“Hello and welcome to the wide world of Poke’mon”. Just a little disclaimer here: while Poke’mon, Ruroni Kenshin, and their characters aren’t copyrighted to me, characters such as “Landon” and “Zeru” are. In this story, you’ll join our young hero, Landon, in his epic and unusual journey in the world of Poke’mon. Equipped with a magical bell, he and his friends must stare down the face of evil, win every challenge, make new friends, and claw their way to the top. But can they stop the ultimate evil that threatens their world? There are many twists and surprises, so you have to keep reading if you really want to “Catch ‘em all!” in:

 

                                      Poke’mon X

 

 

 

       Every night, it was the exact same thing; Landon found himself in an area that was a mix of lush forest and ancient stone ruins. The garden was filled with tons of flowers and trees. Monuments of marble flowed with water into a small, crystal clear pool. Landon gazed at a tiny swing hanging from a tree. (Scene seems familiar? Just wait—it gets better) The figure came out of nowhere, approaching him slowly. Landon thought it was a human girl at first, but he couldn’t really tell. A luminous aura drifted from the figure as she started to change form. A pair of red jet-like wings grew from her back and her body began to levitate off the ground. In the place of her legs and arms were two red forelegs with white on the underside; on her red chest was a blue triangle insignia. Her neck became longer and majestic like a swan, gleaming as white as the snow. Her eyes were a beautiful jewel yellow and there was a red pentagon symbol on her face. She was the most magnificent Poke’mon Landon had ever seen. The Poke’mon floated closer towards him with a blissful look in her eyes. Landon took a step back along the path, sweating style; she was making him a little nervous. For each time he stepped, she drifted even closer. Lanodn’s heart started to beat uncontrollably now. He put more prompt into his steps in a new effort to get away. BANG! His breath rattled after his back slammed into a tree. Now, the red Poke’mon was free to near him as she pleased. Her cheeks blushed a shy pink and she became level with him. Slowly, she inched her face closer to his—she was going to kiss him! The Poke’mon was now so near to him that he could feel her breath on him. Landon’s will was  yielding to its orders and losing its resistance. He could feel her warmth started to reach lips…and his heart…

 

          BING, BING, BING-BING-BING!!! Landon’s ears perked up at the chimes of the Poke’mon Center. He yawned out of his sleep and sat up. He, May, and Zeru had all fallen asleep, leaning on each other’s shoulders. Toya and Chikorita were in the ER and have been for a while; the doors to the emergency room opened up and Nurse Joy came walking out. Toya and Chikorita were sitting on a tray, sporting a bandage on their tails and cheeks. “AH!” Landon gave a wide smile and ran up to them, “Hey! Chikorita, Toya!” “Chika!” “Mudkip!” The two Poke’mon leapt on his shoulders and started licking his face. “I’m so glad to see you’re alright.” He giggled. CLACK!! “Oooch!” The sharp clacking sound woke May and Zeru abruptly. Nurse Joy had brought a plastic fan down on Landon’s head harshly. “What was that for?” He asked, rubbing his head. “You should be ashamed of yourself to let your Poke’mon get so injured. Learn to take better care of them.” Nurse Joy scolded him. “I’m so sorry—just don’t hit me anymore.” Landon said. May and Zeru walked up to up to him in a yawn as Nurse Joy went back behind the counter. “The sun’s going down; we should rent a room for the night.” May suggested. “Are you kidding? We still have some light left and should use it all.” “But the ferry doesn’t leave till tomorrow—” “You  worry way too much!” Landon and Zeru put an arm around May’s shoulders. She started to sweat anime style, giving them one of her usual worried expressions. “You need to learn and live a little.” Zeru gave her a guide book of Dewford Island and flipped through some of the pages. It was no mere coincidence when he stopped on a page full of shopping advertisements. Immediately, May’s eyes beamed in delight. “Gimme’ that!” She snatched the book from him greedily and started flipping the pages. “She’s so easy to please, that she is.” Landon stated as he and Zeru sweated anime style. Now the both of them knew that giving May keys to shopping was a big mistake on anyone’s part; abruptly, May grasped them by the arms and pulled them out through the threshold. “What’re you two waiting for? Let’s go!” “May—!” “Stop it—!” “Hold your Horsea—” “Or at least let go of us!!”

 

                    Theme Song: Pocket Monsters X(treme)

Running at

The speed of sound

What adventures can be found?

Traveling the world all around

As fate just spins it upside-down

Little monsters

Everywhere

Find a new one and I’m there

Victory is just for fun

There’s no stoppin’ till I’m number one

 

Crys-tal,

Clear, and Shadow

Three lights—

That fight the way

Protect those legendary

Is my destiny!

