“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
Landon lay on the newly-waxed deck that he had just got finished polishing. Toya was sprawled out right beside him, panting a little bit. The good news was that they smelled lemony fresh. The bad news was that they were all tuckered out. May sat next to Zeru against the wall as they tossed a pair of towels into the silver bucket. “If I would’ve known we were going to be on cleaning detail, I would’ve stayed on the island.” Landon complained. “Yes, but someone had to say ‘ooh, let’s help’!” Zeru eyed May, who gave a sigh. “For once, I’m not even going to argue with you.” She said. “Ahoy, there, kids; Slateport Harbor is just over the horizon!” Mr. Briney shouted from the wheel’s private deck. Landon found the strength to get to his feet and walked over to the front rail. At first, a sandy beach slowly came into view, followed by a rainbow of umbrellas and chairs. The buildings of the big city rose up higher the closer they got to it. The breeze from Mr. Briney’s boat made Landon’s hair sway wildly in his facer and he had to push it out of the way to see. “Hey, what’re you lookin’ at?” May and Zeru popped up on either side of him. Toya skipped up to her trainer’s shoulder. Slateport City pulled in closer to view and they gave a wide smile—they had finally made it! Landon couldn’t believe how far his Poke’mon journey had taken him. “Won’t be long now till we’re in the harbor, kids.” Mr. Briney told them. “I can’t wait to get on the beach.” May leaned on the railing, going into thought, “Surfing, tanning, ice cream—””But most of all, food!” Zeru and Landon interrupted. May frowned and folded her arms. (Well, it seams that our heroes have finally made it to the beach city of Slateport. What surprises await our heroes today? And what twist will today’s adventure have on Landon’s life? Find out!)
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 18: “A Destined Meeting”
The S.S. Peeko pulled into the loud harbor of Slateport City just moments after seeing the city. The mechanical ramp extended from the side and met flatly on the docks. Landon slung his backpack over his shoulder; he was eager to get off and keep moving. “Well, this is as far as I go.” Mr. Briney jumped down to the kid’s deck level. “What do you mean?” May asked. “I mean, I’ll see you off here. I have a shack back at home to take care of.” “Gee, that’s too bad, but I guess we’ll meet up again, right?” Landon held out his hand. Mr. Briney shook it and gave a smile. “I’ll cheer you on once you get to the Hoenn League.” He said and Landon nodded. Peeko fluttered from her trainer’s shoulder; with a happy chirp, she nipped Landon, May, and Zeru affectionately with her beak. As they walked down the ramp to the docks, they waved goodbye. Mr. Briney didn’t waste any time; in a matter minutes, his boat was already drifting away from the harbor. “Good luck and be carefull!” His voice trailed off. The three kids watched him and the S.S. Peeko slowly fade into the distance. “Thanks a lot, Mr. Briney.” Landon said lightly, watching the sea for a little while. If it weren’t for Mr. Briney, they wouldn’t have been as far as they were now. “O—KAY!” May thrust her arms around Landon’s and Zeru’s shoulders and they sweated anime style. “We said our goodbyes; let’s hit the beach now!” “Uh…yeah,” Landon said. Zeru pulled out of May’s grip and clicked on his poke’gear. “According to this map, there’s a Poke’mon Center right by the beach. We could crash there and spend a couple of days on vacation.” He said. “You two waste way too much time talking; let’s just go already!” May grasped both boys by their arms and started pulling them through the crowd. “….but I wanted to keep moving on, not take a vacation.” Landon said lowly.
