Ball Master Chapter 19 (Patreon)

Pocket Monster parody: Patreon Reward

Chapter 18 

Chapter 19 Type Casting

Our Heroes were on their way to Ecruteak, their time and experiences in Goldenrod City carrying them towards their next adventure. The group comes across two bickering scientists.

Pierre and Marie were two scientists studying and researching  Sudowoodo. They were having a shouting match over it’s type. Pierre was adamant that Sudowoodo was a Rock Type, but Marie wasn’t so sure. “Rock types are typically found in caves, rocky areas, and even some deserts. Yet Sudowoodo is found in forests like many Grass Types.”

“That’s just because Sudowoodo like to disguise itself as a tree. What better place to do that than in a forest?”

“Then what about reports of Sudowoodo using Grass Type moves huh?”

“And the reports about Sudowoodo not liking Water huh?” The two were bickering back and forth. It was clear Pierre was by the book, he went off what he read in books and texts, while Marie was a hands on researcher, she wanted first hand experience.

“So Sudowoodo are found here?” Ash asked.

“Yes, and if you could help us catch one that would be a benefit to our research.” Pierre said.

“Well we are here because of some reports of a rare Sudowoodo spotted here.” Marie showed a photo. “Look at the Sudowoodo’s branches this might prove they change colors by the season.” In the picture the Sudowoodo appeared to be green instead of the usual brown and the bits were red. “If we catch this one I can prove my theory is correct.”

“Even if you do catch it, your theory would be incorrect.” Pierre quipped adjusting his glasses in a smug way.

“We’ve asked some trainers to help us catch a Sudowoodo, would you help us?” She offered them three monster balls. “You can use these and you can keep them if you catch us both a Sudowoodo.” Marie was even offering a special reward for this off color one.

“Uhh sure we can help.” Ash called out Noctowl and had him help search.

“Who are the other trainers?” Misty asked.

-x-

“I can’t believe we are doing this?” Meowth grumbled. Jessie and James were in disguises.

“Would you stop complaining Meowth, we got free monster balls out of it and a pass to catch us some Sudowoodo.” Jessie said, the group was asked by the scientists to help. “If we can find that special one we’ll get a bonus and any extra we can send to the boss.”

“We gotta find one first.”

“Just seems like honest work to me.”

James called out Gastly and had him help search. “Gas Gas!”

“Did you find a Sudowoodo?” They rushed over only to see Ash, Misty, and Brock with their pokemon.

“It’s the twerps!”

“Perfect, let’s forget this twig hunt and go steal Pikachu.” Meowth declared.

“Hard pass!” Jessie said.

“What?!”

“Meowth let’s just do this job and we can be bad another day.” James said.

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this. Have you two gone soft?” They had been so weird lately, Jessie doing this contest stuff, James doing gym battles. She’s even had James and him working the Pokeblock machine to make block to use and to sell. It was good experience for James as he even managed to forge his own recipe to make special Purple block.

“We aren’t soft Meowth, we are trying to get ahead. Helping out those nerds gets us paid, a reward, and pokemon, try looking at the bigger picture.” She said. Meowth dropped it.

James on the other hand was thinking hard about all this. Did he really want to be bad. He had joined Team Rocket to obtain some form of freedom but what had he really gained. “Besides Meowth you are our secret weapon, those researchers want to know what type Sudowoodo is, you can simply ask it when we find one.”

“Oh that’s sneaky, I love it!”

-x-

Noctowl was doing his best, but this was a big forest. “Alright let’s have everyone help!” Ash called out all his mons, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Scar (Houndour), Totodile, Primeape, Ursaring, Heracross, Girafarig *, Tauros, and Drowzee.

Brock and Misty called out their team. Pineco immediately tried to self-destruct and was swiftly returned. Goldeen used the nearby river to search. Heracross wasn’t very helpful, flying over to feast on some sap.

Marie and Pierre came over to see how the search was going. They were stunned at the unique coloring of Noctowl and Girafarig. “I’ve never seen such unique coloring on such mons before.”

