(Draft version; any/all C&C appreciated)
AUTHOR'S FOREWORD:
If you wish to reach me by e-mail, my address is:
trmiller@bcpl.net
This is my first effort to write a Pokemon fanfic. I'm working from a
partial synthesis of the TV series (American version) and the Game Boy game;
it's possible that I'll do a revised version of this story if/when the
American release of the series gets up to Cinnabar Island, and correct the
evolutionary stages of the different Pokemon. That's at least half a year
away, though ...
For the most part, this story was inspired by what I've heard (and
read) on the Internet about MISSINGNO., the "glitch" which appears around
Cinnabar Island under some circumstances. I was most of the way through the
first draft of this story when I tried to flush MissingNo. out of hiding
myself, on my copy of Pokemon; that's the kind of trick that I only do
deliberately once. (I advise against trying to chase down MissingNo, by the
way.)
If you want to see the stepping-stone between reading about MissingNo
and trying to write a Pokemon fanfic that dealt with it ... look at my .sig
and you'll see where my imagination was at the time. :)
"The Terror of Missingno" A Pokemon fanfic
by Tim Miller
"Be careful, Ash," Professor Oak said over the phone. "There've been
some reports of a phantom Pokemon in that area, one that brings a curse on
whoever tries to capture it."
"A curse?" Ash Ketchum chuckled quietly. "Ghost Pokemon are one thing,
Professor, but a Pokemon can't really curse anyone."
"Don't be so sure," Oak said sternly. "Dozens of trainers have
literally disappeared around Cinnabar - even the transponder signals from
their Pokedexes are cut off. Why, even my grandson Gary said he wasn't going
to linger around Cinnabar longer than he had to!"
Ash grinned. "So there's a Pokemon out there that Gary isn't even
trying to get?"
Professor Oak immediately realized his mistake. "Ash, I'm warning you
- don't try to chase down that phantom! You still show a lot of promise as a
Pokemon trainer, but -"
"But it's not going to mean anything if I don't *prove* I'm the best!"
Ash exclaimed. "Talk to you later, Professor Oak!"
"Ash, wait! I -"
Grinning, Ash hung up without waiting to hear what Professor Oak was
trying to tell him. "A Pokemon nobody's ever caught," he said to himself.
"This is what I've been waiting for ..."
Misty and Brock traded looks, then peered back at Ash. "Professor Oak
probably knew what he was talking about," Brock commented as he fed another
food pellet to his Geodude. "If he said you should steer clear of that
phantom, I'd wager that avoiding it is a pretty good idea."
"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded vigorously, munching another food pellet
of its own. "Pikachu, pikapikachu ... kachu!" It punctuated its statement with
an abrupt spreading of its forelimbs.
"Ash," Misty added, "I know Gary's been at least one step ahead of you
ever since you left Pallet Town, but this phantom ... whatever it is ... is
too big a chance for you to take this close to the end of your journey."
"Don't you guys get it?" Ash complained as he tossed food balls to
Charmeleon and Pidgeot. "I could be the only Pokemon trainer who's ever caught
this so-called phantom! If I want to be the greatest Pokemon master, I have to
take this chance!"
Brock sighed, recalling his Geodude to its Pokeball. "Ash, I've talked
to the lead trainer of the Cinnabar Gym a few times; there are other trainers
who've gone completely missing between asking for a match and the time agreed
upon for the match itself. This phantom isn't just a rumor, or a legend like
those mystical birds; it's a real threat."
"Don't worry, Brock," the younger trainer waved him off. "If that
phantom exists, I'll find it and catch it."
"That's what every other trainer coming through here and looking for
the phantom said, I'm sure," Misty commented, sounding resigned. "If you're
sure you want to throw your life and your career away on this ..."
"Pikapi." Pikachu sounded uncharacteristically glum. "Pika, pikachu pi
pikachu."
"Would you guys relax?" Ash sighed. "It's gonna be fine ..."
"Are you guys sure about this?" Meowth asked his human partners, as
the three of them spied on Ash and his friends. "We should head on back to the
mainland and look for Pokemon there."
"Hush, Meowth," Jessie said irritably. "If you're going to turn into a
scaredy-cat on us, at least do it quietly."
