Welcome back. I do not own Pokémon, Pokémon is owned by GameFreak, Nintendo and Creatures. No joke, one of the companies might actually be called Creatures.
(UNION CAVE)
Maya awoke to the sound of her bag rustling. Turning over, she looked towards it and saw a bolt-shaped tail bobbing back and forth as Pikachu searched for something.
Grinning mischievously she reached out and ran her fingers lightly over the yellow tail. The result was immediate, Pikachu yelping and scrambling around in a panic. Drawing her arm back quickly, she closed her eyes and waited for Pikachu to come out of the bag.
She heard him stop scrambling and move closer, but then he went quiet. Cracking open one eye to see what he was doing she saw him pulling on his eyelid and sticking his tongue right in front of her. She yelped and tried to jump back, but her hand slipped against her sleeping bag and she fell, giggling as Pikachu jumped onto her and pretended to make himself comfortable.
"Okay, enough playing around," she said, trying to seem serious.
Pikachu took one look at her frown and burst out laughing, forcing a grin onto her face. Breathing deeply she tried to focus and stop herself from cracking a smile. She failed.
"Okay, whatever," she said aloud. "Let's just eat something and then we can get back to finding a way out of here. Or training, whatever ends up happening."
Pikachu grinned and hopped off of her, watching her carefully as she got up. Rolling up her sleeping bag she turned and frowned at how focused he seemed to be on her actions. It was only when she opened her bag and pulled out the Pokémon food that his expression changed, a grin spreading across his face.
"Were you seriously trying to get to the food before I woke up?" she asked dubiously.
Blushing, he nodded quickly and averted his eyes, but focused on her again when she opened the bag of food.
"You're so weird," she joked, pouring the food into bowls. When it was ready she released her Pokémon and gestured to the bowls. "It's time for breakfast."
They cheered and dove in, practically gulping their food down. She chuckled and dug out some bread for herself, eating slower than her Pokémon. Once they were done she changed clothes and faced her Pokémon.
"Alright gang, listen up," she started, feeling confident. "Now I know we haven't made much headway on getting through this tunnel-"
Pikachu groaned and stretched, trying to work out the aches in his muscles.
"-and I'm well aware that we're at a bit of a type disadvantage whenever we're in here-"
Butterfree and Pidgey curled into balls and whimpered. Maya rolled her eyes at their antics.
"-but, we do have three options for getting through."
Each of them focused on her again, curiosity in their eyes, and she grinned.
"Option 1: we try our luck with Confusion, Quick Attack and Gust." They whimpered and she nodded. "Yeah, I didn't think so. Option 2: we catch a Pokémon with a type advantage and hope we can power through the cave, or option 3: we wait for someone with a Pokémon that has an advantage over all the Rock-types in here and go with them."
There was a pause as the others decided on their options. Finally Pikachu and Pidgey each dropped a single stone in front of themselves, Butterfree moving two in front of her.
"Option 1 it is, with option 2 remaining as a backup plan," she noted. "Not bad Eva."
They glanced at each other, confused, before looking back at her.
"No, no, it's Butterfree's new nickname," she explained. "I've decided you all need nicknames! Butterfree, you are now Eva. Pidgey, you will be known as Sasha. And Pikachu," she dropped to her knee in front of him, "your new name is Zigzag."
Pikachu frowned, considering the nickname, before shrugging.
"Excellent," she said, standing up. Turning to the stone steps she said, "Come on guys. We're trying option 1."
They were up the stairs in seconds, Maya quickly ordering Sasha to use Gust on a Sandshrew that jumped at them. Not a split-second later she ordered Zigzag to use ThunderShock on a Zubat. When a Geodude appeared before the Zubat hit the floor Maya groaned.
"Don't you let people rest?" she asked, not expecting an answer. "Eva, Confusion!"
There was a moment where the Butterfree in question glanced at her before it remembered its new nickname and knocked the Geodude out in one move. Maya glanced around, but there didn't seem to be any new Pokémon waiting for them.
