Sayonara Crawl

The path fortunately led Alice straight up to the building, where a PA and buzzer system seemed to be put in place. Upon pressing the button, a voice came on over a speaker, "Yes, who is it?" A nearby camera zoomed in and out, focusing on the young woman in question. "Oh, a Pokémon trainer! Come on in!" A loud buzzing could be heard, and the door clicked open.

A rather attractive woman stood before Alice, purple hair cropped just above her shoulders. She wore pretty casual summer attire, though a white lab coat was worn over it. "Hello there, sorry about the security around here! We've had some run ins with Team Rocket in the past, so we've stepped up our security ever since. My name is Professor Ivy, I trust my reputation precedes me?"

Inviting Alice in, three aides scurried around with their lab work as the large steel door clicked shut behind her. It was impressive, to say the least. No ordinary thieves were getting through that hulking thing! "So, I saw you on the television recently...my good friend Professor Oak notified me that Team Rocket were up to no good again. I'm glad to see you got out of that alright, since the broadcast was cut short." 

The two went into a quieter area with some cushioned seats where they could talk. "I'm sure you know already, but I study the physiological effects that different regions have on Pokémon. Take these islands for instance, many Pokémon around here are strangely colored, or have odd markings they are born with versus in Kanto." Her eyes widened a bit when she realized she'd been yammering on this entire time, not letting Alice get a word in edge wise. "I'm terribly sorry my dear, what did you say your name was?"

Alice giggled and sweet talked at her Pachirisu as they went up the path. It was a security mechanism as much as anything. She had been the type to talk to herself sometimes when alone, but Pachirisu was her company and he made her feel safe even if oftentimes he was as scared as she was. The Pokemon was sniffing and looking around, intrigued by the abundance of the smells that caught his nose. Ivy grew many plants and owned a lot of Pokemon, and being owned by a research team likely meant there was a lot of variety and protection for those things, so it was no wonder it appealed to the Pokemon.

"I guess this is what we do." She stated finally, ringing the PA system with a bit of shy hesitation.The voice that answered was recognisable right away, belonging to the esteemed and rather hazily calm Professor Ivy. Entering through the hulking door, she understood the remodel when the researcher explained herself. "Is Team Rocket really active here, then? I was super surprised. My friend Katie told me that they were disbanded and there wasn't a lot of trouble."

Alice and smiled and blushed faintly. So, was she really a well-known face now for her actions? If the broadcast had been cut off, the young trainer wondered what the internet must have looked like. There had been plenty of witnesses, and recording devices being used. If all of that evidence was put together, someone would surely have a chaotic, but complete, replay of the event's unexpected finale. It made her ego and excitement swell, although it probably shouldn't have done. The feelings one had for fame...

"Oh, no, it's okay. I find it really interesting, and I'm a big fan of yours, so I'm super excited to meet you." Alice confessed with a laugh, her inner fangirl showing, "My name's Alice Hope, and this is my Pachirisu. He's been shut in a ball for quite a long time now, so don't mind him if he's nervous. He's actually very old, so this place is really fascinating for him." She explained. Her Pokemon's ears awkwardly folded, but she nuzzled the electric-type comfortingly, and moved the subject on. "I was given this by the captain of the ship I rode on, he asked me to give this to you, by the way." Alice produced the package and the attached message, "And it's not just markings, right? You can get giant Pokemon in the Archipelago. Like Slowpoke, Magikarp, Rhyhorn and Pidgey families."

"Who, Team Rocket? Oh no, the main branch has been disbanded for a few years now. The incidents I was speaking of happened a while back, but why take down added security, right?" Ivy spoke, though slight worry was in her eyes due to the incident at the fashion shoot. "Lately there has been a rise in crime rates, though. It seems smaller factions are cropping up, and the law enforcements are having a hard time nipping it in the butt..."

The conversation went on for a bit longer, more questions arising about the local Pokémon. "Giant Pokémon? There have been a few recorded cases, but those are scattered over the regions. They're hardly exclusive to the Orange Archipelago. Unless you're talking about that horribly cheesy 'Giant Pokémon' theme park, but they're all animatronic." 

