Pokémon Crimson Gold
Chapter 22: The Eevee rescue
Ethan and Bayleef continued their journey through the long Route 35 to reach Ecutreak City. Along the way Ethan met another Trainer in a long forest area.
"I recognize you from that Oak broadcast show, what was your name again?" The Trainer asked. He had long, blond hair, wore wristbands and a Pokéball headband.
"Ethan, and this is Bayleef!" Ethan introduced himself and his starter.
"I'm Jacob!" He spoke. "How about a Pokémon battle?"
"Sure, I can't say no to that?" Ethan said.
"Alright," Jacob said, pulling out a Pokéball. "Let's do this."
Jacob threw out his Pokéball, it had a large furry collar, brown bushy fur, long ears and deep brown eyes. Ethan recognized the Pokémon instantly, it was an Eevee.
"Woah! That's an Eevee, you don't see those often in Johto!" He exclaimed, Bayleef agreed. He then pulled out his Pokédex.
"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. It has the ability to alter the composition of its body to suit its surrounding environment."
This Eevee was kind of different looking though, it looked awfully skinny, and quite beat up. It must have been continuously battling.
"So, you going to battle or what?" The guy asked.
"Uhh, go Flaaffy!" Ethan said, throwing Flaaffy's Pokéball.
"Flaaffy!" Flaaffy cried out.
"Hey, isn't your Eevee, maybe not in any condition to keep battling?" Ethan asked, concerned.
"Shut up and battle!" Jacob yelled. "Eevee, use Quick Attack!"
Eevee rushed into Flaaffy at tremendous speed, knocking Flaaffy back. However, this attack caused Flaaffy's static to activate.
"Eevee!" Eevee moaned as it had been paralyzed.
"Flaaffy, use Take Down! Well, a bit more gently!" Ethan said.
Flaaffy tackled into Eevee, but he made sure to not go at full power, the hit was easily able to knock out the poor Eevee.
"Damnit Eevee!" Jacob yelled at the top of his lungs. He angrily threw his Pokéball hard at the knocked out Eevee, returning it.
"H-hey, easy there!" Ethan yelled at him.
"B-Bay!" Bayleef said in shock to see a Trainer treat another Pokémon like that.
"Eevee, again it fails me! Why did it have to be my first Pokémon!" He turned to Ethan and threw some money at him.
Ethan scooped it up from the floor and then gave Jacob a look of disapproval. Jacob smirked and began to chuckle.
"Alright buddy, this isn't over! I'll find you again once my Eevee feels better." He said, quickly scurrying out of there.
Ethan sighed and turned to Bayleef. "That guy, he's even worse on his Pokémon than Silver, I can't believe he hit it like that."
Bayleef nodded and agreed, she was just glad she had Ethan as a Trainer.
Later that night Ethan prepared a tent for him and his three Pokémon. It was raining so they all huddled together in the tent, he was still a day or two from reaching Ecutreak City.
Ethan hadn't had food for him or his Pokémon other than a few berries, normally he would eat, but instead he decided to split up the berries into mini proportions for Bayleef, Flaaffy, and Togepi.
Flaaffy and Bayleef began to dig into their meals, meanwhile Togepi sat in Ethan's lap as Ethan fed him from a spoon.
"To! Togepi!" Togepi laughed happily.
Ethan loved all his Pokémon but was unhappy with something. After seeing that Trainer and how he treated his Eevee, he began to wonder why he didn't step in and put a stop to him, it was the same with Silver.
Bayleef came and nuzzled her head next to Ethan to try and cheer him up. Making Ethan smile.\
"Sorry you guys, I was just lost in thought." He apologized feeding Togepi the last bite of food he had.
Bayleef nudged the berries Ethan had given her to Ethan, wanting him to eat.
"I-I couldn't," Ethan said shaking his head no. He couldn't stop thinking of the Eevee, and how it looked so starved, he didn't want to do that to his Pokémon.
"Bay Bay!" Bayleef said, trying to plead with him to eat.
Ethan smiled and opened up his backpack, pulling out a half-eaten sandwich, the one Bayleef had given him earlier back in Goldenrod.
"I've got food Bayleef, just hurry up and eat yours." Ethan told her.
She nodded and continued to eat her food.
Ethan put the sandwich back in his backpack, he just couldn't eat. It was then when he heard a noise from outside in the rain.
Ethan opened up his tent to see Jacob, the Trainer from earlier, Jacob had his Pokéball out, looking ready to battle.
"Alright you, I've come back for that rematch." Jacob said.
Ethan looked at him and then looked away. "Have you even gone to a Pokémon Center yet? No way you could have."
"What's it to you?" Jacob asked.
"I don't want a battle with you, unless your Eevee has healed up." Ethan said, not wanting any part of it.
