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Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2011 7:09 pm
Once they were up and moving, Dane gladly agreed to Mike's plan. Patting him on the back, he said, "She'll probably be talking all day. Old people seem to love to talk. Good luck!" Glad that he didn't have to be the one to sit around and listen to anyone ramble, Dane made his way over to the active laboratory at the end of the island.
Inside, everything looked high-tech, with blinking lights and plenty of chrome. asking around, it took him a while to find the people working on the fossil project. After he'd explained that the museum had sent him and handed over the amber, he had to listen to them chatter excitedly about it being a breakthrough before they finally mentioned he would have to return later for the results. "Hey, wait a minute, I was just sent with the amber. Whatever results you get you can just send them over the videophone, can't you?" Despite his objections and a lengthy debate, Dane finally agreed to return after he and Mike had finished their business on the islands.
Before he left, he stopped to talk with on of the older researchers at the lab, asking him about the island's history and what he might know about type orbs. Although the man had never heard of the orbs themselves, he mentioned strange activity in both the Pokemon Mansion and over at Seafoam Island. A few of their researchers had been over at the other islands studying ice Pokemon and their habits when there had been a sudden gust of icy wind from the depths. The wild Pokemon became panicked, rushing around and attacking despite their previously calm natures. Unfortunately, they had not returned for fear they had upset the natural balance.
Likewise, many of the thieves who occasionally searched the Pokemon Mansion for forgotten valuables had come running out of their own accord, right into the local Officer Jenny. Apparently they had all been ranting and raving, covered in burns and bruises from the Pokemon living within. While normally the Pokemon attack anyone who comes too close or makes a racket, they had begun specifically targeting anyone within sight, charging into battle without warning.
Thanking the man for his time, Dane went back to the house he'd left Mike in, hoping that the old woman had finished talking already. "Hey, I'm back. Sorry i took so long, you wouldn't believe how stubborn scientists can be. I've gotta come back later once we're done our work so I can return the results to the museum." Rolling his eyes, he added, "They just love making me run in circles for a few bucks."
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 2:04 pm
The woman had, as expected, talked Michele's ear off.
He didn't mind though. He'd gotten as many hints as he could scribble down in his notebook. The woman had told him all the old stories of the Island....because, yes, she'd been living there a very long time. She knew a lot of the old-timer stories that he'd hoped to find out.
When Dane returned, he was eager to share what he had learned, "I've got lots of hints on the Orbs' hiding places and such. Come on, let's go talk about it~!"
They ended up taking a seat near the ocean, the map between them again, as they circled more places in Kanto and Johto where they believed each of the missing orbs may be. Michele taps his pen against the map, "....she gave hints that the Fire Type is on this island somewhere....we just have to start looking. I have reason to believe that the Normal type was back in Pallet Town. Can't believe we probably walked right past it!" What a pain!
"We should take time to look here. I have my Growlithe with me, he could help us....and when we find it....where do you want to go next? Let's map a good path...."
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 6:49 pm
Glad to be back together as a team, Dane checked the map. "Yeah, the scientists warned me that something strange has been going on the Pokemon Mansion. It's a huge abandoned building on this island just a few minutes walk from the gym. Apparently one of the scientists who helped found the laboratory here lived in his own private mansion. They say he disappeared and left his house in ruins. Now there's just a bunch of Pokemon running wild in it and some petty theives who think they'll be able to loot valuables he left behind. Most of the Pokemon there are fire types, although I here there's an infestation of Grimer and Koffing too. It should be a good place to check for the fire orb."
Pointing to the Seafoam Islands next, he related what the scientist had told him about the area and their experiments. "It sounds like something is really driving the Pokemon crazy. I don't know if it has anything to do with the Ice orb, but...it'll be worth checking out, especially since it's the place I've been beeting on all along to find the Ice orb. Growlithe should come in handy there too, just to clear out anything that attacks us. We do have to be careul of the water Pokemon there, though. That's what Venusaur can help with."