"Hm? Oh, a package for me?" Provessor Ivy took the package in hand, examining it before pulling the envelope from beneath the securing strings. "Hmm," she hummed in curiosity, sliding her finger under the lip of the flap and tearing the envelope open. She pulled out a letter, gently unfolding it. Her eyes scanned across the document quickly and with intensity as she took in all the information it provided.

"Mhmm..." She hummed yet again, this time in an understanding manner. "I see, well I'll have to take care of that..." She said, folding the paper back up as she stood. "Oh, would you mind coming with me? I'm just going to put this in my office for now," she said, beckoning Alice.

She led the woman to her office, where she locked the package away in her desk drawer for the time being. "An associate of mine is over on Pinkan Island doing some research right now. It's usually off-limits to visitors, as there are too many cases of attempted poachings. However, my colleague has been granted clearance and invited me to come along. It seems he has clearance for me and one of my Aides, though it doesn't specify which one."

She smiled to Alice, placing her keys in her labcoat. "So, did you want to accompany me? It could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Just remember, Pinkan is a no-catch zone!" Could this be true? Professor Ivy, renowned Pokémon Professor, inviting Alice personally to go to an off-limits Pokémon reserve?!

"Great, then we'll start preparing immediately!" Ivy said, giving a mild smile to the young woman. She was clearly very enthusiastic about such an opportunity, and what else could be expected? It wasn't like trainers were invited to such an exclusive area every day or anything. It was likely that the only reason Ivy invited her at all was due to the happenings back on Navel Island, as well.

She had her assistants pack up some gear and supplies for the duo, lugging them out to the lift pad. It seemed they would be going by air to Pinkan, but why not when the balloons and helicopters were available here? Unfortunately, Alice having just arrived and been invited on this trip got her some sour looks from the assistants. Oh well, she was going to Pinkan either way.

Alice was given access to a PC, so that she could change or get anything she might want out of it before heading to the mostly deserted island. There were stories that an Officer Jenny was always on patrol there, but since it was so reclusive it was hard to tell if that was truthful or not. Still, when all was said and done, Alice was given bunk for the night, as in the morning they would head to Pinkan Island!

The night seemed to drag on, as excitement and anticipation crackled in the air like Pachirisu's electricity. However, as was usual, once Alice finally fell asleep, the morning came far too soon. She was prodded awake by mildly irate lab techs, shooing her from the cot so they could clean the room up. Ivy had a breakfast prepared for them, a hearty meal that should keep them full and energized for several hours.

The moment finally arrived, and they were escorted out to the airship-like balloon awaiting them outside. It had a fully enclosed cargo hold, and windows in the cabin. It was more like a blimp than a hot air balloon, but would most definitely get the job done more comfortably this way. And so they were off, the sounds of the pressure being stabilized via various gas burners could be heard.

They traveled far overhead, Gyarados in the vast sea below looking like mere water snakes from the height. It was somewhat dizzying, more so for anyone who lacked a tolerance for heights. Soon though, they arrived on Pinkan Island, the flight having taken far less time than by ferry. They landed in a small clearing, where a camp and perimeter was set up. Likely the colleague Ivy had been talking about had set it up for research.

Stepping off the airship, the surroundings could be taken in fully. It was gorgeous! The sun was shining down, glinting off dew that had yet to dry out under the forest canopy. The grass around them was soft, and sweet smelling as in the distance a herd of Venasaur could be seen grazing. Oddly enough, some of them seemed to be partially changing colors, while others were...pink!

"Ah Ivy, I'm glad to see you got my package!" A stubby little man approached the two, as their equipment was hauled off the lift by the crew. The man was certainly short, probably about 4'9" (about 145 cm) if one should take out a ruler. He was partially balding, the rest of his hair gray while wearing a toupee to cover most of his bald spot. However, he had a large bushy mustache, which seemed to cover his mouth entirely. It wiggled about every time he spoke.

"This must be your assistant, then! Glad you could make it, yes indeed, very glad. I managed to get the license for a two week expedition to study Pinkan and its strange properties. Who better to have along on such a quest than Professor Ivy, am I wrong?" He chuckled, his voice a bit gruff.