"Do you think the legendary phantom is real?" James asked, ignoring
Meowth's growl of anger. "If so, it'd certainly be worth our trying to catch
... why, it could be even more valuable than Dratini!"
"HELLO IN THERE!!!" Meowth yelled, rapping on James's head. "That
phantom is *bad news!* I want to catch some rare Pokemon just as much as you
two do, but this one doesn't count!!"
Jessie and James lowered their binoculars, and turned to look at
Meowth. "Then leave the hard work to us," Jessie said imperiously. "You can
stay here and cower if you want; *we* will follow that twerp and capture the
phantom. How does that sound?"
Meowth opened his mouth to reply.
There was a whispering sound from above them.
None of them noticed Ash recalling his Pokemon and starting to walk.
"Pika?" Pikachu paused, ears twitching.
"Did you hear something, Pikachu?" Ash looked down at his first
Pokemon.
Pikachu stayed quiet for a moment, ears raised to catch any sound it
could hear, but there was nothing. "Kachu," it shrugged as it dropped back to
all fours.
Ash nodded, and headed on towards the beach. "That researcher in the
lab we visited said that the phantom usually appears along the shore ... I
guess we might need to ride Lapras around the island some to find it."
"Chuuu ..." Pikachu sounded worried. "Pika pika ..."
"Stop worrying, Pikachu," Ash sighed. "You can't really believe what
Misty and Brock were saying, can you?"
"Pika."
"Huh?" Ash looked down and back at Pikachu - who'd pulled out a futon
and was curled up under the blanket. "Pikachu, come *on!*" Ash sighed. "Look,
I'm going after that phantom; are you coming or not?"
Pikachu lay still for a moment, then sat up - almost reluctantly, it
seemed to Ash. "Pika pikapi."
"Good." Ash nodded, and continued on his way as Pikachu followed
behind him.
"Are you sure you can't tell us anything about that phantom?" Misty
asked.
"Nobody who's fought it has ever come back to tell us about it," Nurse
Joy told the two gym leaders. "But if your friend is really going after it,
you'd better go stop him - if not for the sake of his Pokemon, then for his
own sake."
"The sake of his Pokemon?" Brock asked. "What could the phantom do to
them?"
"You don't want to know," Joy answered with a small shudder. "But if
you're sure ..."
Brock and Misty nodded. "We'd better know what Ash is getting himself
into," said Brock. "Especially if he's putting his Pokemon in danger too; all
of his Pokemon are remarkably skilled ande powerful, but he counts on that
more than he should, sometimes."
"Well, come on, then." The Pokemon Center nurse stood up, and headed
down the hall to the treatment wards with Brock and Misty following behind.
None of them saw Team Rocket stagger in, to collapse in front of the
counter.
There were five Pokemon in the isolation ward: a Jolteon, two
Wartortles, an Onix (which just barely fit on its special, larger-than-normal
bed) and a Ninetales. All five of them were either asleep or unconscious.
"And all of these Pokemon showed up here after their trainers fought
that phantom?" Misty gasped.
"Trainer," Joy corrected. "And not just these five ... dozens of
others. The five you see here are the only ones still alive since the last
trainer before Ash disappeared."
"They're dying?" Brock whispered. "What kind of Pokemon can kill other
Pokemon? They don't do that, not even in the wild."
"You haven't seen the worst of it yet," Joy told them soberly as she
walked over to the Ninetales' bed. "If any of them wake up, they'll never be
the same ... look at this." She administered an injection, and the Ninetales
began to stir.
The sleek, multi-tailed fox-like Pokemon made a hissing sound as it
started to open its eyes, then looked up at Joy as its eyes came into focus.
"Missingno ..."
Brock and Misty both gasped in shock. Only a few Pokemon ever learned
to speak in human language; Team Rocket's Meowth was one of them. But this ...
"That's not even a word," Brock said. "And it sure isn't Ninetales' name -
Nurse, did the phantom do this?"
"We don't know for sure, but -" Joy was interrupted as the Center's
Chansey came rushing in, squealing in alarm. "What's the matter, Chansey?"
"Chansey chansey!!" Chansey beckoned frantically, then ran back out
towards the reception area. Alarmed, the three humans followed - to find
Meowth draped over the counter, hanging on with his claws.
"Meowsingno ... gotta ... stop it," Meowth babbled incoherently. "Have
to ... miss ... no ..."
