Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon and if I did, it would not have gone past Gen 1.
Chapter 7: Bulbasaur, Squirtle and a shit ton of training.
The journey through Route 6 was really peaceful for the most part. Although i had wanted to do some training, we decided to hold it until we reached the Pokemon Centre between Route 6 and Vermillion City. Now we were currently searching for the Hidden Village where I had first met Bulbasaur. It took me a while to convince Brock to stray from the path, but the chance of being able to meet someone who could take good care of wild pokemon made him relent. All I did was to tell him about a rumour about how a rare Pokemon was found near here and that there was some kind of mysterious pokemon village nearby.
It took us a while but soon we found ourselves near the stream where Misty had wanted to capture Odish. But Odish was nowhere near sight so I was a little surprised. But soon, I came across something or rather someone whose appearance cleared all my doubts.
Bulbasaur back in my old life was my strongest grass type Pokemon. He had grown past his hatred of evolution after losing continuously to Sceptile and later Serperior. He was the strongest Bulbasaur, but he couldn't match against stronger Grass types. The biggest blow to his ego was the loss against May's Venusaur who was trained by him. He took a while to get back into the battle circuit but shook off the losses and evolved twice in the span of a day.
The Bulbasaur standing in front of me was the same one as back then. It only took me one look to know that he had retained his memories, which was honestly a good thing. It meant that I had less work to do. He seemed surprised by the lack of Pikachu but shook it off and motioned us to follow him.
"Isn't that a Bulbasaur? It seems the rumour of the rare Pokemon is true?" Brock said.
"Doesn't it look like he want us to follow him somewhere?" Misty followed up.
"Let's follow him. Maybe the rumour about the hidden village is true. Let's check it out." I gave my opinion.
With nothing better to do, we followed Bulbasaur who walked in front of us in a slow but steady pace. By following him, we avoided the traps set by Melanie although the two of them were unaware about that. We soon came across the small building where Melanie lived and took care of pokemon.
When we arrived, Melanie was outside feeding the pokemon around. There were some rather uncommon pokemon like Staryu around but i was not interested in them. Melanie seemed genuinely surprised seeing us but Brock was quick to try and flirt with her before being restrained by Misty.
"Hello my name is Melanie. Who might you guys be?" She said ignoring Brock who was on the ground.
"Hello my name is Ash and the guy on the floor is my friend Brock. This here is Misty. We were brought here by that Bulbasaur." I introduced us.
"Bulbasaur did? I see. You must be special then. Bulbasaur here is the guardian of the pokemon here. He usually helps in driving away trainers from this village.
"I see. Anyways, can I ask what you are doing here?" Brock who was up and running, asked.
"You see, the pokemon here are either wild pokemon who was hurt by trainers or abandoned pokemon. I help them by healing their injuries and give them food. Bulbasaur and the rest help me collect berries and other food from the forest." She said.
"You are doing a great thing here." Brock said.
"Yes but I want these children to go out into the world. They get safety and warm food here so they do not want to go outside into the world. I hope that someday everyone would be able to find a good home of their own." Melanie sounded Melancholic.
We spent the rest of the day helping out Melanie. Brock was exchanging notes with her on how to take better care of the pokemon. The day passed by quickly and we went to sleep after dinner. The next morning, Bulbasaur was waiting for us as we got ready to leave. From the look in his eyes, he wanted a battle.
"I think Bulbasaur wants to go with you." Melanie was the one to say.
"I think so too." Brock said.
"Alright then let's fight. Charmeleon, I choose you." I called out my starter.
"Char." He said as he appeared in the field. He was surprised to see Bulbasaur but gave him a small smile as soon as he saw that Bulbasaur recognized him.
In Bulbasaur's case, he was happy to see his old friend. He gave a small smile to us which signalled that he didn't want to fight. I understood what he wanted so I simply threw the ball which ended up catching him after just one shake.
"I see. Bulbasaur must have felt that you are a good trainer when he saw how well trained Charmeleon is." Brock said.
"welcome to the team bud." I said as i released him before scanning him with dexter.
Bulbasaur, The Seed Pokemon.
Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back. By soaking up the sun's rays, the seed grows progressively larger.
This Bulbasaur is a Male and has the ability Overgrow.