May was the first to dash towards the sparkling blue beach. The group had checked out a room in the Poke’mon Center and was ready to enjoy their vacation from Poke’mon training. May was wearing a yellow designer swim suit and let her hair down to swim. She rented a matching yellow surfboard which she held over her head. Zeru was in his blue swimming trunks and also rented a surfboard to use. Landon, on other hand, didn’t do much; the only thing he did was change into a pair of black shorts and a yellow shirt. “Whoa…” Zeru cleared his throat; he had never really seen May in a swimsuit before. He did his best to try and keep from blushing a little. While May and Zeru ran towards the edge of the shore, Landon just walked. “Hey, Landon, are you sure you don’t wanna’ swim with us?” Zeru called back to him. “Not right now, thanks.” Landon smiled. He could always go to the beach and preferred to do it at night to witness any nocturnal water Poke’mon. He took his sweet time to catch up with his friends. “Can you guys do me a favor?” He asked them. “Huh?” May and Zeru turned to him. Toya clambered up from the sand onto Landon’s head. “Just because I don’t want to spend the day at the beach doesn’t mean my Poke’mon won’t. Can you watch them for me?” He asked. “No sweat—It’ll be fun.” May smiled at him. “Hey, why don’t we let out all our Poke’mon? They deserve a break too.” Zeru suggested. Landon nodded and took the four remaining poke’balls from his belt, “Tambourine, Bayleef, Vulpix, Pikachu; time to come out and have some fun!” He tossed them into the air and they burst open in a flash of light. “Furr-urr!” “Bay-ee!” “Vul!!” “Pika-pika!” His Poke’mon smiled at him. They all crowded around their trainer happily. “Torchic, Totodile; release!” May released her own Poke’mon. “Totodile!” Totodile dashed off towards the water while Torchic hid behind May’s leg; being a fire Poke’mon, it didn’t like water that much. “Treecko, Dratini, Charmander, Gastly; go!” Zeru threw four poke’balls to the sand and they flashed open. “Treecko-ko!” “Dra!” (Dratini’s body flashed) “Charmander!” “Ga-ga-ga-ga!” Suddnely, Gastly floated over to Zeru and enshrouded its body over its trainer’s head. Since it was happy, the toxins in its body were harmless. “Gastly, you puffball, get off me!” Zeru pulled his ghost Poke’mon from his face and held it under his arm like a beach ball. “Don’t worry, Lan; we’ll watch your Poke’mon for you.” May assured him. Landon flashed a thumbs-up, then turned to his Poke’mon, “Have lots of fun and don’t get into trouble.” He said and his Poke’mon nodded. With that, Landon ran off with Toya still with him.
Landon walked down the sidewalk of the large Slateport City, trying not to run into anybody. The cool thing about Slateport, in Landon’s opinion, was their elegant display of ships and boats (however, he was still upset from waxing the S.S. Peeko). From toothpick ships in bottles to actual mariners with stores built inside, The entire City made Landon feel at Sea again. “Hope I don’t get sick or anything.” He mumbled. On one of the lampposts, a paper poster suddenly caught his attention. “….Museum of Poke’history…opens tomorrow? So, how ‘bout it, Toya?” “Mudkip,” Toya yawned and Landon laughed a bit. “I know, let’s go get some ice cream. Nothin’ beats a tour without some sort of treat.” At the sound of food, Toya perked up excitedly. “Mudkip-mudkip!” “Yeah, I thought so—” Landon stopped in the middle of his sentence. The sea of people parted a little bit to make way for a girl to run through. She had brown hair and vaguely familiar sparkling yellow eyes. She wore a brown, very light no-sleeve jacket over her white short-sleeved shirt. As she ran, the wind swayed a little against her brown miniskirt. But the thing that seriously caught Landon were the two men in suits that were following her. He and Toya watched they run down the sidewalk in silence at first. “…you did see that, right?” Landon asked and Toya nodded. “Mudkip! Mudkip-mud-mud-kip.” She spoke. “Huh? You think we should follow them. Is that what you want?” Landon asked. “Mudkip!” Toya tapped his head with her paw and pointed forward. Landon dashed off after the suits, grasping the hilt of his sword. With thugs like that, safety wasn’t exactly guaranteed. “I wonder if I should even get involved.” He thought to himself. The girl dashed in and out of the people in an awful hurry, panting lightly. For some dumb reason, everyone else was oblivious to the fact that she was being chased. The two suits followed in close pursuit effortlessly. The girl glanced back to see how much distance she had covered. Her expression looked terrified with just a pinch of panic. She stopped and gazed around frantically for a place to hide. Her eyes fell on a dark alleyway between two restaurants; the girl ducked inside the alley quickly. “We’ve got her now.” One of the suits grinned. The two turned down into the alley in hot pursuit. With no where to go, the girl skidded to a halt—she hit a dead end! “No more running and be a good girl, will ya’?” The