As they strategized and made more marks on the map, Dane was surprised to hear that there was an orb in Palette Town. "It's such a small a place, I'm surprised there's an orb there. Then again, it would be the perfect place to hide something like that...no one would ever think to look in such a small town...do you think Professor Oak might have it? I mean, he's lived in Palette Town almost his entire life, right? If anyone knows the area, it's gotta be him. Plus, he's a Pokemon Professor, so chances are he's had a Normal type or two around. I think we should pay him a visit on our way back."
Checking the routes on the map, Dane said, "I think it would be best if we headed back to Palette Town and then out through the way we came. Since I need to come back to the lab when we're done at the Seafoam Islands, we should continue in that direction and hit Palette Town again, now that we know they've got something we're looking for. Maybe the Professor will even have some insight for us. I'll be able to hand the results over to the museum as well if we keep towards Pewter and Cerulean, and the Power Plant is in that direction, as well as Rock Tunnel. What do you think?"
((Gah, sorry it's mostly just Dane rambling. ;^.^ Move them towards the Mansion, I guess.))
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 8:38 am
"I think--" Michele said lightly, as they packed up their things and moved out of the womans' house, "That we should head over to the Mansion and check it out. Then we can map a good course to all of the locations where the Orbs might be."
As they walked across the small island, Michele couldn't help but feel.....well, to be honest, he wasn't exactly sure what this feeling was. It was just weird. He tried to brush it off with no avail. This emotion wasn't as disposable as all his other ones....how annoying. A feeling that he couldn't identify wouldn't leave him alone.
The Mansion was, probably, brilliant back in its day. Now it was just a wreck of cracked plaster, chipping paint, broken hinges, and shattered windows. It had an ominous feel to it as they approached the front lawn, overgrown with weeds up to their knees. Michele immediately bent and picked Ultima up off the ground, tucking her securely in the crook of his elbow, "Well....this is just about the scariest building I've ever seen," He was being sarcastic, but not really. Michele dug into his pocket for the correct Pokeball, "I guess there's no point in stalling. Let's start looking," he held the ball out in front of him and popped it open, releasing his Growlithe. The Fire Pokemon shook itself and turned to look back at his Trainer expectantly. Michele reached down to pet his soft, but extremely warm, fur. "Alright buddy. We're looking for something really special. We need your help to find it. If you concentrate you should be able to feel it," The Growlithe blinked and seemed to be thinking hard before he turned and ran off towards the front door of the Mansion, barking excitedly. Michele began to follow, "......my Squirtle should be able to fend off any Fire types that might attack us.....and my Abra could probably fend off the few Poison types....." he said hurriedly to Dane, "Best to be prepared!"
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Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 1:58 pm
As the pair made their way into the deserted house, Dane began to wonder why it's original owner had left so suddenly. If it had been properly taken care of, the house probably would have still been beautiful to that day. At the very least he could have sold it to someone else or had someone turn it into a resort hotel for the island. Instead, it now lay in ruins, little more than a disorganized pile of wood and stone. Though the original framework was still intact, what was left was rapidly deteriorating and wild Pokemon had made the place unlivable.
Following Mike's Growlithe deeper in, he said, "I wonder how the fire orb would have gotten in here. I mean, the legend happened a long time ago, right? Probably before people colonized this island. This building is at least younger than the myth...do you think the man who built this place owned the orb? Maybe he kept it as a treasure or a mantlepiece or something...I swear sometimes people don't even know when they've got a piece of history right under their noses." Wondering if Mike understood, Dane explained, "Sometimes when I'm exploring I meet people who own valuables or artifacts and they don't even know how important those things are. Still, they usually won't give them up easily, even though I tell them I'm going to put it in a museum where it belongs." Sighing, Dane wondered how fate could be so cruel sometimes.