"Alright, let's hurry through before-"
A heavy roar interrupted her and she froze when an Onix's head slipped over the rocks. In that moment, the split-second before it noticed she was there, she made a critical decision on how to handle the large Rock-type without too many injuries.
"RUN AWAY!" she screamed, her team following her without hesitation.
When they were out of the cave and back on Route 32 she sat down near the cave entrance and groaned.
"The morning's barely started and we've already run back out of that cave," she whined. "I mean, you guys have been getting stronger and all, but we aren't making any progress. And we've been here for days." Making her mind up she stood. "Option 1 has failed us. We're moving on to option 2."
Zigzag tilted his head at her and gestured vaguely to her PokéGear.
"No, we are not calling my father," she insisted. "We are catching a Pokémon on our own. Didn't you hear me when I explained option 2?"
Zigzag shrugged at her outburst and she recalled Eva, who seemed quite happy to be able to relax. Walking back to the Pokémon Center she wondered if whichever nurse was on duty would know where to catch a Grass or Water-type.
As she walked into the Center she noticed a small group of people to her left. They all seemed focused on something she couldn't see and were crowding. Even as she watched something happened to what they were watching and one of them jumped in surprise.
"Yeah, go Red!" someone cheered.
Maya frowned, the voice somehow sounding familiar. Shaking her head she headed for the counter and handed her Pokémon over to be healed, promising Zigzag that she would get them as soon as the nurse said it was alright. As she waited she grew curious about what the crowd was doing and went over to check it out.
Moving around the people standing on chairs she realized that there was a TV fixed to the wall playing what looked like a Pokémon battle. As she watched the Pikachu on screen ran at its opponent and, surrounded by electricity, slammed against the much bigger and, she assumed, stronger Pokémon. It went down and didn't get back up, but the Pikachu flinched as electricity crackled across its body.
"Pikachu is taking recoil damage. They won't be able to do that again without a risk of fainting," someone behind her murmured.
"Yeah, but the challenger is worse off. Ground-type move or no Ground-type move, sending a Yanmega against Red's Pikachu was dumb," someone else insisted.
Maya turned to ask the second person what he'd meant, but froze when she saw someone she hadn't expected. Sitting there was one Nicholas Garret, though he seemed too intent on the match to actually notice her or the glare she shot him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" someone else asked.
"Well he got in close, so he couldn't have been very experienced with the move, but the minute he got too close Red had Pikachu use Volt Tackle," someone else explained. "And since Yanmega's part Flying-type…"
"As expected of the League Champion," Nick said, smiling. "Even someone with a super-effective move couldn't beat him." Nick stopped and sighed sadly.
After that they sat in relative silence, only speaking when something on screen happened that needed to be explained. Maya listened half-heartedly, but most of her attention was on the battle rather than what anyone was saying. She was a little awed that the boy, and he was just a boy, was taking on someone who looked to be in their early twenties with ease.
I'm beginning to see why so many people idolize him, she thought, jumping when Red's Scyther used Slash on a Gloom.
After the battle had ended a news anchor appeared on screen and smiled at them. A few clips from the battle were still playing in the background, though there weren't any sounds.
"I hope everybody enjoyed that battle, because I know I did," the anchor said jovially. "What a spectacle, right Chad?"
"That's right Mary," her co-anchor said. "Hard to believe those were just to help some Lapras, huh?"
"Oh, I don't know Chad. Something tells me he did a lot more than just exhibition battles," Mary said, grinning mischievously.
"Oh, like what?" Chad asked an excited gleam in his eyes. The excitement, at least to Maya, was contagious.
"Like an exclusive interview done in this very studio, the anniversary of which happens to be today." Mary grinned, an excited light in her eyes. The others in the room cheered. "In fact, I've been told that we'll be showing this interview to our dear viewers." They cheered louder. "We'll be right back with the interview after this commercial break." The others booed.
As soon as the ads started playing Nick sighed, stood up and stretched. "Not to be spoil the mood, but I think I need to train."
"What? Come on guy, you can't miss an interview with Red in it for training!" one of the other patrons asked. He looked like a fisherman.
