Chapter 23 - Katsuura Tantanmen
After Seshiru's battle with Tucker, the three found a nearby Pokémon Center. They would soon set out on a long trek to Cerulean City, and they needed to make sure that their Pokémon were in good shape. The cave that they had to pass through was infamous for trapping adventurers in the dark for days. Seshiru had already been through it once, so she knew what the group was getting into.
"So, Cerulean City has something for all of us," Seshiru said while looking at her device.
"A gym?"
"A contest?"
"And the Battle Factory," Seshiru exclaimed. "It looks like we'll be busy for awhile. It's gonna be nonstop battling."
Yurie's shoulders slumped. "I'd like a little bit of a break though. I like training and all, but if I don't relax then I'll get crow's feet."
"You're eleven," Logan said while crossing his arms. "I guess if that's old enough to have a boyfriend, then maybe it's also old enough to get crow's feet."
"Shut up!"
As Seshiru had remembered, the cave was dark, but over the years, the government had installed some lighting to help travelers get through. They were incredibly dim, but they still helped out a bit. Wild Electric-type Pokémon had also migrated to the cave, and they seemingly enjoyed sucking away some of the light whenever they could.
"About two years ago, there was a power plant near here that they demolished and rebuilt. It was home to a lot of wild Electric Pokémon, but once it was destroyed, they had no choice but to come here," Seshiru explained. "I'm happy to see a lot of them so healthy."
"You know a lot about Kanto. I'm glad you stuck around with us," Yurie said with a smile.
Logan nodded. "But I figured since you're a Water-type trainer that you'd… well… have a certain distaste for Electric-types."
Seshiru shook her head and said with a laugh, "I have some kind of special connection to them too, if you'd believe it."
The three continued through the cave for a couple of hours. They tried to avoid as many wild Pokémon as possible, but when Mightyena or Torchic got the itch, they'd ask if they could battle. Yurie's Torchic hadn't battled in what felt like months, so he was getting ancy.
Logan had never been in a cave with a mix of Pokémon like the ones he saw. He saw Rock, Ground, Fighting, and Electric-types all living in unity, something he wasn't used to in Unova. Of course, some were battling with one another, but that was only natural when it came to wild Pokémon who fought over territory.
"Magnemite!" Yurie yelled while she pointed towards a light fixture. Above it were a couple of Magnemite who were basking in the electric energy. Yurie remembered back to when she first met their previous traveling companion, Himawari, who owned a Magnemite. It was naturally a quiet Pokémon, and when Yurie shouted, it did seem to slightly bother them.
Logan stopped to get a closer look, and he smiled. "I wonder how he's doing."
"Who?" Seshiru wondered.
"Our old buddy."
Before anyone could add to the conversation, the lights started to flicker. The three trainers all got closer to each other as the lights dimmed out and their vision became impaired. Torchic and Mightyena both took defensive positions. They could see in the dark, so they weren't too worried about what was waiting for them.
"Elelele!" something called down from the halls of the cave. The lights flickered back on, revealing the Pokémon. It was large and yellow with black stripes surrounding it. It had a deranged look in its eyes and was drooling.
"Electabuzz," Seshiru muttered.
"Electabuzz, the Electric Pokémon. Electricity runs across the surface of its body. In darkness, its entire body glows a whitish-blue," Logan's Pokédex chimed.
Logan snapped his fingers and then stepped forward. "Perfect!"
"Perfect?" Seshiru wondered. "These things can be very dangerous, and this one in particular doesn't look happy."
"I have a list of Pokémon that I really want to see on my journeys. Electabuzz is one of those Pokémon, and well, if I have a chance to catch it, I might as well!"
"But this one?" Yurie asked.
Logan nodded. "I'm already having a lot of trouble with my team already, so why not add another problemed soul to the group?"
"I guess that's a way to look at it," Seshiru said. She folded her arms and laughed. "Good luck, dude."
"Actually, I think this is a good chance for Charmander to try battling," Logan said. He drew out his Poké Ball and threw it forward. Charmander emerged from the bright light and then shook his head as though he had just woken up.
"No crowds. No pressure," Seshiru muttered.
"But a crazy Electabuzz," Yurie added worriedly.
"Charmander, you see that Electabuzz there?" Logan asked.
Charmander looked forward and found the heaving Electric-type Pokémon. He took a step back out of fear before glancing back at Logan.
"Here's the deal; he's gonna be our new friend. Don't think of him as an enemy. Don't think of him as scary. Don't let him frighten you, because soon, he'll be part of our team. And, I want you to help me. Got it?"
