Hi again. I didn't expect to write the second chapter so fast but since I had free time and I'm actually doing alright at University, I decided to use my energy to create the next one and it came out pretty alright.
I kept the title I mentioned previously, even though I was trying to come up with something which better encapsulated what this chapter is about. But with the way it is formed, it was kinda hard. Maybe you'll understand after reading it.
What else? I didn't expect it to come out so long. I mean... it's not really that long, but I hoped to set a standard for myself. Like, each chapter would be around the same lenght. This one has about 1000 more words in it. On the other hand, I feel like the next one is gonna be extremely short, but then again, I didn't expect this one to be this long either.
When writing the first chapter I mostly listened to soundtracks from Pokemon movies, but this time I listened to The Pillows since I saw an interview with them talking about their work on FLCL. I realized that I never listened to any of their music, besides the one used in anime so I decided to catch up. I went through 4-5 albums while writing this and they made everything seem go faster but at the same time kind off more pleasant. This chapter is definitely more humorous, so maybe some of that is thanks to their music. If you've never listend, give it a try. Or don't. Also, don't worry if its not your cup of tea. This can apply to both their music, as well as to my writing.
Pokemon Tales: Red Chapter 2: Firewall.
Seeing the advancing flock of bird Pokemon, Red quickly evaluated the situation as to make the best possible choice of action. His Eevee tried to put up a brave front but his legs were shaking from , he realized that there was no ground beneath his trembling feet.
As it turned out, Red picked the dog up and decided to make a run for it. For a while, Eevee was disoriented, but he finally got his wits about him and looked backwards, in the direction of the angry birds. Seeing as they were getting closer with each passing second, the Pokemon felt completely helpless, but nevertheless, barked at them angrily. With Red holding him tightly, it was really the only thing he could do.
Red was trying to multitask during the whole situation. He decided to run through the woods, instead of the road or the flower fields as he hoped it would make it harder for the birds to follow them. His suspicions turned out to be correct. Spearows moved like a phalanx, in a perfect formation, which caused some of them to hit the trees whenever the whole flock tried to fly through tighter gaps. Red would not stop to count them, but by his approximation, about 30 of them still remained in hot pursuit.
As they were running through the forest, Eevee became worried again as he noticed Red growing more tired as their escape continued. Suddenly, they stopped moving. Eevee turned his head and noticed that not only have they left the forest completely, they also reached a precipice.
Although Red tried to quickly judge whether they would survive the jump to the river running below them, the bird Pokemon already managed to catch up with them. The one leading them stopped and he looked at them with a satisfying expression. He gave out a shriek which seemingly was a command to three of his companions to begin an attack.
Eevee struggled to get out of Red's hold, finally regaining his will to fight. He used Sand Attack to blind the attackers, after which he put them out of commission with a Quick Attack. Couple of Spearow's were visibly unnerved after witnessing Eevee's show of strength but their leader brought them back to order with a few quick cries. Finally, Red decided that they couldn't stand there and deflect the attacks forever. He looked at Eevee and yelled "Let's go, buddy!"
The dog ran up to him. When the Spearows realized what these two were doing, it was already too late. They plunged into the river and were quickly pulled by the current. As soon as the opportunity arose, Red grabbed Eevee with one hand, and a branch from a tree standing next to the river, with his other hand. He managed to get his Pokemon and, right after that, himself on dry land.
"I think... I think we lost them" he said while panting heavily.
He was soon proved wrong by another angry shriek. He slowly managed to get up and look in the sky. A group of 10 most persistent Spearow's were still following them and now tried to cut off their escape route by flying lower and encircling them.
"Okay... Now we can make our stand."
Before Red could give Eevee a command, two of the Spearow's already approached him and started pecking furiously. Another one took the opportunity and attacked from the back. Red tried to shoo them away but instead he drew another Spearow's attention to himself. He struggled to protect himself as the birds kept on using Fury Attack.
"Vine Whip!" somebody yelled from an unknown direction.
