Terra
This was one of the first fics I ever wrote, and this is the revised version of it. I hope you realise the moral.
"Hey! HEY! Wait up!"
Terra turned to watch the young boy run up to her.
"Hey, your Rapidash looks really strong. Would you like to battle my Marshtomp?" the boy gasped. Terra's eyes flashed darkly.
"I suppose you think your Pokémon has the type advantage and therefore stands a chance of winning?" Terra questioned the boy, who nodded nervously.
"Very well. Call out your Marshtomp," Terra replied calmly. Her Rapidash, who was walking by her side, stepped forwards confidently.
The boy dropped a single Pokéball and it exploded into the form of the water Pokémon.
"Marshy, use Water Gun!" he shouted, and the Pokémon complied, squirting a jet of water towards Rapidash. The fire Pokémon, however, was much faster, and simply sidestepped the attack.
"Stomp," Terra commanded, barely raising her voice. Faster than the boy could react, the horse-like creature was directly next to the Marshtomp. It brought down its hoof before the Pokémon had chance to register the movement, and made contact with Marshtomp's skull with a sickening crunch.
The smaller Pokémon crumpled to the floor, and Rapidash trotted back over to its owner. The boy ran forward to tend to his Pokémon – a thin trickle of blue blood was running down Marshtomp's forehead, and there was a long cut, the shape of a Rapidash's hoof, across its crest.
"You see now, child?" Terra spoke harshly, ignoring the boy's panic and stroking her steed's nose, "A type advantage does not mean a battle advantage. You put all your hope into the fact that your Pokémon knew Water move and mine was a Fire type. That was foolish. If you really cared about winning, you would have assessed the situation more clearly."
"What do you mean?" the boy was now close to tears at his injured Pokémon. Terra sighed and tossed him something out of her pocket; he caught it and saw it to be a Hyper Potion.
"If you had thought further than the primitive instincts of a basic trainer, you would have realised that a Ponyta doesn't evolve into Rapidash until level 40. The fact that mine is so tame suggests that it is trained higher than that. Your Marshtomp, by the looks of it, and by the fact that we are so close to Oldale Town, is close to level 16, am I correct?"
"Um… I guess," the boy was now blinking back tears as he fumbled with the lid of the spray.
"Your recklessness and craving for victory was what put your Marshtomp in danger. Don't assume things. Think the situation through. That is what will make you a better trainer: having a balanced team so that you have a strong battler for every type of opponent. I hope you've learnt something from this." Terra turned to leave. She swung herself up onto Rapidash's back.
"Thank you. I'm going to follow your advice," the boy called, as his Marshtomp began to stir. Terra nodded to him before setting off into a trot, and then a canter.
The boy watched Terra leave, and then turned back to his Marshtomp.
"See, Marshy. One day, we'll be that strong. We'll find new friends and raise a balanced team, just like her. And we'll be stronger than her. We'll beat her some day. I promise."
Marshtomp nodded and lifted his head. The boy pointed out a small creature in the bushes – a Seedot. Marshtomp leapt up and aimed a Tackle at it. Then the boy threw a Pokéball, which shook a few times before settling. He picked it up and smiled.
His journey was just beginning.