The Weekly Prompt Thread

(Something my brain just created out of the blue. I hope this is acceptable, as the winter season is here.)Alexandrianshippers, you may now fire a flash cannon in my direction.)

If Volkner had anything to lament about the snow, it was the very existence of it.


"I'm starting to regret this..." he grumbled, as he clutched at his winter jacket while walking through the harsh blizzard at Route 217. He had put away his Pokémon in his Pokeballs, in the event that they are not able to withstand such temperature. There was a small parcel he had hidden in his jacket, and he had to take care not to lose it. He had to bring it to Snowpoint City, even though he was regretting it the moment he saw the blizzard. Then again, he had to deliver it at that very day. Blizzards raged in Route 217 like sun shines each day, hence it would be the same, if not worse, if he chose another day.

It was all but a white flurry. To the visually impaired, it would resemble thousands of snow white Bunearies flying across the air. He rubbed his eyes, as a snowflake or two had gotten their way into them. Raising an arm to shield his vision against the howling wind, he strode forward, though his legs were on the verge of frostbite, if they were not just caked in snow.

"Darn...why is it that you have to live in such a place? You're no better than Kanto's wandering champion who braves the mountainous weather in short sleeves and jeans--" He cut himself short. His fellow Gym Leader would grace the show in a short skirt, she was way more superior than Red. However, adaptability since birth was also a factor.

After a few hefty steps, he made it out of the snow storm and into the entrance of Snowpoint City. Breathing a fog of a sigh out of relief, he bent down, panting a little. Standing back up straight, he moved on, albeit slowly. The snow had given him quite the beating, and he lived in a seaside city.

A few more steps till he reached his destination. His eyesight was getting a little blurry. The Snowpoint City Gym. The place he least liked, but there was a specific someone he had to meet. Come on, he willed his legs to move quicker. With the last of his energy, he slammed the door open, before falling face flat onto the door mat of the gym. He groaned to himself in embarrassment as he heard footsteps rush to him and concerned voices shouting for him.

--
Moments later, Volkner came to. He felt a wet cloth on his forehead, and that his jacket was removed. The blond felt himself lying on a soft bed, and there was a Glaceon doll on the nightstand. No need to guess whose place this is, he thought to himself.

Sitting up, he felt that the room's temperature was a tad warmer. It must be a heater's doings. Turning around, he noticed a small log fire was crackling merrily. A smile crept onto his face. With a sudden jolt, he remembered something. "Oh Arceus, the package!" he exclaimed as he sprang from the bed to look for his jacket, only to let a head rush slow him down. "Ughh..." Grasping his head, he staggered towards where his jacket hung, frantically searching for its pockets to find that it was no longer there.

"Volkner? Oh you're awake. How are you?" came a youthful female voice. Instinctively, he turned to meet a youthful female. She had on twin ponytails in her raven hair, an ice blue barrette, as well as a white blouse and a brown skirt. Looking into his lightning blue eyes were a pair of almond orbs, blinking at him curiously. An annoyed look on his face became apparent to mask his frantic actions, as he gave a scoff. "You didn't rob me, did you, Candice?"

The other person chuckled as she held up a parcel. It was the exact same one that Volkner had. "Looking for this?"

His pupils dilated a moment, before he sighed. "I knew it."

"Oh don't get your pants in a twist, it was a little soggy, so I dried it with a hairdryer." Candice reasoned, as she examined the package. "And what were you doing out in the blizzard all alone anyway? After Maylene almost had hypothermia from coming here barefooted and without proper winter wear, I shudder to think what would happen to the next Gym Leader who does this."

Volkner sat back down as he contemplated his options. Well, the parcel had reached his recipient's hands now, so might as well play it cool. "Open it."

The Ice type Gym Leader raised a brow. "Sorry?"

"You heard me." Annoyance was getting to him.

Candice fiddled the package with hesitation. "But isn't this for someone else?"

"Do you need to be told thrice before you do something?" He almost shouted, but managed some restraint in his tone of voice.

"Alright, alright..." Candice waved her hands in submission as she opened the package slowly. It was a Shell Bell necklace, albeit cracked a little at some places. At the sight of it, Volkner hid his eyes. Wonderful, his mission had failed.

"A shell bell?" she looked at the blond, trying hard not to show her inward disappointment.
Volkner looked back at her. "I thought it was something you might like."
Candice strode over to him, holding the necklace and wore it like she had won a medal. She sat down next to him. What she said next turned his current state of despair to surprise.