"If it's about Red I've probably seen it," Nick said easily. "And from what I've just seen, I'll need to train if I want to stand a chance against him."
With that he turned and headed for the counter, all without once noticing her. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and wondered why she had been so nervous about him seeing her.
She waited until he'd left the Center before heading to the Nurse to check on her own Pokémon.
"Your Pokémon are exhausted," the Nurse scolded lightly. "What have you been doing to them?"
"Well, I was trying to get through Union Cave," she stated. "But it seems I've underestimated the Pokémon that live there."
"Clearly. Well, it'll take a while to get through, especially with your team. I'd recommend catching a Water-type."
"That's the idea," Maya stated. "Know where I can get one?"
The Nurse pointed to the group of patrons still clustered around the TV. "There should be a fisherman over there. He told me to point anyone who wanted a fishing rod in his direction."
Maya nodded and thanked the Nurse, turning and heading back to the group. Quickly spotting the fisherman the Nurse had mentioned she made her way over and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Excuse me sir," she asked when he turned his head, "but I heard from the Nurse that you had a fishing rod for sale. May I buy it?"
The fisherman grinned and took off the fishing rod on his back. "It's not for sale, it's something I'm, giving away. I've been looking to get rid of this for a while now. I've been wondering when somebody would ask for it."
Taking the rod and strapping it to her back Maya grinned. "Thank you."
"Hey, are you handing that girl a fishing rod without any Lure Balls?" someone else asked.
"I haven't got any," the fisherman explained shyly.
"I do," the other patron countered. "So kid, do you want the Lure Balls? They're great for catching Pokémon you fish up."
"Why are you always trying to upstage me?" the fisherman asked.
"Because you always make it so easy," the other patron answered, handing Maya the Lure Balls.
Maya thanked him and pocketed the items, thanking the fisherman and the other patron for their help. Leaving the Pokémon Center she breathed deeply and released Zigzag.
"Zigzag, it's time to go fishing!" she declared.
He pumped his arms in the air and cheered, and they ran towards the bridge the Nurse had mentioned. If they hurried, maybe they could still make some progress through Union Cave.
(*)
"RUN AWAY!" Nick shouted, Andy in his arms as they ducked around rocks and boulders.
Entering the cave had been the easy part. Amy had easily taken down whatever Rock or Ground-types got in their way. The Onix had been the only ones to stand up to her Razor Leaf, but even they fell after another barrage. Any Zubat were quickly dealt with by either Ellie or Andy, who seemed overjoyed to be battling the Flying-types.
The problems had started when Nick got overconfident. First a Sandshrew had used Poison Sting on Amy, taking her out not long after, and then Ellie had been confused by a Zubat. They'd needed rest and Nick had recalled them, but Andy and Jerry didn't have what it took to take them any further.
Now they were resting near a small lake in an attempt to regain some of their strength. Nick reached over and scooped up some water, splashing it against his face to wake himself up. Andy yawned and slumped to the side, jerking up when he almost fell over. Jerry shifted closer and the pink Pokémon gratefully leaned against him.
"This brings back memories," he said wistfully. "I used to run from Pokémon I annoyed all the time, though I've only run towards their territories…two or three times before."
Andy giggled at that and Jerry rolled his eyes. The Flying-type seemed deep in thought and more than a little irritated.
"What's up?" Nick asked. "Is it because most of the Pokémon here make it difficult for you to train?"
Andy nodded and Jerry threw a half-hearted glare his way.
"Don't let it bother you," Nick advised. "We ran in here without a plan or a strategy. I say we make one."
Andy nodded and rested against Jerry. Within a few minutes he seemed asleep, so Nick recalled him.
"So Jerry," he asked, "can you tell what I'm planning?"
Jerry tilted his head, though Nick couldn't tell if it was out of curiosity or just because he tilted his head often.
"Remember the Beedrill?" Nick asked. "We'll do the same thing here. It might be a little harder, what with all the extra Pokémon, but you're perfect for this job. What do you say?"
Jerry smiled and nodded. Nick stood up and shouldered his bag.
