To the person who anonymously called my stories pigshit, you're a scumbag. There's no prettier word to call somebody like you, somebody who goes around and doesn't even have guts to make an account, insulting other people's efforts. I have deleted your review, although it might have been wiser to leave it here just so others can see what kind of low human being you are.

English is not my native language and it's kind of obvious because most of my fanfics sound like they've been written by a ten year old. But I'm trying, and it's fun, and I won't stop no matter what you said. So if you wanted to stop me from writing by your petty insults, think again.

***

DAY 3

HARD ROCK

Clover looked down at her Pokedex, after finishing several easy battles in the forest. Most of the trainers here were weak bug trainers, novices that have merely caught their Pokemon and tested them out in the battle. Even though bug is effective against the grass, Bulbasaur was simply too strong.

"Hmmm. Bulbasaur, level 13. Nature: Timid. Known moves: Tackle, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf and Sleep powder. Looks good. What about you, Weedle?"

She clicked another button.

"Weedle. Level 6. Nature: Brave. Known moves: Poison Sting, Growl and String shot. It still has ways to go, hmmm. This forest is ill suited to train you, Weedle." She looked at her Pokeball and the Weedle sleeping inside.

While she was in her thoughts, forest came to an end and she saw the valley opening below her. It was painted like a red velvet, with last traces of sun disappearing over the horizon. All in all it was a marvelous sight and she waited a while, soaking the vista before she went down the hill towards the hotel near the end of the road.

"How may I help you?" Receptionist asked her.

"I have some dollars and I'd like to spend them at your establishment. How much for a room?"

"Are you a Pokemon trainer?" She asked.

"Indeed! Why?"

"And I take it you want to challenge Brock's gym?"

"Brock?"

"He's the gym leader here."

"Then yes, I am!"

"Great! This hotel is one of the sponsors to his gym. We offer a huge discount to every challenger that comes here."

"I have 4000 Pokedollars. How much is the room?"

"Mere 50, for you. Will that be alright?"

"Indeed! I will take the room for one night."

"Here is your key! Room number 50, on the first floor. If you need a room service, we have phones in each room and oh, your Pokemon can stay with us. We have a special day-care inside our hotel where our professional Pokemon caretakers take care of our clients Pokemon."

"No need! I want to spend some time with them myself."

"Suit yourself. Have a nice sleep!"

After exertions of the battles, her Pokemon welcomed some time to rest and replenish their energy. As soon as she hit the room, she took her magnetic prosthetic off and laid down on the bed.

Her Weedle saw this and wondered in confusion.

"Oh, this? I don't have a leg, Weedle. Lost it."

"Wee-dle?"

"Indeed. We humans don't grow our extremities back when we lose them."

"Weedle..."

"No need to feel bad! It doesn't hurt and I can walk with my prosthetic. Now, Bulbasaur and you should both come here. I have some snacks I didn't eat yet and we can share them."

Weedle and Bulbasaur looked overjoyed to do this. Before long all three of them munched together, watching some western movie on the TV.

"Oh! This is my favorite scene!

I have never loved you, John. My heart beats for Wilhelm.

'But Marlene, I want to be with you!"

'I apologize, but I can't.'

'Then he will die! Wilhelm, I challenge you to a duel!"

'Oh no! Wilhelm!"

'Love is decided at the end of my six-shot.'

Blows the smoke from the gun."

"Bulba-bulbasaur?"

"Why didn't they use Pokemon? I don't know. I guess cowboys didn't tame Pokemon yet!"

"Bulba..."

"It indeed is dumb. Such a waste, to die for love when there is so much to experience in life. But I am slowly getting sleepy, and I need to take a bath. Weedle, we shall train you tomorrow!"

"Weedle!"

"That's right!"

Clover filled the tub, submerging herself in the water almost completely. It was a relaxing feeling. All the bruises she had felt less painful, even her scars hurt less under the water. She took some shampoo to create bubbles and relaxed her body, breathing the sweet aroma in.

She saw doors opening just a crack and saw the shadow of a small bulb.

"Bulba."

"Bulbasaur? You can come. We are both girls."

Bulbasaur closed the doors with hind legs and happily trotted towards her.

"Now now, don't be shy! Come to the water! Water is good!"

She reached out and grabbed her Pokemon, placing it atop her legs. Frankly, she wasn't sure if it swims and the tub was too deep for her.

Bulbasaur smiled as she rubbed the shampoo over its head.

"One tiny Bulbasaur, coming down the street. Add two more and now you have three! One is coming, oh, one more! Now four Bulbasaurs come knocking at your door~" She sung, giving it a bubbly headpat.

"Bulba, Bulba~"

"You like this? My mom used to sing it to me while I recovered from my surgery."

"Bulba?"

"Yes, my leg. I suppose you understand it. You don't have vines either."

"Bulba!"

"I suppose you're right. I should look at the bright side!"

Bulbasaur nodded and nuzzled her hand, so she rubbed it a bit more and sang it another verse.