men gave an evil sneer as they sneaked closer to her. The girl’s eyes widened and she started to shiver. “Two against one doesn’t really seem fair, does it?” Suddenly, a voice cut through the alleyway in such a tone that a slight shiver was sent down the suits’ spines. They turned around to see Landon, his hair swaying in the slight breeze. Skeptical looks spread on their faces as they didn’t see him as a real threat. “Who the heck are you, kid?” One asked. “I’d tell you, but you might run off with your tails between your legs.” Landon tried to sound arrogant and tough. “Do you know who you’re dealing with, kid?” “We’re members of the infamous—” The two removed their suits to reveal a familiar red uniform. “—Team Magma!” They both slapped on a pair of black sunglasses. “Well, if you’re Team Magma, then you should know all about me.” Landon took up the stance of the Battou-jitsu. From underneath his sunglasses, the left grunt’s eyebrow twitched a little and he frowned. “Hey, isn’t that…Himura, the Batousi’s son?” “What was your first guess?” Landon grinned. The other grunt pulled a night stick from his belt and spun it deftly, “I don’t care who you are; you’re still just a kid. Kiyaaaaa!” Without warning, he dashed forward with the nightstick held over his head. Toya held onto Landon’s hair tightly as he relaxed his entire body. Landon’s movements were swift like lightning, yet fluent like water; he used his sword to cut the nightstick in half, skidding to a halt beside the girl. “C’mon, we have to get out of here!” Landon grabbed her by the hand. The girl blinked before nodding without a sound. “What the heck is he?” The grunt gasped, gazing at his broken nightstick. Landon and the girl zoomed right past him, but he didn’t have the heart to try and stop them. “Hey, you’re just gonna’ let them get away!?” His partner said. “Who cares? Radio Maxie and tell him he needs to send us back up—that kid isn’t human!” He stated.
Landon didn’t stop until he and the girl with him were safely away from Team Magma. He chose a secluded rocky area by the shore to hide at. “Whew!” He let out a sigh, then turned to the girl, “Are you okay, miss?” No sounds came out; she just nodded and smiled warmly. Landon didn’t know what possessed him to save her, but he was glad he didn’t just mind his own business. “Erm…hi, my name is Landon Himura. Do you have a name?” The girl nodded and shook his hand. Landon was expecting her to answer, but she didn’t utter a single word. “Are you going to tell me what it is?” The girl opened her mouth to speak. Sadly, no such sounds escaped her throat, making herself look like a puppet. Her smile turned into a saddened expression and she stepped away. “Oh, I’m very sorry, miss; I wasn’t thinking.” Landon stared at the ground ashamed. Once again, the girl took his hand and shook it to express her forgiveness. “But why were they after you, I wonder? You don’t have anything that they might want, do you?” Landon scratched his hair as he pondered. Toya gave the girl a suspicious, semi-jelous look. It was something about her that she didn’t think was right. She leaned over to give the girl a good sniff. “Kiip…..kip,” She smelled like a genuine human, so what was the problem? “Well, it’ll be a while till Team Magma catches up. Until I get you to a safe spot, you can tag along with me.” Landon offered. The girl gave him a wide smile and pulled him into an overjoyed hug. “Hey; this embracing stuff has got to stop, okay?” Landon stated nervously. He didn’t mean to be so cross, it was just that her sudden display of emotions took him by surprise. The girl didn’t seem to mind if his words were a bit rude—after all, she was a little forward in personality. She pulled away slowly and Landon felt his heart start to beat again. “Well, let’s go.” He started to walk away. The girl jumped up excitedly and dashed up to him. Landon was quite taken aback when she grasped his arm and leaned against him. “Ack!” He and Toya gasped. “Eh-heh…hey…could you not do that?” Landon sweated anime style, but the girl didn’t seem to hear. The good news was that no one was watching. The bad news was that he couldn’t pry her off of him….not that he was too uncomfortable. WHOOO—CLANG! From out of nowhere, a silver can-shaped projectile soared overhead and bounced onto the sand. Landon blinked at it curiously with the little girl and Toya. Suddenly, the canister erupted with a thick smokey gas that enshrouded their bodies. “Hey, what is this?” Landon coughed. He saw the girl drop to the floor in an instant blackout, followed by Toya falling limply off of his head. It was now that Landon realized the smoke was some sort of knockout gas. “Oh-no!” He growled. He tried to hold his breath, but he had already breathed in too much; the gas was already taking effects on him. First, his body went terribly numb and he fell to his knees. His vision was the next to go, blurring in and out of focus. A cloud fogged around his brain, making it hard to hear anything. The last thing Landon saw was a group of red before he blacked out.