"A shell bell is nothing, if compared to the efforts you had taken for me on my birthday." She gave him a warm smile, turning up the temperature of the room just a little. "Thank you. "

Volkner felt his cheeks turn a little red. It was as though the log fire in the fireplace was creating the mood for them both.
"Uhm, you're welcome, I guess." He averted his eyes from the almond orbs that had caught his earlier.

"And you need to be more subtle next time, Volkner." She slapped him on the shoulder playfully. "I'd figure you were better at chasing women than Roark, for instance!"

"Hey! Why don't you try to walk to Sunnyshore? The Vitamin D will give you a nice healthy tan, eh?" he mocked his annoyance, and threw a pillow at her.

"Oy! Cut it out!" She whined in response, as her voice was tinged with chirps of laughter.

Still laughing, the two had a pillow fight for a while, before they just sat next to each other on the bed, holding hands. Time passed them by, but it did not matter. For Volkner, he was able to spend time with the girl he loved. For Candice, it was the most unexpected, and the most memorable birthday gift she had ever received.

 

Long-ish story ahead.

Spoiler

Ash peeked behind the corner of the old, half torn building. Pikachu carefully balanced on his shoulder, attempting to get a view of what Ash was looking at. Ash had a black hoodie on and some jeans; nothing out of the ordinary. A couple meters away, in the room Ash was peering inside of, a group of suspicious men were circled around a table. The talked amongst themselves and we practically inaudible to Ash. Ash took out his PokéNav from his pocket and quietly whispered so not to alert those ahead.

"Hey, Misty, you were right. They're here. They're gathered in a room around a table. I can't see what's in it, thou-!"

Ash ducked behind the corner just as one of the grunts was about to turn around. He fell on his back and Pikachu stumbled off with a quiet grunt.

"'Ey, Paul, you okay?" said one of the other grunts.

"Yeah, it's nuthin. I heard somethin' but it's prolly just a dirty Patrat sneakin' around for some food." said Paul.

The grunts went back to discussing their matters. Ash got up as Pikachu hopped on his shoulder and sneaked to the alley across the street.

"Accumula Town sure has become a bit of a ghost town, hasn't it Pikachu?" said Ash.

"Pikaaa." said Pikachu.

"Eversince that darn group got into this town, they've been spreading their evil all throughout Unova. Thankfully, we can do something about it Pikachu!"

"Pika! Pikachu!" exclaimed Pikachu.

Just then, Ash's PokéNav rung. He answered and heard Brock's voice.

"Hey Ash! I got some information for you! It seems like the leader of this so called D.E.A.D Group, by the way whatever that stands for is beyond me, goes by the name of Xer."

"Wait a minute, I know that name! Didn't we meet him in Hoenn?" replied Ash.

"That's exactly who I thought of." Brock's voice stiffened a bit. "He had a sickly Mightyena. I remember the night he attacked us".

-----------------------------------------

Brock shuffled in his tent. Kalos weather was strange; it was either freezing or super hot! He tried to close his eyes and think about having a date with Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny, but not even that could take his mind off the crazy weather! He got up and decided to go for a bit of a midnight walk. As soon as he got out of his tent, he heard branches shuffling. He knew it couldn't have been Ash, Misty, May, Serena or Max because they were asleep in their tents. He'd have heard their tents zip open. He looked around at the trees, making sure nothing was lurking in the shadows. He dismissed it as being paranoid and turned to start his walk, only to be surprised by a Mightyena zipping straight his way! Brock dodged quickly, and was on his toes now. The Mightyena scuttled as he recovered from his Tackle. Brock tightened his fist and it appeared to turn to a rock-like texture. He stared down at the Mightyena, making sure it was in his sights.

"Mightyena, use Crunch!" said a voice from beyond.

Brock didn't have time to look for who or where the voice came from and just swung at the Mightyena with his solidified with all his might while managing to move to the side at the same time. He managed to get a right-swing on the Mightyena's left side. The Mightyena whimpered as it tried to recover from the devastating blow.

"Hey!!! Get up Mightyena you fool!" the voice said.

Mightyena struggled to get up and exploded in a coughing fit. Brock was immediately concerned for the Pokémon's health and stopped his attack. He ran up to were his blow had launched the poor animal and looked for any wounds or broken bones.

"Brock, watch out!" Brock heard from behind him.

He took a surprise elbow to the face that had left him on the ground. The mysterious figure helped his Mightyena up with a Hyper Potion and they both sprung into action.

"Give me your food and money and I swear no one has to get hurt tonight!" the figure said in a shivering voice.

Ash walked up to Brock and helped him up.

"Are you okay Brock?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Brock answered "And you! You're crazy for telling your Mightyena to attack me!"

