Hi~ So, those of you that follow my DA page may have read one of the few finished works I've ever done, but I thought I might share it with you guys here too ♥ it is completed, but to keep from overload, I'll post about two chapters per post a day. Also, if you notice an error in punctuation, spelling, runon sentences, or scenes that seem to contradict another, I probably won't correct it, but I appreciate your feedback regardless~ so without further ado, Camp Pond Water.
Oh! And a big thanks to Blazikid for letting me use and ad my own twists to two of his characters.
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Oh! And a big thanks to Blazikid for letting me use and ad my own twists to two of his characters.
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Pokémon Pond-Water Version
A fan fic by Doubled 32
Chapter 1
In the small town of Anville, Unova; a young, sixteen year old boy with thick, snow white hair, green eyes, a black jacket, a white scarf, a white v-shirt, dark brown khakis tucked into black, boot like shoes with blue shoe strings and a white sole, and a chain by his hip, with a young Sentret resting soundly in his lap; rides a small train with several other kids from the ages of fourteen to eighteen to an area shrouded in forest.
“Hey, Reese, you listening?” asked a young man, the same age, with blue eyes and thick black hair sitting across from him. This man was wearing a black and orange hooded sweater, blue jeans, a pair of black and red shoes, and a necklace with a cross. Reese looked from the window back to his friend. “This is going to be the BEST SUMMER EVER! We’re going to a camp with so many new people we’ve never met before, and we’re going to make so many friends, maybe even a girlfriend…. Or two~” he said with a snicker.
“Yeah, I doubt it Decker,” replied Reese as he leaned his head against his hand as he looked out at the passing trees. It was fall, so the leaves were a gorgeous brown, and there were several Sawsbuck, Deerling, Stantler, Tauros, Buffalant, and many other Pokémon running around in a sudden clearing of the trees. “No offense, but you never hear the stories of a summer camp being all that ‘fun.’” Decker sighed.
“Well it sure as heck WON’T be with that attitude!” pouted the man. Reese looked to the other side at some thirteen year old kids showing off their trainer cards, which had their Pokémon on them. One of them had a Charmeleon, another had a Keckleon, and another had a Grimer.
“Look, I’m just a little ticked off that my parents forced me to go to camp just because I apparently have a cousin working there this year,” spoke Reese, “I mean, we’re probably the oldest trainers here, look at those kids over there.”
“Hey, we’re not the oldest! Okay, maybe in this box car, but that was only because they ran out of seats up front. BUT, at least you got me~” smiled Decker. Reese sighed in annoyance. “Come on buddy, let’s see that smile!” yelled Decker, making Reese a little annoyed. “Come on! SMILE. S-M-I-L-E, SMILE SMILE SMILE SMILE SMILE SM-”
“OKAY I’M SMILING!” laughed Reese. The two grinned and bumped fists. These two have been best friends for about two years now, though Decker has many other friends, while Reese has none. Suddenly, the intercom came on.
“To your left, you can see the infamous Camp Noble-Fire~ Where campers can enjoy indoor pools, an all you can eat gourmet buffet, a digital arcade, free wi-fi, and a built in mall with satellite TV in every dorm room!” spoke the woman on the intercom. The kids seemed excited as they saw it, a majestic area that looked almost like a college campus more than a camp site, and even saw campers riding Rapidash while playing polo.
“But that’s not where WE’RE going though, is it?” asked Reese to himself, suddenly waking up the sleeping Sentret.
“Tret?” spoke the small and adorable Pokémon. The train passed the campsite, making the kids moan. The train kept going for about ten more minutes until it finally stopped.
“And we’re here kids! CAMP POND-WATER~” spoke the woman on the PA, making the kids look outside in wonder, but suddenly all of them started frowning. This camp looked like it hadn’t been remodeled or updated since the early 30’s, as most of the buildings were made of logs, while there were several smaller huts made out of what appeared to be thin wood and what appeared to be very thin bug screens for walls. In the center of camp stood a gigantic pole with a flag with a Slowpoke on it. There also stood a small sign to the front of the camp, reading “Camp Pride-Water” originally, until it looked like somebody took spray paint and over wrote “Pride” with “Pond.” Speaking of pond, the pond next to the camp was almost green in color.
“Oh my god, it’s worse than I thought,” spoke Reese with widened eyes. Suddenly a pinecone fell from a tree and hit the sign, knocking it over due to extremely rotted wood.
“Look at the bright side, at least we have a roof over our heads!” smiled Decker, who was interrupted by the sudden collapse of one of the huts when a Pidgey landed on the roof.
“Oh yeah, I feel so safe at night,” spoke Reese with a sarcastic tone and a horrified face that almost seemed like a nervous smile. Sentret climbed on Reese’s head and began to pout. Suddenly, a loud man came over the PA.
“OKAY EVERYONE, GET OFF YER ASSES, GET YOUR CRAP, AND GET OFF THE TRAIN!” yelled the man. Reese sighed, while several others moaned and grumbled in sadness. Reese and Decker reach under their seats to get their bags and began to follow the crowd as they got off the train. As they got down and crowded in the open lot in the front of the camp, a large man with a thick red beard, a pair of overalls, a white sweater, black fishing boots, and a fisher’s cap grabbed a megaphone. “LISTEN HERE YOU PEVERTED LITTLE CREEPS! THERE MAY BE CO-ED ROOMING, BUT THERE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY NO CONTACT BETWEEN YOU SEXUALLY CRAZED DEVIANTS! IF YOU SO MUCH AS LOOK AT HER BOTTOM, I WILL LET MY GYARADOS LIGHT YOU ON FIRE AND EAT YOU FOR DINNER!” yelled the old man. A young woman with curly brown hair, a pair of denim pants, a white blouse tucked in, and a pair of tennis shoes looked at the group with a nervous smile.
“What Scout Master Gerald means is, we would appreciate you gentlemen showing the ladies the courtesy of being on your best behavior~” spoke the woman with a cute, motherly manner, “Also, no pranking each other after dark~ We don’t want to wake up to another scout hanging on the flag pole again~” she laughed. Reese narrowed his eyes in annoyance. A girl with a black hair in a side pony tail, red eyes, a black tank top, red short shorts, black knee socks, and white tennis shoes also sighed.
“Ugh, so with you,” spoke the girl.
“Man, of all the places to get dumped, we get dumped here,” spoke Reese.
“At least this is my last year, after this I’m finally leaving Unova and going out on my own,” spoke the girl. Reese looked at her, and she was only about two inches taller than him.
“This is my first time here. What do I have to look forward to?” asked Reese.
“Oh the usual: crappy food, crappy music, crappy activities…” spoke the girl, who was suddenly interrupted.
“This year, you get to send us activities that YOU think would be enjoyable~” spoke the woman again, making Gerald grumble to himself.
“Wow, didn’t see that coming,” spoke the girl. Reese smiled.
“Maybe it won’t be so bad after all,” spoke the boy. “My name’s Reese.”
“Call me Haley,” spoke the girl with a smile.
“Now, if you’ll make your way to the cabins, you may get your bags and things set up in whatever cabin you wish! Just remember, four to a cabin please!” laughed the woman. Gerald then swiped the megaphone away.
“YOU HEARD HER YOU PIECE OF SHITS, MOVE IT!” yelled the old man. Reese looked at Decker and grinned.
“Let’s try to get one next to the pond, that way we can jump through the wall into it if it catches on fire,” laughed Reese. Decker nodded. “Oh, Haley, were you…”
“Oh, sorry, I’m rooming with some of my other friends, but I’ll catch up with you some other time!” she yelled as she followed a few of her friends, all girls, and all looking somewhat attractive. Reese seemed to blush at Haley, making Decker smile.
“Looks like somebody made a friend~” laughed the man.
“Shut up!”
“But dude, she said this is her last year here, that means she’s got to be at least eighteen!”
“I said shut up!” spoke Reese as he walked toward the first cabin next to the pond, Decker following. As soon as Reese opened the door, a Zigzagoon jumped out and attacked Decker’s face. Decker screamed as he struggled to remove the rodent from his face. “Scout, wanna help out?” asked Reese to his Sentret.
“Sentret!” cheered the little scout Pokémon as he jumped from Reese’s head and slammed his tail on the Zigzagoon, scaring the little Pokémon off.
“OW!” yelled Decker as he held his face.
“Yep, the best summer ever,” spoke Reese as Sentret climbed back on his head. As they walked inside, another guy with short, spiked blonde hair bulldozed them over and plopped in a bed. He had brown eyes, green cargo pants, black combat boots, and a black skin tight tank top.
“Wow, these beds are so freaking comfortable dude!” yelled the man.
“Yeah nice to meet you too,” spoke Reese. The man then stood up and saluted, scaring them.
“Sorry about that! My name is Lt. Spark! Nephew of Lt. Surge!” yelled the man.
“Spark? Cool!” grinned Decker, “My name is Decker, and this is Reese!” he said as he patted Reese’s back. A nervous girl then walked in behind them and began to shake with fear.
“Oh no…the last cabin…and its full of guys…” she spoke nervously. She had orange hair with braided twin tails over her shoulders, a black ruffled tank top with spaghetti strings, a knee length white skirt, and white flip flops. She began to blush as she looked at the three.
“Hey, why are you so upset?” asked Decker with an innocent smile.
“Obviously she’s worried about us trying something when she sleeps or when she’s changing, right?” asked Reese, “Well first off, with these bug screens for walls, so I doubt they expect us to change in here, so there’s nothing to worry about. Second, Scout’s a girl, she’s got you.” Scout then waved at the girl, making her feel somewhat better.
“That’s good to hear!” She suddenly laughed, shocking the others, “I already heard your names outside. My name is Alice!” she spoke. She suddenly came out of whatever shell she was in and started posting posters next to what she claimed would be her bed. Reese then stepped outside, looking out at the pond with an annoyed face.
“Why am I stuck here? I could be taking on the new and improved Pokémon League, instead I’m stuck at some summer camp,” spoke Reese to himself. He then happened to look down and see a Slowpoke with his tail in the water. “Oh great, and now one of the most detestable Pokémon are here too.”
“…Poke?” asked the Slowpoke in a slow manner. However, suddenly, a few campers about the age of eighteen ran to is with a knife in hand, while a Tentacruel appeared and pinned the Pokémon down, though his expression remained just as confused.
“HEY, HURRY UP, I WANNA EAT ITS TAIL!” yelled Gerald, who came walking behind them. Reese widened his eyes.
“Are they really going to cut off his tail!?” asked Reese to himself. He then jumped down and stood between the foes and Slowpoke. “Hey, what the crap is wrong with you people!?”
“Oh we’re just going to play red rover with Slowpoke, you know, something fun! NO DIPSHIT WE’RE GOING TO CUT OFF HIS FREAKING TAIL AND EAT IT!” yelled the camper with a black leather jacket and spiked up purple hair. Reese sighed and drew a Pokeball from his belt.
“Looks like summer won’t be so boring after all,” spoke the white haired boy as he threw a ball high into the air, releasing a large, yellow Pokémon with two tails that roared with the electricity that surged from the Pokeball.
“VIRE!” roared the Electivire. Gerald laughed and pushed the campers out of the way.
“Guess that I’ll have to feed you to Gyarados after all,” spoke the old man, “It’s been a whole year since I’ve had my last Slowpoke tail, and I won’t let some albino kid get in my way!” yelled the man as he threw the ball into the air, releasing a large, steel snake in a flash of bright light. “But for my sake I’ll use Steelix!” the gigantic snake came crashing to the ground with a thud, and roared loudly, calling the other campers from their cabins. Decker looked at the trapped Slowpoke and grit his teeth.
