Chapter 10: Never too late to learn something new
Outside Cerulean City:
"Eevee! Shadow ball!" Leaf commanded to her Pokemon.
Eevee's shadow ball that she shot from her mouth hit a Mankey knocking him down to the floor.
"Mankey! No!" Leaf young opponent said.
"Nice going Eevee! Eevee!" Leaf and Eevee said happily.
"Mankey, return. That Eevee sure is strong!" The boy said.
"Thanks! Your Mankey also gave us some trouble". Leaf said.
"I should really get going. Thanks for the battle again". The boy said as he left.
Leaf knelt down to pet her Pokemon. "You did great back there Eevee! Good thing Bill had taught you shadow ball as your current signature move before we find a proper evolution for you". Leaf said.
"Eevee!" The normal-type cried as she rubbed her head on Leaf's hand.
Leaf stood up. "We should get going too Eevee. I want to you to walk a little, it will do you good". She said smiling to her normal-type.
"Eevee!" The normal-type cried with joy.
Leaf and Eevee kept walking for around an hour and decided to take a little rest; it was a long way to Vermilion City after all. She spotted a tree where she could lay over and took off her traveling bag.
After about half hour:
"It's too foggy here, don't you think Eevee?" The Pokemon nodded. Their surroundings were covered in a dense mist.
Leaf didn't give much importance to the fog, but then noticed a light coming from afar. The curiosity got her, so she stood up, got her bag and went forward the place. "What to check things out Eevee?"
Trainer and Pokemon approached the place; their vision was somewhat clear by now. Leaf noticed some boys wearing formally, with neckties and sack dress. One of them was running in a treadmill.
"What are they doing?" Leaf murmured.
"Alright, what's the name of this Pokemon?" One boy showed a picture of a Pidgey to the one in the treadmill.
"Uh… is it a Zubat?" He said.
"Just because there isn't one here it doesn't have to be one on your brain". Other boy holding a candle said. There were around 5 boys plus the one in the treadmill.
"A Pidgey?" The boy in the treadmill said.
"Lucky guess. Now, which is the secondary type of a Pidgey?" The boy asked grinning.
"It's… normal type". The boy answered.
"Everyone knows that. Now, which are the evolved forms of the whole Pidgey family?" Other boy asked.
The boy on the treadmill kept thinking without giving an answer.
"You better say something fast or you're going to run faster". Other boy said.
They eventually raised the speed of the treadmill, causing the boy to fell into the ground.
"I'm sorry, I forgot". He said.
"So you forgot, eh? And you call yourself a Pokemon TEC student? We won't study with the likes of you!" Other boy said.
"Hey! Leave that kid alone! What's going on here?!" Leaf shouted as she and Eevee approached to them.
"This is a private training session, mind your own business". One boy said.
"There's no place in our school for someone who doesn't even know the evolutionary stage of a Pidgey". Other boy said.
Leaf helped the boy in the ground to stand up. "And I guess there's a place for bullies like you right?" Leaf said mad.
"So? We got a reputation to maintain, failures are not tolerated here". One boy said.
"And if we were to lose our time with a silly girl like you that would speak badly of the Pokemon TEC". Other boy said grinning.
"Looks are deceiving". Leaf said.
"Come on guys, let's go, we don't want to abuse from a little child like her". One boy said as all of them walked away laughing cockily.
"We'll see you at the school Joe". Other one said grinning.
"Who those jerks think they are?" Leaf asked.
"We are students from the Pokemon TEC". Joe said.
"Pokemon TEC? I think I have heard of that school before. Oh yeah! I didn't introduce myself. I'm Leaf Green! Nice to meet you". Leaf said.
"Hello! My name is Joe! It's a pleasure". Joe said.
"So… what's the Pokemon TEC anyway?" Leaf asked.
"The Pokemon TEC is… How do I explain it? Wait… Here!" Joe handed a handbill to Leaf, which she read.
"The Pokemon TEC is an internship to prepare advanced Pokemon trainers; all students are guaranteed to take part in the Pokemon League once graduated, without seeing themselves in the need of collecting badges. Inscriptions and tuitions are to maintain the status of the Pokemon TEC".
