A/N: At the bottom. Adding this in to keep the title centered :D
Pokemon Journey: Indigo Plateau
Chapter 12: New Friends
"Good morning Nurse Joy," Brandon greets the nurse with a friendly smile.
"Good morning," Nurse Joy smiles back warmly. "How may I help you?"
"I am hoping you can help us with some planning," Brandon explains. "I was told north and south of Cerulean City are great spots to train before Misty's battle. Which one would you recommend first?"
"Good question," Nurse Joy replies, thinking. "North of Cerulean City is what the locals have deemed the "Nugget Bridge", where they hold daily mini-tournaments, and the ever-beautiful Cerulean Cape. And if you are really lucky, you could also run into Bill, who created the early version of the Pokemon Storage System. South is mostly fields that are big enough to train and not bother anyone. Now, since you only have two Pokemon so far, I would recommend going south and possibly adding to your party, since the Nugget Bridge Battles trainers usually have three Pokemon."
"That's perfect. Thank you," Brandon says gratefully before leaving to join Ava outside. Stepping into the road, Brandon looks over at the lineup at the gym. He's thankful for not challenging Misty today. In the cool, sweet air, residents are up, walking through the streets with purpose. In fact, Brandon almost gets ran over by a bicycle messenger, who throws him a hasty apology. Above them, the sun is shining brightly.
"What did Nurse Joy say?" Ava asks, wearing a simple blue t-shirt and capris. She has on a pair of sunglasses and a ball cap.
"She recommends that we go south first," Brandon replies, taking off his sweatshirt and ties it around his waist. "Apparently, they have daily mini-tournaments on Nugget Bridge but they usually have three Pokemon."
"So you want to train and catch a new member? Makes sense," Ava nods approvingly.
"Well, let's head out I guess, unless if you want to look around the town?" Brandon asks her.
"We have time to do both," Ava answers. "Cerulean City will always be here but who knows when you will spot a Pokemon you want to add to your team. Lets go south first."
"Sounds like a plan," Brandon says, looking around. Spotting a walking path that leads south, Brandon and Ava began to walk it. Soon, they pass a park, sounds of laughter filling the air. Brandon and Ava share a smile as they soon were out of Cerulean City and in the fields, just like Nurse Joy said. The Path seems to head down the left side and curve around a bend though Ava points out another path that comes from where they entered Cerulean City and it leads down the right side and seemingly joins the left path behind the curve.
Brandon leads down the left side and pauses in a big wide-open field. He summons Squirtle and Tangela, while Ava summons Eevee and Omanyte. Brandon spots trees at the edge of the field, leading into possible bushes but for the most part, it was just Ava and him. Something that he didn't mind at all.
"Alright," Brandon calls out, getting Squirtle and Tangela's attention. "We are going to train for Misty, our next gym leader. All I know about her is that she uses water-type Pokemon. I don't want to repeat my mistake from Forrest's match, so today, we are training for a while. Tangela, I want you to keep working on your dodging by jumping back and forth. Once you get comfortable doing that, let's try and add in stun spore. Squirtle, I want to work on rapid spin, specifically the dizzy part. Understand?"
Squirtle and Tangela nods, showing they understand. As they are about to break into their training, Brandon calls out. "Don't over-exert yourselves alright? If you need to take a break and get some water, don't hesitate!"
Tangela sets up and begins hopping back and forth, increasing the distance between hops. Every fifth hop, he snapped a vine at the ground. At first, the vine wasn't fast or accurate but after ten minutes of hopping and vining, he notices the speed and accuracy getting better. Something that Brandon notice as well. He walks over to the vine Pokemon. "Great job Tangela. If we can attack while you are dodging, that will be a great counterattack."
"Tangela!" Tangela says, hopping back and forth, determine to get better.
"On every tenth hop, try releasing stun spore," Brandon suggests, also hopping alongside Tangela.
"Tang," Tangela nods, not breaking his hopping.