 

Poke’mon X

(Poke’mon X)

Leading the way

Is my sweet victory

Poke’mon X

(Poke’mon X)

A mystery

Behind each one we see



Poke’—mon X

(Ex—Ex)

This journey I’ll run

Has only begun!!

 

                           Episode 16: “Good Luck N’ Chansey!”

 

 

       Landon, Zeru, and Toya let out a sigh. They were standing by a large, glittering fountain in the middle of Dewford Plaza. May had dragged them all over town into so many different clothing an jewelry stores, yet only had one bag to show for it. “I’m starting to regret ever showing her that stupid book.” Zeru complained. “Not one of our best plans…us and our big mouths; at least if we would’ve stayed at the Poke’mon center, we would’ve gotten something good to eat.” Landon said. The sun was completely gone now and the sky surrendered to the night. Dewford Town became wired and alive like a city. Landon, May, and Zeru sat on the side of a sparkling fountain, which was spurting neon-colored water. Toya jumped off of Landon’s head to stretch her legs. “Let’s see…” Zeru clicked on his Poke’gear and started clicking through the options. “What’re you doing?” May asked nosily. “I’m just sending an e-mail to our parents with our contact addresses. That way, we won’t have to be at a Poke’mon center to talk to them.” Landon was admiring his two badges with a slight sense of pride. Each one had come out In a near-loss victory, but a victory all the same. Toya jumped up to his lap to share the admiration. “It’s pretty amazing, Toya. The accomplishments we’ve all made are truly spectacular.” “Mudkip,” She nodded in agreement with her trainer. May gave a grin, a little jealous of the two and their closeness. “…Huh?” She blinked when she looked out. Something pink was skipping right towards them from down the sidewalk. “What’s that thing?” She made Landon and Zeru look up. The pink figure also struck them as mysterious as well. “Maybe it’s a Poke’mon.” Landon said. The pink Poke’mon came to a stop in front of them and smiled. “Chansey!” It jumped. Shaped like a large egg, it had thin black eyes and buublegum-pink tipped dreadlocks. Its pouch was concealing a pearly white egg and there was a nurse’s tiara on its head, indicating it belonged to someone. “Oh wow, it’s a Chansey!” Zeru pointed out and the Poke’mon bowed. “You mean the Poke’mon from the Poke’mon center?” Landon pulled out his poke’dex and flipped it open. Click-ick! ‘Chansey, the Egg Poke’mon. The egg in Chansey’s pouch contains healing powers. It walks very carefully to prevent its egg from breaking, however, it is quick to run if it senses danger.” “Chansey-chansey,” Chansey gave a bow and started to put on a dance. It majestically spun and leapt like a ballerina. “Ahhhh…” The three marveled. The Poke’mon was so elegant and graceful, floating into the air and landing on its toe tips. It spun circles around May and lifted her above her head. “Whoa!!” May gasped from the shock of Chansey’s strength. Landon, Zeru, and Toya gave it a cheery applause. Chansey twinkle-toed over to the boys and performed its gift around them. Stopping in front of them, it ended with a low bow. “Chansey!” It smiled.

       “That was great!” Landon, May, Zeru, and Toya stood up and clapped even louder. Chansey took the egg out of its pouch and held it above its head. The spherical object started to glow a shimmering white before exploding into a burst of light. The three kids shielded their eyes for the flash, until it died out. When their vision returned, Chansey was nowhere in sight. “…..that was pretty cool.” Zeru complimented. “And the best thing was it didn’t cost us a thing.” Landon’s words triggered something in May’s mind. “That reminds me; we have to shop for you two—” “No you don’t!!!” Landon and Zeru stated at the same time. May turned to them, glancing a sharp, annoyed expression. The two boys sweated anime style and forced a smile.

 

       Landon and Zeru slouched with their eyes closed as they followed May down the sidewalk. Landon’s stomach was growling loudly along with Toya’s belly as well. “They say that Poke’mon often take on the personalities of their trainers. I think Toya has picked up your hunger pains.” Zeru said. “That’s no surprise; she hasn’t eaten a thing since the battle with Brawly. Poor girl,” Landon glanced up at her. Toya looked exhausted with her tongue limping out. “You can’t be serious.” A familiar voice caused the kids to perk up. Over by the police station, Officer Jenny stood with her notepad and pencil drawn. She was sporting a serious face that she used to stare down Nurse Joy. The Chansey from the Poke’mon Center cowered behind her friend.  “I’m sorry, but I can’t deny the fact that over fifteen victims have claimed your Chansey robbed them.” Officer Jenny pointed to Joy’s Chansey. “Robbed?!” Landon, May, and Zeru exclaimed. They walked up a little closer to gain a better listening distance. “But this Chansey has been at the Poke’mon center with me the entire time.” Nurse Joy argued. “Chansey,” Chansey nodded sadly. “I apologize to you again, but I’m going to have to take Chansey into the station.” Officer Jenny said sternly. “That’s terrible; I can’t believe Chansey would do such a thing.” Zeru said. “….Uh,” Something made May click abruptly. She looked down at her bag and yanked it open. She sifted through the objects frantically, sweating anime style. “Whaaaaaa!!!” May let out a shriek that shook the entire block.