"So is pretty much one of these for schools of kids of rich people, I guess that explains the cocky attitude, Gary surely would get along with them". Leaf said.
"Well, not only for rich people. My mom and dad work really hard to send me to this school. I can't just let them down". Joe said.
A amplified voice sounded as the mist deseeded. "Today special class, tactics on mist is over. Tomorrow's special class will be battle tactics under snow".
"Well, seems I will be a snowman again tomorrow". Joe said.
"They treat you like this all the time?" Leaf asked.
"My friends only try to help me". Joe said.
"How can you call them friends? They're more like bullies". Leaf said.
"They helped me to learn that Pidgey is a flying-normal-types, it learns attacks like sand attack, wing attack, gust and other moves, evolves into Pidgeotto, later to a super fast Pidgeot". Joe said.
"But if you now a lot about a Pidgey why didn't you answer correctly?" Leaf asked.
"Sometimes I make them believe I know nothing, otherwise they will make the questions even harder. Classes here are really tough, that some students get behind a lot. See that boy over there?" Joe said appointing to a boy sitting under a tree reading a book. "That's a beginner like me".
"Well, I guess were equal then, I'm still a beginner!" Leaf said smiling to Joe.
"Beginners here have the qualities of trainer with two badges, middle ones resemble four badges and the advanced students have the abilities of someone with six badges. Graduated students equalize trainers with all eight badges". Joe said.
"I got two badges already. I guess that makes us the same then". Leaf said.
"But Giselle is the best beginner here, and that's better than having three badges". Joe said.
"Who's Giselle?" Leaf asked.
Joe took a picture from his pocket. "This is she". He said.
Leaf giggled. "And why do you have her picture?" She asked.
"I like how she looks". Joe said, causing Leaf to giggle even more.
Joe took Leaf to the training hall inside the school.
"This is where you practice?" Leaf asked.
"That's right". Joe said.
"You mentioned before beginners have the level of someone with two badges right?" Leaf asked.
"That's pretty much how it is". Joe said.
"I want to test that theory". Leaf said grinning.
"Sorry, but even the worst beginners here are stronger than a trainer with two badges". Joe said.
"I hope so!" Leaf said.
Leaf and Joe took their positions on the battlefield.
"Eevee, you're up!" Leaf said to her normal-type as she stepped into the field.
"Since it's a normal-type, I'll go with a fighting-type. Go! Machop!" Joe released from his Pokeball a small light blue colored and in shape fighting Pokemon. Leaf checked her Pokedex for details.
Battle Music ON! Leaf vs. Joe
"Eevee, quick attack!" Leaf ordered to her normal-type as it rushed towards Machop.
"Machop, karate chop!" Machop right arm started to glow, preparing to hit Eevee.
"Graze it Eevee!" Eevee passed by Machop, dodging the attack.
"She used an attack to dodge?!" Joe said.
"Get him Eevee!" The normal-type kept going with her quick attack, hitting Machop, causing him to roll into the floor.
"Machop!" The fighting-type stood up. "Use cross chop now!" Machop crossed his glowing arms, ready to attack Eevee again.
"Sand-attack!" Eevee lifted the sand from the ground right onto Machop eyes, causing him to get blinded due the dirt on his vision.
"Machop!" Joe shouted not knowing what to do.
"Eevee, shadow ball!" Eevee formed the shadow ball on her mouth and threw it right to Machop, causing serious damage to the fighting-type who cried in pain.
"Machop! But why? Fighting-types are much stronger that normal-types!" Joe said as Machop tried to stand up again.
"My Eevee's no pushover! That's why! Quick attack once more!" Eevee hit Machop hard enough to knock him out.
"MACHOP!" Joe shouted, and then returned the Pokemon to his Pokeball. "What did I do wrong?" He said looking down.
"Joe…" Leaf said as she and Eevee approached to his side.
A female voice was heard from afar: "You have a long way to go if you only rely on type advantage".
"Giselle!" Joe said.
"That's Giselle?" Leaf asked. "And what's she doing with those bullies?" Giselle was with the same boys that were teasing Joe before.
The girl was wearing the school's female uniform; she had long brown and eyes of the same color. Leaf couldn't deny she was gorgeous, no wonder why Joe felt attracted to her.
