Pokémon ABC - Episode 17

A few little notes:

- I made up The Purple Sandslash before I knew about Shiney Pokémon or even Pink Coloured Pokémon. So that's why Chris and the others react so odd.

- I didn't know Articuno was huge when I first decided to use him. The official image was tiny XD So, it once used Minimize and got stuck in that form (I never got around to explaining that in the series).

- Blade has or will get (yes, I don't even read what I post here XD) a Pikachu with Black ears and a Black Tail. About 2 years later the Pichu suddenly appeared: Black ears, Black Tail. Purely coincidental, of course ^_^. But you can explain Blade's Pikachu as a Pichu that didn't fully evolve in a Pikachu XP

And now, the story.... dun-dun-duuunnnnnn

*********************************************************************




Episode 17: Sounds of the Pidgey


By 'Whisper Shadowhunter'/ Kitty Ocean
© Nintendo (their characters) and Kitty Ocean (my characters)

*************************************************************************


"I've got Articuno, I've got Articuno!"

Cheering like a little girl, Chris holds her new Pokémon in her hands. After she traded it for Zubat, she, Blade and Aemilia continued their way to Pallet Town. Leaving Celadon City behind, they rode on the backs of Ponyta and Rapidash. Chris sat backwards on Rapidash with her back against Blade.

"Stop being such a little kid." Blade complained.

"Oh, stop wining!" Chris replied annoyed. "Just be glad Rapidash doesn't burn you anymore."

Aemilia felt the tension and felt she needed to make up a group-activity. "Why don't we sing a song together?"

"Great idea!" Blade said. "I'll start: You've been such a good friend, I know you since I don't know when…."

"Stop it!" Chris yelled. "You sing like hell! And it's a horrible number too. Just let me start: Good friends, are those who stick together…."

"No, your taste is great." Blade said sarcastically.

Angry, Chris looked back to Blade. Aemilia sighed. "Okay, let's forget the group-activity!"

Nobody said a word when they entered a forest. Chris continued adoring Articuno. "So…." Blade started. "When did you plan to let Articuno out?"

Chris didn't lay her eyes off the Poké Ball when she answered. "Oh…. Soon."

"Do you think it will obey you?" Aemilia answered.

Chris shook her head. "I don't know. We'll find out. But I wonder how strong it already is. It hasn't used any other attack than Peck and the Ice-beam."

Suddenly, a deadly silence came over the green forest. Frightened by the sudden silence, Rapidash and Ponyta stopped. "Something's wrong…." Aemilia whispered. "I can feel it…."

"Team Rocket?" Blade asked, but Aemilia shook her head. "If it isn't Team Rocket, nothing's wrong…."

"Don't be so sure about that Blade." Chris whispered. "When Aemilia says something is wrong, than something is wrong. She can feel such stuff."

"But you can't hear a thing, we are alone here!"

"And that's the problem." Chris whispered again. "The trouble lies within the silence…."

Suddenly, without any warning, Rapidash and Ponyta began to price. Shocked, the 3 children started to ease the Pokémon, but it didn't work and they ran away from each other, splitting the group.

"Blade!" Chris yelled. "Stop Rapidash! I can't hold on like this!"

She tried to hold herself to the creature, but it ran too fast. While Blade tried to calm down Rapidash, Chris suddenly heard some voices and saw the creatures that scared her Rapidash. "Pidgey…?" She asked astounded.

Diving at the 2 kids, the Pidgey began to attack Chris and Blade, scaring Rapidash more this way. Picking and crabbing, they tried to scare Chris and Blade off. Chris tried to hold on to her Pokémon, but had also to protect herself from the hard beaks of these angry Pokémon.

Suddenly, Chris fell and landed very hard at the ground. Lying in the bushes, she tried to get her Poké Ball from Articuno she had let go. But, within a minute, she opened her eyes and gazed at the little purple creature that stood before her.

"Slash! Slash!"

"You are real…." Was the only thing Chris could whisper.



"Stop Ponyta!" Aemilia shouted. "Relax! Nothing's there anymore!"

Finally, the Ponyta stopped running and looked around him. His trainer was right. Nothing was there anymore. It was just like when they entered the forest: it looked normal. Ponyta wondered where they were.

"I don't know it either." Aemilia sighed. "But what was that? Since when do Pidgey attack humans?" But the Ponyta didn't know it either. "I wonder where Rapidash is with Blade and Chris… if Chris succeeded to stay on his back. Come on, let's find them." She ordered the Pokémon to move on, but it refused. "You are afraid?" Aemilia asked astounded and the Ponyta nodded. "All right, than go in your Poké Ball."