"Let's do our best to hurry through," he said, and they set off.
Nick couldn't see well in the cave, but Jerry could. As long as he kept the Hoothoot in sight there would be no problems. At least he hoped so.
(*)
Maya lay back and smiled, the sound of Eva and Sasha training filling the air. At first she'd thought to have them stay in their Pokéballs the entire time, but decided they could train after the first hour of nothing happening. Despite having been there for hours all they'd done was find Magikarp, which was hardly the kind of Pokémon she needed for the task at hand. Well, technically it was, but a tomato was also technically a fruit, so…
She felt a tug on the line and yawned, standing up and tightening her grip. "Zigzag," she called, the Pikachu standing to attention next to her.
Feeling a stronger tug she yanked the line in to see another Magikarp. Sighing, she shoved it back into the water and threw her line out again. Even as she did so she wondered if it was worth it, since it was getting dark and she hadn't seen anything worth catching yet.
"Excuse me Miss?"
She frowned and looked towards her right to see a man in a red suit holding a box.
What's a deliveryman doing here? I didn't order anything. "Yes, what is it?"
"I have a delivery from your father. He told me to inform you that he was waiting for you in Azalea Town, but since you seemed unable to pass Union Cave with a Pikachu he bought you a Pokémon he believes will aid you."
The deliveryman froze at the look she shot him and Maya breathed deeply to calm herself.
"Is there anything else?" she asked slowly, her irritation rising.
"Um, just a Thunder Stone, two Water Stones, and, uh, a Fire Stone, in case you ever find you need them. And a TM for a Water-type move," he answered, handing her the box.
"I see," she said, graciously excepting the box. "Thank you, I can handle things from here."
He nodded and hurried away towards the Center, leaving her alone with the box and her Pokémon. Turning her attention back to the water she glared.
"Zigzag," she asked, not taking her eyes of the water, "would you mind checking the box out? You can avoid the Thunder Stone if you want."
She heard him agree before he tore the tape off the box. She waited as he rifled through the box, her gaze focusing on a Tentacool floating very close to her lure. She watched, shoulders tense as the Tentacool noticed her lure and swam in the other direction as fast as it could.
She groaned and turned to Zigzag. "Well," she asked, "what did you find?"
Zigzag didn't answer, instead handing her a letter and a Pokéball. Maya set her fishing rod aside and took a deep breath before reading it.
My Dearest Daughter,
I can hardly believe how long it's been since you've been gone. To me and your mother it feels like so much longer. We had some time to come visit you in Azalea Town, but we had no idea you'd be so late. Do not be distressed, as we have found the perfect solution to your problem. While we will be unable to stay in Azalea for much longer we do hope to see you again soon.
Sincerely,
Your Mother and Father
Maya read though the letter again before taking a deep breathe. Honestly, her parents meant well, but without her input most of their help tended to make things worse or annoy her. After a few minutes she decided she was calm enough to meet her new teammate. Throwing the Pokéball to her side she waited for the Pokémon to form.
"Eevee!"
She groaned and put her head in her hands. A rare Pokémon, one which many people got into debt for, and her parents had just bought it for her. That was totally something a normal Trainer could do.
"They could have gotten me a Poliwag instead, but no, it had to be something to make me stick out like a sore thumb," she whined. Looking to her left she asked, "Of course, they wouldn't see that as a problem, would they?"
"Wooper," the Pokémon agreed, nodding sadly.
Maya sighed and took hold of the fishing rod again. After a minute however she froze as she realized what had happened, whipping her head around to find the Pokémon who'd agreed with her. It had already wandered off and seemed to be approaching the end of the bridge.
"GET BACK HERE!" she shouted, jumping up and running after it.
A few hours later they sat in the Pokémon Center, rewatching old footage of Pokémon League battles. Maya ran her fingers through her wet hair and grinned, her mind racing with the possibilities of how she could use Wooper (dubbed Nina) to get through the Union Cave. At least she knew for sure that it had a Water-type move.
