DISCLAIMER: Read my introduction, it's there. (Originally seen at "Graviton City: the Project A-ko Website" owned by Neil Creek.) --------------------------- Project A-ko Fanfic-- "Cousin Zoey" by Jillian Parks --------------------------- I. The Spot Miss Ayumi walked steadily down the empty hall of Graviton High School for Girls; her modest pumps click-clacking echoes against the freshly polished tile floor. She was lost in her thoughts-- tests to score, a dress to pick up at the cleaners, grocery shopping for the weekend-- as she absently tucked a loose lock of teal hair back up into one of the two large buns on either side of her head. WHOOOOSH! There it was again! The burst of air rushing up her back like a blast of wind from amusement park funhouses. Two weeks this has happened to the poor sensei of (current classroom) 2-D. She quickened her pace, the heel clacks keeping time with the fear frenzy of her heartbeat. Possibilities of culprits-- A-Ko and B-Ko fighting again, C- Ko and her large mouth, Mari sneezing-- raced through her mind at the speed of pulsars; who in God's name would harrass a hard working, dedicated teacher like herself? "Stop it!" she ordered down the hall, her classroom voice echoing off the white glaze walls and arched windows. "Whoever is there, show yourself!" And it did: less than a meter in front of her a purple spiked ball materialized, mouth wide open and juggling two large white eyeballs on its tongue. "AYYYYYYIIIIIEEEE!!!" Miss Ayumi screamed. "HAUN-HAUN-HAUNTER!!!" it laughed raspily in the voice of demons. "AYYYIIIEEE!" she screamed again, turning heel and flying down the opposite direction of the hall. "HAUN-HAUN-HAUNTER!!!" it called again, fading into nothing, laughing hysterically. II. The Walk A-Ko Magami tossed her mane of flame red curls back, closing her eyes luxuriously to the warm sun against her face. "A-Ko, answer me!" her blonde best friend C-Ko Kotobuki demanded in the little girl's tone she practiced so well. Both were walking home from Graviton High School, A-Ko with steady strides and C-Ko skipping circles around her. Their brown pleated skirt hems flapped gently against their knees in the cool breeze of a Spring afternoon. "My cousin's coming to visit," A-Ko opened her large amber eyes and grinned. "Your cousin? Is she the one with the red skirt and boots and the big 'S' on her shirt?" "No, not my dad's cousin, my mother's cousin Zoey; she's our age." "Zoey? That's a strange sounding name. Where does she live?" "Over in America. She's flying in this afternoon in her plane, and my parents and I are going to pick her up. She'll be attending school with us for a few weeks." "Neat. Can I come, too?" "I don't see why not." "YIPPEEE! I'm meet-ing A-Ko's cou-sin, I'm meet-ing A-Ko's cou-sin!" "A-Ko is going to receive a visit from her American cousin. Ine?" B-Ko turned to her main spy. "Yes, Miss Daitokuji?" "You know what to do." "Yes, Miss Daitokuji." The richest girl in Graviton City brushed her delicate fingertips across her steel blue bangs, snapping her fingers. "I'll find out how to turn this opportunity into *my* favor, A-Ko." She giggled to herself, staring after the shrinking form of Ine running off on assignment. III. "De Plane, Boss, De Plane!" Mr. and Mrs. Magami stood silently in the faded late afternoon sunshine, listening to their only child and her best friend applaud the areobatics of the Amateur Stunt Flying League of Graviton Airfield. "I hope she arrives soon," he stated, squinting his chocolate brown eyes to the east. "I have that article to do on Daitokuji Industries for Sunday's edition, and Komia is going to kill me if it doesn't meet deadline." "Teppei-darling, relax," Mrs. Magami's quiet hazel eyes met his. "Zoey is usually on time, a strong trait in my family." She gazed forlornly at her own daughter. "I wish A-ko had inherited it." "Well, at least she gets around eventually. C-Ko is a good influence." "I sometimes wonder, darling," she smoothed a nonexsistant wrinkle out of her blue skirt, letting the rhetorical thought rest. C-Ko tapped the large daisy barette in her blonde curls, and then leaned forward. "Hey, A-Ko, that thing in the grass wrapped around Shinobu today while you were serving lunch detention." "Shinobu? First Noa and now her. Did you see it?" "Um-hmm. These vines shot out of the ground and wrapped around her when she sat down. We couldn't get it off her so Mari had to scream at whatever it was and it finally let Shinobu go. Do you know what it is, A-Ko?" "Probably *another* one of B-Ko's stupid inventions," A-Ko replied. She kicked a piece of gravel, it skidded straight down the runway and down the crater wall, right into Graviton City Bay with a quiet splash. "I don't think so," C-Ko commented thoughtfully. "Not this time." "Why do you say that?" "Call it... what did you say? ... woman's institution." A-Ko suppressed a grin, and announced: "C-Ko, you sometimes scare me." "Why?" "Nevermind." What should have been the roar of a pair of Pratt and Whitney F-100 turbofan afterburners purred almost silently over the horizon. "There!" Mrs. Magami pointed. "Hmm?" A-Ko looked up toward the atmosphere, studying the point of light in the east reflecting the visible bands of sunlight from the west. "Impressive," her mother breathed. "Quite an improvement over my old wings." "What, mom? I don't see anything." "That's the whole point, A-Ko. Crystallized steel; metal compressed to the point of transparancy while retaining its strength. No need to bore you with the science, so simple layman's terms: it's an 'invisible' F-15 Eagle." The verticle twin fins and wide surface wings of the Interceptor appeared in better detail, only very faintly glowing in an orange blush from the setting sun. "Ooh, how pretty!" C-Ko cried. A figure was visible in the cockpit, clad in light gray jumpsuit and full helmet. Meanwhile, the image of the invisible aircraft grew steadily on the main monitor in B-Ko's surveillance room. She paused, a cup of tea to her delicate lips, gazing in transfixed rapture at the screen. "How beautiful... " she murmured. She set the china down on the end table next to her chair, and stood up in hypnotic trance. "Crystallized metal-- of course!" she giggled. And why not? Several centimeters of glass required to make anything strong enough to withstand the 1110 km/hr speeds of an F-15 would never lift off the ground. Yet, with compressed steel, strength would be retained-- maybe even improved-- and stealth would increase by 80%. Especially higher if the twin engines were replaced by the silent engines of Stealth technology. Before she knew it, B-Ko had already pulled out pen and paper and began to furiously scribble the influx of mecha insight pouring forth from the creative center of her brain. "Say hello, A-Ko, to my new creation, the invisible mecha... somethinorether. Revenge is mine this time, you self righteous little bitch, and C-Ko will belong to me... I am a *genius*!" The Eagle had landed at the Gaviton Airfield at last, the transparent aircraft glowing against the orange and red sunset at complete stop. "Wow!" C-Ko whispered. "Cool!" IV. The Redhead The cockpit canopy slowly raised, and two figures jumped out to the Tarmac runway. One was a flame orange tiger-stripe cat with strangely slanted green eyes and half-moon round ears. It regarded the Magamis and C-Ko with intellectual curiousity, then raised a paw and licked it with indifference. The human figure unbuckled a strap under the chin and removed the helmet-- A waterfall of flame red curls tumbled out and settled down her back. She smiled in greeting. "Wow, A-Ko, she looks just like you!" C-Ko blurted. Not quite, A-Ko noted, for the bangs framed the other's face down to her jaw, and her large eyes were a rich violet color. "Kyoko!" the girl exclaimed. "Zoey," Mrs. Magami accepted the sixteen-year-old cousin in her arms. "Good to see you again." "Likewise, cousin. Teppei-san, how are you?" "I am doing well. You remember A-Ko." Both redheads locked eyes for a long moment; Zoey suddenly let out a war whoop and charged for A-Ko. "A-Ko!" C-Ko cried. A-Ko stood at ready, her braced arms raised, her amber eyes alert to the violet ones fixed to hers. Zoey raised her legs and stretched a foot out toward A-Ko's head. A-Ko caught her ankle and Zoey twisted with inhuman speed, catching A-Ko against the neck with the other foot. A-Ko grabbed Zoey's throat. "Hey!" Both fell to the ground with a crash, tangled in the other's limbs. Shortly, giggles arose from the two. "A-Ko, are you okay?" C-Ko leaned over to observe her best friend. Only B-Ko ever fought with A-Ko, and this girl was supposed to be her cousin... "I'm fine, C-Ko. Zo' and I have always done this the few times we've visited each other." Zoey turned to look up at the little blonde staring down at them... something was strangely odd about her, the forest green eyes sparkling with an intensity she hadn't seen before. "Oh. Hi, my name is C-Ko Kotobuki. Are you A-Ko's cousin Zoycite?" "*Zoycite*, A-Ko?" Zoey gave her cousin a bemused grin. "C-Ko," A-Ko sighed. "This is my cousin *Zoey*." "You American's have strange names," C-Ko concluded. "By the way," Zoey untangled herself and stood up. "Meet my associate: Pixel." "The cat you mean?" A-Ko indicated the Eagle's only passenger. "Yes. Pixel! Meet my cousin A-Ko and her best friend C-Ko." The tomcat raised his head from the licking of an intimate part of his anatomy and dutifully approached the two new girls. "Hey, Pixel, nice to meet you," A-Ko saluted him off- handedly. "A KITTY CAT!" C-Ko sang out, her grin stretching demonically across her face. "C-Ko, no!" A-Ko exclaimed-- Too late, for C-Ko had grabbed the unsuspecting feline and was now squeezing him tightly in her vice-grip of overjoyed love. "YOW!" Pixel objected quite loudly. "Zoey, your cat!" A-Ko turned to her. "Just watch, cuz. Anyone who treats cats like a regular pet deserve what is about to happen." Pixel began to glow a bright white, contracting into a ball and shutting his eyes tightly. "YOW-O-OW!" he howled. A-Ko watched as a static charge built up around Pixel, dancing across his bristled fur and drawing to his stiff whiskers. "Wha--?" C-Ko looked down to the cat in her arms. The crackling hum of electrical discharge shot out of his white whiskers, attacking C-Ko's bare arms. C-Ko screeched in the rarely heard octave above the coloraturia female voice, high enough to bleed the ears of humans and agonize the sensitive hearing of animals. She released Pixel, and he tapered his static lightning display off. Zoey examined C-Ko and deemed her living, C-Ko paralyzed in-- well, shock-- with her blonde locks sticking straight out of her head as a Bride of Frankenstein creature. Her eyebrows knotted over wide eyes, her lips pursed to ready a cry. A curl of smoke whirled around her head and faded. "Is she alright?" A-Ko leaned over to get a closer look. "Yeah, common electrical outlet voltage; I'm surprised she reacted so badly. 