"I-if you don't shut up I swear, Mightyena will-" he couldn't finish because Mightyena erupted in another coughing fit. "Oh no!! Mightyena, get up, I need you pal!" But the Mightyena decided to stay down after seeing that they were outnumbed in both Pokémon and strength. "What did you do to him punk?! How did you manage to send him flying just another Pidgey?!" whimpered the figure.

"That's none of your business! Misty!" said Brock.

"Already calling Officer Jenny, Brock, don't worry." Misty answered.

The man was clearly shivering in his boots. "I'm not going down without a fight!" he screamed as he charged at Ash.

Ash moved out of the way in time and launched a ball of fire at the man's pants from his palm. He screamed his pants went ablaze. Ash then realized what he'd done and panicked.

"Oh no! I didn't mean to do that! Aaah!" Ash cried.

As Misty was on the phone, she shot a blast of water on the man from her fingertip.

"Dang it Ash, if you're not more careful with your power you're gonna light everything in the forest on fire!" Misty exclaimed as she continued talking to Petalburg Police Station. Misty hung up and slapped Ash across the head.

"Anyways...alright Mr. Mightyena, the police are on their way! You stay put or we'll force you to stay put!" said Misty.

The man stood up and lurched over. "Hahaha. I have been through too much to stop now. I'm getting away from you psycho wizards!!" he screamed.

May got out of her tent as the man ran past her. "You made my brother cry! For that you're gonna get the wind blown into you!" she said.

She extended her arm in front of her, clenched her first, and pulled her fist towards her with strength. Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind sent the man flying into a tree.

"Oops!" whispered May. "I think I overdid it..."

Serena got out from her bed sleepily.

"What on Earth is going on?" she said.

"Ah!", Misty said "I was just about to wake you. Can you send a light signal into the sky to let the officers know where to find us? I told them we would, since we're so deep in the forest.

"Okay, no problem!" Serena contently said. Serena stuck her arm straight into the air and out came a beautiful orb of light from her palm. It rose up, expanded and faded simultaneously and dissipated.

~Hours Later~

The once calm campsite was filled with more newsreporters than police truckers or Pokémedics. The man was shoved in the Police Car and driven away. Officer Jenny stayed to ask the kids a few questions.

"So Officer Jenny", started Ash "who was that guy anyhow?"

"Oh, he was a wanted criminal. His name is Xer. He's wanted for Pokémon abused, burglary, and violent attacks." said Jenny. "We don't get much criminal activity here in Kalos, so it's a big deal. That's why you see so many news reporters."
"Oh, that's good I guess." said May.

"What'dya mean that's good, May?" stated Max as he adjusted his glasses. "A crime was just committed and we were the victims! It's not okay for yo- Owwwowwow!" he said as May pulled his hair.

"You should learn to respect your elders, Max!" steamed May.

"He has a point." said Officer Jenny. "I can't believe you guys are alright!" she exclaimed. "Well, I'd better go...but just one more thing!" she said. "Xer had soaked, burnt pants on. It's obvious he didn't just light his pants on fire and jump in a lake...so that must mean..." Jenny said suspiciously. All the kids stiffened, especially Ash.

"O-oh, it's not what you think Officer, w-we just happened t-" Ash stammered.

"Save it! I know exactly what happened!" Jenny exclaimed. The group was quaking in their boots. Here it comes...

"You were using a Fire-type Pokémon in a forest! Shame on you!" she cried.

Ash and the rest of his friends let out a sigh. "O-oh, yeah. That's what I was going to say! I'm awfully sorry Officer. I promise it won't happen again!" claimed Ash.

"Good!" retorted Jenny. "If you kids will excuse me, I'm on my way back to the police station stay sa-"

"Oh, please take me with you my love!" shouted Brock with love-eyes. "We can ride into the sunset and fight crime together! With your dazzling beauty and my dashing good looks, together we can be a co-uuuRRGGH!" Brock said right before Croagunk Poison Jabbed him.

"You never learn, do ya player!" said Max as he tugged away Brock by the ear. The newsreporters left after their stories had been covered and asking the group questions. The team packed up and hoped to keep this day behind them as a brush with danger and nothing more.
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Not sure if you'd like me to continue. It's getting a bit long and I'm not sure if I'm going on the right track with this. Other than that, thanks for reading it!

 

This one is a bit short. I wrote it in a few hours, so it might not be the best!

Spoiler

You owe me one. I hate that. It's so stupid! You ask someone for a favor, and suddenly you're in their debt! What kind of logic is that?! I mean, I guess it makes some sense. But not when you're in the middle of decorating your hidden base! And I'd planned all week I'd organize it. I didn't want to do it, but she kind of forced me.