The battle playing on screen was a little hard to follow though, since they seemed to be switching between using overwhelming power and falling back on strategies and plans. Maya frowned as Lorelei's Lapras used Psychic, sending her opponent flying.
Or maybe, she realized, they're not changing styles at all. Maybe they're really using both at once.
The front door opened but Maya was too focused on the battle to care.
If they are using both at once do the strategies they're using need that overwhelming power? Is the power a side-effect of how experienced their Pokémon are? What if-?
At that moment someone tapped Maya's shoulder and she started, turning to face whoever it was. Standing there was the Trainer in a blue jumpsuit
"Hi, I couldn't help but notice that you were watching an Elite Four Battle. Are you a Trainer?"
"Last time I checked," Maya replied sarcastically.
The other Trainer grinned and declared, "Then let's battle!"
Maya grinned and stood up. As soon as they walked out of the door however she realized something and winced. "Just, let me get my Pokémon."
(*)
Nick ducked around the Sandshrew, making sure that it was asleep before nodding to Jerry.
"Good job Jerry," he said, his voice tinged with a slight growl. "The rest of the way should be a piece of cake."
Jerry tilted his head at him and Nick rolled his eyes.
"You wouldn't get the reference," he muttered. "Let's go."
Jerry shrugged and flew ahead, Nick following close by. They'd been walking for a few hours now and most of the team had had a chance to rest, but Nick felt better sneaking through. If they had to face a Pokémon then one of the others could take over, but for now Jerry was ideal.
As they walked Nick could have sworn he heard something sliding behind them and he sighed. He'd been hearing the sound for a while now, but since he couldn't see anything and nothing had attacked them he'd chosen to keep quiet.
After a while they sped up slightly, noticing how the cave seemed to be brightening around them. They turned a corner and there, only a few meters away, was the exit to the cave.
"Good job Jerry," Nick said, changing his voice again. "You should take a break. I can handle the situation from here."
Jerry shrugged at his Trainers antics as Nick pulled out his Pokéball. As soon as he did so however Jerry's eyes widened and he flew behind Nick. Before he could turn to see what was going on he heard a crunch and felt pain explode across his ribs.
Not my pain, he realized, wincing as his chest pulled. Turning around fully he saw Jerry struggling to stand, a rock at his feet, as he squared off against a Geodude. As soon as the Geodude noticed he was watching it seemed to glow, its skin shining a little in the dim light.
"Jerry, think you can handle this?" he asked uncertainly. Before Jerry could answer the Geodude dug its hand into the ground and pulled out a rock, hurling it at the stunned Flying-type. Jerry tried to dodge but was hit anyway, Nick biting back a scream as Jerry fainted.
"That's a no," Nick answered himself, recalling Jerry. The pain already fading he grabbed Amy's Pokéball and glared at the Geodude. "I didn't want to have to do this, but– Oh who am I kidding, I've wanted to do this for a while."
With that he sent Amy out, the Geodude glowing faintly again. Nick noticed how its skin seemed smoother than when he'd first spotted it and wondered what that meant. Meanwhile Amy focused on Geodude and began twirling her leaf, ready for the command she knew was coming.
"Razor Leaf," Nick ordered.
Amy casually sent the attack flying, an easy win all but assured, but then the Geodude glowed again and rolled as fast as it could out of the way. To Nicks surprise it managed to avoid the worst of the attack, standing back up and flexing its muscles for good measure.
"Did- did that Geodude just taunt us?" Nick asked, confused. "Whatever. Amy, Razor Leaf!"
Amy sent another attack its way, but the Geodude glowed again and rolled back, the motions faster than they'd been before. Nick wondered at that before deciding to ignore it for now.
"Amy, try a Tackle," he tried, watching the Geodude curiously.
Amy ran at Geodude and, as soon as she was close enough, it dug its hand into the ground and ripped a rock out, hurling it at the Chikorita. Nick groaned and held his cheek as Amy was hit, but there could be no doubt that the Geodude was moving faster than before.
Was it that weird glow? Nick wondered. Noticing that Amy was still in roughly the same place he ordered, "Razor Leaf!"