110 volts coursing through the body is generally a big ouch, not... this. Pixel can get up to 800 volts and do this kind of damage." "What kind of cat is he?" she asked. "A special one, I'll explain later. I'm starved, what's for dinner?" "I can't *believe* this!" B-Ko squealed in anger. "How *dare* she let that... that *cat* shock poor C-Ko! MARI!" Mari's overly masculine face appeared on a monitor, her jaw set in rigid intimidity. "I want you to be alert at all times concerning the safety of C-Ko. If that... that Zoey or that cat hurt her in anyway, I want you to take care of them. Understand?" Mari grunted an affirmative, and the screen promptly went dark. B-Ko flicked a strand of hair back over her shoulder and crossed her arms in thought. Something was oddly familiar about the cat who could make its own electricity. Something that reminded her of a trip she took with her father several years ago. Something... something... V. The Run C-Ko made her way up the street next Monday morning, as deep in thought as she could manage. she wondered. It was impossible to explain to her adopted parents that a cat had shocked her and made her hair stick straight up. She cautiously crossed the yard, tiptoeing up the doorstep, and reached for the doorbell. The ground below her feet vibrated, a rumbling came from the first floor of A-Ko's house. The door swung open, and two redheads dressed in black Mary Janes, white socks, brown pleated skirts, white shirts, and brown collar ties grabbed C-Ko's hands and rushed down the walkway to the street. C-Ko let them run with her between them, enjoying the rush of wind across her face. She let out a joyful "WHHEEEEE!" and giggled profusely. She looked from one cousin to the other and still believed they looked uncannily alike-- except A-Ko wore black bracers and Zoey wore wide silver bracelets. "Wow, A-Ko!" she exclaimed over the roar of wind as the three rounded a corner at unclocked speed. "You're up early!" "Thank Zoey for it; she wants to get to school early and meet Miss Ayumi!" "Oh! You'll like Miss Ayumi, she's so pretty!" "I'm sure I will; heads up!" A-Ko and Zoey lept up above the roadway to the next crater level and they continued the obstacle course of rooftops and cartops and the occassional kitchen and bedroom. D crushed out the half-burnt filter of a cigarette and trained her eyes on the road. Perhaps the Princess's friend would avoid hitting the devout Alpha Cygnian protector this time, considering all that has happened. It was worth a shot, she reasoned, again wishing her boss and dear friend Captain Napolipolita would have stayed with her to watch over the Princess. D knew the Captain had hated Earth, yet... D had grown to love it; she was given so much more respect, though disguising herself as a man has become a pain in the-- "Heads up!" a girl's voice called. D turned to the see the Princess flanked by two redheads, leaping up above her in the air, like two angels guiding the deceased Lenore. They landed and shot off as C-Ko yelled "HI, DEEE!" "Princess?" D scratched her head. "I didn't get hit? Am I seeing double?" She stared after them so intently, she didn't notice until too late when a blue and white tank slammed into her backside, speeding down the road with her plastered to the front. The tank abruptly braked, sending D skidding face first down the pavement. A man popped out of the tank: strongly built, wearing sunglasses and a tanktop, a cigarette hanging out the corner of his mouth under a staight mustache. In high anger he screamed: "Get out of the middle of the road! This is police property you hit! You're messin' with the Tank Police, buddy!" D groaned into the ground, "This is *not* going to be a good day." VI. The Introduction B-Ko stood as sentry at the gates of Graviton High School for Girls, scowling to herself as the students ignored her in their walk to class. Eventually, three forms appeared up the hill and B-Ko widened her eyes. This cousin did look very much like A-Ko... and at the speed of their approach, had the same super human abilities. "'Double bubble, toil and trouble...'" she quoted Macbeth. The three came to a complete stop. Actually, the cousin was more refined compared to A-Ko. A natural, unaware beauty with a nonthreatening presence B-Ko could detect. Piece of cake, she concluded, probably as dumb as A-Ko, too. "B-Ko, what are you doing here?" A-Ko asked suspiciously. "I thought we agreed on a truce." "I am honoring that agreement, A-Ko. I am merely here to greet our new exchange student from America," B-Ko smiled sweetly at Zoey, saccharin dripping from every word. Zoey regarded the elegant girl with steel-blue hair... and something in her gut told her that this girl was wrong, wrong, WRONG! A-Ko balled up her fist and Zoey touched her shoulder. "Let me handle it." "Well, A-Ko, are you going to introduce us?" "Zo', B-Ko Daitokuji. B-Ko, my cousin Zoey Valcuria." They bowed cordially to each other, blue eyes and violet eyes never leaving the other's. "Welcome to Graviton High School, Zoey. I hope you enjoy your visit... and if there is anything you need, don't hesitate to ask." "Thank-you, B-Ko. You are very kind," Zoey plastered a tooth paste commercial smile across her face. she wondered. "That's funny coming from you, B-Ko," A-Ko piped up. "A-Ko, are you gonna fight with B-Ko again? You *promised* me you wouldn't," C-Ko sniffed back a cry. A-Ko conceded and unballed her fist. "Yes, I did... But, B-Ko, don't try anything funny." "Wouldn't dream of it," she replied confidently, smiling. "Come on, Zoey," C-Ko brightened, grabbing her hand. "I want you to meet Miss Ayumi." "Looks like I have no choice... See ya' round, B-Ko," Zoey grinned, being dragged past her by C-Ko. A-Ko kept eye contact with B-Ko as she followed her cousin and best friend. "Class, we have a foreign exchange student from America joining us," Miss Ayumi addressed her classroom of girls. "Would you care to introduce yourself?" "Certainly, ma'am," the redhead bowed her head toward the class. "My name is Zoey and I am pleased to be here." "Yea!" cheered C-Ko. "Zoey is A-Ko's cousin! She has a mean old cat that shocks people; he made my hair stand on end." A fit of giggles erupted from Asa, Ine, and Ume, and B-Ko turned sharply to give them a look to shut up. They did so, abruptly. "C-ko!" Miss Ayumi scolded her sharply. "It is not polite to speak out in class." Zoey distracted her by asking, "Where do I sit, Miss?" "Hmm... Shinobu is out of school today, something about an accident during Friday's lunch period." "Accident?" Zoey's curiosity was now piqued. "Nothing important. You may sit at Shinobu's desk until a custodian can bring up another from supply. You and A-Ko will sit next to each other." "Thank-you, ma'am," Zoey bowed to her, and slid into the desk on A-Ko's right. "Oh, my," Miss Ayumi breathed, staring at the cousins. "You two look--" "--'so much alike'," they finished for her, smiling wanely. Miss Ayumi nodded and patted the bun of hair on the right side of her head to match the other side. "Like the hair, Miss Ayumi," Zoey grinned. "Thank-you. Now, to continue on with Friday's lesson. According to W.H. Auden, novice poets sometimes begin a poem in a language clouded not with dream, but with gaseous abstraction, for example..." VII. The Lunch A-Ko, C-Ko, and Zoey settled on the lawn of Graviton High School, depositing their lunchbags in the middle of their group. Zoey lay back among the soft blades of grass and stared up at the clear blue sky. The gentle breeze carried the fragrance of freshly bloomed cherry blossoms in the air, lulling her mind into a meditative state. She closed her eyes and asked, "C-Ko, what happened to Shinobu on Friday?" C-Ko leaned over to stare in Zoey's face then leaned back and explained what she saw. "Were they brown vines?" "Brown?... Um, yeah. Are you hungry?" "C-Ko... " A-Ko warned her. "I have some delicious stuff from my 'Cordon Bleu II' cookbook." "Zoey, don't--" "What?" Zoey opened her eyes, and a box of uniquely eclectic food was shoved in front of her with C-Ko exclaiming, "Here ya' go!" "What... is it?" Zoey examined the heart-shaped Pepto- Bismol color