Meet 'N' Greet: The Electric Special

Alright...let me just see here...

There! Now, let's just see about this Jolteon, huh?

Jolteon, come on out!

Hey there! I'm Tom, and I'm--

Oh shit, I didn't synch the ball yet! RETURN!

Okay...that should do it.  Jolteon, come back out!

Hey...so, sorry about that.  Totally forgot that I needed to synch up your Poke Ball to my...

You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you? Well, I suppose you don't need to know about the full mechanical...

This is all wrong.  Let me start this over.

Hi.  I'm Tom.  I'm your new trainer.  I don't know what happened with your other trainer, but I'm friends of Jess and her Dad...Rich, was it? Remember Rich? Well, I'm a friend of the family and I'm gonna make sure you have a good home and feel loved.  You see, I'm sort of a--

Hey, Nurse Joy! What sex is this Jolteon?

Female.  Thank you!

Like I said, I'm sort of an Electric-type enthusiast, so I hope you'll feel right at home, girl.  Fellas, come on out and say hello!

Jolteon, this is Emolga and Pachirisu...

...and this is Joltik and Chinchou...

...and finally, this is Elekid.  

So...yep.  That's the team, I suppose.

Oh yay, you're happy! I'll let you guys get to know each other--

--just, let's not do this for very long.  I think we're doing something terrible to the power grid.

JOLTEON:   Hello!

CHINCHOU:   Greetings! It's nice to--

JOLTEON:   You're bright! I like you!

CHINCHOU:   Umm...thank you--?

JOLTEON:   And you're sparky! I like that! I like you, too!

EMOLGA:   That's....that's nice--

PACHIRISU:   All allegiance to our captain!

JOLTIK:   I don't know what you do! Hi! And you! You're sparky, too!

ELEKID:   I really don't know how to feel about all of this--

JOLTEON:   We're friends now! We're all friends!

JOLTIK:   I like having friends--

JOLTEON:   And you're gross! You make me not want to eat food! Yay!

JOLTIK:   I...what?

JOLTEON:   Do we get to fight? I'm ready to fight!

ELEKID:   Well, yes, we get into a lot of battles, but right now, we're just sort of--

JOLTEON:   But I'm brave! And I'm ready!

CHINCHOU:   That's great.  You'll need that bravery when there's danger.  I sure did when I fought against--

JOLTEON:   You don't understand...

JOLTEON:   ...I'm ready.

JOLTIK:   ...this makes me nervous.

JOLTEON:   I even know this move that hurts all other Electric-types with my mind! Yay!

JOLTIK:   ...much more nervous.  Very much more nervous.

ELEKID:   I'm gonna have to ask you not to use that attack while we're out of our Poke Balls...because will be awful for everyone.

JOLTEON:   ...okay!

EMOLGA:   Well...that was easy.  Teamwork is essential, and we'll need to not hurt each other with our minds!

PACHIRISU:   All allegiance to our captain!

ELEKID:   In all seriousness, though, we will probably be getting into a lot more battles in the future, and now that Tom has so many of us, he'll probably want to use us more often.  So, be ready when he calls on you to put it all on the line.

JOLTEON:   I will be ready.

JOLTEON:   I will be so ready...

ELEKID:   ...good.

JOLTIK:   I think I peed.

Okay everybody, back in your balls.  I think that's enough for now.  I don't want to overload the breakers.

You know, it's been such a long day.  I've almost completely forgotten that I've started the day at dawn, climbing a mountain trying to find a Bagon.  Dear me, I'm exhausted.  Sure, it's not night yet, but I think I can take a short afternoon siesta and wake up refreshed to take on some of the trainers along the bike path.  Who knows? Maybe Tyre is feeling up to reopening the gym.  I better get ready for my challenge.

There we are! An empty bed.  I'll just lay down for an hour or so and take a nap.

Funny, I haven't really gotten much sleep since coming to Cythos, and I've really only been here for three nights.  The first night, the tsunami hit during the day and we were all worried about what happened to our Pokemon.  The second night, I was anxious about my first gym battle, but on top of that, people kept waking me up at random intervals.  Then, after a long day of two gyms, quelling a riot, and liberating a Combee hive, the third night wasn't much better because Elekid spent it in the I.C.U.

