Chapter Ten
Our two heroes are still on their way to Vermilion City, where Breea hopes to earn her third badge. Today, however, we find her hard at work training up her team.
"All right Pikachu, I want you to use your Quick Attack on Pidgey." Breea commanded. Pikachu nodded and sped toward the small bird Pokemon as fast as he could. However, Pidgey flew out of the way right before Pikachu's attack could strike.
"Now Pidgey, use Sand Attack." said Breea. Pidgey whipped up a pile of sand and threw it at Pikachu. Fortunately, none of the sand landed in Pikachu's eyes.
"Nice work." said Breea. "If we keep this up, we'll definitely get that gym badge with no problem."
"Breea, time for lunch." called Tyson.
"Okay." said Breea. "Break time, guys." She recalled Pidgey and ran over to the site where Tyson was cooking.
"I think you'll like this." said Tyson. "It's a recipe that's been in my family for generations." Breea wasn't sure exactly what the recipe was, but she did like trying new foods. So she took a bite and smiled.
"This is really good, Tyson." she said. "Exactly what is this recipe called?"
"It's called tuna eyeballs." answered Tyson. "It's supposed to taste like shrimp."
"I love shrimp." said Breea.
"Then you'll definitely like this meal." said Tyson. Breea took another bite.
"I love this." she said. "Here Pikachu, you give this a try too." She handed a little piece to the electric starter, but Pikachu just spit it out.
"Pika!" it replied angrily.
"I'm guessing he doesn't like it." said Tyson.
"Is that true, buddy?" asked Breea. Pikachu nodded.
"That's okay. If you don't like it, then you don't have to eat it." said Breea and she gave Pikachu his regular Pokemon food.
"Pika pi." he cried happily and dug into his food.
"You have a really good understanding of what kind of food your Pokemon likes and doesn't like." said Tyson.
"I'm not going to force Pikachu to eat something it doesn't like." said Breea.
"That's the sign of a really considerate trainer." said Tyson. They finished up their lunch, and right as they were about to leave their picnic area, they were approached by a young girl who was about a year older than Breea.
"All right, which one of you wants to have a battle with me?" she asked.
"I will." said Breea and she stepped forward.
"Hey wait a minute. Aren't you the daughter of the famous Ash Ketchum?" asked the girl.
"Why, yes I am." said Breea. "But how did you know that?"
"I've seen some of your dad's battles on TV." said the other trainer. "He's really good. In fact, according to the PokePedia entry I recently looked up about him, he finished in the top sixteen in the Pokemon League."
"That was years ago." said Breea. "And mind you, he managed that accomplishment with a disobedient Charizard."
"How do you know about Ash's Charizard?" asked the other trainer.
"He's told me stories about it before." said Breea. "Anyway, let's battle. How many Pokemon should we use?"
"Let's make this a one on one battle." said the other trainer.
"That's fine with me." said Breea. "Are you ready to go, Pikachu?" Pikachu nodded and ran in front of Breea.
"So you're choosing Pikachu." said the trainer. "It's cute, but I think the Pokemon I'm about to show you is even cuter." She threw her Poke Ball and out popped a small quadruped Pokemon with brown fur, a bushy tail and a cream colored furry collar. Breea took out Dexter to find out information about the Pokemon.
"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. It has the potential to evolve into any one of three different Pokémon depending on which type of evolutionary stone is used on it."
"That Eevee may be cute, but let's see how good it is in battle." said Breea. "Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt!" Pikachu shot a powerful beam of electric energy at the Eevee and scored a direct hit.
"That's it, Pikachu." said Breea confidently. However, Eevee shook off the attack like it was nothing.
"Hey, what gives?!" cried Breea.
"You obviously didn't notice how shiny Eevee's coat is." said the other trainer. "Ordinarily, an electric attack would've done something, but that shiny coat it has means it just resists electric attacks. Eevee, use your Quick Attack." Eevee made a beeline straight for Pikachu.
"Quick, dodge it with Agility!" ordered Breea. Pikachu complied and used its' speed to avoid being hit by Eevee.
