A Forked Road
I don't own Pokemon, except the main characters in this story.
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Chapter 2: Work
A flash of light – and the wooden block was lying on the floor, slightly darkened in some parts.
"That's good! Now let's try that Thundershock once more, shall we, Pichu?" I stepped forward, placed the wooden block standing again. "We have one hundred and seventy-two more Thundershocks to do before we get lunch. Okay?" Pichu looked at me cutely, before launching a Thundershock at its target. It was weak, but still stronger than two months ago, when I had just gotten it.
However, I still stayed away from trainer battles with the others. Gradually, everyone got a Pokemon, and enthusiastically, they wanted to fight with anyone they saw holding a Pokeball. How foolish! They would probably lose with their weak Pokemon, and display their weaknesses for everyone to see and take note. Me? I wanted to wait till my Pichu was evolved, and until there was absolutely no chance of it losing a battle, before I started challenging the rest. Unlike the others, I had my reputation to consider.
That time came soon enough. One hot afternoon just three months after I had gotten Pichu, I was feeding it (after it had done the required 500 Thundershocks as practice, of course), when it suddenly rolled on the ground playfully and started glowing mildly. I recognized that immediately: Evolution! I had made it happy, and that had earned me a Pikachu, with stronger attacks and greater speed!
Of course, there was still Raichu, the ultimate evolved stage, to look out for. I could evolve Pikachu with a Thunderstone, which I could easily get by dealing with those stone maniacs living in the hut on the beach, but I decided not to evolve Pikachu yet. Afterall, I could not risk the chance of other trainers spotting a Raichu with me and immediately start to be wary of my strength! I preferred to wait till an opportune time when I would be able to shock the rest by displaying my Raichu and sweeping the other trainers' Pokemon with it.
So, armed with my Pikachu, I decided to go into the Median Forest, north of the town. I had been there since I learnt to walk, but this would be the first time I made a conscious effort to hunt down Pokemon and catch them. Now that my Pikachu was strong enough, I supposed it could easily beat up those Pokemon to submission, making it easier for me to catch them.
After not three steps in the Forest, I heard a small whimper. A Wurmple stood at my feet, trudging slowly. I was about to get Pikachu to let loose with a paralyzing Thunderwave before hurling a Pokeball, when I noticed just how pathetic the worm looked, easily crushable and not likely to do much damage, even when evolved into its final form, Beautifly. Roy, you are here to catch world-beating Pokemon! Why are you wasting your time on such Pokemon that won't bring you closer to your goal of winning the Pokemon League?
Stepping on the Wurmple with a swift foot movement, I walked off, trying to look for Pokemon that could offer more. I was surprised to find that I did not feel any guilt.