Glancing in to one of the rooms they passed, Dane noticed a few pieces of paper scattered on the ground. "Hang on a second," he called out to Mike, heading inside and picking them up. Reading through quickly, he realized it was some kind of report. "Looks scientific. Maybe the guys back at the lab will like this." Taking the papers over to Mike, Dane said, "Would you mind holding on to these for me? I think I'll take them back to the laboratory once we've found the fire orb. I mean, it's probably nothing important, but they go crazy over the smallest things, and this guy was one of their founders, so...maybe I'll get a bonus," he said with a gleeful grin. "If you see any others like this, could you pick them up too? I'll split the reward with you based on how many pages we each find."
After a few wild battles, Dane began to feel the heat. "How are you holding up? He asked Mike, knowing that he wasn't as used to exploration. "I hope we find that orb soon...it's a bit too hot in here. There isn't even a breeze down here in the lower levels since there aren't any windows." Sighing, Dane forced himself to continue onward, ignoring his own sweating.
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Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 7:12 pm
Michele pulled at his collar with a sigh, "Wow, it's...really hot down here," he muttered. It was like a furnace in here and it was only getting worse. Growlithe continued to lead them through the decaying corridors, down into more heated rooms. They found a few other scattered report papers, but another good majority of them had been burned....probably accidentally by the Pokemon. A few of them were burnt but salvagable.
After what seemed like hours, Growlithe led them into what looked like an enormous banquet hall. In the far corner was a small, familiar, shining orb of glass.....around it, curled a sleeping Ninetales.
Michele sighed, "....because it couldn't be easy."
((OMG its so short))
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:21 pm
As they finally reached the basement, Dane began to wonder how long it would be before they could leave. Unbuttoning his shirt, he said, "This island sprung up after a volcanic eruption, so it's possible that vent is still active below the surface. Why the owner of this place decided to build down into the earth instead of up to another story, I can't even guess. Maybe they needed the heat for the experiments..."
Picking any pages they found during their decent, Dane was surprised to find that there were a decent number still intact. "The guys at the lab will go nuts over this...thanks for helping," he said, reading through all of the ones they had found and trying to put them in order. "This looks like it might actually be important stuff. I mean, look right here, it talks about them discovering a new Pokemon! I've never heard of a Mew before...I guess it's region-specific," he thought aloud, now more interested in the files themselves.
Tearing his gaze away from the hand-written reports, he saw what Mike had been talking about. "Wow...that thing's tails are huge. It's probably pretty old...and pretty powerful. We should probably team up against it. I mean...it seems unfair, but that thing does have the fire orb, which we kind of need. So you use Squritle and I'll use Gyarados. I don't like having to make him fight on land, and it'll be a pretty tight squeeze in here, but...whatever it takes, right?" Pulling out his Pokeball, Dane unleashed Gyarados, who had to duck down low in order to not hit the ceiling. Patting its side, he said, "Sorry buddy, but we really need your help. After this, though, we'll be back out on the open ocean!"
With a roar, Gyarados turned its full attention to the Ninetails sitting on the other side of the room, narrowing its gaze and awaiting commands. "Let's do this!" Dane cried out, getting himself ready for battle. "Gyarados, surf!"
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 3:11 pm
The Ninetales was not happy in the slightest to be woken up in such a fashion, and didn't have a problem attacking the two Trainers either. Michele was more than a little bit worried about his Squirtle when the fire Pokemon didn't go down after Gyarados' first attack. Surf was a powerful move against fire-types....
It wasn't exactly a short battle, and it wasn't an easy one. By the time the Ninetales was ready to back down, Squirtle looked tired and drained. Michele was about to call him back when, quite suddenly, he was surrounded by white light. The dark haired boy's eyes widened when it died down....because there was his Squirtle: "Wartortle!"
He was so shocked he could barely bark out a final order to make the Ninetales give up in his attempt to beat them...not that it was an easy fight at all. When the orb was finally left to be picked up, Michele had to kneel down next to his newly evolved Pokemon, "Wow.....that was unexpected....but really cool~.....Way to go, buddy~"
He looked up at Dane with a smile, "Well then....that was entertaining." Sarcasm at its best.
