Chapter 32

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="14800640egdysm.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="mim27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 27"><U>Chapter 27</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 28"><U>Chapter 28</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 29"><U>Chapter 29</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 30"><U>Chapter 30</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 31"><U>Chapter 31</U></A>   |   <B>Chapter 32</B>   |   <A HREF="mim33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 33"><U>Chapter 33</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 34"><U>Chapter 34</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 35"><U>Chapter 35</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 36"><U>Chapter 36</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 37"><U>Chapter 37</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 38"><U>Chapter 38</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 39"><U>Chapter 39</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 40"><U>Chapter 40</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#000066" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/oldnews.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Old News</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/zrfic/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>My Fanfics</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/zrart/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>My Fanart</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/a-j/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Authors A-J</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/k-z/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Authors K-Z</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/art/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Fanart List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/ffsubmit.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Submit a Fanfic</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/fanart_submit.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Submit Fanart</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://pub46.ezboard.com/beeveesmb" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://pub46.ezboard.com/beeveesmb"><U><B>Message Board</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=380 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Chapter 32</I></div> <div> <B>A Master in the Making: Chapter 32: Hunt for the Red Kecleon</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Blaze, I choose you!"  Zeth flung his Growlithe's pokéball to the center of the field, where Greg's Nidorina waited, pawing the ground impatiently.  It had been two days since Zeth had awoken from his coma, and he was glad to finally get a chance to earn his last Obsidian gym badge -- for real, this time.  "Flamethrower!" he commanded, as his fire dog appeared in the arena.</div> <bR> <div>     "Nidorina, use your Water Gun!" Greg countered.  The poison pokémon spat a stream of water at Blaze, connecting with the Flamethrower that was rushing towards her.  The stream of fire hit the stream of water and was overcome by it in a blast of steam.  Blaze barely had time to dodge out of the way before the water hit him as well.</div> <bR> <div>     The Growlithe scrambled away from a second Water Gun, which caught his hind legs, throwing him off balance.  The Nidorina darted forward, smashing into Blaze with a Headbutt attack.  "Come on, Blaze," Zeth called.  "It's not over yet!</div> <bR> <div>     Jumping up again, the fire dog threw himself at the Nidorina, biting her ear.  The poison pokémon snapped back, and the whole battle degenerated into a snarling, biting, yelping mayhem as the two pokémon tore at each other.</div> <bR> <div>     "Hey, come on, break it up!"  Greg called in annoyance.  "Stop that!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Stop fooling around and use Flame Wheel, Blaze!" Zeth ordered.  The Growlithe flung himself back from his opponent and unleashed a flaming disk, blasting back the other pokémon.  "Now Take Down!"  Blaze slammed into the Nidorina, knocking her to the ground underneath him and following up the attack with a flurry of flames that surrounded both of them in an orange-yellow inferno.</div> <bR> <div>     Then the Growlithe jumped back out of the fire, which sputtered and vanished, leaving behind the beaten Nidorina.  