To my dear friend Kathy, the aunt I never had. She was a beacon of hope, a ball of joy, a friend. We will never forget you.
Kathy Remmes
1949-2024
It was a sunny day in Pinghei, a Region that focuses on balance, and everyone was enjoying Pokemon battles. Everyone, that is, except for Gong Shen, who only uses Electric, Poison, and Dark-Type Pokemon. One day, he had enough of Trainers having diverse teams, so he went outside and gave a speech.
“Attention, citizens of Pinghei!” He shouted through a megaphone. “For years, humans have relied on Pokemon with 18 different Types when we only need three: Electric, Poison, and Dark. Electric beats Water and Flying, Poison beats Grass and Fairy, and Dark beats Ghost and Psychic.” One young Trainer raised his hand.
“But what about the other Types?” He asked.
“Simple.” Said Gong Shen. “Electric, Poison, and Dark have been combined with just about every Type! Not to mention that most Pokemon have a surprising set of movepools. Why get a Fighting-Type Pokemon when Gengar can learn Focus Blast?”
“You have a point.” Said another Trainer.
“So, who’s with me?” Gong Shen asked, but there was silence. “Whoever joins me gets 5 Big Pearls!” The crowd soon cheered.
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Meanwhile, in Johto’s Cherrygrove City, a plus-sized girl named Louise was getting ready for her 16th birthday. She took her shower, had some Rawst Berry pancakes for breakfast, brushed her teeth, and was now putting on a blue shirt with a pink tank top.
“This is it, Louise.” She said to herself in the mirror. “You’ll be turning 16 this year, the second luckiest number out there. Make sure that this birthday will be the best!”
“Louise, come on!” Said a voice. “We got all your friends out! Besides, you’ll be excited for the presents!” Louise ran outside to see everyone, and they decorated the front lawn with balloons and streamers.
“Happy birthday, Louise!” Said everyone, which included Louise’s parents and her classmates Benny, Brenda, and Maxine. Both Brenda and Maxine were holding presents with Eevee-patterned wrapping paper.
“This is something every girl your age would die for!” Said Louise’s dad, grabbing the round present from Brenda.
“It’s round like a Voltorb.” Observed Louise. “Let’s see what’s inside!” Louise rips off the wrapping paper, and it revealed a Poke Ball.
“A Poke Ball.” Said Louise with little enthusiasm. “How great.”
“It’s what’s inside the Poke Ball!” Said her mom. Louise opened the Poke Ball, and out came a Pokemon she’d least expect: A Varoom.
“A Varoom?” Said Louise. “But isn’t this Pokemon from Paldea?”
“I caught one while visiting Chuso.” Replied Benny. “Does that mean you don’t like it?”
“I love it!” Said Louise. “I’m gonna name him Honda. It is a him, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I checked.” Answered Benny. “I picked Varoom because teenage girls your age love getting cars as a birthday present, and Revavroom is the next best thing. A little Pidgey also told me that you want to be a Pokemon Trainer, and I felt Varoom would be a good choice for you. Honda is Level 30, just ten levels away from evolving.”
“But I recommend catching other Pokemon to have a diverse team.” Said Maxine. “Which is why you should open the next gift.” She handed Louise another present, this one shaped like a box. She ripped off the wrapping paper, and it revealed a Poke Gear.
“A Poke Gear?” Louise asked again. “Why a Poke Gear and not a Rotom Phone?”
“It’s the latest model.” Said her mom. “You can adjust the radio so that Pokemon from other Regions magically appear! C’mon, let’s go to Route 29 to prove it. Clive, keep the guests entertained, please!” While Clive was entertaining Maxine, Brenda, and Benny, Louise, Yvette (Louise’s mom), and Honda traveled to Route 29 to demonstrate the Poke Gear.
“First, we switch it to Channel 7.5.” She said, tinkering with the Poke Gear. “It’s music from Galar, so a Pokemon from Galar will pop out of the grass today. Get Varoom ready.” Soon, a Skwovet, which can’t be found in Johto, popped out of the grass. “See? It’s that simple. You can use it to finally catch Dark-Type Pokemon in Johto! There’s also a pamphlet that points out where each Pokemon can be found with the Radio Feature.” Yvette handed the pamphlet to Louise, and she was amazed at what Pokemon can be caught with it.
“Absol can be caught in caves on Wednesdays,” She read. “Carbink can be caught on Saturdays in caves, Buizel can be caught in grassy areas on Thursdays, and Golett can be caught in towers on Fridays! This is so cool! When can I start using it?”
“Perhaps after the party.” Said Yvette.
“I suppose you’re right.” Said Louise, and she, Yvette, and Honda decided to go back to the party. As for the Skwovet, it just scampered back into the thicket.
Author's Notes: In Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, enhanced remakes of Gold and Silver, players can use their PokeGear (which is a bit like a cellphone) to entice Pokemon from Hoenn and Sinnoh to pop out.
For this story, I was thinking: Why not use the PokeGear to catch Pokemon from Unova, Kalos, Alola, Galar, and Paldea? Through the story, Louise also encounters and catches Tandemaus, Makuhita, Absol, Buizel, and Carbink, all of which she got with the PokeGear's music app.
In case you didn't guess already, Honda (Louise's Varoom) is named after the car brand of the same name.
Yvette (Louise's mom) is named after my grandmother. It's also the name of puppet fabricator Yvette Helin, who also happened to work on the short-lived stage musical Pokemon Live!
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| Yvette working on a Vaporeon puppet for the show. |
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