“Scout, I’m not your trainer, but use Thunderpunch!” yelled Decker. Scout’s small right hand became engulfed in electricity as he punched the Tentacruel, sending him flying.
“Steelix, use Earthquake!” yelled Gerald. “Take the entire camp with you for all I care! SMASH IT TO THE GROUND!” Reese widened his eyes, while the woman from earlier suddenly came running.
“Scout Master, have you gone MAD!?” yelled the woman. Gerald looked back with red eyes, almost like he had been abusing a drug of some sort.
“MAD, MAD!? HA! I WENT MAD THE DAY I BOUGHT THIS DUMP! I HAVEN’T FELT ANY PRIDE IN THIS RIDICULOUS CAMP, NOT SINCE THE EUPHORIA POKEMON STARTED APPEARING AGAIN!” he yelled, confusing us, “ENOUGH OF THAT, STEELIX, USE-”
“VIRE!” yelled Electivire as it punched Steelix head on, causing the very steel around the snake’s body to ripple and send it flying towards the forest. Gerald looked at Reese with surprise, while the white haired boy grinned.
“Hey, with all of your blabbering, I had enough time to tell Amp to use Focus Punch and let him charge,” laughed the white haired boy. “Anything else? Go on, take your time, I got all day.” Gerald growled at sent out Gyarados in a torrent of water, who roared loudly. Reese grinned and pointed. “Amp, use Thunderpunch!” yelled Reese.
“VIRE!” yelled Electivire as he rushed in with a fist full of electricity.
“Dig!” yelled Gerald, shocking Reese and the others. Gyarados then dove into the ground like it was water. Reese began to think heavily, when a sudden thought came to mind.
“AMP, USE EARTH-” however, before he could finish, he forgot about the camp. Suddenly, Gyarados came rushing out of the ground and hit Electivire head on, catching Reese off guard.
“Now Shadow Ball!” yelled Gerald, surprising Reese even more. Electivire managed to shoot a beam of electricity from his tail before being his head on by an orb of darkness. The electricity hit the opposing Pokémon and forced the illusion to wear off, revealing the Pokémon to be a Zoroark.
“ZORO!” roared the demon fox Pokémon. Reese looked at Electivire, who was down for the count, and returned him, in a bolt of lightning, back to his Pokeball.
“Good work Amp, now we know how to deal with this,” spoke Reese, who then threw another ball into the air. The ball released, with flying scales all around, a large, beetle like Pokémon with a massive horn.
“Herracro!” yelled Heracross.
“Hercules, use Close Combat!” yelled Reese.
“CROOOO!” Heracross then flew in at Zoroark, who jumped back and forth trying to avoid each blow, but was eventually overcome by twenty punches to the face. Zoroark went down, making Gerald recall his Pokémon to its ball.
“Just what I was waiting for!” yelled the man as he sent out the real Gyarados, who used Flamethrower on Heracles, causing the Pokémon to catch on fire and run around in panic. Reese recalled his Pokémon quickly to put out the fire. “Is that seriously ALL you have!?” yelled Gerald. Reese bit his lip while the Slowpoke from earlier stepped forward.
“What are you doing here!? Get out!” yelled Reese.
“poooookkkeeee…” muttered the Slowpoke as his eyes began to glow a bright blue, causing the lunging foe to be paralyzed mid air, shocking the others.
“Telekinesis!?” asked Decker.
“Pooooooooooooke….” moaned Slowpoke again as his eyes began to glow again, causing a whirl of snow to suddenly appear behind him, freezing the large sea dragon in place and covering the camp in snow.
“NO WAY! IS THAT…” spoke the camp counselor or the woman from before, looking at the Slowpoke with wonder.
“SON OF A BITCH!” yelled Gerald as he reached in his pocket and ate what appeared to be a Balm Mushroom, causing his eyes to dilate. “YEESSSSS, THAT’S THE STUFF!” The rest of the campers looked at him like he was crazy, but Slowpoke then used Telekinesis to lift the drug induced man off of the ground and suspend him in the air, though he was in his own world, trying to fend off giant Caterpie and tiny Wailord that were flying around his head, at least to him.
Much later, the police arrived, handcuffing Gerald and placing him in the police car to drive off. The Camp Counselor looked over at Reese, who was trying to fend off the Slowpoke who was on his leg trying to get attention. Reese was somewhat annoyed, while Decker and Scout were laughing.
“Excuse me, Reese, but I think that you should let that Slowpoke join your team!” laughed the counselor. Reese looked at her with a surprised face. “Over eighty years ago, Thomas Anville, founder of this town, founded camp ‘Pride-Water’ with the help of a Slowpoke. That Slowpoke was said to have been released into the wild, but before any of the other Slowpoke came into the area, it was said that he was always the first to come here!” Reese and Decker jumped in astonishment. That would mean that this Slowpoke would have to be at LEAST eighty years old.
“There’s no way he’s THAT old!” yelled Decker. The camp counselor then reached into her pocket to show a picture of Slowpoke, which had a pink stripe across his belly. Looking at this Slowpoke, the same stripe could be seen.
“Then… he IS that Slowpoke!” yelled Reese, trying to keep the Pokémon off of his leg.
“Slooooowwww…” moaned the Pokémon.
“Oh yeah, Ms Steward,” spoke Haley, who just happened to walk over to the area, “What are Euphoria Pokémon? I’ve been coming to this camp for four years, and I’ve never heard of them.” The camp counselor known as Ms Steward sighed and tried to gather her thoughts.
“Well…undoubtedly you’re familiar with drugs, correct? Euphoria Pokémon are Pokémon that produce psychedelic type substances, such as a Paras and the mushrooms on its back, or a special chemical made by Pokémon like Seismitoad. In this case, a Slowpoke Tail is considered a delicacy because it has certain properties that put a person at ease,” explained the woman. “Gerald…got addicted to the Euphoria Pokémon, and the only reason he bought this camp was so he could be close to these particular Pokémon.”
“Poooookkkeeee…” moaned Slowpoke.
“I said stop it!” yelled Reese in annoyance, not even bothering Slowpoke.
“Reese, Slowpoke hasn’t trusted a human since Thomas,” spoke the counselor, shocking the others, “The fact that he’s even letting you stand near him is a sign that he trusts you!” Reese looked at the pink Pokémon with widened eyes, while Slowpoke tilted his head in a somewhat mentally challenged manner.
“Slow?”
“…Fine,” spoke Reese as he picked a Pokeball from his waist. “Your new name is…” Reese thought for a moment, but couldn’t think of a name.
“Thomas had referred to him as Yodan, Slowpoke’s Japanese name.”
“Cool, I’m calling him Derp,” replied Reese as he tapped the ball on Slowpoke’s head and letting the Pokémon enter in a mixture of blue and pink energy, signifying the water and psychic power it held. The ball flashed once and fired three small stars from the button in the center, signaling capture.
“REESE! YOU CAN’T CALL HIM DERP!” yelled the camp counselor.
“Nope, I’m calling him Derp, ‘Herp Derp’ to be precise,” replied Reese as he put the ball on his belt. Haley laughed, which made him smile a little.
“Ma’am, I hate to be a bother, but whose going to be Scout Master now?” asked Spark, trying to be as dignified as a soldier.
“Oh, that would be Gerald’s brother, Harold,” replied the woman, as Gerald’s twin suddenly hopped out of a car, only he was wearing a suit and a fisher’s hat.
“WHAT ARE YOU PANSIES STILL DOING UP!? WE’RE WAKING UP AT FIVE IN THE MORNING TO LOOK FOR SHINIES! IN THE WOODS!” yelled the old man. Reese, Decker, Haley, Scout, and Spark all looked with shock.
“WE GOT THE SAME GUY TO LEAD THIS PLACE!?” yelled Reese with his jaw dropped.
“TRET!” agreed Scout.
“No no no~ Harold is only obsessed with Shiny Pokémon! He would never go so far like Gerald did!” spoke Ms Steward.
“I SAID OFF TO BED!” yelled the old man, who suddenly released a red Gyarados from a Pokeball around his waist, who began to roar loudly and shoot water at the kids, who hightailed it to the changing rooms, separated for boys and girls, and ran back to their cabins.
Later that night, Reese lays in his bed, still awake, while he reads an entry in his Pokedex about Slowpoke, trying to learn more about the creatures. Sentret sleeps soundly on his belly, covered by a white tank top. He learns that in some cultures, they are considered deities because of their empty heads, which symbolize enlightenment, at least to those people anyway. He finally gets sleepy at about three in the morning, as his insomnia keeps him from sleeping well at night, and he forgot his sleeping medication at his home in Humilau City. As he finally bent over to put his Pokedex away, he accidentally drops it on the floor, making one of the floor boards bend upwards. Reese was surprised, but saw what appeared to be a book of some sort underneath it. He gently moves Scout to his pillow and grabs the book to look at it.
“Dear journal, it has only been one day since I arrived at Camp Pride-Water; however, strange things are already happening,” the book reads, the pages being old and tarnished looking, “For future purposes, whenever I encounter a strange anomaly, I will write a detailed chapter on each event. I fear for my safety, since these cabins are barely suitable for a wild Pokémon, and I am afraid of what will happen should this book be discovered; henceforth, I shall hide it underneath this loose floor plank, in hopes that perhaps one day, should I finally leave, I may tell of my story, or at least, warn the next generation.” Reese read this prelude, but was horrified to see the very next page with writing that appeared to be in blood. “Do not run, for it senses fear; however, do not charge head first, for it shall destroy the ignorant who challenge it…” Reese begins to flip through the pages, and is intrigued by what he sees. “Forced evolution,” “mysterious disappearances,” “possessed objects,” there was even a detailed page about the Euphoria Pokémon in this book. Reese then closed the book, trying to retain everything he had learned. Fearful, he looks out of his bug screen window, looking at the pond lit up by the moon and the stars over head. Suddenly, he thought he saw something moving out in the water, which slightly frightened him. He then looked at the book one more time, seeing the name to only be listed under “Richard.” Reese, slightly frightened, put the book back under the floor board, but he also smiled.
“Looks like this summer won’t be so boring after all.”
A fan fic by Doubled 32
Chapter 1
In the small town of Anville, Unova; a young, sixteen year old boy with thick, snow white hair, green eyes, a black jacket, a white scarf, a white v-shirt, dark brown khakis tucked into black, boot like shoes with blue shoe strings and a white sole, and a chain by his hip, with a young Sentret resting soundly in his lap; rides a small train with several other kids from the ages of fourteen to eighteen to an area shrouded in forest.
“Hey, Reese, you listening?” asked a young man, the same age, with blue eyes and thick black hair sitting across from him. This man was wearing a black and orange hooded sweater, blue jeans, a pair of black and red shoes, and a necklace with a cross. Reese looked from the window back to his friend. “This is going to be the BEST SUMMER EVER! We’re going to a camp with so many new people we’ve never met before, and we’re going to make so many friends, maybe even a girlfriend…. Or two~” he said with a snicker.
“Yeah, I doubt it Decker,” replied Reese as he leaned his head against his hand as he looked out at the passing trees. It was fall, so the leaves were a gorgeous brown, and there were several Sawsbuck, Deerling, Stantler, Tauros, Buffalant, and many other Pokémon running around in a sudden clearing of the trees. “No offense, but you never hear the stories of a summer camp being all that ‘fun.’” Decker sighed.
“Well it sure as heck WON’T be with that attitude!” pouted the man. Reese looked to the other side at some thirteen year old kids showing off their trainer cards, which had their Pokémon on them. One of them had a Charmeleon, another had a Keckleon, and another had a Grimer.