"Heh, well check this out." Jacob said, pulling out his Pokéball and releasing Eevee.
Eevee let out a weak growl, it still appeared to be beat up, only slightly better than earlier.
"Ugh, I don't want to do this!" Ethan pleaded with him.
"The Indigo League rules state a Pokémon Trainer cannot decline a request to do battle!" Jacob told him off.
"F-fine," Ethan sighed. "Bayleef, let's do this."
Bayleef jumped from the tent and looked ready to battle.
Eevee turned its head to look at her Trainer, almost like it didn't want to battle.
"Okay Eevee, Quick Attack let's go!" Jacob shouted.
Eevee began rushing for Bayleef at full speed.
"Bayleef, deflect it with Light Screen!" Ethan yelled.
Bayleef pulled up its Light Screen to deflect the hit, Eevee bounced back upon being blocked, crashing to the ground. It was once again knocked out.
"Shit! What a weak Pokémon!" Jacob said, returning Eevee to its Pokéball.
"There's no such thing as a weak Pokémon! But there are such things as weak Trainers. And you friend, are one." Ethan told him off.
"W-whatever you say tough guy, you won't be talking so much smack once I return!" Jacob said running off.
Flaaffy and Togepi left the tent to see what was going on. Ethan walked up to the two of them and hugged them all.
"Fl-Flaaffy?" Flaaffy said, not sure why he was being hugged.
"As soon as we reach Ecutreak City, why don't we go get us all some real food!" Ethan said, he called Bayleef over so he could hug her as well.
Later in the morning, Ethan and Bayleef continued their way to Ecutreak City, the place was close enough he could see it with binoculars.
"Alright Bayleef, we're close to it!" Ethan exclaimed happily.
Ethan and Bayleef stood on a high ledge, one fall and that would be it.
"Hey you!" Ethan heard, startling him, making him fall off the ledge. However, Bayleef had good reflexes and caught him with her Vine Whip, wrapping his hand, pulling him up.
When Ethan got on he began to pant heavily, almost having died, he got up and was pissed off.
"Damn it! You almost killed me!" He yelled, he then realized who he was looking at, it was Jacob, once again.
"You're going to wish you fell, cause my Eevee's going to wreck you!" He said confidently. He threw out his Pokéball, releasing Eevee. Eevee was shaking upon seeing Ethan, it looked like it didn't want to battle.
"I know your Eevee is tough, but it can't fight at its full potential, I mean look at it, it's really damaged, and starved." Ethan pleaded.
"Here, I have some berries, it's not much, but can you at least try and give it to it?" Ethan asked, holding out his hand to Jacob.
Eevee was happy at seeing this, it began to hang its tongue out happily.
Jacob scoffed and knocked it out of Ethan's hand, far enough it fell off the ledge. "Don't give my Eevee shit! I'm here to battle, not make friends!"
Ethan facepalmed, he went back to his side of the battlefield and sighed.
"Togepi, let's go!" Ethan unhappily exclaimed as he threw his Pokéball.
"Togepi!" Togepi said.
"Alright Eevee, that's a weak looking Pokémon, end it in one shot with swift!" Jacob yelled.
"Don't let it Eevee, use Metronome!" Ethan yelled.
Eevee tried to throw swift, but it was then zapped by static. Ethan then realized this must have been the same paralysis Flaaffy inflicted on it the other day, utterly shocking Ethan.
Togepi after wagging its finger charged a beam of black energy, otherwise known as Dark Pulse, upon hitting Eevee it instantly knocked it out.
"It's over, done!" Ethan said, returning Togepi to his Pokéball. "Now go and get Eevee to a Pokémon Center, it needs to be healed up now!"
"It's fine, it can keep battling! Let's have a round two!" Jacob said.
"Bay! Bayleef! Bay!" Bayleef barked at Jacob, enraged a Trainer could be so awful.
"That's it, you don't deserve that Eevee! I'm taking it!" Ethan demanded. Bayleef formed a battle-ready stance at Jacob.
"No way! Get your own!" Jacob laughed.
Eevee began to get up, it had heard what Ethan said.
"I'll pay you for Eevee! I have about One Thousand Poké dollars? Please?" Ethan begged.
"One thousand? That's not even enough to buy toilet paper! But I'll entertain you, Eevee, who do you want? Me or Ethan, go to whoever you want!" Jacob commanded.
"Sounds great, Eevee, I beg you to come with me, you deserve so much better!" Ethan pleaded.
Eevee looked at Ethan, it was then when its stomach began to growl.
"It's not much, but I have berries if you're hungry. When we reach Ecutreak City after healing up I can get you real food!" Ethan told the Eevee.
