Chapter 28: Normal Life, Again?
"Here's your Bulbasaur back," the nurse said.
Shane stood at the counter at the Pokemon Center and after a second of being put on the machine while in his Pokeball Bulbasaurtwo had completely recovered. The nurse handed Shane Bulbasaurtwo back in his Pokeball that Shane said it was just a Bulbasaur. He took the Pokemon in his Pokeball from her.
"Soon we'll be the best, like no one ever was," Shane said to the Pokeball.
Shane walked over to where his friends sat on the couch in the Pokemon Center. Amber sat with one leg on top of the other, looking towards Shane as Charlie was reading a thick book entitled Universal Guide to the Geography of Kanto. Charlie put his book down.
"So how went the training?" Amber asked. "Did Bulby get any stronger?"
"It was awesome!" Shane yelled and held up his fist in a victory sign like he saw victorious Pokemon trainers did.
He told them all about their training, about how their minds melded into one, Bulbasaurtwo got stronger, and learned Vine Whip.
"He's been waiting to do that forever," Amber said with a shocked expression. "He really is living his own dream."
Shane nodded.
"Well," Shane said. "It's noon and me and Bulbasaurtwo got to go eat so bye-"
"Wait!" Amber said. "I forgot to tell both of you!"
Charlie and Shane turned towards her.
Amber had an kind of nervous look on her face. Something about this made Shane feel uneasy.
"What?" Charlie asked.
"Well," Amber said, twirling a strand of her blue hair with her finger. "My dad enrolled the three of us in one of the best schools in the continent. It's called the Cinnabar Institute of Advanced Learning where some of the biggest brains ever studied. We can stay there and get an education. My dad wants us all to go there so we can get an education."
Shane's jaw dropped. He turned to his brother and their eyes met and locked into each other's gaze. Then they both turned to Amber and laughed.
"What's so funny?" Amber asked.
"Learning," Shane said. "Hah."
"Yeah," Amber said. "And so what…?"
"Look Amber," Charlie said. "We appreciate the offer but we kind of have our own plans."
"What plans?" Amber demanded, sitting straight up and glared directly at Charlie.
"We're not here to get a fancy edumacation," Shane said.
"Don't you mean education?" Amber asked.
"We're going to be Pokemon masters," Charlie said. "Traveling the world while catching, training, and befriending Pokemon."
"I thought you liked learning Charlie," Amber said.
"Not when I have to sit in a room where a teacher bores me to death of the stuff that doesn't really matter," Charlie said. "I'm planning to take a trip to get eight gym badges, enter the Pokemon Tournament, and be the champion."
"Well my dad enrolled us," Amber said. "Okay? Look, I know that you guys don't want to come but please…do it for me."
Amber sighed and wrapped her hand around her wrist.
"I want to so I can…," Amber said. "So I can be a normal girl again. I've lived half my life in a glass vat with cloned Pokemon. I love them and both of you but I just want to relearn the world again, okay? Please, just help me through this."
Shane and Charlie looked at each other again.
Shane knew that doing this would sacrifice their Pokemon training time and possibly never allow them to go on their journey. But for the sake of Amber they both nodded gently and turned to Amber.
"We'll come with you," Charlie said.
Shane nodded.
Amber gave him a beautiful smile but as Shane admired the elegance of her he shed a tear.
"Pidgey! Pidgey! Pidgey! Pidgey! Pidgey!"
The strong wind the Pidgey was throwing at it was carrying pounds of soil from the ground that kept heading straight for Bulbasaurtwo. This Pidgey was obviously stronger and higher leveled than the last one Bulbasaurtwo had faced.
Nevertheless, Bulbasaurtwo waited for Shane's command as their minds had become one again, Bulbasaurtwo sensing Shane's every motive.
"Bulbasaurtwo shoot your Leech Seed into the Sand-Attack!" Shane ordered.
"Bulbasaur!" he cried and fired an oval-shaped, yellow seed from the opening of his bulb.
The Leech Seed immediately sprung into action, as soon as it entered the wave of earth from the bottom of the seed grew tan roots that enveloped all the soil. The wrapped around soil, turning it into a thick ball of earth, that plopped down onto the ground like a sack of laundry. From the top came fern fronds longer than four feet (growing even healthier and faster due to Bulbasaurtwo's increased power). The growth of the Leech Seed added to his strength.
"Nice strategy Shane!" Bulbasaurtwo said quickly.
"Okay this is supposed to teach a lesson in how to use your strength," Shane said. "Power and moves you know are nothing if you don't know how to use them properly in each situation!"
"Gotcha," Bulbasaurtwo replied.
"Pidgey!"