"Hello there, I'm Giselle! The top student of the beginners' class of the most exclusive school in the world: Pokemon TEC.
"She seems a little pompous…" Leaf thought.
Giselle approached to Joe. "I want to continue helping my classmates so they become the very bests they can, to teach and respect each other, so they ensure the success of tomorrow. But you are weakling!"
That commentary really hit Joe.
"You better get strong before you know it; otherwise your friends will turn their backs on you for good!" Giselle said as she turned around, leaving Joe shocked and frozen.
"Wait a minute!" Leaf shouted.
"Yes?" Giselle said.
"I real friend doesn't leave people hanging like that. If you really worry about your classmates as you presume why don't you give a hand to Joe then?" Leaf said mad.
One of the boys spoke out. "You don't know how many times we've tried to put information inside that brains his".
Other one spoke. "If can't keep up with there's no reason to hang with someone as pathetic as he is".
"You're wrong! Joe smarter than you think!" Leaf said.
"L-Leaf…!" Joe said to Leaf nervous.
All boys just laughed so hard. "You must be just or dumber than him if you believe that".
"It's the truth! You don't care about helping him; all you do is bullying him! What kind of school is this then?" Leaf said.
"Is that truth Joe?" Giselle asked.
"Uh…" Joe didn't know what to say.
"Still, the skills you just showed were awful; you'll get to nowhere if you can't make a balance between theory and practice. Machop had the advantage-type on that fight, but if the trainer is weak and is not a level of the Pokemon then failure is all you get; simple math". Giselle said grinning.
"Training Pokemon is more than just math". Leaf said.
"Are you are to say that?" Giselle said.
"I'm Leaf Green, I got two badges already". She said.
"In other words you're a beginner. How much time has passed since you became a Pokemon trainer". Giselle said.
"Around three weeks I guess". Leaf said.
"Almost a whole month and you let your Eevee to walk free? You haven't been able to tame it yet? Maybe your Pokemon is training YOU". Giselle said with a cocky smile.
"There's a big difference between tame and train! There's nothing wrong with letting a Pokemon out of its Pokeball once in a while". Leaf said.
"If that's how you feel, then I guess you won't have any problem testing those statements in a battle". Giselle said.
"I will not!" Leaf said.
The girls took their positions on the battlefield.
"That girl doesn't know what she got into".
"Giselle will destroy her".
"That will teach her to keep her mouth shot when necessary".
The boys kept saying a lot of things like these, and Joe just kept worrying about Leaf.
"Is Leaf really going to be alright?" He said concerned.
"How many Pokemon you have at hand?" Giselle asked.
"Four". Leaf said.
"You got two badges with only four Pokemon?" Giselle asked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Leaf asked.
"Normally new trainers have two badges with at least six Pokemon, maybe you just been lucky". Giselle said.
"It wasn't lucky! We worked too hard to earn those badges! That's why I can port them with full pride, even I have to be acknowledged as a mere amateur". Leaf said.
"I'll show you the difference between first class trainers and lucky starters". Giselle said grinning.
"Enough babbling! What's it gonna be then?" Leaf said.
"A three on three match; that's the best way to measure the trainer's full capacities.
"Very well!" Leaf said. "Eevee, I'll start with you". Eevee nodded as she stepped in.
"Raticate! Go!" Giselle released from her Pokeball the normal-type.
"Let's begin!" Leaf said.
Battle Music On! Leaf vs. Giselle
"Eevee, quick attack!" Leaf said.
"Raticate, quick attack too!" Giselle said, causing both Pokemon to clash and step back.
"Are you ok Eevee?" The normal-type nodded.
"Raticate, focus energy!" Raticate emitted a small white light around his body. "Do I need to explain you the effects of focus energy?"
"It increases the chances of landing a critical hit". Leaf answered back; Giselle grinned.
"Sand attack!" Eevee lifted the dirt right into Raticate eyes. "Quick attack now!
"Raticate, hyper fang!" Giselle ordered.
"Graze it!" Leaf said.
With the right timing, Raticate dodged the quick attack and bitted Eevee's back with his glowing teeth, making her to cry in intense pain.