Finally, I get some peace and quiet, and I'm going to use that to get some well-deserved rest without any sort of distractions, interruptions, or immediate concerns.  Just simple...unadulterated...rest...

...zzz.

(Breaks...Tom cannot catch them.)

Between A Shock And A Hard Place

Elekid, quickly! Anubis is dashing out into the woods! After him!

Don't let him get away--!

...shit, I have to run after you, don't I?

Thank god I have running shoes--Elekid! When you see an opening, hit him with a Low Kick and keep him from bouncing off those trees--

He's turning back towards you! Now's your chance--!

Woah! They're both so fast that I barely even saw Anubis crash through that...

Wait...that was...

...no, it can't be.  One hit? That's all it took?! If Elekid couldn't take a single blow from Anubis, Nidorino doesn't stand a chance.  I...I've lost.  I've lost battle, the rights to my invention...

No, Nidorino might be able to do it.  Anything can happen.  I mean, if Jess can have all six of her Pokemon fall to Prodiga and come back after using a Revive, then Nido--

The Revive! I never gave it to Emolga! Elekid, you still have a shot at this!

Come on, buddy, wake up.  You need to hang in there a little longer.  Come on--

Yes! Alright! Now, you need to take Anubis down--

Where...where is Anubis--?

He's coming straight for us! Elekid, use Thunder Wave! NOW!

Direct hit! Sure, he fell on top of Elekid in the process, but that seizure mid-air definitely indicates paralysis! Now, Low Kick before he has a chance to get up!

Pow! A bit of a low blow, hitting Anubis while he's down, but this battle's been down and dirty since the first Fissure--!

He's trying to get back into the trees! Keep your distance, Elekid, but we can't afford to miss or chase him deeper into the woods.  Shock Wave...bring the thunder.

Holy hell! That looked like a critical hit--!

He's fallen from the tree! But...was it enough to take him out of the battle?

WE DID IT!

Elekid, you really pulled out all the stops! I'm so proud of you! Arturo should have known better than to--

...

...

...no.  No, that's not how I want this battle to be.  Arturo and I are friends; our Pokemon are friends and we've all battled together against common foes...and we're going to need to do so again.  The fact that we had to battle now is evidence of nothing more than frustration.  This was catharsis...but it also made us stronger.

Anubis...thank you.  You were a tremendous adversary and it was an honor to fight you.

Elekid, return.

Arturo, I...

...I never meant your family any disrespect.  We need to help each other out nowadays, but...well, some just need more help than others.  That's why I reached out to your father--

Hey...that was the hardest battle I've had to fight since setting foot in Cythos.  Elekid knows that better than I do, probably; hell, he's been in all the toughest battles we've faced so far.  So, what I'm basically saying is there's no reason to feel shame from this battle.  You're a great trainer, and your Pokemon are incredible.  One day, they'll be--

Anubis has...never lost before?

Arturo, Anubis beat Elekid before Elekid beat him.  If anything, this was a draw for Anubis, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Jess, what's up?

You've heard back from your father and he's has a...a return? Wha--?

Wh-what's this?

A...a Jolteon? I...I don't know what to say.  Thank you, but how much does he--?

It's more important to him that I keep you safe than pay him; that's a father for you.  I guess you're stuck with me then--

Wait, it's a return? So, does that mean something is..."wrong" with it?

It has a nature not conducive to competitive battling? I don't see how that should matter much.  If he's brave, then I'll absolutely want him on my team and I'll love him all the same.

Well, I'm gonna go heal my Pokemon, meet my new Jolteon, then maybe train a bit along the bike path.  Jess, you may wish to do the same.  Arturo, let's go...I seem to recall angry trees in these woods--

Oh, good idea.  You should definitely go check up on Tyre now that we have the doll, Jess.  We'll catch up with you.

You know what? I just realized...I have a full team of six Electric-types.  I can't say the same about any other type of Pokemon I've caught so far, and I seem to click with Electric-types really well.  I guess that settles it then; I'm an Electric-type specialist.  Hell, everyone down at the Plant seemed to work really well with Electric-types used on the job.  Maybe this was meant to be--

OH SHIT NURSE JOY IS SUPER PISSED--

At Arturo.  Okay, never mind then.  Maybe I should get the Electric types all out together and have ourselves a little pow-wow.  A meet-and-greet, if you will...