Greg nodded as he watched Zeth return Blaze to his pokéball.  "You're better than I expected.  You know, when you had your Cloyster use Explosion on my Muk earlier, I thought you were just getting desperate.  Now that you've won, I'm not so sure."</div> <bR> <div>     "Oh, it was definitely desperation," Zeth confirmed with a smile.  "I wanted to get that Muk out of the way before it could finish off Aqua and trash my other pokémon.  I figured it would be easiest to get rid of both contestants and hope that I could win the second round."</div> <bR> <div>     "Ah, a risk taker," Greg smiled, returning his pokémon to her pokéball.  "Well, your gamble paid off this time.  Now I present to you the Acid Badge!"  The badge Greg handed Zeth was round, with purple and green swirls.  The piece of metal was not smooth, however, looking and feeling as if it had been partially dissolved away before it was painted, giving it a cratered appearance.  Zeth placed the badge with his others, shook Greg's hand, and then left the gym.</div> <bR> <div>     "Hey, Zeth, wait up!" Farther down the street, Destiny was running towards him.</div> <bR> <div>     Slowing his pace until Destiny could catch up with him, Zeth smiled cheerfully, "Hey, Dest, how was the trip to the zoo?"</div> <bR> <div>     "It was fun," Destiny told him.  "There was a really cute Meganium that followed us around the park and let Star, Dash, and Eva ride on her back; and there was a little Azurill that Star made friends with.  Of course Dash had some complaints about the whole experience.  He thought that it was horrible that all of the pokémon had to stay at the zoo and couldn't live in the wild."</div> <bR> <div>     "Sounds like Dash to me," Zeth agreed.  "I take it you had a different opinion?"</div> <bR> <div>     "They've done a great job there," Destiny confirmed.  "The only fence I saw was the one that actually ran around the borders of the zoo.  All the pokémon were free to come up to you, or go hide somewhere in their environments if they wanted.  There were lots of different kinds of pokémon too.  Dewgong, Kangaskhan, Aipom, Wailmer, Shuckle..." Destiny began listing different pokémon she had seen during her trip.</div> <bR> <div>     "A red Kecleon," she heard Zeth say.</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny glanced at him, "Kecleon?  What's a Kecleon?  I don't remember any Kecleon in the zoo..."</div> <bR> <div>     "Not in the zoo," Zeth told her.  "Right there!"  Zeth pointed at a pokémon walking down the street towards them.  It was a kind of lizard, mostly red, except for orange markings on its face, and a yellow zigzag stripe across its belly.  "First time I've ever seen a red one," Zeth mentioned, as the Kecleon came closer.  "Most of them are green, with yellow and red markings."</div> <bR> <div>     The lizard walked past them, continuing on its way to wherever it was going.  "Those Kecleons are masters of hiding," Zeth added.  "They can change their color to blend in with the scenery.  The only part of them that can't disappear like that is their stomach stripe, so if you're ever looking for one, you might want to remember that."</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny smiled as the two of them continued on their way toward the pokémon center.  "I've never heard of them before.  How do you know so much?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shrugged, "I used to help Professor Ivy, remember?  I've seen all kinds of strange pokémon."</div> <bR> <div>     The two of them strolled back to the pokémon center, chatting about the cute Kecleon, Destiny's trip to the zoo, and Zeth's gym victory.  Zeth was just getting to the part where Blaze finished the match when they arrived at the center.  And then he stopped mid-sentence as he spotted an all-too-familiar face inside.  "Hey, look, that's Mr. Elston in there," he told Destiny, pointing at the center.  Pulling open the center's doors, Zeth called to the scientist, "Hey, Mr. Elston!"</div> <bR> <div>     The man turned, looking nervous.  Zeth didn't blame him - after all, it was his machine that had sent Zeth into a coma a week before.  For all Elston knew, Zeth could be holding a major grudge.  "Um, hello, Zeth, Destiny.  I, uh, well, I came to see you before you left.   I wanted to give you this..."  The scientist fumbled for something in his pocket, which he handed to Zeth.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth glanced down at the object and grinned, "Hey, I was wondering where that had gotten to.  