"EEVEE!" Leaf screamed. "Use tail whip!" Eevee moved her tail around Raticate's face in order to break free.
"Raticate, don't let him get away. Keep using bite on her!" The rat Pokemon kept bitting Eevee over and over. Eevee was suffering because of the pain.
"What should I do?! Eevee just doesn't be able to break free, and shadow ball doesn't work on normal-types… Wait! Attacks can be used in various ways!" Leaf thought on her head. "Eevee! Shadow ball on your feet!"
Eevee shot a shadow ball right below her feet; seems it was ghost-type move, it didn't affect Raticate and Eevee. However, the shadow ball powerful impact made both Pokemon sent flying; Eevee finally got free.
"Raticate!" Giselle said concerned.
Eevee was the first to set foot in the ground. "Eevee, quick attack now!" The normal-type rushed towards to the falling Raticate, hitting him before it could even touch the ground, sending him mid air, falling apart and rolling into the ground.
"Raticate, get up!" Raticate struggled to stand up.
"Quick attack once more!" Leaf commanded.
"Hyper fang!" Giselle ordered.
"Jump over him!" Eevee jumped on Raticate.
"Shake it off!" Giselle ordered.
"Tail whip!" Leaf ordered, causing Eevee to lower Raticate's defense.
"Is Giselle really losing?"
"No way…"
"They're evenly matched!"
The boys couldn't believe Giselle was actually having trouble.
"Amazing…" Joe murmured.
"Raticate, quick attack around the field!" Raticate kept running over the battlefield in order to get Eevee off his back.
"Now get off Eevee!" Following her trainer command, Eevee got off Raticate back and stood perfectly.
"Keep at it Raticate!" Giselle said as Raticate approached Eevee to hit her.
"Intercept his way with Shadow ball!" Eevee shot a shadow ball that almost hit Raticate but that was part of Leaf's strategy, because Raticate startled, thus decreasing his speed and lowering his guard.
"Quick attack!" Eevee rushed too fast against Raticate with the enough strength to knock him out.
"Raticate!" Giselled shouted.
Joe and the boys were shocked! They couldn't believe what they just witnessed.
"Great job Eevee! Eevee!" Leaf and Eevee said happily.
"Raticate, return. You did good, take some rest. Using shadow ball like that… It would work as an attack on Raticate, but you instead used it as a defense mechanism. I must say I'm impressed Leaf". Giselle said.
Leaf grinned. "Eevee, that's enough for now; return". Leaf returned her Pokemon and took another Pokeball from her whist. "Pikachu! I choose you!"
"Pika!" The electric-type cried ready for battle.
"A Pikachu, huh? Those are really hard to handle, that's in any beginner's manual.
"I'm afraid I'm can't agree with you, Pikachu has never given me any trouble. In fact, he has helped me it many occasions". Leaf said smiling to her electric-type.
"But I wonder if will help you out this time. Cubone, go!" Giselle dragged out Cubone from its Pokeball.
Leaf checked her Pokedex to analyze Cubone's data. "A ground-type huh? This is going to be tough but not impossible". She said.
"Pikachu, quick attack!" Leaf ordered.
"Again? Cubone, bone club!" Giselle ordered, but unlike Eevee, Pikachu was faster and instead of making the graze maneuver he charged right onto Cubone before he could use his bone club.
"Cubone!" Giselle said as Cubone stood up.
"Pikachu, sweet kiss!" Pikachu shot several hearts at Cubone.
"Cubone, bonemerang!" Cubone threw his bone pulverizing the hearts, hitting Pikachu in the process, catching the bone back.
"Pikachu! Are you ok?" Pikachu was standing on four feet as he nodded.
"Bonemerang again!" Cubone threw his bone once more.
"Pikachu, get down!" The bone barely grazed Pikachu. "Quick attack!" Again, the electric-type was too fast for Cubone to respond, causing him some damage.
"Alright Pikachu!" Leaf forgot about the bone as it hit Pikachu's back, damaging him badly. "PIKACHU!"
Cubone caught his bone back. "That's was a big mistake there". Giselle said grinning. "Cubone, bone club!"