"Stop dawdling around, Nicholas!" shouted Lauren. "If you don't pay attention to you're gonna trip and fall!" she said as she climbed around some jagged rocks.

"Ugh. Why'd you drag me here?! All there is in this stupid cave are some even stupider Zubats!" I told her.

"Because, you owe me one! Remember that time you dragged me to your girly competition in Verdanturf!" she claimed. My face turned a bright red.

"H-hey! That wasn't any ordinary contest! I nearly won, too!" I retorted.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you and your Marshtomp stood a chance with all that mud you were flailing around. But that's besides the point!" she said.

"Then?!" I asked. "Where are you leading us?"

"You'll see..." she said. I groaned again. What does she want? This stupid cave is insanely hot and stupid.

~A little while later...~

I struggled as I climbed down the ledge. I was afraid of heights, so there was no way I was looking down.

"Is it safe to jump down?!" I asked.

"You're an idiot." Lauren said. "You're less than a foot off the ground."

I looked down and she was right. I stepped down from the ledge and dusted myself off.

"No need to be so rude!" I scolded.

"What?! You wanna talk rude? What's rude is that I brought you all the way here to show you something awesome and you're just complaining about how hot it is!" she argued.

"Alright, alright, don't explode at me. I'm sorry!" I quickly said.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, we're almost there!" she claimed. "Before we go down this path..." she started. She grabbed on to my shoulders and looked me head-on. "...you can't tell anyone what's in here. Okay? And you can't tell anyone what happened in here too!" She scared me a bit when she said that.

"O-okay! Just stop talking to me so seriously!" I nervously exclaimed.

"Good!" she said as she backed off. "And if you do say anything, I'll have your head on my wall." My face paled. I knew she was serious.

We walked down the path and as we did the ground began to tremor. I hugged the wall as she ran down the path.
"It's still here! Let's go!!" she excitedly shouted.

"W-wait! I can't handle this! It's giving me motion s-" I held my stomach and tried to catch up to her.

I ran for a bit and easily caught up to her. She was standing in the entrance to the small area. I looked ahead and saw a giant pool of lava in the
middle of the cavern.
"Whoa! No wonder it's so hot!" I said. Lauren moved to the side and opened her bag.

"Quick!" she said as she rummaged through it. She grabbed a handful of shrinked Ultra Balls and handed them to me. "You got your Marshtomp,
right? Well get ready to use him because we'll need him!"she stated. I stood there, rather confused.

"What are do you m-?"

"Right now!" she interrupted. I listened and took out my Marshtomp, Mud.

"What are these Ultra Balls for? And why do you have a bag full of them?!" I questioned.

"No time! Look, here he comes!" Lauren shouted as she released her Azumarill.

I shifted my sight from her to the pool of lava in the center of the cavern. Slowly, something came rising out of it. It was a crimson red, with giant claws probably as big as a house! It stood tall and roared, shaking the entire cave.

"Groudon?!" I screamed. She paid no attention to me.
The Pokémon's movements were unsteady. It appears to have been asleep...but for how long?

"Azure, use Surf!" commanded Lauren. As Azure blasted a stream of water at the fiery legendary, I immediately knew what was happening: Lauren is planning on actually catching this thing! I refocused myself and knew I had to help her. If I didn't I'm sure Groudon would love fried humans for dinner.

"Mud, use Water Gun!" I said. I looked down at him and he was shaking in fear. It's clear that he didn't want to be here, but I had to at least try and help Lauren.

"Mud, listen! We can do it!" Mud immediately snapped out of it and sprayed Groudon with a stream of water. It had little, if any, affect on the huge beast.

"Oh, come on!" shouted Lauren. "Is that all you got?!"

"Azure, use Hydro Pump and deal some serious damage!" Lauren said. Azure charged her shot and and a giant blast of water went shooting towards Groudon. It him straight on and did some serious damage. Mud looked angry and knew he had to do better than her.

"Hey, Mud, we're not anyone to be showed up!" I exclaimed. "Use Hydro Pump!" Mud charged his shot and fired it. It did even greater damage to the weakened Groudon. The Pokémon swayed back and forth, struggling to stand up.

"Great!" said Lauren. She clicked the button on one of her Ultra Balls and threw it at the legendary.

"Throw as many as you can! He's tired from waking up and the damage he's endured!"

"Right!" I said as I expanded an Ultra Ball. The Ultra Ball she had thrown wrapped Groudon in a red aura, but to no avail. The Ultra Ball fell in the lava.

"Keep trying!" she screamed as Groudon began to steady himself. We threw ball after ball after ball, but with the same results. Groudon slowly balanced himself and stood up straight. Lauren returned her Azure to her Pokéball and backed up.

