Chapter 44:  Mushroom for Improvement (Part A) by Michael Keens/ Exodus  

The large boots of a desperate man hit the valley floor hard with every step of 
his run.  
A shaky rustling sound was heard not too far away in the tall grass, pushing 
the man to run faster.  
He pushed through yet another patch of tall grass, but tripped over a piece of 
uneven soil and tumbled head over heels into a heap.  
“Ugh...  Is this really the end of my journey?” questioned the man as he saw 
the feared figure step out of the grass, and forward to get him.  
“No...  No... NO...”  

Several miles away, a new day was starting for Emily, Abby and I, our journey 
had taken us to Taupe Village, a very peaceful place deep in the country, lots 
of farming houses and businesses were located around here.  
I yawned as I stepped out of the hotel with the girls, and then fought to pick 
all the hay out of my hair and clothing.  
“That’s the last straw!” I sighed, “I told you we’d have been better off 
camping out last night, those beds are just atrocious.”  
“Get over it.” said Abby pleasantly, “At least it was warm.”  
We sat down to eat and converse before we continued our journey, we were around 
two or three towns away from Ocean Town, only those towns were quite far 
apart.  
It was best not to dwell on the distance, since I was among friends, the 
travelling would fly by as long as we all got along.  
I turned away from the girls and saw an old face, I’d never met the guy, but I 
remembered his appearance:  Light blue shirt, brown hair and glasses, plus a 
familiar face.  
“Sorry girls, just gotta introduce myself to someone.” I said politely as I 
left the seat.  
“You know who that guy is?” asked Abby.  
“No idea...” replied Emily.  
“Er, hi.” I said to the man I’d once seen with Chad, “You don’t know me, but-”  
“I think it should remain that way.” answered Bert, apparently in a hurry to 
get going.  
“I saw you with Chad and-”  
“You know Chad?...  How is he? Surely he can’t have got by on luck alone.” said 
Bert with more interest.  
“He’s good.” I answered.  
“Good huh? I’d have thought he’d be wallowing in depression after he was so 
sure of himself.”  
“No, I mean, he’s good, he’s actually quite skilled.” I corrected.  
“... You’re kidding, right?” said Bert in disbelief.  
“No.”  
“Be serious.”  
“I am.”  
“Don’t try to be funny.”  
“I’m not, you want a second opinion?”  
“I think that’d be best.”  
“Girls, could I have a word?” I called.  
They turned to face me, and slowly approached Bert and I, a little 
uncomfortable with this seemingly new stranger.  
“Girls, tell this man what you think of Chad.”  
“Well, er, he’s very confident, and loud, and-”  
“A rude conceited fool.” interrupted Abby.  
“I know those things, I grew up with him.” sighed Bert, losing interest.  
“As a trainer.” I urged.  
“Well, he was somewhat delusional to start out, always acting like a superhero, 
but Tetsubo here took him under his wing and taught him about types, since 
then, Chad’s really evolved as a trainer.” explained Emily.  
“He does get a little overconfident, but he’s got what it takes to go far.” 
said Abby, though I saw how hard it was for her to compliment the guy that 
undermined her.  
“Chad... let you teach him, and he took in anything you had to say?...” 
questioned Bert, “You must be a miracle worker.”  
“He Is pretty miraculous...” complimented Emily.  
“And he has a way of bringing out the best in people.” smiled Abby.  
“O-kay.” I said, immediately moving to Bert so as not to let something 
complicate my friendship with the girls, “So do you believe me now?”  
“I still don’t believe it, but I’ll take your word for it.” sighed Bert 
pleasantly.  
“I just thought you’d like to know, I saw you two before I met Chad and you 
