Pokémon Adventures:
The Johto Journey
Chapter Two
And Then There Were Three
The wind blew through the grass past two teenage boys who were making their way quickly through Route 29. It was covered in tall grass. The perfect place to catch Pokémon thought Kaelin hungrily. He was not sure if wanted to be the best Pokémon trainer he could, which to him, and perhaps every other teenager, meant capturing every single last one of them. There was a rustle, and a birdlike thing lifted its head, staring with black eyes intently. It was brown and feathery, with a lighter coloured throat and belly. Kaelin noted that It was rather small and plump with pink-grey claws.
"It's a Pidgey" said Ben, knowingly. "Come on, let's get it" he smiled as he pulled out of his bag a Pokéball. There was a majestic grace about him as he pulled the Pokéball back before throwing it high, letting it twirl in the air. "Chikorita, I chose you!" The red light emerged and shot down to the floor, transforming into Chikorita.
"Wait!" Whispered Kaelin. "Do you even know how to capture Pokémon?" He asked.
"Of course I do!" He replied confidently. "Chikorita, use Tackle!" Chikorita ran forward on its four legs before slamming into the bird Pokémon. Pidgey looked around dizzily before focusing on Ben's Chikorita. Its eyes gleamed in the sun for a split second before it launched itself into the sky, and turning to dive at Chikorita. "Tackle it again Chikorita!" ordered Ben. However it was in vain, as Pidgey had the advantage of being in the sky, avoiding Chikorita's efforts. Pidgey continued its dive and collided beak-on into Chikorita.
It was over. Chikorita had fallen into the grass, half hidden in the dark blades. It's eyed were reduced to spinning circles as Ben picked him up and held him in his arms. "I lost" he said in disbelieve. "To a... Pidgey". Perhaps the sounds of the battle had disturbed sleeping Pokemon, because there was more rustling around where they stood, as if wild Pokémon had been attracted to them.
"Come on! Let's get to the next town and try to get him to a hospital" said a nervous Kaelin. It was getting dark now, and Kaelin could see the moon rising behind a tree, as if it was trying to creep into the navy sky without being noticed. Ben took one last look at the Pidgey.
"Okay."
They ran pell-mell down the lane, tripping over long grass, weeds and rocks. Twice, Kaelin's scarf was caught on the branch of a tree as they ran past. At long last, the sparkling sea was now in sight and they ran on, not daring to look back at what may have been behind them. And then...
A brown-grey cloud was moving quickly in their direction and the night air was filled with the sound of "Pidgey! Pidgey!" as it came closer.
"Oh no!" gasped Kaelin as it drew closer. He could now see beaks and claws among the crowd and he knew that the cloud was indeed a flock of Pidgey, trying to avenge their friend who had been attacked. There were at least twenty of them in a tight formation. The space inbetween trainers and Pokémon was drawing closer and Kaelin thought instinctively. "Help us, Totodile!" he pleaded as he threw the red and white ball into the air. Totodile appeared and stared for a moment at the oncoming crowd, before turning on the spot and running back to his trainer. "Please Totodile, you're the only one who can help us, please". Maybe it was the sincerity of his words, but Totodile stood up a little straighter and turned around once again to face the flock of Pidgey. "Use Scratch when they get close enough to you but be careful and try to evade any of their attacks!" called Kaelin over the flapping of wings. A Pidgey broke free of the crowd and came, beak open, claws ready towards Totodile. It looked like it was going to hit but then came –
"Dile!" Totodile's arm had swung up at the last second and his claws had scratched at the face of the Pidgey who at once fell to the ground. Two more birds moved in to attack and Totodile had caught one with his claws and once again scratched it o it fell to the floor. However, in the moment that he was occupied, the other Pidgey had started to peck at the back of Totodile's head. Totodile's arms could not quite reach the back of his head and it looked like the Pidgey may win this fight.
"Keep going Totodile! You can do it!" came Kaelin's voice which seemed to activate some kind of hidden stamina in his Pokémon. Totodile had rolled forwards, which had stopped the Pidgey from attacking him, and had stood up so quickly that he was facing the bird again, ready to fight. The Pidgey moved in, but Totodile stood tall and still. The Pidgey sped up, probably thinking its opponent had given up. And then at the last second – SWISH. Totodile's tail had flicked forward and smacked the Pidgey hard in the face, sending it flying.
Suddenly, it was quiet. The rest of the Pidgey had stopped talking and crying it's name but instead, for the first time, looked fearful. They soared upwards in an untidy fashion, racing eachother to get as far away from the crocodile Pokémon as they could.
"Well done, Totodile! You did it!" Kaelin cried happily as he lifted his Pokémon onto his shoulders. "You deserve a rest, don't worry, we're almost at the next town".
"Wow, Kaelin, that was amazing" said Ben, who had been watching the whole time, transfixed. He rubbed Totodile's head "You were excellent, thanks". Kaelin made sure he was sitting safely on his shoulder before they continued on, towards the end of the route, into Cherrygrove City.
The city was rather small, with only a few houses and a large building with an orange roof and a red cross on the front. "Maybe it's a hospital!" guessed Bently, excitedly. The glass doors parted and slid to opposite sides, allowing them entry. It was cosy and warm inside, with three booths at each side where you could sit. There was a circular desk at the end of the room, where a woman with pink hair was sitting. The boys moved closer and stood behind a girl who was already talking to the pink-haired woman. The girl was dressed in a purple dress with... white boots.