"Nicholas, let's go! That thing's gonna turn us into burnt lunch!" she shouted at me.

"Wait!" I pleaded. "I have a Pokéball!"

"Nicholas, you moron! That thing won't be captured by a regular dang Pokéball!" she screamed at me.

"We have to try!" I said as I threw the Pokéball at the giant. The red aura once again surrounded Groudon...and enclosed it in the Pokéball! The Pokéball fell to our feet on the ground.
Lauren and I got on our hands and knees and closed in on the Pokéball. One shake.
We began to breathe audibly. Two Shakes.
Mud began dancing on my back.
Three shakes. All three of us were in pre-celebration as we knew what was coming next!

Woooooosssh.

As we danced around, we heard that god dreadful sound. We turned around and there it was, towering over us. It was completely awake and extremely angry. It roared and shook the entire cave, perhaps even all of Hoenn! It shot it's head up and extended it's arms. The cave shook even more as giant blades of earth exploded from the ground!

"Mud, return!" I quickly shouted. Lauren, frozen in fear just as Mud was, stood there in awe. I knew we had no time and grabbed onto her arm, pulling her out of the cavern.

We got out of the cave as fast as possible - probably even set a world record in fastest humans alive. As soon as we got out, we collapsed in front of the entrance to the entire cave. I was sweating my butt off, and she leaned against a tree. We both looked at each other and smiled.

"You're god damn insane." I told her.

"Yeah, but at least I didn't get us in as much trouble as you did!" she claimed. "Using a frickin' regular Pokéball on a legendary Pokémon?! You're just as crazy as I am!" I stood up and stretched.

"But you're the idiot who dragged us here in the first place!" I said.

"Whatever" she said dismissively. "Let's not talk about this at home. Okay?" she said.

"Agreed." I replied.

"Oh and, uh" she said as we began walking home "I guess I owe you one...or ten."

I snickered. "Perfect! Now you can watch me and Mud win 10 contests in a row!" I happily shouted.

"Yeah, yeah" she said. "By the way, thanks."

"Oh. No problem. It's not everyday you get to almost capture a legendary!" I shouted. I ran and said "Race ya home!" to Lauren. I laughed as she struggled to catch up.

 

Vabby's Day In The Forest!

Spoiler

I don't usually go on adventures with my Meowth, but when I do it gets pretty crazy.

It started when I was on my desktop, browsing the Sinnoh "Lake Valor" forums. It was a forums based around, you guessed it, Lake Valor in Sinnoh. The topic "Anyone ever seen Azelf?" is spammed a lot here. As I was responding to yet another one of these threads my little Meowth, Vabby, jumped on the desk on which I had the desktop. She was a female Meowth and had longer eyelashes than most other Meowth. She wore a plain pink collar which I had bought for her with a soothe bell attached. I continued to browse LV as she meowed, purred and brushed against my leg. I didn't bother to do that because all she usually wanted was food. This time, it was different. She jumped on the desk again and sat on my keyboard.

"Vab? Uh, are you okay?"

"Meow." she said.

"Vabby, get off please. It's a Saturday and you know what that means; no school and no responsibilities!" I gleefully said.

"Meow!" she replied.

"What? What is it? You know you've had enough food. Keep eating and you'll evolve into a Purugly!"

She rolled her eyes and made a sour face. "Meow! Meow meow mew!"

"What? You wanna go out?"

"Me-ow!" she confirmed.

I groaned. "Really? I mean, I'm in my PJs...and it's breezy outside! And it's a Saturday! And I'-"

"Myrraaaaoow!" she cried.

"Alright, alright! Let's go." I said. I put on my slippers we ventured out the door.

We walked through Sandgem Town, greeting some of out neighbors and playing with other pet Pokémon. It wasn't as breezy as I thought, and we'd been walking for quite a while to seemingly nowhere. Eventually, after a game of tag, Vabby and I realized we had stumbled rather deep into the forest...

I was running as fast as I can, but of course I couldn't outrun a Pokémon. I looked around me and stopped for a second. When did all these trees get here? I looked around and couldn't seem to find the path we were on.

"Vabby? Where are you?" I asked. I looked around and heard the shuffling of leaves. Despite there still being plenty of daylight in the forest, I was a bit scared. I've heard horror stories about campers and picnickers being possessed by wild ghost Pokémon.