The short man led them to the center of camp, where some very expensive looking equipment was being set up. "Now don't worry about your things. My boys will handle all the heavy lifting. However, we don't have much set up quite yet. So, if you want to explore the perimeter feel free. Just don't wander too far!" He chuckled yet again, though why he found it funny was hard to tell.

The scenery was yet unmatched, as brilliant plants bloomed with vibrancy. Some Vileplume rooted their feet into the soft earth, absorbing nutrients as their petals let off a sweet smell. They were spotted pink with varying patterns each, which was in and of itself pretty amazing. The smell attracted some wild Pokémon, some pink Heracross nearby suckling on sweet tree sap.

It was true the rumors, that Pinkan island was overrun by extraordinary pink Pokémon! It was just a shame that it was a no catch zone, as adding any of them to a trainer's collection would be epic. Then again, it was that kind of thinking that made this island a no-catch zone in the first place. Though Poachers were still a threat to the habitat, by limiting trainer interaction it still helped the environment as a whole.

Walking on a bit, Alice was able to find a few Pinkan Berries here and there on low hanging branches. They were pretty scarce, being the easiest for the local fauna to pluck and eat themselves. Not to mention their sweet aroma and flavor was supposed to be amazing - to Pokémon, anyway. It was too easy to wander away from camp, and before she knew it, Alice found herself far deeper into the tropical forest than she had intended. To make it worse, it was as though her backpack was just getting progressively heavier all the while!

It was very well a possibility that a break was in order, then perhaps find her way back. Zubat might not fare well flying over the high canopy, especially with how dense it was. Alice might have to find a different way to find her way back. However, it seemed as though something was now watching her, the feeling creeping up the girl's spine inevitably before a Pokémon's cry was heard just in the distance.

It was a ways off, but as the psychic Pokémon led her, the Pokémon cries became more distinct. Numerous Pokémon were crying out, and as alice approached, it became quickly clear why. Poachers! Oh sure, this was just what alice needed after the fiasco on Navel Island. More thieves, and lowlife scum!

They were using large tank like mechas, capturing the Pinkan Pokémon with large nets that shot out from the canons. If that weren't bad enough, a buzzing sound could be heard coming from the nets! The Pokémon were clearly in pain, and having their energy drained from them! Alice found herself in the middle of a dangerous situation, as two mechas run by multiple pilots each could be seen.

One woman in a black suit hopped out the top of her tank, pointing to Alice from up top. "Her you, scram! This is official business, and you're intruding on private property!" She snapped with authority. She had a natural strawberry blonde hair, a bit frizzy but cropped above her shoulders so it wasn't so bad. Not to mention the black cap which kept everything neat and tidy, tucked in and out of her face.

The woman hissed angrily when Alice began releasing her Pokémon and issuing orders. "Fine, have it your way you little brat!" She pulled out a Pokeball of her own, tossing it out to release an intimidating Arbok. The other Mecha top opened up, a man popping his head out. He looked at Alice, eyes widening a bit. He scrambled back into the machine, throwing out two of his own Pokémon. A Raticate and Weezing made their presence known with a battle cry, ready to fend off the intruders.

The woman climbed back into her machine, sealing it to prevent collateral damage to her frail looking body. The machine's speaker came on, the woman speaking from within it. "Back off now, or face the consequences! These mecha are the best that money can buy. Take your Pokémon now and leave, or we'll have to confiscate them, too!" She spoke as if she were genuinely authority, like Alice would believe something so daft.

Foes:
Raticate, M Level 20
Weezing, M Level 35
Arbok, F Level 22
Mecha 1
Mecha 2

"Raticate, use hyper fang on those little brats! Weezing, use smog!" The male ordered from his own mecha, as the machine tied off the current net and dropped it in place, the Pokémon inside it were drained, unable to move as they looked about wearily through half opened eyes. Raticate charged at Cleffa, large front teeth glowing as he attempted to stop the star's assaults. Weezing let out a thick smog in Alice's general vicinity, hoping to affect any of her nearby Pokémon and perhaps the girl herself.