“I’ve read about this, I believe its called the Shiny Phenomenon. Where a pokemon will be born with off colors. Heh, guess that proves your Sudowoodo theory wrong, it’s likely just an off color monster.”

“It doesn’t prove anything.” She still wanted that Sudowoodo.

Thankfully Scar was able to find one. It was holding branches and leaves, pretending to be a tree. “Houn Houn!” He barked.

Sudowoodo stuck to the act but it was all for not. He tried to battle using some fake items he collected from the woods, vines and dried leaves. “Chikorita show him a real Vine Whip!”

He attacked launching vines only for Sudowoodo to dodge. What came next was a real surprise as Sudowoodo used a Vine Whip to, it his Chikorita and Ash called him back. Scar stepped up and used Flamethrower, Sudowoodo dodged and again shocked everyone and used a Flamethrower of his own.

Marie was taking notes.

Scar was returned and Pikachu gave it a shot. He landed a Thunderbolt which hit, but didn’t do a lot of damage. Once again Sudowoodo used the same move Pikachu did. After knocking Pikachu back it did a little dance, shaking and rocking.

Drowzee stepped up, ready to fight. “Let’s put an end to this. Drowzee use Hypnosis!”

“Drow!” He worked his magic, sending psychic waves to put the monster to sleep. Sudowoodo fell asleep standing up.

“Monster Ball go!” He caught the monster with a few jiggles. “Here you go Marie!”

“Thank you Ash!” She was so happy. “Now we can truly test out my research, if only we had that other one to compare.”

-x-

Meowth had been spying on the group. “This is bad the Twerps got a Sudowoodo already.”

“So what we just need to find the prize.” Jessie said, wanting that Shiny Sudowoodo.

Gastly found it pretending to be a tree. The ghost type made faces at Sudowoodo trying to make it laugh. When that didn’t work he used Lick! “Sudo…” He fell back. It was the Shiny Sudowoodo.

James came over. Sudowoodo panicked and tried to hide as a tree again. “You know you don’t have to pretend to be something you’re not. I guess I’m not one to talk...It must be scary if you want to hide that badly, I think I can relate. I’ve been running and hiding, pretending to be something I’m not too.”

The shiny stared at James feeling touched by his words.

“Ahh there he is. Jessie quick James found it!” Meowth yelled.

They had Meowth ask him what type he was. “Sudo sudo…”

“He says he’s the hungry type.” Anime fall!

“Cut it you clown!” Wobbuffet popped out of his ball and the two talked back and forth.

“Wobb...”

“Sudo…”

“Wobb…”

“Woodo…”

“Wob wob…”

Sudowoo…”

Meowth grumbled. “These two are giving me a headache.”

“Here you said you were hungry, how about this?” James whips out some Pokeblock. He tries some Yellow and Green block which went over fine, but then he got some special Purple Block.

“Sudo!”

“He likes it!”

“I’ll give you some more if you come with us.” Sudowoodo agreed. James catches him in a monster ball!

“Let’s go to those nerds and get our reward.”

“Wait we don’t have anything for the boss.”

“Calm down Meowth, let’s get our reward first.”

James, Meowth, and Jessie arrive at their base. “Ah Kojiro, Musashi!” Ash greeted. The duo were grateful for their disguises.

“We got the strange Sudowoodo!”

“Let’s see it!” James called out the Shiny Sudowoodo and he sparkled. Marie called out the Sudowoodo Ash gave her. Side by side the two were very striking. The shiny was green, and his spots were a darker shade of yellow almost gold looking, and the green bulbs were red.

Marie took pictures while Pierre took notes. “Astounding!”

The two tried to pretend to be trees in their lab. James honored his word and gave the shiny some more block. “This is remarkable.” Brock made Marie’s some Pokemon food, but it didn’t like the grass mon food, and preferred the rock type food.

“Our reward?” Jessie asked.

