Scene 26
"Haha!" laughed Wattson joyfully. He walked up to the competitors and handed them each a shiny new badge. "You two have earned Mauville's gym badge! I wish you luck on your further travels!"
As Norman and Gloria walked down the stairs from the battle arena, they noticed that the wires had been cleared out to form a central pathway to the door. Behind them, Wattson laughed again and said to himself, "I haven't had a battle quite like that since I was qualifying to be the gym leader!"
Getting out of the gym in no time, Norman and Gloria jumped for joy, now out of the possible danger of touching a live wire. Mr. Stone sat on a bench just outside, a streetlight flickering on and off above him. The sky was dark grey, and there was rain in the distance over the ocean. "We should probably find some shelter," Mr. Stone noted.
"I say we make a dash for the next town," Norman declared.
"Lavaridge? That's much too far!" Gloria said.
"Not if we hurry," Norman argued.
Mr. Stone cut in, saying, "I agree with Gloria. We'll have to stay here until the rain passes." He surveyed the storm once more and added, "It looks pretty bad. We don't want to get caught in that."
And so it was. The trio went back to the apartments they had stayed in the night before and made another reservation. Norman played with his pokemon in his room for a while (how long he couldn't say), then heard a knock on the door. Without waiting for Norman to answer, Lawrence stepped into the room. Surprisingly, he had already gotten the 2nd and 3rd gym badges.
When Lawrence told him this, Norman said, "Good, you're caught up. I've got a plan." Lawrence knew what it meant when Norman had a plan. Someone was going to get hurt.
Briefly, Norman explained to Lawrence that the two of them were going to sneak out and get to Lavaridge so they could get the fourth gym badge really quickly. Lawrence noted that the storm was just about to hit, but Norman just said, "I'm not leaving you behind again."
The two gathered their pokemon and some simple stuff in their backpacks, then very quietly, exited their room, and the apartments. The dark clouds obscured the distant peak of Mt. Chimney, which loomed over their destination, Lavaridge.
The two saw the clouds and immediately began running for the route, forgetting to grab some needed items from the pokemart. Without paying much attention to where they stepped, the two soon where running through deep sand, sinking in and ruining their shoes.
Eventually, the sand wore them out, and they simply trudged onwards. That's when the heavy rain started to fall, creating puddles of muddy sandy goop, which the duo had to go around or risk getting stuck for good.
Soon, the boys were soaked to the bone. Norman swore that if he were more wet, he'd be a Wailmer. What could be causing this rain? the boys took turns wondering. This desert certainly didn't get much of the wet stuff. Norman had a feeling that he knew what was causing the rain, but it was a bad feeling.
Still very much regretting this decision, Lawrence constantly searched for a cave or some other kind of shelter, but found none. Even when the boys were out of the sand, he saw nothing. That is, until he saw their final destination, an hour after having left, Lavaridge.
Norman and Lawrence dashed for the nearest building and let themselves in. They were in the pokemart. The clerk stared at them, wide eyed. He had been shining the counter when the two boys, both totally covered in windblown, wet, sticky sand, walked into the shop.
Norman and Lawrence, both extremely tired, fainted on the floor.
Scene 27
A few minutes later, the boys awoke, still covered in sand, but now resting on a bench. The clerk was standing over them, drying them with a hairdryer. "Good, you're awake," he said, sounding genuinely worried.
Norman smiled, noting that the clerk had left sand in various places around the shop that he would have to clean up. "Thanks."
"No problem," the clerk answered, though there was quite a problem.
Next Norman turned to Lawrence, realizing that it was himself that had gotten them into this mess. "Hey, I'm sorry I was so crazy. I shouldn't have tried to drag you here when you didn't want to come."
Lawrence didn't respond. Norman understood. He wouldn't want to talk to himself either if he had done that.
"You two hungry?" the clerk asked.
Suddenly, Norman realized how hungry he really was. He nodded. The clerk brought each a bowl of steaming soup. The boys both slurped it up hungrily.
"Thanks again," Norman took a glance at the clerk's nametag, "Clay."