dye in the rice, the coiled wads of eel, miniature wine bottles of chocolate, and a few unidentified strange colored objects. "Lunch, of course! Go ahead, eat it; yummy, hmm?" Zoey looked to A-Ko and noted the expression of extreme terror cross her face. "No, thank-you, C-Ko, I have my own lunch." "Just a bite. See? Scrumptious." Those beautiful forest green eyes sparkled in blissful expectation, the child-like awe of the world made Zoey remember her half-forgotten childhood (was it really so short of time ago?). Childhood's end when she recieved Pixel and began her lone training across America. she mentally swore at her. Zoey accepted the box and unwrapped the wooden chopsticks handed to her. A-Ko bit her lip, watching her cousin sacrifice herself to C-Ko's culinary toxification. Zoey picked up what appeared to be a blue-colored shrimp, balanced it on a bed of the normal looking rice, and brought it to her lips. She glanced up at C-Ko's expectant face, finding no remorse in that sweet little face for what Zoey could imagine ingestion would do to her. At last, she put it in her mouth and felt it with her tongue; somewhat rubbery, and the rice was rice. She then began to chew-- Zoey always prided herself on her cast iron stomach, but nothing was ever mentioned about a cast iron palate. She squeezed her eyes tightly and felt the sour prickle at the back of her throat water up her eyes. Her mouth erupted with a volcanic reaction that forced hr lips open and expel the piece across the lawn before it did anymore damage. She spat continuously on the ground while on all fours, disposing of every cell of poison. "Wow, Zoey, that was pretty far!" C-Ko clapped. "I've never seen anyone do *that*, right, A-Ko?" "No, I haven't; they usually spit fire. You okay, Zo'?" Before she could reply, a roar came from the direction of where the piece had projected. "BAL-BA-SAUR!!!" "Balbasaur?" C-Ko repeated. "What's that?" Zoey made a final spit and raised her head up to see. An aqua-colored lizard with a bulb of grass on it's back bounced around the students, holding its mouth and occassionally shouting "BAL-BA-SAUR!" in pain. Girls screamed; boxes of rice and bag lunches flying everywhere as the large lizard raced through the grass. "Well, someone doesn't like your cooking, C-Ko," Zoey remarked, getting up and going for the worn leather pouch at her hip. "That's not very nice," C-Ko sniffed. "What *is* it, Zoey?" A-Ko asked. Zoey held up a red and silver colored marble in her left hand and replied, "A Balbasaur; I knew I'd find one here." "A *what*?" "Explain later." She pressed a button and the marble grew into the size of a large grapefruit. She drew the metal ball level with her shoulder and pushed it out toward the Grass Lizard. "AURRGGHHH!" Ume screamed, the brown vines shot out of the lizard and wrapped around her, slamming her repeatedly to the ground. "Charmander!" Zoey exclaimed, the ball flying out of her hand. "I call you!" A-Ko and C-Ko watched as the ball sparked with electrical energy and opened, releasing a medium-large orange and yellow lizard with a flame at the tip of his tail. "Char," he cried in a high-pitched child's voice. "Charmander, flame thrower attack!" she ordered. The orange lizard took a deep breath and expelled a beam of fire toward the Balbasaur while screaming, "CHAAAARRRR!!!" Balbasaur recieved a full hit of the beam for several seconds, burning his grass and vines, releasing the terrified and bruised Ume. Charmander closed his mouth, cutting off the fire beam, and wiped the sweat off his forehead with satisfaction. Balbasaur fell back, swirls of smoke circling above him. Zoey pulled out another metal ball and threw it at the Balbasaur. The ball split open and an energy beam shot out, surrounding the Grass Lizard, and drew it into the metal ball. The ball shut. The button lit up a bright red, beeping three times. She picked up the ball. "Successful catch!" she cried out, holding the ball above her head. "I've got Balbasaur!" "Char, Char!" the orange lizard cheered, holding both stubby arms out in victory. She put the ball away and picked up the first one, adding, "Charmander, come back." He disappeared in a similar fashion back into his own ball. Zoey stood in the middle of the lawn, shrinking the ball back to marble size and depositing it back into her leather pouch. The other girls stared at her in confused awe. "Did you see that?" "What was it?" "Who is she?" "That was weird." "What kind of lizards were those?" "I've never seen those type in my life." "Wow," C-Ko commented. "Can you do that again?" "You'll probably see it," she replied. "Zoey," A-Ko crossed her arms. "You've got some explaining to do when we get home." "Miss B-Ko," Ume gasped. "I nearly died!" "Well, you lived through it, Ume," B-Ko snapped, tugging at a barrel curl framing her face. "Now I remember! Of course... Zoey Valcuria is a Pokemon Trainer!" VIII. The Exposition The cousins lay crossways on A-Ko's bed; A-Ko in her father's white button-down shirt and Zoey in a green satin button-down sleep shirt, wondering that little theory nagging at the back of everyone's minds: did the New Kids on the Block fall into the cursed Jusenkyo Springs and become the Spice Girls? Pixel lay curled between them, accepting the occassion stroke from one or the other. At last, a lull was reached and A-Ko asked, "So, what was all that about during lunch?" Zoey turned her head to stare back into A-Ko's amber eyes, responding with "Sure you wanna' hear?" "Um-hmm." Zoey looked back up to the popcorn ceiling, scratching Pixel's skull. "I'm a Pokemon Trainer. I go around collecting, training, and fighting Pokemon all over the US. Yeah, you're asking, what's a Pokemon? Nobody's sure where they came from, but there are more than one hundred-fifty known species scattered throughout the world. They differ from normal animals in which they seem to be a mutated strain of the animals we know. There are fifteen Types: like Charmander in a Fire Type with his most effective attack being a flame thrower attack. Pokemon also evolve into higher forms of themselves: Charmander evolves into Charmeleon." "So you're saying these crazy... Pokemon are running around? How come nobody's heard of them here?" "Sixteen years ago there was that thing that slammed into Graviton City. All the Pokemon were killed; in fact, Graviton City had a Pokemon Training Gym located on the same site as the high school. I'm surprised it took them this long to come about. Kyoko told me there have been Pokemon- like activities at your school-- Balbasaur's vine whip attacks among them..." "Have you heard about the Toilet Monster?" Zoey suppressed a giggle in respect to the sobriety on A- Ko's face. "No, I haven't." "Something sits in the toilets at school and... shoots a stream of water up, sending the girl flying out of the stall." Zoey burst out, giggling hysterically. "I'm not kidding!" "I know (gasp) you're not (giggle). Has it happened to you?" "No, thankfully not. But it's happened to C-Ko... although I think she enjoyed it." "How long and how often?" "For the past month and three to four times a week. A lot of parents have complained and the custodian says the plumbing works just fine." "Are there any other sounds besides the spray coming up?" "Gurgling, like someone talking under water, just before the spray. No one's been able to understand it." "Hmm... any other weird stuff around school?" "Well, someone's been spray painting words and pictures all over the outside walls... Cartoon-like traps are being set all over campus: on Wednesday Kanuka got her foot caught in a snare and she hung upside-down from a tree during her gym class." "Lovely... sounds like you guys have a Pokemon infestation of the mischievous kind. A-Ko, this is the reason why I came." "To catch these Pokemon?" "Exactly." A-Ko set her jaw and asked, "Anything I can do to help?" "Watch and listen for out-of-the-ordinary occurrences. I know Balbasaur isn't the only one hanging around Graviton High, and I'm sure the others will make their appearance before I leave... " Zoey's hand rested on Pixel's flame orange fur, and he batted it away from his ear, returning back to sleep. "Is Pixel a Pokemon?" "Yeah, in his second evolution. I got him when he an all orange kitten called a Pixee. Special abilities are electrical whisker and claw attacks. He's my associate and partner... I'll have to take him to school with us if my suspicions concerning the type of Pokemon are correct. A Pokemon that can sit in toilets and spray girls in the arse... " she let the sentence hang. "I hope B-Ko doesn't horn in on this like she usually does," A-Ko sighed, raising her legs up to bicycle in the air. "What's with her, cuz? She has so much hate vibes she'd make a Ghost Pokemon fly and hide." "Long story." "Time has no meaning, it's all in the imagination of the narrow mind." "Say what?" "Tell me the story." IX. The Blueprint Hikaru Daitokuji couldn't sleep. Those dreams were haunting him again; the dreams of his dear ex-wife Mori leaving him in the middle of a business transaction by phone, telling him the corporate shark had invaded their marriage and had maimed her love for him. . . or something like that. Fine, go back to your greenie dolphin-saving hobbies, I can raise B-Ko myself! Blasted woman, she could've had it all if she waited a few more months. How cowardly to tell him she was leaving him while he was on the phone! Abandoning him and their newborn daughter for some long-forgotten hippie ideal... He brushed aside the drapes over an oil painting in his bedroom; Mori