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Minna's Evolution (Pokemon RBY/FRLG-era fanfiction)

athenian200

Circumspect
Joined
Jan 31, 2010
Location
a place of settlement, activity, or residence.
So, I actually started writing this over a year ago. What inspired me to create this story was playing through Pokémon Red again, and noticing that there were several Lass trainers in and around the early part of the game that seem obsessed with catching cute Pokémon and cancelling evolution because the evolutions are "ugly," even though that's not very good strategy. But one on Route 3 stood out to me, because she took out two of my Pokémon due to my overconfidence. I noticed she had a Rattata and a Nidoran, which were stronger and more aggressive than most of her peer's Pokémon on the same route. Somehow, I almost pictured this girl on the edge of her social group trying to justify her choice of a Nidoran to her skeptical peers by saying things like, "Well, yes it has poison spines, but it's purple! That's still cute, right?" Eventually, she became an entire character. I ended up naming her "Minna," simply by adding an extra "N" to the Japanese Gen III name of the trainer that inspired her character in order to make it into a more common name of German origin. The name of her best friend Sally is actually inspired by the English name of the same trainer.

When you try to picture Minna, you should picture the original sprite or artwork from R/B/Y, which suggests this shy, but excitable trainer with long, brown hair and her hands near her heart. When you try to picture Sally, you should start off thinking of the more confident, playful-looking Lass sprite in the FR/LG remakes.

So, I'm going to be presenting this one chapter at a time, as I manage to clean up the chapters and polish the writing a bit. This first chapter really isn't that interesting, admittedly, but it does contain a lot of setup for what follows.

Chapter 1 - Nidoran and Rattata
It was a pleasant, sunny day on Route 2, just south of Pewter City. A Lass-type trainer named Minna was with her friend Sally, trying to decide which Pokémon she should capture next. “What color do you like?” Sally asked her. “Purple, I guess. Like my Nidoran,” she replied. “Well, there aren't any purple Pokémon around here besides Rattata. Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to go to Route 3 and catch a nice Jigglypuff like Janice did?” Sally suggested. Just then, a wild Rattata appeared.

“Go, Nidoran!” Minna shouted. The Rattata intimidated her Nidoran with a long stare, but then shook it off and tackled the Rattata. Minna, without hesitating, threw out a Poké Ball and captured the Rattata. She held it up to her heart and exclaimed “Yay! I got another purple Pokémon. Isn't this great, Sally?”

Sally didn't seem so sure. “Minna, I know you like purple, but you would be raising a rodent. Doesn't that gross you out a little?” Minna shook her head dismissively. “Not really. I had a cute hamster when I was younger, and this wouldn't be much different from that, really. You're not afraid of her, are you?”

Sally sighed, “No, it's not that. My younger brother has a Rattata, and if I were going to be afraid of one of your Pokémon, it would probably be your Nidoran. It has poison spines on its body, for goodness's sake. I guess I just never thought of Rattata as cute, but it's pretty charming until it evolves into Raticate.” Minna grinned and said, “Well, it's not like I have to let it evolve. We can cancel evolution, remember?” Sally finally smiled back. “Yeah, that's right. Oh, look at the time! We don't want to be late for the party at Janice's house. Come on, let's go!”

While they were at the party, everyone laughed and talked about various pieces of gossip that Minna pretended to be interested in, until finally the discussion turned to an informal local Pokémon tournament to be held next week just outside Pewter City. Everyone was excited to test their skills, but Minna was exceptionally excited and shrieked a little bit. “That sounds so interesting! But do you really think I'm good enough to enter, Janice?” Janice giggled a little. “Don't be so modest, Minna. You have some of the toughest Pokémon among us here tonight. Besides, it's not like Brock or any serious trainers will be there. It's just a friendly game to help our Pokémon get a little exercise more than anything else. None of us have exactly made Pokémon the center of our lives. No need to be nervous.”

Later that night, Minna was training her new Rattata on Route 2. She was very pleased with its passionate attacks and the speed with which it was taking down wild Caterpie and Pidgey. It had grown nearly two levels in what seemed like no time at all. Suddenly, she saw a lantern light coming towards her and had Rattata guard her. Then she heard a voice saying, “Chill out, Minna. It's just me, Anthony.” She recognized the voice. “Oh, sorry. Rattata, return! You shouldn't scare me like that Anthony, I thought it might be a stalker. What are you doing out so late, anyway?” He chuckled. “Looking for Venonat. They're very rare in Viridian Forest, but they have been said to appear at night. What are you up to?”

Minna sighed. “Training for the upcoming competition. I know it's silly, but I'm afraid of losing my first battle in front of everyone and embarrassing myself, so I'm trying to make sure that doesn't happen.” Anthony laughed.“You're one of the best trainers in Pewter City, but you don't have a lot of self-confidence. Still, training isn't silly, it's smart. There's no shame in wanting to win.” Minna blushed. “W-Who says I want to win? I just don't want to be in last place, that's all!” Anthony sighed. “Come on, Minna, I know you better than that. Who are you trying to beat?”

Minna smiled a big grin and a little fire flashed in her eyes. “All right, but don't tell anyone. I want to beat Janice. She's always been the oldest in our group. First to get a Pokémon, first to get an allowance, first to develop... she's always first and everyone looks up to her. I think she could stand to be knocked down a peg, and no one else has tried so far. So I want to try. I guess that's a little tough to understand, right?”

Anthony rolled his eyes, “Nope, that's actually a lot easier to understand than all the other stuff you all do. I think just about every remotely competitive Pokémon trainer starts to see someone in their peer group as their rival. I mean, what do you think motivates people to challenge gym leaders? Same mentality.”

Minna sighed with relief. “Thanks, Anthony. It's good to have someone I can talk to about this stuff. I guess everyone secretly wants to win, but with most of my friends it seems like it's somehow bad to admit you want to win or be seen as trying too hard for it.” Soon after that, they said good night to each other and headed home. She pretty much fell asleep the moment she got home that night.

The night after that, Minna was sitting in her room already dressed for bed, watching a Pokémon League tournament on television after spending the afternoon helping her friends make the decorations and fliers for the upcoming local tournament. It was a battle between Nidorino and Gengar, and for just a brief moment she imagined what it would be like to fight Gengar with her own Nidoran, although she soon realized how outmatched she would be and dismissed the thought. Still, she had a soft spot for Nidorino and quietly rooted for him to win.

Suddenly she heard her Mom shout, “Honey, one of your friends is here! Are you asleep yet?” Minna quickly changed the channel to the Home Shopping Network and shouted, “No, I was just watching TV! Go ahead and send them up!” Sally came upstairs and said, “Hi, Minna! Huh, you're really watching HSN this late at night? I would have thought for sure you'd be watching something Pokémon battle related.” Minna forced a laugh. “No, I'm not a kid anymore, I don't care about that stuff. I was just looking at this gold-plated Poké Ball on HSN because I couldn't sleep. It's a pretty good price at $4.99.” Sally looked sideways at Minna, “Well, anyway, I just wanted to ask what level Pidgey evolves at. Is it anything like level 10 or 9 that I could reach fairly easily by the end of the week?” Minna replied, “Well, I haven't studied this stuff in a while, but I think it's something like level 17 or 18. You'd probably need a couple of weeks. Maybe we should ask my Dad to be sure, though.” Sally shook her head, “No, that sounds right to me. Thanks anyway, Minna.” Minna added, “Wait, Sally, I think I remember that Pidgey learns Quick Attack at level 12. You could possibly reach that level in a reasonable amount of time, if that helps you.”

Sally smiled and said, “You still remember quite a bit, don't you? Well, I probably won't be able to get Pidgey past level 10 any time soon, but I hope that at least one of us does well in the competition. Good luck, Minna.” Minna replied, “Good luck to you too, Sally.” After that, Sally left the room, and Minna almost immediately switched the television back to the battle. Sally peeked her head in through a crack in the door for a second, and suppressed a small chuckle as she walked away. “Once a fighter, always a fighter,” she thought to herself as she left Minna's house.
 

athenian200

Circumspect
Joined
Jan 31, 2010
Location
a place of settlement, activity, or residence.
This is where the story starts to get interesting. Although I do kind of wonder if I overloaded this chapter with Pokémon battles. It describes more battles in more detail than most future chapters do.

Chapter 2 - The Uninvited Guest

The day of the competition finally arrived, and Minna was as ready as she could be. Both her Nidoran and her Rattata were up to level 10 thanks to her nightly training sessions over the past week. Janice had of course been selected as the host and announcer. “Welcome to the tenth Pewter City practice tournament for young trainers. Refreshments will be provided to all participants after the battles. The grand prize is a Super Potion my Mom got in Vermilion City. Good luck, and may the best trainer win! Let's begin.” The first few match-ups were assigned by drawing names out of a hat. She was facing off against Ben, a Youngster-type trainer that also happened to be Sally's brother. “Yo, Minna. I heard you caught a Rattata. That's pretty awesome. I bet it still can't beat my tough Rattata, though,” he boasted. “Oh, yeah, she's really cute and purple. Be nice to her when we fight, though, okay? She's still a young Pokémon,” Minna explained. “Really? Well, your preference for purple over pink seems to be paying off around here, at least. Rattata has a pretty high attack. I bet you didn't know that,” Ben snickered. “Huh, I did notice that she was knocking Caterpies out pretty fast. I guess that's why,” Minna shrugged. “Well, enough talk, let's battle 'em! Go, Rattata!” Ben shouted. “Go, Rattata!” Minna responded.

Ben ordered his Rattata to slap Minna's Rattata around with it's tail to throw it off guard, but before he could finish giving the command, Minna made an odd hand gesture towards Ben, and her Rattata responded to the command by quickly attacking Ben's Rattata before he could do anything. “Woah, your Rattata already knows Quick Attack? That's not too shabby, Minna. I might have underestimated you at first, but now I'm going to get serious,” Ben boasted. He made a similar gesture towards Minna, and his Rattata attacked just as quickly. After sizing each other up, they both kept using Quick Attack. Minna happened to score a critical hit at one point, while Ben missed one of his attacks against Rattata. As a result, Ben lost the battle to Minna. “Aw, man. You made my Pokémon faint? That's kind of embarrassing. You just got lucky with that critical hit, you know that?” Minna apologized, “Oh, I'm sorry I made your Pokémon faint. Janice was supposed to stop the battle before either of our Pokémon got to that point. My Rattata is nearly exhausted, too. I guess I wasn't being careful enough.” Ben waved his hand dismissively, “No, no don't worry about that. That's how it's supposed to be according to Pokémon League rules anyway. It's not as if you tried to kill my Pokémon. This battle's not over yet, anyway. Go, Ekans!”

Minna shouted, “Rattata, return! Go, Nidoran!” Ben turned his hat around the right way, and then ordered Ekans to use Poison Sting. Nidoran barely even reacted to it. “What gives? Why isn't Poison Sting working? Your Pokémon should be trembling by now.” Minna shrugged. “I don't know, but I heard my Dad say something about Poison-type moves not working on other Poison-type Pokémon because they're immune to their own venom. Could my Nidoran be a Poison-type?” Ben facepalmed, “Wow, that was stupid of me. It's called the Poison Pin Pokémon for a reason. You're just having all the luck today.” Minna shouted, “Double Kick, Nidoran! Let's take out that creepy snake.” Nidoran landed both hits. “Hey, who are you calling a creepy snake?” Ben demanded. “Oh, sorry. I meant your Ekans, not you. I can see where you'd be confused, though.” Minna giggled. “I'll wipe that smile off your face! Ekans, let's wrap this up!” Ben commanded. Ekans began wrapping itself around Nidoran like a boa constrictor and kept it from moving or doing much of anything for five turns. All Minna could do is watch as Ekans took away about half of Nidoran's health. Once Nidoran broke free, Minna had him use Horn Attack. It was another critical hit, as Nidoran knocked Ekans into the sky and it took a while for it to come back down. It was decisively passed out when it landed. “Darn! I lost. It’s pretty embarrassing to be beaten by one of my sister's friends in public like this. Oh, well. I'll just have to train harder.”

“Minna, what's gotten into you?!” Sally shouted as she ran to see what was going on. “Janice told me you were picking on my little brother. He's just a kid. If you have to fight like that, couldn't you at least pick on someone your own size?” Minna apologized again. “I'm sorry, I was expecting Janice to stop the fight before the Pokémon got so weak. I did stop as soon as I saw his Pokémon had fainted.” Ben pulled his baseball cap down over his eyes and tugged on Sally's sleeve. “Sis, you're really, really not helping here. Having my big sister stand up for me in front of everyone makes me look even more pathetic.” Sally gasped, “Wait, you mean Janice wasn't watching your fight? She wasn't watching mine, either! I assumed she was over here dealing with you.” Minna stared her directly in the eyes with sincerity. “She never said a word to me, and she's been over there flirting with her boyfriend the whole time. She only left that spot to talk to you after the battle ended. Look, see? She doesn't care about this tournament at all.” Sally sighed. “I'm sorry, Minna. I should have known better than to trust her. I wish I had the guts to confront her, but she could ruin my reputation and get me grounded if I mess with her.” Ben added, “See? Minna's not a mean girl, and there's nothing wrong with my Pokémon that a Pokémon Center can't fix. They've been beaten up worse than this before when I tried to challenge a gym.”

With that, everyone went to heal their Pokémon at the Pokémon Center after the battle, and enjoyed some lemonade and cookies that had been prepared in advance. Minna's next fight was with her Bug Catcher friend Anthony. “Hey, Minna. Looks like we both won our first fight. Ready to battle?” Minna replied, “I guess so... although, bugs are disgusting. I really don't know why you started raising them. But at least Rattata is used to fighting them, so I do have that advantage.” Anthony smiled, “Well, I guess they're not cute, purple Pokémon like yours, but I think they're cool and easy to raise. Let's go! Caterpie!” Minna shrieked slightly as she shouted, “Go! Rattata!” But she immediately used Quick Attack by way of her hand gesture, knocking down half of Caterpie's health. Anthony grinned a bit, “Good, good... but let's see how you handle this! String shot!” Caterpie enveloped Rattata with a web-like substance. Minna squirmed a bit, but managed to command Ratatta to tackle the Caterpie. She wasn't able to attack quickly anymore, because the Caterpie had effectively reduced her Rattata's speed to near-paralysis levels with that sticky string. It took longer and Rattata became exhausted, but Minna did eventually defeat Caterpie. “Well, I guess that leaves Metapod. Go! Metapod!” Anthony exclaimed. Minna switched out her tired Rattata for Nidoran. “Nidoran, Double Kick!” she shouted. “Metapod, Harden!” he roared. She did quite a bit of damage to Metapod at first, but as the Metapod became harder, it ultimately took her three turns to finish it off. “Why didn't you attack me?” Minna asked, a bit confused. “Did you go easy on me or something? You just kept using Harden over and over.” Anthony sighed. “You don't know a lot about bug Pokémon, do you? That's the only move Metapod can use... at least until you use up all its power, and then it can struggle. I was kind of hoping the battle would last that long, but I pretty much knew it was over the moment Caterpie fainted.” Minna laughed, “So it's as useless as a black market Magikarp? Got it.”

Minna fought several more battles, and eventually came face-to-face with her rival, Janice. “Hello there, Minna. Please be nice to my Jigglypuff. She's a very sensitive Pokémon, you know, and you can be a little rough at times.” Janice said. “No problem, Janice. You just tell me when you want me to stop, and I will.” They glared at each other for a few seconds before Janice finally said, “Jigglypuff, come out and play with us!” Minna simply responded with, “Go! Rattata!” Janice quipped, “Oh. Your new Pokémon is pretty cute... for a rodent.” While she was saying this, Minna used the odd hand gesture to have Rattata quickly attack Jigglypuff, knocking off a quarter of its health.

“Oh, how rude. You attacked before I was ready. I think your rodent should be put to sleep for biting my poor Jigglypuff. Sing!” Jigglypuff sang a soothing melody and put Rattata to sleep. She then proceeded to pound on Rattata while she slept until she only had a little health left. Minna sighed, and then switched in Nidoran. Janice laughed. “I can do this all day. Jigglypuff, sing it to sleep!” But this time, Nidoran fought the waves of fatigue and stayed in the battle. “Nidoran, use Double Kick!” Minna shouted. The Fighting-type move was super effective, and knocked Jigglypuff down to a quarter of its health. “Jigglypuff, use Pound!” Janice said, a bit dazed and confused. Jigglypuff wasted no time getting a critical hit in on Nidoran and knocking it down to half its health. It visibly staggered a bit. Janice then announced, “The victory goes to me. Her Nidoran is weakened enough that I don't think it should fight anymore. This is just a friendly competition, after all.” Minna protested, “What? My Nidoran is still very healthy.” Janice sighed, “I don't know what you think this is, that you're going around making people's Pokémon faint. If you want that kind of brutality, go to a gym, honey.” Minna sighed. It seemed that Janice had found a way to win after all, by abusing her position.

But just as she was about to return Nidoran to its Poké Ball, a mysterious trainer walked out to the scene. “Hold it right there, Janice! I've been watching this from the sidelines. You haven't been paying attention to any of these battles, but now that it's your turn, you conveniently call your own match in your own favor due to your opponent's weakness? Let's just take a quick poll here... everyone that had to battle until their Pokémon fainted because you didn't have a decent referee, raise your hands!” Everyone except Janice raised their hands. “Let me just ask you a question. How many times have you all had a battle's tide turn at the last minute, pulling victory from the jaws of defeat? Would the battle's outcome have been determined fairly if someone had called it the moment one Pokémon's health started getting low? This entire setup would be dubious even with an impartial judge, but Janice is calling the results of her own match. Her Jigglypuff looks weaker than Nidoran to me.” the boy exclaimed. “Excuse me, young man, but who are you to talk to me that way? You're not even from around here.” Janice inquired angrily. “I'm Red, a Pokémon trainer from Pallet that learned about Pokémon from Professor Oak. And I don't have to be from around here to see that you're rigging this contest in your favor. I don't care what you all agreed to, but there's a reason why people aren't allowed to make up their own rules for Pokémon battles, and Janice's behavior today is a prime example of that reason!” Ben stood up next to Red. “He's right, Janice is cheating! Finish the fight the right way, or you forfeit.” Anthony also stood up. “I'm with them. Janice, you can't call your own match based on your own rules.” Soon, Sally and everyone else joined in with a group chant of, “Finish the fight! Finish the fight!” Janice looked nervous and turned to her boyfriend, Jimmy. “Jimmy, you don't agree with them, do you?!” Jimmy struggled to say something. “Well, you see, a verbal contract is binding under some circumstances... umm... sorry, I can't do this. They're right, Janice. Maybe if you had gotten someone else to referee the match between you and Minna, you'd have ground to stand on, but you didn't.” Janice slapped Jimmy, and glared at him. “Fine, clearly this Red character has you all wanting blood, so I guess we're back to the law of the jungle. So much for a friendly competition. Minna, do you want to just call this a draw? I don't want to hurt your Nidoran.” Nidoran looked at Minna, stamped his foot, and shook his head in the negative. He then assumed an attack posture and stared down Jigglypuff without even being ordered. “I don't think Nidoran wants to quit, and I'd prefer not to disappoint him. Sorry, Janice, but the only way you can get out of this now is to forfeit the match. I don't want to hurt your Jigglypuff either,” Minna said with a polite sarcasm.

