Hi all! Here's Chapter 38 of Pokémon Journey: Kanto! :)
Last time, James and his team defeated Koga of the Fuchsia gym in a rematch and learnt that the blockade around Saffron City is due to be lifted in the near future, prompting them to take the road through the south-east of Kanto on their way there.
Upload Date: 8th June 2014
Chapter 38: The Pursuit of Happiness
Fuchsia City, Kanto
10:10am, 8th May 2005
The sun was high in the sky as James, Livvi and Richard walked towards Fuchsia City's eastern edge. The houses had drastically thinned out as they hit the outskirts – it was more like walking through a forest than a city.
That was fine by James. What wasn't fine was the steep hill that was the last obstacle between them and Route 15. It wasn't a particularly difficult, but it was long. His legs were aching – not a good thing considering that they'd only set off about ten minutes ago.
"I never thought I'd be as envious of a pidgey as I am right now," Richard sighed, glancing up at the sky as a flock of pidgey flew overhead, crying loudly to each other as they did.
"I know what you mean," Livvi panted.
"Look on the bright side," James gasped unconvincingly. "Once we get to the top it should be nice and flat."
"If we get to the top and find that there's another hill, then I'm throwing you back down this one!" Richard called back to him with a grin.
"Don't worry!" Livvi assured him. "The Town Map says that it's just flat woodland from here on."
"I'll believe it when I see it and no sooner," Richard replied, turning back to look at the hill. "Hey! I think we're at the top!"
And so they were. The three trainers heaved a sigh of relief as they found themselves on flat ground again.
"All those in favour of a rest?" Livvi looked round at the others.
"Sounds like a plan." James nodded, sitting down at the side of the road.
"This is really bad," Richard sighed as he sat down next to James. "We haven't even been going for half an hour and we already need a rest."
"It was a really nasty hill though," James replied, massaging his legs.
"We'll make more progress now," Livvi said as she sat down on James' other side. "Besides, we not in any rush – Saffron City is technically still closed off at the moment."
"That's true." Richard nodded. He pulled off his backpack and put it on the ground behind him to use as a pillow.
"Are you not hot, Livvi?" James asked as he pulled off his jacket.
"Not at all," Livvi replied seriously. Unlike Richard, who hadn't bothered putting on a jumper that morning, and James, who was conceding defeat, she was not only still wearing a jumper, but was wearing the pink hoodie that she'd been wearing on the day she first met James back in April. "Are you?" she asked redundantly.
"Take a guess," James replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead and fumbling through his backpack for his bottle of water.
"Hah!" Livvi folded her arms and smiled smugly. "You guys have got no endurance!"
"Says the one who freaks out when a breeze blows." Richard raised an eyebrow.
"I don't freak out when there's a breeze!" Livvi protested.
"Yeah, yeah." Richard laughed.
"Hey, Kelly! I did it! I caught one!"
James, Livvi and Richard looked up to see a girl running towards another.
"You did?" The other girl grinned. "So the rumour was true then?"
"Yep!" The first girl nodded eagerly. "They're normally so rare that not many people see them, but the woodland in Route 15 is teeming with them. It must be a migration or something!"
"Well I'm glad you were able to catch one." The second girl smiled and patted her friend on the shoulder.
"Excuse me!" Livvi called to them as she got up and started walking towards them. "What's going on?"
"Haven't you heard the rumours?" the first girl asked incredulously.
"We've only been in Fuchsia City for a couple of days," James replied as he and Richard joined Livvi.
"I see," the second girl said. "Well, about a week ago, a trainer staying at the pokémon centre claimed that there were lots of wild chansey living in the woods on Route 15. Chansey are usually extremely rare, so not everyone believed him."
"But it turns out that it was true!" The first girl grinned.
"Chansey," Richard said thoughtfully. "As in the pokémon that helps out in most pokémon centres?"
"That's right." The first girl nodded. She released her chansey from its poké ball.
Chansey cried happily, smiling around at the trainers.
"Chansey, huh?" Livvi murmured, pulling out her Pokédex.
"Chansey, the egg pokémon and the evolved form of happiny. Chansey is a rare and elusive pokémon that is said to bring happiness to those who manage to catch one."
"That's kind of vague." Richard frowned. "I mean, how does a chansey bring happiness?"
"Maybe because it's so rare and difficult to catch," James replied with a grin.
"Where exactly are these chansey supposed to be?" Livvi asked the girls.
"That's the tricky bit." The first girl laughed sheepishly. "Even if there are lots of them, it still took me hours to find one." She paused for a second to think. "If you head along the main road on Route 15, you'll reach a farm on your right after about 20 minutes. Once there, turn off the road and head into the forest on your left. That's where I caught my chansey."
"Alright." Livvi nodded. "Thank you!"