beaming in the ripeness of new motherhood holding the infant B-Ko in her lap. Her pale blue hair majestically swept over one shoulder in simple elegance. God, she was beautiful! he asked again, He pulled on a smoking jacket and wandered out in the hall. The light under the door of the study shone brightly; B-Ko was hard at work on another mecha. He knocked softly at the door. "Yes?!" came the impatient cry. Daitokuji opened the door and found B-Ko perched on the desk, drawing out a blueprint on an oversized piece of drafter's paper. The straight edge in one hand and pencil in the other. Her expression softened. the thought absently flashed across his mind like moonbeams. Mori's beauty and his brains, wrapped up into one pretty package. He knew he'd have to find her a husband in a few short years... "Designing another mecha, B-Ko?" he asked. "Yes, father," she climbed down from the desk. He nobly ignored the sweet fragrance wafting from her white skin, and stared at the blueprint. "Quite a departure from your usual designs, daughter." "I felt creative." "And how are you going to create transparent steel?" "Don't worry about it, father; it'll take a while to figure the composition. And you can more than afford this one; I *do* check the books, you know." "Um-hmm... you'll make a wonderful wife for some lucky man someday." B-Ko turned back to the blueprint, crossing her arms. "Father, you know I don't wish to marry." "Still upset over Kei, eh?" he clapped a hand on her shoulder in paternal understanding. B-Ko jabbed her elbow back into his gut, barely flinching. Daitokuji doubled over, holding his abdomen. "Next time, father, you will not say that name in my presence." A groan escaped from the crumpled heap on the floor. X. The Journal (These are Zoey's journal entries concerning that first week of her stay.) TUESDAY: There have been numerous sightings and experiences by the students of Graviton High School concerning the presence of Pokemon. Just by keeping my mouth shut and ears open, I have heard nearly half of the encounters. It also seems my messy display of catching Balbasaur yesterday has opened the students up to actually telling me what they have seen. I have also done a thorough questioning of Balbasaur's last victim, a girl called Ume who seems to be a minion of that B-Ko character. She was no help at all, and had even tried to turn the questioning around on me to determine my purpose and affiliates. I told her nit. Today I discovered an act of vandalism on the school property, only done by Pokemon hands (claws/paws/flippers/etc.). While participating in phys. ed. I happened to look up at the weight room as I jogged by... and spray-painted in navy blue was "HEAVY METAL RULES-- HIGH IN IRON". I had to groan at such a stinker of a pun. No witnesses, no evidence, no answers. How can Pokemon be so hard to catch at a high school? You'd think *somebody* would have seen one at work! I also know this is crazy, but I've got a feeling we're being watched. Not just by Pokemon eyes, but by human eyes. My police friend Jenny told me that if the hair on the back of your neck rises, it means you're being watched. I can feel someone's there... WEDNESDAY: I hate to laugh at other people's misfortunes, but the irony was too good to let go. During lunch (and this time I started on my own before C-Ko got a chance to offer her Lunchbox of Death), we three got into a discussion concerning the common sense level displayed by Mihoshi in "No Need for Tenchi". Pretty soon, C-Ko began to confuse Mihoshi and herself and she screeched "ZOEY, YOU'RE A MEANIE!!!" The ground began to quake, and we looked to see (I swear!) the biggest chick I ever saw! She was about eight or nine feet tall and built like Malibu/Ultraverse's comic book hero Prime-- only with breasts. The only time I've ever seen such a person is on the "New Adventures of Superman" cartoon. Knuckles cracking and jaw popping, C-Ko merely glances up and says "Hi, Mari!" This Mari took a step forward... and fell into a six foot pit hidden by grass. Her top half stuck out of this pit and she just kinda stood in it, dazed and confused. I did my best to stifle a giggle. I quickly stopped when a young girl's voice came from her, "I'll have to hurt you now." "If you think *I'm* the one who dug that, you are--" (I cringed and let it fly of its own accord) "--gravely mistaken." "If you didn't," she pulled her steroid-type frame out, "then who did?" "If I knew, I'd be after them; that's dangerous." "Very dangerous!" C-Ko piped up. "Are you hurt, Mari? Do you need a doctor?" "No," she grunted, then debated internally and eventually walked away. I sat back down next to A-Ko, then leaned over the edge of the pit to have a look. "What did it, Zo'?" "Looks like Pokemon handiwork. Look--" I pointed to the walls "--claw marks, hand dug by a Pokemon, probably sometime during the night. A normal person would have fallen in over their head, but Mari... " I took off into giggles. "Good thing you have similar powers like mine." "Why?" "Mari can pulverize internal organs in three seconds." "Lovely," I gulped, crumpling into a heap. Wait a minute, I don't normally crumple into heaps! Staying here in Japan is starting to have a strange effect on me. Concerning the hole after my investigation: No witnesses, no evidence, no answers. THURSDAY: Today was quiet by Graviton High School standards. Pixel went poking around and turned up several cans of spray paint, including the navy blue from the weight room. No witnesses, no evidence, no answers. Other than that, the only remotely exciting thing that happened today was that A-Ko and B-Ko got into an argument during class. Something about IQ points-- or lack thereof-- to each other, and Miss Ayumi clonks a rolled up course book over *both* their heads at once. "A-Ko! B-Ko! I thought you two agreed upon a truce! I would appreciate it if you two would be quiet during class or I'll make you STAND IN THE HALL!" She turned and went back to the board, A-Ko and B-Ko with looks of silent shock on their faces. I took the moment to lean over to A-Ko and whisper, "Is she normally this moody?" A-Ko shook her head "no". "I wonder what's bugging her." "A bug?!" C-Ko squealed. "WHERE?!" And an uproar of frightened girls ensued; books and papers tossed in the air as students ran around the room and climbed on their desks. "Stop it! Stop it, I say!" Miss Ayumi cried. So, A-Ko, B-Ko, C-Ko, and myself got detention that afternoon... cleaning the E classrooms one through ten. Damnit. C-Ko and her big mouth... FRIDAY: Oh, boy! Some progress! NOW we're getting somewhere! I happened to have witnesses the infamous Toilet Monster in action. Fortunately, I was not the the receiving end. Hehe. Some little twit in our class named Asa had followed me (must be another of B-Ko's goons) into the restroom, so I merely faked having to check a contact lens. She entered a stall. Less than ten seconds later, as I'm about to slip out, a groan came from the pipes and a voice gurgled four syllables in rapid succession-- if only I could make out what it said! Asa screamed "What the--?" and a flood poured out of her stall with the sound of a pressurized stream of water shooting up. I turned to see her fly up to the ceiling and land draped over the stall door, a fountain of water errupting from the commode behind her. I pushed the door open, slamming her into the back wall (oops, don't know my own stength). The fountain died, and the four syllable gurgle occurred again. Asa crashed down on top of the commode, groaning. "Damnit!" I said. "What the hell is it?" "Toilet... Monster... " Asa groaned at last. No, not a Toilet Monster, that's for damn sure. It's no doubt in my mind a Pokemon. How many Pokemon are capable of shooting water like that? I have a few suspects. I'm also worried about the normally (what I'm told) kind Miss Ayumi. According to A-Ko, she's been acting on edge for the last three weeks, snapping at her and C-Ko more often than usual, and running out of the building at high speed after school, panic stricken. This may be a shot in the dark, but I think Miss Ayumi is being harrassed by a Pokemon. Which one, I am unsure. Pokemon usually don't harrass people unless provoked or the Trainer was a real SOB to begin with. Yet, again, there are some wild Pokemon that are just plain mischievous; instinct to harrass humans. Well, today's Friday, I'm off-duty. Yea! Putting up with the strangeness of Miss Ayumi, the weasely B-Ko, and her bizarre entourage (Prime with breasts, Velma from "Scooby Doo", a handicam toting anorexic, and the unhappy victim of the Toilet Monster) has left me with a strange taste in my mouth-- maybe due to C-Ko's cooking. Anyway, A-Ko promised me a game of Martial Arts Basketball tomarrow-- I have no idea what it consists of, but it sounds fun! XI. The Game It was a bright, cool, clear Saturday in Graviton City that afternoon, when the cherry blossoms were at their sweetest scent. Zoey bounced the basketball over to A-Ko as they walked to the park, dribbling it between themselves. C-Ko boinged around them quite skillfully on a pink and yellow pogo stick, giggling cheerily as her over-sized Sailor Moon sweatshirt flapped with every bounce. A-Ko and Zoey were similarly attired, save for A-Ko wore a college sweatshirt with her jeans and Zoey opted for a plaid skirt and baggy green sweather. Pixel followed not far behind, sniffing the sidewalk and the tufts of grass growing between the slabs of cement. The back of Pixel's fur stood up straight, sensing they were being watched by eyes that had