“Look, I’m just a little ticked off that my parents forced me to go to camp just because I apparently have a cousin working there this year,” spoke Reese, “I mean, we’re probably the oldest trainers here, look at those kids over there.”
“Hey, we’re not the oldest! Okay, maybe in this box car, but that was only because they ran out of seats up front. BUT, at least you got me~” smiled Decker. Reese sighed in annoyance. “Come on buddy, let’s see that smile!” yelled Decker, making Reese a little annoyed. “Come on! SMILE. S-M-I-L-E, SMILE SMILE SMILE SMILE SMILE SM-”
“OKAY I’M SMILING!” laughed Reese. The two grinned and bumped fists. These two have been best friends for about two years now, though Decker has many other friends, while Reese has none. Suddenly, the intercom came on.
“To your left, you can see the infamous Camp Noble-Fire~ Where campers can enjoy indoor pools, an all you can eat gourmet buffet, a digital arcade, free wi-fi, and a built in mall with satellite TV in every dorm room!” spoke the woman on the intercom. The kids seemed excited as they saw it, a majestic area that looked almost like a college campus more than a camp site, and even saw campers riding Rapidash while playing polo.
“But that’s not where WE’RE going though, is it?” asked Reese to himself, suddenly waking up the sleeping Sentret.
“Tret?” spoke the small and adorable Pokémon. The train passed the campsite, making the kids moan. The train kept going for about ten more minutes until it finally stopped.
“And we’re here kids! CAMP POND-WATER~” spoke the woman on the PA, making the kids look outside in wonder, but suddenly all of them started frowning. This camp looked like it hadn’t been remodeled or updated since the early 30’s, as most of the buildings were made of logs, while there were several smaller huts made out of what appeared to be thin wood and what appeared to be very thin bug screens for walls. In the center of camp stood a gigantic pole with a flag with a Slowpoke on it. There also stood a small sign to the front of the camp, reading “Camp Pride-Water” originally, until it looked like somebody took spray paint and over wrote “Pride” with “Pond.” Speaking of pond, the pond next to the camp was almost green in color.
“Oh my god, it’s worse than I thought,” spoke Reese with widened eyes. Suddenly a pinecone fell from a tree and hit the sign, knocking it over due to extremely rotted wood.
“Look at the bright side, at least we have a roof over our heads!” smiled Decker, who was interrupted by the sudden collapse of one of the huts when a Pidgey landed on the roof.
“Oh yeah, I feel so safe at night,” spoke Reese with a sarcastic tone and a horrified face that almost seemed like a nervous smile. Sentret climbed on Reese’s head and began to pout. Suddenly, a loud man came over the PA.
“OKAY EVERYONE, GET OFF YER ASSES, GET YOUR CRAP, AND GET OFF THE TRAIN!” yelled the man. Reese sighed, while several others moaned and grumbled in sadness. Reese and Decker reach under their seats to get their bags and began to follow the crowd as they got off the train. As they got down and crowded in the open lot in the front of the camp, a large man with a thick red beard, a pair of overalls, a white sweater, black fishing boots, and a fisher’s cap grabbed a megaphone. “LISTEN HERE YOU PEVERTED LITTLE CREEPS! THERE MAY BE CO-ED ROOMING, BUT THERE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY NO CONTACT BETWEEN YOU SEXUALLY CRAZED DEVIANTS! IF YOU SO MUCH AS LOOK AT HER BOTTOM, I WILL LET MY GYARADOS LIGHT YOU ON FIRE AND EAT YOU FOR DINNER!” yelled the old man. A young woman with curly brown hair, a pair of denim pants, a white blouse tucked in, and a pair of tennis shoes looked at the group with a nervous smile.
“What Scout Master Gerald means is, we would appreciate you gentlemen showing the ladies the courtesy of being on your best behavior~” spoke the woman with a cute, motherly manner, “Also, no pranking each other after dark~ We don’t want to wake up to another scout hanging on the flag pole again~” she laughed. Reese narrowed his eyes in annoyance. A girl with a black hair in a side pony tail, red eyes, a black tank top, red short shorts, black knee socks, and white tennis shoes also sighed.
“Ugh, so with you,” spoke the girl.
“Man, of all the places to get dumped, we get dumped here,” spoke Reese.
“At least this is my last year, after this I’m finally leaving Unova and going out on my own,” spoke the girl. Reese looked at her, and she was only about two inches taller than him.
“This is my first time here. What do I have to look forward to?” asked Reese.
“Oh the usual: crappy food, crappy music, crappy activities…” spoke the girl, who was suddenly interrupted.
“This year, you get to send us activities that YOU think would be enjoyable~” spoke the woman again, making Gerald grumble to himself.
“Wow, didn’t see that coming,” spoke the girl. Reese smiled.
“Maybe it won’t be so bad after all,” spoke the boy. “My name’s Reese.”
“Call me Haley,” spoke the girl with a smile.
“Now, if you’ll make your way to the cabins, you may get your bags and things set up in whatever cabin you wish! Just remember, four to a cabin please!” laughed the woman. Gerald then swiped the megaphone away.
“YOU HEARD HER YOU PIECE OF SHITS, MOVE IT!” yelled the old man. Reese looked at Decker and grinned.
“Let’s try to get one next to the pond, that way we can jump through the wall into it if it catches on fire,” laughed Reese. Decker nodded. “Oh, Haley, were you…”
“Oh, sorry, I’m rooming with some of my other friends, but I’ll catch up with you some other time!” she yelled as she followed a few of her friends, all girls, and all looking somewhat attractive. Reese seemed to blush at Haley, making Decker smile.
“Looks like somebody made a friend~” laughed the man.
“Shut up!”
“But dude, she said this is her last year here, that means she’s got to be at least eighteen!”
“I said shut up!” spoke Reese as he walked toward the first cabin next to the pond, Decker following. As soon as Reese opened the door, a Zigzagoon jumped out and attacked Decker’s face. Decker screamed as he struggled to remove the rodent from his face. “Scout, wanna help out?” asked Reese to his Sentret.
“Sentret!” cheered the little scout Pokémon as he jumped from Reese’s head and slammed his tail on the Zigzagoon, scaring the little Pokémon off.
“OW!” yelled Decker as he held his face.
“Yep, the best summer ever,” spoke Reese as Sentret climbed back on his head. As they walked inside, another guy with short, spiked blonde hair bulldozed them over and plopped in a bed. He had brown eyes, green cargo pants, black combat boots, and a black skin tight tank top.
“Wow, these beds are so freaking comfortable dude!” yelled the man.
“Yeah nice to meet you too,” spoke Reese. The man then stood up and saluted, scaring them.
“Sorry about that! My name is Lt. Spark! Nephew of Lt. Surge!” yelled the man.
“Spark? Cool!” grinned Decker, “My name is Decker, and this is Reese!” he said as he patted Reese’s back. A nervous girl then walked in behind them and began to shake with fear.
“Oh no…the last cabin…and its full of guys…” she spoke nervously. She had orange hair with braided twin tails over her shoulders, a black ruffled tank top with spaghetti strings, a knee length white skirt, and white flip flops. She began to blush as she looked at the three.
“Hey, why are you so upset?” asked Decker with an innocent smile.
“Obviously she’s worried about us trying something when she sleeps or when she’s changing, right?” asked Reese, “Well first off, with these bug screens for walls, so I doubt they expect us to change in here, so there’s nothing to worry about. Second, Scout’s a girl, she’s got you.” Scout then waved at the girl, making her feel somewhat better.
“That’s good to hear!” She suddenly laughed, shocking the others, “I already heard your names outside. My name is Alice!” she spoke. She suddenly came out of whatever shell she was in and started posting posters next to what she claimed would be her bed. Reese then stepped outside, looking out at the pond with an annoyed face.
“Why am I stuck here? I could be taking on the new and improved Pokémon League, instead I’m stuck at some summer camp,” spoke Reese to himself. He then happened to look down and see a Slowpoke with his tail in the water. “Oh great, and now one of the most detestable Pokémon are here too.”
“…Poke?” asked the Slowpoke in a slow manner. However, suddenly, a few campers about the age of eighteen ran to is with a knife in hand, while a Tentacruel appeared and pinned the Pokémon down, though his expression remained just as confused.
“HEY, HURRY UP, I WANNA EAT ITS TAIL!” yelled Gerald, who came walking behind them. Reese widened his eyes.
“Are they really going to cut off his tail!?” asked Reese to himself. He then jumped down and stood between the foes and Slowpoke. “Hey, what the crap is wrong with you people!?”
“Oh we’re just going to play red rover with Slowpoke, you know, something fun! NO DIPSHIT WE’RE GOING TO CUT OFF HIS FREAKING TAIL AND EAT IT!” yelled the camper with a black leather jacket and spiked up purple hair. Reese sighed and drew a Pokeball from his belt.
“Looks like summer won’t be so boring after all,” spoke the white haired boy as he threw a ball high into the air, releasing a large, yellow Pokémon with two tails that roared with the electricity that surged from the Pokeball.
“VIRE!” roared the Electivire. Gerald laughed and pushed the campers out of the way.
“Guess that I’ll have to feed you to Gyarados after all,” spoke the old man, “It’s been a whole year since I’ve had my last Slowpoke tail, and I won’t let some albino kid get in my way!” yelled the man as he threw the ball into the air, releasing a large, steel snake in a flash of bright light. “But for my sake I’ll use Steelix!” the gigantic snake came crashing to the ground with a thud, and roared loudly, calling the other campers from their cabins. Decker looked at the trapped Slowpoke and grit his teeth.
“Scout, I’m not your trainer, but use Thunderpunch!” yelled Decker. Scout’s small right hand became engulfed in electricity as he punched the Tentacruel, sending him flying.
“Steelix, use Earthquake!” yelled Gerald. “Take the entire camp with you for all I care! SMASH IT TO THE GROUND!” Reese widened his eyes, while the woman from earlier suddenly came running.
“Scout Master, have you gone MAD!?” yelled the woman. Gerald looked back with red eyes, almost like he had been abusing a drug of some sort.
“MAD, MAD!? HA! I WENT MAD THE DAY I BOUGHT THIS DUMP! I HAVEN’T FELT ANY PRIDE IN THIS RIDICULOUS CAMP, NOT SINCE THE EUPHORIA POKEMON STARTED APPEARING AGAIN!” he yelled, confusing us, “ENOUGH OF THAT, STEELIX, USE-”
“VIRE!” yelled Electivire as it punched Steelix head on, causing the very steel around the snake’s body to ripple and send it flying towards the forest. Gerald looked at Reese with surprise, while the white haired boy grinned.
“Hey, with all of your blabbering, I had enough time to tell Amp to use Focus Punch and let him charge,” laughed the white haired boy. “Anything else? Go on, take your time, I got all day.” Gerald growled at sent out Gyarados in a torrent of water, who roared loudly. Reese grinned and pointed. “Amp, use Thunderpunch!” yelled Reese.
“VIRE!” yelled Electivire as he rushed in with a fist full of electricity.
“Dig!” yelled Gerald, shocking Reese and the others. Gyarados then dove into the ground like it was water. Reese began to think heavily, when a sudden thought came to mind.
“AMP, USE EARTH-” however, before he could finish, he forgot about the camp. Suddenly, Gyarados came rushing out of the ground and hit Electivire head on, catching Reese off guard.
“Now Shadow Ball!” yelled Gerald, surprising Reese even more. Electivire managed to shoot a beam of electricity from his tail before being his head on by an orb of darkness. The electricity hit the opposing Pokémon and forced the illusion to wear off, revealing the Pokémon to be a Zoroark.
“ZORO!” roared the demon fox Pokémon. Reese looked at Electivire, who was down for the count, and returned him, in a bolt of lightning, back to his Pokeball.