On the tenth hop, Tangela tries to release his orange powder but it just flutters in front of him. Another ten hops, he tries again with a little better success. Stun spore shot a little further this time. Another ten hops later, Tangela tries again and this time, the distance increases again.
Brandon watches in pride. "Tangela, that's awesome. Keep training like that and you should improve distance and speed. I'm going to head over to Squirtle now. If you need anything, let me know alright?"
Tangela nods but doesn't break his stride. Brandon watches for a moment later, feeling pride for him. Brandon swings around and briefly look over at Ava, who was also training Eevee and Omanyte. With a nod and smile, Brandon walks over to Squirtle, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Squirtle has been spinning for the past ten minutes or so, trying to keep from getting dizzy. While spinning, Squirtle will walk forward five paces and stop, waiting to see if he would throw up. After waiting and not throwing up, he would walk to the left five paces before stopping and waiting. Again, after not throwing up, he would walk to the right five paces and stops again. Not even feeling little nausea, he repeats the process but this time to the left. Not feeling anything, Squirtle grins before stopping the spin.
"Awesome job Squirtle," Brandon calls out. "I knew you can do it. Are you ready to try spinning in your shell?"
Squirtle nods before holding up his hand. He walks over and takes a sip of water. Brandon joins him. "So now, it looks like we have two strategies with you."
"Squirt?" Squirtle asks, looking up at him.
"I haven't forgotten about the shell strategy," Brandon replies, also taking a swig of water. Tangela joins them. "Ready to try it again?"
Squirtle nods, putting down his water bottle. Tangela also puts down his bottle and resumes his hopping technique, watching Squirtle.
"Alright Squirtle let's give it a try. Use rapid spin!" Brandon calls out.
Squirtle quickly withdraws into his shell and began spinning in place. Within his shell, he fires of a water gun on the ground and shoots forward at a fast pace, still spinning.
"Whenever you feel comfortable, come out and use water gun!" Brandon calls out again.
Squirtle waits a couple of seconds before coming out of his shell and firing a water gun at an imaginary target. He is able to execute the move though the water gun didn't have enough power in it.
"Great job! That is progress," Brandon shouts with glee. Tangela cheers for him from the side. "Next step will be getting your water gun to have more power."
"Squirtle!" Squirtle calls out, determined to master this new strategy.
For the next twenty minutes, Squirtle went back and forth, with his water gun getting more powerful with each set. 'Rapid Gun", as Brandon calls it, looks like it might be a good tactic.
Shortly afterward, Brandon calls in his team. "I'm proud of you guys. Tangela, your release while dodging has gotten a lot better and faster. Squirtle, you managed to master rapid spin, as well as rapid gun. Why not take a break, and lets watch Ava train."
On her side, Ava is training Eevee and Omanyte separately as well. She's having Eevee working on her speed, hoping to increase quick attack's speed. She's also trying to teach Omanyte a new move while Eevee is currently jumping on and off a rock, to build up strength.
"Omanyte, tuck inside your shell and try rolling," Ava instructs the spiral Pokemon.
Omanyte enters his shell and rolls forward, though he quickly slides back out and throws up. He starts to cry so Ava sits down cross legged next to him and holds him. "It's alright. We can work on it slowly."
"Omanyte," Omanyte replies, as his crying slowly stops.
"I will be honest, I haven't raised a Pokemon from an egg before, so this is all new to me as well," Ava tells him. "We will figure this out together. Deal?"
"Omanyte" Omanyte nods, as Eevee comes over.
"What say we stop training for now, and you two go have fun," Ava says, placing Omanyte on the ground. Omanyte and Eevee immediately began playing tag. Soon Squirtle and Tangela join them as Brandon sits down next to Ava.
"That's a good thing you did," Brandon says softly.
"Yeah. I made the mistake of not remembering that Omanyte is still an infant," Ava tells him, stretching out on the grass. "In time, he will get stronger. No need to rush it."
"Yeah," Brandon says, agreeing with her. He lays back in the grass, looking up at the sun.
"I saw that Squirtle mastered rapid spin," Ava says, also laying in the grass. "Congratulations."