"That's it, buddy." said Breea. "Since electric attacks won't work, we'll have to try something else. Use your own Quick Attack." Pikachu ran straight for its' opponent, but Eevee reacted quickly and completely avoided the attack.
"Your Pikachu's fast, but it's not fast enough to beat Eevee." said the other trainer.
"We'll see about that." said Breea.
"Eevee, use your Take Down now!" cried the other trainer. Eevee charged with all of its' strength.
"Pikachu look out!" cried Breea. Pikachu tried to dodge, but it wasn't fast enough and got hit.
"That's the way, Eevee." said the other trainer. "Now go for Swift." Eevee fired a beam of stars, which directly hit Pikachu and sent him sprawling onto the grass.
"Pikachu!" cried Breea and she ran over to her electric type starter. "Are you okay?" Pikachu weakly nodded.
"Pikachu looks like it's taken a bit of a beating." said Tyson. "Maybe you two should quit before it gets more serious injuries."
"I think you're right." said Breea. "But I'll let Pikachu decide." She turned to her friend. "What do you think, Pikachu? Do you want to try and keep battling?" Pikachu shook its' head.
"I understand." said Breea.
"Well, it looks like I win." said the other trainer.
"I guess so." said Breea. "You did great, Pikachu. You definitely deserve a rest."
"Well done, Eevee." said the other trainer. She recalled Eevee and walked up to Breea.
"I'm impressed with how Pikachu battled. You've definitely raised it well." she said.
"Thanks. Your Eevee did well too." said Breea. "I just didn't expect it to be as strong as it was. How did it get to be so strong, anyway?"
"Through lots of practice and lots of battles, that's how." answered the other trainer. "By the way, my name's Heather. It's very nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Breea." said Breea.
"I've got an idea." said Heather. "Why don't you come over to my house? I bet my parents would love to meet you."
"I'll gladly take you up on that offer." said Breea.
"Then let's go." said Heather and they made their way toward the main road. Not far away, Jasmine and Horace were watching them through binoculars.
"So, looks like the twerp made a new friend." said Jasmine.
"That Eevee of hers in that battle was quite something." said Horace.
"I'll say." said Jasmine. "You saw that shiny coat it had, right?"
"I did." said Horace. "That's why we need to steal it."
"Why not just settle for Eevee when we can get Pikachu too?" said Jasmine.
"I like the way you think." said Horace and they went off to think about their plan.
"You're going to love my house." said Heather. "I've got all kinds of Pokemon stuff in my room."
"I can't wait to see it." said Breea. Half an hour later, they finally reached Heather's house.
"Mom, I'm home!" she called.
"Hello there, sweetheart." said Heather's mom. "I see you made a new friend."
"This is Breea." said Heather. "She's been on a Pokemon journey for a little while now."
"I see." said Heather's mom. "So my daughter says that you're the daughter of the world famous Ash Ketchum."
"That's right." said Breea. "I even have a Pikachu of my own."
"Oh that thing is so cute!" cried Heather's mother. Pikachu let out a happy smile.
"Hey Breea, do you think I could shake hands with your Pikachu?" asked Heather.
"I don't know." said Brea. "Pikachu doesn't really take kindly to people it's not used to."
"Please?" begged Heather. "I promise I'll be very careful." Breea thought carefully for a moment.
"All right, but you have to be gentle." said Breea. Heather put her hand out so that Pikachu could grab it.
"I want to be friends with you, Pikachu." said Heather. Pikachu smiled again and happily shook hands with Heather.
"Looks like you two have definitely warmed up to each other." said Breea.
"Heather, why don't you show Breea your room." said Heather's mom.
"Okay." said Heather. "Come on, Breea." She led her new friends up the stairs and into her room.
"Well, what do you think?" she asked. Breea and Tyson both looked around in amazement. The bedspread was neatly made and was a light blue color with red and white Poke Ball decorating it. The desk was shaped like a Snorlax and the blinds on her window had Horsea on them. Her shelves contained a lot of Pokemon books and her television had Pikachu ears on it.
