Hey, guys! Having won his second gym badge, James will now soon be on his way to the next gym, or will he? Read on to find out! :D
Upload Date: 18th February 2013
Chapter 9: A Rival Encounter
Cerulean City, Kanto
8:45am, 11th April 2005
James was sat with Richard, Livvi and Joe at the restaurant in the Cerulean City pokémon centre. They were tucking in to a large breakfast, which James felt was well-deserved after his victory over Misty the previous day.
"So, where are we heading next?" Livvi asked.
"Probably to the next town with a pokémon gym, right, James?" Richard grinned.
James looked up from admiring his Cascade Badge.
"The only problem is that I don't know which is the next town with a gym," he replied with a sigh.
Joe swallowed a mouthful of bacon.
"I recommend the Gym in Vermilion City," he said.
"Whereabouts is Vermilion City?" James asked.
"I'll answer that." Livvi smiled as she pulled out the Town Map she'd bought the previous day. "Hmmm."
"Well?" Richard asked impatiently.
"According to the map, Vermilion City is south of here. We'll need to head down onto Route 5, go through the Underground Path and then travel down Route 6."
"It shouldn't take more than three or four days," Joe added with a nod.
"Awww!" Livvi sighed miserably. "I was hoping to visit the Cerulean Cape – it's supposed to be so romantic," she sighed again.
James, Richard and Joe shared a knowing glance. Girls.
"Where's Cerulean Cape then?" Richard asked.
"To the north," Livvi replied. "We need to go up Routes 24 and 25."
"To be honest, I want to head up to Cerulean Cape too," said Joe. "I have a friend who lives up there – a computer geek called Bill. He helps maintain the Pokémon Transfer System."
"Sounds pretty cool." Richard smiled politely.
"Yeah," Joe replied. "He's doing this sort of experiment at some point soon and he invited me to come and observe."
"I don't see any harm in heading up to Cerulean Cape." James looked round at the others. "After all, my pokémon still need to rest up after my battle with Misty."
"It's decided then!" Livvi grinned happily. "We're going to Cerulean Cape!"
10:31am, 11th April 2005
James, Richard, Livvi and Joe were approaching the northern boundary of Cerulean City. Livvi and Joe were chatting merrily about something – James wasn't listening.
"Hey, James." Richard had turned to him.
"Hmm." James replied to show he'd got his attention.
"I was thinking – you know we need to go south from Cerulean Cape to get to Vermilion City?"
"Yep."
"Well do you think we'll need to go back through Cerulean City?"
"Probably, yes," James replied. "Why?"
"I was thinking of challenging Misty on our way back." Richard grinned. "Would that be okay?"
"Of course!" James smiled. "The only problem is that you'll need two pokémon in order to battle her."
"You don't need to have two pokémon, do you?"
"I suppose you could insist on only using one yourself." James said thoughtfully. "But then Naro would have to beat both Staryu and Starmie with no backup."
"Uh-huh." Richard nodded. "Well I was planning to catch a new pokémon anyway. Do you know what sort of pokémon can be found near Cerulean Cape?"
"I don't," James replied. "It might say in the Pokédex though." He was just about to pull out his Pokédex when they realised that Livvi and Joe had stopped.
"What's up?" Richard asked.
"I just wanted to take a last look at Cerulean City," Livvi replied.
"I explained to her that we'd probably have to pass by here on our way back, but she didn't listen," Joe sighed.
"I know!" Livvi replied. "But we are leaving it, and we won't be back for a while." She turned back to look over the city.
"Best to leave her to it," Richard mumbled.
"We're going on ahead," James said to her. "Catch us up, okay?"
"Just a sec!" Livvi whined. Then she seemed to notice something. "Hey, is that Dean?"
"Where?" James asked, following her gaze. Sure enough, Dean was walking up the street towards them.
"Who's Dean?" Richard asked.
"My childhood rival," replied James. "He started his journey at the same time as Livvi and I." Just then, Dean seemed to notice them and made his way up to them.
"Well if it isn't James!" He grinned. "I saw your battle with Misty."
"You were there?" James was a little stunned.
"I was walking past and noticed that it was you in the arena, so I watched for a little while."