"Fina!" They cried out automatically. She turned around and smiled when she saw the boys. "Back at the lab, the Professor forgot to give you your Pokédex". Kaelin fumbled with his bag for a moment before pulling out the red device. He handed it to her and she smiled once again.
"Thanks guys," she said before turning back to the lady behind the desk "excuse me for a second. So yeah, I used all my fire Pokémon and they were all defeated by that flock of wild Pidgey!" said Fina, exasperatedly. Kaelin and Ben shared a look.
"Excuse me, Fina, but are you talking about the flock of Pidgey on Route 29?" asked Kaelin. She turned back round to face him.
"Yeah, why? Did they attack you too?" She asked
"Yeah, but my Totodile defeated three of them, and the others are too scared to come back, I think. But anyway, our Pokémon are really tired and Ben's is rather injured. Do you know if this is a hospital?" he asked, hopefully.
"Yes, this is Nurse Joy and she runs the Pokémon Centre, which is a hospital for Pokémon. She'll look after your Pokémon."
"Just pop your Pokémon in their Pokéballs and give them to me, sweeties, and I'll heal them for you". Kaelin and Ben simultaneously returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs and handed them over to Nurse Joy. She smiled reassuringly at them and turned to a machine behind her. It was exactly the same as the one Professor Elm had back in his lab. She places the two Pokéballs in the almost cylindrical machine and it whirred and flashed yellow. It was only a few seconds before she gave them their Pokéballs back. "There, they're all healed and ready. Are you planning to stay the night?" She enquired.
"What, can we do that?" asked Ben.
"Of course you can, you may stay as long as you like. The rooms are free, as well as the cafeteria and of course, Pokémon healing. But I'm afraid I only have one room left. You see, many people have been attacked by the Pidgey flock you were earlier, and they have all decided to stay here. I don't suppose you mind sharing a room? Of course you don't have to stay but it's dark and cold outside". They all looked out of the nearest window. It had begun to rain, and they could not see beyond the inky blackness.
"I don't mind sharing a room" said Fina, shivering at the thought of being outside.
"Great", said Nurse Joy, handing over the key. "Please remember that food is free in all Pokémon centres if you're hungry". They all nodded, appreciatively.
"Come on" said Fina as she began to climb the stairs. "We're in Room 17". Once they were inside the room, they all dropped their bags and sank into their beds. "So, you say you beat those Pidgey with just your Totodile, right?" she asked Kaelin as they unpacked their pyjamas from their bags.
"Yeah, that's right" answered Kaelin, looking down at the top of the Pokéball in his hand.
"Wow, you must be really strong! I used all three of my fire-type Pokémon and the Pidgey defeated them all." She looked astonished.
"How did you get so many Pokémon already?" asked Ben curiously.
"Well, you see. I'm from Littleroot Town in Hoenn. I started my journey a while back and I chose Torchic – that's the fire type – as my starter. I was travelling by myself and I had collected a few Pokémon on the way and I had beaten three of the gyms". She dug in her bag for a moment and then pulled out a metallic case, which she opened and gave to Ben to look at. "However, I met a trainer there and he asked to battle. He was incredibly strong and he defeated all of my Pokémon. So I decided to take a break for a while. I travelled here instead and earlier today I got my Johto starter , Cyndaquil. I guess my loss with that trainer back in Hoenn had knocked my confidence, and it was proved today by those Pidgey". She frowned as she finished her sentence and there was a following silence.
"But, these badges are amazing! You must have been strong to get these!" congratulated Ben.
"Maybe I was, but now..." she trailed off.
"Don't worry Fina, it's just an issue of confidence if you ask me. How about we train tomorrow and you can show us your Pokémon". He grinned at her and Kaelin nodded.
"Okay" she agreed as she pulled back her quilt.
The next day dawned brightly and the sunlight pierced the curtains and bathed the room in a warm glow.
"Mornin'" greeted Ben. They dressed quickly and repacked their bags before making their way downstairs to the cafeteria. The cafeteria was full of people. Kaelin, Ben and Fina found a table near the window and collected their breakfast from the buffet. They gulped it down and returned to the lobby to return their room key to Nurse Joy.
"Hey, can you show us your Pokémon now? Asked Ben, excited.
"Sure", she smiled back as they made their way outside into the glorious sun shine. "Everyone, come on out!" She called, as she threw all three Pokéballs into the air. Three beams of light hit the ground and in front of her stood Cyndaquil and two other unknown Pokémon. "Guys, meet Kaelin and Ben. Kealin and Ben, meet Cyndaquil, Tochic and Vulpix".
The boys took in their appearances. It was a while before she spoke again. "I've decided something". They nodded at her. The slight breeze lifted her brown hair. "I've decided I would like to travel with you, if that's okay, I mean".
Both boys smiled. "Of course, that would be great!" replied Kaelin. "Come on, let's have a battle!"
They spent the remainder of the day on the small beach where they battled all of Fina's Pokemon. This resulted in many trips back to the Pokémon Centre, but Nurse Joy was only too happy to help them. Fina was happy while she was battling, which helped her confidence a lot. Today, the fight was all about fun and not the pressure of gym badges. The three friends collapsed on the sand at the end of the day and thought about the new bond they had made together.