Confluence

Raichu

"These are legendary Pokémon, Molly. Lots of people believe in them even though they've never seen them."

—Professor Hale, Pokémon 3

Once upon a time, there was a legendary Pokémon. Its name was Entei. It was a quadruped, dog-shaped, but much larger, with a brown shaggy coat. Its being was intertwined with the four elements. It would pace the earth to and fro. It would breathe fire as hot the desert sun. It would run like the wind, faster than any whirlwind. And... it would drink water when it was thirsty.

There was also an evil organization called Team Rocket. They would capture Pokémon and sell them for profit for use as slaves. They were very crafty in all they did so they were never caught, but the honest and caring people of the world hated them for the evil they did.

One day, the mischievous leader of Team Rocket heard of sightings of Entei. Enticed by the thrill of obtaining a legendary, he ordered his crew to capture Entei. "Think how much I'd get for an Entei on the slave market," he thought to himself. So off they went, across the earth, spreading like fire, chasing the wind, and... drinking water when they got thirsty. "A double paycheck for the person who brings me back Entei in a Poké ball," promised the leader.

One by one they searched for Entei. Some followed its tracks on the earth, some followed its scent in the wind, some followed the heat trail of its fiery breath, and some... well, they just got thirsty running around and drank water. Eventually, they all converged to the place where Entei lay.

What happened next was as laughable as it was incredible. The members of Team Rocket noticed each other all arriving at the same time and at the same place. Some among them thought this to be fate. Some among them thought this to be the confluence of the alchemic elements of fire, earth, wind and water. Some among them were pretty annoyed thinking that this was going to be a race for the bonus paycheck.

Then they beheld their goal, the legendary Entei, lying asleep in the grass. They felt neither awe nor pity. They reached for their Poké balls and let out their Pokémon to attack and defeat Entei. Some Pokémon breathed out fire, some soared above in the wind, some crawled along the earth, and some... they were thirsty and asked for some water. They all struck Entei at once, weakening it to the point where it could easily be caught.

The Team Rocket members reached for their empty Poké balls. But as soon as one was about to throw one, another one would grab their arms and yell, "No, Entei's mine!" Another would try to move closer, and another would think about the bonus paycheck and tackle them, yelling, "Get out of my way!" Someone else would try and climb over the tackled bodies, but one of those fallen would reach up and pull their legs to stop them. At all costs, they musn't let the others capture Entei. They pulled and pulled on their legs, just like... I'm now pulling yours.