Pokémon- the infernal glitch (Part 4)

As Yellow left the Pokémon center, his C-gear rang.

"Hello, this is Yellow."

"Hello, son! As you know, I've been holding onto your money for you while you were gone..."

"What? Again, mother? I thought I told you to deposit it in the bank!"

"Anyway, I just thought I would let you know, I went on a shopping spree, but I kinda did it with your money..."

"Aww, man! Not AGAIN!"

"But while I was at the store, I saw eight raffle booths..."

"Wait, you went all the way to Join Avenue just to shop!?" Yellow said, astonished by the expense of such a trip.

"And I won a prize! Well, actually, I won more than one prize. But I thought I'd let you have one."

"Mom! You know I can't afford to have you jaunting off to wherever you want to go shopping..."

"So, I've sent it to you. There should be a courier arriving there soon with your Master Ball."

"Wait. What? They were giving away Master Balls?"

"I love you son, remember to play nice!"

"Wait, mom! Promise me you're not going to just" Yellow started, but his mother had already disconnected.

A very fat man riding a very small bike suddenly turned a corner, and came to a stop in front of Yellow. He was soaked in sweat, and wearing a yellow shirt... that was obviously meant to be white (but wasn't anymore).

"Excuse me, sir? Are you Yellow?" The man asked, in a voice that was tiny and squeaky. It was the saddest sight Yellow had ever seen.

"Uh... yeah, that's me." Yellow replied, feeling really awkward about the whole interaction, and desperately wanting to run away at full speed.

"This package is for you, then." The man said as he rummaged around the inside of his pants in the back. The mental imagery Yellow conjured at that time nearly made him want to reject the package on principle alone. The courier then produced a fanny pack in the most garish of pink, green, and yellow, from which he then produced a nicely wrapped white box with a dark blue ribbon.

"Thanks, now get lost." Yellow said, accepting the package. The courier frowned, but nodded his head as if he had been told the same thing by everybody he had ever delivered to before. Then, with the silent dignity of a circus clown, he pedaled his tiny bike away.

Yellow would have laughed at the strangeness of the sight he has just beheld if it weren't so incredibly eerie and sad.

"It's funny because it's sad. And... it's sad because it's true." Yellow cringed, "I swear, mom, sometimes, I wonder what goes on in that head of yours."

Opening the box, Yellow found a well-polished Master Ball, and a note which read:

"Elite Four Training! Have all the badges you need to face the Elite Four, but uncertain that you can make it? Worried that Victory Road is too dark for you to train inside? Then come to our training center! Many top-tier trainers with badges from ALL REGIONS! Test your mettle, and train to your heart's content!"

On the back of the note was a map. This "training center" was pretty far from Yellow's location. Knowing that there was only one option, Yellow went to a nearby tree and threw a Nest Ball at a sleeping Pidgey. It looked newborn, but was asleep. It was an easy capture, and as the last wiggle settled the ball, it fell from the tree, allowing Yellow to retrieve it easily.

Throwing the ball, Yellow immediately called upon Pidgey.

"Wake up, you lazy bird!" He said loudly, scaring the Pidgey rather thoroughly. "It's time to learn how to fly!" Yellow pulled out the FLY HM, and attempted to shove the CD down the baby Pidgey's throat. It looked uncomfortable. Then, Yellow remembered he had to use it to hypnotize the Pidgey into knowing it... so he tried that instead. It worked! The Pidgey suddenly knew how to lift off the ground and fly around.

"TO NARNIA!" Yellow yelled, as he callously jumped upon the back of the Pidgey, and insisted that it fly him and all his equipment several hundred miles by itself to the destination city he had chosen.

Arriving a few minutes later, Pidgey died. Yellow didn't care. To him, Pidgeys were "one-shot Pokémon" anyway. It had served its purpose. It flew. Yellow kicked in the door and announced his arrival at the Elite Four Training center.

His initial reaction was one of confusion. Sitting in front of him were about 20 people all drinking tea and playing Mahjong. His second reaction was one of embarassment, realizing that he had kicked in the door to the retirement home that was on the first floor. Apparently the battle area was upstairs.

Yellow thought about the situation, and came to a clear plan. He waited for the next person to come down the stairs outside from their training. He was curious why it was taking so long, but as the sun began to set, a young boy came out the door and rushed down the stairs. Yellow tripped him as he passed. Then he helped the boy up, stealing all the badges he had in the process.

"Problem solved!" Yellow claimed. He laughed to himself about how he hadn't thought of it earlier. The easiest way to get the badges back was to just take them from other trainers. The young boy didn't even notice his badges were gone. He just left in a hurry.