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 7:40 pm
Walking over and checking the Wartortle, Dane smiled. "Congratulations! That was a tough battle. It's nice to get a bonus out of it, huh?" Once they had picked up the orb and were on their way out, Dane gave a sigh of relief. "It's going to be nice to be able to breath again. That's one thing I love about islands, they've always got a good breeze, or at least usually. Now that we've got this orb, though, it's time to head over to the Seafoam Islands, which will be exactly the opposite problem. They're ice caves with plenty of Pokemon to fit the theme, so we'll have to stay warm. Make sure to put on a coat or something," he warned, buttoning his own shirt back up.
Outside the mansion the island was quiet as usual and the waves hitting the beach made for nice grey noise. After a quick stop at the Pokecenter, Dane walked over to the edge of the island and released Gyarados once more. Pulling a slightly heavier coat out of his bag, he grinned at Mike before asking, "Ready to go?" Speeding off towards their next destination, Dane leaded back against Gyarados's head and stared up at the sky for a moment. "I've already started to forget our whole goal here. Everything is going by so fast, you know? But, that's one of the great things about adventuring, it's never boring. I mean, we've already found two of the orbs, and we're probably on our way to picking up a third before heading back to Palette Town and nabbing the fourth! Honestly, I'm glad we found the book before someone else did because I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who would be able to do this too." Thinking for a moment, he added, "And I'm glad you chose me to come along for the ride."
Approaching the Seafoam Islands with caution, Gyarados gently lowered his head onto the edge of the land outside one of the caves. With a nervous glance in, it waited patiently until Dane returned it to its Pokeball. Putting on the coat he'd taken out earlier in preparation, Dane said, "I want to warn you about a few things we might find inside before we go. I'm sure you can already guess what kinds of Pokemon are in there, so be prepared. LIke I keep saying, it's pretty cold in there, so keep yourself warm and don't stand still for too long. One of the worst things you can do in here is fall into the water. There are a few places in the lower levels were the sea rushes in through underwater caves. If you get sucked into one, you might not come back out, and since you can't swim you need to be especially careful. Finally, just be careful of the ice, it's easy to slip if you don't watch yourself. Ready?" he asked before heading in.
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:37 pm
"Yeah, it is a good reward, hm?" Since they had what they had come for and could head out the way they came, Michele returned both Wartortle and Growlithe to their Pokeballs. He was grateful for the cool, salty air outside of the mansion. It was definately a breath of relief. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, following Dane back across the island towards the sea again, "I've never been to Seafoam Islands," he said honestly, "Mostly because I don't really like cold places. But I do have a heavy coat, stuffed down in the bottom of my pack, just in case,"
The ride from Cinnabar to Seafoam wasn't all that long. Michele spent most of it sitting near Dane's feet, watching the water rush by with Ultima in his arms. "You're right, this is seeming a little too easy. Maybe all the travel is the hard part? Or.....maybe there's something we don't know yet...." He didn't want to think about that. He didn't want any nasty surprises. "....I'm.....I'm glad you decided to come with me...."
When they arrived at Seafoam Islands and were ready to enter, Michele pulled on his thick coat. It was (surprise) black, with a ring of fur over the hood. He tucked Ultima into the front, her little brown head right beneath his chin. He listened closely to Dane's warning, ".....I guess we really do have to be careful, huh?" Falling in the water sounded terrifying here. It must be absolutely freezing. He followed Dane inside the depth of the caves....hoping they wouldn't get lost.
~~~
Michele rubbed his numb fingers together. They'd been walking a long while in the cold bowels of the caves and he was exhausted. He had been for about an hour now. He didn't want to say anything, for fear of upsetting Dane, but it was a plain and simple fact: Michele was not in as good of shape as Dane was. His voice sounded weak and pathetic even to him, "D-Dane.....I can't go any fu-further....." It was almost a whine, and he hated himself for it....but he was just so tired. His whole body ached. Ultima gave a worried keen. Michele desperately rubbed his frozen hands together, dropping his gaze so that he wouldn't have to look Dane in the face, "....c-can we stop for a m-minute.......I-I'm so tired....."