Janice sighed. “Very well then. Jigglypuff, sing!” Nidoran fell asleep this time, and Jigglypuff pounded it until it had barely any strength left. Minna looked nervous, but she still ordered it to use Horn Attack the moment it woke up. At almost the same time, Janice ordered it to pound Nidoran one more time. Both Pokémon fainted. Minna withdrew Nidoran and sent Rattata back out. Rattata was still weak, but somehow managed to hold herself up. Janice crossed her arms and looked at the sky. Minna stared at her. “Come on, Janice. You're supposed to send out your next Pokémon!” Janice sighed, “I don't have any other Pokémon with me, you brutes.” Red shouted, “Since Minna is the only one with a Pokémon still able to fight, she wins the battle!”

Everyone headed back to the Pokémon Center to heal up their Pokémon and have more lemonade, and Red joined them. Minna was actually a little depressed. Although she had won against Janice, it felt like a hollow victory because it took someone else's intervention to make the fight fair, and even then she only won on a technicality. People argued in whispers as to whether she really should have won or not. Janice's closer friends openly chastised Minna for not accepting the draw. Worst of all, she realized that she and Red had effectively driven a wedge between her friends (including Sally's family and all of Anthony's friends) and Janice's friends (including her boyfriend and most of the other young girls). This was not how she had pictured her victory. Instead of humiliating Janice, she had only gotten herself and her best friends excluded from Janice's social group. It would have been one thing to pay the price on her own, but having others pay for her ambitions was a bit more than she could bear.

However, for the moment, the subject shifted to Red's interest in challenging everyone. “I know I'm a bit of a party crasher, but I'd really like to test everyone's strength. Come on, what do you say?” Janice interrupted. “This is a local competition, and you weren't invited. I don't see why you should get to join just because you're passing through.” Red pointed out, “Oh, I don't expect to win a prize or be invited to join. I'm mostly interested in challenging everyone here one-on-one. No rule against that, is there? The contest would have been over by now anyway if I hadn't shown up.” So Red spoke to everyone in the room individually, and sure enough everyone was interested in challenging him except for Janice. She finally conceded, “I'm nothing if not flexible. I see where this is going. If everyone wants to fight him, I'm willing to let him join the competition. He's already turned this into something much more serious and stressful than I wanted, and since there's no going back, we might as well go all the way. I'll fight you as well. Oh, and Minna, please come see me.”

Minna walked up to Janice, bracing for the worst. “My friends and I have been talking to each other, and we think we've decided how to resolve the dispute about who won the contest. While you did win your Pokémon battle against me personally, and I can't legally officiate a Pokémon battle I'm participating in, I am in charge of the contest, and I rule that you did not win your battle in a way that would earn you the prize since it involved an arcane technicality no one was aware of when we started, about having a Pokémon left that hadn't fainted. So you and I are currently tied for first place. However, instead of declaring myself the winner, I have found out that Red has defeated Brock and earned a badge. Therefore, any trainer that beats Red is automatically the contest winner, and if Red somehow beats everyone, then he wins the contest. So everyone, including you, gets another chance, and we're playing by Red's precious Pokémon League rules that everyone seems to respect so much from here on out. Is that equitable enough for you, honey? I would like to be spared any further embarrassment if my hosting is not up to your standards.” Janice quipped snidely. “Oh, that's fine,” Minna said in a mildly defeated tone that made Janice smile.

So they all lined up for one last battle around sunset, with the blazing red sun sitting in the sky turning the landscape the color of blood. They lined up in order of their placement in the competition. Minna was next-to-last, simply because Janice won a coin toss. Minna's mind was not on the battle, though. She was just thinking about how this would probably be the last time everyone would do something together, and perhaps it was all her fault for not accepting the draw in the first place. For thinking she could really beat someone like Janice at her own game, and unwittingly dragging her friends into the matter as well.

Watching the battles did help her get out of her malaise, and she began to think that Red would most likely mop the floor with everyone. His battle style reminded her of a league tournament, if a bit less refined than the fighters on television. No one else there had a gym badge. Janice was kind of stupid to agree to Red's terms, but she didn't take issue with anything that made Janice look foolish. Sure enough, all of the trainers ranking lower than her were overwhelmed by just three Pokémon. He used Spearow against Anthony, Pikachu against Sally's twin Pidgeys, and Butterfree with Confusion against Ben's Ekans. He clearly knew what he was doing. But when he came to her, he gave her a strange look.

“That look you gave me, it's so intriguing,” she said with confusion. Red calmly stated, “I notice that you look defeated even though you haven't fought me yet. As if you've been fighting this battle in your mind already and lost a few times. Everyone else was caught off guard completely. But you already realize you don't stand a chance, don't you?” Minna sighed, “Yes, I do. You have a badge, and no one else here does. But it's not just that, it's how you fight. You seem to think pretty far beyond just what Pokémon you prefer, as if you know what it takes to defeat each and every opponent just by looking at them. I could never do that.” Red smiled, “Well, knowing when you can't win is actually the beginning of knowledge. Most people think a Pokémon battle is like flipping a coin, that it's about luck above all else. But still, you learn more from the battles you lose than the ones you win. So, let's get to it. Spearow, I choose you!” Minna thoughtfully replied, “I couldn't agree more. Go, Rattata!” Red's Spearow stared down her Rattata, and she had Rattata bat Spearow around with her tail to disorient him. Red paused to comment, “So... we're both opening with taunts, are we? Not bad so far. Spearow, Peck!” While Red was speaking, Minna flashed a hand gesture to Rattata and had her attack quickly. Spearow immediately followed up with Peck, which took Rattata down to about half health. This single move knocked Spearow's health down quite a bit, so much so that Red used a potion. “I should have seen that coming. Your Rattata moves really fast. Spearow, Peck!” Once again, Rattata did so much damage to Spearow that it effectively negated the potion Red used earlier. Spearow's attack nearly caused Rattata to faint, but she somehow stood up again. Red clinched his fist, turned his hat around backwards, and started to grunt a little bit... almost as if he was suffering with his Pokémon. “Spearow, use Peck one more time!” he shouted. But Minna had Rattata preemptively attack once again, and managed to knock out Red's Spearow.

Red laughed. “Okay, you got me. I let my guard down because I wanted to train Spearow, one of my weaker Pokémon, and I started taking victory against you guys for granted. Spearow, return! Go, Butterfree! This is the Pokémon I used to beat Brock, I'll have you know.” He pounded his fist into his hand as he said, “I'm serious now! Butterfree, Confusion!” Because Butterfree didn't have to physically move to use confusion, Minna couldn't get the timing right to take advantage of Rattata's speed. Rattata fell instantly, and she was forced to switch in Nidoran. “Nidoran, Double Kick!” Minna shouted. While she did manage to put a dent in Butterfree's health, Confusion took out Nidoran with one hit, just as she expected. “Well, you didn't beat me, but you have managed to inconvenience me. Now I can't level up my Spearow while I'm doing this,” Red grumbled. “Hey, I said I didn't think I could win the battle. I never said I was going to just hand you the victory. By the way, I like purple Pokémon. That Butterfree was really cute. Where did you get it?” Minna shot back. Red looked her up and down, and then asked, “Hmm... well, tell me, are you afraid of bugs?” Minna squealed a little and said, “Eww! Yes, of course. Why?” Red laughed and said, “You don't want to know. You have some skill, but I really think that in the end, you're just an average girl with cute purple Pokémon. A little smarter, a bit more competitive, but overall just too normal to get very far beyond this town.” Minna put her hands on her hips and whined, “Hey, be nice!” Red walked towards his final battle of the day and said, “Sorry, but I call 'em like I see 'em. If you ever prove me wrong, I'll eat my words. Later!”

Red beat Janice handily, and then Janice made an announcement. “The grand prize of this year's tournament goes to Red of Pallet Town. In addition to the gym badge that he already won from our Gym Leader, Brock. Here's your Super Potion, Red.” Minna was really depressed now. Along with everything else, now she didn't even have a contest victory to look back upon. Although somehow, Red's insult had hurt worse than anything Janice had ever said to her... because it hit a little too close to home. A bit too much like her self-critical thoughts that were ever-present in the background of her mind's noise.

Later that night, she was eating ice cream and watching League tournaments on television again. She also had Rattata and Nidoran out of their Poké Balls and kept reassuring them that they'd done a good job. They tried to comfort her as well, although she couldn't understand what they were saying. When Sally and Anthony came over later, she didn't even bother changing the channel. “Hi, guys,” she said weakly. “You know that your best chance to get back on Janice's good side is to cut me out, right? It's okay, I know I screwed things up for all of us. I don't deserve your friendship.” Sally sighed. “You didn't make the situation any easier, but after the way she tried to play me against you and abused her position, I don't think I would have felt comfortable shaking hands with a snake like her. I'd rather pet my brother's Ekans than go to her parties after all this.” Anthony added, “And speaking on behalf of my friends, we only went to those parties for the food. At this point, we'd all rather just get our meals elsewhere and spend the extra time catching more bugs and camping out in the woods at night. Life's too short for us to be led around on a string by someone like Janice.”

“Thanks, guys. You're the best,” she says. Sally notices the tournament on television. “I thought you said you weren't into that stuff anymore.” Minna sighed, “More like I was trying really, really hard not to be into that stuff anymore and grow up. But a part of me still thought that if I beat Janice, it would change how people thought about things. I would find even losing to her easier to live with than what Red said to me, though. That went so much deeper. I used to always take comfort in fantasizing about being in those League tournaments... in believing that if I had the time and patience to go for it, I could be as good as any of them.

But Red shattered that dream and reminded me of what I really am. Just a regular girl that will never make it beyond this town. And now I can't even watch a Pokémon battle without replaying those words in my mind. I'd give up on training for a while to take my mind off it, but now I don't even have Janice's parties or other distractions to look forward to. So now it's like my fantasies were destroyed by Red, and my reality was destroyed by Janice. But I still have you guys, and I still have my Pokémon. So it really isn't like I have nothing.” Anthony and Sally took turns hugging her. Sally exclaimed, “Hey, it's not like Pewter City is the whole world. Things are different in Viridian and Pallet. There are people there that don't even know Janice, and they probably don't have to play all these games with each other because they're too busy working in their shops, farms, or labs. I have a pen pal in Viridian, but I was always too busy to see her in person. Now I'll have time to visit her.”

Minna yawned. “I guess you're right. I think I might actually be able to sleep now. Thanks for coming over.” Anthony and Sally left, saying “Good night, Minna!” in unison. Minna fell asleep, still dreaming about Red's words. The strangest part of the dream that later stuck in her mind was Red handing her a mirror in which she saw Janice's face, then her Mother's face... and then herself as a little girl. “Is this all I am?” she asked Red. Red replied, “There's more, but only if you can break that mirror.” This made her weep, because the mirror seemed to be made of something much harder than glass.
 
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Link Floyd

ᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ʳᵘⁿ
Joined
Sep 23, 2014
This was really good! Not a big fan of Janice though haha. I'm interested in knowing the deeper meaning behind that dream Minna had at the end.
 

athenian200

Circumspect
Joined
Jan 31, 2010
Location
a place of settlement, activity, or residence.
The next chapter is full of symbolism. It will get somewhat psychological and more than a little weird. One interesting note is that I read a clip from a translated Japanese interview recently that sort of verified some of what my observations and hunches told me as I was writing this story.

http://www.glitterberri.com/pokemon-red-blue/game-freak-staff-interview/gold-silver-powered-up/

The trainers have more individuality in Gold and Silver, don’t they.

Sugimori: Yes, they do. We made it so that trainers would use a particular set of Pokémon depending on their occupation.

Nishino: The trainers have a lot of little details as well. When a Schoolboy grows up, he turns into a Super Nerd, for example, while a Lass becomes a Beauty.

Now that the tone is set, here's the third chapter.

Chapter 3 - Psychic Help

Minna has slowly returned to some semblance of a normal routine after another week. She still trains her Pokémon on Route 2, she still hangs out with Sally and Ben on weekends, and she still watches her favorite television shows. She has the strength to make it through each day, but it has somehow become mechanical and automatic.

One day while hanging out with Sally and Ben, Minna exclaims, “Oh, I like your Ekans, Ben. It's such a nice shade of purple. Where did you get it?” Ben looks a little confused. “You like it? But during the tournament you said it was creepy.” Minna suddenly felt puzzled herself. “I'm actually not sure why I said that. I've always liked purple Pokémon, even Poison types. I guess it was because I thought saying stuff like that would make me seem more acceptable to Janice and her friends, because that's the kind of stuff they say all the time. I'm really only afraid of bugs.” Ben chuckled. “Actually, I'm not a huge fan of them myself... why do you think I'm not a bug catcher? Still, I don't get why you'd go to all that trouble for someone like Janice. I mean, you didn't even do it very well. They made fun of your Rattata the same way you talked about Ekans.” Minna sighed, “I always planned to get to the top playing by her rules, and then change the rules. But now I wonder how much the rules changed me.” Sally laughed and added. “You know, the more I think about it, the more I think you did us both a favor. Janice and her friends weren't the best influence on us. I think about some of the things we did and said when we were around them, and I cringe.” Minna nodded, “Oh, so do I. So do I. Ugh. I was in such a hurry to grow up that I never stopped to question whether I was growing into someone I wanted to be. I just tried to be what everyone seemed to expect. But now that it's all blown up in my face, I see that I'm really just a scarred-up version of the same little kid I was last year with nothing to show for it.” Ben crossed his arms. “Well, I'm glad I'm still a kid. Growing up is overrated.” Minna agreed, “Yeah, I'm minding being called immature less. It's like the longer I go without seeing those girls, the more I regress into my old, comfortable habits and attitudes.” Sally laughed again, and said, “Yeah, that's our Minna. I knew you hadn't changed that fast.”

In spite of improving in many ways and simply reverting her most recent personality shifts related to Janice's group, Minna was still deeply lost and confused. The dream with Red and the mirror kept coming back to her every night. Eventually, she told Sally and Anthony about the dream. Sally told her that it was probably just her nerves and that it would probably stop eventually, but Anthony began to wonder if it meant something. One day while she was training her Nidoran to keep him in shape, Anthony came out of the forest with a strange-looking girl in a robe. “Minna, there's someone I'd like you to meet. She asked for you by name, although I don't know how she knows you.” The girl bowed, and introduced herself. “I am Anna, a Psychic. I've seen your defeat by Red, and the dreams that followed it. I'm here to talk to you about... that mirror.” Minna was very surprised, and asked, “Does it mean anything? It's bothering me and I can't get it out of my head.” Anna continued, “It means everything, actually. But it's kind of hard to explain. Are you familiar with the concept of spheres of consciousness?” Minna's eyes widened. “No, I'm not... but I have a feeling that I need to be. Could you tell me about it?”

Anna smiled. “You see, the majority of people in this world embody a single archetype unconsciously by the time they're ten years old. Groups of three or four of these archetypes form a sphere of consciousness. But then there are trainers like Red, who can access multiple spheres of consciousness. That's what makes them so powerful.” Minna repeated to herself, “Power... Red is very powerful. I could never hope to wield that kind of power.” Anna frowned a little, “That's the problem, actually. Your were already a bit unstable compared to the average person when you had that traumatic experience with Red. Those three images in the mirror... they're the energy of the three archetypes you embody already. Janice represents an archetype I like to call The Lass. You know the kind of person you realized you were becoming once you distanced yourself from her? The kind of person you had to become for her to accept you? That's what a Lass is... vain, superficial, naive, and effeminate in all the worst ways. That girl normally transforms everyone around her into such a person... but your memories were too strong. Memories of being a child held your personality together so that you didn't shift fully into Lass consciousness. Instead, you merged Lass consciousness with your own. The little girl represents an archetype called “The Youngster,” and it represents undifferentiated children much like Ben. So for the most part, you're actually a blend of Lass and Youngster-type consciousness, although the Lass has faded a bit in the past few days. Minna nodded her head, “I think I understand, sort of... but what does my mother represent?” Anna continued, “She represents a third archetype called The Beauty. That's sort of like a more mature version of the Lass, but somewhat more experienced and less naive. Your desire for power over Janice and your mother's influence helped activate that archetype early. Many girls that start down your path spend a decade or two as a Lass before mellowing out and becoming a Beauty. Anyway, all three of these form a sphere of consciousness called Innocence and Passion. Because you activated all three, you've mastered that sphere and begun to explore the limits of that form of consciousness. That's actually a very impressive achievement. Let's just say that most people who have mastered an entire sphere of consciousness are Gym Leaders or something similar.” Minna seemed confused. “If it's such an achievement, why do I feel so trapped? Why is the mirror something I need to break?” Anna tried to explain. “The mirror represents your ego, your self-image. Ironically, because you've done everything you can do inside this sphere of consciousness, you have a desire to expand into a new one. And yet, at the same time, you've invested a lot into building up this ego, shattering it will be painful, and you're afraid of what you might lose in the process.” Minna winced a bit, but replied. “You're telling me the truth. I think... I think somehow I knew it, but I couldn't face it until you put to me so that I couldn't ignore it anymore. But I have one more question, an important one. Why did I need power over Janice, and why do I envy Red's power so much now?”

Anna sighed. “Sublimation. You were more self-aware than most Lass-type trainers, but not quite self-aware enough to deal with your own projections. The part of you that needed to dominate Janice was the part of you that wanted to master the Lass archetype and keep it from dominating your inner landscape completely. Even though you're unhappy, you're unhappy because you won that war. Your three Innocence and Passion archetypes are now balanced. At the cost of an identity crisis and painful regressions to Youngster archetype. You never fit the Lass archetype perfectly. It was a bit incompatible with your spirit on some level, so it wasn't a path you could have stayed on indefinitely. Pieces of older and incompatible parts of yourself would always come through. Things like preferring purple to pink, or using a Pokémon like Rattata when you're supposed to be disgusted by rodents. The admiration for powerful trainers and desire to emulate them.”

Minna frowned. “Well, what do I do about all this? What if I want to be myself, my true self, and not just some archetype? Can I do that?” Anna smiled. “If you want to find happiness, you must do that. There's no other way for you. You'll have to become stronger as a trainer in order to expand to new spheres of consciousness, as that is the easiest path in our world.” Minna grinned, “So, you think I can become a better trainer? I think that sounds good. Maybe I don't even have to beat Red, as long as I can become powerful in my own right and in my own way.” Anna cautioned Minna. “I can tell you exactly what you have to do. But I do warn you... you will not like it one bit. At least not at first. You have to confront your shadow. The path of growth you didn't take.” Minna looked concerned. “Will it be dangerous?” Anna smiled. “No, not really. But you will have to go very, very far outside of your comfort zone. Meet me here tomorrow with your friends.”

With that, Anna left Anthony and Minna alone. “Whew, that Anna certainly laid a lot of heavy stuff on your doorstep. It kind of blows my mind,” Anthony exclaimed. “You're telling me. I think I'm actually little angry. Not at Anna or Janice, but now at myself for being consumed by an archetype. It makes so much sense. I know now, that the real me... I never would have made fun of Ben's Ekans. I like all purple Pokémon, even poison-types. Especially poison-types. It was like having a spell cast on me, and even now, I don't know how much of myself is me, I just know that I'm more awake now than I was, but I'm not even sure it's enough to stop it from happening again.” Minna worried. “I know you'll find a way, somehow. You're too stubborn to quit, Minna. That's one thing about you that's never changed,” Anthony reassured her.