Charmander nervously lowered his head before making eye contact with Electabuzz. "Char-charmander."
"You can do it, Charmander!"
"Torchic!"
"Alright, let's do our best!" Logan called. "Charmander, use Fire Spin!"
"Char!" the Pokémon cried out. He clamped his eyes closed and then let his fire stream from his mouth. It swirled in circles before blasting straight towards Electabuzz.
"Eleleboo!" Electabuzz called back. It raised its arms in the air, and a thin wall of energy appeared in front of him. The flaming tornado crashed directly with it, and the two moves cancelled one another out.
"Alright, so it knows Light Screen," Logan muttered. "Don't worry, Charmander. We'll think of something."
But before Logan could give his command, the Electabuzz started to surge with electric energy. It waved its arms around wildly over its head, concentrating its power into its fists. Then, it started to run forward, preparing to swing at the anxious Fire-type.
"That's Thunder Punch!" Logan exclaimed. "Charmander, now's your chance to use Fire Spin!"
Charmander was frozen as he watched the incoming Electabuzz. He closed his eyes and weakly tried to do his attack once more, but nothing came from his mouth. Electabuzz swung wide, smashing its fist against Charmander's head. The Fire-type flew backwards and landed on the ground in a heap.
"Charmander!" Logan yelled out. He ran forward to his Pokémon and gently lifted the Fire-type's head up. "You okay, buddy?"
Charmander's eyes went back and forth as though he had been knocked silly. He then winced from the pain before he focused back on Electabuzz. He stood himself back up, slightly pushing Logan back with his tail.
"Char!" the Fire-type cried out while spitting a warning flame from his mouth.
"Ele?" Electabuzz wondered. Once again, his fists started to cackle with electricity, and he ran forward while swinging them over his head.
"Fire Spin!" Logan ordered once more.
"Charmander!" his Pokémon screeched while unleashing the flames from his mouth. This time they were strong, and they surrounded Electabuzz, forcing it to stop in its tracks. Slowly they inched in closer, burning Electabuzz in its flaming prison.
"Got 'em!"
"Electaboo!" the Electric-type roared. It sent out a surge of energy from its body, destroying the tornado. Then, it swung its body around while it focused the energy at the tip of its tail. With one quick flip, it tossed a ball of electricity towards Charmander.
"Ember!"
Charmander's tail became engulfed in flames before he started to spin around. The fire soon found itself around the entirety of Charmander before it began to blast small bits of flames outwards. The flames connected with the ball of electricity, but they were not strong enough, and soon, Charmander was sent into the air.
"No!" Logan yelled as Charmander hit the ground once more. This time, the Fire-type didn't make the effort to get back up. Logan lifted his Poké Ball and returned Charmander before looking at the enraged Electabuzz. Charmander had done decent enough damage with the Fire Spin, but Electabuzz was more than willing to continue fighting.
Mightyena got low and prepared to lunge, but then Logan held out his hand.
"No," he said calmly. "We have a new member on the team that we need to let battle."
Yurie smiled.
"Go, Grotle!"
Grotle materialized from the Poké Ball, and she took in the atmosphere of the cave. She felt at the ground and her eyes quickly met with Electabuzz. A smile came over her face, as she knew what she was now getting into.
"This will be our first battle together, Grotle, so let's do our best!"
"Grotle!"
"Go, Grotle!" Yurie cheered.
"Boo?" Electabuzz wondered.
"Energy Ball!" Logan commanded.
Grotle took in a deep breath before forming a ball of green energy in her mouth. She unleashed it, and Electabuzz looked on in surprise. But it was quick to form its own ball at the tip of its tail. It launched it forward, and the two orbs of energy exploded, shaking the cave.
"Now's our chance! Let it loose! Razor Leaf!"
Grotle shook her body, and leaves fell from the bushes on her back. She let out a battle cry, and the leaves soared across the cave floor, entering into the smoke from the previous attacks. Electabuzz howled from the pain as its body was sliced into.
When the smoke finally faded away, Electabuzz still stood. Its arms were bobbing up and down as it looked at the ground, infuriated by the audacity of the trainer. It roared again and began to wave its arms into the air while it concentrated electricity into its fists. Electabuzz let out a blood curdling howl while it raced down the cave, ready to strike Grotle directly.
"Double Team!"
"Gro!" the Grass-type exclaimed. She lowered her head and waited for Electabuzz to get closer. When it finally was, Grotle multiplied. Electabuzz didn't seem to notice though, and it swung for its original target, falling straight through the clone. The wild Pokémon now looked baffled as it looked around at the multiple Grotle.