"Arbok, use Crunch on that Slowpoke!" The female called, her machine also tying off its net. The snake lunged out at the slow beast, jaw wide and fangs bared. Meanwhile, Alice's plan was being set into motion.

Cleffa's Magical Leaf was hardly enough to cut right through the thick fibers of the net. The team wasn't joking when they said the best money could buy! Even after Zubat's swift, it seemed little had been done to the nets. Alice's only hope was to attack the Mechas directly, and get them out of the picture.

The ominous wind rattled the steel contraptions, but their low center of gravity was going to make knocking them over a very arduous task. The Grass Knot attacks seemed to merely dent the outermost shell, and barely at that. The task set before her was not going to be made simple, especially now that there were more Pokémon in the field! Still, if Alice could perhaps just hold off the Poachers long enough maybe reinforcements would arrive...

Raticate collapsed to the ground in a paralyzed heap before he could sink his fangs into the target. He struggled against it, slowly standing back up. Taking not of the Trainer's new tactic of ganging up on Arbok, the male used it to his advantage. "Weezing, Tackle that Zubat! Raticate, use quick attack on Cleffa!"

Though the islands themselves were sunny, the thick canopy was casting a great deal of shade beneath the trees. This was very unfortunate for Cleffa, who was now stuck charging up the super powered grass move. Raticate fought through his paralyzation, using the boost of the priority attack to rush at Cleffa! Weezing hovered toward the bat, throwing his gaseous body at the little bat.

Arbok was caught off-guard, as the psychic attack stopped her mid-attack. It rocked her, the super effective power draining her energy away as she cried out. If that weren't bad enough, the attack from Zubat left her disoriented! As if throwing salt in the wound, the flying type struck down Arbok, quickly dissolving that part of the battle. The loudspeaker clicked off as inside the woman stares in fear through her monitor. Who was this girl?!

Arbok was down for the count, the poisoned Pachirisu seeming to have leveled up from merely witnessing the event! In fact, all her Pokémon had gained a bit from it, though Zubat the most having landed the final blow.

Raticate's move contacted, but immediately after he was knocked off-course by Pachirisu's Quick Attack! The seemingly hyperactive squirrel went in immediately after, releasing all the damage he'd taken in return double! Unfortunately, it wasn't that much considering only Smog had really affected him... Still, he was swift to get out of the way as the tiny pink star quickly shot off an impressive beam of light and energy at Rattata! The normal Pokémon was struck, falling back. He was fully paralyzed, and couldn't move!

Meanwhile the dynamic duo worked their magic on Weezing. Zubat's confusing rays in combination with the inevitable paralysis would likely wreak havoc on their strongest Pokémon. If it weren't bad enough, he had to deal with more super effective attacks coming from the damn sloth!

Panicking very clearly based on motor skills, the male in his mecha called out. "Weezing, Self-Destruct!" The Pokémon glared at its foes, willing to do anything for its master. The Pokémon began to glow brightly, before going out in a glorious bang! Depending on who managed to stay conscious through the explosion, experience would be divvied up.

Alice was slowly fading, the poison making her slowly black out. As if the crippling stomach pain and uncontrollable shaking wasn't enough, she was losing motor function, her body was shutting down! As if in one last hurrah to save their asses, a bright light enveloped Cleffa.

He was...he was evolving! Alice would barely be able to see the event, her vision blurred and fading in and out. Her ears would be ringing and hearing slowly being muffled as the toxins took over her body. The light faded, the tiny baby having grown into a full blown Clefairy!

The Pokémon assaulted the paralyzed rat, who was unable to do anything to even defend himself. A figure ran up to Alice, lifting her into warm arms. The dark silhouette could barely be made out as Alice was turned to face upward into the canopy. Was that her name being called? It was a woman.

Rumbling could be felt, a large Pokémon storming the field as a bright light went off before Alice was completely unconscious. Ivy and her colleague had shown up, rushing to the scene when they heard the commotion. A Tyrranitar, likely belonging to the colleague, had used Hyper Beam and more or less destroyed the mechas while Alice's team finished off Raticate. Unfortunately shortly after, Pachirisu and Clefairy both passed out, succumbing to their poison as well.