The next day, Sally, Ben, and Anthony were all at Route 2 waiting for Anna. “Wow, Minna. If what Anna says about all this true, then I'm especially glad you've given me a chance to be something other than this... Lass-thing that Janice was turning me into. I don't know if I can go quite as far as you will, but I know for sure I'd prefer to be something with a little more integrity, even if it's something fairly humble and average. You know what I mean?” Sally exclaimed. “Oh, believe me, I know exactly what you mean. Thankfully, I've already reached a point where I'm pretty much guaranteed not to fall back into that kind of behavior, although I'm not sure exactly why it can't happen now.” Minna puzzled. Just then, Anna finally showed up.

Anna smiled. “Welcome back, Minna and friends. Come with me into the forest.” Everyone followed Anna into the forest. “All right, very good. Everything is going according to plan. Now I just need to take Anthony aside and tell him what he needs to do to make this work. I can't do this myself.” Anthony and Anna talk back and forth, and Anthony actually glances back wide-eyed at Minna, almost horrified at what he's being asked to say or do. Minna starts glancing around nervously. “I sure hope we don't run into too many bugs here.” Sally thoughtfully says, “If the test is something that makes you uncomfortable, maybe it involves waiting here in a bug-ridden forest for a long time, since you are afraid of bugs.” Minna thinks, “Could be, but I have a feeling it's not going to be quite that easy.”

Anna finally leaves to go home, and Anthony comes back to the group with a somewhat sheepish look on his face. “All right, she says we really don't need her here to do what's necessary, and that she would only get in the way. Are you ready, Minna?” Minna glances around. “As ready as I'll ever be. Just tell me what I need to know.” Anthony starts explaining. “Okay, well, apparently that development path that wasn't taken... you remember that shadow thing?” Minna nods and Anthony continues. “Well, apparently the path you didn't take from youth was the one I have taken, so I'm the best equipped to help you, because memories are your strength, and I've known you for a long time.”

Minna finally asks, “All right, what do I need to do first? Just tell me.” Anthony looks down, and says, “Well... you need to take off your shoes and socks. Right here in the grass.” Minna gasps, “Anthony, you can't just ask people to do things like that. It's not proper.” Anthony looks her in the eyes, “I know it’s really weird, and you’re right. But I’ve been told that I have to ask this of you, and that this event has to occur for you to have a chance of overcoming the Lass imprinting.” Minna winces a bit, and says, “B-but... what if I get dirty?” Anthony retains a calm, even tone. “That's not something you really need to fear. Don't you realize that you can just wash your feet and your clothes again, even if they get completely covered in mud? But no amount of scrubbing will ever remove your imprinting if you don't trust me.” Minna glances around, sighs, and reluctantly agrees. “All right, I'll do it. Sally, Ben, please don't make fun of me, okay?” Sally cheers her on and says, “Yay! You can do it, Minna! I promise, you'll be fine with me no matter what.” Minna finally says, “Okay, here I go.” She pulls off two black dress shoes, and two long white socks, and sets them on the ground beside her. She wrinkles up her toes a bit, and feels the soft grass underneath them. Sally smiles. “I know that took a lot of courage for you, Minna. Don't give up now.” Minna turns back to Anthony. “Okay, I did it. What's next?” Anthony says, “Okay, that's really good. Now what you have to do is close your eyes, hold out your arms sideways, and imagine yourself as a tree, with your roots stretching down into the earth.” Minna closed her eyes and tried to do what was asked, although her nerves made it difficult for her to focus. A few seconds later, a wild Caterpie crawls onto her foot. She shrieks, and then climbs a tree rapidly to get away from it. “See? I was afraid this would happen if I came into the forest! Eww, I had a bug on me,” Minna cried. But suddenly, the sensation of tree bark under her feet made her chuckle a bit. “I can't believe I'm back here doing stuff like this again after so many years. I don't think I've climbed a tree like this in... four or five years? Do you remember that, Anthony? It's a little hazy in my mind, but I know I've been here before and felt like this before.”

Anthony smiled a little bit. “Yeah, I remember it like it was yesterday. Me and my friends weren't interested in bugs yet, but we had a tree fort. We generally didn’t invite people from town to join us, but then you showed up and did everything you could to get in. You took your shoes off because they were nice and you didn't want to scuff them up, and you climbed up the tree barefoot, holding a basket of sandwiches you'd made for everyone. When we saw you there on our little makeshift porch, sweating, gasping, leaves in your hair, your clothes all dirty, smiling and offering us food... we didn't have the heart to turn you away after all that struggle. We were forced to see you as more than you appeared to be... you were a really cool person named Minna, and we played together with you just like we would with anyone else. Minna blushed profusely. “Oh, I remember now. I had forgotten. It's kind of embarrassing now, but it was so much fun at the time.” Ben shouted, “Wow, you were really brave and cool back then, Minna!” Anthony asked her, “What's stopping you from being that way again? Do you remember what made you stop coming back?” Minna sighed a little bit. “It was right about the time you guys started collecting bugs. I was intimidated by them. I think I was actually a little angry that the bugs were pushing me out of your lives.” By this point, Minna was sitting on a branch and kicking her legs back and forth in a rhythm, in a really relaxed way as if she'd been climbing trees her whole life.

Anthony asked, “Why are you afraid of bugs?” Minna suddenly looked puzzled. “I don't know, I guess because my Mom was.” Anthony looked her in the eyes and said, “That's not a real answer... you need to focus. The exact reason.” Minna closed her eyes and tried hard to think back to when she first remembered being afraid of bugs. “Wait, I know! It was when I saw my Mom screaming at a bug and telling me they were dangerous. On top of that, some of the others kept talking about how gross you all were for playing around with them. So everyone seemed to think they were gross and dangerous, and it seemed like I was expected to think the same thing. Like I would potentially be an outcast or in danger if I didn't give them a wide berth.”

Anthony frowned, “So it was peer pressure on an even greater scale, at an earlier age than you can remember easily.” Minna added, “Actually, I might have associated bugs with people getting upset because it happened so often. I never did like it when people got upset, so I started naturally avoiding things that seemed to trigger that.” Anthony smiled. “Well, Minna, what if I were to tell you that most bugs really aren't dangerous, and a lot of people are happy when they see them? That there's another way to think about bugs?” Minna laughed. “That's a little hard to imagine, but I guess I should try to keep an open mind.”

Anthony continued, “Well, you should at least come down here and face the Caterpie.” Minna sighed and jumped down from the tree. “All right, I'll try. Go, Rattata!” She had it attack the Caterpie, and then used the Poké Ball. “I caught the Caterpie in a Poké Ball. Does that count?” Anthony laughed. “Well... not really, but it's a start. It means you can control the Pokémon and learn more about how it feels.” Minna seemed surprised, “What kind of things can you learn about how a bug feels?” Anthony pondered that question. “Well... the same things you'd learn about any Pokémon's feelings, I guess.” Minna became a bit curious and opened up the Poké Ball. Caterpie crawled away from her and seemed to be crying. “Is Caterpie upset? What made it feel that way?” Minna asked. “Well, first you ran away from it the moment it touched you as if it were the most disgusting thing in the world, and then you attacked it without warning and captured it in a Poké Ball. I'm not sure it trusts you very much right now,” Anthony explained. Suddenly, Minna felt a little bit sad and pulled a potion out of her pocket. She then approached Caterpie and sprayed the potion on it, while saying, “Hold still, I'm not going to hurt you.” Suddenly, Caterpie felt better and then looked at her with a pleased look in its eyes. She then sat down on the grass with her knees in the air and her feet flat on the ground, and smiled. “Come to me, Caterpie. I trust you now. Please don't be afraid of me. You're one of my Pokémon, aren't you?” After a moment of hesitation, Caterpie crawled into her legs. She sort of laughed as it crawled on her, and then petted it. “I love you, Caterpie. I'm so sorry I was mean to you before.” It made an approving growl, and Minna returned the Caterpie to her Poké Ball. Anthony and Sally stood there with their mouths open, and Minna quickly said. “Well, Caterpie is one of my Pokémon, I can't let it be unhappy or feel unloved... and... I know I would hate to be treated like that.” All of a sudden, she saw the mirror flash again in her mind, and this time it was broken into thousands of fragments. Something snapped in her mind, and suddenly she felt this strange sense of euphoria and freedom, like she hadn't felt in years. “Anthony, you did it!” She cried tears of happiness and gave Anthony and Sally each a hug. “I'm so happy for you, Minna. You're so weird, but I wouldn't have you any other way. This is so you... maybe more you than I've ever seen you.” Sally chuckled. “I always knew that if you had to look a bug-type in the eyes, you'd learn to love them as much as you do your other Pokémon. I just never felt the need to force the issue before. If I'd only known how easy it would be, and how much it would help you, I would have done something sooner...” Anthony exclaimed.

Minna jumped into a mud puddle deliberately and squealed happily as she got her clothes dirty. “Oh my goodness, I-I feel... so free and alive. I haven't felt this way in years. I don't have to feel embarrassed or get upset over things like dirt anymore. I'm just... me again. She smiled at Anthony while crying tears of happiness. “I remember everything now. The Minna you remember is back, and stronger than ever. It's like... it's like I got a huge missing piece of my soul back. I can never thank you or Anna enough for that. Thanks so much!”

Sally looked up at the sky for a moment, and put her hand on her chin. “So, what should we all do now? I don't think there's any going back for Minna.” Minna mused, “Hmm... well, I'd really like to go to Viridian City to thank Anna.” Sally smiled. “I'll go with you, then. I still have to see my pen pal. I knew getting out of Pewter City would help you. We're just barely outside of Route 2 and you're a hundred times better already.” Ben sighed, “I'll have to head home soon. I'm too young to go that far.” Everyone waved goodbye as he walked home. Anthony chimed in, “I make that trip all the time, so I'll serve as a guide. It might take a couple of days, but I have all the supplies we need. I'm pretty well-equipped anyway, but Anna told me we might have to head all the way through the forest to help Minna. Even if it isn't strictly necessary now, the fact that she actually wants to take the journey is reason enough for me. Let's move out!”

As the three of them walked towards Viridian City, Minna kept that visual image of roots connecting her to the earth in her heart, and it brought her a peace she hadn't known in ages. This simple, grounded feeling of being connected to nature and life was so comforting after years of feeling strangely cut off and empty, chasing after fleeting things that didn't really matter. She thought to herself, “It's so ironic... everything I thought I wanted made me miserable when I achieved it, and yet everything I was afraid of made me happier than I ever thought I could be.”
 

athenian200

Circumspect
Joined
Jan 31, 2010
Location
a place of settlement, activity, or residence.
I apologize for the third chapter being somewhat lackluster and weird. I wrote this whole story mostly as a distraction for myself after I got burned out from school, so it's probably not my best work. I don't really care enough to rework it entirely. But I think it gets a little better.

Chapter 4 - Through the Forest

Minna wasted little time bonding with Caterpie and helping her gain experience through battles along the way. However, Caterpie wasn't the only one gaining experience. Minna quickly learned from Anthony how to tell which berries and mushrooms were safe to eat and which were not, and started climbing trees to get a better vantage point as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “We've only been in the forest for six hours, and you're already becoming quite the scout. You have quite a talent for this,” Anthony remarked. “Well, I have to admit, I'm having a lot more fun than I thought I would,” Minna laughed. Just then, she saw a Weedle out of the corner of her eye. “A Weedle! I think I'll catch it!” Minna exclaimed. “Be careful, Minna. While Weedle's poison doesn't affect humans who aren't allergic to it, it could still hurt your Pokémon. I have a couple of Antidotes, but we have a long way to go in this forest, and it might be better to avoid the risk,” Anthony cautioned.

Minna flipped her hair a bit, smiled, and said, “Well, my Nidoran is poison-type, so he's immune as well. Go, Nidoran!” The Weedle was startled and immediately tried to sting Nidoran, but it barely left a scratch on him. “Nidoran, use Double Kick!” Minna shouted. This nearly knocked Weedle out, and Minna wasted little time throwing a Poké Ball and capturing it while it was weak. “Yay! I caught a Weedle, too. There are so many kinds of Pokémon here in the forest!” Minna squealed. She let Weedle out of its Poké Ball, and immediately sprayed it with a potion while holding it in her hand. “Anthony, is this Weedle a boy or a girl? I don't know how to tell yet.” Anthony scrutinized the Weedle carefully. “Hmm... it's a boy Weedle. You can tell from the shape of the stinger, although it's a very subtle difference.” Minna nodded, “Yeah, he looks pretty healthy. And all I have to feed him is ordinary tree leaves?” Anthony continued, “Yes, that's one of the reasons why raising bug Pokémon is very inexpensive. You don't even need a Poké Ball to catch and tame them most of the time, as long as you have a net and a place to keep them. Although you're generally not allowed to use them in trainer battles or store them in the PC without a Poké Ball, so most people keep the ones they want to train in Poké Balls anyway.”

Sally chuckled, “We're learning a lot today, aren't we? Can I look at Weedle, Minna?” Minna looked a little surprised, but replied, “Sure, Sally.” Sally thought to herself, “Hmm... I think he looks hungry, Minna. I'll give him some food,” she said as she took some leaves from the nearby tree and fed them to Weedle. Minna asked, “You seem pretty comfortable with Weedle already, how did you...” Sally answered before she could finish the thought, “Oh, I was never scared of bugs at all. I just avoided training them because I always got the impression it was supposed to be a forest thing. Now, after watching you and Caterpie bond, I'm not so sure.” Minna laughed, “I guess the archetypes don't imprint on everyone in exactly the same way, do they?” Anthony remarked, “I think people and Pokémon are kind of similar that way. While Pokémon species all have similar abilities and tendencies, their sizes, stats, colors, and personalities can vary to a surprising extent. It's really easy to see this when you catch a whole bunch of bugs and compare them.” Minna sighed, “I've really been missing out. This is exactly the kind of stuff I've always wanted to learn about, but all I could do was read books and watch television. I always thought I'd have to travel so far away to learn about things like this first hand, but the opportunity was always right there, less than a mile from home.” Sally snapped, “I wish we all could have been more honest with each other before! From now on, no more pretending to like or dislike things to impress each other, okay?” Minna nodded, “Agreed. No more pretending. I don't think I have the stomach for it anymore, even if I still wanted to try.”

They all continued through the forest, and eventually Minna mentioned wishing she had her own net and basket to catch bug Pokémon with. Anthony lent Minna his net, and Sally emptied out her purse into Anthony's backpack so she could use it as a basket. Minna got extremely excited, and proceeded through the forest catching every bug Pokémon she could find in her net. She learned how to tell male and female bugs apart, how to assess their stats, natures, and more. She also learned that Caterpie evolves into Metapod, and that Weedle evolves into Kakuna. This actually disappointed her a bit. “So they'll be useless in battle when they evolve? That's kind of sad. Most Pokémon get better when they evolve, not worse.” Anthony responded, “Yeah, that's why a lot of us just cancel the evolution. Still, the high defense can be useful when you're trying to buy time while using a potion on another Pokémon during battle.” Minna smiled, “I could see that. I guess I should evolve one just to see what happens, and keep the other one from evolving.”

Sure enough, her Caterpie soon evolved into Metapod (ironically, after it defeated a Metapod), and she decided to avoid letting Weedle evolve. Sunset was approaching again, and Minna gave Anthony back his net when he saw a bug he wanted to catch. Minna was setting all her bug Pokémon free from Sally's purse when Sally noticed one Caterpie in particular that seemed reluctant to leave. “I think I'll keep that one, it seems to like me, she said as she threw a Poké Ball at it.” Minna looked surprised. “How did you catch that Pokémon without weakening it first?” Anthony reasoned, “It was probably tired from being carried around in a purse all day, and if it really wanted to stay, it wouldn't try to break out of the Poké Ball anyway.” Sally nodded in agreement. She then proceeded to put her purse back on, and took all her stuff back out of Anthony's pack to put it inside.

Just then, one of Anthony's friends approached the group. “Hey, Anthony! I'm looking for the stuff I dropped, have you seen a potion around... wait, miss, are you okay? Did something happen to you? I can get help if it did,” he indicated, gesturing towards Minna. “No, no, I'm fine. Why do you ask?” Minna replied, a bit confused. “It's just that you're wearing nice clothes, but they're all muddy. I was worried maybe you tripped and fell into a ditch or something, maybe got injured while crawling out. Sorry, I hope I didn't hurt your feelings. Wait, I recognize you from the contest a week ago! Your name is... Minna, right? I'm Casey, do you remember me?” Minna laughed, “Yes, that's me. I thought you seemed familiar, too. I can understand how you got the wrong impression. I saw a mud puddle and I couldn't resist jumping into it like I used to do when I was little.” Casey looked at her sideways, “You were one of Janice's friends, weren't you? You didn't strike me as the kind of girl that would climb trees or jump in mud puddles. In fact, I thought you one of those stuck-up girls that squirmed around bugs. You do know there are bugs around here, right?” Minna laughed even harder, “I actually was that way a week ago, or at least I was trying to be that way, but... I changed after Janice and I stopped being friends, because I guess on the inside, I wasn't really that stuck-up. She wasn't happy with me after that last battle, you know.” Casey facepalmed, “I almost forgot about that. Red beating everyone with one hand tied behind his back kind of overwhelmed all my other memories about that day. The main thing I remember about you is losing our battle, and then noticing that you were the only one able to take out Red's Spearow.” Minna sighed, “Yeah, I remember that very well, too. I knew I couldn't beat him, but I still tried.”

Casey finally asked, “Well, if you're okay, can I have another battle with you? I haven't had a chance to test my skills against someone as good as you in a while now, not since we've been on the outs with Janice's friends.” Minna grinned, “I thought you'd never ask. Go, Metapod!” Casey was caught off guard. “Woah, you actually have a bug Pokémon? You're just full of surprises this evening. Go, Caterpie!” Minna smiled, “Metapod, Harden!” As she was letting Metapod defend, she subtly used another potion on Weedle because it was tired from a previous battle. Soon she shouted, “Metapod, return! Go, Weedle!” Casey blinked and scratched the side of his head. “Wait, you have a Metapod and a Weedle? So, do you actually like bugs now or something?” Minna put her fingers on her chin, and then said, “I suppose I do. Weedle, sting Caterpie for me.” Her Weedle successfully poisoned the Caterpie. Casey used String Shot and slowed Weedle down, so that he was able to tackle it until it fainted. Minna brought out Metapod again, and smiled as she kept using Harden. Casey was visibly distraught as Weedle's poison kept eating away at Caterpie's health, and eventually it just fainted from poison. Casey sighed, “I raised Caterpie all the way to level 11, and he still can't cut it. Maybe I should train another kind of Pokémon.” Minna laughed, “We did it, Metapod! Huh?” Suddenly a crack appeared in Metapod's shell, and a white light emerged from it. Minna looked puzzled, “Wait, Metapod evolves again? But it just evolved a few levels ago!” She watched as a winged, purple Pokémon emerged from the shell. “That's... a Butterfree! Just like the one Red used. Who would have guessed that such a beautiful Pokémon would have such humble origins?” Butterfree hovered close to her, and she gave her a hug. Minna turned to Casey and Anthony. “You guys have some fairly high level Caterpies and Metapods. Why is Red's the only...” Both of them pulled their hats down over their eyes and put their arms behind their backs. Casey stammered a bit, “W-well... Butterfree is a little too... how do I put this… too cute for us. I mean, it's cute and purple. So we have to cancel evolution before it reaches the final stage.” Minna looked puzzled for a second, and then smirked a bit, “I guess we all have our hang-ups, don't we?” Anthony recovered and said, “Oh, you don't know the half of it.” Sally smiled and said, “You and Butterfree. It makes perfect sense, and it seems so natural. It's kind of a shame that none of our friends back in Pewter will ever get to appreciate the beauty of a Butterfree, because they can't open their hearts to a Caterpie.” Anthony sighed, “And so few bug catchers out here have the guts to let their Caterpies evolve into Butterfree.” Minna sighed as well, “If only people could learn to be logical about these things, and just enjoy their Pokémon.” Butterfree made approving noises and nodded as if to agree with Minna. Minna returned Butterfree to her Poké Ball and smiled a bit.

