A/N: If you know me, you know this is NOT the sort of thing I usually write. I was challenged by a friend to write a "cute" Pokemon story. I decided since I haven't posted much in a while, I'd throw it up here. Working on some major projects, and school just got out, so I'm hoping to have way more time back for fanfiction in the next couple months! :) Anyways, enjoy my Jiggly-fluff!
Ten is the most important age in Pokémon world. It is the age when children are given the option to continue their schooling or try to become a Pokémon master. For mothers, this can be a trying time, as two moms are about to discover.
"You're so lucky," said Ricky's mom, "that your daughter hasn't shown an interest in Pokémon battles. Ricky is so smart, but he's been pouring all his energy into Pokémon."
"Kristen is definitely not inclined for battling," said Kristen's mom. "So he has his license?"
"Yes," said Ricky's mom, "but we're not letting him travel beyond Viridian alone until he's much older. Ten years old is an insane age to let your child travel on foot!"
The moms had been best friends forever, and so naturally, their children were forced to know each other and hang out together. Kristen and Ricky could hear their moms talking about them from Ricky's bedroom. They rolled their eyes. Ricky's Growlithe scratched at the closed door and whimpered.
"You were just outside, Growlithe!" Ricky said. Growlithe grumbled in response, and Kristen winced. "I told you there is nothing to be afraid of," said Ricky. "He doesn't even know Flamethrower yet. Ember is barely a spark."
"It's still scary that a puppy can breathe fire," said Kristen. Growlithe wagged his tail and sniffed Kristen's hand. Kristen pet him cautiously. "He's cute, but...deadly."
"Only if you're a weak bug or grass type," said Ricky. "Like a Caterpie or an Oddish." He opened up his Pokédex. "I've caught those." He showed Kristen their filled in Pokédex entries. Ricky always taught Kristen something new about Pokémon. She didn't know much besides which ones she thought were cute. Ricky unfortunately didn't have many posters of her favorite Pokemon in his room, but she did like the poster of Lance from the Elite Four.
"How many have you caught so far?" she asked passively.
"All the common ones," said Ricky. "Caterpie, Oddish, Rattata, Pidgey..."
"Oh, I like Pidgey," said Kristen with a smile. "Can I see it?"
"Oh, I don't have it with me," said Ricky. "I'm focusing on grass and water types to beat Brock."
"Haha, when? Your parents won't let you go beyond Viridian!"
"They'll take me when they see how strong I am!" Ricky boasted. "Hey, let's go to the Pokémon Center. I can show you that Pidgey, and I can show you how we train!"
"Okay!" Kristen agreed. It was way too nice outside to sit in Ricky's smelly boy bedroom while their moms drank wine. So Ricky picked up Growlithe, and they went to ask their mothers. Their moms agreed, and they jumped onto their bikes to ride into the city. Growlithe ran alongside them. The energetic pup had his own ideas of what he wanted to do in the city. He stopped to pee, to dig, and to follow new and exciting scents. Finally, they got to the Pokémon Center.
"Hello!" said Nurse Joy. "Welcome to the Pokémon Center! Would you like me to heal your Pokémon?"
"Not yet, thanks," said Ricky. "I'm here to get some of my Pokémon out of the system." He motioned for his Pokédex, which Kristen was still carrying in her pocket. Ricky showed her how to plug the Pokédex into the digital Pokémon retrieval system. All of his Pokémon appeared on the screen. He indeed had all the common Pokémon of the area, including Spearow which was notoriously difficult for young trainers. He placed a Poke Ball in the transporter and selected Pidgey. The machine whirred, and the Poke Ball disappeared. Oddish replaced Pidgey on the list, and a new Poke Ball appeared. Ricky grabbed the new Poke Ball, and they went outside.
"Pidgey, come out!" Ricky said, and the Poke Ball cracked. A flash of light heralded the coming of the Pokémon. Pidgey cooed and flapped its wings, and then it flew in a circle around the two kids before landing on Ricky's mop of brown hair.
"Awwww!" Kristen exclaimed. "So cute! I mean, I see them all the time, but not up close like this."
"When you catch a Pokémon, the Pokémon automatically learns to recognize you as it's trainer," said Ricky. "Some are harder to control than others, but Pidgey are really friendly. Here." He dug through his bag and found some Pokémon food. "Give this to Pidgey."
