Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Pokémon or any of its parent companies. I am merely a humble storyteller. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this journey with me.
Note: I am English, so some of the wording, spellings, and expressions will be those commonly used in England.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Techniques and Conversations
"Do it again, Pikachu!" Red called out to his electric mouse.
Pikachu's body became surrounded by thin streams of electricity, and he bowed his head and sped towards the blue creature who had atop its cranium a flower that consisted of bulbous red petals tattooed with small white spots.
The creature stumbled and dropped to one knee as it took the hit, breathing heavily. Pikachu pitter-pattered back to his Trainer.
"That was awesome, Pikachu," Red said joyously. "You got it so quickly."
Pikachu pitter-pattered past his Trainer.
Red sighed. "You'll warm up to me eventually, Pikachu. You're the one who willingly joined me after all." He turned to Evan, who strode over to the plant creature and rubbed one of its petals, whispering soothing words to it. "Is Vileplume okay?"
"Vileplume's fine," Evan said, his own Pikachu with a heart-shaped tail balanced on his shoulder. "He can take a lot more than this. Besides, he knows this move: Moonlight."
At Evan's command, Vileplume was suddenly engulfed by a pinkish-white light, so bright Red had to squint. When the light faded, Vileplume's scuffs and scrapes were gone and the Grass and Poison-type appeared ready and willing to go again.
"A healing move?" Red asked, even though the answer was obvious.
"Yeah. Sort of like Recover and Soft-Boiled, except the weather plays a big part in how much energy Vileplume gets back." Evan smiled. "Enough of that though. Zippy Zap's really coming along, almost rivalling what mine can do. Faster than I thought considering we started yesterday."
Red's wide grin almost split his face in half. "Yeah, Pikachu's got it down. Er… you said Zippy Zap's an Electric-type Quick Attack, right?"
"In a way, yes. It's naturally a tiny bit more powerful than an average Quick Attack, and Pikachu will do more damage with it anyway because of the STAB or Same Type Attack Bonus. And don't forget: constant critical hits (bar a few exceptions)! That's another boost."
"This move is awesome!" Red gushed.
Evan chuckled. "It is, isn't it? Anyway, I think we're done with Zippy Zap." He returned his Pikachu and Vileplume back to their Poké Balls. "Let's go see how Leaf is doing."
o~o~o~o~o
"Bouncy Bubble!" Leaf said.
Eevee opened her mouth wide and made a high-pitched cry. Water droplets gathered into one mass, which grew bigger and bigger until it formed a giant bubble. Eevee rammed the bubble with her head and it zoomed towards her battle partner, a rotund, pink creature with a thick tail and a long tongue that protruded from its mouth, called Lickitung. Poor Lickitung was already struggling, its movements slow and clumsy, its body sparking erratically with electricity.
The bubble struck the Licking Pokémon and exploded. As Lickitung reeled from the strike, Eevee sighed contentedly as the water droplets birthed by the dying bubble rushed towards it. Evan's own Eevee cheered for his kin.
"I see," Leaf said to herself. "Bouncy Bubble's like Giga Drain or Leech Life. It damages the foe and heals Eevee too."
"That's right," a voice said.
Leaf swivelled around to find Red and Evan striding towards her. She waved at them. "How's the Zappy Zip thing coming along?" she asked.
"Zippy Zap," Evan corrected her. "And yes, it's going really well. I'd say Red's Pikachu has near enough perfected it."
"Pikachu totally has," Red said. "I bet we're ready for the Cerulean Gym Leader now."
"You sure about that?" Leaf asked.
Red recalled the video Evan showed him and Leaf on a prototype machine called a VS. Recorder, a battle he had with a red-haired girl who happened to be the Cerulean Gym Leader, Misty. On her side of the watery field was a purple ten-pointed star-shaped Pokémon with a red jewel in its centre that was surrounded by gold. It was a…
Starmie, a dual Water and Psychic-type Pokémon. Its central core glows with the seven colours of the rainbow. Some people value the core as a gem.
Together now: Thank you, Leaf's Pokédex.
Red watched engrossed as Misty fought with such poise and elegance, almost as if she was performing a ballet, appearing as though she was even dancing on the water herself sometimes.
Evan's Pikachu fell, as did his Eevee, and soon his Vileplume followed suit, unable to fully utilise Moonlight to maintain his health, unable to connect the green orb of a technique known as Energy Ball nor the purple gunk ball of a move known as Sludge Bomb. Starmie blasted Vileplume back with an explosion of water and finished it off with a burst of psychic power than made Leaf's Butterfree's Confusion look like someone blowing dust with their mouths in comparison.