no business to watch. He remained on alert, listening to the breeze rustling freshly budded leaves and the snapping of store awnings. "We're at the park, we're at the park!" C-Ko exclaimed, bouncing toward the swing set, singing entirely off-key: "'I'm walkin' on sunshine-- whoa-o I'm walkin' on sunshine-- whoa-o I'm walkin' on sunshine-- whoa-o And it's startin' to feel good! Hey!'" Zoey mumbled the second verse, keeping time with the ball: "'I used to think maybe you love me but I now know it's true And I don't wanna' spend my whole life just a-waiting for you...'" "Missing someone?" A-Ko ventured. "Oh!" Zoey blushed over. "A Gym Trainer over in America; dated a bit before he went out on adventure with a few others. Man, he is an *excellent* cook!" "Must be nice to find someone who can cook," A-Ko sighed, staring after her best friend while dribbling the ball. Zoey deposited her leather pouch on a side bench and giggled. Pixel curled up on the other side in a patch of sun. "The culinary skills of the blonde have much to be desired," she stated, kicking the ball out of A-Ko's dribble; it hit the back board and landed with perfect balance on top of her head. "Perhaps I can hook you up with a friend of mine." A-Ko grinned and jumped up to kick the ball off Zoey's head into a basket. "I claim the south net. Loser cooks dinner since the parents will be visiting with Mr. Wayne and Mr. Grayson tonight." "Deal, as long as C-Ko doesn't enter the kitchen." "Deal." B-Ko smoothed a wrinkle from her cream white sweather, and turned her attention to the redheads playing the strangest form of basketball she ever saw. "Are we going to interrupt the game?" Ine asked. "No. No interruptions." "Then why are you personally here, Miss Daitokuji?" Ume adjusted her glasses. "Because I want that leather pouch. Ine, could you go over there and take it?" "Are you sure I should 'steal'?" "It's not stealing, it's borrowing. Now, hop to it-- or forget your raise to *flavored* ramen!" "Where's Asa?" "She got attacked by that Toilet Monster; now go!" B-Ko swung her leg in a roundhouse kick that sent Ine flying out of their foliage hideout and into the bushes next to the ball court. A-Ko had faked a right by jumping over Zoey with the ball; Zoey grabbed her ankle and sent her crashing in the cement. "Unfair!" "You're the one who suggested Martial Arts Basketball." "So I did... " and A-Ko clopped Zoey in the shins. Ine twitched her nose, and used her stealth experience to scurry amid the bushes. A phantom arm reached out and enclosed over the leather pouch setting on the bench. Pixel's nose twitched as well, his whiskers sensing an unauthorized presence. His green eyes snapped open and he watched the hand slide away back into the bush. He jumped down and followed a buck-toothed, dishwater blonde at a discreet distance, unobserved. Ine dropped the pouch in B-Ko's upturned palm, and B-Ko studied it gingerly. "Rather plain, and ugly from age." "What's in it?" Ume asked. "Weren't you paying attention? This pouch contains PokeBalls which hold those odd Pokemon creatures! I haven't held one in years... " B-Ko trailed off, remembering that brief Summer seven years ago when her father enrolled her at Pokemon Tech in America. She was beyond dealing with the other children and childish things like Pokemon... besides the fact the Pokemon she was given-- a Cu Bone-- turned around and whacked her on the head when she attempted to remove its skull mask... Mari waved her hand in B-Ko's line of vision to snap her out of her thoughts. "Well, " B-Ko continued. "Let's see what I can use against A-Ko." She untied the drawstring and poked her fingers into the pouch, enclosing over the first metal marble she touched among the six. "I hope this is the right one." "A-Ko! No walking on the hoop! Foul!" B-Ko touched the button and lightly tossed the emlarged PokeBall in the air. "Charmander, come out." The ball lit up with red electricity, and it popped open, spilling out the orange and yellow lizard with the flame on his tail. "Char!" he exclaimed. "Great, it worked! Charmander, fry A-Ko and Zoey!" Charmander snapped his head back to B-Ko and spun around to his master and her cousin. B-Ko. Zoey and A-Ko. B-Ko. Zoey and A-Ko. B-Ko. Zoey and A-Ko. Confuse the poor little lizard! He scratched his head indecisively. "Well, *do* it!" she ordered. "Yow!" Pixel screeched, urging the Fire Lizard to action. Charmander inhaled and released a mouthful of fire toward B-Ko and her minions. B-Ko jumped aside from the stream as Ine, Ume, and Mari received a fire bath, barbequeing them to a charred crisp. B-Ko watched with speechless surprise. Charmander wiped the sweat from his forehead and remarked sternly, "Char-man-der." "I-- I--" B-Ko stuttered. He lept up to grab the pouch from her hand, and ran for the basketball court, shouting, "Char, Char, Char!" "Uh... " B-Ko was at a loss for action, her minions fried and she happened to be without mecha *and* battle armor. Zoey stopped dead in her play, and A-Ko clocked her on the back of the head with the ball. "OW!" she rubbed her head. "Damnit, A-Ko, time out! Why the hell is Charmander doing out of his PokeBall?" "I dunno," A-Ko stood still as well. Charmander jumped up into Zoey's arms and held the pouch to her while pointing at the semi-panicked B-Ko. "Took the bag, eh? Don't worry, we'll teach her a lesson." A-Ko posed, ready to fight. "Come on, B-Ko!" "No, cuz, this is between her and me," she stated, setting Charmander down. "Anytime... " A-Ko reminded her. "I know," she replied softly. "Yow!" Pixel hissed, taking his place in front of Zoey. Charmander braced himself to use his flame thrower attack again. "You know," B-Ko attempted bravado. "You shouldn't leave your toys laying about." "I didn't know we had the same taste in toys, B-Ko Daitokuji. Would you like to play with one of my most active ones?" "Uhh... " Zoey's violet eyes glinted and she activated a PokeBall. Drawing her hand back to her shoulder, she pushed the Ball out. "Cu Bone, I call you!" "Not a *Cu Bone*!" B-Ko squealed in horror. The Ball released another lizard, orange in color, wearing a dinosaur skull over his head and wielding a bone club. "Cu Bone!" he announced. "Cu Bone-Bone-Bone!" "Cu Bone," Zoey squatted down to his level. "B-Ko there had stolen my pouch of you Pokemon. How do you feel about that?" "Cuuuu Bone," he replied intensely, and turned, spinning his bone club above his head. "CU-BONE-BONE-BONE!" He made a dead run for B-Ko, and she felt her heart fall into the pit of her stomach. She managed to unglue her feet from the ground and turned around to run. "Cu Bone! Cu Bone-Bone-Bone!" C-Ko slid out of her swing, only now noticing B-Ko was being chased all over the playground by a Pokemon. She giggled hysterically to herself, never seeing the always dignified B-Ko in such a state of panic. She had to admit, even with that mean old cat, since Zoey had arrived there had never been a dull moment. She joined A-ko and Zoey on the court. "Looks like B-Ko has an admirer!" she giggled. "I think they've had a history together, C-Ko," Zoey winked. B-Ko's legs felt like lead, weighing her down. Her breath came in heavy pants-- escape, escape, ESCAPE! A fence, five meters ahead! Four, three, two, one... She scaled the chainlink fence, crashing in a heap on the other side. Cu Bone stared intently at her through the fence, mumbling to himself, lowering the club. B-Ko forced herself up. "Ha! Didn't get me, you little creep!" she leaned her face up to the fence at Cu Bone's level. "If I had my battle armor I'd make you into a pair of shoes and a matching purse." "Cu Bone!" he snorted, and whacked the club to the fence at her face. B-Ko fell back, the chainlink imprinted on her face. "OW! Zoey Valcuria, I'm not done with you! I'll get you next week with my newest, most advanced mecha! I'll get you and your little lizards, too!" "I won't hold my breath, Brat-Ko." B-Ko and her minions limped away, moaning and groaning in pain. "Wow," C-Ko breathed in awe. "Cu Bone, come back," Zoey called, holding his PokeBall. He ran back and jumped in. "Charmander," she held out his, "you're a good lizard. Thanks." "Char," he grinned, and lept up into his PokeBall. Zoey returned the shrunken PokeBalls to her pouch and said, "A-Ko, you win, I forfeit the rest of the game. I'll make dinner tonight." "Fine by me," A-Ko balanced the basketball on her head. "I'll help!" C-Ko chimed in. "Nah, I'll be fine. I want you guys to sample my magnificent cooking-- Zoey Style!" She kicked the ball off A-ko's head and into the south basket. XII. The Net Monday arrived as it always had in the Spring: cool and breezy, with C-Ko whipping like a banner behind A-Ko and Zoey on their way to school. Pixel poked his head out of the gym bag slung over Zoey's shoulder, his only mode of transportation to and from the high school. They entered the gates with two minutes to spare, B-Ko nowhere to be seen. "Gee, where's B-Ko?" C-Ko looked around curiously. "Maybe the Toilet Monster got her!" Zoey snorted a giggle. A-Ko snickered which led to a giggle then a flat out gaffaw. "Help!" a girl cried. "Mari! Ume! Help me get Ine down!" B-Ko ordered from the north side of the school grounds. "Lessee what Klepto and her Three Stooges are up to," Zoey suggested, winking. C-Ko grinned and let Zoey take her by the hand with A-Ko following not far behind. "Yow," Pixel remarked, wiggling out of the bag when they settled in the shade of a nondescript bush. "You're right, Pixel," Zoey giggled. "They're pretty stupid." Ine was caught upside-down in a