The sun set, and the stars began to come out. Casey finally said, “I think I'm going to let my Caterpie evolve into Butterfree soon, too. Ironic that it took someone like Minna to show me how to love my Pokémon for what they are rather than what I'd like to them to be. When it was always those socialite girls from Pewter that I looked down upon for being superficial about Pokémon and not letting them evolve into more powerful forms... without even realizing I was doing pretty much the same thing.” Sally nodded, “She's a special person.” Casey added, “Well, as far as I'm concerned, she's one of us now... or at least a lot closer to being our kind of person than one of Janice's friends. Every word and action I've seen here today proves it. Minna, if I may be so bold... your clothing doesn't suit you at all anymore. Even though you don't care about getting it muddy, it's not very practical and you can make things a lot easier on yourself with new clothes. The ones you have really aren’t designed for this kind of activity.” Minna looked down and blushed a little, “Wow, I really wasn't paying attention. They look so ragged.” Casey also blushed, “I really didn't want to say anything at first, because I thought you were in trouble, and then I was so shocked that you had done all that outdoorsy stuff dressed like that, that I completely forgot about it.” Minna laughed it off, “It's all right. I get that it's not every day you see someone like me enter the forest and fall in love with it.” Casey fidgeted with his hat. “You can say that again!”

Anthony chimed in, “Well, it's nighttime now, and we're about halfway through the forest. I think we're best off spending the night in our old tree fort. Do you remember where it is from here, Minna?” Minna pointed east. “Yes, I remember this place very well. Let's go!” Casey waved goodbye, “I've already set up camp here. Good night, guys!” With that, the three friends headed to the old tree fort by following Minna, and set up their tents inside. Anthony had his own tent, while Sally and Minna shared one. As they were getting ready to go to sleep, Minna turned to Sally and said, “Wow. I can't believe I didn’t even go back to get a sweater. Now that it's night time, I’m really cold. Brr!” Sally laughed a bit, and said, “Don't worry, I put a sweater in my bag because I thought you might need one later. You seemed to be enjoying your walk through the forest so much that I just wanted to let you enjoy it without worrying about things like that.” Minna smiled and said, “Yeah, I’ve learned how to find bugs, to locate tall grass, and climb trees when I was out of practice. But I think I could definitely go for being more prepared tomorrow.” Sally handed Minna her sweater. Minna put them it, and discovered it was a perfect fit. “Wow, thank you, Sally! But won't you get cold now?”

Sally sighed a little. “I'm very warm-blooded. I don't get cold easily. Seriously, I'm ridiculously warm given the outside temperature. Just touch my hand.” Minna touched Sally's hand, and said with surprise, “Wow, Sally, you're burning up. Are you sure you don't have a fever?” Sally responded, “Nope, I'm always like that. So I'll be fine.” Sally frowned a little bit, and then continued, “Minna... we said we wouldn't pretend with each other anymore from now on, right? I have something to tell you about my past.” Minna seemed surprised, “What is it, Sally?” Sally sighed, “I've never wanted to tell anyone this, but my family used to be poor. And I don't mean an occasional bounced check or a second mortgage, I mean dirt poor and living in the streets. I'm actually accustomed to wearing flour sacks for clothing, and being around everything from bugs to rodents. That's why they don't make me uncomfortable, Minna. My Dad was a thief, but eventually my Mom took me and my brother away, married a man with more money and tried to give us a better life. That's how I met you and Janice at that finishing school we attended in sixth grade.” Minna's eyes widened with surprise, “But your Mom is... not with you anymore. So all you have is your step-father and your brother now. Is that why you're so protective of him?” Sally continued, “Yes. Ben is all the family I've got now. As much as I love my step-father, it's just not the same to me. Anyway, that's not the point I was trying to make.” Minna apologized, “Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting. I should just let you tell your story.”

Sally smiled weakly, “It's all right, I know you must be surprised. I tried never to betray my origins... that's how I ended up imitating Janice and her friends. Because they all seemed well-off and sophisticated, I thought that maybe if I managed to fit in with them, I'd never have to worry again. So I put on the whole spoiled act... the difference between you and I, Minna, is that I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew what I really was... and I hated it, but I never had any illusions about where I came from. I had such a strong passion to make sure my brother and I never went hungry again, that I went out of my way to please wealthy people and move around in the right circles. To emulate them, to convince them I belonged and ingratiate myself to them. It was all I cared about. That is, until I saw you start to fall apart.” Minna looked confused. “What do you mean, Sally?” Sally continued, “I saw you, just like me, trying to be something you weren't. Even though no one was forcing your hand, you were just slowly forgetting or hiding yourself from embarrassment. I could feel your passion drying up and your spirit dying. I even saw you rationalizing inconsistent decisions and trying to hide your television habits from me. I know all about sneaking around, like I said. But to see you have to sneak around just to maintain a little piece of yourself was the saddest thing I ever saw. I wanted to help you, but I didn't know how. I didn't even know how you'd react if you knew I could see through you.” Minna apologized, “I'm sorry I lied to you. I just didn't know how good a friend you were.” Sally sighed, “You don't have anything to apologize for... I was split for a time as to whether I wanted to take your side. But when I saw Janice for what she really was... and what she was turning me into, well, that was too much. When my hand was forced, I couldn't pretend anymore, and I didn't want to belong with them anymore. I'd literally rather go back to the streets. I thought for sure there would be others who saw through her that day, but there weren't... you were the only friend I had left. And I realized that you were the only one I would have hesitated to stab in the back, or use. Because... well, I enjoyed your company so much.” Sally began to cry, “I hope you don't think any less of me now, Minna.” Minna started sniffling a little bit as well, and gave Sally a hug. “I could never hate you, Sally. Especially not after you've done so much to help me.” Sally laughed, “It doesn't even bother you that I was poor?” Minna smiled, “Oh, because my Mom was into jewelry and everything, right? I never really wanted any of that when I was younger. I begged her to let me join the Scouts, if I recall correctly... but she didn't want me to be out in nature because it was too dirty. When she finally pushed me into that school, I just went along with it because she wanted it at first, and then because all my friends expected me to play that role, too. I even thought you expected it... but I'm so happy that you were pretending, because that's the only way you could have remained my friend.”

Sally smiled, “Well, I guess it's because I've seen you become so genuine and learn to love yourself for who you are, but I feel like I want to let myself go back to what I'm comfortable with. I've tried so hard to be sophisticated that I've forgotten some of the simple pleasures I enjoyed when there was no money. I want to stop hating who I was and try to own it, even if I can't love it. If that makes sense.” Minna replied, “Of course it does. I'm really glad you shared all this with me.” Sally continued, “I thought you'd probably feel that way. It's good to have friends like this.” Minna yawned, “It really is... but I'm so tired. I'm just going to go to sleep now. Good night, Sally.” Sally whispered, “Good night, Minna.”
 

athenian200

Circumspect
Joined
Jan 31, 2010
Location
a place of settlement, activity, or residence.
This is probably the first point in the story where I include something that isn't actually found in the video game. I'm not really that worried about the story adhering to canon or even being too realistic, though. I hope this chapter is interesting, even though it's kind of an intermediate chapter that doesn't progress the story as much. This one focuses more on getting the characters properly equipped.

Chapter 5 - En Route to Viridian

Minna awakens to the sound of Anthony shouting, “Okay, it's time to get up! We need to get an early start today.” She rubs her eyes, yawns, and stretches. Sally groggily responds, “Is there anything for breakfast?” Anthony adds, “That's why we need to get an early start. They serve breakfast every day at 7:00am at camp. The food goes pretty quickly.” Sally leaps out of bed quickly, grabs her purse, and says, “Well, I'm more hungry than tired. Good call, Anthony. Minna, are you coming?” Minna slowly rises, and says, “Yeah, yeah, I'm awake.” Just then, Casey walks by and shouts, “Hey, Anthony, Minna, Sally... are you guys up yet?” They all start climbing down the tree, although Minna is the last to come down. Anthony nods to Casey, “Yes, we're up. Can you lead us to the camp?” Casey motions for everyone to follow him, and then Minna says, “Wait, Sally, I almost forgot... do you want your sweater back?” Sally shakes her head. “No, you keep it for now. Seriously, I'll be fine.” Minna sighs with relief, “Good, because I was so excited yesterday that I didn't feel the impact of the cold, but boy am I feeling it today.” Casey asks, “Wait, so you two only have one sweater between you? That's no good. And those shoes look like they’re pretty worn out already.” Sally nodded, “Yeah, Minna didn’t bring a sweater, and I’m fine without one. Our shoes should be fine until we reach Viridian.” Casey firmly says, “You're both a lot tougher than you seem at first glance, but no one should have to be quite that tough. I'm sure we can work something out after breakfast.”

Minna and company arrive in camp shortly. They see several boys and girls in green uniforms, along with a smattering of people in straw hats holding nets. Suddenly, they're greeted by an adult man in a tan uniform. “I'm Scout Master Thompson. This is our camp for Scouts.” Sally sighs, “Oh, but we're not registered as scouts... does that mean we can't come in?” Thompson shakes his head, “No, no, that's not the case at all! Generally, you have to pay a fee to sleep in a cabin and get a uniform, but any kids passing through the forest are welcome to participate in our meals and daytime activities. Like those boys over there in the straw hats, they're in and out of here all the time. You kids look like you could use some breakfast. Follow me!” Thompson leads everyone over to a series of large, wooden picnic tables, and has the party stand in line. Everyone receives sausage, eggs, and biscuits with gravy. They all sit down at one of the tables and start to eat. Sally says with relief, “This is really good food. Definitely worth waking up for.” Casey starts chatting with Minna, “I've been telling people here about you, and some of them don't quite believe me. I'd like you to meet some friends of mine after breakfast.” Minna smiles, “I'd be happy to meet them.” Suddenly, a dark-haired girl with brown eyes wearing a green scout uniform joins them at the table holding her plate. “Hi, I'm Scout Angela. Are you two Minna and Sally?” Sally responds, “Yes, I'm Sally, and this is Minna.” Angela smiled, “Casey has told me so much about the two of you. I couldn't wait until after breakfast. I just wanted to tell you how amazing it is that you two made it out here with so little preparation. Most people would have given up. You must have been cold last night, dressed like that in just an ordinary tent.“ Anthony added, “We actually set the tents up inside an old tree fort. That probably blocked a lot of the wind.” Angela nodded, “Creative solution, but still... you probably won't have that opportunity tonight. Next time, seriously, be more prepared... that's actually our motto.”

After breakfast, Minna's party met a group of about eight people. They knew Casey and Angela, but six of them were strangers. Casey was standing with Anthony, along with another Bug Catcher they didn't know. Angela was with two other girl scouts, and there were three boy scouts there as well. The strange Bug Catcher shouted, “Hey, Minna. I really want to see your Butterfree. Can you show us, please?” All the scouts chanted in unison, “Yeah, come on, I want to see too!” Minna laughed, “Sure! Butterfree, come on out!” The crowd starts making reverent “ooh” and “ahh” sounds. Casey holds his hand out, and one boy scout snaps his fingers and hands him a $10 bill. “I told you so,” Casey laughed. Angela smiled, “Wow, your Butterfree is really cute!” Another girl scout chimed in saying, “Yeah, look at the way the light hits her wings! It's like a prism.” One boy scout rolls his eyes. “So a Pewter girl spent a night in the woods with her boyfriend and decided she likes Butterfree. Big deal, let's see how she reacts to this! Go, Beedrill!” Minna smiled. “Wow, I haven't seen that kind of bug before. It looks tough.” The boy scout sneered, “Are you afraid of it?” Minna grabs some leaves and feeds the Beedrill. “Two days ago, I would have been... but now I think the striped pattern is kind of cute.” The boy scout's eyes grew wide, but then he took his hat off, held it at his stomach and said, “I'm real sorry, miss. I was sure Casey and Anthony were trying to play a gag on us.” Minna put her fingers to her chin, and asked, “Why was everyone so surprised?” Angela laughed, “Let's just say that we normally don't like to associate with your friends from Pewter City because they're usually really stuck-up, vain, and really, really mean to girls that aren't like them. We Scouts been avoiding Pewter for a few years now, and after that incident at the Pokémon Contest, even Anthony’s friends spend as little time as possible there. But you two are different... Casey told me all about it, and I'm glad you’ve come here. Many people end up on a darker path after something like that.”

Just then, Thompson appeared. “Casey told me about your... umm, shoe situation.” He looked down at the two girls shoes and his eyes widened. He looked back up and cleared his throat. “Ahem. I have here two pairs of standard issue scout shoes. Very few of our scouts actually use these, because their parents send them here with footwear that exceeds our requirements. About once every year or so, there's that one person that shows up in worn-out shoes or high heels and has to pay $10 for a pair of these to avoid getting sent back home.” He blew the dust off the boxes. “So basically, they're military surplus that sat in a warehouse on a base for about a year, and then sat here in our warehouse for another ten years. Nothing fancy at all, but they can certainly do the job. We usually only issue these as part of a complete uniform, but I don’t mind making an exception.” Minna and Sally pulled out their wallets, and emptied them carefully. “We have... $19.87 between us. Looks like we can only afford one pair, but that will do for now. Unless you'd consider taking an unused Poké Ball as collateral for the rest.” Thompson shook his head, “It’s close enough, I’ll give you both pairs. I’ll take what money you have, and you can keep the Poké Ball.” Just as Minna was about to hand over the money, Casey handed Thompson a $10 bill from earlier. “That's from all of us, okay?” Thompson smiled at all of his scouts as he handed Minna the shoes and walked away, “Consider the debt paid in full. Please, think of it no more.” Sally and Minna wasted no time changing their shoes. “Wow, they even come with socks! That's fortunate,” Minna said. “These are really solid. I could make these last for five years if I had to,” Sally said. She began to throw away their old shoes, and Minna said, “Why are you throwing those away?” Sally sighed. “Noticing details was never a strength of yours, Minna.” Sally pulled off a piece of electrical tape off each shoe, and they fell apart. “See? They're completely worn out from walking through this forest. That’s what Casey noticed this morning. I'm amazed that you didn't notice. I knew it would happen, I just figured I could hold them together until I reached Viridian. It’s one less thing to worry about.”

Angela blushed, “Wow, you two really had no way to prepare for this journey properly, did you? It was just willpower and tenacity, after all... anyway, we would also like to give you something.” Angela and one of her friends proceeded to pull out two backpacks similar to the ones that the scouts were wearing. “Those are for you. Our parents brought us new packs this year for Christmas, and those are a couple of old ones. They should have plenty of wear left in them, and you'll need these if you want to do more traveling. A purse won't cut it.” Minna smiled, “Thanks so much! You really don't have to do all this for us.” Angela smiled back, “No trouble at all!”

Anthony spoke up, “We also have something for you, Minna.” He pulled out a purple net and basket. “We made these just for you.” Minna grabbed them excitedly. “Yay! It's my favorite color. Thanks, Anthony.” Anthony laughed, “I knew if I didn't get you one, you'd just keep asking to borrow mine. Anyway, we're not exactly giving this to you for free... there is something we would like you to do for us.” Minna looked back at the group, “What did you have in mind?” Casey responded, “We'd like you to join our bug-catching competition tonight. We're still looking for rare bug Pokémon like Venonat, Pinsir, and Scyther. Whoever finds one of them, wins.” Minna inquires, “Do a lot of people win?” Casey shakes his head, “Not really. We have the competition every weeknight for the whole year, and most of the time we only have one or two winners a year. That is, unless there's a swarm. And I have a feeling that we're going to encounter one tonight.” Anthony added, “The competition will be held just a few miles outside Viridian City, so it's on our way there. A good place to camp out for the last time. However, we don't really need to get started until lunch time, so we might as well stay here until then.”

Minna and friends spent the next few hours until lunch exploring the camp and taking in the scene. It wasn't exactly a town, with only three cabins, an administrative building, and a warehouse. Of course, there was also the dining area with picnic tables they saw on their way in. Almost everything took place out of doors, which was a badge of pride. There was no running water or electricity to speak of, but then the whole point of the camp was to teach people how to live off the land. The majority of people were staying in their own tents scattered throughout the campsite, either for the sake of economy or a more authentic wilderness experience. In fact, only one cabin had actually been rented out, and it just so happened to belong to Angela. Minna spent some time learning how to build a fire. Sally was interested in a more advanced course on boiling water to make it potable. Anthony just spent the time catching up with his friends.

When noon finally came around, the three of them regrouped around the picnic tables and received lunch. They each got a hamburger fresh off the grill complete with onions, ketchup, mustard, and relish, along with a serving of mashed potatoes covered in the same gravy that had been served on the biscuits that morning. “All right, as soon as we finish lunch, we're all heading out towards Viridian,” Anthony stated. “I'm actually going to miss this place a bit,” Minna said, looking around at everything. “It's a nice place, but I'm so eager to talk to Anna and my pen pal that I'm still anxious to go,” Sally added, gazing south towards Viridian. Anthony nodded, “I always did like spending a lot of time around here. I bet you would have made a great scout, Minna.” Minna blushed, “Thanks. My Mom didn't think so.” Anthony sighed, “She probably just wanted you to grow up like her. Most parents do.” Just then, a boy scout approached the table. “Hey, miss... umm, Minna. Would you have a battle with me?” Minna looked over to Anthony, “Do we have time?” Anthony sighed, “Yes, but make it quick.”

The two went off a few feet from the picnic area. “Oddish, I choose you!” the boy scout shouted. “Go! Butterfree!” Minna shouted. The scout shouted, “Oddish, absorb Butterfree's health!” Minna countered with, “Butterfree, use Confusion!” Butterfree actually moved first, though, and knocked Oddish out with one hit. “Argh, not even one attack?” the scout grumbled as he returned Oddish to his Poké Ball. “All right, Beedrill, don't let me down!” he continued as he sent out the next Pokémon. Minna shouted, “Confusion again, Butterfree!” The boy reacted with, “Twinneedle, Beedrill!” This time, Beedrill attacked first, and got a critical hit knocking Butterfree out. “Good job, Butterfree. Go, Weedle!” Minna shouted. The boy laughed, “Haha, you know that Beedrill is the evolved form of Weedle, don't you? Twinneedle, Beedrill!” Minna blushed and gasped, “A-actually, I didn't. Weedle, slow Beedrill down!” Weedle used String Shot and managed to stick Beedrill's wings together so that it couldn't fly. Minna ordered, “Weedle, return! Go, Nidoran!” The boy smirked and boasted, “Heh. Once a city slicker, always a city slicker! Beedrill, Poison Sting!” Nidoran shrugged off the attack like it was nothing. Minna laughed, “Well, I guess you only raise Bug and Grass types around here, huh? Nidoran, Double Kick!” His attack knocked Beedrill out. “I-I don't believe it! Y-you just got lucky, and you had more Pokémon than me. All right, how did you shrug off my Poison Sting?!” Minna shrugged, “Nidoran is poison-type, dude. Poison moves don't work well on him. Why am I the only one that ever knows this stuff?” The boy sighed, “Ugh, type matchups, unfamiliar Pokémon... I can't keep all that stuff in my head! It's like being in school. I'd rather just stick to what I know. But I have to admit, you know your stuff pretty well for a city slicker.” Minna smiled, “Well, I just like learning about Pokémon and battle strategy. But I guess it's not for everyone.” They shook hands, and Minna headed back to Anthony and Sally just as they were cleaning up after finishing lunch. “Great timing, Minna. Let's head out!” Anthony shouted. Minna nodded and began to follow Anthony and Sally south. “As much as I like this place, I feel like a big fish in a small pond. They're all great people, but their perspective on life still seems... limited.” Minna thought to herself as she looked up at the sky.