Things were looking easier and easier for Yellow. Sure, it was a bit rude, but he wasn't concerned. After all, this was all that Blue's fault. He had done something, and Yellow was determined to make Blue pay for cheating!

The wretch

Timothy was not a man of wealth, but he was a man of conscience.
He knew the difference between what was right and what was wrong.

Most of the time, life had dealt Timothy an average hand. He won some,
and he lost some, but he always had enough.

Now, it so happened that one day, Timothy needed to travel for business reasons.
As was his usual fate, life had dealt him a meager but modest hand in this too.
His boss, sending him to pick up the new equipment, had arranged for a coach
to take him out to the countryside (about half the distance). He would then
have to take a ferry (also paid round trip) to obtain what the business needed.

Timothy didn't really know the details about what he was supposed to retrieve, but
he knew enough to know it was a fairly large bit of machinery. He was going to have
an escort back, though, so he wasn't terribly concerned.

Packing with him a handful of homemade biscuits, a summer sausage, and a wedge of
hard cheese, he prepared for his trip. Timothy figured he wouldn't need to worry about
much in the way of provisions. He was sure that by being an honest and upright person,
he would have no difficulty making such a simple trip.

The coach arrived in the small town with Timothy, and came to a stop.
"Have yerself a safe trip, mate." The middle-aged gentleman stated with a tip
of his hat as he departed. Timothy gave a brief smile and wave.

The first half of the journey had been harmless. A nice coach, not decadent,
but certainly not some bargain box-on-wheels. The ride had been so quick, it was
still morning when Timothy arrived. Deciding he could still make it to the port if he
were to hurry, Timothy ate his lunch while making the walk to the shore.

"NO! Please! Why me? I have caused you no harm!" came a frightened yell from over
a hill. As the sound reached Timothy's ears, he felt propelled into action to save the
innocent man from whatever was assailing him.

Upon reaching the apex of the hill, he saw two gentlemen using their canes to beat a
poor fellow who lay at their feet. Timothy, rushing to the defense of the bystander
brashly pulled them away.

"You, sirs, are quite the terrible bunch! How dare you attack an innocent man!"

The men, regaining their posture, scowled at the insolence of this traveler. At once,
Timothy began to second guess his decision to stop them. One man was dressed in
fine linens, and wore an opulent cross around his neck. The attire suggested that he
was a man of high standing in the church, and Timothy wondered if perhaps the
man who lay silently on the ground were truly innocent.

The feeling of being in the wrong sank in even more deeply when he realized that
the other man was none other than one of the patrols whose duties included that of
guarding the roads from suspect individuals who sought to be unscrupulous.

"I say, there, chap! What are you doing? Have you never heard of minding your
own business? What has you out here at this time of day, interfering in matters that
are not your own?" The patrol asked.

Timothy confessed that he was simply traveling to the port where he was to do his
assignment.

"Ah, yes. I was told that there would be a man in need of an escort sometime
tomorrow or the day after. I will not be that escort, but I did let my comrade know
that on his duty as a patrol, he was to guard the man and the cargo with his life.
Seeing you now, however, I wonder if perhaps you would merely endanger him!" The
patrolman responded. With a large huff, the patrolman walked off with the minister
following closely.

"Thank you, so greatly, you good, good sir. I owe you a debt of great gratitude.
Surely you have saved my life this very day." The wretch at Timothy's feet cried,
tears streaming down his dirty, bloodied face.

Timothy swiftly turned upon the man.

"What terrible business did you have that caused them to attack you so?" he asked
audaciously.

At these words, the wretch on the ground looked as if he had been visibly stricken.
His face glowed red, and the tears streaming from his eyes began to flow even more.

"If you must know, sir, I did indeed have business with them. I swear it upon the grave
of my late grandmother, that the business I did have was not of ill intent. For many
years, I have been alone. An outcast from my village since the time of my
grandmother's passing. For you see, I have little strength, and so it is difficult for me
to move on my own power, sir. So I have wandered the countryside, attempting to
make even one friendship that would last. But I failed, and I fear that this has been the
last time I shall ever have a chance to do so. Even the holy man of the church, whom
I approached has cast me down as evil. I had heard that the friendless would find
friends, and that the hopeless would find hope because of the one in which the people
of the church believe... and yet, I find this minister has turned me away." The wretch
gestured to his legs.

"As I approached, the minister yelled for help, saying 'alas, a robber is upon me, please
lend me your aid!' to the patrol. And before I even had the opportunity to ask that I be
helped to a place where I could rest, I was set upon by them both... and now I fear that
my legs have been broken."

Timothy saw that the frail and thin legs of the man were indeed contorted in directions
they should not bend, and were covered in bruises. Feeling a pang of his conscience,
Timothy offered the man some assistance in getting to the port town. The wretch smiled,
but it was clear that the smile was done through great anguish.