This Bulbasaur is currently Level 10 and knows the moves Tackle, Growl, Leech Seed, Vine Whip and Petal Dance.
I was happy that Bulbasaur had a good array moves. Although it would take us some time to get to the same level as the others, I was holding back training until I caught Squirtle as he would be an integral part of my main team. We said farewell to Melanie and was soon back on the road again.
It took us another day of travel before we came across the town where the Squirtle squad was located. Although, unlike last time the Squirtle squad were already working as the town firefighters which made me sure that he too had retained the memories. Capturing him was not much trouble as the Officer Jenny in charge of the fire department was more than happy to let him go and train. A quick scan made by Dexter gave me the following information.
Squirtle, The Tiny Turtle Pokemon.
Squirtle's shell is not merely used for protection. The shell's rounded shape and grooves on its surface helps minimize resistance in water, enabling this Pokemon to swim at high speeds.
This Squirtle is a Male and has the ability Torrent.
This Squirtle is currently level 10 and knows the moves Tackle, Tail Whip, Bubble, Withdraw and Mirror Coat.
Squirtle was the same level as Bulbasaur, making them the lowest levelled pokemon in my team. We soon reached the same Pokemon Centre where we met Charmander and Damian although the cocky trainer was nowhere in sight. So after booking our room for the night, I decided to consult Brock and Misty about my training schedule.
"Guys, I am thinking about staying here for a week or so. I need to train my newer captures before I can challenge Vermillion Gym." Although Charmeleon was strong enough to solo the Vermilion Gym, I needed to cover the level gap.
"I see. Bulbasaur and Squirtle are low level right now so they need time to train. Alright, maybe i'll do some training too." Brock said.
"Sorry guy, but I need to do something in Vermillion City. I can't wait for a week. I'll meet you guys there." Misty said.
"Alright then. Let's start training tomorrow." I said excitedly and soon we went to sleep after dinner.
Day 1
Misty left to Vermillion City by daybreak. If she walked fast, she would reach the City by afternoon. I splitted with Brock who was training in the Woods behind the pokemon centre. It took me about 15 minutes before I reached a good part of the grasslands. Today was all about levelling my weaker pokemon, but I couldn't just leave the others be.
I ordered Charmeleon to practise controlling his flames as it was very important in the future match. I send him to a rather big clearing where he could practise without the risk of starting a big fire.
Pidgeotto received endurance training. I tied some rocks to her legs to increase her strength and speed. I told her to inform me once she get used to the weight. Given how much she loved training, I was sure she would get the hang of it in a few hours.
Beedrill was currently at Oak's lab as she was nearing mating season. As such, her body starts to lose efficiency. Professor Oak had informed me that Beedrills tended to get aggressive as the mating season reached its peak. She would soon snap out of it but it would take at least a few weeks before she was back to peak performance.
This brought me to the three Pokemon that I had to train. Abra was still only at Level 14 so it would take another two levels before he could start fighting on his own. I planned on pairing him up with Bulbasaur and Squirtle so that he could earn more exp from the fight.
In squirtle's case, I let him do a little warm up as I trained Abra and Bulbasaur. The easiest way to train low levelled pokemon was to battle so we walked around fihting whatever pokemon we could meet. The Route was filled with Meowth, Pidgey , Oddish and Bellsprouts, so it was a good experience for Bulbasaur.
We battled for an hour with Bulbasaur before switching him out with Squirtle. Abra gained a level and reached Level 15 while Bulbasaur gained two levels. The next hour was spend with training Squitle, who got a firsthand experience in fighting against type Disadvantages. He took a lot of damage but ultimately grew one level but Abra didn't gain any.
By the time I recalled Squirtle, Pidgeotto came to me indicating that the weight was a little low. I put some more but decided against putting too much as it would be dangerous. It took Bulbasaur another hour before he was tired, but he had again gained two more levels. The best part was that Abra gained another level which meant that he was now ready for evolution. And soon enough, the blinding white light took over the form of Abra and when it died down, Kadabra was standing in his place wide awake and ready for battle. Dexter gave me the following information.
Kadabra, The Psi Pokemon.
Kadabra holds a silver spoon in its hand. The spoon is used to amplify the alpha waves in its brain. Without the spoon, the Pokemon is said to be limited to half the usual amount of its telekinetic powers.
This Kadabra is a Male and has the ability Magic Guard.