Where'd you find it?"</div> <bR> <div>     "Well," Elston began, "It's, uh, well--"</div> <bR> <div>     "Hey, take it easy," Destiny interrupted.  "We're not going to sue you or yell at you or anything.  This whole thing was just some random accident.  It's not like you meant for Zeth to get hurt."</div> <bR> <div>     The scientist nodded, and smiled unconvincingly.  "Yes...  Well, I found something out...  That accident wasn't quite as random as we thought.  It happened because of that," Elston pointed at the object resting in Zeth's hand.</div> <bR> <div>     "My Moon Stone?"  Zeth winced and shook his head, "Of course...  It's radioactive or something, isn't it?"</div> <bR> <div>     Elston nodded again, "Yes, it is.  I really should have considered the possibility that someone might be carrying something that could disrupt the transporter.  That Moon Stone caused an overload, which is what knocked out all the power.  I must have set off my circuit breakers twenty times trying to get that Moon Stone out of the transporter."</div> <bR> <div>     "You mean it was still inside?  No wonder we had problems...  I'm probably lucky I came out alive."</div> <bR> <div>     "You're probably lucky you didn't come out with that stone blended into you," Destiny said.  "You might have ended up mutating into some kind of freak."</div> <bR> <div>     "I don't think I really want to know what could have happened, Dest," Zeth told his friend.</div> <bR> <div>     "Can't blame you for that," she agreed.  "Let's just be glad we didn't have to find out."</div> <bR> <div>     At this point, Elston had a look somewhere between guilt and relief.  "Well, yes, you're quite right...   I just...  Well..."  Elston shook his head, searching for the words.  Then, he sighed and turned toward the door.  "I guess I should probably go now.  I still have a lot of work to do."</div> <bR> <div>     "Hey, before you go," Zeth said, waiting until the scientist turned around to continue.  "Good luck on your projects," Zeth finished.  "I hope you manage to get them working perfectly."</div> <bR> <div>     The scientist nodded once, "Thanks.  So do I."</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     Zeth had just finished a call to his parents back on Valencia Island, and was just about to call Professor Ivy when a pretty teenage girl came into the pokémon center.  Zeth glanced at her for a moment, then was about to turn back to his vidphone when she spotted him and called over to him, "Hey, is Nurse Joy here?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth pocketed the phone, "Yeah, she's in the back.  I'll go get her for you, if you want."</div> <bR> <div>     "Yeah, sure."  Zeth was just about to leave when the girl stopped him, "Wait a minute.  I guess maybe you'd know.  Is there a Kecleon around here?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth looked back at the door to the back rooms of the pokémon center, "Not that I've seen, no.  Why?  Was Nurse Joy taking care of one for you?"</div> <bR> <div>     The girl shook her head, "No, I just thought that my Kecleon, Lizzy, might have come here.  I sent her on an errand, and she never came back.  I thought if something had happened to her, she would have ended up here."</div> <bR> <div>     "Well, I haven't seen any here," Zeth told her.  "But my friend and I did see a red Kecleon on our way back from the gym earlier today."</div> <bR> <div>     "That's her!" the girl exclaimed.  "That's Lizzy!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Really?" Zeth smiled.  "Well, let me get my friend, and we'll help you find that Kecleon."</div> <bR> <div>     "Oh, would you?  That'd be great!"</div> <bR> <div>     Smiling, Zeth called toward the back of the center, "Hey, Dest!  Come here a minute!"</div> <bR> <div>     A moment later, Destiny came through the door , "Huh?  Did you call me, Zeth?"</div> <bR> <div>     "Yeah," Zeth said, nodding toward the girl, "She's looking for that red Kecleon we saw earlier.  I figured we could help her find her."</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny nodded, "Yeah, sure."</div> <bR> <div>     "By the way, I'm Zeth, and this is Destiny," Zeth mentioned.</div> <bR> <div>     "I'm Lucy," The girl told him.  "I can't thank you enough for helping me look for Lizzy!"</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     "Okay, you three," Zeth said to Sting, Talon, and Snow.  "You three probably have the best chance of finding that Kecleon.  Now, I want all of you to check a different area of the city -- north, west, and east.  