Timothy spent the night at an inn after taking the ferry to the other side of the river,
leaving behind the wretch he had met on his way. The following day, he retrieved the
machinery from the warehouse district which had produced it, and began wheeling it
with him back to the ferry. After a moderate ride back, he came across the wretch,
left exactly where he had been the previous day.

Timothy was shocked. Surely someone would have helped this man by now!
But when he casually made his way toward the wretch, he noticed that the man now looked
even more hurt than he had the previous day. Timothy, feeling obligated to do the "right" thing
got a doctor nearby to help the poor man, giving up what little he had, and promising more
later to compensate for the treatment.

Shortly before he met up with the patrol which was to escort him back to a nearby station,
the wretch started speaking to him. The words which came from his mouth were shaped
by sadness, and Timothy could feel the longing contained within them.

"Why did you help me? I don't understand. You should have just let me die.
I am clearly of no worth. No, look, I've even been of great cost to you. I just
cannot comprehend why you would ever care."

"I did what needed to be done. All people have value, and I have my morals."
Timothy replied, but as he did, he remembered how quickly he had turned on the
wretch when he had seen the patrolman and the minister. "Why would you say that
I should have let you die?"

"Is it not obvious?" The wretch said in a voice that quivered with the sound of
sobs being held back for years, "Once you are gone, I will be alone again. I have not
a soul who cares for me. The more merciful thing would have been to kill me.
Then, perhaps, I would not have to endure the suffering of this mortal coil."

Timothy, so saddened by the thought that the life of this man was so poor, could not
bring himself to reply. So, he continued down the path. After a while, Timothy saw
the patrol, who was a kind young man. The patrolman helped Timothy transport the
machinery to the station, where it was loaded upon the car to be shipped via train
the remainder of the way to the business.

Timothy left the wretch behind, having no means to care for this man as well.
But the words of the wretch haunted him, and Timothy eventually found himself
back in that same town. He never discovered what happened to the wretch.
He did see the minister, however, preaching about the wonders of the church
and a "God" that loved every person, no matter where they were from...

Timothy let out a mirthless laugh. He had seen the true face of the friends to the
friendless, and the ones who truly suffered. Timothy was never the same again.
He never again felt short changed, even when the hand life dealt was more meager
than usual... and he continued to wonder what happened to the poor wretch.

The truth about trust

"Now I will tell you what I've done for you. 50,000 tears I've cried..."

-Evanescence (Going Under)

So, trust is a difficult topic for me.
When I think about who I trust, and with what, I realize that I don't really
know what to think most of the time.

Most of the time, I play with trust on the safe side. If I don't know with certainty
that I can trust someone with something, I simply won't do it. It's possible that
not trusting people has, in a way, been a defense I've developed.

As I think about the many times I've trusted people, though, I realize that there
is a good reason why I have difficulty trusting people. There are many people
who are unreliable, and many people who are showing a facade to the ones
around them.

I am one of those people, for that matter. I'm not really unreliable, but I hide
who I am under the mask of obscurity many times. I'm not really 'hiding', I tell
myself. I'm just not revealing all there is to show. But isn't that just like hiding?

The thing is, I've been hurt in the past, and many times I would rather deal with
the pain of hiding stuff about myself than deal with the bothersome problems that
occasionally come from the honesty about revealing details about myself.

It's so stupid, and it's so strange. The people that I have been told my whole life
that I should be able to trust have often been the ones I could trust the least.

Parents? Well, my mom I could trust, but for a while I wasn't sure.
My step-dad... HA! I still can't trust him. I've been hurt too many times.
He isn't worth my trust. He doesn't deserve my trust, and I won't apologize
for that position. He lost it, and every time I gave him the benefit of the doubt,
he wasn't on my side when it mattered most.

Friends? Well, I have a few which I trust implicitly. The problem with friends
was always that I couldn't trust that they would stay around. I don't want to be
negative where it isn't really a big deal, but... let's just say that in my personal
experiences, "best friend" was the best title to give to someone if I wanted them
to leave. Even now, my "best friend" isn't around anymore. And I'll admit right
here that I am very sad, and even a bit angry (somewhere) that he left. As my
friend, though, I would like him to be happy... and he is now. It's the kind of
happiness that I couldn't ever give him. No matter how hard I tried. So I try not
to be angry about it. However, it still leaves me alone when sometimes I need
that physical person that I can hold and be honest with. And maybe even cry
as I talk to them.

