ash. They nodded in agreement, admittedly, his suggestion did sound fun. "Since I'm starving, why don't we eat first and then battle?"
"Splendid!" Lando exclaimed, signaling for the butler to come over. The female staff had the day off. "I would like rock music to play, the loudest you can find!"
"Right away sir," the butler hurried to accomplish his unusual mission.
"I shall make sure all the guests are happily eating and drinking to their hearts' content, starting with you two!" Lando blissfully declared.
"Then I'll go eat and drink to my heart's content," Ash agreed with a wide grin.
"I'll gladly join in too," Kenobi added.
"Me three!" Brock cheered.
The music began to play and the party progressed as everyone ate and drank. Many tables with food and drinks were all over the grand room. It looked like a room where a royal ball would take place. It had a high ceiling with detailed paintings of various flying pokemon. The crystals in the glass chandeliers shimmered brightly, vibrating with the strong sound waves of the hidden speakers. The marble floors were perfectly polished like mirrors. The walls were made of glass, save for the columns that supported the structure every few feet.
Charizard was offered a cup with strong liquor, which he curiously drank. The substance had a strong burning taste, it was sour, but he liked the warm feeling it gave him. There seemed to be similar liquids of different colors. He tried each one, finding the warmth within him increasing with each drink. The flame on his tail grew, with sparks of fire jumping from it. The sparks reached the various tables as Charizard went from one to another, trying the contents of all the bottles he saw.
It didn't take long for someone to realize that there was a fire and it was spreading. Many flaming desserts were ordered and Lando had decided to deactivate the fire security system. He had a rather embarrassing mishap with it in the past that ended up with drenched angry guests and smoking desserts that should have been flaming. Before anyone could think to turn the security system back on, Charizard reached his limit.
Charizard felt that something was about to explode in his stomach. He looked up to the ceiling; he couldn't hold it in anymore. He let out a loud roar with a massive breath of fire. The powerful column of fire reached the ceiling burning a hole through it. The fire continued spreading in the ceiling as sparks fell and most of the guests fled. The security system was turned back on and the sprinklers were finally activated. The indoor rain was very unpleasant for Charizard. He was lightheaded, not in his full senses, but still strong, he could not be called back into his pokeball. Displeased, Charizard thrashed about wildly, spreading the flames.
Ash and Gary called for their Blastoise to calm Charizard. The two large water pokemon only gave their trainers sheepish smiles as they leaned on each other like drunken buddies. In the middle of the chaos, Bulbasaur swung happily from the chandelier on his vine whip. He didn't seem to notice the danger around him as he laughed merrily. Brock was holding on to Bulbasaur, enjoying the ride.
"You let the pokemon get drunk!" Ash and Gary pointed accusing fingers at each other.
"Turn the water off, it's making him mad!" Kenobi yelled. A few more seconds passed until the sprinklers were turned off. "Calm the Charizard and get him out, then turn the water back on to put out the rest of the fire." Somehow in the battle of Charizard versus the sprinklers, Charizard had been winning.
Kenobi's advice was followed. Dodging flames, Ash approached Charizard and tried to calm him down. Charizard couldn't help it; he had an overload of fire. "It's okay, just let that fire out in a safe place." Ash climbed on his back as Charizard flew out the hole in the ceiling. He breathed fire into the sky, like fireworks, until he calmed down.
When Ash and Charizard landed back inside the mansion, the fire had already been put out and the water from the sprinklers ceased. Only Lando, Kenobi, Ash, Gary, Brock, the mansion staff and their pokemon remained. The other guests were gone.
"Leave it to Ash and his pokemon to heat up the party," Gary teased. His own pokemon weren't exactly sober, but they were nowhere near as destructive.
"You said it!" Lando cheered as he put his arms around Ash and Gary. "You Pallet Town people really know how to party!" He sounded as if he had enjoyed every second of it.
"Is he drunk?" Ash inquired, referring to Lando.
"I'm not certain," Kenobi admitted.
"Let's hope so," Gary added, at least that way the insanity would be gone by morning.
Brock fell from the chandelier, with Bulbasaur landing on top of him. "They're drunk," Ash stated the obvious as Pikachu attempted to climb on his shoulder and kept falling back clumsily, giving him little electric shocks.
