CRATER SPAWN <YGGY>

Oh yeah. Yggy was back, and he was ready for more RAD FIRE POKEMON.

He still hadn't found anything that was, you know, cool. Cyndaquil was cute and everything, and Chimchar was a monkey, but nothing really had that wow-kapop-ksshhh! sound effect thing really going for it. Come to think of it, Yggy didn't necessarily like fire-type Pokemon. He'd picked Kindler because it seemed neat, not because he had some kind of affinity, and Watson was great at blasting fire-types in the Crater.

Watson had leveled up since last time they'd been here, so Yggy was all prepared with a list of epic new moves they could try out on some dumb Cyndaquils or something.

"You ready, buddy?!" Yggy asked, putting Watson down in the middle of the Tall Grass.

<Yep! Bring 'em on!> the Oshawott replied.

Watson yelped as tufts of blue fur went flying in all directions. The Chimchar tore into him like a dog with a stuffed animal. Yggy started to yell, panicked. "Stop it! Stupid Chymchar!" He wasn't so worried that he forgot to add the Y. "Get away from my Oshawott!"

Fighting to get his shell out from under the vicious monkey, Watson inhaled and fired off a point-blank Water Gun at the Chimchar, trying to knock it off with pure water pressure. The pair rolled over and over in the grass, fighting like cats on the carpet.

The temperature heated up around Yggy as he remembered--suddenly-- he hadn't healed Watson since last time they'd been here.

The somber mood at the High Tide Shrine followed Yggy back to the Crater, his starter Pokemon healed but his good mood dampened.

Dampened. Or humbled, maybe.

"We have to be careful this time, I guess," he muttered to Watson, holding the otter in his arms. "It was super strong. Not like the first one." Were the Pokemon getting stronger from battling trainers? "Get ready this time, okay! I'll try and distract it. Can you fire up that Razor Shell?"

<No sweat! I'll get him for sure this time,> Watson said cheerfully. He didn't seem affected by Yggy's mood. Maybe it's normal for them to get knocked out and stuff. It did seem kinda par for the course for a Pokemon in a game all about battling Pokemon and stuff.

So why did he feel so bad?

The popup reappeared, reading <RESUME ENCOUNTER?>

Yggy took a deep breath, ruffling the top of Watson's head. "You good?"

The bright blade of water reappeared around the shell, and this time the Oshawott was poised and ready when the Chimchar attacked.

It's done.

There was a brief moment of Deja Vu, or perhaps foreshadowing as Yggy smelled salt and sea, saw the shape of the High Tide Shrine rising up in his vision.

But Watson was still alive. If he hadn't spring for that HP Upgrade, he'd be dead again for sure by now.

Not dead. Fainted.

He'd felt dead when he'd carried him to the shrine.

Yggy could barely concentrate on the success of beating the Chimchar. He managed to grin at Watson and congratulate him before catching the Pokemon. The usual bells and merry 'successful capture' theme seemed hollow. He sighed, collecting the capsule and his Oshawott.

Maybe it was a good time to go to bed. No more catching tonight.

Not until they were stronger.