Cubone approached Pikachu to attack him. "Pikachu, volt tackle!" Pikachu surrounded himself on electricity and rushed towards Cubone.
"Electric moves don't work on ground-types!" Giselle said.
"We're not trying to damage Cubone with that!" Leaf responded.
Both Pokemon clashed. Just like Leaf said, she wasn't targeting Cubone, but his bone. The impact of both attacks was so powerful that Cubone's bone was sent flying, making him defenseless. The Pokemon stepped back after the encounter.
"Oh no! Cubone!" Giselle and Cubone said.
"Pikachu, quick attack!" Pikachu rushed towards Cubone once more.
"Use headbutt!" Cubone hard head sent Pikachu flying.
"No way!" Leaf said.
"Cubone, go get you bone!" Cubone quickly got his bone back. "Bonemerang, now!"
"Pikachu, dive with volt tackle!" Pikachu, who was still in mid air, quickly got to the ground with a boost volt tackle gave him, barely dodging the bonemerang. "Sweet kiss!"
Pikachu's hearts confused Cubone this time.
"Cubone, snap out of it!"
"Quick attack again!" Pikachu hit Cubone really hard now, but there's still was the coming back bonemerang. "Do a backflip Pikachu!"
With that, Pikachu dodged the bonemerang once more. Cubone, still confused, got hit by his own bone, falling down fainted.
"CUBONE!" Giselle said.
"You did it Pikachu! Pika pi!" Leaf and Pikachu said.
"Cubone, return. You'll be okay now". Giselle said.
"This is unthinkable!"
"Is she lucky or what?"
"Just who is this girl?"
"Hey, Giselle still has one Pokemon left".
"That's right; she will eventually do a reversal".
The boys kept arguing with Joe saying nothing and paying attention to the battle.
"None of the text books mention a Pikachu winning a match without shocking the opponent". Giselle said.
"There are other ways to use moves during a battle, that's how we do fight! Pika pika!" Leaf and Pikachu said.
"I think I have underestimated you, but this is it! Graveler, go!" Giselle released her final Pokemon, her rock-ground-type.
"Graveler?" Leaf checked her Pokedex and confirmed it was Geodude evolved form. "Pikachu, return. I'm counting on you now… Bulbasaur!"
Leaf finally released her starter.
"You have the advantage type this time, but don't expect to get an easy win because of that!" Giselle said.
"Of course not, we're not that reckless! Bulbasaur!" Leaf and her starter said.
"Bulbasar, razor leaf!" Leaf ordered.
"Graveler, defense curl!" Graveler's body shined for a second; he barely felt a thing from the razor leaf. "Rollout!"
Graveler started to roll his entire body right to Bulbasaur.
"Step aside Bulbasaur!" The grass-poison-type was able to dodge the attack".
"Turn around!" Graveler followed Giselle's command and hit really hard Bulbasaur sending her flying are hitting the floor.
"Bulbasaur!" Leaf shouted concerned, but her Pokemon was able to stand up quickly. "Graveler is moving faster!"
"Faster and stronger!" Giselle said, as Graveler approached to Bulbasaur once again.
"Bulbasaur, leech seed!" Bulbasaur shot her seed right onto Graveler, but…
"Graveler, jump!" Using his hands, Graveler jumped really high, catching Bulbasaur and Leaf by surprise.
"Magnitude!" Due to the height Graveler fell from, magnitude's power was monstrous, as the ground wrecked and the wave heavily damaged Bulbasaur.
"BULBASAUR!" Bulbasaur was doing her best to stand in foot.
"Where's you're so called power now Leaf?" Giselle said grinning.
"Bulbasaur…" Leaf said concerned.
"Now, rollout one more time!" Giselle ordered to Graveler, who was on his way towards Bulbasaur by now.
At the same time, Bulbasaur stood up and her entire body began to glow green.
"Bulbasaur?!" Leaf said.
"T-that's…! Giselle said.
"Overgrown!" Leaf said.
"Graveler, finish her off quick!" Giselle said.
"Bulbasaur, use vine whip to jump high!" With that, Bulbasaur was out of Graveler's reach.