The morning came relatively quickly, waking them up to observe the rising sun. She went down to have some breakfast. Afterwards she visited the Pokemon department store, buying some potions and Pokeballs before she went to the grassy hillside along Pewter to catch more Pokemon and train her own.

Pokemon here were far and in between. She defeated few Rattatas and caught one, defeated one angry Spearow, caught it and saw Mankey but it ran away before she could catch it. Still, the experience she got was enough to make her Bulbasaur go up by level, as well as her Weedle.

"Weedle, you are very close to becoming Kakuna now. Are you excited?"

"Weedle!"

"And you too, Bulbasaur. You will become Ivysaur in a level or two. That means you will be big enough for a tub!"

"Bulba!"

"I know! This is great! Also, I caught a few new Pokemon. I am not sure whether I will train them or send them to professor, tho. I like you, guys."

Both Pokemon seemed to agree with her. Before she went to the gym, she visited Pokemon center to transfer her Pokemon back to Oak's lab.

"Oh, Clover, it's you! How is your Pokedex going along?" Oak asked from the screen.

"Swimmingly. I have caught 4 Pokemon already. Saw Mankey but it ran away."

"Only four? Let me see. Please, put your Pokedex in the slot on the PC."

She did, and he ran some diagnostics.

"I see. You have caught Weedle, but you missed Caterpie also living in the Viridian forest. You have caught a Spearow, yet there are Pidgey everywhere and you haven't caught them. I heard tales there is even a group of roaming Pikachu there! All in all, you should concentrate on catching more Pokemon, not just the ones that you like."

"I will do my best! In that regard, I would like to transfer Rattata and Spearow to you. I won't use them and I would like you to keep them."

"Certainly. Place them here."

She placed them in the Pokeball receptable and the Pokeballs disappeared in a flash.

"Wow, this is convenient!"

"My friend Bill helped create a PC system where you can easily see every Pokemon you caught. Not just that, but on a click you can get your Pokeball back from my laboratory and use any Pokemon you have stored. Modern science is amazing!"

"It surely is! Well, prof, I will go and catch some more Pokemon, but I want to challenge Pokemon gym first!"

"Pewter Gym uses rock type. You have a Bulbasaur, so this should be an easy win for you. Still, keep your wits about you! Brock is an experienced trainer!"

"I will. Thank you!"

"Don't mention it!"

Pewter city gym situated itself close to the museum, and even though she wanted to see it she decided to get her badge first. When she opened the door, she found herself by the large field made of rock and ground, spanning itself between two tribunes.

When she bravely took the first step, more lights went on and she saw a man wearing dark t-shirt, with spiked hair and determined look on his dark face. His eyes were so narrow she could barely see them.

"A challenger comes!" He yelled.

"Indeed! I'm here to win a Boulder badge!"

"We will see! Come to the end of the field! Before I take you on, you will fight another certified gym trainer to prove your worth. If you win this battle, you will face me. Fail, and you may try again next day."

"Deal! Oh, one more thing. My Bulbasaur is sensitive to harsh light. I would like you to tone the reflectors down."

A young woman, bit older than her, came under the light on the other side. She looked different than other trainers, slightly more powerful.

"My name is Roxanne. I am the best student of the trainer school in Rustboro, far away in Hoenn. I train under Brock in Kanto, far from home to test my will and improve my skill. One day I will become strong and inherit the gym from my father. Prepare to be crushed by the weight of my rock Pokemon!"

"You will lose!"

"Bold words. Go, Geodude!"

A small Pokemon shaped like rock with arms appeared on the field.

"Geodude. Tiny rock Pokemon. Many hikers mistake it for a rock and step on it while they hike. Some people use them in snowball fights."

"Snowball fights? Ouch." Clover commented, taking a Pokeball from the waist.

"Weedle, go!" She yelled.

"Weedle? Don't you know rock Pokemon crush bugs?"

"Oh, I do. Weedle, go, use your string shot! Aim for the eyes!"

"Geodude, avoid and use rock throw!"

But the tiny worm was way too fast for a ball of rock. Geodude barely grabbed a rock before it got hit by a sticky goo. Launched rock missed the target.

"Alright, Weedle! Return!"

"What?!"

"Nobody said I will attack it with Weedle. I will merely slow it down for what comes next! Go, Bulbasaur!"

"Ha! Just as I expected. No matter, you wont avoid this! Geodude, magnitude!"

Geodude started pummeling the ground with its fists. The tremors bounced Bulbasaur around but it didn't look seriously hurt.

"Are you done yet? Bulbasaur, use razor leaf!"

Geodude had no time to resume the battle stance. Bulbasaur pelted it with razor sharp leaves and it got tossed around for a while before it fainted and fell on the ground.

"This isn't fair! If I had my father's Nosepass I would win!"

"Victory is a victory. Like my friend once said, one should do whatever is possible to win."

"You're right. I will train my Geodude more and maybe, when I open my gym, we will fight again. Until then, so long." She said.