       “ALL MY CLOTHES ARE GONE! I’VE BEEN ROBBED!” “Are you serious?” Landon rubbed his throbbing ear. By now, everyone on the block, including Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny, alerted their attention to them. “Take a look.” May held out her open bag. Inside was a pile of rocks marked with faces in black marker. “You might want to check your stuff too.” Lanodn and Zeru patted themselves down; their poke’balls and poke’dex were exactly where they should’ve been. Landon reached into his bag and felt around inside. “…Ack! My gym badges are gone!” “And my poke’gear is missing!” He and Zeru cried. Landon felt so embarrassed and ashamed; his father and mother would never have let anyone pick-pocket them. It must have been when that Chansey distracted them with that dance. “Not more victims. Nurse Joy, this has gone far enough. I have to place your Chansey under arrest.” Officer Jenny pulled a pair of silver handcuffs from her pockets. Frightened, Chansey hid behind Joy and trembled. Landon started to look worried; there was no way Joy’s Chansey stole from them. Officer Jenny neared the Poke’mon, completely by-passing its trainer. “Officer Jenny, wait a minute” A voice sounded. The door of the police station slid open and Landon’s eyes widened. He growled and clenched his fists. “Syorin!” Syorin frowned when his eyes fell on his rival. “Himura?” His frowned turned into an arrogant grin, “I can’t believe you made it to Dewford Island already.” “Can it, Shorty!” Landon shouted, “Just what’re you doin’ here?” “Like that’s any of your business.” Syorin snapped. “Syorin, why did you stop me?” Officer Jenny walked up to him. “It’s possible that there’s another Chansey going around. Give me an hour and I can find your culprit” “Good; I’ll help,” Landon said. Syorin ran his hand through his hair and frowned. “My job is hard enough without a trio of babies tagging along.” He said. Landon clenched his fists and growled angrily. “I’m-not-a-baby!” “Yeah, where do  you come off with that baby crack?” SMACK! “Ah!” May smacked Syorin lightly, but sharply on the head and he rubbed it. Everyone else sweated anime style from the shock. “We’ve been stolen from and we have as much right to help as you do.” May said. “Not really,” Syorin mumbled. “WHAT WAS THAT?!” May’s voice became large and scary—it even shook up an arrogant hot-head like Syorin!  “Syorin, why don’t we have a contest?” Landon suggested. “We don’t have time for games.” Officer Jenny implied, but neither of the boys listened to her.  Instead, they seamed to be intruiged by the competition. “A contest, Himura?” Syorin gave an interested look. “Yeah; whoever can find the real culprit first is the better man.” Landon folded his arms and Syorin nodded. The sparks of their rivalry flared up between their eyes dangerously. “Ready-set-go!” The two turned-tail and dashed off in opposite directions. “Hey, wait for us!” May and Zeru ran after their friend. “Don’t worry, Nurse Joy; those boys will find the real culprit.” Officer Jenny folded her arms and smiled. “I sure hope so—for Chansey’s sake.” “Chansey,” Nurse Joy and Chansey said.

 