“Good work Amp, now we know how to deal with this,” spoke Reese, who then threw another ball into the air. The ball released, with flying scales all around, a large, beetle like Pokémon with a massive horn.
“Herracro!” yelled Heracross.
“Hercules, use Close Combat!” yelled Reese.
“CROOOO!” Heracross then flew in at Zoroark, who jumped back and forth trying to avoid each blow, but was eventually overcome by twenty punches to the face. Zoroark went down, making Gerald recall his Pokémon to its ball.
“Just what I was waiting for!” yelled the man as he sent out the real Gyarados, who used Flamethrower on Heracles, causing the Pokémon to catch on fire and run around in panic. Reese recalled his Pokémon quickly to put out the fire. “Is that seriously ALL you have!?” yelled Gerald. Reese bit his lip while the Slowpoke from earlier stepped forward.
“What are you doing here!? Get out!” yelled Reese.
“poooookkkeeee…” muttered the Slowpoke as his eyes began to glow a bright blue, causing the lunging foe to be paralyzed mid air, shocking the others.
“Telekinesis!?” asked Decker.
“Pooooooooooooke….” moaned Slowpoke again as his eyes began to glow again, causing a whirl of snow to suddenly appear behind him, freezing the large sea dragon in place and covering the camp in snow.
“NO WAY! IS THAT…” spoke the camp counselor or the woman from before, looking at the Slowpoke with wonder.
“SON OF A BITCH!” yelled Gerald as he reached in his pocket and ate what appeared to be a Balm Mushroom, causing his eyes to dilate. “YEESSSSS, THAT’S THE STUFF!” The rest of the campers looked at him like he was crazy, but Slowpoke then used Telekinesis to lift the drug induced man off of the ground and suspend him in the air, though he was in his own world, trying to fend off giant Caterpie and tiny Wailord that were flying around his head, at least to him.
Much later, the police arrived, handcuffing Gerald and placing him in the police car to drive off. The Camp Counselor looked over at Reese, who was trying to fend off the Slowpoke who was on his leg trying to get attention. Reese was somewhat annoyed, while Decker and Scout were laughing.
“Excuse me, Reese, but I think that you should let that Slowpoke join your team!” laughed the counselor. Reese looked at her with a surprised face. “Over eighty years ago, Thomas Anville, founder of this town, founded camp ‘Pride-Water’ with the help of a Slowpoke. That Slowpoke was said to have been released into the wild, but before any of the other Slowpoke came into the area, it was said that he was always the first to come here!” Reese and Decker jumped in astonishment. That would mean that this Slowpoke would have to be at LEAST eighty years old.
“There’s no way he’s THAT old!” yelled Decker. The camp counselor then reached into her pocket to show a picture of Slowpoke, which had a pink stripe across his belly. Looking at this Slowpoke, the same stripe could be seen.
“Then… he IS that Slowpoke!” yelled Reese, trying to keep the Pokémon off of his leg.
“Slooooowwww…” moaned the Pokémon.
“Oh yeah, Ms Steward,” spoke Haley, who just happened to walk over to the area, “What are Euphoria Pokémon? I’ve been coming to this camp for four years, and I’ve never heard of them.” The camp counselor known as Ms Steward sighed and tried to gather her thoughts.
“Well…undoubtedly you’re familiar with drugs, correct? Euphoria Pokémon are Pokémon that produce psychedelic type substances, such as a Paras and the mushrooms on its back, or a special chemical made by Pokémon like Seismitoad. In this case, a Slowpoke Tail is considered a delicacy because it has certain properties that put a person at ease,” explained the woman. “Gerald…got addicted to the Euphoria Pokémon, and the only reason he bought this camp was so he could be close to these particular Pokémon.”
“Poooookkkeeee…” moaned Slowpoke.
“I said stop it!” yelled Reese in annoyance, not even bothering Slowpoke.
“Reese, Slowpoke hasn’t trusted a human since Thomas,” spoke the counselor, shocking the others, “The fact that he’s even letting you stand near him is a sign that he trusts you!” Reese looked at the pink Pokémon with widened eyes, while Slowpoke tilted his head in a somewhat mentally challenged manner.
“Slow?”
“…Fine,” spoke Reese as he picked a Pokeball from his waist. “Your new name is…” Reese thought for a moment, but couldn’t think of a name.
“Thomas had referred to him as Yodan, Slowpoke’s Japanese name.”
“Cool, I’m calling him Derp,” replied Reese as he tapped the ball on Slowpoke’s head and letting the Pokémon enter in a mixture of blue and pink energy, signifying the water and psychic power it held. The ball flashed once and fired three small stars from the button in the center, signaling capture.
“REESE! YOU CAN’T CALL HIM DERP!” yelled the camp counselor.
“Nope, I’m calling him Derp, ‘Herp Derp’ to be precise,” replied Reese as he put the ball on his belt. Haley laughed, which made him smile a little.
“Ma’am, I hate to be a bother, but whose going to be Scout Master now?” asked Spark, trying to be as dignified as a soldier.
“Oh, that would be Gerald’s brother, Harold,” replied the woman, as Gerald’s twin suddenly hopped out of a car, only he was wearing a suit and a fisher’s hat.
“WHAT ARE YOU PANSIES STILL DOING UP!? WE’RE WAKING UP AT FIVE IN THE MORNING TO LOOK FOR SHINIES! IN THE WOODS!” yelled the old man. Reese, Decker, Haley, Scout, and Spark all looked with shock.
“WE GOT THE SAME GUY TO LEAD THIS PLACE!?” yelled Reese with his jaw dropped.
“TRET!” agreed Scout.
“No no no~ Harold is only obsessed with Shiny Pokémon! He would never go so far like Gerald did!” spoke Ms Steward.
“I SAID OFF TO BED!” yelled the old man, who suddenly released a red Gyarados from a Pokeball around his waist, who began to roar loudly and shoot water at the kids, who hightailed it to the changing rooms, separated for boys and girls, and ran back to their cabins.
Later that night, Reese lays in his bed, still awake, while he reads an entry in his Pokedex about Slowpoke, trying to learn more about the creatures. Sentret sleeps soundly on his belly, covered by a white tank top. He learns that in some cultures, they are considered deities because of their empty heads, which symbolize enlightenment, at least to those people anyway. He finally gets sleepy at about three in the morning, as his insomnia keeps him from sleeping well at night, and he forgot his sleeping medication at his home in Humilau City. As he finally bent over to put his Pokedex away, he accidentally drops it on the floor, making one of the floor boards bend upwards. Reese was surprised, but saw what appeared to be a book of some sort underneath it. He gently moves Scout to his pillow and grabs the book to look at it.
“Dear journal, it has only been one day since I arrived at Camp Pride-Water; however, strange things are already happening,” the book reads, the pages being old and tarnished looking, “For future purposes, whenever I encounter a strange anomaly, I will write a detailed chapter on each event. I fear for my safety, since these cabins are barely suitable for a wild Pokémon, and I am afraid of what will happen should this book be discovered; henceforth, I shall hide it underneath this loose floor plank, in hopes that perhaps one day, should I finally leave, I may tell of my story, or at least, warn the next generation.” Reese read this prelude, but was horrified to see the very next page with writing that appeared to be in blood. “Do not run, for it senses fear; however, do not charge head first, for it shall destroy the ignorant who challenge it…” Reese begins to flip through the pages, and is intrigued by what he sees. “Forced evolution,” “mysterious disappearances,” “possessed objects,” there was even a detailed page about the Euphoria Pokémon in this book. Reese then closed the book, trying to retain everything he had learned. Fearful, he looks out of his bug screen window, looking at the pond lit up by the moon and the stars over head. Suddenly, he thought he saw something moving out in the water, which slightly frightened him. He then looked at the book one more time, seeing the name to only be listed under “Richard.” Reese, slightly frightened, put the book back under the floor board, but he also smiled.
“Looks like this summer won’t be so boring after all.”
Chapter 2
The next morning, Scout Master Harold kept his promise of forcing his campers to look for shiny Pokémon in the woods. The sun had barely come up, and the students were already weary while searching through tall grass or in the forest. We join Reese and Scout searching deep in the woods, not necessarily trying to find shiny Pokémon, but to find somewhere far enough away to hide from the booming megaphone. Finally, they came across a clearing, where a lone rock stood overlooking a small lake, which looked cleaner than the lake surrounding camp, and even had small flowers in the grass around it. It seemed beautiful; however, Reese blushed slightly when he saw Haley sitting on the cliff edge. Reese placed Scout on a tree branch at eye level and began messing with his hair, to which Scout gave an approving thumb up, signaling that he looked okay. Reese then walked over to Haley, who turned around with a surprised look on her face.
“Oh, hey Reese,” she spoke, “What brings you out here?” She patted an empty spot next to her, signaling Reese to sit down. Reese did as told, trying to calm himself.
“Eh, you know, trying to hide from Scout Master Gerald,” he answered.
“You mean Harold?”
“Might as well be the same person,” replied Reese, making her laugh slightly.
“Well, in my past years of coming here, I always came to this spot to get away from the madness,” she spoke, “I mean, look at place, it’s so peaceful compared to camp.” Reese looked around and took in what he saw, making him smile a little.
“I can see why, I can’t even hear him yelling anymore!” he laughed.
“Yeah, but will you do me a favor?” she asked, making him nervous, “Don’t tell too many others about this place,” she looked at him and winked, “It’ll be our little secret!” Reese smiled nervously.
“Scout’s honor!” he replied, to which his Sentret gave a salute, making them both laugh.
“What an adorable Sentret!” she commented, “Not too many guys I know keep Pokémon like this around.”
“Scout’s not like other Pokémon though,” began Reese, looking into the water and almost seeing his past, “Scout came from another region, where some guy from Sinnoh rescued her from a science lab. She can’t evolve and she can’t grow up, but she’s already stronger than most Furret, and since she was adopted by the family about a year ago, we’ve been inseparable since!” Scout raised her tiny fist and stood on her tail.
“Sentret!” Scout agreed. Haley smiled.
“I like you Reese,” spoke Haley, grabbing his head with her arm and giving him a noogie, making him panic and making her laugh, “You remind me a bit of my little brother!” Reese’s spirit was literally crushed, but he feigned laughter. She then let go and stood up. “Come on, let’s go see if they’ve given up the search yet.” Reese stood up too, though he felt a new determination to prove that he wasn’t just some “sibling” figure. As they walked along, Reese happened to see a boy about Reese and Decker’s age with thick and messy brown hair, blue eyes, a white and green striped shirt with a black short sleeve button up shirt over it, denim pants, black and white shoes, and a red wrist band, running with what appeared to be an abnormal colored Foongus in his arms, while a Pignite eagerly ran next to him.
“Was that a Foongus?” asked Reese as he pursued, “No way, that guy actually found a shiny Pokémon.” Haley happened to overhear him and saw it as well.
“Wow, lucky. Foongus are pretty common around here though, maybe he set out to find them first and got lucky?” she asked. They then secretly followed him back to camp, where the boy handed Scout Master Harold the Pokémon. He looked at it for a bit, but nodded his head and captured the Pokémon in an odd Pokeball that was blue where the red was, black where the white was, and white where the black was. The boy seemed a little disheartened, and Reese seemed a little mad as well.
“That bastard, there’s no telling how long he had to look for that thing!” quietly yelled Reese.
“Gerald did the same thing for us, but with Paras and Parasect. Whenever we brought him a Pokémon like that, he would take it away from us and leave us alone for the week,” replied Haley, “But a shiny? Poor guy must be upset to see it go.”
“So does that mean I’m free to go?” asked the guy, surprising Reese and Haley.