"They must've run into the phantom!" Brock realized. "Look, there are
Jessie and James, unconscious!"
"Chansey, get that Meowth to the ER, stat!" Joy ordered. "You two, see
what you can do to bring them around; I have to do whatever can be done to
bring Meowth back to its senses."
"Right!" Misty nodded, grabbing a Pokeball from her belt. "Starmie, I
choose you!" She threw the Pokeball towards Team Rocket; it opened in mid-
flight, and a blaze of energy flowed out to condense into the faceted gray
form of Starmie. "Water Gun!" Misty ordered.
With a wordless shout, Starmie complied and hosed down Jessie and
James with a spray of water from its uppermost limb.
Sputtering, the two humans woke up and leapt to their feet. "Prepare
for trouble!" Jessie shouted.
"Make it double ..." James trailed off, then elbowed Jessie as she
started to go on with the Team Rocket motto. "Jessie, Meowth is missing!"
"To protect -" Jessie stopped, her gaze coming to rest on Misty and
Brock. "Where's your friend with the Pikachu?"
Misty slapped a hand to her forehead. "He went off to find the same
phantom that apparently attacked you and Meowth; Meowth is already being
treated here - if that matters to you guys."
"Well, the Boss would be upset if we lost Meowth ..." James started.
"We don't have time to discuss Meowth!" Brock interrupted brusquely.
"We've gotta find Ash! What's the last thing you two remember?"
James and Jessie looked at each other for a moment. "A shadow?" James
asked.
"A shadow," Jessie nodded. "Floating overhead."
"And where were you when this happened?" Brock inquired.
"In the shrubs on a cliff ... between the edge of town and the sea,"
James remembered. "I was thinking of how exquisite the breeze from offshore
smelled, that hint of salt in the air -" He was interrupted by a smack from
Jessie.
"Meaning you were near the shore," Misty nodded. "All right, we've
gotta get to the beach and find Ash - now. Are you two coming?"
"What happened to Meowth?" Jessie asked.
"If you mean what did the phantom do to him, go ask Nurse Joy," Brock
growled. "You guys are lucky you're all right - better make sure your Pokemon
are too."
Jessie nodded. "You're right ... Arbok, come out!" She tossed her
Pokeball a short distance away, as James did the same with his own; Arbok and
Weezing materialized.
"Charbok ..." "Weezing."
"Sounds like they're okay," Misty said. "Now are you guys coming, or
do we have to save Ash on our own?"
"First tell us what's going on!" Jessie demanded as she recalled
Arbok.
"There's a phantom out there that makes trainers disappear and does
something to Pokemon that eventually kills them," Brock summarized. "Every
trainer who's tried to find and capture it has disappeared, and Ash is out
looking for it right now. Coming or staying?"
"I'll just go see how Meowth is doing ..." James started to sidle
away.
Jessie sighed. "I'm coming too," she told Brock and Misty.
"No trying to grab Pikachu," Misty warned the older girl.
Jessie turned away and followed James towards the ER.
"Pika pika?" Pikachu looked up worriedly; clouds were gathering
overhead.
"Looks like it's going to rain," Ash mused. "Guess we shouldn't go
onto the water with a storm brewing, even on Lapras." He started walking up
the beach, heading north along the coast. "Come on, Pikachu."
"Pika pi." Pikachu scampered along on all fours, tagging behind Ash.
It started raining.
"Ash!!" Brock shouted as they reached the beach; by now the rain had
grown into a full-fledged downpour. "Where are you?!"
"Staryu, Starmie, go find Ash!" Misty threw a pair of Pokeballs, and
the two starfish-like Pokemon formed and flew off, spinning through the air.
"I hope we can find him," Brock muttered. "This weather is downright
ominous ... huh?" He ran ahead, then crouched to examine the sand.
"Footprints! Ash and Pikachu must have gone this way!"
Misty nodded. "Staryu, Starmie, head north!" she called to her two
water Pokemon, and they headed off in response.
"Pika ..." Pikachu looked up. "PIKA!!"
"What is -" Ash looked up as well. "YIKES!" He jumped back a pace,
digging in his jacket pocket for Dexter; it took him a second to pull the
Pokedex out and flip open the cover panel.
"Scanning," the electronic device reported. "No Pokemon identified."