"V-Vabby? Are you there?" I asked a bit louder. More noises. My eyes darted around. Did the forest get darker? Why is everything shakey? And why am I sweating so hard?! I heard...something get nearer. I walked around, looking for the path. Closer. I speedwalked, getting desperately scared. Even closer. I bolted!
Ran ran ran ran no way no thank you nuh-uh don't even try please no sayonara. I felt in chasing me, catching up with me. I tried getting a look at my pursuer, but nothing there. Adrenaline pumped throughout me, knowing I could die right here. I quickly navigated through trees, branches, anything as long as the thing chasing me didn't catch up. It was clear it was gaining on me, and I knew deep in my heart it'd reach me, but I kept running. Running...running...running...wait is that a roo-? Slam! I fell face-first onto the ground. I didn't even care anymore; no pain could be worse than a bruised nose. Pounce...land!

"Meeoow!" said a tiny little voice. I got onto my back and saw Vabby sniffing my face. I cried a bit, to which Vabby turned her head at.

"It was just you...I'm crazy...and my nose hurts really badly!" I said gasping for air. Vabby got on top of my chest and licked my nose, thinking it would help. I played along.

"Hey, that feels a lot better! Kind of. Thanks Vab!" I said. She proudly stood tall as if to say 'You're welcome, human.'

I stood up, rubbing my bruised nose, bent down and carried Vabby. I looked around my surroundings again. It's not as early as it was when we left, but we still have time to get home.

"Alright Vab, we need to get out of here. Know the way?"

"Meow. Meow-row meow!" which just roughly translates to "I'm no dog! I'm a cat!"

"Right. Riiight." I sighed.

We spent a bit walking around the forest, looking for a way out. I tried to climb up a tree to get a vantage point but then I remembered I couldn't climb trees and scraped my arm. The sun slowly set as we tried to find the path, or even a landmark to make our way back.

I looked at the horizon from inside the forest, through the trees. We were running out of time, and there's bound to be some Pokémon lurking in these forests at night.

"Mrrraaoooww." whined Vabby.

"I know you're hungry, and I'm hungry too! But we need to get home if we're gonna eat." I told her.I set her down and leaned against a tree.

"At this rate, we'll never find a way out!" I complained. I closed my eyes and tried to think. I slid my back down the base of the tree and leaned against it. I felt Vabby sit in my lap and I fell asleep for a few seconds. I opened my eyes and it was dark.

"Vabby?" I asked. She was asleep in my lap. I looked around. Forest. Huh. Forest. Forest? Forest...forest?!

"Oh shiiiiiizzzzzle!" I shouted! I woke Vabby up and she growled at me.

"Vabby!" I said in a quiet voice, "Wake up! There are ghost Pokémon near!"

Vabby jumped up, hissed, and scratched my face. It was super effective. I slapped my face to ease the pain, but I forgot about my nose. I screamed in pain, hoping it would scare away any Pokémon nearby.

"W-why would you do that, Vab?! My face buurns!" I exclaimed.

"Meow. Meow mew myaowr." she said. We heard the whistle and saw branches shake. "Mrrrooooaaaowwrrr!" Vabby shouted. She sprinted away. I stood up, trying to catch up.

"W-wait!!! Don't leave me with the Mismagius!!" I screamed. I saw Vabby running like a bullet, leaving deep claw marks on the ground. I looked behind me, and I swear I saw something.

"AaaAAAaaaH!" I shouted. I went full speed and caught up to Vabby. "How could you leave me like that Vabby you're so rude what's wrong with you do you not love me I thought we had something speacial waah!" I blurted.

"Meow meow mraow meow!" Vabby said as she sprinted across the forest.

"Okay, okay! But next time don't leave me!" I pleaded, tears in my eyes. We ran through the forest for what seemed like an eternity. It was a rather unexpected bonding time. As we finally slowed down, I fell to my bottom and then my back. Vabby decided to lay down on my stomach.

"I'm tired Vabby. What was back there?" I asked. She stayed silent for a few seconds and then slashed at me.

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!! What was that for?!" I cried.

"Mraowr meow mew meow!" she shouted.

"Oh? Did I say that there were ghost Pokémon nearby?" I told her. She scratched me again and I screamed.

"Okay, maybe I did...oh well. Listen, I'm tired. Let's just sleep." I said. She licked her paws and rubbed my scratches. Curled up on my chest, she fell asleep. I, too, fell asleep.

Hours Later

I was awoken by the sunrise and the singing of the Staraptors. Carefully, I picked up Vabby and walked around for a bit. Eventually I found the path and followed it back to town. With Vabby snuggled in my legs, I lay on my bed tired. I closed my eyes and we slept next to each other soundly.

 

The Tale of the Master Ball

Spoiler

Nicholas checked his watch, tapping his toe. He never liked going to the Lilycove Deparment; too much shopping. It was even worse if he had to wait in line!

"This is taking forever! Why'd you bring me along, Laaauren?" whined Nicholas.