Aemilia returned Ponyta and looked around her. She noticed she didn't remember the way back; she'd been to busy concentrating to calm down Ponyta. Damn, she thought, lost again. I hope we are not going to make a habit of it. Irritated she had to look for her friends, but also concerned; she started to walk in the way she thought would be the best one.



Blade stepped of Rapidash. He finally succeeded in stopping him. Sighing 2 times, he looked at the fire-horse again. "That was quite a ride ya know?" He said smiling to Rapidash. "But I guess we lost some luggage we have to find back."

Rapidash didn't like the joke about his trainer and put on his hot flames. Crying from the sudden pain, he released Staryu so his water gun could ease the burning pain. "Okay, I take it back. But I still think we have to find Chris."

Rapidash agreed with the plan and let Staryu hop on his back. Blade was angry because he wasn't allowed back on it and had to walk. They started to walk in a direction, not knowing where to look for Chris, or Aemilia. Blade yelled the names of his companions a few times, but they didn't reply.

Blade became concerned. He knew Aemilia would be fine, but he saw Chris falling from Rapidash. Though the Pidgey followed him and not Chris, he wanted to turn back… if Rapidash would have listened. These were just little Pidgey and Rapidash was a great fire-Pokémon. Only there were hundreds of Pidgey and just one Blade and Rapidash….



Astounded and curious at once, Chris crawled back on her feet. This isn't real, she thought, this is a dream or I'm dead. The purple Sandslash is a story Gary believed in when he was little! Carefully, she stretched her arm to touch it, but it used his claws so Chris had to pull her arm back.

"Slash! Slash!"

Chris took her Poké Dex, to gather the information. This was a great opportunity, her grandfather and Professor Midol would be so proud at her! She let it buzz; hoping it wouldn't scare the Sandslash away. Suddenly, the Poké Dex began to talk. Damn, she thought, I touched a wrong button.

"Sandslash…" It started. "A Pokémon from the ground-type and the evolved form from Sandshrew…"

"Shut up!" Chris hissed. She looked back at the Pokémon. It started to run away. "No, wait, stop!" Chris yelled and leaped up, trying to follow it.

"Pidgey! Pidgey!"

Terrified, Chris turned around. She saw the Pidgey returning. No, not again, she thought and started to run. Running her lungs out of her body, she crossed a little stream. She leaped over some thorny bushes and didn't care she got some scratches. But suddenly, out of nowhere, a little Slowpoke wanted to cross the road. Not able to stop, Chris tripped over the Slowpoke and fell with great impact on the floor.

Doubting not another minute, she threw a Poké Ball away. "Articuno, go for it!"

The blue bird proudly appeared from the Poké Ball and landed on a rock. It started to clean its magnificent feathers. "No way Articuno!" Chris yelled. "Use your Ice-Beam to scare the Pidgey away!"

Not interested in listing, it continued cleaning itself. Chris dove away from some attacking Pidgey. "What's wrong with you?" Chris shouted. "I'm your trainer, you have to obey! Use your Ice-Beam!"

Annoyed, the Articuno turned to Chris and attacked her with its Ice-Beam. Shocked, she leaped away and wasn't hit. Astounded, she looked at her new Pokémon that didn't obey. She never faced such problems, but wasn't allowed to think long about it, because some Pidgey wanted to pick at her again.

"Articuno! Come back!" Chris yelled and held the Poké Ball before, while she was protecting herself from the beaks from the Pidgey.

But Articuno flew away, avoiding the red ray. Chris tried again, but they Articuno didn't plan to return either. "I'm not going to leave you!" Chris yelled above the screaming Pidgey. "If you hope I'll run away and let you go, you're wrong! Charizard, go for it!"

Chris tossed the Poké Ball from Charizard away. Roaring loudly, it appeared. "Charizard, help me!" Chris yelled.

The Charizard burst a ray of fire to Chris and the Pidgey flew away. Frightened, Chris gazed at the ongoing ray of fire! "Not me!" She yelled.



"Well." Aemilia sighed. "We're back where we started."

Finally, she had found the path they walked before they were split up. She looked at the ground, hoping she could see something like a track. But there were so many tracks she couldn't find the right one.

Aemilia decided to change into a Pokémon. In the shape of a Ratatta, she was able to find the right track and started to follow the track of the scared Rapidash.

Suddenly, Aemilia stopped and gazed at the bushes. She had seen much Pokémon, but she had never seen a purple Sandslash!