"I saw a bit of your battle with Misty as well." James commented. "When Pidgey was battling Staryu. I assume you won?"
Dean nodded. "My team worked really hard for me and it showed in that battle." He glanced at the poké balls at his waist. "Hey, James, do you want to have another battle?"
"Yeah, okay!" James grinned.
"Hang on, James!" Livvi cried. "I thought you said your team was tired after fighting Misty!"
"Don't worry, Livvi." James smiled reassuringly at her. "Dean's pokémon will be tired as well, so it'll be an even match!"
"That's not what I…" Livvi began feebly as James and Dean ran off to an open patch of grass by the side of the road.
"Oh yeah!" James suddenly remembered. He turned to Dean. "These are my two new friends, Richard and Joe." He gestured to them. "Richard, Joe, this is Dean."
"Pleased to meet you." Dean grinned, shaking their hands.
"Shall I act as referee for you?" Joe asked.
"Yes please!" James grinned. "Thanks, Joe!"
"Let's do this!" Dean called. He and James took up positions facing each other.
"Did you guys want a particular battle format?" Joe yelled to them.
"I only have four pokémon," Dean called back, "so I technically couldn't fight a full battle!"
"Don't worry, I only have four pokémon as well!" James shouted to him.
"Four-on-four then," said Joe, moving to stand at the side in between James and Dean. "The first trainer to knock out all of the opposing pokémon will be the winner!"
"I'm ready," Dean cried. "You?"
"Me too!" James nodded.
"Begin!" Joe yelled.
"This should be good!" Richard said to Livvi.
"I suppose it'll give Charka and Raenok a chance to let off some steam," Livvi murmured in reply.
"Let's go, Ayra!" James called, throwing out the poké ball.
Ayra cried out, landing softly on the ground.
"I choose you, Abra!" Dean shouted. He also threw out a poké ball.
Abra let out a lazy cry as he emerged.
"An abra?" James quickly reached for his Pokédex.
"Abra. The psi pokémon. It senses impending attacks and teleports away to safety before the actual attacks can strike."
James noticed that Dean was also using his Pokédex to check Ayra's data.
"So that's a paras?" he murmured. He put his Pokédex away. "Abra, use Hidden Power!"
Abra drew in energy and fired it off in a green arc.
"Dodge it, Ayra!" James ordered.
Ayra scuttled to one side just in time.
"Now use Poison Powder!"
Ayra fired a cloud of purple dust at Abra.
"Abra, use Teleport!" Dean called urgently. Just as the Poison Powder was about to hit it, Abra suddenly vanished and re-materialised closer to Ayra. "Now use Hidden Power!"
Abra fired Hidden Power at Ayra, who cried out as he was flung back.
"Ayra!" James yelped. "Are you okay?"
Ayra got back to his feet. He called out reassuringly, but it looked like he'd taken a lot of damage.
"My abra's Hidden Power is flying type." Dean explained. "And since your paras is a bug and grass type pokémon, it took four times the normal damage."
"Grrrr!" James mumbled, realising that he'd been outmanoeuvred. "Ayra, use Stun Spore!"
Ayra shot a cloud of Stun Spores at Abra.
"Teleport!" Dean barked.
Abra disappeared.
"Now use Scratch!" James yelled as Abra reappeared on Ayra's right.
Ayra took a quick swipe at Abra with his pincer. Abra was thrown back as the blow landed.
"Finish it up with Bullet Seed!" James called. Ayra fired a volley of seeds at Abra.
"Counter with Hidden Power!" Dean ordered.
Abra used Hidden Power. The two attacks collided, causing an explosion. As the smoke cleared, James gave his next order.
"Ayra, use Poison Powder!"
Ayra shot another cloud of poisonous spores at Abra.
"Abra, Teleport!" Dean called.
Abra disappeared. Ayra glanced around edgily, waiting for it to reappear.
"Focus." James mumbled, more to himself than to his pokémon. Then he saw Abra begin to re-materialise. "Use Bullet Seed, full power!" he yelled.
Ayra fired a huge volley of seeds at Abra. They hit it directly in the chest and sent it flying. Abra landed with a thud.
"Abra is unable to battle, so the winner is Ayra!" Joe called.
