Chapter 15:  Join the Club (Part B) by Michael Keens/ Exodus  

�So, what Pok�mon do you have?� asked a Pok�fan lady called Martha, a woman 
with long curly green hair.  
�Oh I have a-�  
�Yes, yes, I�ve got a Clefairy and an adorable little Oddish.� she said 
interrupting Emily.  
�Well I�ve got those too and-�  
�Look at the silky soft leaves on my precious Oddish and the shade of pink on 
my Clefairy.  Do yours have that?�  
�Well I don�t know, they usually come out of their balls to battle so I�ve-�  
�Oh.  You let them fight.� she said somewhat shocked.  
�Well, yeah, they get stronger that way.�  
�But that�ll make them bruised and dirty and what if they evolved?�  
�Well, that�s good.�  
�No, that�s bad, Pok�mon are only at their best when they�re Stage 1 Pok�mon.�  
�I know they�d evolve but-�  
�No one in the Fan Club owns a Stage 2 Pok�mon.�  
�Are you saying evolved Pok�mon are ugly?�  
�Of course not, they�re beautiful... in their own special way but I still 
wouldn�t like it if one of my Pok�mon evolved.�  
�Man.� Emily thought to herself, �I can�t believe I let myself into this, these 
people are obsessed!�  
�Well, let�s see your Pok�mon then.� said another woman called Gertrude, a lady 
with short auburn hair, Emily reached into her bag to retrieve the Pok�balls 
and her Moon Stone fell out, Gertrude�s Nidoran saw it and ran towards the 
Stone but Gertrude quickly picked it up.  
�Bad Nidoran, if there�s anything worse than fighting, its those Stones!�  
�Because they make Pok�mon evolve, right? Well don�t worry, it has to evolve 
into a Nidorina first before it could evolve into Nidoqueen.�  
�Don�t even talk about it, I would never let my Nidoran become so ugly!�  
�But I don�t think they�re ugly, I�d be glad if my Nidoran evolved for me.�  
�In that case, I don�t think we should be talking.� said Martha.  
Both women went away from Emily, who was not liking this place suddenly.  

Chad let his Farfetch�d walk free for now, he had just made the connection, and 
Chad really liked this Farfetch�d, it was brave and heroic, Chad partly shared 
those qualities.  
It was practising its balance, bouncing and twirling the leak like a baton.  
I had to admit, Chad did a good job in raising it at this early stage.  
�Ohhhh!� squealed an old man, he rushed up and scooped up the Farfetch�d, Chad 
was quick to grab his collar.  
�That�s My Farfetch�d.  Get your own.�  
�Oh, I wasn�t stealing it.  I�m the Director of the Pok�mon Fan Club, if you 
knew that you wouldn�t have tried to wring my neck, I love cute and adorable 
Pok�mon and so do the ones at the club.  You can take a look if you want.�  
�I can�t, not yet, I need to find someone first, green hair-� I explained 
before the Director interrupted me.  
�Yes, her, the Clefairy owner, she�s at the club already.�  
�I guess we�ll go see this club then...�  