When Alice came to, she was back at the camp. She was held up in a cot, an I.V. Drip running to her arm. In a nearby chair was a passed out Ivy, likely awaiting Alice's return to consciousness. Slowpoke rested across her legs, looking up to greet her when her eyes fell upon him.

When Alice began conversing with her Pokémon, Ivy stirred. The purple haired woman rose her head drowsily, wiping the bit of drool from the corner of her mouth with her lab coat sleeve. She rubbed at her eyes with her other hand before shooting up out of her seat.

"Oh Alice! Thank heavens you're awake!" She shouted, obviously beyond rife with worry. "You've been out for days! But you know, it's the darnedest thing. Your Pokémon refused to leave your side for even a moment once they were all healed up. They have a very strong bond with you. But you should be more careful, we got there just in time."

She walked across the room, pulling a water bottle out of an icy cooler. She took it to Alice, placing a straw in the bottle to make it easier on the emaciated woman. "Here you go," she said, handing Alice the drink. "If we had arrived any later, you might have been a goner. Here, I want you to have this PokéGear...that way maybe you'll call for help next time something happens, yeah?"

Ivy gathered up some things around the tent, cleaning up a bit. "I'm going to go take a shower now. If you feel up to it, you're free to get up and move around camp some. Some real food might do you well, and a bath couldn't hurt either. If you need anything, an assistant is right outside, just ring the bell," she pointed to a small bell on the bedside table. With that, the woman took her leave. She looked in horrid state, and definitely needed the shower.

They had solar showers set up, gravity powered and filled up with the team's water type Pokémon. Otherwise, Alice's belongings were all in the tent with her. The Pokémon's heal balls rested in an empty chair beside her bag. Some clean clothes were set aside, so that she could change out of the hospital gown she'd been put in.

"Hello? Oh, HEY! Alice! It's so great to hear from you! I was really worried after I saw you on TV, and then never heard back from you!" He paused just a moment, making the sentiment start to sink in before he continued. "I thought you found a new boyfriend!" He teased somewhat cockily, certainly the same semi immature man she'd met that day.

"No but seriously, I'm glad to hear you're alright. I'm glad you got away from Team Rocket back there, nasty stuff. So, why is there no video? It says you're calling from a Pokégear number, right?" Danny sounded mildly upset about not being able to see Alice on the camera built in. "So, how did you end up on Pinkan, and with Ivy of all people?" He chuckled lightly. "You must have been lucky to end up there, I can't even get clearance!"

It took him a few minutes to realize that something is wrong. "Hey Alice, are you feeling alright? You sound kind of under the weather. I hope you're taking care of yourself..."

"Oh jeeze, that all sounds pretty rough," Danny replied, as Alice fiddled with the settings. Once the camera popped on, she was able to see his image taking up the small screen. The technology was pretty amazing, with no visible lag on the newer models.

"Oh hey-yikes, you look rough!" It was brutal, but honest. "But hey, can't say I'd look much better after all that. Poisoned by a Weezing, that's some serious business." Danny scratched the back of his head. One arm was extended, probably holding his own pokégear. Alice could see the beach behind him, it looked like he was about to go wind surfing when she caught him.

"Alice?" A voice called from outside the tent. Professor Ivy came in, hair still wet from her shower. "Oh, I see you're feeling better," she laughed snarkily, seeing the girl already on her new phone. "We're getting lunch around, so if you need any help just let us know. We'll help you get around until your strength is back."

"It's really very much up to you," Ivy replied, setting a dry towel over the back of the chair with her things. "The showers are just a ways off from this tent. Just head straight out, and it's at the south side of camp, can't miss it. Just look for the water reservoir. Did you want me to help you walk?" Ivy offered, making sure Alice had everything she needed.

"Afterward you can head to the mess hall, it's set up at the center of camp. You'll feel better after you get some food in you," Ivy went on, offering to help or send help to wherever Alice needed. "Lunch will be ready in about thirty minutes, and the solar showers have water good for about twenty minutes each."