The path to Viridian was fairly well-worn and straightforward as they got closer to town. There were fewer and fewer wild Pokémon on the trail, although Minna did manage to encounter a wild Metapod that got Weedle the rest of the way to level 9, when she finally let it evolve into Kakuna. Sally took out most of the bugs on the trail with one of her two Pidgey, and it finally evolved into Pidgeotto. “Wow, I've really been using one Pidgey more than the other because it's faster... now my other Pidgey isn't quite as useful. Hey, Minna... want to trade a Pokémon for my other Pidgey? I'm not using it,” Sally ventured. Minna put her hand to her chin, and thought... “Hmm... I don't have a flying-type yet, and they are strong against bug-types. I'm not really keen on raising Kakuna into Beedrill since all it can do is Harden.” Finally she said, “I'll give you Kakuna for your Pidgey, if you'll take him off my hands.” Sally nodded, and they just casually exchanged Poké Balls. Minna appreciated the traction of her new shoes as she climbed up the trees to see the path ahead. About halfway through the trip, she was able to make out a building in the distance. “We're getting closer! I think I can see the town from here.” Minna observed. Anthony nodded, “Yeah, you'll be able to see the town long before you're very close to it, since it's downhill from here.”

They walked until it was nearly sunset, when they reached a makeshift campsite with homemade signs. “Bug-catching competition today!” one sign read. “Can you find the rare Pokémon?” another read. “You made it just in time!” Casey shouted as he walked up to greet them. There were a couple of scouts there, but almost the entire crowd consisted of Anthony's friends. Just then, an announcement came over a loudspeaker mounted to a van. “Today's competition is about to begin! Please line up near the van, and have your net and basket ready for inspection.” Sally shouted, “Good luck, Minna! I'm rooting for you!” as Minna got in line. Sally asked Anthony, “Aren't you going to be in the contest, Anthony?” Anthony shook his head, “No, it's my turn to be on the judge's panel, so I can't participate.” As Minna walked past the inspector, he said, “Purple... oh, you must be Minna, the Butterfree girl. We've heard so much about you! Good luck out there today.” Minna laughed, “I see my reputation proceeds me.” Once all the contestants had been inspected, a voice came over the loudspeaker. “Your judges today will be Casey, Anthony, and Eric. May the best man... err, or woman, win! Ready... set... go!” The entire crowd headed off in the direction where a swarm of Venonat had allegedly been spotted before, but when they got there, it seemed to be empty. “Darn it, nothing here again! Another false alarm, boys.” one catcher said defeatedly. Minna kept looking around, and went a little further than the rest of the group when she felt something on her leg. She immediately swiped her net down onto her foot, and then withdrew it from underneath the net. “Veno? Nat! Nat! Nat! Veno, Venonat!” the Pokémon shrieked. She put it into her basket. Soon, she found the swarm a few feet away and captured dozens of Venonat in every stroke. The others caught up with her, but by the time they did, she'd gotten quite a lead. Her basket was three-quarters of the way full of Venonat when the bell rang to end the contest.

“Well, Minna, this is highly irregular,” Anthony said. “Normally, we don't catch anything when we look for rare Pokémon, and there's nothing to judge. On a good day, one person might catch a rare bug or two, and then we have to have a second competition where people catch normal bugs to decide who wins the rare bug. But today... today, you helped us find a swarm of rare bugs, and now we have to pick a winner based on the number of rare bugs each participant caught. This has only happened once before since we started holding these contests. To be fair, we thought this might happen today, so that's why I was picked to be on the panel.”

Minna and the others waited patiently for their Venonat to be counted. “No second portion? I thought there was supposed to be a second portion if someone found a rare bug,” one catcher quipped. “Dude, everyone in the contest found a rare bug. It was a swarm!” another said. “Swarms? I thought those were just made up to give us inspiration, didn't think they were a real thing!” someone countered. “What do they do in that case? Does anyone know?” the first guy asked. “Search me. I think there's only one guy that's been in these contests long enough to remember. Luckily, he's on the panel tonight. He predicted this,” the second guy said. The buzz around the contest continued as twilight faded, and the lanterns started coming out. Minna felt the chill of the night air creeping in, and put her sweater back on. She thought to herself, “They thought swarms weren't a real thing? It's as if they don't believe anything they can't see with their own two eyes. It's common knowledge that Pokémon swarms pass through areas from time to time... isn't it?” It all seemed very strange to her.

“We've reached a decision,” the loudspeaker announced. “First, the runners up. In third place is Sally of Pewter City, with 36 Venonat. Come on up, Sally! Take a bow.” Sally went on stage, got a piece of paper pinned on her shirt, and then bowed before leaving the stage to meet Minna. Minna said, “Sally? I didn't see you in the contest. And you don't have a net, how did you...” Sally interrupted before she could finish the sentence, “I got bored, so Anthony lent me his equipment at the last minute, because he couldn't be in the contest anyway.” The announcer continued, “In second place is Derek of Viridian City with 50 Venonat. Come on up, Derek!” Derek went on stage, received a strange green stone, and walked off. “As the second place winner of a true contest, Derek receives a Leaf Stone. Now, the moment you've all been waiting for... the grand prize winner is Minna, the Butterfree girl, with 100 Venonat. You heard that right, a hundred Venonat! Come on up, Minna!” Minna blushed, and reluctantly walked onto the stage. She was handed a shining gold nugget. “Is it really okay if I take this?” Minna asked. “Yes, Minna. As the grand prize winner of a true contest, Minna receives a Nugget. Given the high number of Venonat caught, every contestant who participated in our game today will automatically receive a Venonat! The rest will be released into the wild so as not to hurt the wild population. So everyone's a winner!” the announcer concluded. As the crowd began to cheer, a voice piped up, “Hey, Minna and Sally are friends of Anthony and Casey! I think this was rigged. I demand a recount! No way did Butterfree girl and her city slicker friend beat me fair and square!” Eric, the third judge and a boy scout, came up to the podium with a scowl on his face. The crowd gasped. “As you all know, I'm not a big fan of Anthony or his friend Casey. I had the same suspicions as you, sir, which is why I insisted on sitting on the panel today. I watched all the baskets come in, and I counted them before I let either of them touch a single Venonat. When I had counted them, I was sure I had made a mistake, so I had each of them count a second time. Believe me, the numbers are accurate. You can sit here all night and count the poor things again yourself if you don't believe me. As much as I hate to admit it, Anthony is right, and Minna is the winner.” The voice responded, “N-never mind. If you say it, I believe you. Sorry I even brought it up.” Anthony then showed up to an applauding crowd, and handed everyone a Poké Ball containing a Venonat. “Thanks, Minna! Because of you, I actually got a Venonat!” said several random people, at different times.

Soon after this, Minna, Sally, and Anthony set up camp south from the contest, just two miles away from Viridian City. The lights of the town below were now visible without even climbing a tree. Anthony sighed, “Minna, know that you won fair and square. A lot of those people have been waiting years for the opportunity you seized today, so...” Minna shook her head, “I know, I know how these things go. I just worry that I got you into trouble.” Anthony smiled and yawned, “No, believe me, most of those people didn't go in there hoping to get anything more than a Venonat. If it hadn't been for your ability to find the swarm, maybe one guy would have walked away with a Venonat, or maybe we all would have been empty-handed like so many countless other days that no one can remember. You did everyone a favor. Let's all just get some rest, Minna. You earned everything you got today.”

Anthony went to bed early, while Minna and Sally finished setting up their tent for the night, and built a fire out in front of it. “So, Sally, what was that piece of paper you got for third place? I didn't catch what the announcer said,” Minna asked as she and Sally were toasting marshmallows over the fire. Sally laughed, “Oh, this? It's just a voucher for five potions from the Viridian City Poké Mart. Nothing special, really. You did great today, though!” Minna blushed, “I still can't believe I caught that many. I don't even have that much experience.” Sally smiled, “Well, on another topic, let's take stock of our Pokémon, Minna. I have Pidgeotto, Kakuna, Caterpie, and Venonat. That's four. What do you have, again?” Minna started whispering to herself and counting up five fingers before going, “Umm... Nidoran, Rattata, Butterfree, Pidgey, and Venonat. So Venonat makes five. I guess after I get my next one, I'll have to start using PC storage. Never thought I would have so many.” Minna started looking through her backpack, “Potion, potion, potion, antidote, nugget, bug-catching net, basket, a Poké Ball, about $10, and... huh, what's this? I don't remember putting this in here. It looks like an envelope.” Sally excitedly said, “Really? What's inside?” Minna started opening it, “Well, it's a note... and $10. Want me to read you the note?” Sally nodded affirmatively.

Minna read the note, “Dear Minna, I noticed that Casey got the $10 he spent on your shoes from a questionable bet, and would have felt bad about keeping it. Don't feel bad at all that you got these for free. A lot of things factored into that price, like discouraging people from losing their stuff, or their parents sending them here unprepared. Every one of the scouts there that day earned a merit badge of some kind from their dealings with you. But you couldn't possibly learn anything from spending half your money that way. Not when there's no one around to scold you for it. So please, get to Viridian and use this money to buy yourselves some new clothes. Sincerely, Scout Master Thompson.” Sally laughed, “Well, that's a good idea. Seriously, our clothes are kind of dirty, but I don't think washing them would be enough at this point.” Minna tugged at one of the threads coming out of her shirt. “Yeah, I see what you mean. I'm just glad that we're less than a day from a store at this point.” The two of them got into their tent, and zipped it up. “Ahh, with that fire going outside, maybe we can get a good night's sleep,” Minna said sleepily. She dozed off before she even had a chance to say good night.
 

athenian200

Circumspect
Joined
Jan 31, 2010
Location
a place of settlement, activity, or residence.
This chapter should be one of the more interesting ones.

Chapter 6: The Butterfree Girl

Minna yawned, stretched, and slowly lifted her head off of the ground. “Well, I really hope I get to sleep indoors soon.” Sally's stomach growled as she woke up. “I know what you mean, I miss fast food.” They put their shoes back on, and got outside. Anthony was already awake, catching bugs and training his Pokémon. “Oh, you're awake. I thought I would just let you two rest this morning while I looked for Ledyba. They've never been spotted here before, but you never know if they might turn up. Anyway, let's go. Viridian's not far from here.” The three of them made it to town in about an hour. The first thing they saw coming down the hill was a sign saying, “Welcome to Viridian City, The Eternally Green Paradise.”

Once in Viridian City, Minna was intrigued because she'd never seen a city other than Pewter before. She could immediately tell that the pace of life was somewhat slower, although it was a real community with a Pokémon Center, a gym, and a shop. But the city was mostly houses and schools, and there wasn't much of a cultural life to speak of. People dressed and spoke plainly, and seemed to be a bit less concerned with the outside world. Pokémon, however, was a big business in Viridian, since they were almost on the doorstep of the Pokémon League.

Anthony suggested, “Okay, our first stop should be the shop,” and they all went inside. The clerk greeted Anthony, “Hi, Anthony! I have your usual order right here.” Anthony handed over the money, and the clerk handed over an assortment of rope, Poké Balls, potions, antidotes, and duct tape as if the exchange had happened a thousand times before. Sally stepped up to the counter next and presented her voucher. The clerk smiled, “Oh, you must be that girl who won third place in the local contest recently. Congratulations! Enjoy your complimentary potions, and I hope you come back soon to take advantage of our low prices.” He handed her the potions, and she put them into her pack. Minna was next in line, and felt a bit awkward, “Umm... excuse me sir, but does your shop buy these,” she said as she held up the gold nugget she won in the contest. “Oh, this? Let me have a look...” the clerk said as he looked at Anthony, and he nodded. “Well, I would normally only give you $50, but since I've been waiting to get my hands on this particular nugget, and Anthony is such a good customer, I'll pay the full price of $100. Congratulations on winning the contest, Butterfree Girl!” Minna chuckled, “Thanks! Oh, can I have five Poké Balls, too? I'm running a little low on them.” The clerk said, “Sure! No problem. I'll just deduct... $10 from the sale price of the nugget, and I do believe that I still owe you about $90. Here you go.” Minna took the money, and nodded appreciatively.

The three of them then headed to the Pokémon Center. “Welcome to our Pokémon Center! Shall we heal your Pokémon?” the nurse said. They handed off their Pokémon to her, and then the nurse added, “While you wait, feel free to wash up in the back room,” as she gestured towards the showers and crinkled her nose up a bit, still smiling. Minna blushed. “That's... definitely a good idea.” So Anthony went off into the boy's shower stalls, while Sally and Minna went off into the girl's shower stalls. “I haven't had to bathe in a public shower like this since the last time I took PE.” Minna complained. “Still, we can't go shopping for clothes while we still smell like a forest.” Sally pointed out. So Sally entered one stall, and Minna entered the one next to it. Minna kept anxiously thinking about bacteria, but looked and couldn't see any grime or dirt. She somehow managed to take her clothes off inside the stall, and adjusted the shower head and water pressure such that she didn't get them wet while showering. “I guess not liking public showers is a personal preference. Everything I've been through hasn't helped. Probably because it's just something I dislike rather than a phobia.” She then dried off with a towel, put the clothes back on, and stepped outside. “Hi, Minna! You still keep your clothes inside the stall with you, huh? I guess some things never change,” Sally laughed, as she was standing there drying herself off with a towel. Minna averted her eyes, “Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were out here, Sally.” Sally replied as she finished getting dressed, “Don't worry, I really don't get embarrassed. It's just never been in my nature, I guess.” As the three of them walked back to the front desk, the nurse handed them all their Pokémon. “We hope to see you again,” she said with a smile. “The best place to get fresh clothing would be the Pokémon League Outfitters just down the street. Come with me,” Anthony said.

As the three of them entered the shop, a sales lady walked up. “Welcome to the Pokémon League Outfitters! You two look like you're new to traveling away from home. Is there anything I can help with you with?” Minna started, “Yes, can you tell me where the clothing department is?” The employee smiled, “Certainly! Right this way.” Anthony started walking in a different direction, “I'm going to check out lanterns, oil, and other supplies. See you later.” Minna started looking at shorts. “Hmm... these are blue jean shorts kind of like the ones I used to wear as a kid. I definitely need something more durable than this skirt if I'm going to become a trainer and travel,” she whispered to herself. “Oh, these are made from reinforced denim. They're good for hiking and biking. Even if you get them soaking wet, they'll be good as new once you dry them out,” the lady reassured her. From here, she started looking at shirts and jackets. “Hmm... a purple polo shirt, and a white coat. I like the look,” she said. “Excellent choice. The polo shirt is double-needle woven, wicks away moisture, and resists snagging, while the jacket comes with a built-in pocket protector and tear-resistant fabric,” the lady added. Minna was about to go try on her new clothes, when the employee added, “If I may make a suggestion, any good trainer needs a good hat. Would you like to look at our hat selection?” Minna shrugged, “All right, I'll take a look, but I didn't really need a hat on my way through Viridian Forest. My hair was protection enough.” The lady wagged a finger, “Ah, but the forest is full of large trees that block sunlight! There are flat, treeless routes where you might have to walk for hours in the sun. It won't bother you at first, but it will get to you eventually. Sure, you could travel in the night or early morning, but then it would be cold.” Minna shivered at the thought. “I don't like the cold. Show me the hats, please.” As she was looking through the hats, she saw a yellow construction worker's hat with a light on it, “Looks practical, but I don't know...” she thought to herself. Then she saw one of the straw bug-catcher's hats. “Not bad, but it looks a little too big,” she thought. Finally, she saw a collection of baseball caps with a Pokémon League logo on them, in many colors. “I used to like baseball caps, and this logo reminds me of the hat Red was wearing. Seems like a sign to me,” she thought. “I'll take one of those caps, in purple please,” Minna finally said. “Ah, our most popular cap. All-around good design for blocking out the sun, water resistant, and protection from everything but a rock falling on your head,” the lady said. Minna finally went into the changing room, and took off her old skirt and white top for the last time. “I'm officially shedding the last vestige of the identity I aspired to for so long. Not that it matters, people stopped seeing me as a snobby city girl a while ago,” she thought to herself as she looked in the mirror. She put on the shorts, the polo shirt, the coat, and finally the hat. “I really do look kind of like a Butterfree now, with all the white and purple in my outfit. But that's not a bad thing at all,” Minna chuckled as she saw herself in the mirror. She walked out of the changing room holding her old clothes, and put her pack on. The lady took them and put them into a recycling bin. Minna approached the counter, and the clerk was already ringing everything up, “One league cap, two polo shirts, one field-study lab coat, two blue jean shorts. That will be... $80, please.” Minna sighed and handed over the money. “Thank you for choosing PLO! Please come again,” the clerk said.

“Hi, Minna! You look great. What do you think of my outfit?” Sally asked as she caught up with Minna. She was now wearing a red bandanna, a denim jacket with a black t-shirt underneath, and a denim skirt with red bike shorts underneath. Minna said, “You definitely look bolder. It seems more authentic for you. I like it,” she said. Sally smiled, “I know, right?” Anthony also walked up and said, “Well, I'm done with my shopping now, let's see if we can find Anna.”

Just as they were leaving the PLO, Anna walked up to them. “We were going to look for you, but it seems that you found us,” Anthony said. Anna looked at Minna. “You've succeeded now. You've burst forth out of the Innocence and Passion sphere into a new one that I like to call Nature and Outdoors, and you are blending the energies handsomely. The trainers in this set are called Junior Trainers, or Scouts, if you prefer. There are also Bug Catchers, of which Anthony is one.” Minna shrugged, “I... could have guessed that. Scouts and Bug Catchers are always hanging out together and talking about nature. I really like them better than Lasses, but...” Anna nodded, “I wanted to give you time to see for yourself rather than rely on an explanation, to absorb the lesson. But there is one more hook. Your spirit's energy naturally lies in the Nature and Outdoors domain. Had your Mother let you join the girl scouts like you wanted, you would have become a girl much like Angela, and perhaps even become a scout leader later in life. But you were denied that birthright, and forced to repress that energy. This is a mixed blessing, because it expands your consciousness, but also makes you a restless person. You won't feel contentment until you journey further.” Minna asked, “But aside from that, am I safe from... imprinting? I really don't want to be consumed like that again. That's what I came all the way here to ask you.” Anna smiled, “You were already immune to the Lass archetype by the time I met you before, although you were in danger of falling into another one, such as the Youngster or the Beauty. But now that you've moved into another sphere... you are permanently altered and awake to this sort of thing. You're even beginning to see the patterns. The surest sign that everything has changed, though... is how people see you. Before your transformation, people just saw you as a mildly immature Lass with a competitive attitude. You entered another sphere for the first time the moment you captured Caterpie, but you awakened your inner Bug Catcher the moment it evolved into Butterfree. It's a wonderful metaphor, really. Just as Caterpie evolved into Butterfree, leaving behind a shell of what it was... you transformed yourself into something new and left behind your past. In fact, you are now seen as Butterfree Girl. You've established a unique identity that makes many people aware of your accomplishments. Do you know who the only others in our world to achieve the same are? Gym Leaders. They gain a title that embodies the mechanism and nature of their transition from one sphere into another. The Lightning American, the Nature-loving Princess... just like them, you are The Butterfree Girl. You started your journey seeking freedom from a self-created prison, and like Butterfree escaping from the cocoon it created as a Caterpie... you really are free by virtue of your transformation, now.” Minna just sits in stunned, contemplative silence. Sally puzzled, “Does that mean... being seen as Butterfree Girl is Minna's... evolution? She evolved like a Pokémon and got stronger?” Anna chuckled, “You could think of it that way. But while Butterfree's evolution is done, Minna's path is only just beginning.”