kind of separated on bad terms, plus it’d be kind of awkward if you found this 
out in the Pokémon League when you’d surely run into him.” I explained.  
“Um, thanks, what was your name again?”  
“Tetsubo Capture.”  
“Well, I never officially introduced myself to you, I’m Bert Walters, and it 
sounds like you’re a very talented Pokémon Trainer, I look forward to seeing 
you in the-”  
The western-style doors at the front of the hotel swung open, and a panting, 
sweating and tired Chad collapsed on the floor from exhaustion.  
“Oh my god, Chad?” questioned Bert as he ran towards his old friend and helped 
him up.  
“What happened Buddy?” I asked.  
“Its just horrible...” breathed Chad, “She just won’t let up, she’s been 
chasing me for days now, no matter where I go or how fast I run, she’s always 
one step behind me...”  
“Who? A Rocket?” I asked, “If it is then I’ll take care of it, you only ever 
got involved with them because of me so-”  
“No...  Not a Rocket...  Something much worse...”  
“Worse than Rockets?” questioned Emily, “Maybe someone from that Shadow 
group?”  
“Chad, you don’t mean...” said Bert vaguely.  
“Yes, I do...” replied Chad.  
“Oh, then I can stop playing the concerned friend.” said Bert, harshly letting 
go of Chad so that he dropped onto the floor.  
“What do you mean?!” I shouted, as Bert stood up and took a more relaxed 
stance, was he not what everyone believed? Working for an evil organisation or 
something?  
“I think you’d better start talking Mister.” I ordered, drawing a Pokéball.  
“’Capture, its nothing.” said Bert.  
“I wouldn’t call me that if I were you.” I threatened, the very thought of 
Bryan made me mad.  
“Tetsubo...  You’ve gotta help me...” pleaded Chad, “Don’t let her find me...”  
“Don’t worry Chad, I’ll do everything in my power to-”  
“Aw no, she’s here!” shouted Chad, as a second figure pushed the doors open.  
Everyone in my travelling circle gasped as the figure made itself known.  
“Chad!” shouted the woman pleasantly, and leapt at him.  
“Noooo...”  
“I finally found you.” said the woman, all over Chad and hugging him tight.  
Emily, Abby and I nearly fell to the floor in disbelief.  
“You want to explain this to me, Bert?” I inquired.  
“Meet Felicity Carter, Chad’s number one fan.”  
“Tetsubo!” shouted Chad, “What are you waiting around for?! Help me!”  
“Oh Chad, am I hugging you too tight? I’m just so happy to see you!...” said 
Felicity, a girl with glasses, short pale green hair with many strands that 
hung down a long way, wearing a red and white dress.  
“Okay!...  Now’s about a good time to leave.” I sighed, and prepared to walk 
out the door.  
“Don’t leave me alone with her Tet’!” shouted Chad.  
“Sorry Chad, I don’t do relationships, come back when you’ve got a real problem 
for me.”  
“Oh come on Tetsubo, we’ve been ahead of schedule and we’ll be at the Cinnabar 
Gym before your two month training time, let’s see how this turns out.” said 
Emily, “Besides, I haven’t seen Chad in a while, I’d like to catch up.”  
“Trust me, you haven’t missed much.” muttered Abby.  
“Honey?...” questioned Felicity, “They’re not... your girlfriends, are 
they?...”  
“Of course n-  Yes, yes, Abby is my girlfriend and-”  
“Don’t even think about it!” scowled Abby.  
“Aw no, wrong girl, I mean, I mean, Emily, we’re very close and-”  
“Forget it Chad.” said Emily, “I think she’s caught onto you.”  
“I’m not quite myself ‘City, what I meant to say was...  Um, Danielle, she’s 
not actually here, but we’re really close and-”  
“For your sake Chad I wouldn’t tempt fate like that, Danielle could fall in 
love with anyone at the mere mention of love.” I warned.  
“Chad, are you playing around again?” asked Felicity calmly, “I understand that 
you get swarmed with girls but I’m your one and only, right?”  
“Yeah whatever...” sighed Chad...  