Blade stepped in the river and crossed it. Rapidash and Staryu followed. Suddenly, they heard a scream and Rapidash began to run. "Wait for me!" Blade yelled.

The Rapidash returned and let Blade climb it. But before Blade could climb decently at him, it already started to run again, following the scream.

Not knowing what they would find, they entered an open spot. They saw a large Charizard comforting a crying fried girl.

"You're all right?" Blade asked concerned.

Chris nodded. "Yeah, Charizard saved my bud."

"Than why are you crying?" He wanted to know.

Chris pointed at a blue creature. "He won't obey. My favourite Pokémon won't obey me!"

Blade felt the pain she had and laid his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Articuno will listen to you someday. It just has to get used to you, that's all."

Chris whipped the tears out of her eyes. "You're sure?" Blade nodded. She tried to return Articuno again, and it finally worked. She stood up. Suddenly, the Staryu blasted his water gun at Chris and cleaned her. Chris warmed herself by the flaming tail of her Charizard. She took her Poké Dex.

"What do you want with it?" Blade asked, but Chris gave him her Poké Dex. He looked at the information she recently had gathered. "You must be kidding…." He said. "A purple Sandslash?"

"I know, it sounds unbelievable, but I saw it!"

"If he's real, we have to find it for more information." He returned Staryu and Chris returned Rapidash and Charizard. "Come one."

Suddenly, they heard a strange sound coming out of the forest. "Oh my God…." Chris whispered crying. "The Pidgey are coming back!"



Aemilia changed into her human form, as always. The Sandslash leaped backwards. "Don't worry!" Aemilia comforted him. "I'm a Pokémon too. I've never seen a Pokémon like you before."

"That's why we want it."

Shocked, Aemilia turned around and looked at the 2 shadows.


"To protect the Pokémon from devastation."

"To gather all rare ones within our nation."

"To bring them up with lots of love."

"To extend their reach to the moon above..."

"Shana!"

"And Shane!"

"Team Rocket! More welcome than the brightness of light!"

"We are the best, that's right!"


"Oi, where is Chris when they finally have a new yell…." Aemilia sighed. She began to stand protective before the Sandslash.

"Hand it over Aemilia." Shane said. "You won't be able to protect it."

"Maybe…" Aemilia answered. "But why don't we try it?" She took a Poké Ball.

Suddenly, 2 shadows ran across. But when they saw Team Rocket, Blade and Chris stopped. "He Aemilia, you're here?"

Blade looked back and saw the oncoming flock of Pidgey. He pulled Aemilia and Chris along into the bushes, so the only people who seemed to threat the Sandslash were Shana and Shane. Angry, the Pidgey flew at them, scaring them off.

"Now I know what happened to Jessie and James when they told about the Spearow!" Shana yelled. "Looks like Team Rocket has left the building again!"


Momentarily safe, Aemilia, Blade and Chris stood up. Suddenly, Aemilia looked wildly around here. "Something you lost?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, the purple Sandslash!"

"You saw it too?" Chris wanted to know, and Aemilia nodded. Enthusiastically, she started to talk about the information she had gathered.

Blade felt left out: "He! I want some attention here! The Pidgey will return. I just wonder why they are attacking us…."

"That's easy." Aemilia said. "They are protecting the Sandslash. They know people want such a rare creature."

"But we don't want to catch rare Pokémon, do we?" He looked devastating at Chris.

"He, it was a wild Pokémon and you are allowed to catch any wild Pokémon!" Chris replied annoyed. "I just didn't know it would be such a turn-off!"

Aemilia looked curiously at Blade and Chris, hoping she would get an explanation. "Articuno doesn't obey Chris." Blade said with a hidden smile. "But let's try to find that Sandslash again. We have to have some information about him."

"Why?" Aemilia asked.

Chris agreed with Blade. "We are lost anyway, so we'd better make ourselves useful while we are lost. Let's go."



After they had walked a few hours, they suddenly heard a crying creature. They ran too it, wanting to help it and curious what it was. They shove some leaves aside and looked to an injured Pokémon, lying underneath a net.

"Slash! Slash!"

Chris hurried to the Sandslash. "Someone caught him!" She yelled. She took a little knife and cut the net into pieces, letting it out.

"But where are the hunters?" Blade asked and looked around, seeing nothing but a clear area.

Aemilia kneeled to the group and took some little feathers and a big one. She smelled on it. "The Pidgey scared them away. But there is a Pidgeot here too! We'd better leave fast, they'll come back, I'm sure of that."