Kristen took the morsels, then cautiously held out her hand. Pidgey hopped onto her arm to eat. Its feet felt weird on her skin, and she jumped back in surprise. Pidgey lost balance and flew to her shoulder. "Oh, hello, Pidgey!" she said. Pidgey cooed in response. The little noises Pidgey made warmed her heart, and she fed it the morsels.
"Grrrrrowlithe! Growlithe!" said the puppy Pokémon.
"No, we didn't forget you, Growlithe!" said Ricky. He tossed the pup some treats, and it jumped up to catch them. "Okay, let's battle! Do you remember what attacks Pidgey can do?"
"Ummm," said Kristen, who paid like, zero actual attention when Ricky was teaching her Pokémon moves. She didn't want to battle with these cute little guys! She just wanted to take them home and love them! She looked at the Pidgey. "Fly is one, right?"
"Well...yes, but this Pidgey can't know that," said Ricky.
"What do you mean? I literally JUST saw it fly!"
"Yes, but, the actual MOVE Fly is different. You will want to use Quick Attack and Wing Attack."
"Okay," said Kristen, rolling her eyes. Pokémon moves made no sense! Pidgey can't use Fly? Is the Pidgey dumb, or the humans who named this stuff?
"Alright, Growlithe, let's go!" Ricky exclaimed. "Get ready, Pidgey!" To Kristen's surprise, Pidgey hopped off her shoulder and chirped, ready to go. That cute little bird actually WANTED to fight? But the Growlithe would burn it to a crisp! "Growlithe, use Bite!" Ricky ordeed.
Growlithe ran towards Pidgey and nipped at it. Kristen gasped. Pidgey didn't even have a chance to get out of the way! "Wha...Pidgey! Wing Attack!" she said. Pidgey flew up and then beat its wings against Growlithe.
"Dodge!" said Ricky. Pidgey flew straight into the ground.
"Ugh, stupid!" Kristen said. "Quick Attack!" This time, Pidgey landed a hit. "Haha, okay, now Wing Attack again!"
"Ember!"
"OHHHH MY GOSH SOOOOO CUTE!"
"Huh?" Ricky said, picking up the fainted Pidgey. "How is this...OH GEEEEZ!"
Skipping through a nearby bed of flowers was a pink ball of fur with huge eyes and tiny little cat ears. The Pokémon saw Kristen staring at it and smiled. "Jigglypuff!"
"A Jigglypuff! They're even cuter in person! Ricky, do you have one?"
"Uh, no," he said, and he didn't really want it. Jigglypuff was known as a frivolous Pokémon with little actual battle power. But, he was supposed to catch them all. Maybe he could trade it to some sucker down the line. "HEY, IS THIS SOMEONE'S JIGGLYPUFF?!" he called. Some passersby stopped to look and say "awww," but nobody claimed it. "Okay then. Dibs! Growlithe, use Bite on that Jigglypuff!"
"Ohh, don't hurt it!" Kristen whined. Jigglypuff flinched when Growlithe nipped at it, but then Jigglypuff got right back up and smacked Growlithe a few times. Growlithe shook his head to try to get his bearings back.
"Alright, now Ember!" Ricky said. Afterwards, he could surely try to catch it. However, before Growlithe could fire, Jigglypuff was running down the street. "Oh, no! No Pokémon runs from me! Growlithe, follow that Jigglypuff!"
Jigglypuff bounced through the crowds with Growlithe in tow. The two kids got on their bikes, but they weren't as fast as the Pokémon, and dodging people was much more difficult. They ended up on the other side of the town by the abandoned gym.
"There!" Kristen cried. The pink blob was bouncing towards the forest.
"Where's Growlithe?" Ricky asked. He had Growlithe's Poke Ball ready, as the kids weren't allowed in the forest. They'd have to give up on this Jigglypuff. Growlithe appeared around the corner of the gym, sniffing the ground. He picked up on Jigglypuff's scent and barked, then bolted to the forest. "GROWLITHE, RETURN!" Ricky shouted, but his Pokémon was out of range, and the red beam missed. Both Jigglypuff and Growlithe ran into the forest.