((Aww, frozen cuddle time~))
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Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 7:58 pm
Hearing Mike's pitiful please, Dane looked back to see how he was holding up. He had been so focused on finding the next orb that he had forgotten Mike wasn't used to traveling, especially in such demanding conditions. Checking his watch, he said, "We've been wandering around in here for a while, too. Why don't we get some sleep? It's better not to push ourselves too much, and it's getting late anyway. We'll be able to wake up earlier that way and get out of here at a reasonable time tomorrow. What do you think?" he asked, although he could tell by Mike's posture that he wouldn't be able to walk much farther on his own anyway.
Looking around, Dane noticed a rock formation amongst the cave walls that looked like a reasonably-sized indent. "We can rest in here," he said, walking over to it and checking that the wall was sound. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a blanket that was folded up to serve as a pillow and set it down on the ground. As he set his bag down carefully in the nook of the rocks, he said, "Maybe you should have Growlithe sleep with you. He'll be able to give you some warmth and he'll also protect us from any wild Pokemon that might wander over here."
Sitting down, Dane waited for Mike to prepare as well, wanting to be sure he didn't just collapse. As they laid down, Dane said, "Hey, you know you can move in closer, right? I mean, neither of us want to freeze to death, so we should huddle." Having been traveling the world on his own and often fighting against the very forces of nature on his quests, Dane had learned all of the tricks to staying alive in even the most dangerous and forbidding elements. Now that he finally had a human partner with him, he could use some of his tactics.
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Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 12:50 pm
Michele felt like such a weakling, but he couldn't deny that he wasn't going to be able stay on his feet much longer. His knees felt like rubber and his hands were trembling.... He was grateful for the understanding he got, even if it made him feel all the worse.
Climbing into the tiny nook with Dane, he too pulled out a thermal blanket and placed his pack to the side. He agreed with the idea to release Growlithe, which he did. The fire-dog seemed confused about their location but was quick to settle close to his Trainer. At Dane's third suggestion, Michele found that he still had it in him to blush. He swallowed hard, "Are you sure? That's okay with you?" he asked lowly. After a moment though, he wasn't about turn it down. It wasn't very long before he found himself in fairly comfortable position between Dane and his Growlithe. It took a long while, but the combined warmth helped stop the shaking, and the sting of bloodflow returned to the tips of his fingers. Ultima's warmth helped too...though Michele had the dreaded feeling that she was just as cold as he was.
".....I'm sorry about this......I feel like such a wuss...." he muttered lowly, ".....I've never done this sort of travelling before....but.....But I'm glad that you're here.....I don't think I could do this by myself,"
No. Michele knew that if he wasn't with Dane, he probably would have turned back and left the caves a long time ago....But the companionship along with the drive of someone else was what was keeping him going. It felt good. It was simply that he wasn't strong enough to go as far, as fast as the green-haired male.
"Thank you, Dane..."
It was so weird. Michele had never felt.....so safe before.
((It's so cute.))
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Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 8:48 pm
"If it didn't bother me in the hotel, why should it bother me now?" he asked honestly, looking up at Mike as they both got ready. It still bugged him that Mike seemed averse to them being so close together, but something still kept Dane from asking him about it. Even though he'd mentioned his family troubles before, Dane still felt a barrier between them. While he wished Mike could just be honest with him and accept him as someone he could confide in, Dane certainly understood his hesitation. People were rather unpredictable, so perhaps it would just be best to bide his time and hope that his new partner would come to trust him in the future.
"Not a problem," he said with a smile as they finally settled down together. "You'll get used to it after a while and you'll get stronger too. I mean...how do you think I got used to all this? If you do something long enough, you're body will start to change itself to make things easier for you. So don't sweat it for now, that's what I'm here for."