"Oh well, you did a good job, Abra." Dean sighed, recalling his pokémon. He put the ball back on his belt and unclipped another. "Go, Rattata! Use Hyper Fang!"
A rattata materialised and shot forwards, bearing its sharp teeth.
"Ayra, use Poison Powder!" James yelled.
Ayra nodded, He quickly summoned up the purple spores and shot them at Rattata. Rattata plunged straight through and sank his fangs into Ayra, who cried out in pain. Then Rattata jumped back.
For a moment, nothing happened.
And then Ayra collapsed.
"Ayra is unable to battle, so the winner is Rattata!" Joe announced.
"Thanks for all your hard work, Ayra." James smiled as he withdrew Ayra. He looked up at Rattata, who was now shuddering from the effects of poison. Ayra's last attack would continue to have an impact. James now reached for his next pokémon. "Go, Raenok!" He yelled, throwing the poké ball out.
Raenok screeched loudly as he burst out of the poké ball. He landed and glared fiercely at Rattata.
"Use Tackle!" Dean called.
Rattata ran forwards, building speed as it approached Raenok.
"Use Leer!" James ordered.
Raenok stood his ground and leered at Rattata. It snarled as it tackled Raenok. The mankey was thrown back, but quickly recovered.
"You okay, Raenok?" James asked, concerned.
Raenok nodded. His eyes were full of determination.
"Okay then, use Leer again!"
Raenok shot another leer at Rattata.
"Rattata, use Hyper Fang!" Dean yelled.
Rattata leapt forwards and sank his fangs into Raenok. As the mankey cried in pain, Rattata jumped back to Dean's side of the field. Raenok was still standing, but he was panting heavily and shaking with pain.
"Looks like a critical hit." Dean commented. "Your mankey won't be able to last much longer if you don't start attacking."
"Aah!" Livvi gasped.
"What?" asked Richard.
"I just remembered," Livvi whispered, "Raenok's ability is Anger Point."
"What does Anger Point do?"
"It maximises attack when the pokémon takes a critical hit."
Richard looked back over at James and Raenok. "Plus Raenok lowered Rattata's defence with Leer beforehand," he murmured quietly.
"Exactly." Livvi smiled.
"Raenok, use Karate Chop!" James called.
Raenok opened his eyes and glared at Rattata. For a moment, Dean and Rattata flinched in the face of the pure fury in Raenok's eyes. He threw himself at Rattata.
"Rattata, dodge!" Dean called, recovering.
Rattata jumped back out of Raenok's reach.
"Now use Hyper Fang!" Dean barked. Rattata leapt forward again, teeth bared.
"Dodge it and use Karate Chop!" James yelled to Raenok.
Raenok jumped to one side just in time to avoid Rattata's attack and quickly launched a Karate Chop at it. Rattata cried out as the blow landed. It crashed into the floor.
"Rattata, come on!" Dean called desperately. "I believe in you!"
Rattata managed to struggle back to its feet. For a moment, it stood facing Raenok. Then it collapsed again. The effects of the poison were just too much.
"Rattata is unable to battle, so the winner is Raenok!" Joe announced.
"You tried your best, Rattata." Dean smiled. "I'm proud of you." Once Rattata was withdrawn, he reached for his next pokémon. "Let's go, Pidgeotto!"
Pidgeotto cried out as it emerged from its poké ball.
"Pidgeotto!" James exclaimed.
"It must have evolved in Dean's battle with Misty!" Livvi gasped. She pulled out her Pokédex and pointed it at Pidgeotto.
"Pidgeotto. The bird pokémon and the evolved form of pidgey. It has outstanding vision. However high it flies, it is able to distinguish the movements of its prey."
"James! You should pull Raenok back!" Richard yelled. "A fighting pokémon won't stand a chance against a flying pokémon!"
James glanced at him. He was right – Raenok wouldn't stand a chance. On the other hand, Raenok had taken a lot of damage and would probably get knocked out pretty quickly by Squirtle. James also didn't know if Raenok's Stat boost from Anger Point would remain if he were switched out. He closed his eyes to think.
"What are you waiting for?" Richard demanded.
James opened his eyes again. "Raenok, use Karate Chop!" he yelled.
"What?" Richard, Livvi and Dean exclaimed.