To be Continued
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Don't Give Me Diamonds
Diamond 076: Give me Expectations
On the day after the parties, the day before the wedding, Ash, Lando and Kenobi returned to Cerulean City. Gary and Brock, who were also invited to the wedding, went there as well. The men found the interior of the gym looking messy and wet. Puddles were abundant in the street. Oddly enough, the street was also painted in bright colors. The body paints were indeed easy to wash off skin, but stuck to any other material.
The group had lunch together at a nice cafe near the gym. "Are you perchance remodeling the gym?" Lando curiously asked during their conversation.
The Waterflower sisters looked at each other and Daisy replied with a smile and a simple, "yes." It's not like they had a choice after what happened.
"I thought so," Lando smiled back. "I also noticed they painted the street in a rather original design, how very festive. Speaking of remodeling, I'm remodeling the party room. It's nothing too major; it will be ready for the reception tomorrow and I'm sure you'll like it."
"I can't wait to see it!" Daisy happily exclaimed. Without any direct references to the disastrous parties, their conversation continued casual and carefree. The wedding would be held in Cerulean City, at Daisy's request. The reception would be held at Lando's mansion in Vermilion City, also by Daisy's choice. The locations were far from each other which posed an inconvenience. However, the problem was quickly minimized by making sure enough aerial transportation was ready.
xoxox xox xoxox
That afternoon, the group returned to the Cerulean gym where Brock found a quiet corner in a guest room to mope. It didn't take long for Ash and Misty to stray from the group and investigate. "What's wrong Brock?" Ash inquired, though he had a good guess about what was going on. Brock must have been feeling lonely due to his lack of date.
Brock looked away from the wall with a desperate expression. "I asked Lily if she would be my date for Daisy's wedding party and she said..."
"She said no?" Misty asked, "don't take it so badly. Maybe I can talk to her for you."
Brock shook his head, "actually, she said yes, but only because I helped her before."
"Congratulations!" Ash happily exclaimed, "you have a date, that's great!"
"Why aren't you happy?" Misty guessed Brock would be jumping with joy if anyone agreed to be his date.
"Because it's only a pity date," Brock pouted, "Lily might feel it's her obligation to stand next to me and talk to me and dance with me," Brock dramatized, his voice rising in volume and pitch as he went along. He frowned deeply, "she might not enjoy the wedding and it'll all be my fault."
"Aw, don't think that way," Misty tried to console him, her expression supportive. "You're a fun guy, I'm sure Lily will enjoy the date."
"Yeah, you two will have lots of fun together," Ash grinned. "Maybe Lily will even agree to go out with you again."
Brock seemed to grow sadder, "I don't think she'll go out with me again. Relationships never work out for me, I'm cursed. It's going to be heartbreaking even if she does have a good time. I'll miss her more when she rejects my second date invitation."
"Think positive!" Ash urged, though given Brock's history that would be a challenge.
"Listen Brock, it's about time you learned to be smarter with women," Misty spoke in a serious tone, her eyes piercing. "When you see a girl you like, don't just tell her, you have to get to know her first. I know you're good at heart, but anyone who doesn't know you that well will think you're a superficial jerk. You also give up too easily. Take it slow and gently, pursue the same interest loyally, but without stalking."
Brock nodded like a bobble head toy. He was too shocked for words. He stared at Misty, processing her advice. Then his mind was filled with pictures of his happy life with Lily. "I understand!" Brock loudly exclaimed. "I won't give up until I win Lily's heart. Somehow I will accomplish this without getting slapped or getting a restraining order!" He ran off to put his plan into action immediately.
"Wait, Brock that's not what I-" Misty didn't have time to explain herself. Brock had already run off, from his quiet guest room corner. His footsteps faded away down the stairs. Misty's advice was spoken in general terms. She didn't mean for Brock to apply it specifically to her sister. "Lily is never going to forgive me for this."
"Who knows, they might end up dating for real," Ash thought of the possibility, but it seemed difficult. Brock really did have the worse luck with women.
xoxox xox xoxox
Far away from Cerulean City, strong winds blew as a helicopter landed in Pallet Town. The only thing identifying the black helicopter was a green leaf, shaped like the Earth badge. That particular helicopter lacked the red R most of Giovanni's flying vehicles had. It was an extremely rare event, far rarer than a car driving by, and that was already quite rare. It didn't take long before some of the inhabitants of the town gathered around the helicopter. They witnessed as the Viridian City gym leader exited the flying machine when the wind died down. He was followed by his loyal Persian, who was always by his side.