Minna nodded slowly, “What can I do next?” Anna smiled, “Try to find the answer within yourself. Why are you dissatisfied with being either a Lass, a Youngster, or a Bug Catcher?” Minna thought aloud, “The things they do don't make sense. The Lasses won't use a Pokémon because it's not cute enough, and they often tie their hands behind their backs by feigning ignorance and ending battles early to act hurt. The Bug Catchers and scouts won't evolve their Caterpies into Butterfree because it's too cute, and aren't interested in learning about any Pokémon outside the forest. They don't believe in anything they haven't seen with their own eyes. None of them think about strategy, they're all superstitious in some way. I'm tired of one group hiding their knowledge and power behind beauty and helplessness, and another group hiding their superstition and ignorance behind intimidation and arrogance. I want to know about things as they really are. I just wish someone could see reason.” Anthony nodded, “All fair points about us. I think that's why me and my Bug Catcher friends never really minded hanging around with Janice any more than we minded hanging around with the scouts, but never really wanted to stick too close to either camp. Because in the end, we're all being kind of ridiculous, but there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to coexist or tolerate each other. You know, Minna, I think you're moving down the same path we do, but at a faster rate. A lot of times, after one of my friends evolves their Butterfree or thinks about catching something other than a bug... they start scrutinizing intensely and getting more objective about everything. Kind of like you're doing, Minna. Casey is very close to that stage, for instance. As for me, I've been there for a while. A part of me wants to move on, but I feel like I've found my niche, I like the forest, and there's always some favor or obligation keeping me there. I like sticking to what I know, and helping other people get into it. Sort of like I did with you.” Minna nodded, “I can understand that. I really like what you do, and I wish I could have had fun like that during my formative years rather than torturing myself being something I didn't want to be. But I guess now I've just seen too much to be satisfied with just that.” Anna smiled, “You remember how Janice is the person who turns people into Lasses? Well, Anthony is the one who turns people into Bug Catchers, and Angela is the one who turns people into Scouts, although Thompson helps her a lot.” Minna shook her head, “But... they're nothing like Janice! They're such good people.” Anna laughed, “None of them do it intentionally. All they do is embody the archetype in a more perfect and refined way that draws people to them. Besides, it's usually as much the choice of their petitioners as it is the choice of the imprinter. Your situation was unique... if you'd had Angela or Anthony from the start imprinting on you, you would have likely been just as content as everyone else. It's not supposed to be torture like it was for you. On top of all that, your spirit energy comes from the same place as theirs. Their flaws wouldn't rub you the wrong way, but let's just say there's a reason why some disgruntled scouts randomly hate Anthony, and why Angela hates Janice's friends.” Minna nodded, “I can see how it's so easy to lose objectivity and fall into an archetype, especially if you're around people that you feel compatible with. I guess my discomfort drove me to objectivity faster.” Anna nodded, “Yes, that's exactly what happened. But have you decided what you need to do next?” Minna thoughfully responded, “This keeps coming back to the mind, study, and vision... maybe I need to meet a scientist or someone like that?” Anna laughed, “Yes, that's exactly right. Anthony, Minna will be fine now. You've done all you can for her.” Anthony responded, “I think so. But I feel a responsibility now that I know all this. Now that I know I have this kind of power, I feel like I messed up and need to right a few wrongs. The first one would involve not doing enough to show people that Butterfree is a cool Pokémon. I might have passed my own hang-ups onto people following me. Worse, I was so reluctant to push people from the city into being Bug Catchers because of the culture in Pewter that I effectively left them out and assumed it wasn't for them. But now that I've actually turned someone like Minna into a Catcher and seen her grow as a person, I feel like I want to try harder with those girls in Pewter City, to get to them before Janice does and let them know that if they don't want to be like her, there's another way for them. It's too late to do this for Minna, but I fear she might not be the only one.” Anna smiled, “And now that Sally and Minna have blazed a trail and made people aware that something like this can happen, it will be easier for you to do this. You're right to worry... Angela's avoidance of Pewter City means few of the girls living there are exposed to any alternative to the Lass archetype. In a way, she's been derelict in her duty without knowing it. She should be trying to recruit scouts, just as you should be trying to recruit Catchers. The irony is that she is so humble that she's unaware of her own influence, and thinks she's punishing Janice when she's really depriving every girl in Pewter City of the opportunity to be influenced by someone other than her.” Minna's eyes widened. “Wow, I really understand now... the situation with Janice in Pewter really is horrible, but it's just the result of a series of unfortunate mistakes on the part of multiple people due to ignorance, and not something anyone could have foreseen.” Anna nodded, “So much of what appears evil in the world is that way. Goodbye, Minna, I wish you luck.” Suddenly, Anna teleported away using a Pokémon still inside its Poké Ball.

Anthony sighed, “Well, I really want to go back to the forest now. Once again, I have obligations there and in Pewter. You two seem to be okay, although I do have one last chestnut of advice. If you need a place to camp outside the city and can't get a room, there's an empty spot on the northern part of Route 22. Totally flat and free of grass, and surrounded by a cliff face on three sides. Well, goodbye, Minna and Sally.” Minna waved, “Goodbye, Anthony. Thanks again for everything.” Sally also waved goodbye, “Bye, Anthony, I'm sure our paths will cross again!” Sally turned to Minna and said, “Well, for now, I still want to visit my pen pal here in Viridian. Want to meet her, Minna?” Minna nodded, “Yes, of course.”

The two headed to an address that Sally had gotten by carrier Pidgey a while back. Suddenly, a door opened, and there was a blonde-haired young woman standing there in a Team Rocket uniform, although she wasn't wearing her gloves, hat, or boots. “Sally!” she screamed. “Dana!” she cried. They hugged each other. Then Dana looked at Minna, “Who is this kid? She looks a little too... goody-two shoes, if you know what I mean?” Sally shook her head, “She's a good friend of mine. Still wet behind the ears, just left home for the first time, but I don't think she's a rat.” Minna looked confused. Dana finally asked, “What do you know about Team Rocket?” Minna answered, “Well, they steal Pokémon, and the police are always chasing them. About as much as everyone else knows, I guess.” Dana put her fingers to her chin and narrowed her gaze, “Kid, could you show me your first Pokémon? The one you've been with the longest, or the first one you picked. That's how I size people up.” Minna looked at Sally, “Is that a good idea? How do I know she wouldn't try to steal it?” Sally and Dana both laughed. “What's so funny?” Minna asked. Dana answered, “It's just that you don't know how things work, is all. For one thing, if I wanted to steal your Pokémon, I'd wait till I could get the jump on you and avoid being seen. For another thing, Sally here is your friend. If I tried to do that, she'd clock me. It's also a bad idea to steal from someone when they know where you live. Kind of makes calling the cops really easy, you dig? But even without all that, I'm not gonna steal Pokémon from anybody unless there's something in it for me. So how about it? Wanna humor me?” Sally flexed her arm, and said, “Yeah, she's right. It's safe, Minna.” Minna smiled weakly, and said, “Nidoran, come on out.” Dana appraised Nidoran, and slowly began to smile. “What made you pick Nidoran?” Minna replied, “Well, it's partly because I like purple Pokémon, and all the people I used to be friends with insisted on sticking with pink or purple Pokémon. But it was also one of the most powerful Pokémon I could get while still fitting in with that rule.” Dana put her hand to her chin, and smiled all the way. “Okay, come on inside. But take your shoes off, I like to keep my carpet clean.” So Sally and Minna both went inside and took their shoes off at the door. Minna also saw a hat rack and hung up her hat and coat. “Come on into the living room,” Dana motioned. There was a pot of tea ready, and Dana poured three cups. She put three cubes of sugar into her own tea. “How many cubes of sugar do you take, Minna?” Minna was a bit surprised, but managed to answer, “Two.” Sally just started sipping and said, “She already knows I don't take any sugar.”

After they finished tea, Dana asked, “Are you comfortable now, Minna?” Minna nodded without saying anything. “There's a lot you don't know about Team Rocket. What I'm about to tell you isn't a major secret, but it also isn't something we exactly want spread around to the cops. We would never pull a job in Viridian, partly because it's our headquarters. Also, the Boss kind of looks out for the people of this town because he feels responsible for them. Hard to explain to a wet ear, but you look sharp and maybe you can get there eventually.” Dana's gaze noticeably softened as she looked at Sally, “Me and Sally go way back, kid. You gotta understand, this Rocket thing is just a job for me. I'm living better than I ever have before, but that don't mean I forget who my friends are.” Sally nodded, “You see, Minna... I've been in worse gangs than the one she's in right now. Team Rocket is pretty tame, I mean, they don't even allow their members to injure people. I know you were shocked.” Minna shook her head, “I knew you said you used to be poor and steal things... but I think what really shocked me was how... umm... civilized this has been.” Dana shrugged, “Well, I still want to have a life just like anyone else. Only difference is how I pay for it.” Then Dana smiled at Minna, “Look, I know how intimidating this must be for you, kid. Woulda been for me if I was in your place, too. I kinda wish Sally hadn't dragged you here and got you mixed up in this, but I really wish I could find some way to convince you that you're safe here. This isn't the first impression I like people to get of me, see.”

Minna put her hand on her cheek and leaned sideways. “Well, I trust you as much as I do now mostly because Sally does. I trust Sally even though she used to be a thief because I've known her for so long that I don't think she would do something like that anymore... at least not to me.” Sally nodded, “That's really the key right there, Minna. 'At least not to me.' I know Dana wouldn't steal from me the same way... we've known each other for so long.” Dana nodded, “Let me just be frank. I'm not going to blow smoke and tell you that you can trust any member of Team Rocket you see. That's for a recruiter to do if you ever meet one. There's a few of 'em I wouldn't trust not to steal from their own teammates. There's others that would only steal from rich trainers, or only steal from people that cross them. There's so many shades of gray on the dark side of the street. Not one solid coat of black paint. And I will tell you this. You don't know how lucky you are that you don't understand. A lot of us don't have no choice. This is about the closest thing to legitimate work I've ever had. That's why Sally is so proud of me. But if you can make it the right way, it's better to avoid this side of the tracks.” Dana started shedding a few tears. “Don't end up like me, unless your only alternative is ending up worse... like the rest of our friends did. A lot of them are dead, in prison, or struggling to pay off loan sharks by pulling incredibly dangerous jobs on a regular basis. I've bailed a few of them out, but they usually land right back in the slammer. I've paid off a few loan sharks for them, and saved a few legs from being broken.” Minna smiled at her, “That's... what I needed to hear. I want to believe you.” Sally sighed, “On top of all that, do you know what the difference is between her and myself, Minna? She got caught, and I didn't. We were both stealing from the same place. I got out, partly thanks to her... but she took the rap.”

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Dana whispered, “Get in the bathroom, guys. It might be someone important.” Dana opened the door, and it was Eric, holding all the boxes of Venonat. The ones that weren't distributed and were meant to be released. “Hey there, Dana. Got some more Pokémon you can take off my hands.” Dana nodded, “Let's see, there's about... 150 Venonat here, so the price is $200. Take it or leave it.” Eric countered, “Bull. I know the going rate is $250.” Dana sighed, “$225. They're not even in Poké Balls, dude. Do you think those are free?” Eric laughed, “What, like you can't just steal them? $230.” Dana growled, “Now that's some bull right there. You know damn well it costs more to get someone to risk robbing a Poké Mart than we would save by just buying the Poké Balls in bulk. And then we still have to pay people to put them in the balls on top of that. $225 is the best I can do if you're going to cheap out like this.” Eric scowled, “Fine, fine. I'll take it. Pleasure doing business with you.” Dana closed the door, and then went to get them out of the bathroom. “Coast is clear,” Dana said. Minna asked, “Wait... was that Eric? He was one of the judges in the contest the other day, and they all claimed the excess Venonat were going to be released.” Dana shook her head, “Well, they lied. I guess that's how they pay for the contest prizes. Oh, by the way, that's what I do for Team Rocket... I buy Pokémon, and then we sell them. We buy a lot more Pokémon than we steal.” Minna scratched her head, “Why would people sell Pokémon to people they know are criminals?” Dana sighed, “People are hypocrites. A lot of the same people that complain about us when we do something in their backyard are perfectly happy to turn to us when they want to unload something that's tough to get rid of through legitimate channels. And yeah, selling that many Venonat at once, without Poké Balls, would be very difficult and might even be a legal risk if he tried to do it himself. So we take on the risk and give him the money. Then we maybe sell a few here, a few there, and give some away at a casino as prizes. A lot of legitimate business. I haven't stolen a Pokémon since I've worked for Team Rocket. Mostly I'm just handling dirty money. Some of it from ordinary people, some of it from fencing Pokémon that other people stole.” Sally smiled, “You see? She's really not that bad, is she?” Minna looked puzzled for a few seconds but then said, “I guess not...”
 
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athenian200

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I've noticed the new Threadmark feature, and I shall be utilizing it in this thread henceforth. :) Anyway, my choice to include a criminal as a sympathetic character may seem odd, but I thought it would be interesting (though I should point out that I don't intend to endorse or otherwise advocate criminal behavior). One detail of Dana's character that might be worth pointing out for British/non-US audiences is that the fact that a criminal or lower-class person is drinking tea is supposed to seem somehow incongruous/unexpected, because it's usually seen as a sign of sophistication here in the US (at least in my region). It's attempting to express that the character has a penchant for materialism, cleanliness, and very refined tastes, despite being from a lower-class background and occasionally sliding into rough, lower-class speech. And also perhaps that it is that drive to seek opportunities to live well that led the character to a life of crime, because they saw playing by the rules and doing things the right way as insufficiently rewarding and/or unrealistic.

Chapter 7: False Accusations

As afternoon turned into evening, Minna and Dana were sitting on the couch together watching the Pokémon League Tournament on television. Sally was in the kitchen making dinner for everyone, as she wasn't quite as into the battles as they were. “Come on, Charizard... use a Fire Blast!” Minna shouted at the television. “Come on, switch in Lapras... you can't beat Venusaur like this,” Dana whined at the television. “And... Venusaur is charging up Solar Beam! This could be it for Charizard. What will he do now?” The television announcer said as a commercial break started. Dana turned to Minna, “Oh my, this is so intense! What would you do, Minna?” Minna thoughtfully replied, “Hmm... well, Solar Beam takes two turns to hit, so I would probably switch in a Pokémon that I didn't mind sacrificing. It's a really powerful move, and chances are good that anything hit by that Venusaur's Solar Beam is going down.” Dana smiled, “And then you get a free turn while it's recovering to take it out. I like that. What would your old friends in Pewter have thought of that strategy?” Minna blushed, “A-are you kidding? Some of them get upset and call me a brute when I make their Pokémon faint. I always had to hold back. If they heard me talking like this... wow, I can't even imagine.” Just then, the game came back on. “And, the trainer recalls Charizard! He's sending our Raichu! Oh, Solar Beam has knocked out Raichu. Devastating! Can he recover from this? He's sending Charizard back out, and Venusaur is still recovering. He hits it with Fire Blast! Venusaur is down, folks! The challenger wins!” Minna chuckled, “Wow, I guess it was a good strategy after all.” The game was off for the evening after this.

Dana started talking. “You know, all this sensitivity about treating Pokémon ethically is getting out of hand. Some of my older colleagues have told me how twenty or thirty years ago, people would make them fight to the death. That was pretty lousy because it wasted a trainer's investment in their Pokémon, and it discouraged people from competitive battles. And most people didn't catch Pokémon themselves. There were huge companies that rounded them up by the hundreds and sold them in stores. All perfectly legal at the time, believe it or not.” Minna gasped, “So what changed? Pokémon are treated almost like people these days, and everyone has to go out in the wild catching them if they want one.” Dana sighed, “You know… those kind of people? They worried about the ecosystem damage, they worried about the Pokémon's psyche being hurt from sitting on a shelf. You know, there were three big companies back in the day. Safari Co., Silph Co., and Rocket Co. When the new law passed banning the mass capture and sale of Pokémon, the three companies took different directions. Safari owned all their own lands and had a lot of Pokémon you couldn't find elsewhere, so they became the Safari Zone. They got around the law by making trainers pay them for the opportunity to catch wild Pokémon on their private lands. Yes, they charge people to do something they used to pay people to do, and bill it as an outdoor experience. Brilliant marketing, really. They make their own Safari Balls, but they're an inferior product to Silph's cheapest stuff, so they turn their weakness into a strength by saying it makes the game more challenging and conserves the ecosystem. Now they make more money than before. Silph, like today, was the biggest name in Pokémon research. They made the technical machines, the potions, the Poké Balls... they made everything. They also used to sell Pokémon to the public, and Pokémon supplies to these teams of people that captured Pokémon. When the laws changed, they decided to try selling the Pokémon supplies to the general public by working with local vendors. They aren't doing so well as they were, but they're still sitting on a mountain of cash, patents, and equipment, not to mention various forms of vertical integration. They can eat a lot of losses and still make a profit. Rocket was a contract company mostly filled with professional Pokémon catchers. We were the best in the field, and other companies contracted us out to fill orders for a certain number of wild Pokémon, and we'd go where we were asked. We got all our equipment from Silph. Our bread and butter was in our expertise and experience catching Pokémon. Back then, everyone hired us to hunt down Pokémon and put them in Poké Balls to sell. We would also buy up Pokémon cheap from amateurs hoping to get into the field, as it saved us work. So when the law changed, we were forced to close our doors, because we didn't have our own land like Safari or our own manufacturing like Silph. But the Boss was stubborn. So he took the company underground as Team Rocket. He commanded a lot of loyalty and still has a lot of friends in high places. And a lot of the old employees came right back to work doing illegally what they'd spent their lives doing for years, because it was all they knew. Catching large numbers of Pokémon on public lands, only now it was called poaching. The company itself was rebranded as Rocket Game Corner. Now we give away Pokémon as prizes, which is another loophole in the law.”

Minna actually started to feel a bit sorry for Team Rocket, and sighed, “Wow, that really sucks. Doesn't seem very fair.” Dana laughed, “Yeah, and you know what the worst part is? They're not done. Some of those same lobbyists are out there today trying to make certain moves illegal, or even banning Pokémon ownership entirely. Don't be surprised if one day the government decides to come for your Pokémon to set them all free, kid.” Minna shook her head, “But people would never stand for that... would they?” Dana grinned, “That's what they say we're counting on. One day, they're going to over play their hand. If Pokémon training is outlawed, only outlaws will train Pokémon. The economy will collapse, and everyone will be out of work. That's when they all turn to us. All the trainers that can't let go of training. And we'll rise up together under the banner of Team Rocket to knock that government out of power. If and when that day comes... everyone will understand how we were slandered and demonized. They'll forgive us for doing what we had to do. That's the mantra among the old guard, anyway.” Minna asked, “What do you believe?” Dana smiled, “I just think that their corporate spirit still gives them enough pride to avoid falling to the level of other gangs. The uniforms, the mottos, etc. To them, a few Pokémon getting hurt is just business, like it always was. Same old rulebook. They don't see themselves as others see them. When you work for them, you still feel like you're working for a company rather than a criminal organization. That's what I like about them, myself.”