Christians? See, as a Christian, I've always been told that honesty was the best
idea. That I should be transparent about my good and my bad. That I should
trust the people around me that also claim to be Christian. The sad thing is,
I've had better experiences with many of my non-Christian friends than with
most of the Christian people I have known. How often have I, in the past,
against my better judgment, spoken candidly to my Christian friends? Many
times, when I have, I've received a mixed bag. Everything from the realization
that they're not really interested in what I'm going through, to them actively
hating who I am. Very few times has it resulted in a pleasant exchange of the
truths about each of us.

So, naturally, I should have expected the reactions I have gotten recently.
When I put my guns down, lowered my defenses, and opened my heart to
some Christians who I felt could be friends, in spite of known differences of
opinion.

Yet, the wind was totally knocked out of me with the suggestion that the
life I live is fundamentally messed up in a way that for these 'friends' is not an
issue. Like love is an addiction that should be viewed with contempt if it
doesn't fit into their mold for how it should look.

I lost sight of myself for a while, but eventually got back. (Honestly, it was
thanks to my best friend, physically absent as he was, and my "protector" by
the name of Zack.)

Zack has asked me, "why do you keep letting them do this to you?"
and I realized that I volunteer myself to to be slapped around like this far more
often than is healthy. I felt really bad for Zack when he said he felt that he
had "failed to protect [me] from the pain that [I] went through". He thought
he should have stepped in... but he was trying to give me a chance. I just
wasn't strong enough.

Honesty may be the best policy, but apparently trust is something that I can't
just pass out to the people around me, even if they are the ones I've been
assured I can trust.

Is it any surprise that my relationships tend to be lightweight?
I can't just trust people with things that could be used to hurt me... but it's the
private and painful things I share with others that helps be grow closer to them.

Part of it is that I don't want to get close to people, because people I get closer
to hurt me. Sometimes right away, sometimes down the line. There are people
I'm only acquainted with, too. These people, I don't want to trust with my life.
Sad news is that sometimes, my acquaintances I don't want to trust are the most
trustworthy of them all. Just, not the type of people I want to spend much time
around.

I would love to simplify my life. But I'm not sure what all would be needed.
Should I keep the people I trust? What if I trust them, but don't want to be
around them anymore? Should I get rid of the people that I can't trust, or those
who bring me down or cause me to feel confused?

I just don't see a place where I can clearly cut ties to the people I know.
Likewise, I'm not sure I want to stay in a relationship with people.

So, the truth about trust is that it's a double-edged sword.
I can't get close to someone without it, and I can't risk using it because
it can cause me more pain than if I don't. I feel trapped, and I know why...
but the explanation is so unsatisfying.

"Here in the darkness, I know myself. Can't break free until I let it go. Let me go! Darling I forgive you after all. Anything is better than to be alone. And in the end, I guess I had to fall- always find my place among the ashes. I can't hold on to me, wonder what's wrong with me?"

-Evanescence (Lithium)

So, I'm thinking that perhaps, I'm going to write a short story soon.
Fiction finds itself based upon the truths that cannot be hidden.
Pain, love, and life. Everything is ubiquitous. So I will write, and share in the best
way I know how. Safely wrapped up in the security of the loss of details... while
still bearing for the world to see the feelings I have within me.

 

Pokémon- the infernal glitch (Part 3)

Yellow strutted along toward his next destination. If he had to get his badges back the hard way, so be it. After all, with this Caterpie, how could he possibly lose?

Or so he thought, until he remembered what his next gym battle would be.
Arriving in town, he let out a rather loud "fuck", when he saw Cerulean City before him. Remembering that his Caterpie seemed proficient with water attacks, he could tell right away it would be useless to even bother using him... unless it had some other trick up its sleeve.

As he took his first step into town, a man slammed into him in a rush. Both of them collapsed. Yellow was the first to get back to his feet. Infuriated, Yellow demanded that the man apologize.

"I don't need to apologize to a runt like you! And I'm busy!" The man yelled, turning his back and trying to climb over the small ledge that prevented most trainers from returning the way they came.

"Hey! I'm not done with you yet!" Yellow yelled, and with the full force of his body, he lunged at the man, just as he got a leg over the ledge. Grabbing onto his arm, Yellow pulled as hard as he could, but sadly the strange metallic gauntlet-like apparatus he was wearing simply came un-velcroed and fell off.

"Aww, shit! My snag gauntlet!" The man exclaimed, "The boss is going to kill me if he finds out I lost it! But whatever, I'm out of here! I'll figure something else out!"

No sooner than the man had left than Officer Jenny arrived upon her Vespa. Seeing Yellow standing next to the ledge as if he was about to climb it, Jenny made an assumption.

"You! Stop! You're under arrest!" Officer Jenny yelled.

"For what?" Yellow demanded.