Eevee began to tear up after hearing this, it shook its face to hide its tears.
"Eevee! Are you crazy, I'm your Trainer. I've had you for a year now, are you really that disloyal!?" Jacob yelled.
Ethan looked down at the ground, it had already taken a few steps toward Ethan but stopped in its tracks.
"Please Eevee! I want to help you, see this Cheri berry." Ethan said revealing one. "It can heal paralysis, I noticed Flaaffy's static from yesterday still had its effect on you, well this'll make you feel better."
"Bayleef, Bay!" Bayleef said, trying to convince Eevee.
Eevee's face lit up for a second, but then it looked at Jacob, who gave a disapproving look.
Eevee let out a sad squeal and slowly walked back to its Trainer, making Jacob smirk.
"Good boy! See, Eevee wants me!" Jacob laughed.
Ethan turned its face away, not able to look at what it thought was disappointment.
"Alright then Eevee, let's have a round two." Jacob shouted. "Get back to fighting!"
Eevee looked down on the ground and didn't do anything, pissing off Jacob.
"I said, LET'S GO!" Jacob said, he took one big swing with his legs and kicked Eevee in the gut, causing Eevee to spit up blood.
Ethan's face turned with disgust. "Fine, you want a battle then let's do it! Flaaffy I choose you!"
Ethan threw a Pokéball, but instead of unleashing Flaaffy like he said, he smashed Jacob with the Pokéball in the noise, knocking him to the ground making him groan in pain.
Eevee upon seeing that ran up and jumped to Ethan's chest, Ethan caught Eevee and cradled him in his arms.
"I've got you; He isn't going to hurt you anymore!" Ethan said, trying to calm down the poor, crying Eevee.
Bayleef let out a relieved sigh, glad Eevee was now on their side where it couldn't be hurt.
Jacob then got up, wiping some blood from his nose. "You're going to regret that kid!" He yelled.
Jacob grabbed from his bag and pulled out a pocketknife, he flicked it causing the blade to come out.
Ethan turned his face away; he didn't even have any words.
Jacob grinned and let out a sadistic laugh, he ran fourth at Ethan, holding the blade in a stabbing position. Ethan hadn't even moved.
"Die!" He yelled. Before he could come and slice Ethan, he began to be raised by something. Jacob looked down to see Bayleef's Vine Whip, which had raised him into the sky.
"P-put me down you stupid beast!" Jacob said, trying to cut one of Bayleef's vines with the knife.
Bayleef yelled, tossing Jacob through the air and sent him flying off into the distance, hopefully far enough they would never see him again.
Bayleef let out a loud shriek. No one would touch her Trainer.
Ethan smiled and slowly put Eevee on the ground. "Eevee, I'm really proud of you boy, I know how hard it can be for people, or even Pokémon, to get out of abusive situations."
Eevee shook her head no, surprising Ethan.
It turned around and shook its tail, revealing a different coat of fur on its tail Ethan had never seen before.
"I think I get it, so you're a girl!" Ethan said, catching on fast.
Ethan reached out his hand to pet her, which made her flinch. Ethan pulled back his arm and grabbed the Cheri berry he had.
"Eat up, like I said, you'll feel much better!" Ethan assured her.
Eevee turned her face and approached Ethan's hand, she took a bite out of the berry, healing the paralysis.
"Eevee!?" She said with a light smile.
"Now we should get going to Ecutreak City, it seems to be just a few hours away. Like I said, we'll get you checked out at the Center." Ethan reassured her. "I'm going on a journey around the Johto region, I want to collect the eight badges and then challenge the Pokémon League, I can find you a place where you can stay with people who will take care of you. I won't force you to stay with me and battle like that evil Trainer you had."
Eevee turned away and left, surprising Ethan. "A-at least come with me to Ecutreak! It's the least I could do!"
Eevee went to the Pokéball Ethan had thrown at Jacob and rolled it over to him with her head, Ethan grabbed it happily.
"Eevee!" She said, giving out a soft bark.
Ethan smiled and nodded with a tear in his eyes. "Okay then Eevee, I get what you want! You can be my fourth Pokémon!"
Ethan gently threw the Pokéball at Eevee, she headbutted it, causing it to open up and let her inside. The Pokéball fell to the floor and shook three times before blinking in certainty Eevee was caught.
Ethan went up and grabbed the Pokéball, with the biggest grin on his face. Bayleef walked up to Ethan and licked him on the cheek, making Ethan laugh. He put his arm around Bayleef and hugged her before looking back at the Pokéball.
"Eevee. You may not know it now but, you're in good hands." He said proudly.
And now Ethan's fourth Pokémon has been acquired, honestly how could he not have a Eevee on his team. Now the big question, what will Eevee evolve into? If at all?