       Landon stormed down the city-lit sidewalk at a sprint. Toya kept a firm grip onto his hair to keep herself from flying off. May and Zeru were still a little ways behind, but were catching up slowly. “Lan, could you slow down for us?” May called, a little out of breath. “And let Syorin Hibiki show me up? I don’t think so. I’ll find that Chansey imposter before he does and get back my badges.” Landon’s pep talk only caused him to run even faster. He pushed and whizzed by people without the slightest of worry or care. Zeru and May did their best to keep up, but he pulled away even further. “Syorin can’t be too far away.” Landon thought to himself. “Help, my wallet’s gone!” “Huh?” His ear twitched at a cry that shot through the night sky sharply. “Mudkip! Mudkip!” Toya pointed into the left. “Right!” Landon nodded and ran across the street. No matter how many buildings he zoomed by, his stamina never gave out. He slid around the corner onto another sidewalk. The guy who issued the scream was on his knees, sobbing loudly. “Were you the one who just screamed—Ack!?” Suddenly, the man grabbed the bottom of Landon’s shirt in a death grip. Landon tried to pull away, but his grip remained firm. “Please, you have to help me; I just got robbed and my wife’ll kill me—that’s the third time this week I’ve lost it!” The guy wailed. “Erm….tell me; was it a Chansey with a nurse’s tiara on its head?” Landon dared to ask. “Yeah, that’s it,” The guy nodded. “…at the risk of sounding western, ‘which way did it go’?” “Well, also, at the risk of sounding western, ‘it went that’a way’!” He pointed down the sidewalk. “Thanks a bunch—now just let go of my shirt.” Landon sweated anime style. As soon as the man relinquished his garment, he ran off down the street once more. “At least I know I’m in front of Syorin.” He grinned at his thoughts. The man who got robbed just sat there with his jaw hanging open. May and Zeru stuck their heads out from around the corner. They spotted the same man that Landon by-passed and nodded to each other. “Excuse me, sir.” May ran up to him, “Did you see a kid with long black hair and a sword run by here?” “Eh…” The man pointed in the direction he sent Landon off at without a word. Zeru shook his head, “That jerk—I can’t believe he’s tryin’ to do it all without lettin’ me thrash a few.” He said. “Lan’s really making tracks; I don’t think we’ll be able to catch up to him at all.” “You shouldn’t think, then.” Zeru mumbled underneath his breath. “…..!!” BANNN!! “WHAT THE—!” Zeru crouched and massaged his head vigorously from May’s strike. She stood over him with her fist clenched and her temple beating angrily. “Maybe you shouldn’t talk for a while.” She fumed.

       By now, Landon had a swirling dust cloud spitting up behind his feet. There was no way Syorin was going to catch up with him now. His flashlight was drawn and the beam bounced across the different building walls. He slowed to a stop in an alleyway and gave a glance around. “Awwww great; I’m lost again!” Landon griped. He aimed his flashlight into the corners suspiciously in hopes of finding the Poke’mon thief. Toya looked positively annoyed and tired. She wished he would give it up and just let Syorin deal with it. CLOP-CLOP-CLOP! The sound of footsteps were very distinct. “Maybe that’s the Chansey-framer…” The footsteps doubled from one pair. He listened closely to try and surprise the figures when he noticed something: the footsteps were headed in his direction! “Okay, this is starting to get freaky.” Landon gulped. Closer and closer the steps got to him, sounding more threatening than the last. The thought that the Chansey may have had a trainer never crossed his mind. What if it was some large guy whose body was nothing but a mountain of muscle? Landon took a couple of steps back—the feet were definitely getting closer. Out of the blue, their distorted shadows appeared on the sidewalk, followed by the beams of their flashlights. Toya trembled and buried herself in a blanket of hair. Landon grasped the hilt of the Sakaba-tou and took up the stance of the Battou-jitsu. The figures ran closer to the alley corner wall without a word. A soft, warm wind blew through the night and played with Landon’s face, making him even more cautious. His eye gave a glint—now was the time to strike! WHOOOSH! He pushed off into a speedy dash, withdrawing his sword. “Kyiaaa!”

 