There were two things Red learned from that battle. The first was that Misty was a Water-type Trainer. The second was that she was powerful… okay, there were technically three. The technical third was that she would most likely not use Starmie against him, not against a novice Trainer with only a single Badge. The only reason she did against Evan, according to him, was that it was a friendly battle with nothing at stake.
Red's mouth fixed itself into a rictus as he heaved himself out into the present. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Pikachu's Zippy Zap will run all those Water-types down. Right, buddy?"
Pikachu found more interest in a flock of wild Pidgey soaring overhead.
"I knew you'd agree," Red said.
Leaf and Evan caught each other's eye and shook their heads.
"Anyway, Leaf," Evan said. "How are those techniques coming along? Has my Eevee continued to do a good job demonstrating them?"
"Your Eevee's been amazing," Leaf said warmly. Evan's Eevee wagged its tail and let out an appreciative yelp. "And we successfully pulled off another Bouncy Bubble just now. Oh, and we managed a Buzzy Buzz earlier, but Lickitung's still paralysed from it."
Evan turned to his Lickitung. "You've been taking hits like a tank, haven't you? It's okay, use Rest and you'll be right as rain."
At once, Lickitung rolled onto its back and fell asleep. Its snoring rumbled through the air.
"I really need to evolve it or at least get an Eviolite," Evan said quietly before adding louder, "What about Sizzly Slide?"
Leaf rubbed her forearm awkwardly. "That one's tricky."
"Tricky how?"
"Well, we can charge up the fire, but the moment Eevee runs forward it sort of goes out." Leaf made a poof sound. "Like that."
"Hmm," Evan said, tapping his chin. "But the fire does form, doesn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Well, as long as you know how to get is started then that's good enough for now." Evan pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed his brow. "We've put in a lot of work. I think now's a good time to stop for today. I know, how about tomorrow we head to Nugget Bridge? You can find a lot of Trainers there. A full-blooded bout should help perfect those techniques better than any training battles."
"Nugget Bridge?" Leaf repeated.
"Trainers?" Red said, grinning like a Darmanitan. Behind him, Lickitung roused itself from its short slumber.
"Yes," Evan said. "We could even head on to Cerulean Cape after Nugget Bridge. I mean, I know it's considered a romantic destination, but we can just watch the view and try to spy some of the Water-types splashing about."
Red made a disgusted face at the word 'romantic'.
"That sounds nice," Leaf said. "I might give Spearow some battle time too. I'd rather give it a few Rare Candies instead, but I guess battling will have to do."
"Why Spearow?" Red asked.
"I want it to become a Fearow so it can fly me places," Leaf explained. "It's easier to get a Spearow to evolve into a Fearow than getting a Pidgey all the way up to a Pidgeot, which is why I don't carry mine on me; I want to fly everywhere as soon as possible."
"But doesn't a Pokémon need to have visited a place in order for them to take you there?" Red pressed. "I swear I've heard that before."
"It's easier like that," Leaf said. "But if someone can guide the Pokémon when they're flying then they'll take you where you want to be anyway and be able to remember how to get there next time. I want to ride Fearow and direct it to Cinnabar Island using my Town Map."
"Why Cinnabar Island specifically?" Evan asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Oh, it's just one of the places I want to visit," Leaf said with forced airiness. The Old Amber in her rucksack seemed to call out to her, wanting to be revived, screaming at her that she was taking too long to complete her task. A twinge of guilt ate at her for not mentioning the Old Amber, but she just could not. Training or not, she still did not completely know Evan. She would not put herself, her Pokémon, or Red at risk for no reason.
"Cinnabar Island is an amazing place to go visit," Evan said, smiling as he reminisced. "Amazing beaches and saunas for one. Interesting places such as the Gym, this eerie abandoned mansion, and the Cinnabar Lab. Heck, if you get bored with Cinnabar you could always visit Seafoam Islands for a bit of a day trip. Just don't go too deep into the caverns."
Evan clapped his hands together. "Oh well, enough of that. Let's go get something to eat. We'll just relax for the remainder of the day, okay?"
"Aye, aye, cap'ain," Red said with a goofy grin.
Leaf put an arm around him. "Yeah, let's go. And hey, let's tell Professor Oak about what we're doing too. I know we just called him yesterday, but he'll be excited to hear about it, won't he?"
"Yeah, he totally will," Red agreed. "Hopefully, he's not doing anything important."
o~o~o~o~o
Professor Oak stared at the man on the screen, a moustachioed man whose hair was grey, much like Oak's own. He frowned disapprovingly at the Pallet Professor.