"Thanks, but it was all him," Brandon says, shrugging off the praise.
"Give yourself some credit," Ava tells him.
"I guess," Brandon says before he notices an unknown Pokemon staring at him. Blinking, Brandon turns around and stares at an orange and brown dog Pokemon, who was wagging his tail. "Hello there."
"Growl!" the Pokemon responds with a quick, excited bark. He quickly bounds towards the other four Pokemon playing and joins in. Brandon and Ava watch in amazement how he just blends in with the group as if he was always a part of it. Brandon takes out his dex and scans the Pokemon.
"Growlithe, The Puppy Pokemon. Fire-Type. A Pokémon with a friendly nature. However, it will bark fiercely at anything invading its territory."
"Guess we aren't in its territory," Brandon remarks.
"Guess not," Ava chuckles. "Look at how well he blends in with the group."
"You should catch it," Brandon tells her.
"Why me?" Ava asks, looking at Brandon.
"You said you wanted to be a cop when you were younger right?" Brandon asks. Ava nods, so Brandon continues. "Not sure if the police in Johto use them as partners but the ones in Kanto, at least the ones we have passed do."
"Oh.. wow. That's sweet," Ava responds, not sure how to respond to that. She never expected Brandon to do something like that, or anyone for that matter. She had to think about it for a moment before standing up and taking an empty Pokeball off her belt. "Hey Growlithe. I'm travelling around Kanto. Would you like to come with me?"
"Growlithe!" Growlithe barks, running over to her, wagging his tail. He pushes his nose on the button and went inside the ball. It jiggles a couple of times before clicking, signalling that Growlithe now is Ava's Pokemon. Behind her, Brandon smiles.
"What say we head back and explore the town?" Brandon suggests.
"Sounds good," Ava says, before quietly speaking this part. "Thank you, Brandon."
"Anytime," Brandon smiles warmly, calling his Pokemon to him. He quickly explains to them where they are going and proceeds to walk back towards Cerulean City, eager to explore the city. Ava follows him, deep in thought.
Re-entering the city, they decide to quickly freshen up before regrouping at the Pokemon Center entrance. Ava nudges Brandon when she saw who was on the TV. Brandon turns towards it, watching.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like Chloe from Pallet Town is closing in on the victory. Lets see if she can clutch it out!" The announcer shouts excitedly.
The scoreboard shows that Chloe and Misty are down to their last Pokemon each. Chloe's side shows an X through Pidgey and shows Pikachu is her currently Pokemon. On the other side, it shows an X through a star-like Pokemon for Misty. Misty was now using a green-toad Pokemon.
The battlefield was an entire pool with 4 platforms located in a square shape. Pikachu jumps from the one platform to another, closing in on the unknown Pokemon, before his fist began to glow white, smashing into the toad Pokemon, ultimately defeating it.
"Would you look at that. A surprising mega punch attack leads to a victory for Chloe, who now has 2 badges. She is also awarded two tickets to the S.S Anne that will be in Vermillion City in about 3 weeks. Now, back to you Jim..."
"Wow. She didn't waste time huh?" Brandon says. "Looks like teaching mega punch to Pikachu worked out."
"Yeah, though I'm surprised Misty is handing out tickets for a cruise ship as a reward," Ava remarks, blinking.
"That used to be Bill's job but since he's away so often, he made a deal with Misty," Nurse Joy explains. "Those who beat her get tickets."
"Do other gym leaders do something like that?" Brandon asks.
"Not to my knowledge," Nurse Joy answers. "It does have its drawbacks. As the announcer said, S.S Anne, sets sail in three weeks' time. It's not a long time to win the tickets and get down there."
"That explains why so many people are at her gym now," Ava says, putting the pieces together.
"Exactly," Nurse Joy nods, confirming that detail. She sees trainers entering the Pokemon Center. "Well have fun. I have to get back to work."
"Thanks again Nurse Joy," Brandon says, leaving the Pokemon Center with Ava. "Looks like the gym battle just got more challenging."
"Don't think about the tickets," Ava advises him. "Just focus on the match itself."