The rest of us will go south.  Make sure you check in with us every now and then.  If we find Lizzy, I don't want you to be flying around all day because you didn't check our progress.  That goes the other way too.  If you find Lizzy, I don't want to be out looking forever!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Make sure you check places like parks thoroughly." Destiny added.  "If there's any other pokémon there, ask if they've seen a red Kecleon."</div> <bR> <div>     "Any questions?" Zeth prompted.  Then, when none of the pokémon answered, he smiled, "Good.  Now let's find that Kecleon!"  The three winged pokémon took to the sky, each arcing off in a different direction.  Zeth watched them go, then turned to Lucy and Destiny, "Now let's see which of us can find Lizzy first."</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     Nearly an hour later, Sting was getting tired of flying around.  She had just decided to fly back and find Zeth when she spotted a bush rustling in the yard she was flying over.  Diving down for a closer look, she though she saw a flash of red.  Feeling a rush of excitement, she set down next to the bush and brushed aside the leaves.</div> <bR> <div>     It wasn't a Kecleon at all, but a sleepy-looking Paras that blinked at her in confusion.  Buzzing in annoyance, Sting shot back into the air, heading back to meet with the ground search party.  The Paras just stared after her for a moment, then closed its eyes and went back to sleep.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     Talon was having no more luck than Sting.  He had flown over street after street with no sign of the rogue Kecleon.  Then, as he flew down another street, he suddenly changed course and landed on top of a street light, staring across the street at the building on the other side.  It was the Jade City Gym, and, as Talon remembered, it was also about where Zeth and Destiny had seen the Kecleon earlier.  Spotting a trio of Murkrow perched on the gym's roof, Talon flew over to ask them if they had seen the missing pokémon.</div> <bR> <div>     A moment later, he was fighting viciously with the three birds, who had apparently decided to attack him for invading their space.  One of them gave him a light slash across his wing, drawing blood.  Talon smacked the bird aside, then slammed one of its companions to the roof with a savage Drill Peck.  Whirling around, the Spearow switched to a quick hit-and-run strategy, dodging an attack with his Agility, then coming back for a quick Steel Wing attack.  For the first time since Talon had come out on this Kecleon hunt, the Spearow felt cheerful.  He just loved a good fight -- even if the odds were in his favor.</div> <bR> <div>     There may have been three Murkrow, but they were unskilled at fighting -- more like bullies than warriors, as Talon considered himself to be.  The Spearow quickly finished the battle, battering the three birds to the roof they had been perched on and then strutting before them, watching the defeated birds shrink back from him as he passed them.  {Tell me...} The Spearow started, addressing one of his three former opponents, the one that seemed to be the leader.  {What do you know about a red Kecleon that passed by here earlier today?}</div> <bR> <div>     {Nothing,} the Murkrow told him.  {I have seen no Kecleon here.}</div> <bR> <div>     {Then you are not only weak, you are also incompetent.} Talon insulted the bird.  {Don't you even know what people and pokémon are near your territory?}</div> <bR> <div>     {There was no Kecleon,} the crow insisted.</div> <bR> <div>     Talon glared at him, {If so, then I have wasted my time here.}  The Spearow turned to leave, spreading his wings to fly away.</div> <bR> <div>     {Wait.} the smallest of the Murkrow said, before he could take off.  {He may not have seen a Kecleon, but I have.}</div> <bR> <div>     Talon turned back toward his former enemies.  {Tell me, which way did it go?}</div> <bR> <div>     {It went nowhere on its own.}  Talon stared at the Murkrow, waiting for an explanation.  {A human came and took it away.  They went that way,} the dark bird finished, pointing a wing in the direction he had seen them go.</div> <bR> <div>     {Then that is where I go,} the Spearow said.  He stepped away from the three Murkrow, thinking of whether he should go after the Kecleon, or go find Zeth first.  Deciding he had some time before he needed to check in, he chose to go after the Kecleon.  