"For attempted theft of a bicycle, and theft of two custom-ordered masterballs!" Jenny resounded, brandishing her handcuffs.

"Now wait just a second! I haven't tried to steal any masterballs! Or bikes!" Yellow countered, angry at being accused of petty theft. (Although, he admitted to himself, masterballs are somewhat rare and incredibly expensive.)

"Wait, you look familiar." Jenny said, thinking about the situation a bit more carefully. "Are you... Yellow? The pokémon trainer who..."

"Became the champion of the Elite Four? Yeah." Yellow interrupted.

"No, I was about to say, who recently lost his title of champion to another pokemon trainer, and has been accused of murder of an innocent Dewgong, leading to the life-threatening self-inflicted injuries of an attempted suicide by the Elite Four member, Lorelai. But obviously, you are he."

"Now, wait a second! If she had just opened the door..." Yellow said defensively.

"Well, you are fortunate. Since Lorelai has not yet regained consciousness and cannot press charges at this time, and the murder or even the passive and willful endangerment of the lives of pokémon is not a crime, there's nothing I can do." Jenny said with a tone of voice that implied that she wanted to cuff someone.

"Well, sorry, but I'm not the guy you were looking for and I need to get to Cerulean city to see Misty." Yellow said flippantly.

"Did you happen to see the suspect? I was trailing him, but he headed this way and disappeared in the tall grass."

"Yeah, I saw him. He climbed the ledge after assaulting me, and not apologizing." Yellow claimed, while hiding the gauntlet behind his back.

"Well, damn. This is bad. I have to go." Jenny said, doing a doughnut, and fleeing toward the City as fast as her Vespa could drive.

Yellow thought about the words of the suspect. So, he was a thief... and he called the metal sleeve a snag gauntlet... which sounded vaguely familiar. Not wanting to waste an opportunity, Yellow put the device on his arm. It fit perfectly, as designed, having Velcro straps to ensure that it would be well suited to fit any individual.

Yellow headed to the Cerulean gym. There, swimmers were training for an upcoming race. Yellow ignored them all, heading to Misty, who was just drying off. 

"Oh! Hey, Yellow. So, heard you lost the champ title, hmm? That's too bad. But that's what you get for being such a cheater." Misty said with a smug look. She seemed to be recalling how his first battle against her involved one incredibly mischievous, modest Pikachu who was (overall) outstanding in ability and couldn't be better in regard to its electric moves.

"Ow, Misty. I see you're still as ugly on the inside as ever. You may have that stupid tween Ash fooled, but I know better." Yellow laughed.

"Ugh, you're so infuriating, Yellow! Why are you even here!?" Misty yelled.

"Simple. I want another badge." Yellow said.

"What? Another Cascade badge? You must be kidding! This is your THIRD ONE! What did you do this time? Went skydiving off a Drifloon and forgot to secure your trainer case?" Misty inquired incredulously. She obviously didn't believe him the previous time, either, when he claimed that a rampaging stampede of Jumpluff had stolen his trainer case. Of course, she had been right. He'd simply lost it, but he'd never admit it to her.

"No. If you must know, it was stolen from me..." Yellow was about to say Blue did it, but he thought of an even better scapegoat, "by a man running from town with some masterballs in his possession after he knocked me down." Yellow retorted.

"Well, you know the rules. You want a badge, you have to earn it." Misty said, sticking out her tongue.

"Fine, let's battle." Yellow replied.

"I'm short on time. Our team has to train. How about an abbreviated battle. One Pokémon versus one Pokémon. First to be unable to use their Pokémon in battle loses." Misty suggested.

"Fine. I choose Caterpie." Yellow mumbled.

"WHAT?" Misty said as she burst into laughter so hard it brought tears to her eyes.
"Oh, this is rich! A Caterpie! Oh man, I can't wait for this." Misty said.

The battle began. Each trainer sent out their Pokémon, but Yellow still had an ace up his sleeve. Just after the battle started, Yellow threw a masterball. It, however, glowed with a strange light, and suddenly captured Misty's Starmie.

"Game set and match. I win." Yellow said, as Misty looked on in amazement. She had never seen anyone manage to capture another trainer's Pokémon before. Every time someone had done that in the past, the Pokémon had been able to resist. Misty, though peeved, gave him a Cascade badge.

"I never want to see your cheating face around here again. And don't you DARE think I'm going to let you just steal my Starmie! I'm filing a police report about this!" Misty cried as she ran off.

"Piece of cake. You know what? I could get used to this!" Yellow said, as he giggled and left the gym.