“Yeah yeah whatever kid, just scram and leave Shitake to me,” retorted Harold as he rubbed his face against the Pokeball, “Shinies….ohhhh yeaaaaahhhh….” Reese was reminded of Gerald when he swallowed that Balm Mushroom whole.
“This guy must get some sort of high from collecting Shiny Pokémon,” spoke Reese, who then saw the boy run off towards his cabin again with his Pignite. Harold then released an oddly colored Exploud.
“ALRIGHT YOU PISANTS, SOMEBODY FOUND A SHINY, YOU’RE FREE DO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT EXCEPT BOTHER ME!” yelled Harold, whose Exploud intensified the sound to make even louder, hurting everyone’s ears. The megaphone then shattered from the loud noise. “SOMEBODY CLEAN THIS SHIT UP!” he yelled as he returned his Exploud to its ball and proceeded back into his cozy office. Several campers came out of the woods, while a few even came out of the lake, and started trudging back to their cabins.
“Sup Reese?” asked Decker, who snuck up behind Reese and scared him and Scout.
“Darn it Decker, don’t do that!” yelled Reese as he clenched his chest. Scout seemed to mimic her master’s reaction. A Houndour then popped out of the bush behind him and barked, scaring them again, and making Haley laugh.
“Good job Cerberus, we managed to scare him twice~” laughed Decker, “So, the shiny hunt is over? Who found it?”
“Some guy with messy hair and a Pignite,” replied Haley, still trying to catch her breath. Decker nodded.
“Yeah, I know who you’re talking about. Some people have been claiming that he’s been talking to his Pokemon more than his actual roommates,” replied Decker, who then extended his hand, “By the way, my name’s Decker Harley, in case you didn’t know.” Haley also extended a hand.
“I’m Haley!” replied the girl. Reese happened to see the guy from earlier high-fiving his Pignite, and the two of them ran off to the forest again. Something didn’t seem right here.
“I’m going into the woods, don’t wait up,” spoke Reese as he took after the guy, leaving Decker and Haley back on the camp grounds, though Decker waved and took after Reese, surprising him at how fast he caught up.
“Come on man, what’s up?” asked Decker with a smile. Reese stopped and watched the boy as he and his Pignite began to train against an Ursaring.
“Something in my gut is telling me that he didn’t just happen to ‘find’ a random shiny,” spoke Reese.
“What, you think he painted it?” asked Decker. Cerberus the Houndoom and Scout the Sentret tilted their heads in confusion.
“Heck if I know, why are you following me anyway?” asked Reese as he ducked into the bushes. Decker and the two Pokémon also ducked.
“Dude, you’re totally crushing on that girl!” laughed Decker. Reese looked off to the side with an annoyed face.
“Yeah, so what if I am?” asked the white haired boy. “I’m dealing with it my way.”
“Says the guy that just suddenly left her behind just because some guy happened to spark his interest,” remarked Decker, making Reese blush out of anger.
“HEY IT’S NOTHING LIKE THAT! I’M JUST LEGITIMATELY CURIOUS ABOUT HOW HE FOUND THAT SHINY FOONGUS!” yelled Reese.
“I can always show you where I found it,” replied the boy as his Pignite punched the Ursaring in the background.
“Yes, thank you, that would be wonder-” began Reese before realizing he had been caught, which made Decker giggle. “SHUT UP DECK!” He then looked back at the boy, who had already taken Scout and began petting it. “Sorry about that, the name’s Reese, and the moron here is Decker. That’s my Sentret, Scout, and this is his Houndoom, Cerberus.”
“Cool, my name’s Kyou Izagami!” replied the boy, who shook Reese’s hand. “The Pignite wailing on the Ursaring back there is Baku, though he’s the only nicknamed Pokémon I have.” Reese, Decker, Cerberus, and Scout peeked behind Kyou to see Baku the Pignite throwing the bear Pokémon to the ground repeatedly.
“Nite!” greeted the Pokémon as he threw the Pokémon into a tree, making several blue orbs fly from the Pokémon’s body, strange orbs of energy known as “Experience Orbs.”
“Okay, follow me and I’ll show you where I found it,” spoke Kyou with a smile as he began to lead the way. He then stopped by the Ursaring and sprayed some sort of potion on it, replenishing its health. He seemed to whisper to it, and almost on cue, he left. Reese seemed confused, but began to follow the boy deeper into the woods. They seemed to have come upon a much darker section of the woods, as the trees had blocked out the sun, making it appear like it was nighttime. However, as they explored more, they came upon a cave, which slightly creeped Reese out. “Something the matter?” asked Kyou.
“Oh, Reese is just afraid of the dark~” laughed Decker, making Reese punch his elbow.
“Yeah I know, it’s silly, but…”
“Oh don’t worry!” replied Kyou with a smile, “Baku can light the way!”
“Pignite!” yelled the Pignite as he summoned fire to his chest, lighting up the dark cave.
“Are you sure it’s safe?” asked Decker.
“Who’s the scared one now?” laughed Reese, who was then punched in the shoulder by Decker.
“Yeah, I actually came here first yesterday and…well, it’s better to show you,” replied Kyou as he kept walking. Scout then crawled up to Reese’s head.
“SENTRET!” yelled Scout, almost as if saying “Charge!” Reese sighed and walked after the others. As they walked deeper into the cave, they began to see a faint, multicolored light, something that Decker and Reese weren’t expecting to see. Baku’s flames began to settle down, scaring Reese a little, but his fear was eased when they approached the light. Along the walls were several odd crystals that glowed like Christmas tree lights, which fascinated the people following Kyou and Baku.
“This is the place,” spoke Kyou. Reese looked around, confused.
“Well, where are the Pokémon?” asked Reese.
“Hiding,” replied Kyou as he released a Leavanny from a Pokémon, which appeared in a swirl of leaves and scales.
“Vanny~” spoke the Pokémon with flowers on its leaves in a flamboyant tone.
“Sweet Scent please!” commanded Kyou. The Leavanny began to wave its hands, summoning a strange, pink powder into the area. As it spread, Scout, Cerberus, and Baku seemed to relax at the smell, while several Pokémon began to dig out of crevices in the walls, ranging from Shroomish, Foongus, Skorupi, Diglett, Zubat, Golbat, Woobat, Geodude, Roggenrola, and several other cave dwelling Pokémon. However, much to Reese and Decker’s surprise, these Pokémon were all abnormally colored.
“Wow, so this cave is just filled to the brim with shiny Pokémon?” asked Decker.
“Not exactly,” answered Kyou, whose Leavanny then touched a crystal along the wall, transforming into a brighter color all around. The other two seemed surprised. “This cave has strange crystals that grow along the walls that seems to give them this alternate color,” explained Kyou, “Though, the Pokémon has to be prolonged to it longer, I guess; look what happens when he let’s go of the rock.” Reese seemed surprised.
“He? I thought it was a she?” asked Reese.
“Oh, nah, Leavanny’s a guy.” Leavanny then let go of the crystal, returning to her normal coloration. Reese then remembered that journal he had found the night before that specified several odd incidents that had happened within the vicinity of the campgrounds.
“I wonder…” he spoke, as he reached for the book in his pocket.
“What’s that?” asked Decker.
“It’s a journal of some kind that I found under the floor boards. It has odd events written in it that date back to when Camp Pond-Water was founded,” answered Reese. He began to flip through the book and found a page about halfway through the book with a picture resembling the gems in this cave. “‘While exploring the forest near the campsite, I stumbled upon a strange cave with odd crystals. The Pokémon touching the crystals changed into unseen colors, and while those who were not used to the crystals’ effects on the body didn’t stay that way forever, the Pokémon who live in this cave, even this environment, seem to have a permanent effect,’” quoted Reese, “Wait…there’s an added note, but it’s written in different ink. He must have added this note later: ‘It is unknown exactly what effect that these stones have on humans. It is not advised to sleep in this cave’…”
“Let’s see what that effect is!” yelled Decker as he reached for the crystal.
“Wait you idiot!” yelled Reese, unable to keep Decker from touching a stone. However, while his eyes remained the same, his hair began to turn a snow white color, just like Reese’s, making him widen his eyes. Decker plucked a hair from his head and let go, the rest of his hair returning to normal. “Your hair…it turned white…like mine…” Decker and Kyou seemed surprised. Reese looked around him at these crystals and shining Pokémon, and he ran away.
“Reese, wait!” yelled Decker as he, Scout, Cerberus, Baku, Leavanny, and Kyou ran after him.
Reese began to think of his parents, his father having black hair and his mother having white hair, and he wondered if his mother had been here before… That would certainly explain why neither of his grandparents had natural white hair: his grandmother had red hair and his grandfather had brown hair. More importantly, why would his mother send him to the camp that did this to her? What on earth was happening? Reese then stopped in his tracks, arriving somewhere in a grassy plain. Kyou finally caught up with him, Scout riding on his head.
“Reese, are you afraid of that cave now?” asked Kyou. Reese sighed.
“I…I don’t know. I just…I just had to get out of there…” spoke the white haired boy, who looked up, “The only other person with my color hair that isn’t old as dust is my mother, but I always knew that it couldn’t be natural, neither of her parents had white hair. For a while, I assumed she was adopted and never told, but after seeing Deck’s hair turn that white color, I wonder if she came here once…and if she did, why would she send me here?” Reese thought deeply, and then remembered the days he always came home from school after being picked on for his hair color, “What am I talking to you about this for? You probably get along with everybody.”
“Actually, no,” spoke Kyou, catching Reese’s attention, “You aren’t the only strange one! Trust me, I can talk to Pokémon.” Reese looked back, and remembered that Sentret immediately took to him as soon as he spoke to her. “Don’t ask how~ That’s a secret!”
“You…talk to Pokémon?” asked Reese with confusion.
“Yeah, shocking, isn’t it? Not too many people get why I’m able to or why I talk to them at all, and for some reason, that warrants teasing,” spoke Kyou, remembering his own childhood, “The point is, unlike me, you may have found the source of your ‘gift.’”
“Gift?” asked Reese, genuinely confused.
“Yeah, your hair, I’ve seen blue hair, I’ve seen green hair, but you don’t see white hair too often. Is that really so bad?” asked Kyou. “You’ve found the source, don’t be afraid of it, embrace it! Just like I have with my gift!” Reese thought for a bit, but finally grinned.
“Heh, fine. At least I finally have a link to why my hair is snow white,” spoke Reese, “Now…for this other weird stuff happening in camp…” However, before much thought could be expressed, Decker and the Pokémon finally caught up, though with not so great news.
“Guys, guys, something bad happened!” yelled Decker, out of breath. Reese and Kyou looked at him and the Pokémon trying to catch their breath. “Harold found the cave! Worse yet, he’s been in there for a while, and he’s going in deeper!” Reese and Kyou widened their eyes, while suddenly, an explosion could be heard underground. Out of the ground, sending debris everywhere, came Harold, his hair glowing white and his eyes flashing different colors, with his Gyarados, Exploud, and an Ariados, all flashing multiple colors.
“I HAVE FOUND A POWER BEYOND SHINY POKEMON! I HAVE FOUND, ULTRA SHINIES!” yelled Harold, obviously going mad with power. The three boys looked at this man with widened eyes, but saw the source of this madness: He had taken crystals from the cave and made necklaces out of them for himself and his Pokémon. Harold looked down on the campers and growled. “YOU!” he yelled, pointing at Kyou, who seemed surprised, “YOU DARED TO HIDE THIS TREASURE FROM ME!?”
“SPLOUD!” yelled his Exploud as he fired a humongous blast of energy, bending the very air around him. Suddenly, out of Kyou’s Pokeball, a Lucario appeared in a spark of blue aura, grabbing his master and jumping out of the way. However, when he landed on the ground, he tripped and dropped his master, afterward getting up and bowing while muttering, just like if it were apologizing.