"I must say, this is pretty impressive." said Breea. "Pikachu agrees with me, right buddy?" Pikachu nodded.
"So is Eevee the only Pokemon you have?" asked Tyson.
"That's right." said Heather. "I want to get more, but my mom doesn't want me going on a journey just yet. You know how moms are."
"My mom doesn't live with me right now." said Breea.
"How come?" asked Heather.
"Because she's busy with her duties as the gym leader in Cerulean City." said Breea. She showed Heather the two badges she had won.
"That's pretty cool." said Heather. "Whenever I'm able to start my journey, I want to try and make it to the Pokemon League. I'm assuming that's what your goal is?"
"That's right." said Breea. "You know, I have other Pokemon besides Pikachu. Would you like to see them?"
"I sure would." said Heather. Breea grabbed her five Poke Balls and threw them.
"Come on out, guys." she said. Out came her Poliwag, Growlithe, Bulbasaur, Pidgey and Butterfree.
"Those are all pretty cool Pokemon." said Heather.
"Thanks." said Breea. "Pidgey was the first Pokemon I ever caught and I just rescued Growlithe here from an abusive trainer."
"Exactly how was Growlithe's old trainer abusive?" asked Heather.
"You don't want to know." said Breea. "Guys, say hello to our new friend." All five Pokemon greeted Heather with their respective cries.
"See, they like you already." said Breea.
"I have an idea." said Heather. "There's a field in the backyard where our Pokemon can play with each other."
"That's a good idea." said Breea. "What do you say, guys?" The Pokemon nodded their heads.
"Looks like they approve." said Tyson.
"Then let's go." said Heather. The two girls hurried outside, with Tyson and the Pokemon following right behind. Heather let out her Eevee so that it could play with Pikachu.
"Pikachu and Eevee have definitely become fast friends with each other." said Breea. "I actually hope to own an Eevee myself someday."
"All I'm going to say about that is good luck." said Heather. "From what I hear, Eevee isn't easy to come across in the wild."
"Tell me about it." said Breea. "The only Eevee I've seen so far is yours. How did you get it, anyway?"
"I've had it since last year, when I turned ten." said Heather. "It was a little shy at first, but then it started warming up to me and we've been a team ever since."
"Well Pikachu here has been my best friend ever since the two of us first met not too long ago." said Breea. "Isn't that right, buddy?" Pikachu nodded happily.
"Was Pikachu the Pokemon you wanted to start with?" asked Heather.
"Believe it or not, Pikachu actually wasn't my first choice." said Breea. "I had wanted a Bulbasaur, but I woke up too late the day I started my journey and by the time I got to the lab, all of the other starters were no longer available so I ended up with Pikachu."
"That's not necessarily a bad thing, though." said Heather. "I think Pikachu's a great Pokemon to start out with. But yours seems to be different than all the Pikachu I've seen."
"What do you mean?" asked Breea.
"Look at its' ears." said Heather. Breea turned to Pikachu and saw that its' ears were pointed a bit more upward than usual.
"See what I mean?" said Heather.
"Yes I do." said Breea. "I still love my Pikachu just the same, though." Pikachu gave a happy cry. The Pokemon spent the remainder of the day playing happily with each other. At about six o'clock, Heather's mom opened up the back door.
"Dinnertime!" she called.
"Okay Mom." said Heather. The two girls recalled their Pokemon and the three trainers made their way into the kitchen.
"This smells good, Mom." said Heather.
"It's spaghetti with anchovies, your favorite." said Heather's mom. Everyone happily dug into their meals.
"By the way Breea, I don't think I introduced myself to you earlier." said Heather's mom. "My name's Bridget."
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance." said Breea. "Your cooking's really good."
"Thanks." said Bridget. Once they had all finished their dinner, Heather came up with another idea.
"How would you like to sleep over tonight?" she asked.
"I don't know about that." said Breea. "Tyson and I were kind of hoping to continue making our way to the next city."