Pokémon- the infernal glitch (Part 2)

Yellow rushed to the "Elite" Four, flying on the back of his Togetic. He liked to put air quotes around the word "Elite" when referring to them because of how easily he kept beating them. (Incidentally, they always put air quotes around the word "Champion" when referring to Yellow because no champion other than the one hired by the Pokémon League ever stayed in the champion room like they were supposed to after winning.)

"Oh no. Not you again." Lorelai said as she saw Yellow approaching. "Listen, can I just give you your allowance and ask you to just leave? Or are you going to insist AGAIN to fight my Pokémon?"

"Forget you and your Pokémon! I want you to open that door!" Yellow called out!

"You know it's against the rules for me to do that unless you beat me."

"Fine! Then I shall best you in battle again!" Yellow exclaimed.

"I choose you: Go, Dewgong!" Lorelai roared.

"I choose you: SHOTGUN" Yellow said, pulling out the shotgun, and killing the Dewgong on the spot.

Lorelai, so shocked by this turn of events opened the door, and then threw herself onto the decorative icicles below. Yellow scoffed "Weak!", and then he ran through the door. An announcement went out over the PA. League Elites were to let Yellow through because he has a fucking shotgun.

"Hmm, makes sense to me." Yellow mused. "Alright, now let's see who this new champion is supposed to be!"

Rushing into the Champion's Walk, Yellow was surprised. Expecting to see Red, he had no idea he was going to run into this fellow. Standing before him was Blue.

"Ah, so I see you've come." Blue stated calmly.

"HA! It's just you! How did you ever get this far? Here I was worried and everything! You're nothing to fear. You're just Blue. Poor Blue, never able to beat anyone. Such a weakling." Yellow laughed.

"I'm no weakling, and I can prove it." Blue retorted. "In battle."

"Fine. Go! Umbreon!" Yellow shouted, throwing his luxury ball. His Umbreon emerged, and the stage suddenly seemed dark as night, Umbreon's markings giving off a pale and yellow light, like the moon.

"I choose you, go MissngNo. !" Blue said in a voice that sounded eerily like Auto-tune.

Blue threw his premiere ball, but the Pokémon that popped out... was it even a Pokémon  There he saw... a greyish block, it... looked odd. There were parts of Pokémon in there he thought he saw, but Yellow couldn't even give a good description of the thing.

"That doesn't look like a Pokémon at all! But I'll beat you anyway!" Yellow exclaimed, feeling the fear welling up deep inside it, but trying to force it down with anger. It wasn't working very well.

"MissngNo. ! Use Splash!" Blue exclaimed. Yellow burst into laughter! Splash! The worst attack any Pokémon ever knew. Limited to mainly Magikarp, the move was literally just flopping about where you are and not even hitting the opponent. What a joke.

Umbreon squealed in pain, and then collapsed in a heap, the light of its markings going out, and the room returning to its normal lighting. Yellow's mouth fell open.

"No. No way. That... that's impossible! I... I don't even! HOW!?" Yellow said, but then suddenly, he remembered he was in the middle of battle, so he withdrew his Umbreon, and sent out his Dragonite... but before he could even declare an attack, the world went all.. weird. There wasn't a way to describe it, the colors of everything swapped around, and everything went blocky.

When Yellow awoke, he was at his house, and he noticed he only had one pokéball with him. Fearing what may come next, he decided to open it. "Go, pokéball."

Out of it popped his Caterpie. Great. "What happened to all my other Pokémon?!"
Calling back his Caterpie, he strolled to the computer which he had installed a network connection to Oblivia's PC for Pokémon storage. He was shocked by what appeared on screen.

Empty boxes. Empty boxes galore. 30 Boxes without a single Pokémon  It just wasn't possible! Caterpie was now his only Pokémon in the world, and he didn't know how!
Opening his trainer case to grab the phone number of Professor Yew, he was startled to see something even worse. He was missing all his gym badges, except the last one he had earned.

Rushing out, Yellow ran from all the wild Pokémon and approached the first gym: the rock type. Bursting in through the doors, he demanded the gym leader give him a replacement badge.

"Sorry, but if you want a new badge, you're going to need to challenge me." The leader said calmly.

"But I already beat you once!" Yellow cried.

"One badge for beating me once. You lost it? Beat me again, and don't be so careless this time!"

"Alright, fine! Let's go!" Yellow said in a fit of rage, throwing his pokéball, and sending out his Caterpie. The rock leader sent out his Onyx.

"Caterpie, use string shot!" Yellow called, but Caterpie looked confused. "Ok, then use... uh... tackle" still no response "umm, oh for goodness sake do something!"

Caterpie smiled (smeyesed, actually, because it smiled with its eyes), and turned upon the Onyx unleashing a fierce Hydro Pump. Onyx fell to the ground, soaking and mostly crumbling into mud.