***
When he awoke the next morning, Dane was pleased to see that the colour had returned to Mike's cheeks. The blankets had helped to keep them doubly warm, and both of his Pokemon seemed to have weathered the night well. While it seemed cruel to wake them, Dane wanted to finish their business in the cave as quickly as possible so that they would be able to get the ice orb and go somewhere warmer. Nudging Mike gently a few times, he called his name and said, "It's time to get up. If we start out now, we could be out of here by lunch. Speaking of food, I have a few energy bars in my pack we can share if you didn't bring anything with you."
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Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 9:08 pm
Michele had more than a little difficulty getting up, mostly because he was still tired....but he did stumble up to his feet, take the offered energy bar, and trudge along with Dane. Ultima stayed where she was, safely tucked against her Trainers' breast, warm in the jacket.
"You're a life-saver, Dane....no doubt about that,"
~~~ The Ice Pokemon were not happy to see them. Not one bit. The Orb was very difficult to see, as it blended right in with the surrounding ice, but they did find it--wedged in the back of a crevice and protected by a large, angry male Dewgong. It didn't just attack the Pokemon, but Trainers too, without hesitation....and the Ice Beam attacks did not make the cold any better. The Pokemon seemed intent on guarding the small glass sphere, but in the end, Michele and Dane won out....though Michele returned Growlithe to his Pokeball after he was knocked out of commission.
It was always depressing for Michele when one of his Pokemon went down. He always felt like he'd failed them somehow...that he should have done more to help them.....
Now they were standing together at the base of the crevice, looking back to where the Orb was sitting, up on a ledge above them. Michele frowned, "How are we supposed to reach it? It's too cold to release Venusaur, or my Ivysaur....." It would be so much easier to release the Grass-type and use vine-whip, but with it so cold in these caves, it wouldn't be good for them. The black haired male sighed heavily, "It looks a little too dangerous to climb, too....."
((Sorry if this is sped up too much. I'm too excited about building their relationship~))
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Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:10 pm
((That's fine. I think we're both excited to get their relationship on the road.))
With the battle finished, Dane let out a deep sigh. Rubbing the back of his neck, he watched as the defeated Dugong slipped back in to the water to nurse its wounds. "Man...I knew this would be tough going, but don't you think these battles are a little much? I mean, the last two orbs we found were guarded by some pretty tough Pokemon...What I can't figure out, though, is why these wild Pokemon are going out of their way to protect the orbs. I mean, we've seen that the Pokemon can sense orbs of their own type, but...do you think maybe they've got some other kind of effect on them?" Remembering when he'd held the grass orb, Dane wished he knew more about their mysterious energy that only the Pokemon seemed to understand.
Thinking in silence for a moment, Dane said, "The Pokemon here in the caves have been going nuts lately, but the orb has probably been here for centuries, so I don't think they're connected. The Ninetails on the other hand was just kind of curled around it. Maybe it was just coincidence, like the Ninetails was keeping as her own treasure and the Dugong was just riled up by whatever is causing the trouble here. I mean, it was probably lured here by the orb's signal, but maybe it didn't even realize it was here," he suggested before shrugging, giving up on trying to puzzle things out for the moment.
Looking up to where the orb was, Dane said, "Oh, well Haunter can get that no problem." However, when he looked around, he noticed Haunter lying unconscious on the ground, knocked out from the lengthy battle. Returning the ghost to its Pokeball, he looked back up to the ledge where the orb sat and thought for a minute. "Definitely too cold to be using grass types, and flying types as well, so I can't use Fearrow either. Well...it looks like we might be able to reach it if we stand on each others' shoulders...almost. How about you get up on my shoulders with my Clefable and toss her up there? She can grab the orb and jump back down. She's really light, after all."
Releasing his Clefable, Dane quickly told her the plan before walking over to the wall. "You're good with this, right?" he asked, looking back at Mike and waiting for him to join in. Kneeling down as Clefable danced about, waiting her turn, Dane said, "Let's hurry up and grab it. You said something about having an Abra earlier, right? It'll be able to teleport us back to Cinnabar in a flash once we're done here. So climb aboard!"
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