"No problem!" The girl smiled back. "Good luck!"
"So you want to catch a chansey then?" James asked as the girls walked off down the hill.
"That's right." Livvi nodded. "It seems like too good an opportunity to pass up." She paused for a second. "You don't mind, right?"
"Well we're not in any real hurry," Richard replied. "Right, James?"
"Yeah." James nodded. "Besides, you've went out of your way to help me in the past, so it's only fair that I return the favour."
"I-I didn't do those things so that you'd owe me one!" Livvi cried, getting flustered and shaking her head vigorously. "But thanks," she added quietly.
"We probably should get going," James said. "We've had enough of a rest, so let's go!"
Route 15, Kanto
10:36am, 8th May 2005
"I can see the farm!" Livvi cried excitedly, pointing ahead. A pretty looking farmhouse sat by the right side of the road, separated from it by a neatly trimmed hedge. There was a beautiful flower garden arranged next to the farmhouse. There was also a single, massive oak tree in the garden. Its branches stretched out over the road as well, providing an attractive patch of shade. Beyond the farmhouse lay a series of lush green fields, though the view was marred slightly by a series of rusty corrugated iron shelters – presumably for livestock – which stood in the middle.
"Great." James grinned. "Now we need to head into the forest, right?"
"That's right." Richard nodded. "That's what that girl said anyway."
"How are you for poké balls, Livvi?" James asked.
"I'm fine," Livvi replied. "I've got about ten on me at the moment."
"Good." James gave a satisfied nod as they turned off the road. They soon entered the forest and immediately cooled down in the shade.
"This is much better!" Richard grinned. "I'm glad we decided to do this now!"
"Yeah." James nodded in agreement.
"It's not bad, I guess." Livvi shrugged.
"So, any idea how we can find a chansey?" Richard asked.
"My plan was to just keep searching until we ran into one," Livvi replied.
"I guess that'll work," Richard said hesitantly.
"It's not like there's much else we can do," Livvi sighed. "Chansey are a really rare pokémon and don't think there's anything I could do to lure one out."
"I say we go with that plan for now," James said. "We can try something different if this way doesn't work out."
"Hey," Richard said suddenly, pointing ahead. "I think I can see someone ahead. Let's ask them if they've seen any chansey."
"Good idea." James agreed.
"Excuse me!" Richard called as they got closer.
"Huh?" A girl their age with long blonde hair and green eyes looked around at them.
"Hi! My name's Richard and these are my friends James and Livvi." Richard introduced himself and the others. "We were wondering if you'd seen any chansey around here."
"My name's Lauren," the girl replied. "I have seen a couple of chansey in the forest around here."
"Awesome!" Richard grinned. "Do you know whereabouts?"
"Yes," Lauren nodded. "But I'm not telling you."
"Huh? Why not?" Richard asked.
"If you guys are asking after the chansey, then that means you want to catch one, right?"
"That's right." Livvi nodded.
"I need to catch a chansey," Lauren said bluntly. "I won't let anyone else get in the way, so you might as well leave and come back later."
"What? No way!" James cried. "This isn't a private forest!"
"What's with that attitude?" Livvi demanded. "I heard that there are loads of chansey in this forest – both of us can catch one!"
"I know that!" Lauren snapped in response. "Which is why it shouldn't matter if I go first!"
"We can look at the same time!" Livvi growled. "Stop being selfish!"
"I'm not being selfish!" Lauren shot back. "Anyway, I'm leaving – don't get in my way!"
"Wait!" Livvi called.
"What?" Lauren turned back to face her.
"I challenge you to a double battle!" Livvi called. "If you win, then I'll leave the forest and come back in two hours. If I win, then you tell me where you saw the wild chansey!"
"Fine," Lauren replied instantly.
James, Richard and even Livvi stood in a surprised silence for a second.
"Really?"
"You mean you weren't serious?" Lauren asked.
"No, it's just that I didn't expect you go for it straight away," Livvi replied in a confused tone.
"Like I said, I really need to catch a chansey," Lauren explained. "If a quick double battle will get you out of my way long enough for me to catch one, then it's worth my time."
"Alright!" Richard called. "I'll referee for you guys. Is just the two pokémon alright for you, guys?"
"That's fine!" Lauren nodded, pulling out two poké balls.
"Okay, begin!" Richard called.
"Abbie, Sandy, I choose you!" Lauren called, throwing out her two poké balls.
A kadabra and a sandshrew materialised.
"Go, Barru and Cylune!" Livvi yelled, throwing out two poké balls of her own.
Barru and Cylune burst out of their poké balls.
"Okay, Cylune, start by using Poison Powder on Kadabra!" Livvi called.
Cylune quickly fired a cloud of poison spores from the hairs on his body towards Lauren's kadabra.
"Dodge it, Abbie!" Lauren ordered.