The Pidgey jumped into air, flapped its wings, and flew straight at Bulbasaurtwo with all its speed like an arrow, except this was about ten times faster than an arrow. The very speed whipped grass and topsoil from the earth.
"Sidestep it!" Shane said.
"Saur!" he cried and moved all his weight to the right side of his body.
His left two legs lost their footing on the earth and he moved directly to his right. The Pidgey's arrow of a body narrowly avoided Bulbasaurtwo. Bulbasaurtwo's eyes met with that of his foe when Pidgey flew right past him.
Then the Pidgey planted its talons in the earth and jumped right back at Bulbasaurtwo from behind, with the same amount of dangerous speed.
"Sidestep it again!" Shane ordered.
"Saur!" he cried.
He stepped to his left and the Pidgey's Quick Attack missed.
It came around again with another Quick Attack.
"Dodge it again!" Shane yelled.
"Bulba!" he cried and jumped sideways.
"Pidgey! Pidgey! Pidgey! Pidgey! Pidgey! Pidgey! Pidgey!" it yelled as it attempted to strike at Bulbasaurtwo with its incredibly fast lunges.
"Saur! Saur! Saur!"
He jumped again to the left, the blur of brown and white that was Pidgey narrowly missing him. He jumped right, Pidgey sailed past him again. He jumped up and Pidgey soared underneath him. He did this about five more times before Pidgey, grass sailing below Pidgey's every aerial trail.
Bulbasaurtwo, undaunted by the Quick Attacks, to see Pidgey lay down on the earth, breathing heavily.
"Are you done yet?" Bulbasaurtwo asked.
Pidgey glared at him, raised its wings and blew with all its might Gust after Gust at him.
"Now block it!" Shane ordered.
Bulbasaurtwo sent from the sides of his flower bulb the might Vine Whips, dark green with a pink + at the bulbous end which were undeveloped petals. Bulbasaurtwo whipped the vines to deflect the strong wind away. The wind he deflected with the force of his Vine Whip tore branches from trees and uprooted grass but even against such strong force Bulbasaurtwo barely put any strength into it.
"Now whip it!" Shane cried.
"Bulba-Saur!" he cried as sent one vine into the air.
The came down on Pidgey's body, lashing through the Pokemon's skin leaving a bloody mark. It plopped onto the ground, defeated.
Bulbasaurtwo grabbed two Oran Berries from a tree not far away with the vines and laid them at Pidgey's feet.
"You were a worthy opponent," Bulbasaurtwo replied and walked back to Shane's side.
"We did it!" Bulbasaurtwo yelled. "I can feel more strength within me already from that battle!"
"I know buddy!" Shane replied and knelt down beside Bulbasaurtwo. "You really are determined to be the strongest, I know that. You're my best friend and always will be Bulby."
"Saur!" he replied with a great grin.
"Now who else to fight-" Shane was about to say.
"Shane! Bulbasaurtwo!" Amber's voice yelled. "Time for school!"
"Huh," they both sighed.
"Let's get this over with," Shane said.
They both retreated to the mansion, their heads hung low from lack of excitement in what they were about to do.
Shane stopped in front of the mansion. Shane saw Amber in a girl's school uniform with a black and blue plaid skirt and matching shirt. Her long blue hair was let loose and appeared wooly and massive with the curly hairstyle she had. Squirtletwo stood beside her, wearing bow on her head with the same blue and black pattern.
"Well aren't you a doll face," Bulbasaurtwo said to Squirtletwo sarcastically.
Shane knew why. According to Bulbasaurtwo Squirtletwo was a tomboy who didn't feeling like a wimpy female. Her bored and annoyed expression showed just that.
"I'm going to get someone for this," Squirtletwo said.
"Oh you look great!" Amber said. "I really think you should have had a matching skirt too!"
"Yeah," Bulbasaurtwo said. "Matching skirt."
"Correction," Squirtletwo said. "I'm going to kill someone for this."
"Hey guys!"
They all turned towards the source of the telepathy to see Charmandertwo in a tartan shirt that covered only his torso. He had a delightful smile on his face. Beside him was Charlie in the boy uniform who looked pretty much like Squirtletwo.
"I hate my life at moments like these," Charlie said.
"Join the club bro," Shane said.
Shane was in the same uniform and Bulbasaurtwo had garment over his body specially designed for quadruped Bulbasaur that covered body and limbs but had an opening for the bulb. Pokemon had to wear the uniforms if they wanted to come with the trainer to class.
"Let's all leave now!" Amber said opening the car door. "Go be normal people and learn something! Oh yeah and Charlie, because we don't want anything to get burnt-"
"I understand," Charlie replied as put Charmandertwo in his Pokeball.
"Good!" Amber replied and hopped in.
They all jumped into the limo and drove off to the Cinnabar Institute whatever place.