Raenok leapt forwards and, before Dean could react, struck Pidgeotto with a heavy blow. Pidgeotto cried out in pain as it struck the ground.
"Pidgeotto, are you okay?" Dean called anxiously, still stunned by James's sudden attack.
Pidgeotto got up again without much trouble.
"Karate Chop again!" James ordered.
Raenok charged forwards again.
"Pidgeotto, use Wing Attack!" Dean barked.
Pidgeotto took off and flew at Raenok with its wings held wide.
"Dodge it, Raenok!" James called, cancelling his attack.
Raenok nodded and deftly jumped to the side. But not quite far enough. Pidgeotto screeched as it caught Raenok with the very edge of its right wing. He spun over and landed on the ground with a crash.
"Now use Gust!" Dean called.
Pidgeotto spun round and started flapping its wings frantically, whipping up a vicious gust.
"Quick, Raenok, get up and dodge it!" James called in desperation.
Raenok pulled himself to his feet and turned to face Pidgeotto, just as it turned the full power of Gust on him. He held out for a moment, and then was blasted back by the intense gust. He bounced a couple of times before coming to a rest.
"Raenok?" James called out.
There was no response.
"Raenok is unable to battle, so the winner is Pidgeotto!" Joe called, pointing to Pidgeotto.
"Alright! Nice job, Pidgeotto!" Dean whooped.
"Return, Raenok!" James sighed, pointing Raenok's poké ball at him.
He mumbled weakly as he was hit by the red beam. Once the beam had returned, James held the poké ball up.
"Don't worry, Raenok, you did a really great job."
Raenok still looked a little dejected though. James tucked the poké ball away and pulled out the next one. "Go, Kacha!"
Kacha cheered as he burst out of the poké ball. He landed and looked across at Pidgeotto. The two pokémon grinned at each other confidently.
"Can't say I wasn't expecting this." Dean sighed. "Pidgeotto, use Sand Attack!"
Pidgeotto swooped in and kicked up a pile of dust and sand from the ground into Kacha's face.
"Now use Tackle!"
Pidgeotto screeched and charged into Kacha. The pikachu cried in pain as he was thrown back. He pulled himself back to his feet and then tried to shake the sand out of his eyes and fur.
"Don't panic, Kacha!" James called reassuringly.
"Use Wing Attack!" Dean yelled. Pidgeotto swept in and scored a direct hit on Kacha.
Kacha cried out, being driven back across the ground again. A small cloud of dust was kicked up.
"And again!" Dean called.
Pidgeotto plunged in for another attack.
"Dive to your left, Kacha!" James called. Still unable to see, Kacha dived to the left just in time to avoid Pidgeotto's attack. "Now turn right round and use Quick Attack!"
Kacha spun round and sprang forward with a flash of light. In no time, he was almost beneath Pidgeotto.
"Now jump!" James called. Kacha leapt into the air and crashed into Pidgeotto's stomach.
Pidgeotto cried in pain. It flipped over and dropped to the ground, landing on its back. Kacha landed on his feet nearby.
"Pidgeotto, use Tackle again!" Dean yelled.
Pidgeotto pulled itself to its feet again and took off. It charged headlong towards Kacha.
"Ready, Kacha?" James asked.
Kacha nodded, gave his head a final shake and then opened his eyes.
"Use Thunder Wave, then jump back out of reach!"
Kacha jumped up and shot a Thunder Wave at Pidgeotto. It was a direct hit!
Pidgeotto cried, losing height and crashing into the ground.
"Now use Quick Attack!" James ordered.
Kacha tore towards Pidgeotto with a burst of speed.
"Pidgeotto, get up!" Dean called desperately.
Pidgeotto struggled to pull itself to its feet. And then it was hit by Kacha's attack.
As Pidgeotto was thrown back, James gave his next order:
"Kacha, finish this up with Thundershock!"
Kacha fired a jolt of electricity at Pidgeotto. The bird pokémon cried out in pain as it was struck by the Thundershock. With a thud, it fell to the ground.
"Pidgeotto is unable to battle, so the winner is Kacha!" Joe called.
"We almost had you with that one!" Dean called. "Pidgeotto, return, you need a good rest."