"Stop whining like a baby!" scolded Lauren. "I told you it'd take a long time, didn't I? Besides, the pay out will be awesome!"

Nicholas rolled his eyes and checked the small brochure he'd been given.

"It says right here" started Lauren "that you need to match just the last number between Trainer IDs to get a prize. Isn't that sweet?"

"Yeah, but what are the chances of getting one stupid specific number matched? 1 in a million, I bet." complained Nicholas.

Lauren sighed and turned around. Before she did, she wacked Nicholas against the head. "You're a lost cause" she said as Nicholas rubbed his head.

Some time later...

Nicholas checked his watch. It'd been nearly an hour. "Uuuggggggggh" groaned Nicholas. "Can we leave?!" he asked.

"No!" said Lauren. "We're two people behind! Just wait a bit longer!" The line moved along as Lauren started to get giddy. "Oh my Arceus! What if I manage to get a Master Ball?!" she shouted. Her eyes gleamed as she imagined who she'd use the might Pokéball on.

"I'd use it on Latias! She's so adorable, yet incredibly powerful!" she shouted. "Or maybe Latios...he seems stronger than his sister!" Lauren said as Nicholas brushed his hands through his curly hair. "Or!..." Lauren began. She eyed Nicholas. Nicholas looked up, wondering what she was doing.

"Yeah?..." Nicholas asked.

"We could go back and capture Groudon!" she cried with tears of joy. Nicholas's face paled. He remembers as if it was just yesterday. That stupid Groudon nearly mutilated them both with it's Precipice Blades. A shockwave went down his spine. Never again.

"I'm kidding, Nick. Jeez." whispered Lauren.

"Next!" said the woman at the counter. Lauren approached the counter confidently.

"Hello! What is your Trainer ID Number?" asked the woman.

"61591!" Lauren chimed. As the woman put the number in the computer, Lauren began to sweat. What if she didn't get the Master Ball? What if she couldn't capture Latias or Latios?

Bing!

Lauren looked up. "Congratulations!" said the woman. "You're trainer ID matched-"

"OOOOOOH YEEEEAAAAAAH!" screamed Lauren. "LATIAS HERE I COME!" The woman at the counter looked at Lauren like she was insane.

"U-um. Ma'am. I was going to say your trainer ID matched the last digit in the randomized trainer ID..." whispered the woman. Lauren turned white, then a bright red. The woman handed Lauren a bottle of Moomoo Milk. She walked sped-walked out the mall, her face as red as a tomato. Nicholas, seeing the small event, sighed. He walked up to the counter.

"Sorry about my friend. She's borderline crazy." he explained. The woman laughed and asked Nicholas for his Trainer ID.

"87572." said Nicholas. The woman put the numbers in the computer.

Bing!

Nicholas looked up and the woman had a smile on. "Oh my! Congratulations!" she said. "I can't believe it! All the numbers in your and the randomized Trainer ID match!" Everyone behind Nicholas in line focused on the cashier. Nicholas stood their, mouth agape.

"W-what?" he managed to say. The woman typed into the computer and small, navy blue box wrapped with a ribbon materialized. The woman handed it to Nicholas and he grabbed it.

"Congrats, again! I just know you'll enjoy the prize!" she said. Nicholas left the line. He couldn't believe it. He won a Master Ball? Aw yeah. Awww YEAH!

"AWWWWWWW YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAH!!" he echoed through the mall as he ran out the mall.

Lauren was waiting outside the entrance for Nicholas. She looked at the box he had in hand and eyed him.

"You did not." she said.

"I did!" he cried. He undid the ribbon and the both marveled at it's glory. The Master Ball. It had a regular, white bottom like most Pokeballs, but it's top was purple with two magenta ovals and an "M" on it. Lauren slowly reached for the Master Ball, drooling. Nicholas closed the box and rewrapped the ribbon.

"Jealous?" he said. Lauren threw a tantrum.

"Gimme gimme gimme gimme GIVE ME!" she shouted as she stomped. "I'm the one who brought you here so if you don't give me I'm gonna take it!"

Nicholas ignored her, put the box in his backpack and started walking home.

"W-wait! That's mine!" Lauren cried as she caught up to him.

A little while later...

As the duo reached Petalburg Town, Lauren began whining again.

"Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleeeeeeeeeaaaaase?!" she cried, tears in her eyes.

"Nope. It's mine, I won it." Nicholas smirked. Lauren pouted and kicked some dust.

"You're gonna use it on something stupid! I know it!" she said. "I'll catch a legendary for you! I'll even do it alone! I promiiiissssse!"

"No thanks. I'm gonna try to catch a Feebas."