Abbie leapt to one side with a neat roll and Cylune's Poison Powder harmlessly hit the ground.
"Use Razor Leaf Barru!" Livvi shouted to Barru.
Barru quickly shot a cloud of leaves towards Sandy and Abbie.
"Both of you, dodge!" Lauren called.
Abbie and Sandy leapt out of the way at the last minute as Lauren gave them their next orders.
"Sandy, use Swift!" she called. "Abbie, use Psybeam on Bulbasaur!"
Abbie fired a purple beam containing a number of odd-looking, multi-coloured shapes. Sandy fired a stream of star-shaped rays from her mouth towards Barru and Cylune.
"Dodge it!" Livvi called to both her pokémon.
Cylune and Barru both tried to jump up to avoid the attacks. Abbie's Psybeam harmlessly struck the ground where Barru had been standing seconds before. Sandy's Swift, however, simply changed direction and sailed upwards to strike at the two pokémon's now exposed undersides.
"Barru! Cylune! Are you alright?" Livvi called anxiously as the two pokémon hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Barru reassured her as he pulled himself back up.
"Great!" Livvi grinned as Cylune pulled himself up as well. "Use Leech Seed on Sandshrew!"
Barru nodded and fired a cluster of seeds through the air, striking Sandy before she or her trainer could react.
"Use Poison Powder again Cylune!" Livvi ordered. "Aim for Kadabra!"
Cylune nodded and fired another cloud of spores towards Abbie.
"Dodge it and use Future Sight!" Lauren called.
Abbie nodded and once again smoothly dodged Cylune's attack. Her eyes glowed blue for a second before fading again.
It's not doing anything, Livvi thought. Wait! If it's called Future Sight, then the attack has probably been sent but won't hit yet. In that case, I should finish this up as quickly as possible! An idea flashed through her mind.
"Let's see if that works," she mumbled. "Cylune, fire up a cloud of Poison Powder just ahead of you and Barru! Make it as dense as you can!"
Cylune nodded and obediently shot a cloud of spores into the air in front of Livvi's team.
"Barru, use Razor Leaf through the spore cloud!" Livvi shouted.
Barru fired a series of leaves through the dense cloud of spores. Abbie and Sandy cried in pain as the leaves struck them.
"Abbie, Sandy! Are you okay?" Lauren called in concern.
Abbie pulled herself back to her feet. Sandy did the same. They were stilling standing, but they were starting to look feverish.
"How did…" Lauren began, but Livvi interrupted her.
"When Barru's Razor Leaf passed through the Poison Powder, some of the spores caught on the leaves," she explained. "And when your pokémon were struck by the leaves, the spores caused them to become poisoned!"
"But the spores should have been blown off by the speed of the leaves!" Lauren cried.
"That's why I ordered Cylune to make his Poison Powder so dense," Livvi grinned. "That way, enough spores would stick that there'd still be some left when the leaves hit their target!" she turned to Barru. "Now charge in and finish off Sandshrew with Vine Whip!"
Barru nodded and charged forwards, extending his vines as he did.
"Abbie, use Role Play on Venonat!" Lauren called.
Abbie nodded and closed her eyes. An eerie blue glow surrounded her. A similar glow appeared around Cylune before vanishing again.
"Sandy, use Sand Tomb on Bulbasaur!" Lauren called, noticing that Barru was getting dangerously close to her.
Sandy nodded and the ground beneath Barru suddenly turned into a swirling pit of sand. The bulbasaur was stuck fast at the centre.
"Barru! Pull out of it!" Livvi called in alarm.
"And now for the finisher!" Lauren grinned. "Abbie, use Psybeam!"
Abbie opened her eyes and Livvi and her Pokémon froze in alarm. Abbie's eyes had changed to resemble those of a bug's. The Kadabra fired the purple beam at Barru as he struggled desperately to get free from the Sand Tomb. He cried in pain as the attack hit him.
"What happened to Kadabra's eyes?" James asked from the sidelines.
"I had Abbie use Role Play to copy Venonat's Compound Eyes ability!" Lauren called back. "Thanks to that, she probably still would have hit Bulbasaur even if he hadn't been stuck in Sandy's Sand Tomb!"
"Cylune, use Confusion to get Barru out of the pit!" Livvi shouted.
Cylune nodded and lifted Barru clear with his psychic power.
"Are you alright, Barru?" Livvi asked as Cylune dropped him back nearby.
Barru gave a fierce nod as a dim green glow emanated from him.
"Overgrow!" Livvi grinned. "Barru, use Razor Leaf, quickly!"
Barru roared, sending a massive cloud of leaves flying towards Abbie and Sandy at the twice the speed of the last attack.
"Quick, dodge it!" Lauren shouted.