He glanced over at the defeated birds before he flew off, {It was a good fight.  Perhaps another time we might try it again.}</div> <bR> <div>     {Next time, the outcome will be different, I promise you,} the lead Murkrow told Talon solemnly.</div> <bR> <div>     {Perhaps,} Talon allowed, with just a touch of amusement in his voice.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     Talon gradually worked his way northeast, following the directions of other pokémon that he encountered who had also seen the captured Kecleon.  He knew he should probably go back and tell Zeth what he had found, but he was determined to locate the chameleon pokémon before he lost the trail.  Then, up ahead, he saw a long fence marking the boundaries of the Jade City Pokémon Zoo.  That perked his interest.  It made sense, though.  If someone thought that Lucy's Kecleon, with her rare coloration, was from the zoo, it would be perfectly logical for them to try to do the zookeepers a favor and return her to them.</div> <bR> <div>     The Spearow flew lower, scanning the grounds for a Kecleon, though with all the bushes and trees, it would be nearly impossible for him to spot anything unless he took more time to look.  Perching on a tree branch, Talon did just that, slowing down to look for anything that could give him a clue as to the lizard's whereabouts.  From where he was, he could see the front gate, as well as a multitude of the zoo's pokémon, but no Kecleon.  Then, as he glanced at the various buildings at the front gate, he suddenly had another idea as to where the target of his search might be.</div> <bR> <div>     A few moments later, Talon landed on the roof of the zoo's pokémon hospital building, where he suspected a pokémon new to the zoo might be taken, before releasing it into one of the environments.  Flying down to the nearest windowsill, he peered inside the building, finding himself staring through the barred windows at a Volbeat that looked more than a little under the weather.  The poor bug pokémon jumped when it turned around to find Talon watching it.  Not waiting to see any more of its reaction to him, Talon moved on to the next window.</div> <bR> <div>     This time, the room was empty.  Talon continued down the line, finding various pokémon but not what he was looking for.  On the sixth window, he looked inside, then started to move on when he suddenly realized what he had seen and quickly took another look.  {No, I don't believe this,} he complained, poking his beak between the bars to peck at the glass on the other side.  The pokémon on the other side of the glass looked up and darted to the window.  Talon glared at him, {How'd you manage to get yourself in this kind of predicament, Snow?}</div> <bR> <div>     {I had help,} the Pidgey shot back, his voice hard to hear through the closed window.  {The good news is that I found the Kecleon.}</div> <bR> <div>     {Yeah?  Well you're just lucky I found you!}  Talon looked down the side of the building, {I'll get you out of there in a few minutes.  Any guards?}</div> <bR> <div>     {If you mean doctors, then yes, but not a lot, and they're all pretty busy.  Still, be careful.  I wasn't, and that's why I'm in here.}</div> <bR> <div>     {I know, kid.  You don't have to tell me stuff like that.}  Talon took off, flying around the building until he found a door.  Grabbing the handle with his talons, he dragged the door open.  The wind started to blow it shut again, but by the time it did, Talon was already inside.</div> <bR> <div>     The Spearow shot down the hallway, darting into an empty room as one of the pokémon doctors stepped out into the hall.  Talon waited until the man went past, then continued on.  It didn't take him long to get to Snow's room, but once he was there he found a slidebolt holding the door closed.  Talon yanked at it, as the Pidgey inside muttered something he couldn't hear.  Talon stopped for a minute and glared at the stubborn bolt, wondering how he was going to budge it.  He wasn't exactly built to pull slidebolts, especially the tight ones.</div> <bR> <div>     Then Snow spoke up.  {Talon!  Try a Swift attack!}  Taking the Pidgey's advice, Talon fired off a round of Swift stars, blasting the bolt open.  It also had the effect of being rather noisy.  As the door to Snow's room swung open, two other doors opened as well, as zoo employees checked to see what was causing the ruckus.</div> <bR> <div>     {Time to go!} Talon shouted to Snow, flying toward the exit.  This time, though, he didn't have the time to push the door open.  