snare, hanging over the heads of B-Ko and Ume, swinging crazily by her useless struggles to free herself. "What's Ine doing in the tree?" C-Ko exclaimed. "Shh-h-h!" A-Ko clamped her hand over her mouth. "What was that? C-Ko?" B-Ko turned in their direction. "Now you've done it, C-Ko," A-Ko took her hand back. "Zoey?! You and I've got some business to take care of," B- Ko brushed her fingertips across her bangs. "Sure we do, B-Ko," Zoey replied, stepping out of the foilage. Pixel hissed. B-Ko took a step forward as Mari reached up to pull Ine down. Something happened-- either B-Ko stepped on something or Mari set off something by pulling the rope-- a black net whipped up off the ground and gathered B-Ko and her minions up like a catch of fish, hanging from the tree. "Get me out of here!" B-Ko demanded. "Ume, get your foot out of my face!" "Squirtle, Squirtle," a nasal voice came from the upper branches of the tree. "Huh?" everyone looked up, save for Zoey who snapped her fingers. "Of course!" she roared. "A Squirtle! A Water Turtle Pokemon! That's your Toilet Monster!" An aqua-blue turtle fell from the tree. He wore a pair of streamline sunglasses and a coil of rope slung over his shoulder. "Squirtle, Squirtle," he told her. "No way, pal, you're mine," she retorted, nodding to Pixel who made himself scarce. "A-Ko, will Zoey be okay?" "Sure. This is what she does." Squirtle made a run toward the gymblock and Zoey gave chase. "Let's watch, then!" C-Ko pulled A-Ko to follow Zoey and the turtle. "Let me down!" B-Ko yelled after their retreating figures. "Mari, get your hand off my--!" Zoey still couldn't figure out how such a short and stubby- legged creature could run so fast. She chased him around the gym, then on through the tennis courts and to the swim team's empty practice pool. He turned and suddenly sprayed her; water gun from the mouth, a jet of water sprawling her back into the deep end of the pool. "Zo'!" A-Ko called. "Damnit, my head!" Zoey held the back of her head, climbing out of the pool, completely soaked. "What was that for? Expecting me to turn into a black-haired guy named Ranma?" "Squirtle, Squirtle," he grinned, turning to leave. "Pixel, now!" YOW-O-OW!" Pixel howled, leaping from the roof of the locker room and landing on Squirtle. An electrical flash enveloped the two, Pixel in concentration and Squirtle screeching in shock. The electricity eventually died, and Pixel released the stunned turtle. Squirtle lay on his back, a few swirls of smoke escaping from his wounds. "Squir-tle," he gasped. Zoey threw an empty PokeBall at him and it swallowed him in. She picked up the Ball and raised it above her head. "Successful catch! I've got Squirtle!" "Yow!" Pixel announced. The morning bell echoed through the campus. "Oh, no! The bell!" A-Ko grabbed C-Ko and shot off toward the main building. Zoey sped off as well, and Pixel went to look for a place to have a cat nap. "Any reason you're soaking wet, Zoey?" "I fell in the pool, ma'am." "Where are B-Ko and the others?" "Oh, they're hanging around somewhere, I believe." (AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is no Part XIII) XIV. The Challenge Tuesday morning found B-Ko none-the-worse for wear, standing at the entrance to Graviton High School, her lips pursed in bitter thoughts. she concluded, A-Ko's whole family is full of trouble makers, with Zoey as Public Enemy Number One. Those Pokemon confounding her henchgirls: one squiting Asa who is still in the hospital, another pounding Ume almost to death, still another frying them, and of course trapping them all in a net until lunch. Zoey did nothing to get them out! The icing on the cake was that Cu Bone hitting her in the face. Just outright humiliation the past week! Still, she continued to wonder, why wasn't she able to discern the true nature of this girl? Why had she deemed her "nonthreatening" when she had mortified B-Ko more than A-Ko ever did in her entire life? She couldn't wait another week for her to leave, Zoey had to destroyed *now*. Her plans for the mecha she had been working on have changed, a new enemy had appeared. Hell, maybe she could even tame those damn Pokemon for her own use. The three girls sped up the hill-- and suddenly stopped before slamming into B-Ko. "Oh, no," A-Ko moaned. "I know what this means!" "What?" Zoey asked. "B-Ko... what do you want?" C-Ko hid behind A-Ko, prepared to hear B-Ko wanting to break their peaceful truce. Pixel growled from Zoey's gym bag. "Stay out of this A-Ko. I'm honoring our truce and you better do the same. This is between Zoey and me." "Huh?" A-Ko and C-Ko looked to each other, puzzled. A-Ko scratched her head. "What? Me?" Zoey raised an eyebrow. "Yes, you, you big creep! You have caused me more humiliation this past week than anyone else in my entire life! You and those Pokemon have fried, netted, snared, shot, and whacked my team and myself nearly everyday. You have caused me mental anguish and now it is my turn. *I challenge you, Zoey Valcuria*!" Zoey gazed into B-Ko's bitter blue eyes, studying the sincerity of her words. She blinked for several seconds. Eventually, she quipped, "Paper, Rock, Scissors?" B-Ko clenched her fists at her sides, hunched her shoulders, and spaced her feet apart. "Cut the stupid jokes out! I challenge you to a fight-- a death match! Vengence is mine and you will die, die, DIE!" B-Ko ended on a mad laugh, throwing her head back and closing her eyes. Zoey took the moment to slip A-Ko, C-Ko, and herself into the school grounds. B-Ko ceased laughing and noticed they were gone. She swung her head around and found them behind her. "I'm not through with you!" she called. "Go on, A-Ko and C-Ko," Zoey stood and turned to face B-Ko. She rubbed her nose and said, "B-Ko Daitokuji, I accept your challenge. Not to beat you out at anything but to shut your blasted mouth up. I'm going to class. Good day." "Don't walk away from me! I want it NOW!" Zoey continued on, speaking over her shoulder, "Too damn bad! The world does not revolve around your temper tantrums." Zoey tuned B-Ko's threats out and began to worry. She needn't this now, not when her Pokemon mission is almost at a close. One or two more to go, just one or two more! XV. The Favor "Oh, there's the bell! Good afternoon, class, see you tomarrow morning. Zoey, I would like to speak to you in my office." "Yes, Miss Ayumi." "Tomarrow you will die, Valcuria." "Send my regards to the Overfiend for me, Daitokuji." "I wonder what Miss Ayumi wants to see you about." "I dunno. Maybe because I arrived to class soaking wet yesterday." "So there isn't anymore Toilet Monster?" "No way, C-Ko. And no more traps and spray paint. That little turtle I caught was behind all that." "Oh. Is your Pokemon catching trip over then?" "I don't think so. I believe there may be one, maybe two, more. We'll have to see." "Zo', B-Ko is probably planning to either use her battle armor or throw a robot at you tomarrow. If you want me to help... " "Thanks, A-Ko, but this is just between her and me; you promised C-Ko you wouldn't fight with B-Ko." "But, Zoey, I can hold my own with B-Ko! You don't have the same level of powers as I do!" "Yes, I know they're only half of yours, cuz, but I can take care of myself. Besides, if all else fails, I have Pixel and the rest to help." "Should we wait for you?" "Nah, go on home. I can run after I'm through with Ayumi." "Okay, see you later." Zoey stood outside the teachers' communial office, gathering up her nerve to enter. The last time a teacher had asked to see her in their office she was blamed for putting Mr. Schmidlin's 1963 Plymouth "Trog Bomb" in the school pool. Maybe her Pokemon inquiries was an illegal procedure. She took a deep breath and knocked, then opened the door to poke her head in. "Miss Ayumi?" "Zoey," the teacher placed her coffee cup down. "Come in. I have something important to share with you." "Am I in trouble for anything?" she asked, stepping inside the brightly lit and cozily messy office. "Not at all, not at all. Please sit," Miss Ayumi set aside the literature book in front of her and folded her hands on the desk, studying Zoey. "If I had known you were a Pokemon Trainer I would have helped you." Zoey's mouth opened and closed a few times, the statement totally throwing her off. "You know... ?" "Of course. I was going to start training at the Graviton City Gym when I got back from a family vacation in England. Alas, the meteor destroyed Graviton City and the Gym before my family returned. Otherwise, if I hadn't gone into teaching, I would have been a Gym Trainer by this time. "I've known the high school has had the Pokemon infestation for about a month now. Congratulations on catching Balbasaur and Squirtle; C-Ko told me about your catches." "Wow, I never expected." "A cat that can generate electricity can only be a Pokemon." "Yes, a Pixel. Tell me, are there any other Pokemon around here?" Miss Ayumi lowered her eyes and she fiddled with the gold chain at her neck. "One. A Ghost Pokemon. It always catches me after school as I'm walking through the halls. Zoey, I'm at my wit's end! I've been on the verge of a nervous breakdown for three weeks; it's unnerving to be followed and victimized by a Ghost Pokemon!" "Poor Miss Ayumi," Zoey reached out to touch her arm. "Zoey, could you-- would you-- catch it?" "Consider it done, Miss Ayumi." XVI. The Spectre The empty hall of the school click-clacked with the echoes of Miss Ayumi's heels-- (deja vu, recalls the author) --The setting and time the same for the past three and a half weeks. Two new characters added to