The people of the small town knew of the apparent relationship between Delia and the gym leader. Rumors traveled fast in the little town. As he walked, people stepped aside as if making way for royalty. They commented among themselves about the gym leader's 'dashing' arrival and came up with all sorts of romantic stories. Giovanni found it annoying that they didn't have the decency to wait until he was out of earshot to start gossiping.
Delia rushed out of her house to meet Giovanni. She was accompanied by her three pokemon, Cloyster, Kingler and Mimey. Additionally, she was followed by two other pokemon, a Vulpix and a Persian. The last two were Skye's pokemon Dia and Givan. "You could have been a little more discrete," Delia whispered to Giovanni. She expected him to pick her up, but not in such an attention grabbing way.
"Does it bother you that much that they talk?" Giovanni whispered back. He caught bits and pieces of the murmurs of the Pallet Town residents. They were muttering something about whispering sweet nothings. The public was composed of mostly idiots; it was something Giovanni had figured out a long time ago.
"Let's discuss this inside," Delia urged. She was feeling a little too scrutinized. Though the looks she was getting were much nicer, she was reminded of when she returned to Pallet Town expecting Ash. The looks she got back then were not nice. Now people seemed to be happy that she was with such an important public figure. They treated the situation as a matter of pride.
Giovanni, Delia and the pokemon went inside her house. Persian gave Givan a threatening glare. Givan was bigger than him, but he didn't care. He liked being the only Persian around. Givan had a look of superiority in his face. His expression was very familiar. Then something seemed to click. 'You're...' Persian glared, 'impossible! Who are you really?'
Givan remained unfazed, 'sometimes I wonder about that myself.' He began to leave and Delia noticed.
"Are you going back, Givan?" She called after him and he nodded in response. There was no need to guard Delia when she was with Giovanni. "Alright, I'll see you when I return, you too Dia."
"Vulpix!" Dia gave her goodbye and followed Givan to the door. Givan stood on his back paws, taking the doorknob between his front paws and twisting it. He exited the house along with Dia and closed the door.
Giovanni watched the scene with interest, "did you teach him that?"
"No, Givan and Dia already knew how to get around when I met them recently," Delia explained. She went to pet Persian, who was giving her an attention demanding look. "They're Skye's pokemon, he's Gary's new employee. He'll be taking care of the pokemon while Gary is away."
"Mr. Mime, mime mime," Mimey was curious about the man who was apparently dating his trainer. He introduced himself and extended his hand.
Though a handshake was a common trick, Giovanni decided to humor the pokemon and more so Delia. He returned the greeting shaking hands with Mimey. "Giovanni, Viridian City gym leader."
"Mime!" Mimey sounded happy.
Delia laughed, "he's impressed," she smiled and elaborated upon the introduction, "Mimey is my little helper."
"The one that cooks, cleans and uses a vacuum cleaner to wake people?" Giovanni remembered Ash mentioning it during his last visit to Pallet Town.
"The very same!" Delia smiled proudly along with Mimey. "I promised to take him along with everyone the next time I went away. Should we get going before the neighbors decide to coincidentally drop by?"
"Yes, it's best if we leave right away," Giovanni agreed. Getting away from the office when he was waiting for important scientific reports was not easy. Either way, he really needed to attend the wedding the next day. As for his little trip to Pallet Town, the publicity was good. His image as the good gym leader was restored quickly. Romantic gossip could make miracles and disasters for public figures.
"Okay, is everyone ready?" Mimey, Cloyster and Kingler agreed cheerfully. Delia had been making sure to give her pokemon a lot of attention so that she wouldn't lose their trust ever again. "Into your pokeballs you go, I'll let you out when we get there," Delia recalled all three pokemon into their pokeballs. Mimey wasn't used to being in a pokeball, but he didn't resist the red beam that absorbed him.
Delia, Giovanni and Persian returned to the helicopter. The pilot was instructed to take off with Cerulean City as the destination.
xoxox xox xoxox
Dia and Givan had returned to the Oak research lab. Vandel, alias Skye, was laying on the grass a few steps outside of the house. "Chores are far more tiring than battles," he complained when Dia looked at him curiously.
'Should we tell him that Giovanni was here?' Givan grinned mischievously. The expression didn't go unnoticed by his trainer.
'Van might be upset that he didn't get the chance to see Giovanni in person,' Dia warned. She could clearly picture Vandel complaining about missing a chance to obtain the autograph of the great Giovanni.
Vandel's tired eyes focused on the two pokemon. "I keep getting the feeling that you're talking about me right in front of me," he mused aloud. "I thought not having your collars would bother you more than me, but it's the other way around." He closed his eyes, "I'm taking a nap right here..."