"I'll try," Brandon replies, looking at the gym, hoping to run into Chloe but no such luck through that thick line. "So, where should we go?"
"No idea," Ava chuckles. "Let's just walk around and see if a shop catches our attention."
For the next twenty minutes, Brandon and Ava push through the crowd of people before a bike shop looked a little interesting. Pausing to read the sign (Bikes cost 1,000,000 Pokedollars), Brandon chuckles at it and shakes his head before they continue to walk around the streets. Finally, they reach the Pokemon Center again, not really finding any store that interested them.
Just as Brandon was about to enter, he is thrown to the ground by a small little creature. Rubbing his head, he looks at a pale blue Pokemon with big ears and fangs sticking out. He notices that the horn is rounded. He blinks, taking out his Pokedex.
"Nidoran(F), The Poison Pin Pokemon. Poison type. It uses its hard incisor teeth to crush and eat berries. The tip of a female Nidoran's horn is a bit more rounded than the tip of a male's horn," the dex chimes back.
"Well, hello to you Nidoran," Brandon greets the Pokemon, still on the ground. "I'm sorry if I offended you."
"Nidoran!" Nidoran calls out, pawing at Brandon's pocket.
Curious, Brandon stands up and pulls out the black rock he got from Mt. Moon. At the sight of it, Nidoran tries to jump and grab the stone, though Brandon was quicker and held it high.
"Interesting," Ava speaks up. "Nidorina/Nidorino evolves from a Moonstone, which is what we were given. But for Nidoran to sense it, it's incredible. It's not common."
"Do you want this?" Brandon asks the Nidoran.
"Nidoran!" Nidoran nods, still trying to get the stone. Meanwhile, a crowd gathers around, watching the scene.
"Alright. I will make a deal with you," Brandon tells her.
Nidoran stops for a moment, listening to Brandon.
"We will battle for it. If I win, you can come with me, and when the time is right, you can use it," Brandon explains the terms. "If you win, you can keep the stone. Deal?"
Nidoran thinks for a moment, before nodding her head and getting into a fighting stance. Brandon unclips a Pokeball before summoning his partner.
"Squirtle, let's go!" Brandon calls out his tiny turtle partner. "Start off with water gun!"
Nidoran began to charge at Squirtle before being pushed off course to dodge the water gun. Nidoran began to growl, which causes Squirtle to back up a little. Nidoran began to charge again, this time firing purple points towards Squirtle.
"Brandon, that's poison sting," Ava tells him from the sidelines.
"Thanks. Squirtle, dodge them!" Brandon orders.
Squirtle did a good job of dodging most but a few did hit him, causing him damage. But then he grimaces again, signaling he was poisoned from it. Brandon realizes that time wasn't on his side now but he keeps a calm head.
"Squirtle, battle through the poison and come in with another water gun," Brandon commands.
Squirtle unleashes a water gun, aimed at Nidoran, who manages to dodge most of it, though she did get clipped by it. She closes the gap and with percussion, she sends a double kick towards Squirtle, hitting both times. Squirtle was now grimacing from pain from that attack and poison.
Brandon grits his teeth. Nidoran is showing she's a fighter, causing Squirtle problems. He had to come up with something quick before Squirtle succumbs to the poison. But what? He watches as Nidoran comes in with another double kick.
"Squirtle, withdraw!" Brandon shouts. He can't play defensive right now. He needs to go on the offensive. "When the last double kick hits, grab Nidoran's leg and toss her into the air!"
Squirtle ducks into his shell, waiting for that split moment. As the double kick hits his shell twice, Squirtle shoots his arms out, grabbing Nidoran by the leg and with a mighty heave, tosses her into the air, before grimacing from the poison. The crowd silent, watching the battle.
"Don't give into the poison Squirtle. Now, use water gun!" Brandon shouts,
Squirtle fires off a well-aimed water gun, hitting Nidoran in the stomach. Nidoran slams into the ground, causing damage, yet she still gets up and faces the grimacing Squirtle.