Just then, Sally came out with dinner. Minna's plate contained her favorites, meatloaf and potatoes au gratin. The three of them ate dinner together around the coffee table, somewhat informally. “So, Minna, are you feeling at home here yet?” Sally asked. Minna nodded, “Dana is really a nice person. I think I actually feel more comfortable here than I have anywhere else, except maybe at your house.” Dana blushed, “Means a lot for me to hear you say that, kid. Not a lot of people see how someone like me could be nice.” Minna smiled, “Well, I know what it's like to be judged for not being like everyone else.” Sally laughed, “You know, that's actually why I wanted you two to meet. You always reminded me so much of Dana, Minna. And I wanted you to get an idea of the kind of company I used to keep... Desperation, weakness, lack of opportunity... they bring out the worst in people. But it's not who they are. Not really.” Minna nodded, “I've learned that much from talking with Anna.” Sally smiled, “I'm glad you understand.” The meal concluded. “Ahh, this brings back memories. Dana, do you remember the last time we sat together like this?” Dana nodded, “Yep, like it was yesterday. It was about a week before your Mom took you away, and we'd been panhandling all over Cerulean begging for money. It wasn't too successful, and we ended up stealing a loaf of bread for dinner that night, since we hadn't eaten all day.” Sally laughed, “Yes, that's right. And then we set up a tent on the west side of the bridge, near the water.” Minna smiled and shed a tear. “It's good that you two had each other. I guess no one else was looking out for you.” Dana sighed, “Damn right, Minna. Damn right.” Dana looked at Sally. “You're tough as ever, Sally. You can take the girl out of the street, but you can't take the street out of the girl.” Sally nodded, “I guess I finally realized that. You can overcome the past, but you can't escape or deny it. Minna showed me that.” Dana smiled, “Well, it's just good to see you again.”

The night was almost over, and Dana showed Minna and Sally to her back bedroom. “You two can crash in here. If you want a drink tonight, feel free to go into the kitchen and get something,” Dana said. There were two beds in the room, which was probably the most comfortable sleeping arrangement they'd seen in days.

Sally whispered to Minna, “Minna, I know Dana makes Team Rocket sound good, but just don't get suckered into joining.” Minna shook her head, “Oh, I wasn't thinking that. I respect Dana, but I mostly just feel bad for the kind of life she had to lead, and know that she's a good person even though she's done some bad things.” Sally sighed, “Yeah, that's good. It's an important thing to understand the difference. Janice isn't a criminal, but she is someone who would lie to her friends and turn them against each other for her own gain, so long as she thinks she can avoid consequences herself. No smart person trusts someone like that.” Minna nodded, “Thanks for worrying about me. But even Dana told me herself that it's a bad idea to go down the criminal path if you have a choice. I just feel bad for the ones who don't have a choice... it's like a worse version of how I was forced to become a Lass.” Sally smiled and yawned, “You're right as always, Minna. You understand things so clearly. Good night.”

Minna stretched and yawned that morning, rubbing her eyes. When she woke up and looked over, Sally was gone. So she got up and headed to the living room. Dana was sitting there alone, looking at a note with a depressed look on her face. Minna yawned, “Dana, what's wrong? Where's Sally?” Dana tried to put on a calm face, although Minna didn't notice due to her fatigue. “Oh, she just stepped out for some fresh air. Please, Minna, sit down and have yourself some breakfast.” Minna sat down and had some hash browns and an English muffin with ham and cheese, along with some tea. Dana had thoughtfully put two cubes of sugar into it. Minna finished breakfast and started to turn on the television, when Dana stopped her. “Wait, Minna, no.” Minna looked up at Dana, and asked, “What's wrong?” Dana sat down on the couch next to her, and handed her a note. “Read this, Minna.”

The message went, “Hey, Sally. What's going here? The police are looking for Minna here in Pewter, they say that she sold a bunch of Venonat on the black market. There are wanted posters everywhere. I really hope you're not involved. Please come home soon. Love, Ben.” Minna tried to retain her composure. “W-where's Sally? She would know what to do, wouldn't she?” Minna asked. Dana sighed, “You don't know how things work. I had to get her out of here immediately. I used an old Safari Co. technical machine to teach her Pidgeotto how to fly her back to Pewter. She's home in Pewter City, and as far as anyone there knows, she left Viridian with Anthony yesterday, and then came back early because she got tired. We already sent word telling Anthony to vouch for her.” Minna looked confused, “Vouch for her? But she's not the one they're accusing.” Dana shook her head, “She still has a clean record, kid. If people think she was involved, she could be charged as an accessory.” Minna shed a tear, “B-but I'm not guilty. I didn't do anything!” Dana sighed, “They've got a lot of trumped-up dirt on you, Minna. It looks real bad.” Dana turned on the television. Her face was on the screen, and the newscaster said, “Pewter City police advise you to be on the lookout for Minna. She's charged with selling over 100 Venonat on the black market. Eyewitness accounts indicate that she was seen having caught 100 Venonat at a local contest in Viridian City, and then she was seen in the neighborhood of a known fence with ties to Team Rocket. Another girl was seen with with Minna, possibly an accomplice, but she was not able to be identified. Pewter police have already apprehended the salesman attempting to sell them in Pewter.” Dana said, “You see, now that you've got the heat on your tail, you could potentially put anyone you associate with at risk of going to the slammer with you. Sally really didn't want to go, but she had to. I'm sorry, kid.” Minna started to cry, “Am I going to jail? I-I'm scared.” Dana hugged Minna, “Of course you're scared. I mean, you should be. But the thing is, this is probably the best place you could have been when this hit the fan. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have sold those Venonat last night. I should have been more careful with the two of you around.” Minna asked though tears, “What am I going to do?” Dana said, “The best thing for you to do right now, is to stay here until we figure something out. Whatever you do, don't leave Viridian. The boss practically owns this town, including the police. He'll make sure they don't pursue the case here, but the moment you go to another town, you are at risk of being picked up.” Minna's tears slowed down, “Wait, so I'm safe for now?” Dana smiled, “Yes. I don't know how long it will take, but I know I can get you off the hook.” Minna started thinking, “Who would even do something like this to me?” Dana sighed, “That twerp, Eric, probably did it. Just to make sure it never got back to him. Oh, Sally has all the luck... she always walks away clean as a whistle, and the people around her always end up in trouble somehow.”

Minna sat around Dana's house watching television for the rest of the morning, and ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. Dana finally said, “Okay, now that it's after lunch, there's someone I'd like you to see. Here, let me put this in your coat pocket,” as she placed a single red rose into Minna's pocket. Dana changed into her civilian clothes, which made her look like a typical Beauty-type trainer. Dana was leading Minna around town. A few officers stopped to scrutinize her, but they all looked at the red rose in her pocket and averted their eyes to start whistling and fidgeting as they continued their patrol route. Eventually they reached a nondescript building near the Gym, and walked in. An old man with a beard and a pipe wearing a police uniform was inside. “We enter your presence under the boss’s protection,” Dana stated as she made a small curtsy. “Well, I've been expecting you two. Come in, have a seat. My name is Calvin,” he said. The two of them took their seats. “Well, Calvin, you know about the situation with Minna, right?” He nodded, “Yes, she is wanted in Pewter for fencing the contest Pokémon. You know, young lady, you didn't do yourself any favors by catching a hundred Pokémon. It draws a lot of the wrong kind of attention.” Minna sighed, “Well, I know that now. I wish I'd known it then.” Dana replied, “Look, man. I purchased those Venonat from a kid named Eric. Minna was there with me in the house when I was buying them, although she had nothing to do with it. Sally was over there.” Calvin laughed, “I believe you, Dana. As implausible as your story sounds, we have gotten reports of Eric walking through town with the Venonat. The problem is that everyone who was with Eric at the time vouches for him. And you can't vouch for Minna because...” Dana sighed, “Yeah, I know, because I'm the one who fenced the Pokémon.” Calvin shook his head, “Normally, the only way to get you off the hook in this situation would be for Dana here to accept a plea bargain and go to jail herself for a couple of years. Otherwise, you'd be rotting in there for fifteen years. But... there is always an alternative.” Dana shrugged, “Let me guess... money.” Calvin nodded, “The thing is, I really don't care if you're guilty or innocent, Minna. What matters to me is what you can pay. I'll need $300 up front to convince Eric's witnesses to stab him in the back, they've already hinted around at a price. What I need from you, Minna... is a promise to do exactly one favor for Team Rocket. We need someone to go to the Safari Zone, and catch 200 Chansey. How you do it is up to you, but it's almost impossible to do it legally with Safari Balls. So you're most likely going to have to sneak into the Safari Zone at night, essentially trespassing and poaching over the course of several days. If you accept this mission, you'll have three months to complete it. If you don't, well... there will be consequences.” Dana whispered, “This is how they get you working for them for the rest of your life.” Minna shook her head, “I don't think I can accept. It seems to me that I'm either going to wind up in trouble with the police now, or Team Rocket and the police in three months.” Calvin sighed, “Well, you don't have to make a decision now. I'll give you a couple of days to think it over.” Then he winked at Dana, and she smiled back.

They returned to Dana's house. Minna seemed confused, “So wait, how... what just happened?” Dana laughed, “I can imagine it's pretty confusing. Basically, the only way he could help us directly would be to go through the boss, and that would mean obligating you to work with Team Rocket. You don't want that, not if you have better options. But what you didn't notice was that he offered you an out. He told you that Eric's witnesses can be bought off, and gave you a couple of days to think about it. Believe it or not, he's actually being nice. Because if you play your cards right, you can find those witnesses and buy them off yourself... but send them to the Pewter police. And then they'll apprehend Eric, the DA will be satisfied with an arrest, and your reputation is safe.” Minna put her hand on her chin, “So, the only way I can save myself is to get Eric's witnesses on my side. But... who are they?” Dana smiled, “You leave that to Anthony. He's already agreed to help.”

Meanwhile, in Viridian Forest, Anthony is pacing back and forth in the old tree fort. “Freaking Eric. I leave Minna alone for a few hours, and he's already gotten her in trouble with the police. It's because he knows she's my friend, most likely. This guy will stop at nothing to destroy me. I have to put a stop to this.” So, Anthony heads back to the scout camp, and starts asking questions. He manages to find out that the person who spoke up the other night was a boy scout named Austin. Anthony goes to confront him. “Hello, Austin. Listen, have you and Eric...” Austin seems terrified, “I don't know anything about Minna! Leave me alone!” Anthony stares him down. “Why don't I believe you?” Austin finally cracks, “Eric got me and another guy to tell the police I saw Minna selling Venonat to a fence in Viridian City, but it was really Eric that did it!” Anthony says, “Well, fix this. Now. Go back and tell them the truth.” Austin smiled to show that he's not so terrified after all, “Well, why should I? What do I get in return? Eric gave me $50.” Anthony looked angry, “Oh, it's going to be like that?” Austin nodded, “I really don't like you, but Eric is seeming a bit unstable... like he could screw this up for us. $200. $100 for me, $100 for the other guy. Best I can do.” Anthony grudgingly pulls out four gold nuggets. “Here. There are the contest prizes for the next ten years. I was supposed to give them to the next judge panel, but I guess I'll have to work something out.” Austin smiled, “Pleasure doing business with you, Anthony. Maybe you're not so bad after all.”

In Pewter City, Sally is talking to her step-father. “You're not to see this Minna girl again, you understand me? All your other friends thought she was bad news, and there you went, taking her side. Always trusting the underdog, huh? You're staying in this house where I can keep an eye on you. I'm just glad you weren't with her when she did this.” Sally simply nodded, and said, “Yes, sir.” Her Dad's gaze visibly softened, “I'd ground you, but I think your whole problem was not having enough friends besides Minna. So while you are house bound... you can have your friends over for a party. Anyone but Minna. I suspect you owe Janice an apology, young lady. She saw that Minna was trouble before anyone else did.” Sally faked a smile, “That sounds good, Daddy. I was getting homesick and missing Janice while I was on my way home. Can I give her a call right now?” Her Dad smiled back, “Of course, Pumpkin. Invite everyone, have a party. Have a sleepover. As long as I'm here to supervise it and Minna doesn't show up, don't even worry about it. You know, a lot of your friends missed you the past two days while you were traveling to see your pen pal.” Sally continued to fake a smile and enthusiasm over a party as she thought to herself, “Minna... I hope Anthony and Dana can take care of you. I can't leave Ben. I'm so sorry.”

Sally scheduled the party to happen in an hour, and invited all the standard guests. “So, I guess I'm really doing this. Abandoning her so I can go back to my comfortable life. A life I don't even deserve to begin with,” she thought to herself. She sat in her room with Ben for the next hour, listening to music. Ben talked to her, “Do you think Minna really did it?” Sally shook her head, “I know she didn't. But it doesn't matter... she was accused, and some people claim to have seen her. That's all they need, Ben.” Ben sighed, “Yeah... this really sucks.” Sally smiled, “Look on the bright side, Ben. At least we're back together, safe and sound.” Ben rolled his eyes, “Sis, that smile might work on Dad, but I know you better than that. I know you cared about Minna, and I thought she was pretty cool myself. You're my real family, sis. You might have to pretend with Dad, but you don't have to pretend with me.” Sally sighed, “Yeah... I'm not happy, but you know we have to go along with this. Minna just has too many enemies.” Ben sighed, “You ain't kidding, sis. You ain't kidding.” Ben thought to himself, “But with friends like this, who needs enemies? Sure hope Anthony is a better friend to Minna.”

Sometime after the party started, Sally found herself talking to Janice. “And so, yeah, Minna was out of line by not accepting your draw. I totally agree with that, we can't have blood sports going on,” Sally lied. Janice smiled, “Well, I can understand how you'd be upset that I wasn't paying attention to the contest. I mean, Pokémon were fainting. You of all people should know I'm against that. I guess I just thought people had more restraint than that. But if not, maybe we shouldn't even have those contests. I'm not really a good referee anyway.” Sally over-rehearsed the line, “Yeah, I mean, let's face it. Pokémon battles are a dangerous game. If you ask me, they should just be pets.” Janice laughed, “So true, so true. You know, I wasn't telling the whole truth about Minna's battle, but I was only trying to protect you and your brother. Now you see her for what she is, right? I mean, look at the news.” Sally sighed and sealed the deal with, “My goodness, yes. I just felt sorry for her because no one else was hanging out with her. You know I can't stand to see people suffering, even if they deserve it.” Janice nodded, “Don't worry about it, Sally. To be honest, I feel like maybe I was too hard on her. Maybe I drove her to this somehow. If I'd just tolerated her rude behavior a little more graciously and not cut her out of things, maybe she wouldn't have left town and started poaching Venonat. Clearly, the poor girl was bored out of her mind to the point that she took leave of her senses.” Sally said half-truthfully, “Well, the past is the past. And you couldn't have known the impact your actions would have. She's not normal.” Janice nodded and giggled, “I really did miss you, Sally. Seriously, next time, talk to me when you're worried about someone. I know I'm popular and I have standards, but I can be a good listener, too.” Sally thought to herself as she drained another glass of punch, “If there's a hell, I'm going there. Or maybe I'm already there.”
 
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athenian200

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Chapter 8: The Triple Double-Cross

After Sally had spent a couple hours mingling and trying to reconnect with everyone, if only to please her father and distract herself from her pain, she found herself talking to Jimmy. “Hey, you're Janice's boyfriend, right?” Sally asked. “So you remember me? That saves me the trouble of an introduction. Meet me in the bathroom. We have something to discuss.” Sally looked grossed out, “Eww, Jimmy. I really don't like you that way, and I wouldn't do that to Janice.” Jimmy laughed, “No, no. This is about your friend, Minna. If you still care about her, I can help. Of course, if you don't, then that's fine with me too. It makes my girlfriend happy, at least.” Sally sighed and reluctantly followed him to the bathroom after a brief pause. Her father didn't notice because he was too busy working on his laptop, although she couldn't be out of the room for too long. “All right, Jimmy, what is this all about?” Sally asked. “I'll just be frank, Sally. I shall play the hero and rescue your friend Minna from prison... for a price. Eric hired me as a false witness to cover for him while he was selling some Venonat on the black market, but I've had a change of heart and I think I could be persuaded to tell the police the truth.” Sally glared at him, “What's your price?” Jimmy smiled, “I thought that might get your attention. I will need $200. My loyalty doesn't come cheap, and I am already pledged to Eric's side in this matter.” Sally sighed, “I don't have $200, Jimmy. I have $10 to my name. Why do you think I have that kind of money?” Jimmy nodded, “It doesn't all have to be in cash. Surely you have some things that might be worth something. My father is a shopkeeper, so I know what things are worth. Why don't we have a look, then? We can do this outside. Just pretend that you got some extra junk during your trip that you don't need anymore, and that you're asking for my help figuring out what it's worth. I do this all the time.” Sally nodded, “It's perfectly plausible. Okay, I'll go along with this.”

The two of them left the bathroom at different times so they wouldn't be seen coming out together. Sally's dad came up to her and said, “Honey, are you all right? Take it easy on the punch. I know you like that flavor, but don't over do it.” Sally nodded, “Yeah, I will. Thanks, Dad.” She then proceeded to sit with Jimmy across from the dining room table with her pack, filled with all the items she'd collected. Jimmy asked, “So, this is your old junk, right?” Sally smiled and said, “Yeah, I'm not really interested in going on another journey, it was so exhausting. I won't need any of this stuff anymore. Could you tell me if it's worth anything?” He nodded, and started going through her pack. “Hmm... let's see. You have six potions, that's worth about $9. Four Poké Balls, that's about $4. Oh, here's a pair of nice shoes and socks. Very popular name brand and size around here, actually. Good condition, they look like they're worth about $50.” Sally nodded and said, “Yeah, I outgrew those. Don't know why they were in there, but I don't need them anymore either.” Jimmy also went, “Oh, these clothes... tsk, tsk, they don't suit you at all, Sally. Let me guess, Minna picked these out for you?” Sally continued, “Yeah, I was too nice to say anything, so I just purchased them anyway. Waste of money, right?” Jimmy replied, “Well, you could get about $50 back for this junk. There are people who will buy it. Okay, and... there's a tent in here, that's worth $23. And, do you want to keep the pack itself, or do you want a price on that as well?” Sally shook her head, “No, I'm selling that as well.” Jimmy grinned, “Well, that's worth another $30. Let's see, so all that comes to... $166. And you had $10 already, so that would leave you with $176 exactly. Oh, that's about $24 less than you were hoping, I'm afraid. But I'll tell you what. If you give me all of this stuff, I can negotiate a better deal with my Dad. Most people only get half of what their stuff is worth. I would be willing to eat into my own profit margins just a bit, and credit you the extra $24 when I sell it all. Am I not generous, Sally?” Sally smiled weakly, “I accept your generous offer, Jimmy,” she said as she handed him the entire pack along with every cent in her wallet. Jimmy thought to himself, “I'm making a great deal. I can almost certainly get $332 for all this.” Sally sighed as he walked away, and thought to herself, “Even if I never see her again, I'm happy to buy her freedom at the expense of my own.”