Instantly, the Spearows attacking Red were knocked away by what seemed to be a long, green rope. Before he could tell what was happening, his Eevee was also released from under the Spearow's beaks in the same way.
Everybody started to look around in order to discover where that attack came from. Not far from them stood a brown-haired boy in violet pants and a black shirt with a high collar. He had a pleased look on his face. Beside him, like an obedient lapdog, waited a Bulbasaur whose vines were quickly retracting back into his body. The boy slowly advanced towards Red and Eevee, as the bird Pokemon kept a safe distance, unsure of what he was planning.
"What the hell were you doing, getting into a fight with so many Spearow's at once?" he asked Red.
"Wha-? I mean... I didn't do it on purpose. It just kind of happened."
The boy looked at him for a while with a face that clearly showed that he was waiting for something till he finally said "How about a "thank you?" Or something? Anything."
"Oh, I'm sorry... I..."
"Guess that'll do for now."
Even though he was his savior, something about his attitude ticked Red off.
"Anyway..." the boy looked at flock of Spearow which managed to reform itself "...although I'm good, I don't think our power is gonna be enough here, especially with birds taking less damage from Grass attacks. Can you guys use Helping Hand?"
Red looked at him with a befuddled expression for a short while, finally saying "You mean that "you could use a helping hand"?"
"What?"
"What?"
"No! Are you dumb or something? The move! I mean the move "Helping Hand"! What kind of incompetent nincompoop are you?!"
"Hey! That's not very nice!" Red stopped "Even if I have no idea what nincompoop means."
"Just..." the boy began, but he was interrupted by an attempted attack from one of the Spearows, which flew right in front of his face "Just tell your Eevee to use Helping Hand!"
"Okay, okay. I'm on it. Eevee!"
The dog looked up at him with readiness painted on his face.
"Use Helping Hand!"
Even though they never heard of this move and did not practice it, what with Red being the only trainer among his friends and the move being useful only in double battles, Eevee managed to successfully execute it. He gathered up energy which made his body glow, then he put his paw on Bulbasaur which transferred the glow over to his body. Powered up in this way, Bulbasaur was ready to receive his command.
"Vine Whip isn't gonna be enough. Time to test that move we've been working on. Leaf Storm!"
Bulbasaur roared at the opponents as the bulb on his back started shooting out a seemingly unending barrage of razor-sharp leaves which formed into a whirlwind, at least 4 meters tall. Then, that miniature tornado seemingly gained a mind of its own as it flew in the direction of the birds. When the first ones started getting hit by the attack, the ones in the back realized the danger of the situation and tried to run away. Their efforts proved to be useless as every one of them got sucked into the whirlwind and battered inside it.
After a while, the wind stopped and the group of birds fell unconscious on the ground.
"Wow. Your plan worked out perfectly." Red commended the other trainer.
To his surprise, the boy reached into his bag and left a couple of Oran Berries near the passed out Spearows.
"I don't want to catch them so it would be unfair if we just left them here injured. They could become an easy prey for other Pokemon. So let's hope that they wake up soon enough and regain their strength with these berries."
With each second, Red's opinion of this mysterious trainer changed. At this point, he still wasn't sure what to make of his actions.
"Anyway, we should move from here."
Red followed the boy to the main road, with their Pokemon walking dutifully beside them.
"You seem really knowledgeable about this area." Red blurted out.
"Oh. It's because I live here. Not "here" here, but in Pallet Town... Which I guess also isn't true anymore as today is the first day of my journey."
"Oh? You're also on a journey? I started out myself a couple days ago... By the way, I'm Red."
"Like the color? Huh. My name's Green."
"That's... That's a weird coincidence."
"I mean... Is it? I guess... Anyway, I really should be on my way. By the way, Pallet Town is in that direction" he said as he pointed to the south.
"Thanks. Since we are both travelling trainers, maybe we'll meet on our journeys again."
"Sure. That's a possibility... Wait... Why would you be going to Pallet Town if you're a trainer?"