“Oh yes, here!” Marie handed over a highly valuable Ultra Ball.

“We still don’t have an answer for the typing.”

“Lets use a water type, that’ll be the quickest way.” Misty said and called out Poliwhirl and Staryu. “Use Water Gun!” The attacks flew and the Sudowoodo freaked out. Marie’s Sudowoodo ran around the lab freaking out, while the shiny one hid behind James. He was lucky his disguise didn’t get blown off.

“That’s a brilliant idea, this will be the fastest way to prove I’m right!” Pierre got a hose and was trying to spray Marie’s Sudowoodo.

“Stop that you are scaring them!” Marie protested.

Sudowoodo ended up knocking over a book shelf which got Pierre to stop. Misty tried to have them use Water Gun again, but to her shock the Sudowoodo used Water Gun. Misty’s monsters were blasted back. “Wait, how can they use Water Gun if they hate water?”

Pierre found a book. “Here it is, Mimic, it’s a move that copies and replicates the last move an opponent used.”

“Of course that’s why it was able to do so many and different kinds of attacks, because it was using Mimic.” Add that to it’s fear of water and it really was a rock type. Pierre had been right all along, but they were able to learn more about Sudowoodo from actually seeing it and studying it then just going by what the book said. The two were just very stubborn about their process.

“Alright, if that’s everything good luck with your research. Kojiro give her the ball.” Jessie said. They got the reward and the extra monster balls, it was time to leave.

“Oh right.” He tried to hand over Shiny Sudowoodo’s ball to Marie but the monster nabbed it. “Hey!”

“Sudo sudo!” The rock type shook his head.

“I think Sudowoodo wants to stay with you Kojiro.” Ash said.

“But I um…” He looked to Marie who smiled.

“Since Ash got me this guy, I have what I need to continue my research. Since the Shiny one likes you so much, I think you should keep him!” James was give the ball back and Sudowoodo* was returned.

This was a bonus. Sudowoodo* wanted to stay by James’s side and help him in any way he could. Wobbuffet and him became good pals. “How about a battle Kojiro?”

“Oh yes please it’d be great for our research!”

“Sure…” He was a little nervous.

It was a battle between Drowzee and Sudowoodo*. He started off with Rock Throw but it was stopped by Confusion. The stones were thrown back with Psychic power.

“Use Mimic!” Sudowoodo blasted Drowzee with copied psychic power and pushed him back.

“Drowzee use Pound!” The move didn’t land as Sudowoodo hit hard with a powerful move. “What move was that?!”

Pierre pulled out a book. “Incredible that’s the dark type move Sucker Punch!” It was Super Effective.

‘Quite the sneaky move perfect for Team Rocket!’ Meowth thought.

“Okay use Teleport!”

“Use Sucker Punch!” The move failed as Drowzee vanished.

“What happened?” Pierre checked the book.

“Sucker Punch will fail if your opponent isn’t using an attacking move.”

‘Now he tells me…’ James thought.

Sudowoodo got hit with Pound. “Sudo…” He used a Feint Attack hitting Drowzee hard.

“What was that?”

Pierre checked the book. “That was a Feint Attack another Dark Type move.” It was Super effective and Drowzee was hurting.

“Drowzee use Hypnosis!” Ash called.

The psychic waves put Sudowoodo to sleep. A barrage of Confusion hit and he became unable to battle. ‘I lost…’

Ash ran over to James. “That was amazing Kojiro, your Sudowoodo is super tough, and you did such a great job using him for the first time.” He blushed. “And next time you’ll be an even better battler!”

James felt his heart flutter. Brock felt a small twinge of jealousy. The two mons were treated with some berries. “Thanks for the battle!”

“A-Anytime.”

To be continued...Fossil Fools

Butch and Cassidy have orders to locate a spring said to be containing ancient Pokemon. Professor Oak is also searching for this mystery spot. He meets Kojiro and Musashi and with their help they protect the spring from Team Rocket. He gives the two Pokedexes, and Misty catches a new Pokemon.