Shortly after, we all sat outside to enjoy the fresh air and have a talk.  
“So, Felicity...” I said, keeping myself from laughing at Chad’s nervousness 
and discomfort with her, “How long have you known Chad?”  
“Years, I noticed him around but at first I didn’t know what to think of him, 
and then one day, my life was threatened by a Pokémon, and Chad bravely risked 
his life to protect me.”  
“Really?...” I questioned, turning to Chad.  
“It was nothing!” Chad cried out, “It was just a Meowth! I didn’t know I was 
signing up to have a crazy fan for life!”  
“My Chad the Chosen is just being modest, it was just horrible, I was so 
afraid, I couldn’t even move, and then he leapt right in the way of danger to 
defend me and saved me from a grizzly fate.”  
“Meowths aren’t actually that dangerous unless provoked...” stated Abby.  
“You actually go for that Chad the Chosen stuff?...” asked Emily in disbelief.  
“Of course, that’s what he called himself when we first met, and how I’ll 
always think of him.” replied Felicity, gazing into his eyes.  
“Personally, it got old really fast.” muttered Abby.  
“Yeah, um, Tetsubo I’m sure you’re in a rush for that Gym Badge, so why don’t 
we just scoot along right now and go get it.” attempted Chad.  
“But I thought you got your last badge already.” inquired Felicity.  
“I do, but its not about me.” he replied.  
“So selfless...” she sighed.  
“I’m not in a rush Chad.” I said, and then started seeing desperate signs that 
he wanted to go, “Um, I’ll get the next round of drinks, Chad, wanna help me 
carry ‘em?”  
Chad was out of his seat before I’d finished the sentence, “’City, wait right 
there and I’ll be right back...”  

Chad and I stepped back into the bar and I ordered the drinks (non-alcoholic 
ones), before turning to speak with Chad privately.  
“Nice girl, so why are you treating her like she’s got a contagious disease?”  
“You don’t understand Tet’, I’ve got plenty of fans...”  
“More like only one fan...” I muttered under my breath.  
“... But Felicity’s too much for me.  She’s always following me around, giving 
me no space to myself, and she’s constantly trying to get me to go home and 
remain there, and that’s not what I want.”  
“Sounds like she’s trying to mould you into a suitable husband.” I inquired.  
“Don’t even joke about it Tet’! You’ve got to help me make sure that doesn’t 
happen, can’t you just do that thing where all the girls like you and take 
Felicity off my hands?”  
“Hey! Its not like I have a switch to do that, I can’t help if girls go for me, 
and there are days which I wish I could just turn off whatever makes the girls 
go for me.”  
“Yeah yeah, I know the feeling, so can’t you do anything?”  
“Chad, you could always try talking to her, tell her how you feel, that you’re 
a traveller and that she has to accept that or lose you.”  
“You don’t know Felicity, she’ll interrupt me before I can get that far...”  
By now the drinks were ready, so Chad and I picked up the trays and started to 
walk out.  
“Hmmmm, this could be the toughest task I’ve ever embarked on...” I said, 
before noticing something, and leaning back to stop Chad from exiting fully.  
Bert looked kind of awkward, without me and Chad sitting where we were, he was 
closest to Felicity, he didn’t see us looking at him, and the girls were 
bickering among themselves, and he was looking at Felicity in a strange way, 
but turned to the opposite direction when she faced him.  
“But I think the solution just hit us in the face...”  

