Pokemon Moonlight Silver (COMPLETE!!!)

[EmeraldSky]

@Scytherwolf; @Soups;

Episode 48: Fowl Play! (part 1)

"It took a little work, but Dundee finally listened to Ethan." Ash assured the others as they made their way through a forest.

"Maybe Ethan and Lyra taking a different route from us is for the better..." Misty agreed. "Hopefully Ethan can teach Dundee how to behave around girl Pokemon--although I will admit what you told him was a good start."

She was snapped from her thoughts by a large birdhouse overlooking a large clearing. "Oh wow...what kind of bird Pokemon would fit in a birdhouse like that?"

"It'd have to be something huge...." Brock mused, impressed by the size of the birdhouse's entry hole.

"Mina could probably fit in there..." Ash suggested before a majestic brown owl-like Pokemon landed in a tree near the birdhouse. He motioned for his friends to follow him into a bush, where they watched the Noctowl climb towards the birdhouse.

Once concealed by the bush, Ash retrieved his Pokedex to read up on their discovery:

"Noctowl, the owl Pokemon. Its eyes are specially developed to enable it to see clearly even in murky darkness and minimal light."

"Wow!" Misty gasped before the rustling of a branch and a male voice got her attention. "Something's going on outside..."

Brock parted some leaves to see a brown haired researcher in a purple outfit and a pale yellow scarf shooing away the Noctowl with a branch. "Looks like this researcher is shooing the Noctowl away, like it's not the one he wants, or something."

All three friends gasped as a Noctowl that shone with a soft gold aura from its glittering gold feathers landed on the birdhouse. "A Shiny Noctowl..." Misty mused. "And just days after seeing a Shiny Golduck too..."

"Presumably, every Pokemon in the world has a Shiny form--you can tell from their different coloration and either a shining aura or a glittering body--or with some kinds, both." Brock explained. "In folklore, Shiny Pokemon are said to be magically gifted or divine--the most famous example being Epona, the Shiny Ponyta common in many folktales."

He was snapped from his lecture by the Noctowl kicking away some Berries on a branch away, causing the man to barely hang onto a branch. It then pecked at the man's fingers, causing him to fall to the ground before flying away.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked as the group emerged from the bush to assess the man for injuries.

"I think so..." the man replied. "Thank you for your kind concern--I am Dr. Wiseman, Pokemon biologist. I've been following this Shining Noctowl in hopes I can capture her and study how Shiny Pokemon fare in captivity. This way, I can find out if there's any truth to legends of Shiny Pokemon having magical power."

"So it's a girl?" Misty asked.

Dr. Wiseman nodded. "The females are usually larger than the males, but our female is special because of her color, which makes her a precious specimen worthy of study! But no matter what I do to attract her, she outwits me, and so I have yet to catch her, as you plainly saw from your vantage point in the brush."

Ash eagerly fished a Poke Ball from his bag. "Since you say this Noctowl is rare, I'm gonna take a crack at catching her myself!"

He then heaved the Poke Ball at the shining Noctowl before him. "Poke Ball, go!"

[I think not!] the Shiny Noctowl taunted as it kicked the Poke Ball away, to Ash's horror. Her eyes then glowed a deep blue. [You are getting sleepy...]

"I'm gonna...catch you...if it's..." Ash yawned before slumping to the ground, asleep.

"Hello?" Misty asked, nudging her dozing friend before the whoosh of wings got her attention. "There she goes..." she sighed as the Shiny Noctowl flew away.

Brock retrieved his referee's whistle from a pocket. "Allow me to wake Ash up...so you may want to cover your ears."

With that, he blew as hard as he could, making Ash wake up with a jump! "Okay, I'm up! I'm up!" he gasped, much to Misty's delight as he scrambled to his feet.

"You should've seen the look on your face!" Misty smiled, giggling as she savored the memory of Ash's shocked face when Brock had blown his whistle.

Even Dr. Wiseman couldn't resist smiling. "Let's return to my forest cabin...we'll talk more there."

---------

"So why would you be all the way out here, and not a part of the Pokemon you study?" Brock wondered.

"It's simple...I want to study only the rarest and most unusual Pokemon." Dr. Wiseman replied. "Once I have discovered all the secrets this forest has to offer, I'll comb the region, and then other regions, to find their hidden treasures only a rare few ever see."

"If it's rare Pokemon you want to see, I've got one right here." Misty offered as she retrieved the Poke Ball holding her Golduck. "Michelle, come on out!"

"But that looks like any other Golduck..." Dr. Wiseman was unimpressed at the muscular blue duck Pokemon before him.

"Even though you'd never believe it seeing her as a Golduck, as a Psyduck she was rare and unusual because she couldn't fly or swim." Misty explained. "But with a lot of work, some patience, and a little love, she caught up to her peers, and now she can fly and swim."

Misty giggling made Dr. Wiseman grimace. Now I want to catch the shining Noctowl all the more, because laughter reminds me of the way she mocks me.

I don't know what Dr. Wiseman plans to do with this Shiny Noctowl once he gets it, but something's not right here... Ash thought when he saw Dr. Wiseman's pained grimace.

Both of them made the same silent promise: I will catch that Shiny Noctowl, if it's the last thing I do!

---------

Later, the group watched from a bush as Dr. Wiseman rigged an odd device to a tree. "You sure that whatever he's rigging in the tree's going to work?" Misty wondered.

"I don't know..." Ash replied. "I just don't think using a trap to catch it is right...that sounds like something Kamon or Team Rocket would do."

He went on "Once Dr. Wiseman has that Noctowl, who knows what he plans to do to her?"

Just then, Dr. Wiseman joined the group in the brush with the loose end of a rope. "All right...now all we have to do is wait!"

A few tense moments passed before the group heard the whooshing of wings approaching. Just as the shining Noctowl landed on the branch, Dr. Wiseman pulled the rope, revealing a mirror next to where the shiny Noctowl stood.

Brock watched in awe as the shiny Noctowl used Hypnosis on its own reflection. "I see...the mirror reflects the attack back, making the target hypnotize itself."

However, the reflection of the Hypnosis happened to shine in Dr. Wiseman's eyes as well! "Not only does it hypnotize whatever looks at it, but anything in the direction the light of the Hypnosis reflects from!" Ash mused as Dr Wiseman slumped to the ground, asleep. "The light is coming right at Dr. Wiseman, since he is in the path of the reflection!"

He noticed the Noctowl sleepily stumbling towards the bush. "Are you okay?" Ash asked, shielding his eyes from the Noctowl's glittering feathers as it approached.

"Be careful, Ash...the Noctowl might feel threatened." Brock cautioned as Ash tensely reached out to touch the shiny Pokemon before him.

Just then, a breeze sent a branch flying, hitting Dr. Wiseman. "Mm...was it supposed to be windy today?" he yawned as he woke up.

Misty gasped when she saw where the wind was coming from--a massive fan controlled by Team Rocket! "I KNEW you hoodlums would be showing up sooner or later!"

"Besides, didn't we already break a fan you used?" Brock agreed.

"Yeah, I know, we've tried dis tactic oilier in dis story..." Meowth assured the group. "But dis time, I'm confident it will woik!"

To Be Continued...