"AHHH!" the kids cried.
"What do we do?" asked Kristen.
"I'm not leaving Growlithe! Come on! We won't be long, and nobody will have to know!" He started biking to the Viridian forest entrance.
"But Ricky!" Kristen protested. She hated breaking rules, but she agreed they didn't have much choice, so she followed him.
Viridian forest buzzed with life. Kristen even thought she heard a Pikachu call in the distance. The sun peeked through the trees, and the shade was pleasant. "Growlithe! Growlithe!" they called as they hiked through the winding paths. Finally, they heard a bark and a rustle coming towards them. Growlithe appeared.
"Growlithe, you can't just run off like that!" Ricky said, stepping off the red bike to pet his buddy.
A second rustle came from the other side of the path. "Jigglypuff!"
Growlithe growled when the pink Pokémon appeared. "No, Growlithe, this Jigglypuff is a little beyond us today. We need to go home."
"Jigglypuff?" said Jigglypuff.
"Oh, I think it still wants to play!" said Kristen.
"I don't want them to run off again," said Ricky. "But one day, we'll come back to the forest and find Jigglypuff again! Right, Growlithe?"
Growlithe barked in agreement, and Kristen hesitantly pat Jigglypuff on the top of the head. Jigglypuff giggled.
"Those are some cute Pokémon there," came a voice. Kristen and Ricky looked up to see an older boy coming down the path. He had red hair and wore a backwards red cap. "Care for a battle?"
"Oh, this isn't my—" Kristen started, but Ricky said, "OF COURSE!"
So much for getting home, Kristen thought.
"Great!" said the boy. "I'm Braden, the Battle Kid of Pewter City! I just got this awesome new Pokémon, and we are challenging EVERYONE!"
"Well, then I'm glad we were here! What are the terms of the battle?" said Ricky.
"My one Pokémon versus both of you," said Braden.
"But I'm not—" Kristen started.
"Sounds great!" said Ricky.
We are so dead! Kristen thought.
"Meet my Pokémon!" Braden announced. "Come out...DRATINI!"
Kristen and Ricky gasped. The most sought-after Pokémon in all of Kanto, Dratini, materialized.
"Ok, buddy, this will be a challenge! Growlithe, go!" said Ricky. Growlithe leaped forward at the ready. And, without any prompting, Jigglypuff did the same.
"Good," said Braden. "Dratini, Dragon Tail!"
"WHAAAAAT!" Ricky cried as Dratini's tail swept past his Pokemon. Growlithe fainted. "What level is your Dratini?"
"What level is your Jigglypuff?" Braden asked. Kristen and Ricky shifted their focus from Growlithe to Jigglypuff, who was still standing despite also being smacked.
They had no idea, but they remembered the general rule that fairy Pokémon were not damaged much by dragon Pokemon. Jigglypuff looked at Kristen.
"It wants you to call an attack," said Ricky.
Kristen sucked at Pokémon moves, but she knew one thing Jigglypuff was supposed to be able to do. "Sing?" she asked.
Jigglypuff began to sing to Dratini. "Ha, Sing, classic," scoffed Braden. "Such tactics won't work with us!"
Yet, Dratini fell into a slumber. "Okay, Jigglypuff, Quick Attack!"
"Try Pound," said Ricky.
Jigglypuff didn't seem to know Quick Attack. It was still staring at Kristen. "Okay, Pound!"
Jigglypuff slammed its body into Dratini. Dratini blew backwards into Braden. "Jiggly!" the pink Pokémon said happily.
"As soon as Dratini wakes up, this is over," Braden warned. "I'll let you have your fun for now."
"Try Double Slap too," said Ricky. "I'm pretty sure that's what it used earlier on Growlithe."
"Okay, Jigglypuff, Double Slap!" said Kristen. Jigglypuff began repeatedly hitting Dratini. "Keep it coming, Jigglypuff!"
"Alright, play time's over," said Braden. He sprayed an Awakening on Dratini. "Dratini, Dragon Tail!"
"DODGE IT!" Kristen cried. Jigglypuff jumped over Dratini, avoiding the move. "Follow it up with Pound!"
Jigglypuff sent Dratini flying in another direction.