the list, though: young Zoey and the cat Pixel, standing ready in the shadows at the entrance of the hall. Zoey kept her eyes glued to Miss Ayumi, watching for-- There it is! The blast of air flapping her jacket, etherally stirring loose strands of teal hair. The sensei stood still, grasping her gradebooks and folders to her breast. "What do you want?" she called down the hall. "HAUN-HAUN-HAUNTER!" A Haunter, Zoey processed the Pokemon name through her head. A Ghost Pokemon, mischievous practical joker, not much else is known about them; hard to catch, period. Damn. "Pixel?" she whispered. "Yow," he acknowledged, pressing his ears back. The purple spiked ball materialized, his dislocated hands balled up on either side of his head in imitation of Miss Ayumi's hair, laughing hysterically to himself. "Ready, Pixel?" "Yow," he replied, crouching down with his backend in the air, his muscles quivering and whiskers twitching. Haunter stretched the sides of his face wide out. "NOW!" "YOW!" All in under a second: Miss Ayumi hit the floor, Pixel pounced Haunter, and Haunter disappeared just as Pixel was about to emit an electrical charge. "Haun-Haun-Haunter!" he laughed at them. Zoey ran out to Miss Ayumi and helped her up. "You okay, ma'am?" "Yes, I think so. Where is he?" "Pixel?" "Yow," the cat growled low in his throat, staring down the hall. The sound of a bowling ball rolled down the hall toward them. The quiet hiss of a fuse echoed off the walls. "Miss Ayumi... " "I never heard a bowling ball do that before." "It's not a bowling ball, it's a bomb!" Both screamed and ran down to the opposite end of the hall as the hissing black bomb rolled after them. Pixel lept up to a window and watched it roll by. Zoey dug in her pouch and produced a PokeBall. "Cu Bone, I call you!" The ball deposited Cu Bone in the middle of the hall, him announcing "Cu Bone-Bone-Bone." He watched the bomb roll by. "Cu Bone, hit it back!" Zoey ordered. "Cu Bone-Bone-Bone," he spun his club, entered the path, and teed up to swing. The bomb rolled and he brought his bone club down, hitting it. The bomb exploded in mid-air, knocking Cu Bone back from the force of the blast. "Cu Bone!" Zoey cried. "Stay here, Miss Ayumi!" She ran to her skull helmeted lizard, kneeling down and patting his helmet. "Oh, Cu Bone, I'm sorry. Here, back in your PokeBall." She opened his Ball and it pulled him in. Then she traded it for another. "Charmander, I call you!" Charmander popped out of his. "Char!" Haunter appeared before them, chuckling. "Charmander, flame thrower attack!" Charmander sucked in his breath-- and Haunter pulled his mouth wide open, screeching, "HAUN-HAUN-HAUNTER!!!" The Fire Lizard yelped and sprang behind Zoey's legs. "Charmander... " "Char, Char, Char!" he explained, covering his eyes. "You're afraid of Ghost Pokemon?!" she squealed in disbelief. Haunter rolled in the air, gaffawing, and was quickly cut off by an electric bolt in the backside. "YOW," Pixel hissed, his orange fur bristled, crackling with electricity. Haunter turned back to Zoey and opened his mouth; a big pink tongue snaked out and licked her from chin to forehead, leaving a wet plasma film. "UGH!" she groaned, wiping her face with her hands, collapsing to her knees. "Haun-Haun-Haunter!" he laughed, fading into nothing. "Yow," Pixel remarked. Zoey stared into the space in front of her, stunned by the behavior of the jokester Ghost Pokemon. "Zoey, are you all right?" "I lost him... " she whispered faintly. "You tried," Miss Ayumi came up beside her. "I lost a Pokemon... " she stated a little louder. "You have a few more days." "A Pokemon got away!" she screamed, slamming her fists to the floor, creating six inch wide craters in the tile. "But, Zoey--" "Miss Ayumi, you don't understand. This is the first time a Pokemon has ever gotten away from me. I've *failed*!" XVII. The Mecha The taste of defeat was still bitter in Zoey's mouth Wednesday morning as she had not gotten any sleep the night before. She replayed the fight on a continuous mental loop the entire night, analyzing every flaw on her part. A-Ko's snoring was especially loud that night as well. She continued this analysis on the way to school, letting A-Ko do the running as she whipped from A-Ko's right hand. "You know, Zo'," A-Ko interrupted her thoughts. "Maybe you should use a different strategy!" "What the hell do you suggest? Feeding him okonomiyaki?" "Don't yell at A-Ko, Zoey!" C-Ko scolded her sharply. "Ghost Pokemon are hard to catch, you say! How about finding out what it wants! EXCCUUUUSSSE MEEEEEEE!!!!" A-Ko narrowly avoided running over a fellow skateboarding to the boys school down the street. In a thick Scottish accent he yelled back, "Och, lassie, watch whose skirt yer blowin' up!" "A-Ko, that plan is totally ridiculous!" "So it is," B-Ko's voice carried over the wind. A-Ko halted at the gates of Graviton High. As always stood B-Ko, waiting in snide greeting. "B-Ko, leave my cousin alone!" "I'm afraid not, A-Ko. If you interrupt our dispute in anyway, that will constitute as a breach of our truce-- all bets will be off." "You sure Zoey can take care of herself?" C-Ko asked. "Then I'm going to class to talk to Noa about yesterday's episode of 'Ah! My Goddess'." C-Ko skipped off through the gates; B-Ko gazed after her, momentarily distracted. Zoey gave the gym bag full of Pixel to A-Ko. "Hold him down, cuz. B-Ko!" She turned back to the redheaded cousins. "So, finally accepted you're going to die today." Zoey rubbed her nose and replied, "I lost a Pokemon last night. I didn't get any sleep. So, what toy have you got for me?" "Something you may appreciate... Okay, start 'er up!" A hum of machinery kick started and the sky shifted; like the fabric of space-time had distorted. "What the heck?!" A-Ko exclaimed. A faint outline of a fifty foot lizard sparkled in the morning sun, the body and internal machinery of the mecha made entirely of-- "Glass!" A-Ko concluded. "No, Stupid. Compressed steel. Zoey's F-15 inspired its material composition." "But it's a *lizard*!" A-Ko objected. "I'll be--" Zoey studied the extended claws, sharper teeth, and the majestic crest sticking out the back of the head. "It's Charmander's evolved state-- a Charmeleon!" "Quite correct; this design was merely done by intuition, I had no idea what I was creating until I saw your Charmander. Meet the Queen Promethium 999!" Zoey clenched her jaw, restraining her fists at her sides. "The Queen Promethium?!" "And you'll be calling it 'God' by the time it's through with you. Claws of titanium lead alloy capable of slicing through meter thick steel plates, fire breath with the ability of smelting metal, and the head crest is a generator of ten thousand volts of electricity. Even with your Pokemon, you stand no chance of success. Prepare for death!" A pained look crossed Zoey's face, growing into one of rage. "I'm sick, I'm tired, and I'm depressed. Your pissy attitude and spoiled behavior is getting on my last nerve. Charmander can't produce electricity because he is a FIRE Pokemon. I'm now real MAAAD!!!" "Queen Promethium, kill!" The mecha lizard creaked its mouth open. Zoey lept up in the air, barely avoiding the stream of fire aimed where she was; the pavement melted. She flew up to the shoulder and grabbed hold, almost slipping. A claw came down at her. She scampered around to the back of the neck; the claws tore its own shoulder off. The arm crashed down, tearing up the melted pavement in its wake, the fingers still flopping spasmically. The other hand felt what was left of its shoulder, electrictiy sparking out of the socket. Zoey had hurrily examined the exposed circuits and gears through the invisible outer shell. A hum sang from the head, a glow emanating from the crest, charging the electrical passage. Ah! Found it! The main power cable running from the "brain" to the rest of the robot, located between two clear steel plates. The other claw came after her as she plowed her fist through the back of the neck and ripped the cable out. The power pulsing through the cable threw her off. The explosion scattered mecha innards. The lightning bolt never formed. B-Ko stamped her foot. "Damn you, Valcuria!" Zoey groaned and lifted her head up to feel the back. She opened her eyes-- and found she was plastered to the second story of the school building. B-Ko ran to the front of the school, standing below her and pointed at her accusingly. "My Queen Promethium was meant to destroy you! No matter: tomarrow is another day, and you will face my most dangerous weapon. But first I need to Pokemon-proof it." The bell rang for morning classes. "Aren't you running late, Daitokuji?" Zoey groaned. "I'm afraid I am. Tomarrow, Valcuria." B-Ko ran into the building. A-Ko appeared, holding Pixel gently. "Yow?" "Yeah, Pixel, I'm fine." "Zo'?" "Just let me gather my bearings, cuz. I'll see you in class." A-Ko hurried into the school, and Zoey leaned her head back, meditating upon the skyscrapers of Graviton City. "A different stategy... " XVIII. The Meeting Zoey set the clay tea cups in the middle of the hall, sitting down in front of them. Pixel and Miss Ayumi waited in the shadows, she petting him absently. "Haunter," Zoey called down the hall, her voice reverberating against the walls. "I'd like to make peace with you." "Haun-Haun-Haunter?" he appeared, scratching his head in curiousity. "There you are! Listen, Haunter, I don't want to catch you. I have no use for a Ghost Pokemon anyway." "Haun-Haun-Haunter," he commented. "I'm sorry for yesterday, I truly am. Here... friendship tea." The