The doors opened and inside were many trainers with Stage 1 Pok�mon.  
�My friends, we have new trainers visiting the club.  Please welcome Tetsubo 
and Chad.�  
�Come on, show us your Pok�mon!�  
We looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and let out all our Pok�mon.  
�Star!�  
�Exeggcute!�  
�Ran!�  
�Odddddish!�  
�Char!�  
�CATE!�  
�Key!�  
�Gela!�  
�Dude!�  
�Fetch�d, far, far.�  
I quickly grasped Inferno as the crowd gathered round, some picked up the 
Pok�mon, I sincerely doubted that Inferno was the huggable type, I was the only 
one it wouldn�t hurt for sure.  
�Ahhhh...�  
�Huggies...�  
�Cutie...�  
The strange people muttered weird words as they hugged our Pok�mon or at least 
most of them.  
Chewtoy, Ragecage and Boulder got left out, but they were kind of 
intimidating.  
�Why isn�t anyone hugging my Raticate or Mankey, my Geodude I can 
understand...� said Chad picking it up as it looked a little down.  
�Stage 2 Pok�mon, bad!� said a younger member.  
�And that Mankey is so mean-looking.� said a young child.  
Chewtoy and Ragecage couldn�t care less, and were soon transported back to 
their balls along with Boulder.  
There was a tapping on the blackboard, the Director was up on the main stage.  
�And now the part of the day in which we talk about our Pok�mon.  Emily, why 
don�t you go up first?�  
�But I don�t know what to say.�  
�Just talk about your Pok�mon.�  
�Okay...  Um, uh...  I like my Oddish, which I nicknamed Blossom... because 
she�s cuddly, and soft and her leaves are very smooth and...  Oh yeah, she can 
use a lot of great attacks like-�  
�Okay, thank you, Emily.� interrupted the Director taking the mike.  
�But I-�  
�Next, who wants to talk about their Pok�mon?�  
�I will! I, CHAD THE CHOSEN!�  
�Hey you�re not supposed to be acting.� said the Director.  
�But this is what I�m normally like.�  
�I pity your friends.�  
�OKAY! CHAD THE CHOSEN�S POK�MON ARE STRONG AND POWERFUL, THEY CAN USE MOVES 
LIKE MEGA PUNCH, AND HYPER FANG, AND KARATE CHOP AND-�  
Chad was struggling to keep hold of the microphone as the Director tried to 
take it from him.  
�THEY NEARLY ALWAYS WIN AND I�D LIKE THEM TO EVOLVE TO BE BIG AND POWERFUL!�  
Someone fainted.  
�That�s enough Mr Chad! I�m afraid we don�t talk about fighting and especially 
not about evolving here.�  
�But what�s the point in talking about Pok�mon if you can�t talk about how they 
fight?�  
�I�ll show you how we do it here.� said the Director, �I�d like to talk about 
my Ponyta, she is... so soft...  So cuddly...  She gives me hugs... when I am 
feeling sad...  Her coat...  So smooth... and shiny...  Her tail...  It never 
burns me...  It is... so furry... and nice...  Thank you.�  
Our mouths were hanging.  
�What the heck?� was a good word to describe what we were all thinking.  
�Are anyone of you as disturbed as I am?� asked Chad, after a brief 
silence, we simply nodded.  
�These people are obsessed by the looks of their Pok�mon.� I explained.  
�They won�t even let us talk about fighting and evolving.  Tetsubo, I know 
we�re bored, and that its rude to do this, but I really want to leave.� pleaded 
Emily.  
�We should, us being trainers probably disturbs them.� I said recalling my 
Pok�mon and preparing to leave.  
�Oh, another speaker, you�re new, go ahead.�  
�Yeah...  Stage 1 Pok�mon�re okay, provided dey�re strong an� powerful an� have 
somethin� sharp on deir bodies! Yee-haw!�  
�They�re only good when they�re fierce, and preferably evolved!�  
The same person fainted again.  
�Stage 1 Pok�mon are incapable of fighting powerful Pok�mon, only when they 
evolve can they be properly recognised as great Pok�mon, so we�ll be taking all 
of yours and doing that!�  
I dreaded to turn around, not the Elites again.  
�Scyther!!!�  
�Reeeowww!!!�  
�MMUUUKKK!!!�  
�Horrible!� shouted an obsessive fan.  
�What�s wrong, y�all? Ah thought yuh liked Stage 1 Pok�mon!� said Cletus, 
referring to his Scyther.  
The people backed away while the Elites easily snatched their small Pok�mon.  
�Give those back!� I shouted.  
I was about to step forward when Cletus held a Clefairy in front of his 
Scyther�s blades.  
�Not another step, Turquoise.� said Claus.  
�Or are yuh really heartless enough ta let a small Pok�mon die?� threatened 
Cletus.  
�You�re the heartless ones! Do you think those Pok�mon will fight and evolve 
for you?!�  
�No need, we don�t even have to train them.�  
I didn�t know what Claus meant by that.  
�You have the power to stop this you know.� said Cassie to the other members, 
�Grab his Pok�mon and give them to us, then we�ll give back all of yours.�  
�Don�t do it! Its a trick!� I shouted.  
�I�m serious.� said Cassie, �His Pok�mon would serve much better to our cause.  
Its one or the other.�  
The people looked at me, I suddenly felt uneasy, as if I couldn�t trust them.  
�I must get my Clefairy back!� shouted Martha running towards us.  
�CATE!�  
Chad intervened with his Raticate.  
�You should be ashamed.�  
�Bulba-saur!�  
�You think giving up Tetsubo�s Pok�mon will make things right?� added Emily.  
Martha stared at Solar, a Stage 1, yet willing to fight to protect its friends, 
she thought long and hard, and had no choice but to... �Clefairy! Metronome!�  
Its eyes lit up and it suddenly jumped out of Cletus�s grip, turned while 
waving its hands from side to side and a large gust of wind flung the Rockets 
back and all the Stage 1�s were free.  
They didn�t rush to their trainers though, they stood in a line blocking off 
the Elites.  
They were ready to fight to protect their owners.  
There were a lot, but none that needed scanning in the Pok�dex.  
Cutter, Panther and Chemical were ready to battle it out, it didn�t look good 
for the little Pok�mon, but they jumped in for battle anyway, several against 
one, hardly fair but since when did the Elite�s play by the rules?  
Water Guns and Metronomes and Stun Spores and many small attacks were going off 
at once on the Elite Pok�mon.  
�What?...� gasped Claus, �Our expert Pok�mon...  Getting beat by STAGE ONES?! 
CHEMICAL! RETURN!�  
The others recalled theirs too.  
�Now what sir? Pok�mon switch?� asked Cassie.  
�No! Tactical withdrawal!�  
�As in, run away?� added Cletus.  
They nodded and dived out the window.  
�Elite Rocket shall return!� shouted Claus.  

About a quarter of the Pok�mon glowed white and suddenly there were a few more 
Glooms, Poliwhirls, Nidorinas, Nidorinos and Weepinbells in the room.  
The trainers were either amazed or positively sickened.  

�No, it evolved...  Now its not cute...� moaned Martha holding her Gloom.  
I felt saddened that the Pok�mon might be abandoned because they went against 
their trainers� morals in order to save them, I had to say something.  
�People, don�t you think of discarding your Pok�mon because of this, little 
things eventually grow big, and your Pok�mon were protecting you from those 
Rockets.  Just look at them...  They�re still the same Pok�mon on the inside, 
they just look different.  Most Pok�mon come with a battling spirit and you've 
been depriving them of it.  If you abandon your Pok�mon just because 
they�ve changed in appearance, then you have no right to own another Pok�mon.�  
Emily and Chad smiled and so did some of the group, I had reached out to them 
and changed their minds about Pok�mon.  The owners retrieved their Pok�mon, 
some looked oddly at them, others accepted what had happened totally, but the 
Pok�mon looked so happy to have evolved, to have grown up, and that their 
trainers finally understood.  

We left the Fan Club and headed towards the Pok�mon Centre with a warm 
feeling.  
Both the people and the Pok�mon were happier now and it was because of us, and 
the Elites to a lesser extent.  

End of Chapter 15B  

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