Brock appeared from the darkness around the arena, looking deep in his thoughts.

"Impressive. How old are you?" He asked.

"I am ten. Why?"

"I've rarely seen such tactical prowess so early. You are quite talented. Tell me your name, trainer!"

"I am Clover."

"And I am Brock. This here is my gym. It's my life and reason. My rock hard pokemon show my rock solid will! I won't lose, Clover! Let's do this!"

Clover took a potion to quickly heal her Bulbasaur before she quickly scanned its status and everything else. It seems the battle with Geodude was just enough to make it go up a level and with it being at fifteenth level of experience there was no way she could lose. Or was there?

POKEMON BATTLE – CLOVER VS BROCK

Brock had a Geodude, yet the battle with it went as much as expected. Bulbasaur was too quick and powerful for a lump of rock, and it was dispatched in one hit. While Clover celebrated her small victory, Brock smirked.

"Geodude is my weakest Pokemon. Let's see how you will handle this!"

Out of his Pokeball appeared the largest Pokemon it ever saw. Its head and a snakelike body was tough, solid rock. It was impenetrable, strong and at least ten times larger than Bulbasaur.

"He is trying to compensate for something, isn't he?" she asked.

"Bulba!"

Brock blushed and frowned.

"My Onix will crush you! Go, Onix, use your bind attack!"

No matter how much Bulbasaur tried escaping, Onix still managed to use his bind attack and wrapped itself around the Bulbasaur. There was no way to escape this, and Bulbasaur couldn't move at all.

"Luckily, my Pokemon does not need to move to be dangerous! Bulbasaur, use your sleep powder!"

Brock could only watch as his Onix fell into slumber, releasing her Bulbasaur from the bind. The squeeze of his bind wasn't powerful enough to defeat it, and this was why she managed to launch a counter-attack. As Onix fell down with a large thud, Brock ran up to his Onix, using a small yellow bottle to spray him.

"Onix, you'll be fine! Fight on!" he cheered it on as it woke up and towered once again above Bulbasaur's head. However, the time he used to heal his Pokemon was enough to let Clover use another attack.

"You lost precious time healing your Onix. Bulbasaur, use razor leaf!" she yelled.

"I've fought trainers like you before. My Onix has a trick up his sleeve! Onix, use dig!"

As his Onix dove under the solid ground of the arena, razor leaf attack ended up hitting nothing. Clover anxiously watched as the floor rumbled, not knowing where the attack will come from. However, she noticed the rumbling gradually became louder.

"Alright, Bulbasaur. When I tell you, jump aside!"

Waiting became insufferable, but just as the rumbling became strongest she urged Bulbasaur to jump away. Bulbasaur tried jumping, however, Onix was huge and it appeared from the ground with a full force, hitting her Pokemon from below. Bulbasaur flew up in the air, falling down on the ground.

"Bulbasaur!" she screamed.

Bulbasaur meekly opened her eyes, looking at the opponent as she rose up on shaky legs.

"That's the spirit, Bulbasaur! Alright, now, use your leech seed!"

Vines overgrew Onix, and now it looked like a huge monster made of rock and moss, still towering above her in a menacing way. However, the leech seed attack sapped its health, bit by bit all the time. As it did, Bulbasaur became stronger, and Onix looked slower.

"Onix, use another dig!" Brock ordered.

"I knew it. You're mine now! Bulbasaur, use the energy sapped from leech seed to locate the direction where Onix will appear and move out in time!"

Brock stared at her in disbelief.

"It won't work!" he yelled.

"Just you watch."

As the floor rumbled once again, becoming louder and louder, Bulbasaur looked down at the ground and started running away. It was just enough to make Onix miss the target as it appeared out of the ground.

"I can't believe this!" Brock screamed.

"My Bulbasaur is the best! Now, Bulbasaur, use your razor leaf!"

"Onix, use your rock throw!"

Onix grabbed a large chunk of rock, yet Bulbasaur's strong leaves simply cut it in half. Onix suffered the brunt of the attack. For a while, it was still standing, but then it simply crumbled and couldn't move any longer.

"You've… won." Brock said.

"Bulbasaur, do you hear this?! We won the Boulder badge!"

"Bulba!"

Brock smiled and returned Onix to the Pokeball.

"You're something, and I'm not flattering you. Keep on like this and you might win the league itself. The way you use moves is unlike anything I saw before. You deserve this Boulder badge."

"Thank you, Brock. I will treasure it."

"Now, I need to heal Onix and wait for new arrivals. A little bird told me about another challenger from Pallet, a guy with a Pikachu who's just arrived in the city and is raring to challenge me."

"Ash Ketchum?" Clover asked.

"I'm not sure. Do you know the guy?"

"I do. He's from my hometown."

"Well, I expect the best of trainers from Pallet. I'm looking forward to it!"

Clover did not stay at the gym for a long time. Before she went to take on a challenge she greatly desired to visit the museum of history. Besides, after obtaining the gym badge it was necessary to go and relax for a while.