"We can't leave!" Chris answered. "The Sandslash is injured." She lifted the small creature and laid it on a grass area, away from the hard rock bottom. Gentile, she took some Pokémon medicine and sprayed it on the Sandslash.

Blade kneeled next to Chris and handed her some water over. Chris gratefully took it and let the Sandslash drink some. After he had enough, she lifted it back on its feet again. "Your wounds will be away within a few days. Just be careful." Chris turned around. "Come one, we'd better go be…."

Astounded, she looked at the herd of Pidgey and the large Pidgeot who had land while she treated the Sandslash. Suddenly, together they began to scream so loudly, Chris, Aemilia and Blade had to cover their ears.

After the loud scream, a deadly silence followed.

"Pidge-aw-ot! Pidge-aw-ot!"

Curious, Chris looked to Aemilia. "He's challenging you." She answered. "If you defeat him, we'll be free to leave, WITHOUT the Sandslash."

"I accept it!" Carefully she looked at the Pidgeot. What Pokémon would be a stronger type, she wondered. Fire, water, poison or grass? She took a Poké Ball… she had chosen!

"Charizard! Go for it!"

But before she could toss her Poké Ball away, another Poké Ball moved and released his Pokémon.

"Articuno, go back!" She tried to return it, but it kept avoiding the ray. "Articuno, I have no time for games. Go back!"

Aemilia stepped to Chris. "Euh Chris, maybe he wants to fight for you." Chris lowered the Poké Ball and looked at Articuno. He wants to fight, she thought astounded.

Surprised by this sudden change, she put back the Poké Ball from Charizard and stepped forward. "All right Articuno, go for it!"

The Articuno flew up; knowing it had a little advantage with another normal flying type. The Pidgeot lifted off too and immediately started to attack with a whirlwind. Chris saw shocked how Articuno got hit.

"Don't let it get you Articuno, use your Peck attack!"

Surprisingly obeying, it dove to the large Pidgeot, but the fast bird flew away and made a circle so it came behind Articuno. The poor little blue bird flew for his life, just staying the much larger bird only inches before. It suddenly dove to the trees and vanished between the leaves.

"Guess Articuno isn't so brave after all." Blade said.

But Chris smiled. "The Pidgeot can't follow him trough the trees; he's to big for that!" She started to yell. "Okay Articuno, peck him and use an Ice-Beam!"

The blue bird stormed out of the trees and surprised the big bird. The Pidgeot got pecked and when he was recovered, he looked at Articuno who used her Ice-Beam. He dove away, but Articuno followed him with its Ice-Beam. But suddenly, it got distracted and the Pidgeot didn't wait another minute. It knocked Articuno out of the sky.

Chris hurried to Articuno. "You're all right?" She asked concerned. She looked into the creature's eyes. Suddenly, it seemed if she could look further than the eyes and she felt melted with the Articuno. Not able to see the glow of the Moonstone, she became melted with the Articuno, suddenly knowing all its attacks!

Chris leaped up. "Articuno, Blizzard!"

With a loud scream Articuno lifted off again at the altitude of the waiting Pidgeot. We won't lose, Chris thought. She looked at her new Pokémon who created a Blizzard. It became so powerful; she, Aemilia and Blade had to hold on to the ground. Blade and Aemilia grabbed a tree to stay at the ground, the Pidgey flew into the trees hoping they would be safe there.

But the Moonstone began to glow brighter and Chris opened her eyes. Her hairs wildly waved with the air and the snow blinded every other creature, but Chris saw everything. "Articuno!" She yelled above the howling wind. "Use your Peck one more time!"

Slowly, the Blizzard became less powerful and all looked at the snow that had covered the area. While the Moonstone began to fade, Articuno landed softly near Chris' feet. Chris took an empty Poké Ball. "Poké Ball, go get him!"

"No!"

She didn't throw it and looked to Blade. "Why?" She asked. "I defeated it so…."

"But who has to protect the Sandslash than?" Blade asked. Chris didn't know what to say. "Let it stay here, so the Sandslash will be safe."

Aemilia and Chris agreed. Aemilia walked to the Pidgeot and began to nurture it. Chris kneeled to Articuno. "You've done a great job." She proudly said and patted it. Blade kneeled next to Chris.

"I wonder what made him change his mind." He wondered. Chris said nothing, just smiled. "But it seems he has learned a new attack. How did you know he could do a Blizzard?"

Chris tapped on her Moonstone. "I guess the Moonstone has some mysterious powers we have yet to discover. What I know about it, is just a tiny bit of the mountain of information…."


To be continued…