"Leech seed!" Bulbasaur shot the seed at Graveler, hitting in the spot this time. The seed spread through Graveler's body and his energy was sucked slowly, weakening the strength of the rollout.
"Graveler, magnitude!" Graveler repeated the same strategy.
"Grab his arm with vine whip and jump!" Bulbasaur dodged the effects of the shaking ground as the effect of leech seed activated once more, giving more energy to Bulbasaur.
"Razor leaf!" Bulbasaur razor leafs were sharper and more powerful due to overgrown, penetrating Graveler high defenses.
"Rock throw!" Giselle ordered.
"Vine whip!" Leaf ordered.
Graveler threw several rocks at Bulbasaur, but the grass-poison-type knocked them out with the powered vine whip and hit really hard Graveler, finally defeating him, with Giselle shouting with concern.
"This can't be… How could I lose? And without beating a single Pokemon…" Giselle said.
The boys and Joe were also speechless.
"You did it Bulbsaur!" Leaf said as she approached to her starter and petted her, who was all beat up and exhausted due to that fight. Bulbasaur then started to glow again.
"Bulbasaur?" Leaf said.
Bulbasaur grew in size, and her bulb revealed a beautiful pink rose.
"Ivysaur!" The grass-poison-type said.
"You evolved!" Leaf said happily as she checked her Pokedex. "Ivysaur!" But despite evolving, Ivysaur was really in bad shape because of that fight, worrying Leaf.
"Oh no! Ivysaur, hang in there!" Leaf said.
"We have an infirmary for Pokemon here. I'll take you there so they can treat Ivysaur properly". Giselle said as she approached to Leaf and stretched her hand.
Leaf returned Ivysaur and got up with Giselle's help. "Thanks. It was an intense battle". She said smiling.
"It really was". Giselle said smiling too.
Both Leaf and Giselle had all of their Pokemon in the nursing. They were speaking now as friends by the time.
"That was humiliating". Giselle said.
"You did great there, really". Leaf said.
"But didn't defeat any Pokemon you used".
"But you punched us to the limits!" Leaf said.
Joe there approached the girls.
"Joe!" Leaf said.
"Hey Leaf, Giselle…" Joe said.
"Joe… I want to apologize for before". Giselle said.
"Eh?" Joe said confused.
"I only tried to motivate you, so you could make a bigger effort. But I learned a lot from the battle today. I realized that Pokemon battles are more than just battles". Giselle said.
"Machop didn't respond to my feelings because I was so afraid, but you Leaf… you and your Pokemon where at full synchrony because of the strong bond you share!" Joe said.
Leaf smiled back to Joe.
"There are some things that can't be learned in school, and that's a good lesson". Giselle said smiling.
"I made up my mind". Joe said.
"Huh?" Both girls said.
"I'm going back home to start over with my first Pokemon". Joe said.
"Are you sure Joe?" Leaf said.
"Yes. I want to test this confidence I have with me right now". He said.
"If you're leaving the Pokemon TEC then you must become a powerful trainer this institute can be proud of". Giselle said smiling.
"Thank you Giselle". Joe said smiling.
Giselle giggled a little and gave Joe a small kiss on his right check, causing him to turn red. The girls just giggled. It was getting late, so Leaf was invited to pass the night there.
The next morning, Joe was now wearing a casual outfit, consisting in a orange shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers; he had explained everything to his director by now. He only wished him the best of lucks.
"You say you live in Vermilion City Joe?" Leaf asked.
"That's right, I'm there now". Joe said.
"Perfect, we could hang out for a while! I'm going there too". Leaf said smiling.
"Are going for your next gym badge Leaf?" Giselle asked.
"Yeah, and I'm going to win for sure!" Leaf said.
"With your natural talent I'm sure you will". Giselle said.
"Thanks". Leaf said.
Leaf and Joe departed to Vermilion City.
-To be continued-
Hey there! Sorry again for the late update. This is the longest chapter yet! Over 4000 words! This was based on one of my favorite episodes of the anime from all time, I like how it turned to be, and also I wanted to revive the battle between Cubone and Pikachu in a more epic way.
Thanks for following the story! Leave a review about what do you expect seeing in the future! I'm always open for new ideas.