"Just Squirtle let now!" James called. "And Kacha's still standing!"
"Well, you're right there!" Dean called back. "Go, Squirtle!"
Squirtle cried out as he was emerged from his ball.
"Kacha, use Thundershock!" James called.
Kacha fired a Thundershock at Squirtle.
"Squirtle, use Withdraw!" Dean ordered.
Squirtle quickly shot back inside its shell. The Thundershock hit the shell, but when it subsided Squirtle emerged unharmed.
"Okay then," said James. "Kacha, use Growl!"
Kacha growled at Squirtle.
"Squirtle, use Water Gun!" ordered Dean.
"Dodge it and use Quick Attack Kacha!" James yelled.
Kacha dove to one side as the jet of water flew towards him, shooting towards Squirtle like a bullet.
"Water Gun again!" Dean yelled.
Squirtle fired another jet of water at Kacha.
"Dodge it!" James cried.
Kacha easily jumped out of the way and continued on his way.
"Water Gun, once more!" ordered Dean.
Squirtle fired a final Water Gun. This one hit Kacha, but he just kept going. Squirtle cried out as Kacha hit it and threw it back.
"Are you okay, Squirtle?" Dean asked.
Squirtle quickly jumped back to his feet.
"How are you doing, Kacha?" James called.
Kacha called back with a grin.
"Alright then, use Thunder Wave!"
Kacha fired a Thunder Wave at Squirtle.
"Dodge it, Squirtle!" Dean yelled.
Squirtle nodded determinedly and dove forwards so that the Thunder Wave passed over him.
"And now Water Gun!"
From where he was lying, Squirtle quickly shot a jet of water at Kacha. The pikachu cried as he was hit by the blast. He landed on his stomach just in front of James.
"Kacha, are you okay?" he asked the pikachu.
Kacha got back on all fours and shook himself vigorously to get the water out of his fur.
"Use Rapid Spin, Squirtle!" Dean barked.
Squirtle jumped up, withdrew into its shell and started spinning towards Kacha.
"Use Growl!" James called.
Kacha growled at the approaching Squirtle.
"Now dodge!" James ordered.
Kacha dived to one side, but, to his and James's surprise, Squirtle simply changed direction and slammed into Kacha.
The pikachu was flung back and landed with a thud on the ground. Squirtle stopped spinning, popped out of his shell and jumped back to Dean's side of the battlefield.
"Can you go on, Kacha?" James asked.
Kacha mumbled weakly. He tried to get up, but then slumped back to the ground.
"Kacha is unable to battle, so the winner is Squirtle!" Joe announced.
"You did really well, Kacha." James grinned as he withdrew him.
"Down to your last one as well!" Dean called over to him. "And I know which one that is!"
"We beat Squirtle before, we'll do it again!" James called back. "Go, Charka!"
Charka growled as he burst out of the poké ball. He stood defiantly, glaring over at Squirtle, who grinned back, recognising his opponent.
"Let's get this all finished," Dean said smugly. "Squirtle, use Water Gun."
Squirtle fired a Water Gun at Charka.
"Charka, dodge it!" James yelled.
Charka nodded and, just when Water Gun was about to hit him, dived out of the way. Then he jumped again to avoid a second Water Gun.
"Okay then, Squirtle, use Bubble!" Dean called.
Squirtle fired a stream of bubbles at Charka.
"Use Ember, Charka!" James ordered.
Charka cried out and shot out a cloud of burning embers. As the embers struck the bubbles, they burst. Pretty little explosions of water and embers appeared as the attacks cancelled each other out.
"Now use Scratch!" James called to Charka.
The charmander cried out and swept in to use Scratch.
"Squirtle, counter it with Rapid Spin!" yelled Dean.
Squirtle jumped up and started spinning. The two Kanto starters closed in on each other. Squirtle's Rapid Spin hit Charka in the chest and forced him back, though he remained standing. Squirtle stopped spinning and landed back on Dean's side.
"Okay then, try Scratch again!" James shouted.
Charka nodded and charged again.
"Use Water Gun!" Dean yelled. "Huh? Squirtle! What's wrong?"
Squirtle was shaking slightly and seemed unable to move. Small bolts of electricity were flitting across his body.