"Actually Breea, it might be best if we do stay here for the night." said Tyson. "It's getting kind of late."
"I suppose you're right." said Breea. "All right Heather, we'll stay."
"Perfect." said Heather. "You and I can sleep in my room and Tyson can sleep in the guest room."
"That works for me." said Tyson and they all made their way upstairs. When the girls got back into Heather's room, Heather let her Eevee back out and it started a conversation with Pikachu.
"I wish I knew what they were talking about." said Breea.
"If Pokemon could talk, it would be a lot easier." said Heather. "But you and I both know that Pokemon can't talk." Pikachu and Eevee held hands and stared out the window at the setting sun. Soon it got dark and the girls let out a yawn.
"Well, I think it's time we got some sleep." said Heather and they both settled down into the bed.
"Good night, Breea." said Heather.
"Good night, Heather." said Breea. The two girls fell fast asleep, but Pikachu and Eevee continued their conversation. They got tired soon after, however, and fell asleep themselves beside their trainers. The next morning, the girls woke up feeling refreshed.
"That was a great night's sleep." said Heather.
"I'll say." said Breea. Pikachu opened its' eyes, looked across the room and noticed that the window was open.
"That's odd." said Heather. "I know I closed that window last night before we went to bed."
"Pika chu pi!" cried Pikachu.
"What's the matter, Pikachu?" asked Breea. Pikachu pointed to Heather's side of the bed and saw an empty space.
"I think Pikachu's trying to say that Eevee's gone." said Breea. Heather gasped.
"We've got to find it!" she cried. They got dressed and hurried outside just in time to see a big balloon start to fly away.
"I think that's the reason your Eevee disappeared." said Breea. "Team Rocket must've snuck in right before we woke up and stolen it."
"I don't know who Team Rocket is." said Heather.
"Well you're about to find out." cried a female voice from inside the balloon.
"I know that voice." said Breea. Just then, Tyson rushed outside.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Team Rocket's up to no good again." said Breea. "They took Heather's Eevee."
"This Eevee's coming with us." said a male voice.
"I know that voice too." said Breea. "It's Jasmine and Horace."
"I don't know who you are, but you better give Eevee back to me right now you thieves!" cried Heather.
"We'd love to give it back, but then we wouldn't be doing our jobs." said Jasmine.
"In other words, tough luck." said Horace. "Let's go, Jasmine."
"Oh I don't think so." said Breea. "Pidgey, I choose you!" She released her bird Pokemon from its' ball.
"Pidgey, take that balloon down!" ordered Breea. Pidgey complied and flew right in Team Rocket's direction. It flew so fast that Horace and Jasmine could only watch as Pidgey's beak punctured the balloon and sent it to the ground.
"Let's get Eevee." said Heather and they ran over to the balloon. Eevee was in a glass capture capsule and looking very miserable.
"I'll get you out of there in no time, Eevee." said Heather. She pressed a button on the capsule and Eevee came running up to its' trainer.
"Thank goodness you're okay." said Heather. "How dare you two try to steal Eevee. It's my best friend!"
"Pikachu, you know what to do." said Breea. Pikachu nodded and unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt attack, resulting in a huge explosion that sent Jasmine and Horace into the sky.
Ding!
"Well, that was easy." said Heather. Breea recalled Pidgey and the girls went inside to have their breakfast.
"What was that noise outside?" asked Bridget.
"Someone tried to steal Eevee, but we managed to get it back." said Breea.
"Thank goodness." said Bridget. After breakfast, Tyson and Breea got ready to hit the road.
"I really enjoyed meeting your Eevee, Heather." said Breea.
"Thanks. Same here with meeting your Pikachu." said Heather.
"I hope we see each other again real soon." said Breea.
"I hope so too." said Heather. The two girls hugged each other and then Tyson and Breea went on their way.
So, after thwarting Team Rocket once again, Breea and Tyson say goodbye to their new friend. For Breea, the focus now is trying to win her third badge as her journey continues.