Meanwhile, May and Zeru were having the time of their lives. May and Totodile shared a surfboard while cruising deftly along a small wave. “Hey, I think I’m getting the hang of this, Totodile.” She used her arms to balance herself. “Totto-to-to!” Totodile hopped on the surfboard and it jumped a little. May caught it by the bottom and corrected it before she wiped out. Furret, Vulpix, and Pikachu were helping Charmander and Treecko build a giant sandcastle. Bayleef and Torchic took it easy with a nap while Dratini swam out to sea. “Oh, yeah!” Zeru walked away from an ice cream booth with a triple-scooped strawberry ice cream. “Where have you been all my life?” “Gastly!” From out of nowhere, his overly-passionate Gastly appeared and demolished off one of his scoops in one gulp. “Ga-a-a-a!” It licked its lips. “You pig! Come back here!” Zeru chased his Gastly all the way back to the shore. “Whu-oh! I don’t think I’m going to make it!” May teetered on her surfboard. Totodile jumped onto her back in panic and accidentally covered her eyes. “Totodile, stop! I can’t see and we might—” Almost in an instant, the waves snatched May’s surfboard from underneath her and she splashed into the surf. Totodile was the first to come up, followed by its trainer. “Totodile, what happened?” She asked. “To- To- To- To- To- To!” Totodile danced in the manner of a tiny kid saying, “Let’s do it again!” “At least you enjoyed the splash.” May smiled. Back on the shore, Zeru was craking up on the sand. He laughed so hard, that he had to hold his sides. “Hmmm….I have an idea.” May grinned.
“Wha-whaaa!” Zeru teetered and tottered on his surfboard. May had sent him out with his own surfboard on the dare that he could do better than she could. “I-I can’t control it!” Zeru complained as the wave took him and his surfboard up. He fell to his stomach and clung to the board shakily. “Don’t worry; it’s easy, remember?” May called out. Suddenly, the wave Zeru was riding took up speed. “Wha-wha-wha-wha!” Zeru’s body rattled with the surf board. The wave took him closer and closer to shore just to toss him into the air. “Oh-no, not me!” May wailed as his shadow hovered over her. She tired to run, but the wave had accomplished its goal; Zeru’s back crashed into May’s and the two fell into the sand. “Bleh!” May spat. “Maybe my surfing wasn’t such a good idea after all….” Zeru’s eyes spun dizzily. “No, but I have a brilliant idea now; et off my back, Zeru!” May growled. “I will as soon as the world stops spinning in circles.” Zeru answered her with an air of grogginess. “Too bad Landon isn’t enjoying this. He’s probably reading some ancient scrolls or something.” May said.
For a brief moment, his brain was pounding sharply in his head. He opened his eyes but they failed to adjust through his glasses. His arms were bound to his side by something tight and he was on something smooth and cold. Landon tired opening his eyes again and they finally blurred into focus. He was on his side in some sort of prison cell. The corridor on the other side was brightly lit and stretched across both sides. “Where am I?” Landon sat up and tried to move his arms. Unfortunately, they were bound by thick black cords. Toya was bound and the only one with a gag around her mouth, for the girl was just tied up. The two were still knocked out and motionless. “I’ve got to get out of here!” Landon reached to his side, but felt absolutely nothing—his sword was missing! Or rather, it was leaning against the wall in the corridor. “Now what do I do? I think we’re sunk!” Hold the phone! Landon, kidnapped and trapped with no way out? You can’t possibly stop reading now!
Fast Fact Quiz: What is the name of the ancient book that Landon carries around with him? If you can’t guess, find out at the end of this Chapter!