Last Chapter, Brayden arrived in Cerulean City, but was defeated by Cerulean Gym Leader Misty. Just as he decided to catch a Grass-type Pokémon, his rival, Blue, again mocked him and his Pokémon. Brayden challenged Blue to a battle, but Pidgey, Mankey and even Butterfree were all defeated by Blue's powerful Fearow. Now Brayden is down to his partner, Squirtle. The battle continues…
"Squirtle, use Water Gun!" Brayden told Squirtle. The Water-type shot the torrent of water at Fearow, but the Beak Pokémon dodged it.
"Fearow, Aerial Ace!" Blue commanded. Fearow gave its horrible screech once more, but as it flew towards Squirtle, Brayden stood his ground. "Bite, let's go!"
At the moment Fearow's wing reached Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon chomped down on it. Fearow screeched in pain as its attack was cancelled out.
"No way!" Blue yelled in disbelief. "Now, throw it, Squirtle!" Brayden cried.
Squirtle ran in a circle, then twisted his neck and released Fearow, sending the Flying-type careening into a nearby wall.
Brayden was sure this would defeat the Beak Pokémon, but Fearow still managed to get to its feet and get back in the air.
As expected, Blue smirked at Brayden. "You can't expect to beat Fearow that easily! It has the stamina to fly for an entire day, WHILE carrying a heavy load! Just give up already."
Brayden shook his head. "NEVER! I'll never surrender to you!" He and Squirtle looked at each other. "Squirtle and I started this journey in spite of your cruel acts back in Pallet Town because we had to prove you wrong! If we ran away, we'd never be able to live it down!" He glanced at his other Poké Balls. "And now, Pidgey, Butterfree and Mankey also know the pain of losing to you. We owe it to them to finish this battle!" Brayden looked back at Blue, whose smirk had been replaced with a hateful look. "Even if we're going to lose, we're taking down your Fearow!"
Squirtle stood tall and raised his arm into the air, crying out in agreement with Brayden: "SQUIRTLE!"
And at that very moment, Squirtle was enveloped in a bright light.
Blue and Fearow watched, completely dumbfounded at what was occurring.
Their mysterious onlooker was awestruck by both Brayden and Squirtle's courage and the light show. "Odd…" it said.
Brayden simply smiled. Once again, his partner was about to come through!
When the light finally subsided, Squirtle had grown taller, his shell had thickened, his tail had grown quite furry, and two pointed, feathery ears had grown on his head. "WARTORTLE!" He shouted.
Squirtle had evolved into Wartortle!
Brayden scanned him with the Pokédex.
Wartortle. The Turtle Pokémon. A Water-type. Its large tail is covered in rich, thick fur that deepens in color with age. The scratches on its shell are evidence of this Pokémon's toughness in battle.
"Great! Now, Wartortle, show them how strong you are now! Use Water Gun!" Brayden exclaimed.
Wartortle strained back his neck, but instead of a torrent of water, a sphere of water launched out of his mouth, striking Fearow right in the face. "Fear…row…" it said dazedly, as it wobbled in the air.
Blue gasped. "No! That was Water Pulse! Fearow got confused!"
"Water Pulse? That was the same move that Misty used during our Gym Battle!" Brayden said to himself. Wartortle gave Brayden a thumbs-up.
"Even if its confused, Fearow can still land an attack!" Blue stated. "Fearow, use Dill Peck!"
Fearow attempted to do so, but it wound up diving head first into the ground.
Brayden knew this was the opening they needed. "Now's our chance, Wartortle! USE RAPID SPIN!"
Wartortle could not fully retract his longer tail, but this did not stop him from spinning through the air and crashing into the helpless Fearow.
"No way! Fearow!" Blue shouted in disbelief.
Fearow no longer had its beak stuck in the ground, but it most certainly was lying there, with its eyes still very dizzy from the confusion.
Wartortle spun back to Brayden, and for a few moments, nobody said anything. Then the realization that Fearow was unable to battle finally clicked, and Brayden and Wartortle were ecstatic.
"YES! We did it, Wartortle! We beat one of Blue's Pokémon!"
Wartortle faced Brayden and grinned. "War, tortle tortle!"
They high-fived in celebration.
The Pokémon that was watching from nearby was quite happy to see their achievement. "Odd! Oddish!"
Blue recalled Fearow, still unable to believe what had just happened. "I was the Pokémon League Champion not long ago, and this stupid kid actually BEAT one of MY highly trained Pokémon?!" He whispered to himself in outrage. Blue grabbed another Poké Ball. "He's gonna regret he ever did that!" The arrogant Trainer vowed under his breath.
"STOP CELEBRATING, YOU IDIOTS!" Blue yelled at his opponents. "I still have more Pokémon!"
Brayden and Wartortle immediately looked at Blue, who was scowling at them.
"And this one," Blue said with a cruel smile, "Is a blast from the past! Go, Ivysaur!" He threw the ball, and what emerged from it gave Brayden and Wartortle a shock. It was a Grass- and Poison-type that stood on four legs and had a blossoming bud on its back. "That must be…" Brayden said fearfully before holding up the Pokédex.
"Ivysaur. The Seed Pokémon. A Grass- and Poison-type. The evolved form of Bulbasaur. Exposure to sunlight adds to its strength. Sunlight also makes the bud on its back grow larger."
Our two friends remembered what had happened on that day, when Brayden was about to start his journey…
"Time to stop playing around! Use Sleep Powder!"
"No! Don't fall asleep, Squirtle!"