The display screen stayed blank.
"No Pokemon identified?!" Ash pressed the scan switch, disbelieving.
"Scanning ... no Pokemon identified." Ash wasn't sure whether his
Pokedex was malfunctioning or whether the rain was messing up its scanner;
either way, there wasn't much he could do. Dexter, as he called his Pokedex,
was supposed to be waterproof - but Ash put the device away just to be safe.
"All right, Pikachu, let's do it!"
The shadowy, indistinct form descended to alight on the beach in front
of them, folding in extensions that vaguely resembled wings - or might have,
if the creature had possessed any kind of solid, discernable form. Its voice
was like hissing thunder as it reared up, and growled, "Missingno ..."
Ash dug out his Pokedex again, flipping it open. "Dexter, access file
for Missingno! - Get ready, Pikachu."
"Pika pika ..." Sounding uncertain, Pikachu shifted into a ready
position, facing the monster.
Dexter chimed, but the screen continued to remain blank. "Missingno.
This shadowy phantom exists only in rumor, and has never been identified or
captured. Also referred to as the 'Trainers' Bane,' it is said that Missingno
has ended the careers of many promising young Pokemon trainers."
"Until now." Ash smiled as he put his Pokedex away. "Let's do it!
Pikachu, use your Thundershock attack!"
"Pika, pikapika!" Pikachu looked back at Ash, visibly and audibly
worried.
"Do it!" Ash ordered. "Quickly, before it gets the first move in!"
"Pika ..." Pikachu's cheeks started sparking as it looked at the
unmoving Missingno. "Pika-CHU!!" Bolts of electricity lashed out at the
phantom.
"Missingno!!" The phantom seemed to incandesce as the Thundershock
struck, and was absorbed. "Ssing ... !"
Pikachu waved on its feet. "Chuuu ..."
"Hit it again!" Ash shouted. "Thunder Wave!"
"Piskachun ..." Pikachu staggered back, dropping to all fours and
shaking its head violently.
"Wha? Pikachu, what's wrong?" Ash knelt in the wet sand, laying his
hand on Pikachu's back.
"Kachu ... Piskangno ..." Pikachu shook its head again, its voice
slurring. "Pi ... ka ..." Its legs gave out, and Pikachu dropped to the sand,
eyelids drooping.
"Pikachu ..." Ash stood up, reaching to his belt for a Pokeball. "All
right, Missingno - try this one!" He expanded the Pokeball and threw it.
"Ivysaur, attack! Razor Leaf!"
The ball opened in midflight, and Ivysaur materialized on the sand.
"Ivysaur! Ivy!!" Leaves flew from the plant on its back.
The attack must have stung; Missingno roared, rearing up.
"MISSINGNO!!" A torrent of water rushed at Ivysaur, knocking the half-plant
Pokemon from its feet.
"Ivysaur!" Ash cried, rushing to the fallen Pokemon's side. "Return!"
he commanded, holding out the Pokeball. The beam struck Ivysaur ... and
nothing happened! "Ivysaur, return!" Ash repeated the command.
Ivysaur failed to dematerialize, its own eyes glazing over.
"Ivissingno ..."
"What??" Ash dropped to his knees. "Ivysaur, are you all right?"
"Missingno," Ivysaur repeated, and Ash's heart skipped a beat.
(This isn't possible!) Ash's mind screamed. (Pokemon usually only say
*their* name, unless they learn to talk like humans! What's happened to
Ivysaur ... and Pikachu?)
Ash didn't see Staryu and Starmie spin past over his head, and hardly
heard the noise as they collided with Missingno, forcing the monster back with
their combined Tackle attack.
"Ash!!" Brock and Misty climbed over the ridge, jumping back down to
the beach. "Ash, get up!" Brock shouted as the two gym leaders ran over to Ash
and his two fallen Pokemon.
"We've got to get out of here!" Misty yelled as she hauled Ash to his
feet. "Hurry!"
"I'm not leaving without Pikachu and Ivysaur," Ash growled as he
turned to face the shadowy phantom. "And this monster is going to pay for the
damage it's done!" He plucked all four of his remaining Pokeballs from his
belt, expanding two in each hand. "Wartortle, Charmeleon, Lapras, Pidgeot:
GO!! Mass attack!"