"Whoa. Okay, do another one!" Yellow called to his Caterpie as the gym leader sent out his Geodude. Caterpie suddenly called forth a huge wave of water, which it rode, crashing it into the Geodude.

Several Pokémon later, Yellow was once again the proud owner of a Boulder Badge.

"This is gonna be easy. But I still wonder why Caterpie knows these moves (it's awkward), and I'm also confused where all my other Pokémon went. I hope I'm not in over my head here." Yellow sighed as he left with a smile on his face.

A disastrous day

Yesterday was a disaster for me on a personal level. I awoke (early, thanks to my stepdad) for work to find that it had snowed, meaning that the drive to work (5-10 minutes at the most) was much slower and bothersome than usual (it took 20 minutes for me to arrive). Once I got there, I tried booting up the computer (required for all the transactions at my job), but the computer decided to give me a physical memory dump (Windows' famous blue screen).

Last week, my co-worker had been having difficulty trying to get the computer (and printers, et al) to turn on because the UPS (uninterrupted power supply - basically a surge protector with a built in battery just in case the power goes out, to give you time to shut down) had run out of battery and had no AC (the power went out). His solution was simple, and a bad idea: take all the equipment out of the UPS and plug it into a regular power strip. (With no surge protection.)

At the end of Saturday, I shut down the computer, and turned it off, moving all the electronics' plugs back to the UPS (now fully charged) to avoid potential problems should the weather (it had been snowy and rainy recently, off and on) cause the power to go out during the workday.

Apparently, this was the worst idea I could have had. It seems that the computer was unplugged (I did it, so this makes it my fault) at the wrong time (it never shut down normally, but it would get to a point where it was reasonably safe, but without any indication of such). So the system registry (specifically the part for all programs on the computer) became corrupted, or was possibly erased. This is what caused the blue screen of death.

So, I was placed in the awkward and uncomfortable position of calling the owner, and informing him that the computer died. He shut down his other store (he was the only one who could work it at that time) to bring us a replacement computer.

An hour later, I was in the even more awkward position of informing him that all the backup of our system data (which he had thought was going to an external hard drive), was in fact located on the hard drive of the dead computer. My co-worker (the one who had decided to remove all the plugs from the UPS the previous week) had apparently told him it was so. It wasn't; the external hard drive that they thought was being used wasn't even recognized by the computer, and so since it was wasting power and a USB port, I had simply removed it.

I then spent the rest of the workday (although I was only supposed to be working the first half, not the entire day) turning customers away because of all the problems associated with making the new computer work. Namely, getting drivers for printers, installing required software, and finding out, to my chagrin, that the new computer will not allow us the use of our USB hub (meaning printers, scanners, and other devices can't be attached because the computer then pretends they don't exist).

It was an exhausting day at work, made only slightly better by having a very caring coworker (a different one than the one mentioned above) decide to donate her half of the day to me (in hours on the timesheet), but stay around to assist in helping customers while I solved (seemingly) all the problems that could possibly go wrong (which all seemed to happen) short of a total system meltdown.

After such a terrible day at work, I arrived home. Less than 4 minutes through the door, I got a call from another co-worker/boss (we're trying to start a business). He was trying to get me scheduled for a meeting today (wednesday, the 16th). However, he informed me that he didn't have a room reserved for us to meet in, nor did he have any idea of the business expert on our team would be there, and furthermore, he had mistakenly thought I would be available during the time I have class. (This was vitally important, so I informed him that my class schedule was prohibitive of the time he *thought* I was available.)

I woke up this morning feeling quite tired (even after 9 hours of rest), because of the stress I dealt with yesterday.

For some reason, life has recently been trying my patience and attempting to stress me out. I'm normally quite patient, and I handle stress fairly well (most of the time being able to brush it off completely). This type of stuff, however, has been happening frequently, and has pushed me to the limits of my mental endurance.

I keep on being surprised by how far I can be pushed without falling apart, but I'd rather not have to find out this way. I'm curious if other people feel the same way. Needless to say, returning to school (instead of work) today will be quite relaxing in comparison. Perhaps it will do me some good.

Pokémon- the infernal glitch (Part 1)

‎"Come back, Bibarel!" The trainer called, as he withdrew his last Pokémon. It had been a totally one-sided battle the whole time. Honestly, the trainer who had just swept the match hadn't even tried.

"Well, thanks for the battle, and the change" The trainer in black and yellow said, collecting the 285 Poké from trainer Joey.

"You totally cheated!" He yelled, in a fit of rage. "Who has a Pokémon that strong?!"

"Apparently, I do. But hey, don't let it get you down. This Dragonite has fought against the Elite four countless times."