"Oh. There's supposed to be this big-brained guy, called Professor Oak who lives there and my dad arranged for me to get a Pokemon from him."
"I see. Yeah. My Bulbasaur is also from that "big-brained guy"... Good luck."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Don't worry." Green replied, already walking away towards Viridian City.
"You know, Eevee? Him saying that in such a suspicious way only makes me more worried".
. . .
After arriving in Pallet Town, Red quickly managed to find Professor Oak's laboratory. It stood out as it was built on a hill on the edge of the town, yet still avoided the trope of looking like a house from a horror movie. The boy climbed several steps, after which he stopped to catch a breath, since he was still tired out from his previous escapade. He rung the doorbell and after a while, a middle-aged man in a lab coat opened the door and greeted him with a big smile.
"You must be Red." he said "Unless you're some kind of peddler. In that case, I don't need any brushes."
"What? No, no. It's me. I'm Red."
"I'm just joking around. Come inside."
The professor closed the doors behind them as Red was preparing to take of his shoes.
"Oh. You don't need to. This place is somewhat dirty since I have various Pokemon living here."
Red quickly learned what the professor meant when a group of Rattata ran close to his feet and a Pidgey landed on his shoulder and began to sing happily.
"They're quite a handful, but not as much as the one you came here for."
Oak led the teenager to a shelf on which stood some kind of device which seemed to have three places in which a pokeball could be placed, but with only one of them occupied.
"Although I have a lot of Pokemon, these three were actually provided by the Pokemon League. They trusted my judgement to find suitable trainers for them. One of them, I gave to my grandson since they already bonded while living here together. The second one I gave to a girl who came here from as far as Sevii Islands. Me and my grandson tried to find somebody for this last guy, but so far all the trainers have failed to tame him. I was about to release him in the wild, when your father contacted me."
"Wait... Is your grandson called Green?"
"Oh, did you happen to meet him?"
"Yeah. He helped me out when I was in a tough spot."
"Hmm. That's nice to here. So, without further ado, here's your new Pokemon" Oak handed the pokeball to Red.
"That's it?"
"Pretty much. As I said, this is the last chance for this guy. Try to bond with him, but if it doesn't work out, just release him in the wild. I just want him to find some peace."
Red swallowed nervously "You can count on me, sir."
. . .
Red was walking on the road to Viridian City, holding up the pokeball with the mystery Pokemon as if he was intensely analyzing it, even though it was identical to then one in which Eevee was when he received him.
He found a small spot near the road, with two bunches and a small fountain with drinkable water, one of many such places scattered throughout the region as to provide a place for a short rest for travelling trainers. He instructed Eevee to stay back for a while, because he didn't want to scare away the Pokemon that was about to appear before them. He threw the pokeball, and a small orange lizard emerged from the ray of light.
He looked kind of disoriented so Red took the chance to use the Pokedex he got from Professor Oak to learn this Pokemon's name, as the Pokedex already had preexisting data an all the Pokemon currently and previously owned by Oak. Red learned the Pokemon's name and decided to call out to him "Hey, Charmander. How are you doing?"
The lizard responded by giving him a dirty look and turning away. He started walking towards the forest, so Red followed behind and tried to put his hand on the Pokemon's head to stop him, but when Charmander noticed him approaching, he jumped up and spun around to hit Red with his tail. The boy barely managed to dodge. He noticed that the front of his cap caught on fire so he quickly put it out in panic.
Charmander ignored Red and continued to walk away, as if dealing with the trainer wasn't worth his time. Red tried to come up with some way to convince the Pokemon to stay. During this brainstorming session, he glanced in the direction of Eevee who waited patiently as ordered. At that moment, a light bulb lit up in Red's head.
"Hey, you weakling!" he yelled.
Charmander heard him but continued to advance towards the forest.
"So that's it?! You're running away?! See that, Eevee?! It seems like that guy is just a coward!"
Charmander was bright enough to know that he was being insulted, although not enough to know that this was a subterfuge on Red's part. He turned around waiting to see what Red was planning to do after offending him.