"Dratini, Dragon Tail again!" said Braden.
"Dodge and Sing!"
"There's no way that'll work a...AHHHHHHHHH!" Braden cried as Dratini fell asleep again.
"Looks like you only rely on one move," said Ricky. "Your Dratini really isn't well trained at all." And this Jigglypuff probably has perfect IVs, he thought.
"I've never had to use another move before!" Braden admitted.
"Jigglypuff, Double Slap!" Kristen said with a laugh.
But Dratini has woken up again. "Dragon—"
Jigglypuff whacked Dratini on the head, and he fell. Braden cried out in indignant disgust. "You just got lucky," he said. "You won't win again!" He dug into his bag and pulled out a Revive.
"No!" Ricky and Kristen said together.
"Look at Dratini! It's scared!" said Kristen. Indeed, Dratini was shivering from the shock of having been beaten so badly.
"You need to challenge trainers on your level so your Dratini can grow," said Ricky, "instead of one-hitting kids in Viridian forest. That's not a battle at all, and it's not good for Dratini."
"Battling is kind of fun when you know what you're doing," said Kristen. "You liked that, didn't you, Jigglypuff?"
"Puff! Jigglypuff!" Kristen and Jigglypuff high-fived.
Braden picked up his Dratini. "Alright. I will accept defeat...for now." He walked away, but looked back once more at Kristen and Jigglypuff. He nodded, then left.
"Oh no," said Ricky. "Our moms are going to be furious! The sun is going down!"
"WHAT!? Oh no, we never should have battled that jerk!" Kristen exclaimed. She hadn't noticed it getting chillier because the battle had been so exciting. "Come on, Jigglypuff!" She mounted her purple bike. "Oh, wait...Jigglypuff is still a wild Pokémon, isn't it?" They looked at Jigglypuff, who cocked its head in question. Ricky handed her a Poke Ball. "But, I don't have a license," she said.
"The Poke Ball doesn't know that," said Ricky. "It'll work for you. I think Jigglypuff wants to be caught now."
She took the Poke Ball. "Do you want to be my Pokémon, Jigglypuff?"
"Jiggly!" Jigglypuff nodded.
"Alright, here goes nothing! Poke Ball, go!"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WENT INTO THE FOREST!" shouted Kristen's mom. The once cozy living room now seemed cold and imposing. The moon was visible through the front window. Kristen and Ricky sat together on the couch while their mothers reamed them.
"We didn't mean to!" said Ricky.
"HOW DO YOU JUST ACCIDENTALLY GO INTO THE FOREST?!" Ricky's mom asked.
"Growlithe was chasing a Jigglypuff-"
"And we had to get him back-"
"Then we ran into this really mean trainer who challenged us to a battle-"
"And Ricky accepted-"
"And Kristen won-"
"Wait, hold on," said Kristen's mom. "You won?"
"Yeah, also, I have a Jigglypuff now," said Kristen.
"YOU CAUGHT A POKEMON WITHOUT A LICENSE?!" Kristen's mom shouted. Kristen let Jigglypuff out of the Poke Ball. "Oh," her mom said. "That's really cute."
Jigglypuff waved to the two angry mothers. "Jiggly!"
"I didn't mean to," said Kristen. "But I battled with Jigglypuff, and, it wanted to come with me, and, I couldn't just leave it in the woods!" Kristen started crying.
"She was a really good battler," said Ricky. "She learned so fast."
"Well, I mean, he kinda told me what to say," said Kristen.
Kristen's mom sighed. "Well, what do we do now?" she asked Ricky's mom.
Ricky's dad walked into the room where the children were being scolded. Ricky looked so much like his dad, except for his dad was bald, and Ricky had more hair than he probably should. Likewise, Kristen and her mom were nearly identical, with pale skin and stick straight brown hair.
"We keep the Jigglypuff here," Ricky's dad said, "and tomorrow, you go to the Pokemon Center and get that little girl a license." He handed Kristen and Ricky a plate of cookies, and the moms new glasses of wine.
Kristen got her Pokemon license the next day, and she and Ricky went Pokemon hunting together. They were even allowed to go into the woods sometimes. And one day, they planned to go take on the Pewter gym together, with their best friends Growlithe and Jigglypuff at their side.