Chapter 4
Oak hurried outside to watch his grandson and Brayden battle.
"Brayden!" he called out. "Do you know how to battle?!"
Brayden looked at Professor Oak and grinned. "Heh, of course I do! I've been watching battles on TV for years! I'm totally ready for this!"
Squirtle was pleased to see his new Trainer was confident. "Squirt Squirtle!" he chimed in.
Blue's scowl had disappeared from his face. Now his smirk was back in full force. "Hey, kid, if you're done bragging to Gramps about being a couch potato, let's get this over with! Bulbasaur, teach them a lesson!" he shouted, throwing his Poké Ball.
Out came the Seed Pokémon. "Bulba! Bulbasaur!" it cried, assuming a battle pose.
Brayden immediately scanned Bulbasaur with the Pokédex.
"Bulbasaur. The Seed Pokémon. A Grass and Poison type. There is a plant seed on its back right from the day this Pokémon is born. The seed slowly grows larger."
"Alright then, boys. Begin!" Oak proclaimed.
Brayden didn't hesitate to give the first command: "Squirtle, use Tackle!"
"Squirtle!" The Tiny Turtle Pokémon went down on all fours and charged at Bulbasaur.
Blue gave Bulbasaur a command as well. "Bulbasaur, Growl!" Bulbasaur did just that, but Squirtle still tackled the Grass type, sending it reeling.
"Yeah! Take that!" Brayden exclaimed. He was absolutely thrilled to finally be in a Pokémon battle! But Blue didn't seem to care that Bulbasaur had taken damage. He just continued smirking at Brayden, as if daring him to attack again.
"What are you smiling for?!" Brayden yelled, clearly annoyed. "Squirtle, Tackle it again!"
Once again, Squirtle charged at Bulbasaur, and right on cue, Blue commanded Bulbasaur to Growl again. As before, Squirtle's attack connected, but this time Bulbasaur didn't stagger as much.
"What?" "Squirtle?" Both Brayden and Squirtle were confused. "Why did Tackle get weaker?" Brayden wondered out loud.
Blue chuckled. "Seriously? You don't know what Growl does? You really are a noobie!"
Brayden rolled his eyes. "All right, you got me, so what does it do?"
"It drops a Pokémon's Attack stat by one stage, Brayden," Professor Oak said calmly.
Brayden was struck by those words. No wonder Blue was unfazed! Unfortunately for Brayden, there was another crucial thing he had missed.
Squirtle, as a Water type, is weak to Grass type moves.
And Blue was fully willing to exploit that weakness.
"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur unleashed two vines from its bulb and lashed Squirtle with them, dealing massive damage.
"Uh-oh! Are you okay, Squirtle?" Brayden asked the Water type.
Squirtle was still reeling from the attack, but he smacked both his cheeks to regain his focus. "Squirtle, Squirtle!"
Brayden was relieved. "Good! Now use Water Gun!"
A gush of water sprayed from Squirtle's mouth and struck Bulbasaur right in the face. But this seemed even less effective than Tackle, as Bulbasaur didn't even flinch!
Blue roared with laughter. "Are you serious?! You stupid kid! Didn't you learn ANYTHING from those TV battles? Water type moves aren't very effective on Grass types!"
Now Brayden was filled with embarrassment and rage. "SHUT UP! Squirtle, Tackle with everything you have!" Squirtle, also angry that his new friend was being mocked, lunged at Bulbasaur with great speed! "SQUIRTLE!"
Once again, they had played right into Blue's hands. "Time to stop playing around! Use Sleep Powder!" The ex-Champion ordered with a triumphant smirk.
A blue power shot out of Bulbasaur's bulb and enveloped Squirtle. "Squirt?" He said in confusion, before collapsing to the ground. He was not knocked out, but he was asleep.
"No! Don't fall asleep, Squirtle!" Brayden pleaded.
As he was looking at Squirtle, he heard Blue's next command to Bulbasaur.
"Vine Whip!" The vines lashed Squirtle again, but he did not wake up.
Brayden was panicking now. "Squirtle, you have to wake up or we'll lose!" Squirtle didn't wake up.
Another shout from Blue, and the vines struck again. "Squirtle, please!" Squirtle appeared to stir, but his eyes remained closed.
"All right, I'm bored now. Bulbasaur, Tackle that wimp!" Blue ordered his Bulbasaur. The Grass type charged at the sleeping Tiny Turtle Pokémon.