“Lucario, you didn’t cause that blast! You saved me!” yelled Kyou. Lucario still kept bowing, while Reese threw a Pokeball into the air, releasing a Mandibuzz into the air in a burst of dark energy and wind.
“BUZZ!” cawed the bird Pokémon.
“Helga, go after the Ariados!” yelled Reese. Decker then grabbed a ball of his own, releasing a large, eel like Pokémon.
“Tross!” spoke the Eelektross.
“Storm, use Thunderbolt!” yelled Decker. The Eelektross then slithered on air, and fired shots of electricity at the multicolored Gyarados, who then fired a black beam of energy at the electricity. Storm then slithered around the shot like a snake and made contact with Gyarados, firing a massive Thunderbolt attack head on and destroying the crystal around his neck, causing the best to return to its original red color. Meanwhile, Exploud fired another shot at Kyou and Lucario, which managed to knock both Baku and Leavanny out, while Lucario managed to save his master again, and once more, apologize.
“Lucario, stop apologizing and use Aura Sphere!” yelled Kyou.
“CARRRRRR!” yelled Lucario as he began focusing a blue energy into his paws, which wavered a little bit due to his nervous nature. He then fired the orb of aura at Exploud, which seemed to wrap the hyper beam around it, making it denser than it previously was, and finally make contact, causing an explosion that shattered the crystal around his neck.
“Helga, use Brave Bird!” yelled Reese.
“BUZZ!” cawed the Mandibuzz as its body became engulfed in a blue, flame like energy, while the Ariados fired a purple and blue shot of energy at her, a move known as Signal beam. It hit, but Helga’s power overwhelmed it, and allowed for direct contact. Harold, who was becoming more engulfed with power, began to turn a dark blue color, while also wielding a sparkling energy in his hands.
“THIS IS MY POWER!” he yelled as he fired multiple shots of white energy, which knocked out all of the opposing Pokémon. Reese, Kyou, and Decker looked with worry, when suddenly, the Slowpoke from the day before mysteriously disappeared. Reese panicked, as “Derp” was walking directly into an oncoming blast of energy.
“DERP, GET AWAY FROM HERE!” yelled Reese.
“Sloooowwwww…” spoke Slowpoke as his eyes began to glow a bright blue, which engulfed the entire blast of energy into a blue orb of energy, shocking the others.
“What the…wait, that’s the Slowpoke from last night!” yelled Kyou, remembering the powerful beast saving the camp from Gerald’s rage.
“Derp… you crazy little son of a gun!” cheered Reese with a smile. Derp the Slowpoke then moaned, which shrunk the energy into the size of a pellet. He then pointed his tail at Harold, sending the pellet flying at the crystal around his neck, smashing it and causing the man to fall to the ground, his body returning to normal, though his hair remained as white as Reese’s. Derp then flopped down on his belly, still keeping the same, empty expression he had the second he left his ball.
“…Poooookkkkeeeee...” he moaned. Reese, Decker, and Kyou looked over the camp counselor.
“So…what’s going to happen now?” asked Decker.
“More than likely, if we report him, he’ll get arrested, and this place will be shut down for good,” spoke Kyou. They all returned their Pokémon to their Pokeballs, all knowing that they had worked hard, though Slowpoke refused to go back in his ball.
“Ugh, Derp, get back in the ball!” yelled Reese. Derp walked forward and sat next to Reese, but didn’t move or utter a sound. “God, you’re creepy.”
“Hey, this is serious,” spoke Decker.
“Yeah, I know…” spoke Reese. He didn’t want to go to camp anyway, but now… “Wait, we can’t report him,” spoke Reese, shocking the other two, “If we do, we can’t find out the secrets this place holds. And before you guys start arguing with me…”
“That makes sense,” spoke Decker, surprising Reese. “Something tells me there isn’t another place like this on earth, so we need to keep it safe…”
“But how? If we let Harold go, he’ll just go and do this again,” spoke Kyou. Slowpoke’s eyes then began glowing a bright pink, when a small cloud appeared over his head that appeared to be in the shape of a question mark. Harold’s eyes suddenly opened, surprising the others.
“…Where…am I?” asked the man in a calm tone, “Excuse me, do you know what happened here? My name is Harold and…” he began telling his life story, which surprised the others.
“Did Derp just use Amnesia on Harold?” asked Decker.
“It looks like he erased certain events from his mind,” spoke Kyou. “Excuse me, Harold, what year is it?” he asked. Harold told them a date that was forty years prior to the current one, which answered their question.
“I think we can get him away from here if we use the excuse that a wild Pokémon used Amnesia on him,” spoke Reese. The other two nodded. “But look, this secret goes to the grave, got it?”
“Yeah dude.”
“Gotcha.”
Much later, the camp counselor shook her head as a medical examiner looked at Harold. She began questioning Reese, Decker, and Kyou very carefully while healing their Pokémon. Scout waited in Reese’s arms while Cerberus rubbed his head against Decker’s hand. The three made up the excuse that Harold had asked Kyou to show him where he had found the Pokémon he had found earlier, when a wild Woobat used Amnesia on him. The others then got in a fight with an entire colony of these things, and, in numbers, overwhelmed most of them before they could get away. The counselor never even questioned where this was, and accepted the story as it was, relieving them of the pressure on their minds. Now Ms. Steward would have to find another Scout Master to lead the camp, when the assistant Scout Master, a young man in his twenties with blonde hair and a chinstrap beard, who also wore a pair of glasses over his brown eyes, a white dress shirt with rolled up sleeves, dress pants, and black dress shoes, appeared.
“Excuse me, perhaps it’s time that I take over as Scout Master,” spoke the man with a smile. He then looked at Reese, surprising him, “Reese! It’s me, your cousin, Draven!” spoke the man, surprising Reese.
“Oh no…” moaned Reese.
“Very well, Draven, please be careful, we’ve already lost two Scout Masters. One more and I think this place might be shut down!” spoke Ms. Steward.
“I got it, I might need a little help though!” laughed the man, giving a thumb up to Reese, embarrassing him.
“Oh god no…” moaned Reese.
“What’s the matter?” asked Decker.
“Draven…he’s always been the over excited member of the family,” answered Reese.
“Good luck with your job, mister!” cheered Ms. Steward, who looked at Reese with wide, condescending eyes, “And that’s ‘Scout Master Weiss’ to you, young man! Are we clear?” she asked.
“Yes…” moaned Reese.
“Hey, I asked you a question!” she yelled.
“Ma’am, please, I got this!” laughed Draven. “They can call me whatever they want! Now go on to bed, I’m sure these past two days have been extremely stressful on you!” Ms. Steward thought a moment, but she nodded and went to her bedroom on the bottom floor. The ambulance took Harold to the local helipad to take him to a psychiatric ward, so he could receive help for his condition. Draven then looked at the three, who looked at this man with suspicion. “Guys, relax, I’m not crazy about drugs or shinies, I swear!” laughed the man.
“No, you’re just crazy,” spoke Reese.
“Aw come on Snow-Man! Let’s just have a good time here! I see old Yodan has also taken a liking to you! This should be a fun time!” laughed the man.
“First off, his name is ‘Herp Derp,” corrected Reese with an annoyed face, which also made his Slowpoke pop out of his ball, seemingly agreeing with his master.
“Poke….”
“Second, I told you I HATE being called Snow-Man!” he yelled.
“Okay, that was a bit out of line. Don’t worry, this’ll be a fun summer, I swear!” he laughed. He then dismissed all of them, who also received their Pokémon back. The sun had nearly gone down as well, as it was about evening.
“Okay, so we can all agree that this day was a bit freaky,” spoke Kyou with a grin.
“From what this journal says, we can look forward to more freaky things,” spoke Reese. “Listen, the biggest thing that we have to look out for hasn’t even been documented yet.” Reese showed the two the picture of the bloody page, which made them both wince. “As much as I want to go home, we can’t leave this open ended, we have to solve this. As a matter of fact, we need to write a counter journal listing more details about the camp and how to deal with them, because this is too cryptic.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” spoke Decker, “We should also make some sort of mystery team to investigate this stuff!” he cheered, making Reese narrow his eyes, “NO WAIT, hear me out! That was a bad choice of words. I just think that we can do more with more people than we can alone!”
“That might not be a bad idea,” agreed Kyou, “I can always ask the local Pokémon if they’ve noticed anything odd lately, but still, we will need more information.” Reese closed his eyes and thought.
“Okay, we’re not making a ‘mystery team,’ we’ll make a ‘task force,’ not only does that sound more professional, but we can also learn more too,” spoke Reese.
“I VOTE FOR REESE TO BE IN CHARGE!” declared Decker.
“WAIT WHY ARE WE DECLARING LEADERS!?” yelled the white haired boy.
“Well you do have the journal,” spoke Kyou, “Logically, that puts you in charge!” Reese sighed, while Derp looked into the sun while sitting down, exposing his striped belly. “Well, I don’t know about you two, but I’m sleepy!” yawned Kyou, “I’ll let you guys know if I hear anything else!” he cheered as he ran off.
“See ya dude!” yelled Decker. Reese decided to sit next to his Slowpoke and look at the sun. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to bond with him,” answered Reese, “It’s the least I can do. This guy has already saved my life twice, and even though he isn’t much for conversation…”
“Slowwwwww…..”
“I have a feeling that he holds the key to something HUGE.” Reese’s scarf flowed in the wind, while Derp tipped over, landing his head in Reese’s lap. Reese looked down and frowned. “His face is still creepy as hell though.”
“…poooookkkkeeeee….”
Elsewhere, however, something in the lake swims about… A Sharpedo swimming by is eaten whole by this beast, though the identity is unknown…
The next morning, Scout Master Harold kept his promise of forcing his campers to look for shiny Pokémon in the woods. The sun had barely come up, and the students were already weary while searching through tall grass or in the forest. We join Reese and Scout searching deep in the woods, not necessarily trying to find shiny Pokémon, but to find somewhere far enough away to hide from the booming megaphone. Finally, they came across a clearing, where a lone rock stood overlooking a small lake, which looked cleaner than the lake surrounding camp, and even had small flowers in the grass around it. It seemed beautiful; however, Reese blushed slightly when he saw Haley sitting on the cliff edge. Reese placed Scout on a tree branch at eye level and began messing with his hair, to which Scout gave an approving thumb up, signaling that he looked okay. Reese then walked over to Haley, who turned around with a surprised look on her face.
“Oh, hey Reese,” she spoke, “What brings you out here?” She patted an empty spot next to her, signaling Reese to sit down. Reese did as told, trying to calm himself.
“Eh, you know, trying to hide from Scout Master Gerald,” he answered.
“You mean Harold?”
“Might as well be the same person,” replied Reese, making her laugh slightly.
“Well, in my past years of coming here, I always came to this spot to get away from the madness,” she spoke, “I mean, look at place, it’s so peaceful compared to camp.” Reese looked around and took in what he saw, making him smile a little.
“I can see why, I can’t even hear him yelling anymore!” he laughed.
“Yeah, but will you do me a favor?” she asked, making him nervous, “Don’t tell too many others about this place,” she looked at him and winked, “It’ll be our little secret!” Reese smiled nervously.
“Scout’s honor!” he replied, to which his Sentret gave a salute, making them both laugh.
“What an adorable Sentret!” she commented, “Not too many guys I know keep Pokémon like this around.”