"Let me get this straight, Oak," the moustachioed man said, rubbing his temples. "Team Rocket had been causing problems at Mt. Moon, right?"
"That's right."
"Two of the children you gave Pokémon to got tangled in that dangerous web but managed to escape despite the odds and make their way to Cerulean."
"That is also correct."
"They then wisely informed you of what happened as any reasonable people would, didn't they?"
"Indeed, they did."
"I see," the moustachioed man said, nodding thoughtfully. In an instant, his eyes suddenly hardened. "But you did not tell anyone about their ordeal, did you. The International Police, the Kantonian Law Enforcement, their parents! What use is there to keep it secret? And don't say to keep them safe. Their parents deserve to know what they went through and it's the duty of any law enforcement to put their lives on the line for the preservation of peace. Why, Oak?"
Oak sighed, matching the moustachioed man's stare. "Because I believe this could lead to the start of relatively peaceful times, Rowan."
"What do you mean, man?"
"Think of it like this," Oak said. "Team Rocket's been around for a number of years now. Too many years. The various law enforcements have done admirable work, but Team Rocket is still a malevolent force that refuses to die. But what if regular Trainers started fighting back? What if regular Trainers started defeating them? What if some of these regular Trainers happened to be children? How much more devastating would defeat be for them? Enough to lead to a collapse of their empire?"
"Oak," Rowan said, his voice gruff. "Did you plan this out when you issued those Starter Pokémon? Was this something you wanted done?"
"No," Oak answered truthfully. "All I wanted was for them to work on the Pokédex. That was all I desired. But when Red and Leaf told me of how they managed to get one over Team Rocket and even force them to vacate Mt. Moon it gave me hope."
"So, you're going to rely on children to bring down a crime syndicate?" Rowan asked. "You're going to put them in danger without even having the decency to tell their parents? How would you feel if your grandchildren had a similar run-in and they were told not to tell you about it?"
"I will definitely tell them when the time is right," Oak said, his gaze steely. "But you never know, maybe they'll never come across Team Rocket again. Maybe this is simply an old man's foolishness."
"Foolishness is an understatement, Oak," Rowan stated. His voice softened. "I would understand if they were prodigies where you'd be certain their skills would save them time and time again. But they're still green. They're not the next Eagun or Mustard – hardly anyone is, truth be told. Are you not just trying to live vicariously through them? Not just with the journey but with this Team Rocket nonsense too? Do you also want to relive the days when you brought bad people to their knees? With the likes of Kurt, Bertha, and Agatha?"
Oak flinched at the last name. "I only want peace. I only want people and Pokémon to live together in harmony. My past and my age do not matter."
"So you say." Rowan shook his head. "Oh well, just promise me, Oak, that you'll set these children on a safer path should this one not work out for them. And I implore you to tell their parents as soon as possible. They have a right to know. It is not ethical to keep it from them."
"Don't worry, Rowan, I will," Oak said. He groaned. "My, oh my, this has been a rather stressful conversation, hasn't it?"
"It has," Rowan agreed. "Hopefully next time we speak it will be about lighter topics. Maybe it'll be about me finally heading back to Sinnoh. One year in Kanto has been more than enough time away from my laboratory."
"Quite so," Oak said. "Imagine staying here for another three years."
The two elderly professors laughed heartily before bidding each other farewell and ending the call.
Professor Oak sighed and leaned back into his chair. Professor Rowan was right, he had been foolish. But he had faith in those kids. He had faith in their connection with Pokémon.
Still, maybe it was reckless not to tell their parents, as reluctant as he was to admit that. He WOULD tell them. Just… not now.
For now, he would take this incoming call from Leaf.
And during the call, he would get rather excited about the new Pokémon techniques she told him about.
It could all end well.
It would all end well.
o~o~o~o~o
Urgh. Bitter. These plants are bitter. But they feed me. They sustain me.
The berries are nicer. Sweet. I like sweet.
I want to explore outside.
I want to stay safe inside.
I'm scared. I'm curious. I'm angry. I'm everything and nothing.
I can't sleep. I don't want to sleep.
Just leave me alone.
But help me too.
What is wrong with me?
Who am I? I know who I am. I don't know. Who am I?
The stars above me, they're so beautiful, so far away. Yet, they're so close, so close that I can almost touch them. What I wouldn't give to join them, to be part of their glittering cluster.
I'm so confused.
What is my place in this world?
A/N: I'm afraid to say that I'm going through some rather troubling personal times. I'm still going to write to the best of my ability and update as often as I can, but I thought I would mention this just in case the story starts to suffer in either case. Thank you.
