Chapter Three: Troll Down



The first attack came without warning. Abe was at the Cerulean Pokemon Center, resting up his Pokemon after a hard day of training and retrieving Growlizard from the PC, when he suddenly saw a face he'd never hoped to see again.



The Super Nerd. From Mt. Moon. The one he'd received the fossil from.



And he didn't look happy.



Well, check that.



He looked entirely too happy. And he was holding a gun.



"You know," the Super Nerd went on, pressing Abe against the corner where the wall met the PC, "I don't recall you asking if you could have that Dome Fossil."



Abe quickly scanned the room for the Gatekeepers, or at least some form of authority to tell the Super Nerd that he shouldn't be pulling a gun on people. "But you g-g-g-gave it to me..."



"Because your stupid mutt Charizard beat me up, that's why!" The Supert Nerd took a step closer. "But that Helix Fossil -- ooh, you will not guess what that Helix Fossil got me..."



Abe quickly slipped a randomly chosen Poke Ball into the PC system. "Call the Gatekeepers," he whispered to it, hoping it wasn't someone like Growlizard (who hated the Gatekeepers) or Baba (who was not the type of Pokemon he would want to speak to the Gatekeepers to begin with).



The Super Nerd grinned. "Call the Gatekeepers indeed! They're the ones who paid me huge money for handing over that Helix!" He took another step closer to Abe. "And I told them I knew where the Dome was, too. And once I get it for them, my pockets will be lined with--"



"Hey, punk, your shoelace is untied!"



Both Abe and the Super Nerd turned towards the sound of the voice. Much to the Nerd's surprise and Abe's horror, Trolliwag had escaped from his ball and was perched defiantly on top of the PC.



The Nerd glared up at the hat-wearing Poliwag. "Shut up, tadpole! This isn't your--"



"Hey, what's brown and sounds like a bell?"



The Nerd gave Trolli an odd look. "Dung. That's the oldest joke in the--"



"You are!" Trolli laughed, shooting his darndest spray of Bubbles right at the Nerd's pistol.



He should not have done that.



He really should not have done that.



The Nerd pulled back in shock, reflexively pulling the trigger. A bullet hit close to Abe's feet, and the Host jumped back in alarm, his hand hitting the PC and Trolliwag as he tried to steady himself.



Trolli, seeing the Nerd pull himself upwards and aim his gun at Abe again, gave a shrill battle cry at a pitch that even Abe couldn't hear and lunged forward at the Super Nerd.



Another bullet whizzed past Abe's head as the shot went wild while the Nerd dodged. Abe had already slipped on the spill from Trolliwag's own Bubbles and stumbled, coincidentally enough -- or was it providence? -- before the bullet could blow him a new one.



If it was providence, it didn't seem to help Trolliwag any. The Nerd whirled around on his feet, screamed an obscenity, and emptied the gun squarely in the center of the spiral-shaped target on Trolliwag's belly.



The Voices in Abe's head cried out in terror. THAT GUY IS AN AGENT OF THE PC WE'RE TRAPPED WE'RE TRAPPED OH NO



Bill's accomplice trapped us



Bill will do whatever it takes to get rare Pokemon. This is all part of the plan



"AHHHHHHHHHHH...!!"



Abe stumbled backwards in shock and anguish, clutching his head and screaming. He didn't have it in him to run, to call out any more of his Pokemon, even though he knew inside that anyone else could be next. This can't... this can't be happening...



"Trolliwag! TROLLIWAAAAAAAAG!!!!!"



TO BE CONTINUED...