"SQUIRTLE, YOU CAN DO IT! GET UP!" Brayden screamed in desperation. "Squirtle?" The Pokémon's eyes snapped open, but it was too late.
Bulbasaur smashed into him, sending him flying past Brayden and crashing against the trunk of a nearby tree.
Squirtle slid to the ground, his eyes dizzy swirls.
The battle was over.
Brayden and Squirtle had lost.
Brayden sank to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes. He had been so happy just minutes before, but all his joy had been snatched away by that bully. A powerful mixture of rage and sorrow consumed him.
Blue recalled Bulbasaur to its Poké Ball. "Now do you get it, kid? Don't mess with a pro," he said, before walking away. "Thanks for the Bulbasaur, Gramps. Smell ya later!"
As Oak watched his grandson leave, he sighed again. "That grandson of mine is certainly a skilled Trainer, but he's just too arrogant. Sooner or later he has to learn to be more gracious, whether he wins or loses."
"Professor?" Oak heard Brayden ask.
"Yes, my boy?" Oak replied, looking at Brayden.
Brayden wiped the tears from his eyes with his arm, but continued to stare at the ground. "I hate losing. I always have. But it's worse this time, because I'm not the only one who lost. Squirtle did, too."
Professor Oak looked over and saw Squirtle crawling over to his Trainer, with a very sad look on his face.
"Squirtle…" he said weakly.
"We both lost today, and that makes it hurt twice as much," Brayden said, as Squirtle placed his hand on Brayden's.
Oak was intrigued. Never in his life had he heard a Trainer say such a thing after losing a battle. Was there more to this boy than there seemed?
While the Professor contemplated this, Brayden's mother appeared.
"I thought I heard my son screaming. What happened, Professor?" She asked.
Professor Oak waited a moment before responding. "My grandson, unfortunately," he said, clasping his hands behind his back. "Blue came into the lab demanding I give him another Pokémon, they took an immediate dislike to each other, and had a Pokémon battle. I'm afraid my grandson refused to show him mercy."
"Oh, dear. Are you alright, Brayden?" His mother knelt down and hugged him. As she did so, she finally noticed Squirtle.
The Water type looked up at her and smiled. "Squirtle." He slowly waved at her with his other hand.
"Let's take Squirtle back into the lab so we can heal its injuries," Oak said, picking Squirtle up.
While Squirtle was recovering inside his Poké Ball, Brayden explained to his mother everything that had happened after he left the house. Meeting with the assistants, the encounter with the Pidgey, Blue's intrusion, and then the aftermath of the battle.
"Well then, sounds to me like that boy should be disciplined by his parents. That is no way to treat a child! Certainly not one who's just getting started as a Trainer," she said firmly.
Oak facepalmed. "I've talked to his parents, but Blue's simply too stubborn to listen to anyone, Denise."
A tune played, signaling that Squirtle was back to full health. Oak took the Poké Ball and gave it back to Brayden. "There you, go! Squirtle is feeling fine!"
"Thanks, Professor." said Brayden. "What now?" he thought to himself.
"You could come back to the house for now, if this is too much for you," his mother spoke to him gently.
Brayden? Give up? There was an extremely minimal chance of that happening.
"Thanks, Mom, but…I have to go. The only way Squirtle and I can prove Blue wrong about us is to become the very best, like no one ever was. Maybe even more so than Red!" He felt the Poké Ball shake in his hand. Squirtle felt the same!
Denise smiled. "I understand. A journey with Pokémon is the best way for a child to learn and grow. Just remember, you can come home at any time, because I am your mother, and it's my duty to love and protect you!"
Brayden smiled back and hugged her.
"All right then!" Professor Oak said proudly. "But before you go, take these!"
He handed Brayden five Poké Balls. "You'll be needing those to catch new Pokémon to add to your team. Do you know how to catch them, young man?"
Brayden nodded. "Battle them until they're close to fainting, then throw the ball!"
"Excellent!" Professor Oak responded. "Good luck, Brayden! I have faith that you'll become a fine Trainer!"
Brayden grinned. "Bye, Professor! Bye, Mom! We'll do our best!"
And with that, Brayden rushed out of the lab, a reignited fire in his emerald green eyes.
Author's Note: All right! Brayden's adventure has finally begun! What Pokémon will he catch? What battles will he take part in? You'll just have to wait and see!