       “Whaaaa!” May and Zeru screamed loudly. Landon’s eyes widened and he re-sheathed the sword in the middle of his attack. May and Zeru trembled in shock. “N-next time, w-warn us b-before you do t-that.” Zeru stammered, trying to regain his breath. “Sorry about that,” Landon sweated anime style and Toya let out a sigh, releasing her trainer’s hair. “What’s all the noise around here?” Another flashlight beamed from around the corner. Syorin’s serious face stuck out in the dim lighting. “Oh, no; how’d you get over here?” Landon complained. “It’s simple; I walked.” Syorin answered smartly. Just before Landon could retaliate, something pink hopped out of the shadows. It beat on its belly like a drum and gave a very excited smile. “Chansey-chansey!” Chansey clapped. But when its eyes met the serious faces of those it robbed, it started to tremble. Slowly, it backed away from them in a frightened manner. Landon and Syorin made a daring step forward. “Chan…chansey!” As swift as it could, Chansey hopped around and made a run for it. “Hey, come back here!” Landon and Syorin didn’t waste any time in persuing it. The competition between them heated up and made a performance out of their speed. May and Zeru just tagged along in the back; they knew they couldn’t keep up with them and weren’t going to try. (Meanwhile…) Somewhere in one of the alley’s of Dewford Town, Team Darkhorn was having the best luck they’ve ever had in months. It was just them and a pile of shining treasure. From gold and silver to watches and wallets, they had an impressive stash of goods. “I think this should cover the bills we owe Miru.” Yoshimari said. “Heck, with all this, we could buy Team Darkhorn.” Tsubimi commented. She and her brother sifted through the pile greedily. “It’s like a dream come true with no strings attached!” “Good thing I caught that Chansey yesterday. Making it dress up like Nurse Joy’s Chansey was the perfect disguise for it to rob other stupid trainers.” Yoshimari gave a wide grin. “…..hey,” He blinked and picked up two shining objects, “These look like the badges Himura won. I know so because they are polished to perfection.” “Yeah, they are. I can’t believe Chansey even ripped Himura off at all.” Tsubimi stated. But Yoshimari wasn’t so sure about the simplicity of the situation. It wasn’t like Landon to just let his badges float around freely; he would be coming after them eventually. “Hello? Player A to player B.” “Huh?” Yoshimari snapped back to reality due to his sister waving her hand in his face. “I know what you’re thinking and I don’t think you should worry about it. By the time Landon comes around, we’ll be long gone—” “Chansey! Chansey-Chansey!” Chansey’s shrill cries bounced around the alley. Team Darkhorn looked up with excited expressions. “It’s Chansey, back with more loot I bet.” Tsubimi beamed. Chansey turned the corner and dashed to hide behind its trainer. It was trembling and sweating fearfully. “Not quite,” Landon and Syorin stepped into the dim alley, lit only by a street lamp. “Daaahhh!” Team Darkhorn shrieked and backed into the wall. “When—how did you find us here?” Yoshimari stammered a little. “Too bad your Chansey was so frantic to get back to its trainers.” Syorin folded his arms. “I knew it was Team Darkhorn the entire time.” Landon did the same. “Teh, oh please,” Syorin mumbled arrogantly. “Got somethin’ to say?” “Only what you can understand.” “Don’t start with me, midget!” “Upstart!” “Shrimp!’ “Moron!” “Tiny man!” “Sp—” CLAP! “Ahem!” Team Darkhorn clapped their hands and cleared their throats. “A stealth like dark, we’re shadows of the night.” “Blanketing—” “We know who you are!” Landon and Syorin snapped.

       If you think you’re getting your hands on our treasure, you’re mistaken!” Tsubimi shouted. “Those are my badges as well as the rest of Dewford’s belongings! Go, Vulpix!” Landon pulled a poke’ball from his belt and tossed it to the ground; it burst open in a flash of light to reveal Vulpix. “Vul!” She smiled. “Go, Bulbasaur!” Syorin released his Bulbasaur. “Bulba!” It growled. “Go, Chansey; you can take ‘em!” Yoshimari said. At its trainer’s order, Chansey shook off its fears and jumped forward. Tsubimi, however, refrained from calling out any of her Poke’mon. “Hey, how come you didn’t go?” Landon asked. “Because I don’t need to.” Tsubimi reached into her pocket and pulled out yet another remote-like device. “I knew you would find us sometime, so I took an extra precaution in this plan. This little device I hold in my hand is the detonator to a bomb.” “A BOMB!!” Syorin and Landon gasped. “The bomb is attached to Dewford Hall, which is all the way on the other side of the town. Now you have a choice: Stop us and let Dewford Hall be blown to bits, or let us escape and stop the bomb. Your thirty minutes start now.” Tsubimi gave a wide grin and clicked the remote button. Landon and Syorin growled at their difficult choice. “Himura, we can’t risk the people in Dewford Hall’s lives. Let them leave and let’s go save this town.” Syorin suggested. Landon nodded, but was still deciding on his choice. Even though he only had two badges, their significance were worth much more; he and his Poke’mon put their hearts into those battles. Those badges represented the hardship they’ve been through and how strong their friendship had grown. “Grrr….” Landon gave a defeated growl, “Let’s go, Vulpix!” “You two, Bulbasaur!” He and Syorin turned around and started to sprint away. “It’s not going to be that easy. Chansey, Egg Bomb attack!” Yoshimari shouted. “Chansey-Chansey!” Chansey took the egg from its pouch; like magic, it multiplied into two and it tossed them at the two boys. There was a small explosion in front of Landon and Syorin that stopped them in their tracks. “Oh-no! If we can’t get away, how will we win at all?” Landon thought to himself.

 

Fast Fact Quiz: What does May do at nearly every battle Landon and Zeru fight? If you can’t guess, find out at the end of this Chapter!



This is the end of Episode 16, part 1