"NO!!" Brock tackled Ash, forcing him to the sand before the younger
boy could throw the Pokeballs and release the rest of his team. "We have to
get you, Ivysaur, and Pikachu back to the Pokemon Center while there's still a
chance to save all of you! Missingno is dangerous - *too* dangerous!"
Misty was already picking Pikachu up off the sand. "Staryu, Starmie,
stay high and don't let it attack you!" she shouted up to the two flying
starfish. "Staryu, use Swift from a distance!"
With an answering grunt, Staryu hovered and released its Swift attack,
sending showers of glowing energy-stars down at Missingno. Starmie flew back
and forth, trying to distract the phantom from a counterattack.
"MISSINGNO!!" The enraged monster lumbered towards Ash, raising an
indistinct arm and spreading a set of *very* distinct claws.
"Pika pika ..." Pikachu broke loose from Misty's arms, then slowly got
up, standing on its hind legs. "Pikapika chu!" It stood directly in
Missingno's path.
The phantom actually paused, looking down at the electric mouse.
"Missingno ... !"
Pikachu shook its head violently, dropping to all fours. "Pikano ..."
Ash swallowed hard. "Pikachu ... fight it! Don't let it get you!"
"Pimissingno." Pikachu looked up at the phantom. "Missingno!"
"NO!!" screamed Ash, breaking free of Brock's restraining hold and
running to Pikachu's side. "Pikachu, fight it! Don't let it destroy you!"
"Missingno." Pikachu's voice was flat and unwavering.
"Pikachu ...!" moaned Ash in despair. "Please, come back to me!"
"Missingno ..." The shadowy phantom advanced towards Ash again.
"I'll get you!!" Ash ran towards Missingno in turn, expanding an empty
Pokeball as he ran. "Pokeball ..."
"Starmie, stop that Pokeball!!" Misty shouted. "Don't let Ash capture
that monster!"
"GO!!" Ash trew the Pokeball at Missingno with all his strength.
Starmie shot down as though flung from the clouds above, skimming past
Missingno to clip the Pokeball with a turning limb; the deflected Pokeball
bounced into the sand, untriggered.
Pikachu struggled as Misty picked it up again. "Missingno!" it
squealed, squirming violently in the girl's arms.
"Starmie, tackle Ash!" Misty ordered reluctantly. "We've got to snap
him out of this ..."
With a grunt, Starmie reversed course and slammed into the young
trainer, hurling him to the ground.
"Prepare for trouble!" "Make it double!"
Lightning flashed, a boom of thunder echoing as two more figures leapt
to the beach from the ridge.
"To protect the world from devastation -"
"To unite all peoples within our nation -"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above -"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"It's not that we don't appreciate your help," Brock shouted over
another crack of thunder, "but we really need help right now more than
speeches!"
"Arbok, Glare attack!" Jessie released her Pokemon, and it speared
Missingno with a paralyzing look.
"Weezing, Smoke Screen!" James's own Pokemon released a dense,
greenish vapor cloud that obscured vision.
"C'mon!" Ash coughed, scooping Ivysaur up in his arms. "Let's get out
of here!"
"Staryu, Starmie, meet us back at the Pokemon Center!" Misty shouted
as they all started running, leaving the phantom behind.
"So Missingno is the name of that phantom?" Nurse Joy asked as they
sat together in the isolation ward.
"Uh-huh," Ash nodded. "I can't even remember clearly what it looked
like ..."
"I would just call it 'horrible' and leave it at that, Ash," Misty
suggested. "No way was that even a Pokemon; it's just a monster."
"And now Pikachu and Ivysaur are ..." Ash looked up at the two beds
occupied by his wounded Pokemon. "Nurse, isn't there *anything* we can do?"
"I have no idea," Joy sighed. "But none of the Pokemon who've been
attacked by Missingno have ever recovered; you're the first trainer who's ever
encountered Missingno and returned to talk about it."
"What are we going to do about Meowth?" Jessie fretted. "If the Boss
finds out what happened, we're history!"
"Missingno," Meowth murmured in his sleep. Jessie and James both
flinched.
"There's nothing we can do," Brock finally said, setting down his
teacup. "Ash, would you like us to leave while you say goodbye to your
Pokemon?"
"Say goodbye?!" Ash looked up. "I'm not going to leave Pikachu and
Ivysaur here!"