Sandy dived to the ground, but a couple of the leaves struck her back. Abbie wasn't so lucky and was blasted back by the impact of at least five leaves.
"Are you both okay?" Lauren called anxiously.
Both of her pokémon pulled themselves back up.
"Alright, use Slash on Bulbasaur, Sandy!" Lauren ordered.
Sandy charged forwards, raising one of her claws as she did.
"Barru, counter Sandshrew with Vine Whip!" Livvi called. "And Cylune, use Leech Life on Kadabra!"
Barru and Cylune nodded and started charging towards their opponents.
"Now, Barru!" Livvi shouted as he drew close to Sandy.
Barru shot his two vines out, striking Sandy on the side of the head and in the stomach. She cried in pain as the force of the impact threw her backwards. She landed in a heap and didn't get up again.
"Sandshrew is unable to battle!" Richard shouted as Cylune leapt at Abbie and sank his fangs into her arm.
Abbie yelled in pain, thrashing about in an attempt to throw Cylune off.
"Abbie, don't panic!" Lauren called as she withdrew Sandy. "Use Recover!"
Abbie nodded. A cream-coloured aura surrounded her and when it cleared, most of her injuries had been healed.
"Use Leech Life aga-" Livvi was interrupted when a bright blue psychic blast came out of nowhere and hit Barru, sending him flying back. "Barru!"
Barru cried weakly in response.
"Barru is unable to battle!" Richard called.
"Jump back and use Supersonic!" Livvi yelled as she recalled Barru to his poké ball.
Cylune jumped back from Abbie and emitted a high-pitched sound wave. Abbie cried out, clutching her ears.
"Now use Leech Life!" Livvi yelled.
Cylune charged towards Abbie and sank his fangs into her arm again.
"Blast him away with Psybeam!" Lauren shouted.
Abbie tried to use Psybeam, but ended up causing a psychic explosion which sent both pokémon flying back. It was clear as they both pulled themselves back to their feet that they were on their last legs. Cylune had taken some heavy damage from the explosion and the hair on his body was singed almost down to the roots. Abbie was clearly suffering from the effects of poison and still seemed unable to focus on her opponent.
"Use Psybeam!" Lauren shouted.
Abbie managed to fire the Psybeam, but her fatigue and confusion meant that, even with the boost from the stolen Compound Eyes, her opponent still had no difficulty in dodging the attack.
"Finish it up with Leech Life!" Livvi yelled.
Cylune charged towards Abbie and once again latched on to drain her energy. Abbie yelled in pain before finally collapsing forwards.
"Kadabra is unable to battle!" Richard shouted. "Both of Lauren's pokémon are unable to battle, so the match goes to Livvi!"
"Alright!" Livvi cheered. "Great job, Cylune!"
Cylune gave her a cheerful nod.
"You too, Barru." Livvi smiled at Barru. The bulbasaur also responded with a nod from inside his poké ball.
"I guess that means that we don't have to leave." James grinned.
"Fine!" Lauren huffed as she recalled Abbie to her poké ball. "Do what you want, just don't get in my way!" She turned her back on them and stormed off into the forest.
"What's up with that girl?" Richard wondered.
"I know!" Livvi said, folding her arms. "It's not like me catching a chansey means that all of them will suddenly disappear!"
"Let's just forget about it and get back to searching for chansey," said James. "Unreasonable people like that are everywhere in life. There's no point worrying about it."
"Yeah, you're right." Livvi nodded. "Let's get going!"
They started walking again, setting off in a different direction to the one in which Lauren had gone. They'd been walking for about ten minutes when they saw their first chansey.
"There's one!" Livvi shouted, pointing at a chansey that had just wandered out of the bushes at the side of path.
The chansey looked over at them in panic and started running away from them.
"Stop!" Livvi called and charged after it.
"Hey, Livvi, wait up!" James shouted as he and Richard started running after her.
Livvi disappeared from view as she rounded a corner.
James and Richard quickly ran around the corner as well, only to find multiple paths leading away from them.
"Which… way did she go?" James wondered, looking between the paths. All of them turned off pretty quickly, so there was no sign of her on any of them.
"Livvi!" Richard shouted as loudly as he could. "Where are you?"
No response.
"Livvi!" James shouted this time. Again, there was no response. "Can't she hear us?" James wondered.
"I guess not," Richard sighed. "She's probably too focused on the chansey."
"That doesn't surprise me," James groaned. "So what do we do now?"
"Well I'd have thought that the chansey would have taken the easiest path," Richard said thoughtfully. "So I think we should head straight on!"
"Sounds like a plan!" James agreed. The two of them started running down the path.
11:01am, 8th May 2005
"Argh! Where did it go?" Livvi groaned, looking around. She'd been right behind the chansey until just now. "I guess we might as well take a rest before we start searching again," she sighed, looking back for James and Richard.