“Scout’s not like other Pokémon though,” began Reese, looking into the water and almost seeing his past, “Scout came from another region, where some guy from Sinnoh rescued her from a science lab. She can’t evolve and she can’t grow up, but she’s already stronger than most Furret, and since she was adopted by the family about a year ago, we’ve been inseparable since!” Scout raised her tiny fist and stood on her tail.
“Sentret!” Scout agreed. Haley smiled.
“I like you Reese,” spoke Haley, grabbing his head with her arm and giving him a noogie, making him panic and making her laugh, “You remind me a bit of my little brother!” Reese’s spirit was literally crushed, but he feigned laughter. She then let go and stood up. “Come on, let’s go see if they’ve given up the search yet.” Reese stood up too, though he felt a new determination to prove that he wasn’t just some “sibling” figure. As they walked along, Reese happened to see a boy about Reese and Decker’s age with thick and messy brown hair, blue eyes, a white and green striped shirt with a black short sleeve button up shirt over it, denim pants, black and white shoes, and a red wrist band, running with what appeared to be an abnormal colored Foongus in his arms, while a Pignite eagerly ran next to him.
“Was that a Foongus?” asked Reese as he pursued, “No way, that guy actually found a shiny Pokémon.” Haley happened to overhear him and saw it as well.
“Wow, lucky. Foongus are pretty common around here though, maybe he set out to find them first and got lucky?” she asked. They then secretly followed him back to camp, where the boy handed Scout Master Harold the Pokémon. He looked at it for a bit, but nodded his head and captured the Pokémon in an odd Pokeball that was blue where the red was, black where the white was, and white where the black was. The boy seemed a little disheartened, and Reese seemed a little mad as well.
“That bastard, there’s no telling how long he had to look for that thing!” quietly yelled Reese.
“Gerald did the same thing for us, but with Paras and Parasect. Whenever we brought him a Pokémon like that, he would take it away from us and leave us alone for the week,” replied Haley, “But a shiny? Poor guy must be upset to see it go.”
“So does that mean I’m free to go?” asked the guy, surprising Reese and Haley.
“Yeah yeah whatever kid, just scram and leave Shitake to me,” retorted Harold as he rubbed his face against the Pokeball, “Shinies….ohhhh yeaaaaahhhh….” Reese was reminded of Gerald when he swallowed that Balm Mushroom whole.
“This guy must get some sort of high from collecting Shiny Pokémon,” spoke Reese, who then saw the boy run off towards his cabin again with his Pignite. Harold then released an oddly colored Exploud.
“ALRIGHT YOU PISANTS, SOMEBODY FOUND A SHINY, YOU’RE FREE DO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT EXCEPT BOTHER ME!” yelled Harold, whose Exploud intensified the sound to make even louder, hurting everyone’s ears. The megaphone then shattered from the loud noise. “SOMEBODY CLEAN THIS SHIT UP!” he yelled as he returned his Exploud to its ball and proceeded back into his cozy office. Several campers came out of the woods, while a few even came out of the lake, and started trudging back to their cabins.
“Sup Reese?” asked Decker, who snuck up behind Reese and scared him and Scout.
“Darn it Decker, don’t do that!” yelled Reese as he clenched his chest. Scout seemed to mimic her master’s reaction. A Houndour then popped out of the bush behind him and barked, scaring them again, and making Haley laugh.
“Good job Cerberus, we managed to scare him twice~” laughed Decker, “So, the shiny hunt is over? Who found it?”
“Some guy with messy hair and a Pignite,” replied Haley, still trying to catch her breath. Decker nodded.
“Yeah, I know who you’re talking about. Some people have been claiming that he’s been talking to his Pokemon more than his actual roommates,” replied Decker, who then extended his hand, “By the way, my name’s Decker Harley, in case you didn’t know.” Haley also extended a hand.
“I’m Haley!” replied the girl. Reese happened to see the guy from earlier high-fiving his Pignite, and the two of them ran off to the forest again. Something didn’t seem right here.
“I’m going into the woods, don’t wait up,” spoke Reese as he took after the guy, leaving Decker and Haley back on the camp grounds, though Decker waved and took after Reese, surprising him at how fast he caught up.
“Come on man, what’s up?” asked Decker with a smile. Reese stopped and watched the boy as he and his Pignite began to train against an Ursaring.
“Something in my gut is telling me that he didn’t just happen to ‘find’ a random shiny,” spoke Reese.
“What, you think he painted it?” asked Decker. Cerberus the Houndoom and Scout the Sentret tilted their heads in confusion.
“Heck if I know, why are you following me anyway?” asked Reese as he ducked into the bushes. Decker and the two Pokémon also ducked.
“Dude, you’re totally crushing on that girl!” laughed Decker. Reese looked off to the side with an annoyed face.
“Yeah, so what if I am?” asked the white haired boy. “I’m dealing with it my way.”
“Says the guy that just suddenly left her behind just because some guy happened to spark his interest,” remarked Decker, making Reese blush out of anger.
“HEY IT’S NOTHING LIKE THAT! I’M JUST LEGITIMATELY CURIOUS ABOUT HOW HE FOUND THAT SHINY FOONGUS!” yelled Reese.
“I can always show you where I found it,” replied the boy as his Pignite punched the Ursaring in the background.
“Yes, thank you, that would be wonder-” began Reese before realizing he had been caught, which made Decker giggle. “SHUT UP DECK!” He then looked back at the boy, who had already taken Scout and began petting it. “Sorry about that, the name’s Reese, and the moron here is Decker. That’s my Sentret, Scout, and this is his Houndoom, Cerberus.”
“Cool, my name’s Kyou Izagami!” replied the boy, who shook Reese’s hand. “The Pignite wailing on the Ursaring back there is Baku, though he’s the only nicknamed Pokémon I have.” Reese, Decker, Cerberus, and Scout peeked behind Kyou to see Baku the Pignite throwing the bear Pokémon to the ground repeatedly.
“Nite!” greeted the Pokémon as he threw the Pokémon into a tree, making several blue orbs fly from the Pokémon’s body, strange orbs of energy known as “Experience Orbs.”
“Okay, follow me and I’ll show you where I found it,” spoke Kyou with a smile as he began to lead the way. He then stopped by the Ursaring and sprayed some sort of potion on it, replenishing its health. He seemed to whisper to it, and almost on cue, he left. Reese seemed confused, but began to follow the boy deeper into the woods. They seemed to have come upon a much darker section of the woods, as the trees had blocked out the sun, making it appear like it was nighttime. However, as they explored more, they came upon a cave, which slightly creeped Reese out. “Something the matter?” asked Kyou.
“Oh, Reese is just afraid of the dark~” laughed Decker, making Reese punch his elbow.
“Yeah I know, it’s silly, but…”
“Oh don’t worry!” replied Kyou with a smile, “Baku can light the way!”
“Pignite!” yelled the Pignite as he summoned fire to his chest, lighting up the dark cave.
“Are you sure it’s safe?” asked Decker.
“Who’s the scared one now?” laughed Reese, who was then punched in the shoulder by Decker.
“Yeah, I actually came here first yesterday and…well, it’s better to show you,” replied Kyou as he kept walking. Scout then crawled up to Reese’s head.
“SENTRET!” yelled Scout, almost as if saying “Charge!” Reese sighed and walked after the others. As they walked deeper into the cave, they began to see a faint, multicolored light, something that Decker and Reese weren’t expecting to see. Baku’s flames began to settle down, scaring Reese a little, but his fear was eased when they approached the light. Along the walls were several odd crystals that glowed like Christmas tree lights, which fascinated the people following Kyou and Baku.
“This is the place,” spoke Kyou. Reese looked around, confused.
“Well, where are the Pokémon?” asked Reese.
“Hiding,” replied Kyou as he released a Leavanny from a Pokémon, which appeared in a swirl of leaves and scales.
“Vanny~” spoke the Pokémon with flowers on its leaves in a flamboyant tone.
“Sweet Scent please!” commanded Kyou. The Leavanny began to wave its hands, summoning a strange, pink powder into the area. As it spread, Scout, Cerberus, and Baku seemed to relax at the smell, while several Pokémon began to dig out of crevices in the walls, ranging from Shroomish, Foongus, Skorupi, Diglett, Zubat, Golbat, Woobat, Geodude, Roggenrola, and several other cave dwelling Pokémon. However, much to Reese and Decker’s surprise, these Pokémon were all abnormally colored.
“Wow, so this cave is just filled to the brim with shiny Pokémon?” asked Decker.
“Not exactly,” answered Kyou, whose Leavanny then touched a crystal along the wall, transforming into a brighter color all around. The other two seemed surprised. “This cave has strange crystals that grow along the walls that seems to give them this alternate color,” explained Kyou, “Though, the Pokémon has to be prolonged to it longer, I guess; look what happens when he let’s go of the rock.” Reese seemed surprised.
“He? I thought it was a she?” asked Reese.
“Oh, nah, Leavanny’s a guy.” Leavanny then let go of the crystal, returning to her normal coloration. Reese then remembered that journal he had found the night before that specified several odd incidents that had happened within the vicinity of the campgrounds.
“I wonder…” he spoke, as he reached for the book in his pocket.
“What’s that?” asked Decker.
“It’s a journal of some kind that I found under the floor boards. It has odd events written in it that date back to when Camp Pond-Water was founded,” answered Reese. He began to flip through the book and found a page about halfway through the book with a picture resembling the gems in this cave. “‘While exploring the forest near the campsite, I stumbled upon a strange cave with odd crystals. The Pokémon touching the crystals changed into unseen colors, and while those who were not used to the crystals’ effects on the body didn’t stay that way forever, the Pokémon who live in this cave, even this environment, seem to have a permanent effect,’” quoted Reese, “Wait…there’s an added note, but it’s written in different ink. He must have added this note later: ‘It is unknown exactly what effect that these stones have on humans. It is not advised to sleep in this cave’…”
“Let’s see what that effect is!” yelled Decker as he reached for the crystal.
“Wait you idiot!” yelled Reese, unable to keep Decker from touching a stone. However, while his eyes remained the same, his hair began to turn a snow white color, just like Reese’s, making him widen his eyes. Decker plucked a hair from his head and let go, the rest of his hair returning to normal. “Your hair…it turned white…like mine…” Decker and Kyou seemed surprised. Reese looked around him at these crystals and shining Pokémon, and he ran away.
“Reese, wait!” yelled Decker as he, Scout, Cerberus, Baku, Leavanny, and Kyou ran after him.
Reese began to think of his parents, his father having black hair and his mother having white hair, and he wondered if his mother had been here before… That would certainly explain why neither of his grandparents had natural white hair: his grandmother had red hair and his grandfather had brown hair. More importantly, why would his mother send him to the camp that did this to her? What on earth was happening? Reese then stopped in his tracks, arriving somewhere in a grassy plain. Kyou finally caught up with him, Scout riding on his head.
“Reese, are you afraid of that cave now?” asked Kyou. Reese sighed.
“I…I don’t know. I just…I just had to get out of there…” spoke the white haired boy, who looked up, “The only other person with my color hair that isn’t old as dust is my mother, but I always knew that it couldn’t be natural, neither of her parents had white hair. For a while, I assumed she was adopted and never told, but after seeing Deck’s hair turn that white color, I wonder if she came here once…and if she did, why would she send me here?” Reese thought deeply, and then remembered the days he always came home from school after being picked on for his hair color, “What am I talking to you about this for? You probably get along with everybody.”
“Actually, no,” spoke Kyou, catching Reese’s attention, “You aren’t the only strange one! Trust me, I can talk to Pokémon.” Reese looked back, and remembered that Sentret immediately took to him as soon as he spoke to her. “Don’t ask how~ That’s a secret!”
“You…talk to Pokémon?” asked Reese with confusion.