"Ash," Joy said gently, "the chances that they'll ever recover are
..." She paused, glancing around the room. "... practically nonexistent," she
finished in a resigned tone. "They'll probably be dead in a couple of months,
at the most. There's nothing you can do for them now."
"There *has* to be!" Ash shouted, bringing his fists down on the table
that they'd brought in. "Pikachu was my first Pokemon; I'm not going to
abandon him! Not Ivysaur, either!"
Brock laid a hand over one of Ash's fists. "Take it easy ..."
Ash jerked his hand away, shaking his head defiantly. "Even if Pikachu
and Ivysaur *are* gonna die, I'm going to stay here with them until the end."
He looked down. "It's my fault they're hurt ... the least I can do is be with
them, until they die."
"Ash ..." Misty looked up at him gently, her voice soft.
"Psyduck!" A flare of energy forced its way out of Misty's duffle bag,
solidifying into a familiar form.
Misty groaned. "Not *now,* Psyduck ..."
"Wait a minute," Brock thought out loud. "Whatever happened to these
Pokemon is basically psychic in nature, right?"
"So maybe Psyduck's powerful enough to undo it?" Ash asked.
In disbelief, Misty looked down at her Psyduck, which was holding its
head in its flippers. "I guess we haven't got anything to lose ... all right,
Psyduck, try to wake Pikachu up."
"Psy!" Psyduck waddled over, and hauled itself up onto Pikachu's bed.
"Psyduck! Psyyyy ..."
The six humans watched as Psyduck's gaze bored into the nearly
comatose Pikachu. A vein started throbbing on the side of Psyduck's forehead
as it concentrated harder, and harder ...
"Psy!!" The psychic water Pokemon toppled over, falling backwards off
the bed and hitting the floor head-first. "Psy-yie-yie!"
"Psyduck ...!!" Misty clenched a fist, a vein throbbing on her own
forehead now.
"Wait a minute," Ash said as he stood up. "Maybe Psyduck can't do this
itself."
"What are you suggesting?" Brock wondered.
"Well, all of the sick Pokemon are repeating Missingno's name instead
of their own," Ash pointed out. "Maybe if Psyduck tries to wake Pikachu while
I'm there, concentrating on Pikachu's name ..."
The other four Pokemon trainers exchanged looks. "It might just work,"
James commented.
"It might," Jessie agreed. "Let's try it on Meowth first."
Ash was about to argue, but Joy cut him off. "Meowth was attacked
first out of this group," she pointed out. "If Psyduck gets tired, I've got
some Elixer that'll restore its energy. Let's try it."
A moment or so later, Jessie and James were sitting on Meowth's bed
with the Pokemon between them; Psyduck was facing them from the next bed over.
"Psy ..."
"Time to wake up, Meowth," whispered Jessie. "Giovanni is worried
about you."
"Let's go, Meowth!" urged James. "We have lots of Pokemon to capture!"
"Psy-yie ..." Psyduck was beginning to glow now.
"Come on, Psyduck," Misty whispered from behind her Pokemon. "If
anyone can do this, you can."
Ash was sitting on Ivysaur's bed, with Pikachu in his arms; Brock and
Nurse Joy were standing out of the way, next to Chansey.
"Psyyyyyyyyyy ..." Psyduck wasn't just glowing with an aura now, but
practically vibrating with its effort. "Psyyyyyyy-*duck!!*" It sat down
abruptly, the light flaring.
Every other being in the room, human and Pokemon, awake or asleep,
winced as a wave of psychic energy blasted through all of their minds at once.
All of the comatose Pokemon cried out, and started to wake up.
"Meowth ..." Meowth's eyes slowly opened, his gaze focusing on Jessie
and James. "Wha? What happened?"
"Ivysaur ..." "Pika-chu!" Ash's Pokemon roused as well, shaking off
the unnatural sleep they'd been plunged into.
"All *right!!*" Brock cheered as the other Pokemon started to wake up.
"It worked! They're all getting back to normal!"
"Psyduck, what's wrong?" Misty looked worriedly at her still-glowing
Pokemon.
"Chansey chansey!" Chansey bounded over to Psyduck, looking at it,
then looked up at Misty. "Chaaaansey!"
Nurse Joy smiled. "Chansey means that Psyduck is ..."