"What?!" shouted Lauren. "Why use it on such a stupid Pokémon?!"

"Hey!" cried Nicholas. "Not just a Feebas! A shiny one. I want it for...my contests."

Lauren slapped herself in the forehead. "That's what you want it for?!"

"Yeah!" replied Nicholas. "I won it, it's mine. So I wanna use it and have the most dazzling, beautiful Pokémon ever!" Nicholas's eyes gleamed with hope. "Anyways, I'm going home. See ya later!"

Lauren watched Nicholas as he walked home. She had a great idea on how she would get the Master Ball! She needed to wait 'til later, though...


That night...

Lauren slowly approached the house. This is so...smart! Best idea she's had in ages! She was gonna sneak into Nicholas's room through his window, have Linoone find the Master Ball and sneak out! It's foolproof!

She walked around the house, looking for the one that led to Nicholas's window. It was just a crack open, enough for her Linoone to fit through it.

"Go, Bandit!" she said. Her Linoone, Bandit, stood at attention waiting for an order.

"Bandit, go through this window and open the door. Understand?" Bandit nodded and slipped through the window. Lauren waited for a bit. Huh? Crash! Bang!

"Wuzza-huh?! Wild Pokémon snuck in?! Mud, use Take Down!" SMASH! Bandit came flying through the front door, only to turn around back to Lauren.

"Mud! Find the Linoone!" shouted Nicholas.

Damnit! Nonononono! thought Laurent as she and Bandit hid behind some bushes. Nicholas came out, helping Mud find the intruder. As they looked around, they heard the rustling of some bushes.

"Lauren?" asked Nicholas.

"O-oh, hi Nick! F-fancy seeing you here!" she stammered. Nicholas was not happy.

"Mud, use Surf!" commanded Nicholas. In an instant, Lauren and Bandit were soaking wet.

"Come on in." said Nicholas. "I'll get you a towel."

Lauren followed her friend inside and dried herself off.

"What were you trying to do, anyways?" he asked. She ignored him, and he immediately knew. "Wait. It was the Master Ball, wasn't it?" he said. She nodded and began apologizing like crazy.

"I-I didn't mean to be so rude. I just wanted it..." she whispered. Nicholas sighed, as usual.

"It's fine." he said as Lauren shook. "Listen...do you want it that bad? Because you can have it." he said. Lauren looked up at Nicholas with teary eyes.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes. Really. If it means that much to you." Lauren dashed to Nicholas and gave him a great big hug.

"Thankyouthankthankyou Thaaaaaaaaank you!" she cried.

"Shh, lower it down! My parents are asleep!" he said. Nicholas got up, took out the blue box and gave the Master Ball to Lauren.

"Alright, now that that's settled you're sleeping on my bed. It's too late to be out, the cops might be suspicious. I'm gonna go sleep on the couch." said Nicholas.

"Listen, I can't thank you enough." said Lauren.

"It's fine" he replied "Good night!"

The next evening...

"Lauren, are you sure that charm works?" he asked. "Not that I'm complaining, but we've fished up at least seventy-something Pokémon and not a single shiny!

"Yeah! I got this charm from my cousin! I'm more than sure that'll increase our luck for fishing up that awesome Feebas of yours!" she said.

"Thanks a lot, by the way. It would've been so much harder to find a shiny Feebas without your charm." said Nicholas.

"Don't worry. I owe you for what I did last night." Lauren said. Nicholas had the Masterball in hand, ready at a moment's notice to throw it at the shiny Feebas. The bobber bobbed, and the reel was being tugged.

"Whoa!" said Lauren. "This is it! I feel it!" Nicholas stood up, enlarged the ball and cautiously waited for her to reel up his prize!

Woosh! Splash!

There she was; after being pulled in, the Feebas was in midair. It was all happening in slow-motion for both of them.

"Throw it now!" echoed Lauren. Nicholas had one shot. This is it! As he threw the ball, Lauren closed her eyes.

Splash!

Just then...a Magikarp?!?! At an impossibly slow pace, the Magikarp blocked the path of the Master Ball. Lauren opened her eyes and they both looked in horror.

"Nooooooooo!" they synchronized.

Bop. Woosh.

The Master Ball landed in Nicholas's hands. One shake. Two shakes. Three shakes. Click! The useless, worthless, terrible Magikarp had been caught! Lauren and Nicholas both looked at the Master Ball. The almighty ball, capable of capturing a legendary, had just captured the most useless Pokémon known to man. Nicholas and Lauren looked at the ocean in which they'd fished. The shiny Feebas was long gone. They both began to laugh. Laughing turned to sobbing. Sobbing turned to crying. They both hugged each other, crying. What a waste.