This Kadabra is currently level 16 and knows the moves Teleport, Thunder Punch and Confusion.
Kadabra's evolution made me change the schedule a little. Instead of rotating between Squirtle and Bulbasaur, I started rotating between the three which slowed the growth of Bulbasaur. In Squirtle's case, we decided to only fight Meowth and Pidgey and ignore the grass types that appeared. This did wonders for him as he ended up gaining two levels and learned Water Gun. I decided to end his battles for the day and told him to practise the power and accuracy of the Water Gun for the rest of the day.
In Bulbasaur's case, he levelled up once more and reached level 15 before I told him to practise Vine Whip for the remaining time. The last hour was spend with Kadabra, who was too powerful in this part of the region. He did gain one level but that took a lot of battles.
Soon I decided to call it a day and we returned to the Pokemon Centre to find that Brock had already returned. We called it a day at 9 PM and went to sleep.
Results for the Day: Kadabra Level 17, Bulbasaur Level 15, Squirtle Level 13.
Day 2
I left the Centre much earlier than I did the previous day. Charmeleon had reached a good level of control over his flames and now could make it hotter or cooler at will although the range was limited. I instructed him to hit the rock with his hottest flames as long as he could keep up those flames and keep doing it until lunch.
In Pidgeotto's Case, she had gotten a good hold over the weights but needed more time to completely be at ease with it. I ordered her to try flying faster with weights on until she could be as fast as her normal self.
Todays training started with Bulbasaur who was quite close to evolving now. He had made quick work of the opposing pokemon which enbled him to level up in under an hour. Soon the evolution process was over and Ivysaur stood ready to fight. I made a quick scan with Dexter before telling him to rest.
Ivysaur, The Seed Pokemon.
There is a bud on this Pokemon's back. To support its weight, Ivysaur's legs and trunk grow thick and strong. If it starts spending more time lying in the sunlight, it's a sign that the bud will bloom into a large flower soon.
This Ivysaur is a Male and has the ability Overgrow.
This Ivysaur is currently Level 16 and knows the moves Growl, Tackle, Leech Seed, Vine Whip, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder and Petal Dance.
Bulbasaur's evolution sparked the competitive spirit of Squirtle who did not want to fall behind his old rival. I took a little bit of extra time to train him. His proficiency with the Water Gun was rising quickly as we fought more and more opponents, making it easier to win. It took us about an Hour and a half but Squirtle gained the three levels needed for him to evolve and soon became a Wartotle.
Wartotle, The Turtle Pokemon.
Its tail is large and covered with a rich, thick fur. The tail becomes increasingly deeper in colour as the Wartotle ages. The scratches on its shell are evidence of this Pokemon's toughness as a battler.
This Wartotle is a Male and has the ability Torrent.
This Wartotle is currently level 16 and knows the moves Tackle, Tail whip, Bubble, Withdraw, Water Gun and Mirror Coat.
The evolution of squirtle meant that none of them were going to evolve for a considerable amount of time. I ordered him to try and get familiar with his new body like Ivysaur and went to train Kadabra. It was easy to train him as the pokemon in this Route had no answer to Psychic type attacks. I took a little extra time with him as he was nowhere near tired as the others in an hour. It took us about two hours before he started showing signs of fatigue so we decided to stop for lunch.
I had already prepared lunch before leaving from the Pokemon Centre so it didn't take us much time to finish eating. We decided to take a little time off from training as the afternoon sun was a little too harsh. We were lying on the shade of a big tree and everyone was sleeping. As I was laying there, I started reminiscing about my past.
Back when I lost against Alain in the Kalos League finals, I nearly quit training altogether. I was sick and tired of losing again and again with no signs of winning a league. As I was wasting my time lazing around in Pallet, Professor Oak took me in his Lab as an assistant. In the six months that I was there, my entire view of Pokemon changed for the better. I learned about the concept of levels and how evolution worked at the age of 16. It allowed me to see how unprepared I was before.
Professor Oak was the first person to tell me that my habit of leaving behind my pokemon when heading towards a new Region was idiotic. By the time I comprehended this, all my pokemon had lost their edge. It is quite easy to train up a low level Pokemon from scratch. But to train a high level pokemon to regain their battling skills was a hell that I didn't want to go through again.