"Wait for it Squirtle," Brandon orders, watching Nidoran coming in again with a charge. As she got closer, she slams into Squirtle with another double kick, causing Squirtle to fall to his knees, grimacing from the poison damage.
"Come on Squirtle, you can do it. I believe in you!" Brandon yells. Suddenly, Squirtle was surrounded by a blue aura, which catches Brandon by surprise.
"That's torrent, Squirtle's ability," Ava calls out. "His water attacks will be more powerful. But you have to end this quick."
"Squirtle, let's finish this. Water gun!" Brandon shouts, pointing at the charging Nidoran.
Squirtle fires a powered water gun, hitting Nidoran in the face, causing her to wobble and lose vision of Squirtle. Another water gun hits her, causing her to pant.
"Thanks, Squirtle. I'll take it from here," Brandon shouts, throwing a Pokeball at Nidoran. The ball bounces off her head before a red beam sucks her in. The ball wobbles a few times on the ground before clicking. The crowd cheers for Brandon, who smiles as he picks up the ball. "We did it Squirtle."
Squirtle gives a thumbs up before collapsing on the ground. Brandon quickly recalls him and rushes into the Pokemon Center and hands his team to Nurse Joy.
"It might take a little bit," Nurse Joy tells him with a kind smile. "We will let you know when they are good to go."
Brandon sits down on the couch with Ava as they await news. It felt like forever but in reality, it was thirty minutes before Brandon was able to pick up his Pokemon. With a grin, he releases Nidoran in the lounge.
"Hello Nidoran, I'm Brandon and this is Ava," Brandon introduces them. "I'm traveling around Kanto to collect badges and I know you would be perfect for this team. Would you like to join us?"
"Nid?" Nidoran asks, pointing her horn at Brandon's pocket.
"When the time is right, you can use the stone," Brandon promises.
"Nidoran!" Nidoran nods her head, ready to be part of the team.
"Great. Happy to have you aboard," Brandon says, going to pet her. Instead. Nidoran growls at Brandon and backs away. "Guess you aren't one for pets. What about food? Surely you must be hungry after that battle?"
Nidorans nods, joining Brandon and his team for supper. She sat and ate quietly, trying to size up her new teammates. Squirtle, she has respect for, since he put up a good fight. She wasn't sure about Tangela though.
"I guess tomorrow, we will visit Nugget Bridge?" Ava asks, eating a seafood plate.
"Sounds good to me," Brandon nods his head. "Perhaps I should book a time tomorrow, just to be on the safe side."
"Wouldn't be a bad idea," Ava replies. She finishes her plate before yawning. "I'm headed to bed. Good night."
"I'm headed to bed as well," Brandon says, yawning too. "Come on guys. We're be refreshed for tomorrow."
Soon, both trainers and Pokemon were sound asleep.
Team Listings:
Brandon Adams:
Squirtle - Male, Torrent ability. Knows Water Gun, tackle, Withdraw, Rapid Spin
Tangela - Male, Leaf Guard ability. Knows Bind, Stun Spore, Absorb, Growth
Nidoran – Female – Unknown ability. Knows Growl, Poison Sting, Double Kick
Ava Mcarthur:
Eevee - Female. Run Away ability. Knows tackle, Quick Attack
Omanyte - Male. Weak Armor ability. Knows: Withdraw, Constrict
Growlithe – Unknown Gender. Unknown ability. Knows: Unknown.
A/N: Good evening :) Hope everyone had a great weekend and hopefully a great week. I am putting this author's note at the end so I don't spoil anything :) Originally, I had the two captures switched (Brandon with Growlithe and Ava with Nidoran) but with Ava's dream of becoming a cop, it made sense for her to have the Growlithe, at least to me. And Brandon gets a scrappy Pokemon. I was thinking of having Nugget Bridge in this chapter as well, but figured it would be too long. So next chapter, we shall see Nugget Bridge and the Cape of Cerulean (as it seems like a tradition for journey fics xD). I'm hoping to have the chapter up this week sometime. Until then, enjoy!