Lawrence finished sipping his soup and set his bowl gently on the floor. He strained his ears and heard the rain pounding on the roof. "Will it ever stop raining?" he asked no one in particular.
"I have a feeling it won't," Norman answered. Lawrence thought he was joking, but Norman knew otherwise.
Suddenly, there was a tap on the door, and it wasn't the wind. The door flew open (from the wind or the person behind it, no one was sure), and a tall, tanned woman entered. She had jet-black, wild hair, and wore a blue and white striped outfit, the signature of Team Aqua, along with a golden necklace that held a small gold anchor.
Clay hid behind the counter. Poor guy, Norman thought. He and Lawrence glared at the woman, who walked up to the counter and held out a hand, pointing towards the cash register with the other. Clay was about to comply when Norman said, "Who do you think you are?"
The woman turned to the boy, gracefully and calmly, but rage filled her eyes. "I am Arcelia! Leader of the great Team Aqua!" Norman scowled. Lawrence gasped out loud.
"You aren't taking that money," Norman told her, sounding more confident than he really was.
"I'm not?" Arcelia questioned in a teasing tone. "What are you going to do about it?"
Norman didn't know the answer. He didn't have a pokemon good against Team Aqua's water types, and he doubted Lawrence's Minun would scare their leader off. Plus, Arcelia probably had grunts guarding the door outside in the rain. Norman looked down at his soup bowl, trying to think of a plan, when it came to him, just before Clay handed over the money.
"I'll do this about it!" Norman exclaimed, throwing his bowl, with enough hot soup still remaining, straight at Arcelia. Soup splashed all down her outfit, ruining it, and giving her quite the burn.
Even more enraged, Arcelia shouted, "I'll get you someday!" as she walked out the door into the rain.
Lawrence hi-fived Norman, saying, "Who says not to use fire against water?" Norman laughed along, but something was still wrong.
First, why had the leader of Team Aqua tried to pull a simple job like robbing a pokemart? She could've easily sent one of her grunts to do it. Also, why had she given up so easily? A job important enough for the leader to come do it herself wouldn't be the kind of job she just gives up on. There was something fishy going on, and it wasn't the water types.
"Haha!" laughed Wattson joyfully. He walked up to the competitors and handed them each a shiny new badge. "You two have earned Mauville's gym badge! I wish you luck on your further travels!"
As Norman and Gloria walked down the stairs from the battle arena, they noticed that the wires had been cleared out to form a central pathway to the door. Behind them, Wattson laughed again and said to himself, "I haven't had a battle quite like that since I was qualifying to be the gym leader!"
Getting out of the gym in no time, Norman and Gloria jumped for joy, now out of the possible danger of touching a live wire. Mr. Stone sat on a bench just outside, a streetlight flickering on and off above him. The sky was dark grey, and there was rain in the distance over the ocean. "We should probably find some shelter," Mr. Stone noted.
"I say we make a dash for the next town," Norman declared.
"Lavaridge? That's much too far!" Gloria said.
"Not if we hurry," Norman argued.
Mr. Stone cut in, saying, "I agree with Gloria. We'll have to stay here until the rain passes." He surveyed the storm once more and added, "It looks pretty bad. We don't want to get caught in that."
And so it was. The trio went back to the apartments they had stayed in the night before and made another reservation. Norman played with his pokemon in his room for a while (how long he couldn't say), then heard a knock on the door. Without waiting for Norman to answer, Lawrence stepped into the room. Surprisingly, he had already gotten the 2nd and 3rd gym badges.
When Lawrence told him this, Norman said, "Good, you're caught up. I've got a plan." Lawrence knew what it meant when Norman had a plan. Someone was going to get hurt.
Briefly, Norman explained to Lawrence that the two of them were going to sneak out and get to Lavaridge so they could get the fourth gym badge really quickly. Lawrence noted that the storm was just about to hit, but Norman just said, "I'm not leaving you behind again."
The two gathered their pokemon and some simple stuff in their backpacks, then very quietly, exited their room, and the apartments. The dark clouds obscured the distant peak of Mt. Chimney, which loomed over their destination, Lavaridge.