The zookeepers were already getting out pokéballs.  Talon tried opening the door anyway, then dove away as a Victreebel's Vine Whip shot through the space he had just been in.  {Come on, this way!} he called to Snow, zooming past the doctors and hoping that there was another way out.</div> <bR> <div>     {Wait a minute!} Snow said, darting to the side and spraying a door's bolt with a Swift attack, as Talon had done just moments before on the Pidgey's door.  Talon started to ask what the Pidgey was doing, then thought better of it, covering the Pidgey with a second stream of Swift stars aimed back at the zookeepers.  The door to the locked room was thrown open by the pokémon inside, and Talon suddenly realized what the Pidgey had been trying to accomplish.  {Now we can go!} Snow said, tearing down the hall at full speed, Lizzy the red Kecleon following close behind.</div> <bR> <div>     The Victreebel that had attacked them was now joined by a Raichu, whose cheeks were sparkling with electricity.  Knowing he couldn't fight the electric mouse, Talon fired off one last burst of Swift stars, then followed Snow and Lizzy down the hall.</div> <bR> <div>     Luck was not with them, however.  As they raced down the halls of the hospital, they found that they had reached a dead end.  Turning around, they found the quick Raichu had already caught up with them.  Snow spun around, whipping past the mouse, then dodging back for a Quick Attack.  The Raichu stumbled, but Snow didn't have time for a second attack on it, as the Victreebel came rushing towards them as well.  Talon dove at the plant pokémon, receiving a faceful of Sleep Powder for his trouble.  The Spearow fell to the ground, fighting off the powder's effects.  Then the Victreebel was coming at him, its Vine Whip lashing around him to hold him prisoner.</div> <bR> <div>     Snow had other plans.  As the plant started to wrap up Talon, the Pidgey hit it with a Gust attack that sent it crashing into the wall.  The Victreebel released Talon and swung at Snow with its vines, but the bird dodged aside, biting the vine as it passed.  At the same moment, a pink streak smacked into the Victreebel from behind, as Lizzy, who had vanished during the initial phases of the battle, reappeared behind the plant and used her Lick attack.</div> <bR> <div>     And then, before they could try anything else, the Raichu blasted all three of them with a Thunder Wave attack, rendering them immobile.</div> <bR> <div>     The zookeepers arrived just a moment later, picking up the three helpless pokémon and starting to carry them back to the rooms they had just escaped from.  Then, another doctor stopped them.  "What is this?"</div> <bR> <div>     The woman carrying Talon answered.  "Some pokémon that tried to escape."</div> <bR> <div>     The doctor, apparently the one in charge, stared at the three pokémon, "I don't recognize them from the zoo.  Where did they come from?"</div> <bR> <div>     "We found the Kecleon wandering the streets of the city, and we caught the two birds trying to rescue her."</div> <bR> <div>     The head doctor glared at them then, "Then why are they still here?  They most likely belong to someone."</div> <bR> <div>     This time, the zookeeper that was carrying Lizzy spoke, "We thought the boss might want--"</div> <bR> <div>     "You idiots!" the man in charge erupted.  "You know what our orders were!  Do you want the police to link us with Team Rocket?  They'll come looking if they find out you're holding someone's pokémon here!"</div> <bR> <div>     "But it's such a rare pokémon," Talon's captor said, sounding desperate.  The bird was shocked by the revelation that these people were working for the Rockets, but at the same time, he was puzzled by their current orders.  When did the Rockets suddenly chose to not steal pokémon?</div> <bR> <div>     "You know as well as I do that that's a total lie." The Rocket growled.  "You just wanted to keep it for yourselves."  The man pulled a syringe from his pocket and poked the Kecleon with it.  Then, a moment later, he stepped back.  "There.  Now the boss will have his red Kecleon."  The Rocket pocketed the syringe.  "It's only a matter of time.  Now let them go."</div> <bR> <div>     "But what about the other two?" the female Rocket asked.</div> <bR> <div>     "The boss doesn't need a worthless Pidgey and Spearow!  He's interested in rare and valuable pokémon, not your everyday catches!"  The Rocket pointed a finger down the hall.  "Get them out of here.  Now!"  