"... evolving!" Misty finished in a whisper as Psyduck's outline began
to blur and change. "The exertion of bringing all of the Pokemon back must
have triggered its evolution!"
"Golduck!" The glow faded as Psyduck, now a full Golduck, hopped off
of the bed and looked at Misty.
Grinning, Ash flipped open his Pokedex and activated the readout.
"Golduck: the evolved form of Psyduck. Possessing psychic abilities similar to
those of a Psyduck, Golduck is an agile and powerful combatant both in and out
of water. Its perpetual headache has also gone away, leaving no obstacles to
its use of psychic attacks."
"All right!" Misty cheered, jumping for joy. "Congratulations,
Golduck!"
"Gol, gol," Golduck chuckled, looking relatively smug.
Ash closed his Pokedex and put it away. "How do you feel, Pikachu?"
"Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu jumped, doing a backflip in the air, then rubbed
against Ash's side. "Pika, pikachu!"
"Ivysaur, ivy-ivysaur!" Ivysaur added. "Ivysaur, saur!"
"Thanks for your help, Golduck," Joy told the newly-evolved Pokemon.
She then turned to look at Ash. "These other Pokemon will have to find new
trainers now, or return to the wild; I'll pass the message along that any
trainers who come to Cinnabar Island need to be careful of Missingno."
"About that phantom," Meowth said as he sat up. "I don't think it's
going to trouble your average trainer ..."
"Why is that, Meowth?" James asked as the others gathered around.
"Don't ask me how I know this, but I think that thing only appears if
someone's out looking for it. It's kind of like bait for overeager trainers,"
Meowth opined. "Bait, and trap all in one."
"But what happens to trainers who capture it?" Ash wondered.
"Nothing's happened to me ..."
"Count yourself lucky you didn't find out," Joy told Ash, placing a
hand on his shoulder. "Nearly losing two of your Pokemon is bad enough ...
now, you take really good care of all of your Pokemon, all right?"
"Don't worry," Ash smiled up at her. "I will!"
AUTHOR'S AFTERWORD:
This being my first Pokemon fanfic, I hope I got the characters down
properly in terms of speech and behavior patterns.
Oh, and a very important note about Missingno: IT ISN'T A REAL
POKEMON! MissingNo in the game is one notch away from being a regular bug.
Based on what I know about it by now, MissingNo's appearance is the result of
an "emergency" error-handling routine; the most common location to trigger
that routine is around Cinnabar Island, by Surfing along the coast (the chain
of half-land, half-water squares that run around most of the island).
Basically, if the game comes up with a random encounter trigger, it tries to
look up a Pokemon to throw at you; if the most recent land-based Pokemon
"encounter" or event isn't valid, then MissingNo turns up.
That's why I tried to refer to Missingno in the fanfic as a phantom or
a monster, rather than a Pokemon. According to what I've heard, if you capture
Missingno, its Pokedex number is #000. (In other words, missing number.)
To all of you Pokemon players who've run afoul of MissingNo, or read
about it and wondered what was up: this story is just my idea of what the
"real" MissingNo could be like if it actually existed in the Pokemon world. I
think we can all be glad that it doesn't.
Acknowledgements:
The video game Pokemon/Pocket Monsters and the characters therein are
the property of Creatures, Inc., Game Freak, and Nintendo. The American names
and characters are the property of Nintendo of America. The _Pocket Monsters_
anime TV series is created and owned by Shogakukan, SOFTX, and TV Tokyo; the
American version, _Pokemon_, is translated and produced by 4Kids Entertainment
and the Summit Media Group; the WB network currently owns the broadcast
rights. I have no legal right to these characters, and am required to cease
and desist all related writing if requested to do so by the property owners,
or an authorized representative thereof.
This work of fiction is written purely for entertainment, and in
appreciation of a video game and TV series which I enjoy. It is not written
for profit, and may not be distributed or reposted for any financial gain.
Please request permission from the author of this work before reposting or
distributing it beyond the source from which you accessed it.
Tim Miller
trmiller@bcpl.net
February 19, 1999
Pokedex entry #000:
"MissingNo, the 'glitch' Pokemon. Also known as the 'Trainers' Bane,' this
mysterious phantom has prematurely ended the careers of many promising young
Pokemon trainers."