Chapter 1 - Post 2: A New Beginning, Continued
Katrina watched, stunned, as each lab assistant walked up to one individual Trainer. This whole thing was starting to get a little insane. She could feel the tension in the air around her, and watched as hew new Purrloin walked with a feisty step up to the man standing there. She noticed his eyes were glazed over and it was as if. . . he was being controlled. Her gaze quickly fell on the Professor and saw the same glazed and crazed look on her as well. What was going on here?
The Purrloin hissed and swiped a claw at the man, who merely shrugged it off and stepped backwards.
"For your first test lets see how you and your new Pokemon work together" Professor Juniper said, laughing like a maniac.
Something was definitely up with this woman. Though yet again, Kat had little time to think over what was happening when the man in front of her reached into his lab coat and revealed a red and white Pokeball. He pressed the same button Katrina did only a moment ago and with a flash of white his Pokemon appeared! This was insane. She could only guess that now they were about to battle.
"You have got to be kidding me." Kat said under her breath.
She knew she had little experience, and besides what moves did her Purrloin even know? What if this Pokemon she was about to commence in a battle was far stronger than her own? These were the thoughts chasing each other around in her mind. After a moment of silence she decided she should figure out what Pokemon she was up against exactly. Kat looked down at the red device, known as a Pokedex, in her hand. She did a mental shrug and clicked it open. Suddenly an image on the screen appeared showing a picture and information of the Pokemon in front of her.
Yamask
Spirit Pokemon
Each of them carries a mask that used to be its face when it was Human. Sometimes they look at it and cry.
[How depressing. . .] Katrina thought to herself, looking from the Pokemon to the Pokedex. Her Purrloin during this time had taken the habit of hissing, tail flipping, and lashing out at the Pokemon. Kat tried not to feel too scared at the fact that maybe her Pokemon doesn't know how to actually fight. She gave off a defeated sigh and slowly raised her shaking arm, pointing to the enemy.
"Purrloin use. . . uh, Scratch!" Kat said, saying the only move she knew a low level Pokemon to have.
Thankfully, she was right on that aspect. The Purrloin lashed out her tail in acknowledgment and leaped forward at the Pokemon. Katrina watched as the feline reached out its sharp claws to come bearing down on the Yamask. Yet there was only one problem; her Purrloin was too slow. The lab assistant barked an order to the Yamask, which Kat believes she heard something along the lines of "Use Protect". That is exactly what the enemy did. The Yamask created an invisible shield between itself and her Purrloin, causing the feline to smash headfirst into the protective barrier. The Purrloin cried out in shock and pain as she crashed to the clean laboratory tiles. Katrina shielded her eyes in horror of what just happened. Today wasn't going too well.
However, the Purrloin wasn't finished and got to her feet, tail lashing like a whip back and forth.
"Yamask, use Astonish." said the lab assistant, in a sort of dull way.
The Pokemon did as told and started to charge at her Purrloin, shouting in a startling fashion.
"Purrloin, dodge the attack and get to higher ground!" Kat cried out.
The feline took one look back at its Trainer before leaping out of the way just in time as the Yamask charged forward. Kat was relieved to see it missed, even if it was only within an inch. The Purrloin jumped onto one of the empty work chairs and from there clawed her way onto a cluttered desk. She was now about three feet or more above the enemy - a perfect advantage point.
"Now use Scratch again and jump down on top of it from above." Kat ordered.
Without hesitation the feline let out a battle cry, jumping from the edge of the desk straight above the target. The enemy Yamask wasn't prepared for such an attack and neither was the lab assistant. As if in slow motion the Purrloin collapsed on the Yamask and brought them both to the floor, scratching like a mad person on the way down. The Yamask scowled in agony as the Purrloin's long claws dug deep into its strange skin.
"Yamask use disable!" screeched the lab assistant.
Katrina hardly know what happened right then. It was as if her Purrloin suddenly forgot what it was she was doing and stopped her attack on the enemy. Great, just great. Katrina shook her head in disbelief. Not of her Pokemon, of herself. She thought she could do this but now she was on the losing side of the situation. Was her Mother right after all? Was she too young and inexperience for this sort of responsibility?
[I will not give up!] She thought to herself and gathered her wits together.
"Purrloin, use Growl and sike him out," Katrina told the feline, "then ram him in the right side!"
The Purrloin gave off a low and deep growl, causing the enemy Yamask to cower in fear. The Purrloin then made her move and jumped once again at the foe, knocking it in the right. The Yamask fell sideways and slammed into the desk leg. It fell limb to the ground and just stayed there. The Purrloin stood there waiting for an attack, breathing heavily, but the Yamask didn't get up. Katrina grinned widely at her first victory. This was the best feeling ever!
Her smile faltered when the lab assistant and his Pokemon suddenly disappeared into the shadows. At the same time Professor Juniper came crashing to the ground lifeless and limb.
"What in the world just happened?" Katrina asked herself and felt her knees go weak.
This was all strange for a 'Journey' to being with. Her Mother and Father when they told her stories never mentioned anything at all like this. Despite that fact though, Kat kneeled to the ground and patted her Purrloin on the head.
"Good job, girl." she said and scratched the feline behind the ear. "You need a name! How about. . . Serene?"
The Purrloin pondered this new name for a moment before giving off a purr and leaning into Kat's palm. She could only guess that mean 'Yes'.