Amy hesitated for a second, but quickly sent the attack forward at closer range. Geodude's eyes widened but it was too close to dodge as it had before and took the full brunt of the attack, falling forward as it fainted.
"Good job Amy," Nick congratulated, raising her Pokéball. "Want to get some rest?"
Amy shook her head and moved to stand beside her Trainer.
"Didn't think so," Nick said, attaching her ball to his belt. As they turned to leave they heard something and looked back to see the Geodude struggling to get back up. Even as they watched it stood up and stuck its hand into the ground again.
"Time to go Amy," he warned just as the Geodude sent the rock flying. Amy ducked around the attack and Tackled the Geodude, but it held onto her and refused to let go.
"Oh for the love of…" Nick muttered, recalling Amy. Looking at the Geodude he noted how, despite taking a Razor Leaf from Amy, it seemed ready to fight again, but wasn't making a move towards him. "What's up?"
The Geodude didn't answer, flexing its arms again and roaring at him. Nick frowned, confused, and tried to puzzle the situation out.
It beats Jerry, won't give up to Amy, but doesn't try to hit me? I swear it's like its showing off to me. Nick frowned and shook his head, taking an empty Pokéball from his pocket. When the Geodude tensed and raised its arms he said, "Don't worry, none of my Pokémon are in here."
The Geodude relaxed, but kept its eyes trained on the ball. Nick flung the ball forward and, within a few seconds, had captured the Geodude.
"Though I guess one of them is in here now," he mused, turning and heading for the exit. "I wonder if it'll let me train it?"
(*)
Nick didn't respond to the other Trainers at the Pokémart glancing at him. That could have been because of the Cleffa sitting on his shoulders, but Nick found it easier to focus on the cashier's story.
"Let me get this straight: a Trainer walks into your town with a Zubat and a Quilava, learns that Team Rocket is around, beats them, and then beats your Gym Leader and just leaves?" Nick asked incredulously.
"That's the gist of it," the cashier confirmed. "That was a few days ago of course."
"Of course," Nick agreed. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to have any information on the local Gym Leader would you?"
"He uses Bug-types," the cashier stated. "But I don't know much more than that."
"It's alright," Nick assured him. "Not like there aren't a lot of Bug-types around."
Paying for his things Nick thanked the cashier again and headed back to the Pokémon Center. He was already making plans for the next day when he walked into his room and saw his team crowded around Geodude.
"What are you doing?" Nick asked, taking in the scene before him as Andy jumped off his shoulder. Geodude and Amy were pushing against each other, though Amy seemed to be losing the test of strength judging by how much more relaxed Geodude was.
"So does this mean you're okay with being my Pokémon?" he asked. Geodude took a moment to nod and Amy tried to take advantage of the distraction, only to be easily pushed back to where she was before.
"Great," Nick said, sitting down on the bed and taking his shoes off. Geodude pushed against Amy one last time and apparently won, judging by Amy's frustration and Andy cheerily patting it on the back.
"So, the Nurse says you're a girl?" Nick asked. Geodude nodded and he grinned. "Well, I'm calling you Jane," he decided.
Geodude simply nodded again and flexed her muscles. Andy stared at her and followed suit, Nick giggling at the sight of the adorable pink Pokémon starting an impromptu flexing contest between himself and the obviously stronger Rock-type. Jerry quirked an eyebrow at the sight and headed for the bed to rest.
A few minutes later, after declaring Jane the victor, they were ready to go to sleep. However, even as the light went off, Nick's was thinking of how to handle the next Gym Leader.
There is no way I can rely on Amy on this one, he thought, staring up at the ceiling. Now Jerry, on the other hand…
(*)
And that is the next chapter! Next time we'll have a short training sequence, followed by a Gym battle, and maybe part of as trip through Ilex Forest. As mentioned in another story I've been told that the best course of action is to ask for feedback so, uh, please give feedback, I guess?
Also, before anyone asks, that was a reference to Ethan. I'm basing his team off of PurpleRodri's playthrough of Pokémon HeartGold, though I guess his reserve Pokémon are up to either interpretation or suggestion.