"He must have been paralyzed by Kacha's Static," Richard murmured.
"Yeah," Livvi replied. "James might have a chance now."
Charka scratched at Squirtle, sending it flying. However, he recovered and shot a defiant look at Charka.
"Alright, Squirtle, use Water Gun!" Dean called.
Squirtle was just preparing to use Water Gun, when Charka suddenly loosed a cloud of thick, black smoke at him. There was a growl from the charmander and a series of coughs from the unfortunate squirtle.
"Nice work, Charka!" James whooped. "You learned Smokescreen!"
"Squirtle, escape from the smoke and use Water Gun!" Dean ordered.
Squirtle cried out and jumped out of the smoke. He fired a jet of water towards Charka.
"Jump back and use Smokescreen!" James called to Charka.
Charka obediently jumped back before the water could hit him, firing Smokescreen while he did so. Dean and Squirtle stared at the thick cloud of smoke.
"He must still be in roughly the same place," Dean muttered. "Squirtle, use Rapid Spin!"
Squirtle took off and spun into the smoke, whipping it away as he did so. It didn't find his target. Having spun into the ground, Squirtle used the rebound to right himself and land. He looked around for Charka.
"Metal Claw!" James yelled.
Out of the patch of smoke on Squirtle's right, Charka loomed with his claw raised.
"Dodge it Squirtle!" Dean called.
Squirtle tried to jump up, but the paralysis prevented it. Charka raked Squirtle's back with Metal Claw. The tiny turtle pokémon fell face forward onto the ground.
"Squirtle is unable to battle, so the winner is Charka!" Joe called. "All of Dean's pokémon are unable to battle, so the match goes to James!"
"Whew!" James gasped, wiping his forehead. "You were amazing, Charka!"
Charka ran back to him, beaming.
"You did really well too, Squirtle." Dean smiled as he recalled his pokémon.
"That was a really good battle, Dean!" James grinned, offering his hand to Dean. Instead of storming off as he'd done the previous two times they'd fought, Dean took James's hand.
"It was." He smiled. "All of your pokémon are really tough."
"Same to yours," said James.
Dean nodded. "I'll see you guys around," he said before turning and walking back towards Cerulean City.
"We'll have another battle again soon!" James called after him.
Dean stuck a thumb up in the air as he moved away.
"Is it just me, or does he seem a bit different?" Livvi asked, coming over to James.
"I know what you mean," said James. "He got really angry after our first two battles."
"Maybe it's being with pokémon," Richard suggested.
"Or meeting other trainers, particularly gym leaders." Joe added. They paused for a moment to think.
"Well, it's a change for the better." James grinned.
Livvi nodded. "Let's get going, guys! Cerulean Cape awaits!"
So James and the others are finally on their way to Cerulean Cape. Hopefully, they won't have any more delays. Mind you, they do have Richard with them...
Also, have you noticed a grammatical error that's really annoying you? Or has a pokémon's ability not activated when it should? If so, send me a PM or leave a review so I can correct it - you can make a difference! :D
James's Team:
Active:
Charka (Charmander): male, naïve, often scatters things, likes sweet food, fire type, Blaze ability, known moves are Scratch, Smokescreen, Ember and Metal Claw.
Kacha (Pikachu): male, modest, sturdy body, likes dry food, electric type, Static ability, known moves are Thundershock, Growl, Quick Attack and Thunder Wave.
Raenok (Mankey): male, impish, loves to eat, likes sour food, fighting type, Anger Point ability, known moves are Scratch, Leer, Low Kick and Karate Chop.
Ayra (Paras): male, lax, loves to relax, likes sour food, bug-grass type, Dry Skin ability, known moves are Scratch, Stun Spore, Bullet Seed and Poison Powder.
Livvi's Team:
Active:
Barru (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, known moves are Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip and Leech Seed.
Richard's Team:
Active:
Naro (Nidoran): male, mild, sturdy body, likes dry food, poison type, Poison Point ability, known moves are Leer, Peck, Focus Energy and Double Kick.
One more point! If you notice any inconsistencies in the team listings (so Charka being listed as knowing Growl after it being replaced with Smokescreen for instance) then let me know so I can correct them!
Until next time! :D