Ghost glanced down at the cup she offered. He accepted, and chugged it down as she sipped hers. "Haun-Haun-Haunter." "I came to ask you a few questions." "Haun?" She took a deep breath and asked, "Why do you harrass Miss Ayumi?" "Haun-Haun; Haun-Haun, Haunter. Haun-Haun... " "I see." They conversed a few more minutes, exchanging words of apology and promise. At last he grinned, and stretched his face vertically... in an impression reminding her vaguely of an Easter Island Statue done by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. She giggled. Haunter chuckled as well, adding, "Haun-Haun-Haunter." "Yeah, I know. Thanks, see you later." He saluted her and drifted down the hall, mumbling to himself. "Well, Zoey?" Miss Ayumi approached her. "What did that Haunter want? Why has he been harrassing me?" "Are you ready for this, ma'am?" Zoey got up and started down the hall. Pixel trailed after them, sniffing the tiles. "Is it bad?" "Depending on how you look at it. Haunter is the practical joker among the Ghost Pokemon; his main reason for bothering you is out of neccessity. His real reason is to make you laugh." "Laugh?" "According to Haunter, he says you don't laugh enough. This Haunter is a strange duck: he drifts from place to place, finding unhappy people and attempts to bring them out of their misery. He says he's been trying to get you to laugh for the past month; you need a laugh to relieve the stress. Unfortunately, you've been taking his jokes as an attack." "So, all I have to do is *laugh* at him?" "A good, hearty gaffaw. Think of him as a Pokemon version of Jim Carrey." "Who?" "Just think of him as a circus clown." "Oh. all right. Thanks, Zoey." "Glad I could help, Miss. Have a good evening." "You, too. And please be in class on time tomarrow." "Yes, ma'am." XIX. The Showdown "'See Charmeleon lying there in the sun Ah, thanks to B-Ko-san blown, blown away!'" "Hey, Zo', are those new lyrics to Slave's 'Run, Run Away'?" A-Ko asked over the headwind from their run. "Yessir, cousin o' mine!" she grinned, humming the eighties tune. "You're happy today! Ya-hoo!" C-Ko cheered between them. "Have you caught the ghost?" "No, but we reached an agreement!" "Your mission is officially over?" A-Ko inquired. "Almost! I've got one more pest to deal with... " "So, you decided to come back after all," B-Ko remarked sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest. "Have some business to take care of, Miss Daitokuji." "I hope it includes our own unfinished business." "Si." "Huh?" B-Ko's face fell into puzzlement. "Spanish for 'yes', Miss Highly Cultured." "Intermedable Tumescence!" "Chupacabra." "What?" "Literally translates into 'Goatsucker'." "That does it!" "Oh, no!" cried C-Ko. "They're going to fight!" B-Ko effortlessly pulled off her uniform, revealing her Akagiyama 23 bio-booster battle armor suit. Yet, A-Ko noted a difference from the normal boots, suit, missle launcher bracers, and helmet: the addition of a pair of mesh stockings and mesh knee-length, sleeveless robe. Zoey's shirt slipped off her shoulder, exposing a black bra strap. "B-Ko," she addressed her in awe. "Why the hell are you dressed for 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'?" "My Akagiyama 24 upgrades to the 23: electrical and fire- proof protective polymer garments. Even if you release the Pixel and Charmander on me, you have no chance. I now have to kill you myself. En garde!" B-Ko stood in battle pose. "Touche," Zoey bowed her head. "I am impressed. I never knew Magenta's 'dinnersuit' could be used for battle gear. Live and learn." "Well?" "'Hit me with your best shot'," Zoey sang, setting Pixel's bag down and spreading her arms out. "'Fire away'!" B-Ko dropped her stance. "Now you took all the fun out of killing you," she pouted, then took up the stance again. "No matter. Akagiyama Missles!" A-Ko grabbed C-Ko and rolled off to the side. Pixel lept in after them. Zoey brought her arms up and deflected the missles off her bracelets in high speed motion: one-two-three-four... up to ten. "Incoming, sir!" "What the hell?! General!" "Ahh... It's those girls again, I tell you!" "But, General--!" An explosion rocked the Command Center, sending Director- General Zuma sprawling form his chair. "Ahh... send an Interceptor out to observe Graviton High School. If the fight escalates off the property, then... we take action." "But, sir, someone shot at the Command Center!" "Stray missle, Colonel; happens all the time. Tequila?" "Argh!" B-Ko groaned in disgust. "Required training: Bullets and Bracelets. Although we've never tried missles before. Cool." "Don't mock me!" Zoey opened her pouch and selected a PokeBall. In a fair imitation of Groucho Marx she said, "Speaking of mocking... " She pulled her arm back and let the Ball fly. "Ditto, I call you!" The electrical ball released a pink blob with a perpetual smiley face. "Ditto," he announced sweetly. B-Ko's mesh robe top slipped off one shoulder. "What in hell is that?" she pointed at him. "A Ditto. Can imitate anyone or anything. For example: Ditto, B-Ko Daitokuji!" "Ditto," he replied, and his body shifted, growing long. Legs and arms formed, pale skin and purple body armor took shape, steel blue hair emerged. Standing at Zoey's side was an identical twin of B-Ko, everything done in perfect replication. "That doesn't look *anything* like me!" B-Ko objected as she pulled her sleeve back up. "B-Ko!" C-Ko yelled. "I didn't know you had a twin sister!" B-Ko's face disfigured itself, but she quickly recovered. "Fine, but let's see how well it holds up. Akagiyama Missles!" B-Ko raised her arm. "Ditto, Akagiyama Missles!" Ditto raised his-her arm. Both B-Kos shot missles at each other, a cloud of smoke enveloping everyone's vision. Explosions shook the grounds of Graviton High. "Sir, the battle is still located on the school property. It appears to have reached a lull," a pilot reported over the com. "Only intervene if outshide the groundsh." "But, sir--" Colonel Yashida interrupted. "What izh it?" He paused, scratching his head, then banged it up against the wall. "Nevermind... Aw, hell, I'll take a swig. Might as well go down buzzed." "Lime?" The smoke cleared at last. Zoey, A-Ko, and C-Ko had gone to class. B-Ko lay in the remains of the boundry wall and iron gates of the school. Her battle armor and protective garments in tatters. The morning bell rang. "Ow. I should have made it missle-proof, too," she groaned in pain. XX. The Aftermath Zoey breathed in the scent of cherry blossoms mingled with jet fuel, the Saturday afternoon sunshine pouring over her noble, scarlet head. "I can't believe you have to go back already," A-Ko sighed, drawing her arms around Zoey's waist. Zoey hugged A-Ko back and added, "Yeah; the most fun I've had since Pixel and I went through Missouri and got stopped by a cop in his pyjamas while waving a shotgun around and asking about the Firework Bandits." "Going back to America?" "Yup. Meet up again with my chef-darling and... " Zoey blushed. "Well, anyway, more Pokemon catching to do. Almost done, then off to the Pokemon League." "Well," A-Ko pulled away and clutched Zoey's bracelet; Zoey clutched A-Ko's bracer in a shake. "Good luck, Zoey." "Good luck, A-Ko. Keep up the good fight. Tell C-Ko I said good-bye." "I will. Bye, Pixel, look after Zoey." "Yow," he replied, rubbing up against her legs and purring intensely. Zoey strapped on her helmet and stood at attention. She saluted A-Ko and turned to her invisible F-15, sparkling in the sun. A-Ko watched her cousin and the cat board the plane, start up, and taxi down the runway. The Eagle left the Tarmac and soared up in the air, circling above Graviton Airfield once, then settled in a course to the east. A-Ko waved after her until she lost visual contact. "No doubt about it," she told no one in particular. "*That's* the looniest cousin in the whole family tree. Oh, no! I promised to meet C-Ko at the movie theatre for the 'Godzilla Festival'!" She took off at Mach 2 across the runway toward downtown, speeding past a certain Director-General carrying a flask of tequila. Hikaru Daitokuji couldn't sleep. The thumping and pounding, clanging and rattling was working on his final nerve. What was B-Ko up to now? She couldn't be making another mecha; she just got back from a two day stay in the hospital with several dozen broken bones and two broken nails. He sprang from the bed, struggled into a robe, and stomped down the hall toward his daughter's room. "B-KO!" he exclaimed, swinging open the bedroom door. "CUT THAT RACKET OUT!" B-Ko was laid-up in several suspension contraptions in her elegant antique four posted bed, bound up in meters and meters of bandages and casts. Her eyes peered out from the bandages and narrowly stared down her father. Haunter had made himself at home in B-Ko's closet, tossing out and trying on her dresses and formalwear, throwing her shoes against the walls. He waltzed out as well as a floating Ghost Pokemon could waltz, dressed in a Kimomo and mumbling the score from Madame Butterfly. Daitokuji's eyes popped wide open and he raised a trembling finger at Haunter. "A G-G-G-GHOST!!!" Haunter turned to him and announced, "Haun-Haun-Haunter!" Then proceeded to lick Daitokuji's face with that big pink tongue. "AUUURRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!" he screeched, flying out of the room in total terror. B-Ko screamed after him, only muffled by the bandages, "You are such a coward, father! Get me an exorcist!" She lay back among the pillows. XXI. The End (What were you expecting? A voice over? Oy!)