The two saw the clouds and immediately began running for the route, forgetting to grab some needed items from the pokemart. Without paying much attention to where they stepped, the two soon where running through deep sand, sinking in and ruining their shoes.
Eventually, the sand wore them out, and they simply trudged onwards. That's when the heavy rain started to fall, creating puddles of muddy sandy goop, which the duo had to go around or risk getting stuck for good.
Soon, the boys were soaked to the bone. Norman swore that if he were more wet, he'd be a Wailmer. What could be causing this rain? the boys took turns wondering. This desert certainly didn't get much of the wet stuff. Norman had a feeling that he knew what was causing the rain, but it was a bad feeling.
Still very much regretting this decision, Lawrence constantly searched for a cave or some other kind of shelter, but found none. Even when the boys were out of the sand, he saw nothing. That is, until he saw their final destination, an hour after having left, Lavaridge.
Norman and Lawrence dashed for the nearest building and let themselves in. They were in the pokemart. The clerk stared at them, wide eyed. He had been shining the counter when the two boys, both totally covered in windblown, wet, sticky sand, walked into the shop.
Norman and Lawrence, both extremely tired, fainted on the floor.
Scene 27
A few minutes later, the boys awoke, still covered in sand, but now resting on a bench. The clerk was standing over them, drying them with a hairdryer. "Good, you're awake," he said, sounding genuinely worried.
Norman smiled, noting that the clerk had left sand in various places around the shop that he would have to clean up. "Thanks."
"No problem," the clerk answered, though there was quite a problem.
Next Norman turned to Lawrence, realizing that it was himself that had gotten them into this mess. "Hey, I'm sorry I was so crazy. I shouldn't have tried to drag you here when you didn't want to come."
Lawrence didn't respond. Norman understood. He wouldn't want to talk to himself either if he had done that.
"You two hungry?" the clerk asked.
Suddenly, Norman realized how hungry he really was. He nodded. The clerk brought each a bowl of steaming soup. The boys both slurped it up hungrily.
"Thanks again," Norman took a glance at the clerk's nametag, "Clay."
Lawrence finished sipping his soup and set his bowl gently on the floor. He strained his ears and heard the rain pounding on the roof. "Will it ever stop raining?" he asked no one in particular.
"I have a feeling it won't," Norman answered. Lawrence thought he was joking, but Norman knew otherwise.
Suddenly, there was a tap on the door, and it wasn't the wind. The door flew open (from the wind or the person behind it, no one was sure), and a tall, tanned woman entered. She had jet-black, wild hair, and wore a blue and white striped outfit, the signature of Team Aqua, along with a golden necklace that held a small gold anchor.
Clay hid behind the counter. Poor guy, Norman thought. He and Lawrence glared at the woman, who walked up to the counter and held out a hand, pointing towards the cash register with the other. Clay was about to comply when Norman said, "Who do you think you are?"
The woman turned to the boy, gracefully and calmly, but rage filled her eyes. "I am Arcelia! Leader of the great Team Aqua!" Norman scowled. Lawrence gasped out loud.
"You aren't taking that money," Norman told her, sounding more confident than he really was.
"I'm not?" Arcelia questioned in a teasing tone. "What are you going to do about it?"
Norman didn't know the answer. He didn't have a pokemon good against Team Aqua's water types, and he doubted Lawrence's Minun would scare their leader off. Plus, Arcelia probably had grunts guarding the door outside in the rain. Norman looked down at his soup bowl, trying to think of a plan, when it came to him, just before Clay handed over the money.
"I'll do this about it!" Norman exclaimed, throwing his bowl, with enough hot soup still remaining, straight at Arcelia. Soup splashed all down her outfit, ruining it, and giving her quite the burn.
Even more enraged, Arcelia shouted, "I'll get you someday!" as she walked out the door into the rain.
Lawrence hi-fived Norman, saying, "Who says not to use fire against water?" Norman laughed along, but something was still wrong.
First, why had the leader of Team Aqua tried to pull a simple job like robbing a pokemart? She could've easily sent one of her grunts to do it. Also, why had she given up so easily? A job important enough for the leader to come do it herself wouldn't be the kind of job she just gives up on. There was something fishy going on, and it wasn't the water types.