“Yeah, shocking, isn’t it? Not too many people get why I’m able to or why I talk to them at all, and for some reason, that warrants teasing,” spoke Kyou, remembering his own childhood, “The point is, unlike me, you may have found the source of your ‘gift.’”
“Gift?” asked Reese, genuinely confused.
“Yeah, your hair, I’ve seen blue hair, I’ve seen green hair, but you don’t see white hair too often. Is that really so bad?” asked Kyou. “You’ve found the source, don’t be afraid of it, embrace it! Just like I have with my gift!” Reese thought for a bit, but finally grinned.
“Heh, fine. At least I finally have a link to why my hair is snow white,” spoke Reese, “Now…for this other weird stuff happening in camp…” However, before much thought could be expressed, Decker and the Pokémon finally caught up, though with not so great news.
“Guys, guys, something bad happened!” yelled Decker, out of breath. Reese and Kyou looked at him and the Pokémon trying to catch their breath. “Harold found the cave! Worse yet, he’s been in there for a while, and he’s going in deeper!” Reese and Kyou widened their eyes, while suddenly, an explosion could be heard underground. Out of the ground, sending debris everywhere, came Harold, his hair glowing white and his eyes flashing different colors, with his Gyarados, Exploud, and an Ariados, all flashing multiple colors.
“I HAVE FOUND A POWER BEYOND SHINY POKEMON! I HAVE FOUND, ULTRA SHINIES!” yelled Harold, obviously going mad with power. The three boys looked at this man with widened eyes, but saw the source of this madness: He had taken crystals from the cave and made necklaces out of them for himself and his Pokémon. Harold looked down on the campers and growled. “YOU!” he yelled, pointing at Kyou, who seemed surprised, “YOU DARED TO HIDE THIS TREASURE FROM ME!?”
“SPLOUD!” yelled his Exploud as he fired a humongous blast of energy, bending the very air around him. Suddenly, out of Kyou’s Pokeball, a Lucario appeared in a spark of blue aura, grabbing his master and jumping out of the way. However, when he landed on the ground, he tripped and dropped his master, afterward getting up and bowing while muttering, just like if it were apologizing.
“Lucario, you didn’t cause that blast! You saved me!” yelled Kyou. Lucario still kept bowing, while Reese threw a Pokeball into the air, releasing a Mandibuzz into the air in a burst of dark energy and wind.
“BUZZ!” cawed the bird Pokémon.
“Helga, go after the Ariados!” yelled Reese. Decker then grabbed a ball of his own, releasing a large, eel like Pokémon.
“Tross!” spoke the Eelektross.
“Storm, use Thunderbolt!” yelled Decker. The Eelektross then slithered on air, and fired shots of electricity at the multicolored Gyarados, who then fired a black beam of energy at the electricity. Storm then slithered around the shot like a snake and made contact with Gyarados, firing a massive Thunderbolt attack head on and destroying the crystal around his neck, causing the best to return to its original red color. Meanwhile, Exploud fired another shot at Kyou and Lucario, which managed to knock both Baku and Leavanny out, while Lucario managed to save his master again, and once more, apologize.
“Lucario, stop apologizing and use Aura Sphere!” yelled Kyou.
“CARRRRRR!” yelled Lucario as he began focusing a blue energy into his paws, which wavered a little bit due to his nervous nature. He then fired the orb of aura at Exploud, which seemed to wrap the hyper beam around it, making it denser than it previously was, and finally make contact, causing an explosion that shattered the crystal around his neck.
“Helga, use Brave Bird!” yelled Reese.
“BUZZ!” cawed the Mandibuzz as its body became engulfed in a blue, flame like energy, while the Ariados fired a purple and blue shot of energy at her, a move known as Signal beam. It hit, but Helga’s power overwhelmed it, and allowed for direct contact. Harold, who was becoming more engulfed with power, began to turn a dark blue color, while also wielding a sparkling energy in his hands.
“THIS IS MY POWER!” he yelled as he fired multiple shots of white energy, which knocked out all of the opposing Pokémon. Reese, Kyou, and Decker looked with worry, when suddenly, the Slowpoke from the day before mysteriously disappeared. Reese panicked, as “Derp” was walking directly into an oncoming blast of energy.
“DERP, GET AWAY FROM HERE!” yelled Reese.
“Sloooowwwww…” spoke Slowpoke as his eyes began to glow a bright blue, which engulfed the entire blast of energy into a blue orb of energy, shocking the others.
“What the…wait, that’s the Slowpoke from last night!” yelled Kyou, remembering the powerful beast saving the camp from Gerald’s rage.
“Derp… you crazy little son of a gun!” cheered Reese with a smile. Derp the Slowpoke then moaned, which shrunk the energy into the size of a pellet. He then pointed his tail at Harold, sending the pellet flying at the crystal around his neck, smashing it and causing the man to fall to the ground, his body returning to normal, though his hair remained as white as Reese’s. Derp then flopped down on his belly, still keeping the same, empty expression he had the second he left his ball.
“…Poooookkkkeeeee...” he moaned. Reese, Decker, and Kyou looked over the camp counselor.
“So…what’s going to happen now?” asked Decker.
“More than likely, if we report him, he’ll get arrested, and this place will be shut down for good,” spoke Kyou. They all returned their Pokémon to their Pokeballs, all knowing that they had worked hard, though Slowpoke refused to go back in his ball.
“Ugh, Derp, get back in the ball!” yelled Reese. Derp walked forward and sat next to Reese, but didn’t move or utter a sound. “God, you’re creepy.”
“Hey, this is serious,” spoke Decker.
“Yeah, I know…” spoke Reese. He didn’t want to go to camp anyway, but now… “Wait, we can’t report him,” spoke Reese, shocking the other two, “If we do, we can’t find out the secrets this place holds. And before you guys start arguing with me…”
“That makes sense,” spoke Decker, surprising Reese. “Something tells me there isn’t another place like this on earth, so we need to keep it safe…”
“But how? If we let Harold go, he’ll just go and do this again,” spoke Kyou. Slowpoke’s eyes then began glowing a bright pink, when a small cloud appeared over his head that appeared to be in the shape of a question mark. Harold’s eyes suddenly opened, surprising the others.
“…Where…am I?” asked the man in a calm tone, “Excuse me, do you know what happened here? My name is Harold and…” he began telling his life story, which surprised the others.
“Did Derp just use Amnesia on Harold?” asked Decker.
“It looks like he erased certain events from his mind,” spoke Kyou. “Excuse me, Harold, what year is it?” he asked. Harold told them a date that was forty years prior to the current one, which answered their question.
“I think we can get him away from here if we use the excuse that a wild Pokémon used Amnesia on him,” spoke Reese. The other two nodded. “But look, this secret goes to the grave, got it?”
“Yeah dude.”
“Gotcha.”
Much later, the camp counselor shook her head as a medical examiner looked at Harold. She began questioning Reese, Decker, and Kyou very carefully while healing their Pokémon. Scout waited in Reese’s arms while Cerberus rubbed his head against Decker’s hand. The three made up the excuse that Harold had asked Kyou to show him where he had found the Pokémon he had found earlier, when a wild Woobat used Amnesia on him. The others then got in a fight with an entire colony of these things, and, in numbers, overwhelmed most of them before they could get away. The counselor never even questioned where this was, and accepted the story as it was, relieving them of the pressure on their minds. Now Ms. Steward would have to find another Scout Master to lead the camp, when the assistant Scout Master, a young man in his twenties with blonde hair and a chinstrap beard, who also wore a pair of glasses over his brown eyes, a white dress shirt with rolled up sleeves, dress pants, and black dress shoes, appeared.
“Excuse me, perhaps it’s time that I take over as Scout Master,” spoke the man with a smile. He then looked at Reese, surprising him, “Reese! It’s me, your cousin, Draven!” spoke the man, surprising Reese.
“Oh no…” moaned Reese.
“Very well, Draven, please be careful, we’ve already lost two Scout Masters. One more and I think this place might be shut down!” spoke Ms. Steward.
“I got it, I might need a little help though!” laughed the man, giving a thumb up to Reese, embarrassing him.
“Oh god no…” moaned Reese.
“What’s the matter?” asked Decker.
“Draven…he’s always been the over excited member of the family,” answered Reese.
“Good luck with your job, mister!” cheered Ms. Steward, who looked at Reese with wide, condescending eyes, “And that’s ‘Scout Master Weiss’ to you, young man! Are we clear?” she asked.
“Yes…” moaned Reese.
“Hey, I asked you a question!” she yelled.
“Ma’am, please, I got this!” laughed Draven. “They can call me whatever they want! Now go on to bed, I’m sure these past two days have been extremely stressful on you!” Ms. Steward thought a moment, but she nodded and went to her bedroom on the bottom floor. The ambulance took Harold to the local helipad to take him to a psychiatric ward, so he could receive help for his condition. Draven then looked at the three, who looked at this man with suspicion. “Guys, relax, I’m not crazy about drugs or shinies, I swear!” laughed the man.
“No, you’re just crazy,” spoke Reese.
“Aw come on Snow-Man! Let’s just have a good time here! I see old Yodan has also taken a liking to you! This should be a fun time!” laughed the man.
“First off, his name is ‘Herp Derp,” corrected Reese with an annoyed face, which also made his Slowpoke pop out of his ball, seemingly agreeing with his master.
“Poke….”
“Second, I told you I HATE being called Snow-Man!” he yelled.
“Okay, that was a bit out of line. Don’t worry, this’ll be a fun summer, I swear!” he laughed. He then dismissed all of them, who also received their Pokémon back. The sun had nearly gone down as well, as it was about evening.
“Okay, so we can all agree that this day was a bit freaky,” spoke Kyou with a grin.
“From what this journal says, we can look forward to more freaky things,” spoke Reese. “Listen, the biggest thing that we have to look out for hasn’t even been documented yet.” Reese showed the two the picture of the bloody page, which made them both wince. “As much as I want to go home, we can’t leave this open ended, we have to solve this. As a matter of fact, we need to write a counter journal listing more details about the camp and how to deal with them, because this is too cryptic.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” spoke Decker, “We should also make some sort of mystery team to investigate this stuff!” he cheered, making Reese narrow his eyes, “NO WAIT, hear me out! That was a bad choice of words. I just think that we can do more with more people than we can alone!”
“That might not be a bad idea,” agreed Kyou, “I can always ask the local Pokémon if they’ve noticed anything odd lately, but still, we will need more information.” Reese closed his eyes and thought.
“Okay, we’re not making a ‘mystery team,’ we’ll make a ‘task force,’ not only does that sound more professional, but we can also learn more too,” spoke Reese.
“I VOTE FOR REESE TO BE IN CHARGE!” declared Decker.
“WAIT WHY ARE WE DECLARING LEADERS!?” yelled the white haired boy.
“Well you do have the journal,” spoke Kyou, “Logically, that puts you in charge!” Reese sighed, while Derp looked into the sun while sitting down, exposing his striped belly. “Well, I don’t know about you two, but I’m sleepy!” yawned Kyou, “I’ll let you guys know if I hear anything else!” he cheered as he ran off.
“See ya dude!” yelled Decker. Reese decided to sit next to his Slowpoke and look at the sun. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to bond with him,” answered Reese, “It’s the least I can do. This guy has already saved my life twice, and even though he isn’t much for conversation…”
“Slowwwwww…..”
“I have a feeling that he holds the key to something HUGE.” Reese’s scarf flowed in the wind, while Derp tipped over, landing his head in Reese’s lap. Reese looked down and frowned. “His face is still creepy as hell though.”
“…poooookkkkeeeee….”
Elsewhere, however, something in the lake swims about… A Sharpedo swimming by is eaten whole by this beast, though the identity is unknown…