"One more Energy Ball!"
Now surrounded, Electabuzz began to panic, but Grotle had it right where she wanted it. She unleashed the Energy Ball towards the middle, only the real one striking against Electabuzz. It was tossed into the air and landed hard on the ground, completely unconscious.
"Nice!" Logan said. He quickly undid his one-strap backpack and reached into his Poké Ball pocket. He pulled out a Poké Ball that was black with green markings all over it. "Go, Dusk Ball!"
The ball connected with the unconscious Electabuzz and absorbed it with ease. It hit the cold cave floor before it started its usual wobble, and within seconds, it let out its signature ding. Electabuzz had been caught.
"Yes! Awesome!" Logan exclaimed. He ran forward to grab the ball, meeting with Grotle. He knelt down and ran his hands through Grotle's leaves. "We're gonna make a great team! Grotle, Electabuzz, and Charmander too."
"Grotle!"
It only took the trainers a few more hours to get through the cave. With the lights being provided, it was a lot easier for them to navigate, and after Logan's battle with Electabuzz, they didn't run into many more wild Pokémon.
On the other side of the cave was a Pokémon Center and a few restaurants. Yurie found a place for them to eat while Logan booked a room. Because it was late, they got their food to go, and they sat outside the Pokémon Center where they could relax with their teams.
Electabuzz had cooled down a lot since being captured, but he still didn't seem to like Logan's team. He sat alone with his back turned to Charmander, Grotle, and Nidorino, but he still gladly took the food that Logan offered.
"I think he wanted to get captured," Logan muttered as he took his seat.
"You said you have a list of Pokémon you'd like to see and possibly capture during your adventures. What Pokémon are you looking for?" Seshiru asked.
Logan thought for a moment and then begin to list the Pokémon using his fingers. "Well, I've caught a Flygon and now Electabuzz, so there's two. I really want a Milotic and Heracross too."
"Tonight's meal is katsuura tantanmen!" Yurie exclaimed. She opened up the styrofoam bowls that she put out on the table, revealing a red soup with meat, onions, and thin noodles on the insides.
"This kind of meal is supposed to warm up divers and fishermen. I think that after a day of being in a cold cave, it'll be good for us," Seshiru said. She took her chopsticks and pulled her bowl in closer. "Itadakimasu."
Logan continued to look at his Pokémon. Mightyena, Nidorina, Charmander, and Grotle all ate together. Electabuzz ignored them, and Snorlax remained in her ball until she could be fed properly. He had called his group of Pokémon problemed, and he was sincere about it, but seeing his Pokémon at peace as they ate their meals gave him a feeling of hope for the future.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
So, Logan now has a full team of six Pokémon! It's still relatively early in the story, so there will be a couple of line-up changes (soon actually), BUT I like this group. At the end of Kanto, what Pokémon do you see Logan ending up with? (Team now: Mightyena, Nidorino, Snorlax, Charmander, Grotle, and Electabuzz)
Also, I still need two more simple OC's for a tournament that's coming up in a few chapters. I have characters submitted to me by pokemonking and wisdom-jewel already. Anyone else who is interested, PM me!
REVIEWS:
pokemongking0924 - "Another amazing battle by Seshiru and although I don't like his outfit Tucker has some great double battle tactics. Wonder if Logan and Yurie got any ideas from watching this battle. If I remember correctly from a side story Sheshiru specializes in water types but said she always has room for cute Pokémon like Wigglytuff, wonder what other non water types she has at Oaks laboratory. Also them secretly eating gummies from each other was cute and this means that they have a bit more in common then they thought, I also love eating gummy candies." - I actually don't know Seshiru's full team to be honest. As for her non Water-type Pokemon, I have no idea!
CrescentApple - "God I hated this battle in the anime. Tucker pulls off these amazing combos, and Ash used just a single move to knock Arcaine and Swampert out of commission. This was better received. The combos were good, Tucker was amusing, and its nice reading about other characters narrating the battle. Wigglytuff is pretty good, even if she hasn't been used consistently like Poliwrath." - I had to go back and watch the battle to get ideas for Tucker's combos. Ash kind of pulled off a weird win.
wisdom-jewel - "I do think it is a good idea for Seshiru to have different types of Pokemon. If she wants to be a Water-Type specialist, it would be a good idea to know the strengths and weaknesses of other types. Such as knowing how to counter-attack each move or what have you. Love the battles and keep up with the good work." - Her team is mostly built to fight off Grass-types, but maybe not Electric-types.