There was no sign of them.
"Huh?" Livvi gulped. "Where did they go?" She glanced around at her surroundings and realised that she had no idea where she was. "James? Richard?" she called out, fear starting to creep into her voice.
What was she going to do?
The town map didn't go into much detail for places like this and even if it did, it wouldn't be able to tell her where James and Richard were.
Calm down, Livvi, she thought. There's got to be some way to figure out where they are. She ran through what she had on her that she could use.
"That's it!" she cried. She pulled out Cylune's poké ball and let him out.
Cylune looked up at her with a confused look.
"Cylune, I need you to try and work out where James and Richard are using your radar," Livvi explained.
Cylune nodded and focused for a second. He called out to her and started leading the way down another path.
"You've located them?" Livvi asked.
Cylune nodded.
"That's great!" Livvi grinned. "Lead the way, Cylune!"
11:06am, 8th May 2005
"Admit it," said James. "You had no idea what you were doing."
"I knew what I was doing!" Richard retorted. "It was our most logical choice!"
"Well, we've been on this path for ages now," said James, "and I don't see Livvi anywhere."
They'd ended up on a path built into the side of a hill in the shade of the forest canopy. Though they didn't want to admit it, it was becoming increasingly obvious from the lack of footprints on the path that Livvi hadn't been along here.
"I wonder if she managed to catch that chansey," Richard said thoughtfully.
"She's probably only managed to get herself into more trouble, knowing her," James sighed. "And she's probably terrified," he added.
"If she's even realised that we're not there yet!" Richard laughed, though it was clear that he was starting to worry. "Anyway, how are we going to find her?"
"How about you send out Spear," James suggested. "He could search for her from the air."
"I don't think that would work," Richard replied. "The canopy's so thick that Spear won't be able to see her."
"I guess so," James sighed. "Then how about-" They were interrupted at that moment by the sound of a girl screaming somewhere down the hill.
"Was that Livvi?" Richard asked.
"Don't know," James replied. "But let's get going anyway!"
The two of them left the path and made their way down the hill as quickly as it was safe for them to go. Once at the bottom, they ran through some bushes and found themselves in a small clearing. It wasn't Livvi, but Lauren who was standing at the centre of the clearing. And she was in trouble.
A swarm of beedrill had surrounded her, and they didn't look happy.
"Go, Spear!" Richard yelled, throwing out Spear's poké ball.
"You too, Charka!" James called.
Spear and Charka burst out of their poké balls.
"Use Fury Attack!" Richard yelled to Spear.
"And you use Flamethrower!" James ordered Charka.
Charka fired a stream of fire from his mouth, immediately spooking the beedrill who started scattering. Spear flew into their midst and scared them away with his Fury Attack.
"Nice job, guys." Richard grinned, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Spear and Charka called back, grinning at their trainers.
"Great work, Charka!" James smiled back as he recalled him to his poké ball.
"Thanks." James and Richard looked up to see Lauren approaching them.
"No problem," Richard replied. "But how did you manage to get all those beedrill on you?"
"I must have disturbed their nest while I was looking for a chansey," Lauren sighed.
"Have you not been able to find one?" James asked.
"Not one," Lauren replied sadly. She looked around. "Where's Livvi?"
"She charged off somewhere," James replied, deciding not to mention that they'd run into a chansey. "We don't know where she is now."
"I see." Lauren nodded before sitting down on the grass and sighing again.
"Why are you so set on catching a chansey?" Richard asked her.
"Do you know anything about chansey yolk?" Lauren replied with a question of her own, looking up at Richard.
"No." Richard and James both shook their heads.
"Well the egg a chansey carries around in its pouch contains yolk which has very special healing qualities. It's said that if you bathe any injury in chansey yolk, then it'll be healed almost instantly." She paused for second. "I don't know about that, but it's definitely used in medicine. That's why I need to catch a chansey."
"You need to make medicine?" James asked.
"Yeah." Lauren nodded. "My grandma is very sick and chansey yolk is an essential ingredient in the medicine she needs."
"Now I understand," said Richard. "So that's why you didn't want us getting in the way."
"I should apologise to you," Lauren said. "I'm sorry I acted the way I did. It's just that… well… I've been here for the last three days and every time I've come close to catching a chansey, another trainer has got there just ahead of me."
"It's not a problem." James smiled. "Anyone in that situation would be frustrated, especially if it was for something important."
"Thanks." Lauren smiled back. "Anyway, I should get back to searching."
"Do you mind if we come along and help?" Richard asked.
"Huh?" Lauren and James both looked at him.
"You don't mind helping out either do you, James?" Richard grinned at him.
"Not at all," James said, turning back to Lauren and smiling.
"But what about Livvi? Shouldn't you guys be searching for her?" Lauren asked.