“... And um, I’ll be competing in the League with Chad in about three months.” 
finished Bert to Felicity.  
“Yes, I’ve already purchased a ticket, and after Chad accomplishes his dream 
and wins the Pokémon League, he’ll be able to come back home and live with me.” 
she replied.  
“Yeah...” sighed Bert, before whispering “Don’t hold your breath.”  
“But I’ve been so inspired by Chad and his words that I couldn’t wait until the 
League, the last thing he told me was to come back to him when I was a 
successful trainer.”  
“But you don’t like Pokémon, Felicity.”  
“Oh, I do now, with so many Pokémon in the world, Chad knew I’d have to get 
over my fear, so he offered me his kind words to boost my confidence and 
inspire me to train Pokémon so that he could live out his dream with me by his 
side.”  
“Or maybe he just thought you’d never train Pokémon and therefore not be around 
him without hurting you.” whispered Bert, “I like you and everything, but 
you’re a tad delusional...”  
“I’ve seen worse.” I whispered back, and Bert was shocked that I’d heard him, 
and pretty much urged me to shut up with facial expressions.  
“Chad, I did what you told me to, I faced my fear head on and started training 
Pokémon, I don’t have any badges cos I was too busy looking for you, but now I 
can be with you always.” explained Felicity.  
“H, how did you find me so fast?...” questioned Chad.  
“It was easy, everyone I asked seemed to know who you were, probably cos you’re 
so heroic.” she replied.  
“Loud and annoyingly unforgettable is more like it.” commented Abby.  
“Yeah well, I think its better if we trained separately, or else you’ll never 
fight as many battles as you should.” offered Chad.  
“I’m very good, let me show you by battling one of your friends.” she pleaded.  
“I guess I’m up.” I sighed, if Bert was to stand any chance at wooing Felicity, 
beating her in a Pokémon Battle wasn’t the way to go.  
“Another battle?” questioned Abby, “We’ve been seeing quite a few of those.”  
“Tetsubo, we thought we’d have the time to do this earlier, but Abby and I 
wanted to check out a clothing store down the road, we’ll be done before the 
battle’s over.” requested Emily, already getting out of her seat.  
“Sure thing.” I replied, feeling relieved from having escaped going shopping 
with two girls, on the other hand, this battle probably wouldn’t last too long, 
or be much of a challenge.  

“Go Pollen!”  
“Vileplume.”  
“I choose you Paras.”  
“Parrrasss!”  
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I moaned.  
The little Paras was incredibly small and cute, I didn’t even have the heart to 
battle it.  
“Er...”  
“Paras, use Scratch attack.”  
The tiny bug scuttled over and swung its claw across Pollen, not doing much 
damage at all, so I decided to improvise.  
Pollen had lost its will, and only obeyed me nowadays, so I whispered, “Fall 
down.”  
“Plume.” it said, and fell down in a convincing way.  
“Now stand up.” I said, and the Vileplume complied.  
“Now use Leech Life.”  
A speck of energy was drawn out of Pollen by the Bug-type attack, but not 
enough to be a threat.  
“Shout out as if in pain, fall down again but stretch out your arms and legs as 
if you were defeated.”  
“Plume...” it wailed, although not too convincing, but it did the rest as I 
asked and lay on the ground, so I quickly recalled it.  
“Oh well, I guess you win, you really are a good trainer.” I said, lying 
through my teeth, no wonder Chad had such a hard time, he must have been torn 
between telling the truth and lying to make Felicity happy for years, I could 
see that much.  

The trail of thought was interrupted as a grappling claw stretched out and 
closed around the little Paras, before shooting back to its source.  
Cletus held the device, and climbed into the Aerodactyl-shaped jet previously 
hidden by a large building.  
“Paras!” shouted Felicity.  
“Hyuk, hyuk.” sniggered Cletus, “Da Boss is gonna be so psyched when we give 
him dis, it unnerved Turquoise an’ beat his Pokémon hands down!”  
The glass dome closed over the seats, and the other two of Elite Rocket hastily 
hit several buttons and took off.  
The plane flew towards the mountains, and then crashed into something, since we 
could see the smoke.  
“We’ve gotta get Paras back from those horrible thieves! Its my favourite 
Pokémon...” pleaded Felicity.  
“Don’t worry Felicity, we will.” said Bert decisively.  

End of Chapter 44A  

Back to Chapter 43B
Chapter 44B
Back to Story List #41 - #60
Back to the Pokézone