"Eevee, you're up."
The dog ran in front of his trainer. Charmander realized that Eevee was to be his opponent, so he took the initiative by charging at him and furiously unleashing his Scratch. Eevee proved to be too fast, as he playfully jumped over Charmander and kicked him in the back of the head. Charmander took two steps to regain his balance, after which he turned around to attack again.
"Sand Attack!"
Before the lizard could do anything, his opponent kicked up the ground which blinded him for a short while, giving Eevee enough time to run to the side and execute his own attack after Red yelled "Tackle!"
Charmander became even more agitated. After quickly cleaning his eyes, the flame on his tail grew more intense as he got on all four and let out multiple balls of flame from his mouth.
"Quick Attack!"
Eevee sped through the avalanche of fiery bullets to deliver a headbutt to Charmander's belly. The pain caused the lizard to close his jaw and stop him from further attacks. Eevee jumped around happily, waiting for his opponent to counterattack. When Charmander finally got through his pain, he started slowly moving backwards, as to not alarm his foe. Eevee tilted his head with a confused look. When he was finally far enough in the grass, he used Ember again, but this time to create a protective wall of fire around himself.
"Oh no, you won't get rid of us this way. Eevee!"
The Pokemon looked at his trainer, noticed him pointing up and to the left, and when he realized what he meant, the dog used Quick Attack to get up the tree closest to Charmander. The lizard didn't have any time to react, as Eevee came down on him from above. They both rolled through the flames, but Charmander finally managed to push Eevee off himself. The dog was hurt by the fire but at least, the opponent was in the open again.
"I came to the conclusion that you didn't accept previous trainers because they were just trying to befriend you, not realizing what a prideful fighter you are, but now you run away? Maybe I was wrong after all." this time Red wasn't trying to anger, instead speaking of what he really felt.
It seemed that Red's guess was a bullseye, as Charmander took up a more aggressive stance and looked him in the eye.
"Now, that's more like it! Eevee, use Tail Whip!"
Eevee wagged his tail, which gave Charmander the chance to get a Scratch in.
"Once more! You have to endure!"
The same thing repeated. Charmander gave out a happy shout as he felt victory growing closer. Red proceeded to rain on his parade as he told his Pokemon "Alright. Time to finish it! Quick Attack Version B!"
Eevee used Quick Attack, but instead of running at the foe, he began circling around him, constantly gaining on speed.
"Mirror Room!"
Eevee moved so fast that to Charmander it seemed like he was encircled by a group of enemies. He began shooting more flaming balls at the enemy, but he only managed to hit the afterimages. Time after time, Eevee would jump out of the circle to hit the opponent, with the other versions of him still remaining him.
Charmander was getting battered relentlessly, and the circle created by the Eevee's was getting smaller, finally thrusting the lizard into air. Eevee stopped and jumped after Charmander to deliver a final blow. They both landed on the ground, but while Eevee was on his four feet, Charmander couldn't get off the ground. Red walked up to him and placed the pokeball which was his home in an arms reach of the lizard.
"You can't fight anymore. Not today. I can either heal you, and let you be free or you can join us and we will grow stronger together, making your abilities live up to that darn pride of yours. Well... How about it?"
Charmander sighed tiredly as he pressed the button and let the light suck him back into his pokeball. Red picked it up, and look at it for a while to make sure that they really managed to reach an agreement, after which he looked at Eevee and showed him a big smile. Eevee followed suit.
So, that's it. If you enjoyed the chapter, leave a review. Leave a review if you didn't enjoy it. As I mentioned in the previous chapter, I have the story mostly figured out so you're probably not gonna change my mind but any criticism is good. Writing in english is kinda different than in my language. Instead of doing this "dialogue" we do it like that over here - dialogue - . That's about the only difference I can think of right now. And now for the preview of the next chapter. When/if it is eventually released, it's probably gonna be titled "Prepare for Trouble". So long.