Later that night in Viridian City, Dana's doorbell rings, and she opens the door to find Eric standing there. “Hello, Dana, have you seen Minna? I have a business proposition for her,” he says with a hateful grin on his face. Dana scowls back at him, “You have some nerve coming back here after what you've done. You've caused me more trouble than you're worth. I don't want to do business with you anymore, kid! Now scram.” Eric laughs, “Oh, are you sure you want to be saying that? I've come to offer Minna a way out. Unless of course she's already succumbed to desperation and become an actual criminal like her loser friend. My friend Austin really did see her come in here, he wasn't lying about that. It just gave us an idea.” Dana growled, and then sighed, “Minna, come here. It's the twerp. He's ready to talk turkey.” Minna walked up, “What do you want, Eric? I don't know what it is I did to you, but I'll do whatever I can to make up for it.” Eric laughed, “It's nothing personal. You're a friend of Anthony, and I hate Anthony. I wanted to hurt him, but he's a knight in shining armor. The only way I can hurt him is to hurt his friends... and you were the most vulnerable. Anyway, I've decided that I'm actually just sick of Viridian and want to skip town. It's the smell, really. I hate the forest, but my parents sent me here, and I need money to get away. So if you give me $200, I'll get on the next plane out of Kanto and leave everyone alone. There will be a videotaped confession sent to the police, and my witnesses will recant their statements.” Minna narrowed her eyes, “How do I know I can trust you, Eric? Your actions so far haven't given me a reason.” Eric smiled, “Well, you don't really have a choice, now do you? Unless you want the Rockets to help you become an actual poacher and join the thug life.” Dana whispered, “As much as I loathe him, he's right. Take the deal.” Eric laughed, “Listen to your gangster girlfriend, she's street smart.” Dana hissed. Minna sighed, “Well, I only have about $50 left.” Dana sighed, “Oh, all right! I'll chip in the other $150. I guess I can go a few months without cable.” Dana handed Minna the extra money, and Minna handed it all to Eric. Eric laughed, “Aww, how do you like that? The sappy, sentimental crook is worried about her wittle girlfriend. Pathetic. Good for me, though. Makes this so easy. Just one word of advice, Minna. You lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas. And Dana, I hope you've learned that I always get my price... *****. If you had just given me the $250 like I asked, maybe I would have felt more generous and none of this would have happened. An extra $25 back then would have saved you an awful lot.” Dana hissed again, and her face was starting to turn red, but she held her tongue. “I'm just going to go before you explode like the train wreck you are. Smell you later, Dana,” Eric laughed.

Minna breathed a sigh of relief. “With any luck, this should be over by tomorrow, right? I'm so sorry you had to pay all that money to get me out of trouble.” Dana shook her head, and smiled. “Don't even worry about it, kid. It's always good to have a favor I can call in if I ever need it. Maybe I'll need someone to bail me out of prison one day.” Minna asked, “Does this kind of thing happen a lot?” Dana sighed, “More often than you think. I've had me a few friends that got framed, served their hard time, then they're in the same boat as the rest of us and have to become real criminals just to pay the bills.” Dana then gave Minna a hug, “Life ain't fair, Minna. You know, sometimes I think the only difference between criminals and everyone else is that we're stupid enough to get caught, or unfortunate enough to be framed. But it's better with people you can count on.” Minna smiled, “I'm really glad I met you, Dana. Even after all this.” Dana smiled back, “Well, it's been a long day. There's another tournament on tonight. Wanna eat leftovers and watch?” Minna grinned, and said, “Yay! I was looking forward to seeing the semifinalist's Golem in action tonight.”

Meanwhile, Eric, Austin, and Jimmy met in a dark corner of Viridian Forest. “All right, boys, I hauled in my $200 from Minna and her gangster girlfriend. How did the rest of you bozos do?” Austin dumped out the four gold nuggets, “I got my $200 as well. I made Anthony put his hand in the till and fork over money from the contest treasury.” Jimmy smiled, “Austin, I can turn that $200 into $400. I took all of Sally's money and junk, made sure she'd be stranded in Pewter City with Janice for a while. She'll need a friend like Sally after tomorrow. I made $332, lied and told her that she was shorting me $24 and I was doing her a favor.” Eric clapped, “Okay, Jimmy, I have to hand it to you. The shopkeeper's kid is the best at turning a profit.” Austin nods, “So, I planted that new Super Rod in the old tree fort where Anthony spends most of his time, Eric. All I have to do now is tell people that I think he stole $200 from the treasury to pay for a new fishing rod.” Eric smiled, “Minna, you lucky little girl. Now that we've found a chink in Anthony's armor, we'll actually keep that promise. No use in sending her to jail now. I've had my fun with her.” Austin pulled out a camcorder, “I'm glad. As much as I hate Anthony, sending Minna to jail was my least favorite part of this plan.” Eric nodded, “Okay, softie, let's start the video.” Eric stands in front of the camera. “Hello, suckers. I'm here to tell you that you've all been punked. I was the one who sold the Venonat, not Minna. I paid my two witnesses here to claim they saw her selling the Venonat from the contest. If you ask the organizers, you'll see she wouldn't have had access. But I sure did.” Jimmy takes his turn in front of the camera, “I did lie. Eric sold the Venonat, not Minna. Hey, Janice. I only put up with you because you were the most popular girl in Pewter City. But the truth is that you're so superficial and fake that you don't really know anyone. Not even me. I'm gay, Janice. I scammed Sally into selling me everything she owned in order to avoid being charged as Minna's accomplice, because I needed the money to get away from my parents, and from that town. I want to start a new life somewhere else.” Austin took his turn, “Yeah, I lied about Minna selling Venonat as well. Before you ask, I'm not Jimmy's lover. I'm straight. But I scammed Anthony out of $100 as hush money because I had dirt on him. Not saying what it is, but it's a doozy. I don't like these woods, I don't like Anthony, and I'm leaving with these guys. Camping sucks.”

Austin turned off the camera. “All right, let's mail this video to the Pewter Police when we get to Vermillion.” Jimmy looked confused, “Do you have any idea how we're getting to Vermillion, Eric?” Eric rolled his eyes, “No sense of direction? Typical. There's an overgrown tree on the northern part of Route 2. We'll have to climb over it, and then enter Diglett's Cave. It will take us straight to Vermilion. We'll get on a plane to Hoenn there, and by the time they figure out where we've gone, we'll be long gone.”

So Eric, Austin, and Jimmy followed the plan precisely, dropped the tape in the mailbox, managed to get an airplane ticket to Hoenn, and absconded with all their ill-gotten gains. They were high-fiving on the plane, and none of the other passengers knew why. Eric looked out the window triumphantly, “So long, suckers. So long, Mom and Dad. Are you proud of what you've made me? So much for camping building character.” Once they touched down in Lilycove City, they somehow instinctively purchased new clothes and changed their trainer classes. Eric became a Rich Boy-type trainer, Austin became a Fisherman, while Jimmy became a Juggler-type trainer. The three of them spent a couple days in the Cove Lily Motel, and then eventually went their separate ways. No one in Kanto ever heard from them again, and they successfully disappeared in Hoenn, happy with their new lives.

Meanwhile, in Viridian Forest, Anthony was about to spend the night in the old tree fort, when he saw Casey come up. “Hey, Anthony. I saw Austin come through here earlier and put something in the fort. What do you think is up with that?” Anthony sighed, “Probably nothing good. Listen, Casey... you probably shouldn't spread this around, but I had to bribe Austin because he's in cahoots with Eric. He framed Minna for selling Venonat on the black market, when he did it himself.” Casey asked, “What did you bribe him with?” Anthony looked down at his feet. “He wanted $200, the only thing I had to give him was...” Casey's eyes grew wide, “Oh, man! The contest nuggets?! This is nuts. I mean, the whole reason we release all the Pokémon that we don't give away is so we don't have to worry about stuff like this, but Eric just went and fouled it up like he always does. I knew we shouldn't have left him alone with the Venonat. He shouldn't have been on the panel... even if it meant canceling the contest. It wasn't worth trusting him, man.” So Casey and Anthony crawled up to the tree fort, and saw the Super Rod. Anthony seemed puzzled, “I didn't leave this here, I wonder why someone would give me a fishing rod.” Casey shook his head, “I don't know, but you'd better hide that thing. A lot of people out here take buying a fishing rod as a sign that you're tired of the forest and getting ready to leave. It would make you look bad. As Minna would say, it's kind of a dumb superstition, but people take those things seriously out here.” Just then, Derek climbed into the fort.“What would make who look bad?” he asked as he saw the fishing rod in Anthony's hands. “Hey! Why do you have a fishing rod? Those things are a sign of treachery and abandonment. You planning to leave and betray us somehow? And where did you get the money for it?” Anthony calmly said, “I didn't buy this rod, Derek. Someone put it here.” Derek narrowed his eyes, “Wait a minute... where are the contest nuggets? The judges the other night said you hadn't handed them over yet.” Anthony pulled out a single contest nugget. “Here it is.” Derek puzzled, “Oh, there's only one? I had thought there were multiple nuggets... but maybe you only had two to start with, and then when you gave one to Minna...” Anthony nodded, “Yeah, we don't give these prizes out a lot.” Derek breathed a sigh of relief, “Well, sorry I was suspicious. Good night, Anthony.” Derek walked away. Casey shook his head, “I really hope he doesn't find out that there were supposed to be five. If he does, you're in trouble.” Anthony calmly stated, “I'm planning to buy more nuggets with my own money as I earn it. Contests where we have to give prizes away are so infrequent that I'm hoping I can avoid any drama.” Casey sighed, “I hope you're right, Anthony. I hope you're right.” So Anthony and Casey went to sleep in their tents in the old fort after saying good night to each other.

The postman sent the video to Pewter Police with unusual speed because their policy has been to rush correspondence between police departments, and it got to them by the next morning. The police chief got one look at this, and threw up his hands, “Well, I don't see how we can pursue this case. All the witnesses are completely unreliable, an absurd amount of money seems to have changed hands on multiple occasions to buy their testimony, their skipping town casts doubt on Minna, and we honestly have no idea if they were lying before, lying now, or lying both times. We can't question them or negotiate a plea bargain situation, because we have no idea where any of them went. What do you think?” The DA sighed, “Well, they're not in our jurisdiction anymore. We caught the man selling them, and seized almost all the Venonat. Let's quit while we're ahead. I say, drop the case for now and put this on the air. Maybe someone will have seen the three boys or know what the heck they're talking about. With any luck, another PD or the FBI will pick them up and extradite them back to Pewter for questioning. It's out of our hands now.”

Minna and Dana had fallen asleep on the couch with their heads at opposite ends and the television still on. They both woke up to the sound of a rooster crowing, and heard the news announcer start to speak. “We interrupt our normal programming to inform you that Pewter Police have called off the search for Minna. We've received new evidence in the form of a videotape that casts doubt on her guilt, and the DA is no longer actively pursuing the case. If you have seen any of the boys in this video recently, please contact the Pewter Police department.” The video rolled.

Dana looked at Minna, “See? They were gonna try and frame Sally, too. It's lucky she was in Pewter and in a position to buy off Jimmy.” Minna laughed, “Ha! Jimmy's gay? That explains so much. As lousy as what he did was, I don't blame him for wanting to get away from Janice. She's kind of a mean girl. One of the main reasons I left Pewter to start on my journey.” Dana asked, “What about this Anthony character? How does he fit into all this?” Minna replied, “Eric hates Anthony, but Anthony has a lot of integrity. He always turned the other cheek when Eric would insult him. I'm not sure what kind of dirt they could have on him. Austin might be lying to make him look bad. And Eric did say that I wasn't his real target, that he was doing this to hurt Anthony. I must say, the random suspicion cast on Anthony was a heck of a parting gift.” Dana sighed, “Well, at least he kept his word.” Just then, there was a strange pecking on the door. Dana went to open it, and there was a carrier Pidgey carrying a note from Ben. “Minna, you can come home now. They're not looking for you anymore. Your Mom is driving down there to get you, so stay put. Sally's sort of grounded, but she says she misses you. Your friend, Ben.”

Minna sighed, “Well, I guess this is goodbye, Dana. I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do.” Dana smiled, “I'm sure we'll see each other again... but next time, let me know you're coming so I can avoid getting you in the middle of stuff like this.” Minna laughed, “I definitely will.”

Minna's Mom pulled up to Dana's house, and knocked on the door. They both came out. Minna's Mom was crying. “Minna! I've been so worried about you, but I was afraid to try and come get you because... well, I worried the police would follow me and pick you up. I didn't know what to do! But I'm so glad they found you innocent. So, who is this?” Dana smiled at Minna's Mom but spoke with a nervous tone, “Oh, I'm a friend of Sally's, ma'am. My name is Dana. Minna and I were having tea together when we were watching the news. I wanted to call you, but I was afraid they would have your lines tapped. I don't know who hired those phony witnesses, but she was here with me that whole day. I kept her in the house with me until this blew over because I didn't know what else to do!” Minna's Mom bought the story, mostly because she came off as a fellow Beauty-type trainer. “Well, thank goodness at least some of your friends have some common sense. Thank you very much, Dana. Minna, let's go.”

Minna got in the car, and she and her Mom started to drive out of Viridian, when another girl came running up to the car. Her Mom stopped the car and let them speak. It was Angela. “Minna! Minna! I heard about what happened to you. I knew Eric was behind this, I just knew it. I just want you to know that I'm here for you. I live here in Viridian, and you're welcome in my cabin any time should you go through the forest again.” Minna nodded, “Thanks, Angela. I'm heading home now, though.” Angela waved goodbye as they drove off onto a highway along the east side of Route 2 that bypassed Viridian Forest. Mom finally spoke, “Well, I'm glad you're okay. I'm also glad that you have some nice friends like Dana in Viridian City. But, I have some bad news, Minna...” Minna asked, “What's wrong?” Mom sighed, “Well, it's Sally, dear. I've heard that she's been saying less than flattering things about you, and her Dad still doesn't trust you. In fact, he forbids you to see her or Ben. Ben tells people she's being punished, but there's a rumor going around that she just doesn't want to see you. She had a party while you were gone, you know, so I'm inclined to believe it. And I mean, the way she ditched you in Viridian City... her Dad buys that she left with Anthony, but it's so obvious to me that she believed the cops and was more worried about saving herself from being associated with you than with helping you in any way. Not a very good friend, Minna. I'm afraid I might be the only friend you have left in Pewter City, and that's kind of sad because I'm your mother. So, I'll be happy to bring you back here to see Dana... and even Angela. She doesn't have the best taste, but she does seem like a decent girl. And beggars can't be choosers. I guess you have your father's social skills, honey. In spite of everything I tried to do for you. I'm sorry to break it to you.” Minna sighed, “It's all right, Mom. I'll survive.” Minna thought to herself, “Well, Sally's probably better off without me.”

Meanwhile in Viridian Forest, Anthony and Casey were awakened by the sound of a jeep. They soon looked up to see Thompson climbing up the tree fort. “I'm getting too old for this,” he groaned. Thompson looked at the fishing pole and shook his head, “So, Derek was telling the truth. A fishing pole. Come with me, Anthony. You're in trouble. Casey, maybe you'd better come too.” They all got into Thompson's jeep and rode back to the scout camp. All the scouts and bug catchers were lined up in formation. “All right, they're here. I want to keep this as orderly as possible, so no one speak until I call your name.” Anthony and Casey were standing in front of Thompson, and everyone in camp was standing behind him. “Anthony, we've heard a lot of rumors that you've spent money from future contest prizes on fishing rods, on hush money for Austin, and even some rather wild ones that you paid off Austin to frame Eric for a crime that you committed. Given that both Austin and Eric have gone missing, these are some very serious accusations. Now, Derek and Angela here are both future contest judges chosen by your peers. If you can hand Derek all five nuggets that you're supposed to have in your possession, then I'm willing to ignore that fishing rod and pretend like none of this ever happened, and I expect everyone here to do the same. Some of you aren't my scouts, and I don't run these contests, but this is a very serious situation, and I expect everyone here to abide by my decision. Anthony, where are the nuggets?” Anthony pulled out a single nugget, “This is the only one I have left, sir. I no longer have the other four.” Thompson snatched the nugget away and handed it to Derek. Derek glared at Anthony, but kept silent. Everyone else gasped involuntarily. “All right, Anthony. Tell us all what happened to them. The truth.” Anthony said, “Well sir, I got a note saying that Minna was in trouble with the police for selling Venonat on the black market, but that Eric had actually been seen selling the Venonat by a friend of Sally's. I was told that he had probably paid false witnesses, and I figured out that one of them was Austin. So Austin told me that he would turn against Eric and tell the police that Minna was innocent and Eric was guilty if I gave him $200. I didn't have that kind of money, so I gave him four nuggets. I was planning to buy more nuggets as I went along, before this ever came up. I'm sorry, sir.” Thompson shook his head, “I don't like what I'm hearing, Anthony. I wish I could believe what you're telling me. If it were truly the case, I could perhaps understand your actions. But your story is a little unbelievable. If Sally's friend actually saw something, she should have gone to the police. Any decent person would have. Do you even know her name? Can you bring her here to corroborate your story?” Anthony looked down at his feet, “No, sir. I've never even met the lady. But I have the note right here.” Thompson looked at the note, and then threw it on the ground. “Anyone at all could have written this, Anthony. I suspect that you wrote it. Now, I'll give you one more chance to tell me the truth.” Anthony looked Thompson in the eyes, “That is the truth, sir. Implausible as it may seem.” Thompson sighed, “Maybe it is, Anthony. I don't know. If the police investigation had actually found Eric guilty, that would be one thing. But for all I know, you forced him into a false confession and he left these woods under duress. I will not have this sort of thing going on here. Now, Derek. Tell everyone what you believe happened here.” Derek cleared his throat, “I don't believe that bull about Anthony framing Eric. We all know what Eric was capable of doing. But if you ask me, that fishing pole speaks for itself. Austin never revealed what Anthony paid him the money for. But a Super Rod goes for about $100, and Austin claims Anthony paid him another $100 to keep him silent. Obviously, Austin saw Anthony using the contest prizes to buy the fishing rod, and then asked him for hush money to keep him silent. It's simple, it's obvious. Anthony's getting older, and he doesn't care about this place anymore. You all know what a fishing rod means. And to actually buy it with money he stole from us would truly be a strong statement. I think he's just trying to use Minna's innocence to clear his own name because he's having second thoughts.” Thompson nodded, “How many of you believe Derek's version of events over Anthony's? Raise your hands.” Everyone except Angela and Casey raised their hands. Thompson looked at Anthony, “If you admit that what Derek is saying is the truth, I will believe you. You will be banished from the camp until such a time as you can pay for the nuggets, and you will have to apologize for lying to everyone, and for betraying our trust. And while it's not up to me, I imagine you will be barred from judging contests for the rest of your life.” Anthony sighed, “But it's not the truth. I can't confess to something I didn't do.” Thompson looked around. “Does anyone have anything to say in defense of Anthony? Anyone at all?” Casey raised his hand, and Thompson said, “Casey, speak.” Casey cleared his throat. “Sir, I saw Austin put that fishing pole in the old tree fort while Anthony wasn't even around. He was heckling Anthony the other night, sir, saying that he thought me and Anthony had rigged the contest. Clearly, Austin did not like Anthony or me, and he wanted to make us look bad.” Thompson asked, “Does anyone believe what Casey is saying to be the truth?” No one raised their hand, though Angela almost raised her hand, but then stopped and hung her head. Thompson looked down, took his hat off, and held it at his chest. “Anthony, I don't believe you or Casey are being truthful with me. At this point, I do not trust a word you say.”
 
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