#009 - Don't Know Much About History...
(Pokémon and related elements ™,©1995-99 Creatures/GAME FREAK/Nintendo.)
Storyline, art by Robert H. Magnusson

Marrilyn held up the pendant Chue had just given her, letting the light shine through its crystalline droplet. Odd mounting, perhaps, but it was easily the most beautiful thing he had ever given her... the only thing?...

"It's BEAUTIFUL, even if it ISN'T real, Chue! So where'd you FIND it?"

Chue continued looking through his history book. "An old... FRIEND thought you might like it... oh, MAN..."

"What's WRONG, Chue?"

"I'll NEVER memorize these history lessons by tomorrow... and if I don't, I'm out of the FINALS!"

"Chue, in this case, you don't want to MEMORIZE your lessons, you want to KNOW them! Now let's get started..." Marrilyn was unaware these words were being transmitted across Pokémon city to Team Rocket's headquarters, where Sandy was busy transcribing as the boss listened in.

"Ahh... PERFECT." Surely the little rat would pass his test with this Marril's help - there was too much at stake. At least if anything went wrong, they would know about it...

"Now then, the first known wild Pokémon, a Bulbasaur, was found off the coast of Japan in 1992, although it is now known they existed long before....."

Several hours later, Sandy's wrists were beginning to ache from all the typing. "...and only recently..."

"Boss, this is only just the information I dropped out to avoid! How much longer must I log this?!"

"Silence! We HAVE to keep at this until we find out something TANGIBLE about this MARRILYN!"

"Well, she HATESCH to be called a PIKABLU..."

The boss whirled around in his chair, nearly taking the surveillance equipment with him. "PERCY! What are YOU doing here?!!"

"Schorry, bosch, but it'sch time for your TRASCH to be cleaned out..."

The boss began to raise a fist, but thought a second. "Hmmm... Pikablu, huh? That could prove useful. Percy, I'm putting you BACK on Team Rocket patrol..."

"THANK you, schir!"

"In ADDITION to your janitorial duties, of course."

"Of coursch."

"So, you think you've got it down?"

"Almost... but I don't see anything about Marrils in the lesson plan!"

"That's because we're too NEW to make the book - we won't even be OFFICIAL Pokémon until the latest Pokémon comes out in JAPAN next year. Obviously, that isn't to say we don't EXIST... we just aren't as widely known."

Sandy nearly swallowed her gum. Not widely known? A rare Pokémon... she wondered what the black market would pay... LOTS...

"Just, remember, that's the FUTURE. You must concentrate on the PAST, or be doomed to repeat it..."

The cavern was soon illuminated by a small torch, held by a one Chue Raton, Pikachu adventurer. Sure, he was cute like all Pikachu, but he preferred to think of himself as a tough-as-nails fighter, plus he was somewhat larger than the non-anthropomorphic (human-like) Pokémon. There was little mistaking what he was, though, despite the dim light of the cave. Two shadows followed closely behind, his Pokémon friends.

"GEEZ, Ray, are we anywhere NEAR the end of this cave?!"

Ray, Chue's Raichu friend and father figure, consulted his map....

Chue's dream soon shifted to an idyllic field of grass, where a small yellow mouse nibbled at the grass, burrowing its blunt nose into the dirt to find food, when suddenly a voice Chue could not understand shouted out...

"(THERE IT IS!)" All at once, a group of figures, some nearly seven feet tall, rushed toward the startled creature, which shot off in a shower of sparks.

"(What IS it?!)" "(It seems to be similar to the others, like that snake we just found...)" "(GET it!)"

Suddenly, one of them threw a baseball-sized red and white ball at the mouse. Upon impact with the ground just behind it, the ball sprung open and encased the animal in some kind of energy field...

PIIIII! The animal continued to struggle to no avail... KAAAA!! Suddenly it vanished in the field and was absorbed into the ball, which clicked shut.

"(Incredible! The twenty-fifth such pocket monster we've caught! ... but what IS it?)"

RING RING!

Chue awakened with a start, to find himself curled up under his covers...

Marrilyn met Chue as he left school with a blank look on his face that afternoon. "Well, HOW WAS YOUR TEST?"

Silently, Chue held up a paper, with a score of 89%... a B+. A smile came across his face...

"YAAHOOOO!!"

Meanwhile, at Team Rocket headquarters, both Sandy and her boss were about to begin recovering from a massive headache and temporary deafness...