"Yeah, I heard that even as Champion, you keep abusing them by going through them repeatedly."

"It's a reasonable source of income." The trainer replied.

"You're just a dick." Joey said.

"Dragonite? Hyperbeam." And with that, the conversation was over. Clearly youngster Joey had overstepped his authority and had been taught his place for once. (Although, Joey had been beaten by hordes of other trainers... yesterday. Also, every day for the past 3 years, but that's a story for another time, and one that Joey refuses to let anyone hear.)

Heading on his way, the trainer in yellow and black made a quick stop by the Pokémart to get his team healed.

"Welcome!" Nurse Joy said with her usual smile. And as per usual, she healed the Pokémon to full health. "We hope to see you again!"

"Excuse me?" The trainer asked, starting to get a bit annoyed.

"I said, we hope to see you again!" Joy replied.

"Ah, so... what you're saying is... you're hoping my team gets hurt again!"

"No, no! Nothing like that! It's just..."

"Just what? HUH? Listen, I really don't need all your chit-chat. I just come here to get my team in top shape for upcoming battles." The trainer confronted.

"I'm sorry. But, wouldn't it be nice if people stopped fighting with Pokémon?" Nurse Joy asked.

"The world isn't so nice." The trainer replied, and he made a swift exit. As the trainer reached the edge of the forest, he heard a strange noise deeper into the treeline. Could it be the legendary Celebi? The trainer was eager to find out what was making that strange noise, so he ventured inward.

Suddenly a trainer dressed in red and black jumped out from the underbrush.

"I choose you, go Dialga!" He roared. Instinctively, the yellow-clad trainer threw his Dragonite's pokéball to begin the battle.

"Dialga, use Roar of Time!" Red yelled.

"Wait, say WHA..." Yellow began, but suddenly time was nothing. As the world stood still, air silent and motionless, Red commanded Dialga to attack. Time resumed, and suddenly, Dragonite fell to the ground, unconscious.

"What just happened?" Yellow asked, alarmed. Then, fearing for his Dragonite, he withdrew it, and sent out his Arcanine. It, too, was quickly bested. As was his Clefable, his Togetic, his Umbreon, and his Spinda. "How?"

"Dialga, use Draco Meteor!" Red bellowed with a dastardly gleam in his eye. Yellow was already out of Pokémon  so when the meteors fell upon him, it was no surprise that he was knocked unconscious. 

When Yellow awoke, he was greeted by Nurse Joy. Confused by his situation, Yellow asked Joy what had happened. She explained that apparently he had blacked out, given half his money to some trainer he just lost to, and had 'scurried' to the Pokémon center to get his team healed.

Yellow was at a total loss. How could someone have such a powerful Pokémon?  Surely he must have cheated. As Yellow stood up to leave, his C-gear began to ring. He answered it.

"Hello? Yellow?" The Pokémon Professor asked.

"Hello, Professor Yew. Nice to hear from you, what's going on?" Yellow replied.

"I was just calling to inform you that you are no longer the Champion in this region."

"WHAT? What do you mean I'm not the Champion anymore?"

"Well, apparently, someone just beat the Elite Four in record time. They're recovering now, but from the reports they have given, it seems that no sooner had they even sent out their Pokémon than their Pokémon was unconscious." Yew answered.

"Hmm, that sounds familiar. Any word on the type of Pokémon this new champion used?" Yellow asked, hoping to gain some insight on the type weaknesses of the new champion.

"Well, that's the thing. Nobody could identify this Pokémon. I haven't even heard about it, and I'm a Pokémon professor!"

"What did it look like?" Yellow pleaded.

"Well, it was gray, and square-ish." Professor Yew replied.

"Is that all you know?"

"I'm afraid that those details were the only ones that matched across the board. Each of the Elite Four claimed to see a different Pokémon than the other. According to their descriptions of that Pokémon, that is."

"This is troubling." Yellow exclaimed.

"It is troubling indeed." Yew agreed.

"Now how am I going to afford all these Max Revives!?"

"WHAT? That's what you're worried about?!" Professor Yew yelled.

"Actually, I'm worried about losing my title. I would head there right away, but I need to do some research first. I just ran across my own strange Pokémon that I can't explain."

"Send me a sketch of what it looks like and I'll see what I can find for you, Yellow."

"Thanks, Professor! I'll talk to you later!" Yellow smiled. One more thing out of the way. Honestly, though, Yellow was very frightened. No Pokémon ever won instantly, but now twice (or more) in one day it was happening everywhere. This was troublesome, and Yellow didn't know how to handle the news.

"I hope this doesn't turn into something I can't deal with." Yellow sighed.