"To be honest, she could be just about anywhere," Richard replied. "And we've got no real way to look for her. Besides, I want to make sure you manage to catch a chansey."
Lauren smiled. "Well, if you're sure you don't mind helping, then I accept."
11:27am, 8th May 2005
"Umm, are you sure it's this way, Cylune?" Livvi asked the venonat.
Cylune nodded. He had led Livvi off of the path and through an increasingly thick part of the forest. The undergrowth was getting thicker with every step Livvi took.
"Well, if you're sure," she said nervously. She sighed to herself. "Where could James and Richard have gone?" she wondered aloud. "How could they have not seen where I went?"
Cylune had stopped up ahead.
"What is it?" Livvi asked. "Are we getting close?"
Cylune nodded.
"That's a relief." Livvi smiled. "I wonder if they worri- waaah!" She caught her right foot on an exposed tree root and crashed to the ground.
Cylune cried in alarm and ran back to her.
"Oww!" Livvi groaned, lifting her head off the ground and feeling it with her hand. Her cheek was grazed and stinging with pain, but her face was otherwise fine. However, she winced with pain as she tried to twitch her right ankle.
Cylune gave her a concerned look.
"What's up with this?" Livvi groaned, rolling herself onto her back and gingerly pulling her right leg up to look at it. She tried moving it again. "Oww!" she gasped. She gently lowered her leg again. Her first worry had been that she might have broken it – she always seemed to consider one of the worst case scenarios first – but she could tell now that it wasn't. It was probably a strain though. Not really that much better though, she thought as she gazed up at the tree branches hanging over her.
Cylune appeared at the side of her vision.
"I don't know what to do, Cylune," Livvi admitted to the venonat. "I can't walk like this – even if I had James or Richard to help me then it would still be difficult."
Cylune replied sadly. Livvi was about to say something else when she heard a loud rustling sound nearby.
"What was that?" she looked around fearfully. The rustling sounded again and a chansey emerged from the bushes on her right.
It looked down at Livvi with a kind smile on its face.
"A chansey!" Livvi cried in excitement before wincing as she accidentally moved her ankle.
Now's not the time for that, she thought.
"Please," she said as the chansey approached. "Could you go and find help for me?"
The chansey pulled its egg out of its pouch and cracked it open.
"Huh?" Livvi gasped in surprise and confusion. "What are you doing?"
The chansey bent over Livvi's injured ankle and poured some of the yolk from the egg over it.
"What are you doing?" Livvi cried again, trying to pull away but grimacing in pain instead.
The chansey spoke in a scolding tone, taking a hold of Livvi's leg with one hand and tipping some more yolk onto her ankle with the other. It turned and said something to Cylune.
Cylune nodded and jumped up onto Livvi's chest to stop her struggling.
"What are you doing, Cylune?" Livvi demanded, reaching up to try and lift him off.
The chansey stepped back from Livvi and returned its egg, which had already started regenerating its shell, to its pouch.
"Why won't you listen to me?" Livvi snapped, grabbing Cylune and pulling herself into a sitting position. "Huh?" She suddenly realised that the pain in her ankle had gone away. She twitched it. Nothing.
"Did you heal it?" Livvi asked the chansey.
The chansey nodded.
"Wow! Thank you so much!" Livvi smiled at the chansey. She paused for a second. "Hey, Chansey, I know this is sudden but would you like come along with me on my journey?"
The chansey pondered for a second before nodding.
"That's great!" Livvi grinned as she stood up.
The chansey jumped back and adopted a battle stance with a mischievous grin on its face.
"Huh?" Livvi said in confusion. "Oh! I get it! I've got to battle you first, right?"
The chansey nodded.
"Alright." Livvi grinned. "Are you ready, Cylune?"
Cylune nodded and bounced over to face the chansey.
"Start off with Supersonic!" Livvi called.
Cylune emitted an ear-splitting sound. The chansey cried out, clutching its ears.
"Great job!" Livvi grinned. "Now use Confusion!"
Cylune's eyes glowed blue and the chansey was thrown back. It cried out as it struck a tree.
"Nice work, Cylune," Livvi called.
The chansey pulled itself back up and started charging towards Cylune, only to trip and crash to the ground.
"Use Poison Powder!" Livvi called to Cylune.
Cylune fired a cloud of spores towards the chansey. However, they weren't poison spores – they were orange-coloured. Stun Spores!
"You learnt Stun Spore?!" Livvi cried in delight as the cloud of spores settled on the chansey, paralyzing it.
Cylune nodded.
The chansey pulled itself back and charged again, only to trip over its own feet and crash to the ground again.
"Use Confusion again!" Livvi called.
Cylune nodded. His eyes glowed blue again and the chansey was thrown through the air once more.
"Great work, Cylune!" Livvi cheered.