"Skye?" Professor Oak's voice came from the door.
Vandel got mentally ready to assume his alias, though Skye's following statement required no acting, "I'm so tired!"
"You're still young, where has your energy gone?" Professor Oak got an idea and smiled knowingly. "If you're that tired you can take the rest of the day off. That's too bad though, I was hoping you could help me study a rare pokemon. Oh well, I guess I'll wait until Gary comes back and ask him to help me."
"Rare pokemon!" Skye jumped to his feet. "Where is it? Where is it?" He was suddenly full of energy.
"It's right over here in the lab," Professor Oak walked towards the laboratory area of the residence.
Skye followed him impatiently asking questions, "what kind of pokemon is it? What makes it so rare? Is it really powerful?"
The short walk to the laboratory area felt eternal for Skye. Finally, Professor Oak picked up a pokeball he had set aside on his desk and released the pokemon it contained. What came out was a young Bulbasaur and he was all green.
Skye closely observed the Bulbasaur, waiting for him to do something amazing. The green Bulbasaur backed away, intimidated. That human had a very piercing stare, plus there was a very fierce looking Persian next to him. The Vulpix looked friendly, but that wasn't enough to make up for the young human and his Persian companion. "do something!" Skye exclaimed.
The green Bulbasaur let out a loud and frightened, "bulba!" He ran to hide behind the elderly professor. He was familiar with that particular human at least. "Saur!" The little green Bulbasaur wrapped his vine whip around Professor Oak's leg, firmly attaching himself to him.
"Be careful little one, you almost made me trip," Professor Oak grabbed on to the edge of the desk for balance. "There's nothing to be afraid of, no one will hurt you." He tried in vain to calm the little Bulbasaur.
Skye was still staring at the young pokemon intensely. He didn't want to miss anything whenever that so called rare pokemon did something amazing. "When is he going to do something?" He urged impatiently.
"It's his color," Professor Oak pointed out what he thought would be easy to notice. Skye sure sounded excited about seeing a rare pokemon, so the professor had assumed he knew that much about them. "This color is quite unusual for a Bulbasaur. I'm sure you've seen light blue Bulbasaur before."
Skye blinked, "his color?" Pokemon could be digitalized into data and kept in suspended animation where he came from. They could additionally be recolored. That was an illegal practice that could result in corrupt data. The risk of the pokemon remaining in a permanent coma after they were returned to a physical state was too great. Not even an expert could guarantee a successful modification. Of course, that didn't stop people from doing it. The pokemon that survived were generally weak as an aftereffect of the procedure. They were not ideal for battle, but they were not sold to battle anyway. They were living decorations. The technology to do such things didn't exist in the era of his mission. That Bulbasaur was naturally colored differently from most of his kind. "That is rare," Skye finally acknowledged, "is he very powerful?"
"He's still a baby," Professor Oak pointed out, "a frightened baby," he emphasized. He knew Skye wasn't scaring the little pokemon on purpose, but he was still scaring him. The same went for Givan, except he seemed amused by the little pokemon's fright.
Dia pouted at Givan's grin. 'Don't be mean to him,' her words came out as a stream of "vulpix" for the humans. She walked over to the little green Bulbasaur and sweetly talked him into calming down.
Vulpix was a fire type, but she was very gentle, so Bulbasaur wasn't afraid of her. He finally let go of Professor Oak's leg. "How interesting, it seems Dia has calmed him down." It was ironic due to their types. "I think we should begin the study there. Let's allow Bulbasaur to interact with other pokemon and observe them."
"You mean we're not going to battle?" Skye pouted in disappointment, "I want to battle!" He stubbornly insisted. What he really did was sent his pokemon into battle and watch them win. Givan had already shown his strength to Gary. Dia was generally a pacifist, but she was not a pokemon anyone would want to make angry.
The little green Bulbasaur once again looked frightened at the prospect of having to battle. The big Persian looked extremely scary and he didn't want to battle him. The Vulpix had shown him kindness, but she was a fire type. Even if she was merciful, the idea of battling her was also scary. Any type of battle frightened the little Bulbasaur.
"I don't think Bulbasaur is ready to battle," Professor Oak tried to make Skye understand.
Skye looked at the small green Bulbasaur with disinterest, "he's not very brave. He's probably not very strong either. Don't you have some sort of super rare pokemon around here I can battle with?"
Professor Oak looked