As the grumbling doctors carried them away, Talon couldn't help but feel relieved by the sudden turn of circumstances.  He didn't know what the Rockets' plans were, but he was definitely happy to not be a part of them.</div> <bR> <div>     They were soon taken outside of the zoo by a back gate, and then just dropped roughly to the ground.  To his annoyance, Talon noted that both Snow and Lizzy had just about recovered from the effects of the Raichu's Thunder Wave, while he was still hardly able to move.  Of course, it was most likely due to the fact that he had gone through multiple battles earlier and they had not, but it still irritated him.  {Let's get back to the pokémon center,} he finally said, as he started to regain control of his muscles.  {I think we could all use some treatment from Nurse Joy about now.}</div> <bR> <div>     {That sounds like an excellent plan,} Lizzy acknowledged.  {I could use some tender, loving care about now.}</div> <bR> <div>     {Me too,} Snow added.  {Need any help getting back, Talon?  You don't look so good.}</div> <bR> <div>     {I'll be fine,} the Spearow snapped.  Snow was quiet, realizing that he had just accidentally stepped on the other bird's pride.  However, after a long moment of awkward silence, Talon said something that surprised him, {By the way, kid.  You didn't do so bad in that battle.  You knocked that scummy Victreebel right off of me.  Thanks for the help.}  Then, a roguish gleam entered the Spearow's eyes, {Of course, you'll never have to rescue me again.}</div> <bR> <div>     {No, of course not,} Snow obligingly agreed.  {Never again.}</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     Zeth, Destiny, and Lucy found the three pokémon waiting for them at the pokémon center nearly an hour later.  "You found her!" Zeth exclaimed, upon finding them all lounging in the center's waiting room.  "Why didn't you come tell us?"</div> <bR> <div>     {Nurse Joy wouldn't let us out of the center,} Snow said cheerfully.  {We were too beat up from the Rockets.}</div> <bR> <div>     {Yeah, that's right,} Talon added, sounding just as casual.  {We had a big run in with them and had a great battle.  They won, but it was no big deal, because they decided to let us go.}</div> <bR> <div>     Lizzy chimed in, {But not until they chased us through the pokémon zoo's hospital, fought us with a Victreebel and a Raichu, and poked me with needles.}</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny shook her head in disbelief.  "You're kidding, aren't you?"</div> <bR> <div>     The three pokémon just glanced at each other, then shook their heads, all answering with a negative at the same time.</div> <bR> <div>     "Sounds like an interesting experience," Zeth said slowly.  "Why don't you tell us all about it?"</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     After the pokémon told them their story, Zeth pulled Destiny, Lucy, and Talon aside, "There's one more thing I want to know about this, Talon.  You told us that the Rockets let you go, even though some of them wanted to keep Lizzy.  Do you have any idea why?"</div> <bR> <div>     The Spearow suddenly grew solemn, {I was going to wait and say this later, but I suppose it's probably best if you all know.  I said how the one Rocket used some kind of hypodermic needle on Lizzy at one point.  Well, after that, he said that the boss would have his red Kecleon; it was just a matter of time.  Then he said that their boss would have no use for me and Snow, and told his thugs to let us all go."</div> <bR> <div>     "What are you saying?" Lucy asked anxiously.  "That they're going to do something to Lizzy?"</div> <bR> <div>     "No," Zeth realized.  "He's suggesting that they already have."</div> <bR> <div>     {That's right,} Talon said.  {I don't know exactly what is was about, but my theory is that they injected her with something.  Something that may possibly be meant to make her turn and serve the Rockets at some later point.}</div> <bR> <div>     "If that's so, it might be a good idea to keep a close eye on Lizzy," Destiny suggested.  "Just in case."</div> <bR> <div>     "Well, I'll be doing that anyway," Lucy acknowledged.  "I'm not going to let what happened today happen again."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth nodded and smiled, "We're probably wrong.  Most likely there's nothing to worry about."</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny shook her head, "With the Rockets, there's always something to worry about."</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>