"Tackle that wimp!"
Bulbasaur smashed into Squirtle, sending him flying past Brayden and into the trunk of a nearby tree.
Brayden shook himself out of the memory. "It's okay. We've gotten much stronger since then. All we have to do is stay focused and avoid the Sleep Powder."
"Wartortle," Wartortle nodded.
"As if it was that easy!" Blue scoffed. "Ivysaur, use Sweet Scent!"
"Ivy!" The Seed Pokémon shot a ball of powder into the air, and a pleasant scent wafted through the air as the powder scattered. But nothing else seemed to happen.
Brayden wanted to take this opportunity to attack, but the last time he had disregarded a move that seemed pointless, Squirtle's Attack stat had been dropped from Growl. So he decided to try something different.
"Let's try to confuse it, Wartortle! Use Water Pulse!"
Wartortle shot the water ball at Ivysaur. However, not only did it deal minimal damage, but Ivysaur was not inflicted with confusion.
"Ha! That's not gonna work!" Blue teased as he folded his arms. "Ivysaur, give 'em a Seed Bomb!"
"Saur!" Ivysaur launched a large seed from its bulb at Wartortle.
"We're not going to just let that hit us! Wartortle, Rapid Spin!" Brayden commanded.
The Turtle Pokémon evaded the seed, then slammed into Ivysaur before returning to Brayden. Ivysaur slid back a bit, but held its ground.
Brayden grinned. "Is that all you got? Wartortle's got speed to spare thanks to Rapid Spin! You'll never hit him!"
Wartortle crossed his arms. "War, Wartortle!" He said confidently.
Things were going great. Brayden's fear had been completely erased, and Wartortle was in great shape. "Maybe we can actually beat Blue right here and now!" Brayden thought.
Blue, however, was not looking frustrated in the slightest. On the contrary, he seemed just as sure of victory as he did back in Pallet Town.
"Time to put this kid in his place, Ivysaur!" Blue whispered to the Seed Pokémon. Ivysaur nodded and smirked in the same way as its Trainer.
"Now, Ivysaur, use Growth!" Blue commanded. Ivysaur's body seemed to increase in size, and its Attack and Special Attack stats rose.
Brayden showed no fear and gave Wartortle another command. "Rapid Spin, again!"
Another speed increase, and Wartortle smacked Ivysaur again.
"Use Sweet Scent!" Blue commanded. The powder filled the air with even more of the pleasant smell, and Wartortle seemed to get caught up in the smell. "Wartortle, don't lose focus! Use Rapid Spin!"
Though he was enjoying the scent, Wartortle still paid attention and struck Ivysaur once more. But still, Ivysaur stood strong.
"Rapid Spin's not strong enough," Brayden said. "We need to strike a winning blow! Wartortle, Bite!"
"War!" Wartortle cried as he ran towards Ivysaur.
Finally, Blue sprung his trap.
"Ivysaur, Sleep Powder!"
Brayden and Wartortle reacted quickly. "No you don't! Use Rapid Spin to dodge!" Wartortle spun into his shell, but the powder still managed to reach him as he flew away. Wartortle fell to the ground and fought to stay awake, but ultimately succumbed to the powder's effect. "NO!" Brayden cried in horror. "How did you do that?!" He yelled at Blue.
Blue chuckled to himself, and Ivysaur joined in. "It's because of Sweet Scent. That move drops your evasion! It doesn't matter how fast you are if you're an easy target!" He pointed at the sleeping Wartortle and gave Ivysaur its next command: "Take Down!"
Ivysaur hurled itself at Wartortle and knocked it back towards Brayden. The Seed Pokémon suffered some recoil damage, but it dealt Wartortle heavy damage.
Brayden quickly began to break down. "No, this can't happen to us again! Not again! WARTORTLE, WAKE UP!" He screamed in agony.
But the Water-type Pokémon continued to sleep.
"Use Seed Bomb, Ivysaur!" Blue commanded.
Another large seed was launched, and this time it struck Wartortle's head cleanly.
Fortunately for Brayden, this was enough of a shock for Wartortle to awaken.
Brayden was relieved, but they had to end this immediately. "Wartortle, Water Pulse!" He ordered.
Wartortle's Torrent Ability kicked in, and the water sphere became enormous. It crashed into Ivysaur like a cannonball, and while the Seed Pokémon definitely felt the impact this time, it did not faint or get confused.
"Let's put an end to this, right now!" Blue yelled.
"You asked for it!" Brayden shouted back.
"Ivysaur, use Take Down!"
"Wartortle, Rapid Spin!"
Both Pokémon collided with each other, and they pushed against each other, not giving an inch. Then, both were sent flying backwards from the collision. They both collapsed, but they immediately began struggling to get back up.
"Come on, Ivysaur! Don't tell me you want those wimps to beat you!" Blue shouted at Ivysaur impatiently. "Ivy…!" The Grass-type slowly stood up. "SAUR!" It cried determinedly.
Wartortle was still on the ground. "You can do it, Wartortle! Don't give up!" Brayden pleaded. The Water-type got to his feet, but unlike Ivysaur, he was still wincing in pain.
Then, one of them collapsed again, and showed no sign of getting back up. His Trainer ran to his fallen Pokémon, crying out in despair:
"WARTORTLE!"
Brayden's second battle with Blue has ended in crushing defeat! How will he and his Pokémon recover from this loss? They'd better do so quickly, because a great evil is about cast its shadow across Kanto once more! Stay tuned for the next chapter!