The reason I said so is because high levelled pokemon are rare in most part of the world and in the places where they are found, you can't take half assed Pokemon to battle. It took me five years to get my pokemon back to their level. And those five years cost me everything.
Some might say that five years is not a long time. After all, I was only Twenty Two by then but the world didn't revolve around me. Everyone who were on the same level as me became untouchable monsters and those who were stronger than me became something akin to demigods for me. All my friends achieved their dreams and settled down. The kids like Bonnie and Max who started their journeys much later than I did won a League before me.
My Pride was hurt. I didn't think of myself as a cocky person, but the feeling of dread I felt when I saw Max who was like a younger brother to me lifted the trophy after winning the Hoenn League told me otherwise. When he thanked me for helping him in front of the whole Region, I felt that everyone was sneering at me. I was starting to become Insane and finally I ran away from everyone.
Another two years were spent wandering the unexplored lands with no particular goals. I became something akin to a caveman but I was sure I was clinically Insane at that time. My Pokemon with the exception of a few lost all belief in me. They never abandoned me, but they stopped training or growing stronger. I had left behind my Pokedex which enabled me to carry all my pokemon with me. Many of them settled down with the local pokemon and started a family.
By the third year, I outgrew my insanity. Yes, I outgrew it. The chaotic mess in my mind gradually settled down and I attained peace of mind. Everything I ever learned was now extremely clear to me. I started training again in earnest, this time I didn't want to lose. I let go of my pride and began anew.
Yet another two years were spend before I re entered the league circuit. I battled Gym after gyms, marvelling t how strong the leaders had become. After a series of close encounters, I qualified for the Indigo League. I was back where it all started. The League went as I expected. I reached the Knockout rounds but got thrashed by Ritchie. History had a thing for screwing with me.
But I didn't care about that loss. I shook it off and started again and lost again and again and again. I kept trying, pushing my knowledge and pokemon to their absolute limits. I gathered information about anything that could provide me an edge in battle. I kept pushing it until at the age of fifty, when all my friends had children challenging leagues, I broke past all the obstacles in front of me. I became the first person in history to be the champion of all the six major regions but by that time, I was already a suicidal mess.
At this point, I woke up . Unknowingly I had fell asleep with my pokemon. A quick look at the watch showed me that I had been sleeping for more than three hours, which screwed up my training plans for the day. Finally I decided to stop training for the day and let all my pokemon play around for the remaining time. All of them were happy about that and soon I joined them in playing. We went for a swim in the nearby river, played with an inflatable ball and played catch. It was a good experience for Kadabra and Pidgeotto who were not as close as the starter trio. Pidgeotto quickly integrated herself into the group as she was originally a part of them. Kadabra was a little shy at first, but soon became friends with the rest.
After playing for about two hours, we called it a day and went back the centre. Brock was a little late but he said that his pokemon were growing nicely.
Just as I was going to sleep, a message from the system popped up which showed that a new quest had arrived.
Quest Activated: Does It Look Like I Care About That Overgrown Rat?
Quest Details: Own Four Pokemon Over Level 30 Before reaching Vermillion City
Quest Reward: Increase in Rare Encounter Rate by 10%
Additional Information: This quest is an advancement quest which means that successful completion of the quest would result in unlocking a new feature of the system.
I was excited as the new quest arrived. I already had one pokemon above level 30 and Pidgeotto was already near there. I just needed to level the remaining ones.
Results for the day: Ivysaur level 16, Wartotle Level 16, Kadabra level 19
Alright I'll stop there for now.
You know, when I started writing this I was fully expecting to get burned for my poor skills but to my immense surprise, all of you guys have been really kind to me. Moreover, the number of reviews I receive is starting to increase every chapter which means that my goal of 30 reviews by chapter 10 doesn't look impossible right now.
Anyways, On to the reviews. Some of you guys said that I was missing something from the narratives and I can't understand what that is. Please feel free to say what that is as a review or a PM and I'll do my best to address that issue. I am just an amateur so any input I receive is extremely valuable for me.
Another issue that is being raised is about how I am not delving into depth about training, which is an issue I won't be able to address until much later into the story as I am basing the levels of the pokemon in this story according to gen 3 games. But by the time they reach a high level, I'll go into much more detailed training sessions so please stick with me until then
Anyways, Stay safe and read and review.