RUN, MISTY, RUN!

CHAPTER ONE: DOWN IN FLAMES

Blinking away tears, Misty threw her pokeball and yelled, "Gyarados, come back!"
With a blinding flash of light, the defeated dragon-fish disappeared into the ball. Unable to look at her victorious opponent, much less shake his hand and congratulate him, she scooped up the pokeball and hurried out of the ring. Her Gyarados had only last week evolved from the weak Magikarp form she'd been carefully nurturing in anticipation of having a well-trained, highly evolved Pokemon.
She had been so eager to test Gyarados's mettle against other high level Pokemon that she'd signed up for the Nacre Gym match without taking the time to suss out her opponents and develop a strategy. She was confident in Gyarados's power, saving him to the end. Her opponent's Charizard took severe damage from Staryu, but finally managed to toast him to a crisp. Next, her Tentacool fought well against the opponent's Kangaskhan, but couldn't stand up to its greater mass. Finally, she sent out Gyarados.
Only to see her prize Pokemon reduced to a quivering jelly by a tough Exeggutor that thought the dragon-fish was merely watering it with its hydro pumps.
Once outside, where the roar of the crowd was mercifully muted, Misty tossed the pokeball to the ground, curled up on a bench, buried her head in her arms and allowed herself to cry.
"What's wrong," asked a masculine voice.
Misty, who thought everyone was still inside watching the next round, looked up and gasped. The young man frowning down at her with gentle concern was tall, slender but broad-shouldered, dressed in a sleek navy blue suit. He was very handsome . . . and he was also Aidan, the trainer who just defeated her. Misty scowled and looked away, studiously ignoring him. He didn't take the hint, however, and sat down beside her. He picked up Gyarados's pokeball.
"That is a fine Gyarados you have," he said. "I haven't seen many so well-trained at such a low level. It deserves to be treated better, don't you think?"
Misty snatched the ball from him and stuffed it into her pocket. She sniffled up her snot and said haughtily, "I don't think I asked for your opinion. Did you just come out here to gloat?"
Instead of leaving in a huff, the young man laughed. "Quite the contrary! I shouldn't have agreed to the match with you, but then, I didn't realize losing would hurt your feelings so much. I thought it would be a good experience for you."
"I'm not crushed. Don't give yourself so much credit," Misty snapped.
"In fact," he continued, "I'm really amazed you lasted so long with that team. I came out here to complement you."
Misty stared at him warily. He didn't seem to be joking. Still, she didn't trust him. He was obviously a skilled trainer. What would he gain by being nice to a loser like her? "What's wrong with my team?" She demanded. "And what do you mean, you wanted to teach me a lesson? Since when did I ask you to be my sensei?"
"It was the problem you have with your team that I wanted to point out to you," Aidan said, smiling. "I'd hate to see you squander your conspicuous talent on a team that won't take you very far in the League. Do you know why I beat you so easily?"
Misty remained stubbornly silent. He tilted his head at her like a curious Growlithe puppy, making his forest green hair fall into his peculiar, light green eyes. When he realized she wasn't going to answer, he prompted, "Is there a reason you only use Water Pokemon?"
"I'm one of the Cerulean Gym sisters," Misty exclaimed. "Haven't you heard of us?"
She squirmed. Her older sisters were bound to find out about this debacle. They'd torment her for weeks.
"Of course I have. And so of course I expected you to use mainly Water Pokemon. And you didn't disappoint me."
"My team is too predicable," she said glumly. "I should have realized. But we're a water based gym. Of course it was easiest to train Water Pokemon in it."
"You are following in your sister's footsteps, Misty. But I don't think that would be a good idea. Do you? Shouldn't you develop as your own person? After all, why be 'one of the sisters' when you could be a separate renowned trainer?"
Misty smiled. What he said actually did make sense. Maybe by trying to beat her sisters at training Water Pokemon, she was squandering her time and her talents. "I see what you're saying. I'm - ha! - treading water. You know, I was waiting to go on my Journey til I finished the school semester. But maybe I'll go now."
"Good for you," he said, patting her on the knee. "Take the opportunity to broaden your horizons, look for new and different types of Pokemon. Don't let your skills atrophy because of a narrow focus. Take Fire Pokemon, for example. I found my Charizard to be an eye-opening training experience."
"Um, I don't think I'll jump in with a Charizard. After all, I did spend a lot of time on my Water team, and even if they are limited, I wouldn't want to disrupt them too much. Maybe I'll start with a nice little Oddish, or a Water-Ice type . . . "
He sighed. "Misty, Misty. You're letting your fears and doubts cloud your thinking. A Fire type is exactly what you should be going after. All right, perhaps Charizard was a poor example, but there are plenty of smaller, more manageable kinds. How about a cuddly little Vulpix, or a Ponyta? Most girls just adore Ponyta."
"I always did want a Ponyta," she admitted. "Ever since I was a little tiny kid. But my parents said it would be cruel to keep a Fire type in a Water gym."
"But that's not a problem anymore," he said. "And I know the perfect opportunity for you. Have you ever heard of Skewbald Island?"
She shook her head.
"Well, it's an island off of the coast of the southern city of Piebald. Skewbald is very small, about twenty miles long and four miles across. Most of it is covered with salt water marshes and a few forests of pine trees and brush. No one knows how the wild herds of Ponytas got there, but some believe they swam ashore from a shipwreck. Anyhow, the Ponytas technically belong to the town of Piebald, but they are allowed to roam free for most of the time. Every summer, the Piebalders round up the Ponyta and make them swim across the bay into Piebald, where they sell a few at a festival. Then, after a week or so, they drive the Ponytas back to Skewbald. The festival is a week away. You should have plenty of time to get there before the roundup."
"But Ponytas are expensive," Misty said. "I could never afford one."
"There is a loophole," Aidan said with a grin. "The island belongs to Piebald, but the bay doesn't. If you capture a Ponyta while it's swimming across the bay, it's yours for the taking. And with your wonderful Water Pokemon, they should be easy pickings."
"That's wonderful," Misty cried. Then she took Gyarados's ball out of her pocket, polished it on her sleeve and gave it a kiss. "Sorry, fella," she whispered.
Aidan waved to her as she hopped on her bike and pedaled down the street, hurrying to catch the bus to Piebald. As soon as she was out of sight, he threw back his head and laughed.
"Yes, indeed. Good luck. Hope to meet you there . . . "