Cylune cried happily. The chansey pulled itself back to its feet and shook its head vigorously.
"Use Leech Life before it can attack!" Livvi called.
Cylune sprang forwards, baring his fangs as he did. A bright green light enveloped the chansey and Livvi noticed the parts of its body which were limp from paralysis suddenly recovered. Cylune leapt at the chansey and sank his fangs into the chansey's arm.
The chansey cried in pain as Cylune drained its energy. Cylune cried cheerfully as he disengaged and bounced back towards Livvi.
"Use Stun Spore again!" Livvi called.
Cylune prepared to fire a cloud of Stun Spores towards the chansey. However, it pulled its egg out of its pouch, cracked it, and took a swig of yolk.
"It's healing itself?!" Livvi cried in shock.
Cylune cried out in shock as well.
Returning its egg to its pouch, the chansey opened its mouth and sang a beautiful lullaby.
"It's using Sing!" Livvi shouted. "Don't go to sleep, Cylune!"
Cylune gave a sleepy response before toppling forwards.
The chansey charged forwards and delivered a series of powerful slaps to Cylune's sleeping form.
"Come on, Cylune!" Livvi yelled. "You've got to wake up!"
Cylune moaned in his sleep. The chansey charged and used Double Slap again.
Cylune woke with a start after the third slap.
"Get back, Cylune!" Livvi called.
Cylune nodded and jumped back.
We need a plan, Livvi thought. As long as the chansey is able to heal itself, we won't be able to weaken it enough to catch it. An Idea crossed her mind.
"Cylune, use Confusion on Chansey's egg!" she shouted.
Cylune nodded and levitated the chansey's egg away from it before it could react. The chansey cried in alarm as Cylune lowered the egg to the ground by Livvi's feet.
"Now use Confusion on Chansey!" Livvi yelled.
Cylune nodded and lifted the chansey into the air before throwing it into a nearby tree. The chansey instinctively reached for its egg, even though it knew it wasn't there.
"Now use Leech Life!" Livvi called.
Cylune charged forwards, sank his fangs into the chansey's side and started draining its energy. The chansey cried in pain. It started flailing around desperately and managed to knock Cylune off.
"Now use Confusion!" Livvi shouted.
Cylune landed softly and once again lifted the chansey into the air with telekinesis. With a loud crash, he slammed the chansey into the ground just in front of him.
"Great work, Cylune!" Livvi called as she threw a poké ball towards the chansey. The ball struck the chansey on the back of the head and sucked it inside. As it clattered to the ground, the ball shook three times and clicked, emitting a small burst of sparks.
"We did it!" Livvi yelled in excitement, running over and picking up the poké ball.
Cylune cried excitedly.
"You did a great job, Cylune." Livvi grinned, patting the top of his head. "I'm proud of you!"
Cylune responded enthusiastically, clearly happy with the praise.
Livvi held up the poké ball and looked at her newly-caught chansey. "I think I'll call you 'Salea'," she said with a grin. "How does that sound?"
Salea gave an approving nod from inside her poké ball.
Cylune cried suddenly, twitching his antenna.
"What's up, Cylune?" Livvi asked.
Cylune started bouncing off through the forest.
"Are James and Richard nearby?" Livvi asked as she followed him.
Cylune nodded.
11:34am, 8th May 2005
"Now use Psybeam, Abbie!" Lauren yelled.
Abbie nodded and fired another blast of psychic energy towards the wild chansey. James and Richard were watching from nearby. It had taken them almost half an hour of searching, but they'd eventually managed to corner a chansey.
The wild chansey dove out of the way before the attack could hit. Seconds later, the Future Sight attack Abbie had set up earlier came out of nowhere and hit the chansey, knocking it to the ground.
"Now use Psybeam!" Lauren called.
Abbie fired another Psybeam, hitting the chansey directly and sending it flying back.
"Thanks, Abbie!" Lauren called as she ran past her and threw a poké ball at the chansey.
The chansey cried out as the ball hit it and sucked it inside. The ball rolled three times before clicking to signal a capture.
"What a relief!" Lauren gasped, falling to her knees and glancing at the small pile of broken poké balls that covered the battlefield.
"You did it!" Richard grinned, heading over to her. "Great job!"
"Yeah, congratulations." James smiled as well.
"Thanks for helping and cheering me on, guys." Lauren smiled, getting up to pick up the poké ball.
"No problem!" Richard replied. "We're just glad that you were able to get a chansey in the end."
"We should probably get back to searching for Livvi," said James, glancing at his watch. "Will you be alright finding your way out of the forest by yourself?"
"I'll be fine." Lauren nodded. "I'm been exploring this forest for three days now after all!"
"Glad to hear it." Richard grinned. "I hope your grandma gets well soon."
"Thanks." Lauren smiled. "Now that I've got a chansey, it'll be easy for us to make her medicine."
"Is that why you were so desperate to catch a chansey?"
James, Richard and Lauren all jumped and looked round. Cylune bounced out of the bushes, followed by Livvi.
"There you are, Livvi!" James shouted, running over to her. "Where did you go?"
"Got lost in the forest," Livvi replied. "Where did you guys go?"
"Got lost in the forest trying to find you," James sighed.
"You guys are useless," Livvi sighed, shaking her head. She looked at Lauren. "Is it true that you needed a chansey to make medicine?"
"Yeah." Lauren nodded, shifting uncomfortably. "Chansey yolk is one of the key ingredients."
"I see," Livvi said thoughtfully. "I'm sorry for not understanding."
"No, no!" Lauren cried, shaking her head vigorously. "I'm sorry for not explaining my situation."
"Don't worry." Livvi smiled, heading over to her. "We've both caught a chansey, so it's fine."
"You caught a chansey?!" James and Richard cried.
"Don't act so surprised!" Livvi replied, putting on a hurt expression. She held out Salea's poké ball. "Here, look!"
"That's great, Livvi!" James grinned.
"I should get going now," said Lauren. "Thanks for your help," she said to James and Richard.
"Don't worry about it," Richard replied.
"Sorry again, Livvi." Lauren turned to Livvi and offered her hand.
"It's fine," Livvi replied, taking it. "Everyone makes mistakes, right?"
"Yeah." Lauren nodded. "Good luck on your journey!"
"Good luck to you too!" James, Livvi and Richard called after her as she left.
"Whew!" Richard gasped as she disappeared from sight. "What a day!"
"I know what you mean," James sighed. He glanced to his right and, much to his surprise, found Livvi gazing intently at him. "Umm, do you need something, Livvi?"
"Yes," Livvi replied with a nod. "I've got something very important I need to say to you."
"What is it?" James asked nervously.
"I've wanted to say this for a while now, but I could never pluck up the courage," Livvi said quietly. "So I told myself if I managed to catch a chansey today, then I'd say it." She took a deep breath.
"James Burton!" She looked him directly in the eyes. "I challenge you to a battle."
So, another pokémon for Livvi and a proper battle between Livvi and James to look forward to next chapter.
So how was this chapter? My beta-reader (i.e. my brother) can sometimes be a little vague with his feedback, so feel free to let me know how you found it.
On a related note, I'm afraid I've had a very unproductive weekend – all I've managed to do is finish my plans for Chapters 40, 41 and 42. Hopefully I can catch up during the week and next weekend depending on how well I balance my revision, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. Chapter 39 will definitely be uploaded next Sunday though! :D
James' Team:
Active:
Charka (Charmander): male, naïve, often scatters things, likes sweet food, fire type, Blaze ability, known moves are Scratch, Smokescreen, Flamethrower and Metal Claw.
Kacha (Pikachu): male, modest, sturdy body, likes dry food, electric type, Static ability, known moves are Thunderbolt, Double Team, Slam and Thunder Wave.
Raenok (Mankey): male, impish, loves to eat, likes sour food, fighting type, Anger Point ability, known moves are Rock Slide, Screech, Low Kick and Brick Break.
Ayra (Paras): male, lax, loves to relax, likes sour food, bug-grass type, Dry Skin ability, known moves are Aerial Ace, Stun Spore, Bullet Seed and Spore.
Saeloc (Persian): female, rash, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal type, Technician ability, known moves are Fury Swipes, Screech, Bite and Icy Wind.
Cuba (Cubone): male, serious, quick to flee, eats anything, ground type, Rock Head ability, known moves are Headbutt, Bone Club, Bonemerang and Bone Rush (in progress).
Livvi's Team:
Active:
Barru (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, known moves are Tackle, Razor Leaf, Vine Whip and Leech Seed.
Dorru (Nidoran): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, known moves are Tail Whip, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Bite.
Cylune (Venonat): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Compound Eyes ability, known moves are Stun Spore, Confusion, Poison Powder and Leech Life.
Evoro (Eevee): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, normal type, Adaptability ability, known moves are Bite, Sand Attack, Growl and Quick Attack.
Salea (Chansey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, known moves are Softboiled, Refresh, Double Slap and Sing.
Richard's Team:
Active:
Naro (Nidoking): male, mild, sturdy body, likes dry food, poison-ground type, Poison Point ability, known moves are Horn Attack, Megahorn, Poison Sting and Double Kick.
Sting (Beedrill): male, hardy, often dozes off, eats anything, bug-poison type, Swarm ability, known moves are Focus Energy, Poison Sting, Twineedle and String Shot.
Spear (Spearow): male, mild, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal-flying type, Keen eye ability, known moves are Peck, Growl, Aerial Ace (in progress) and Fury Attack.