After his defeat against Anthony, Isaiah decided to train his Pokémon on Route 22 for a while, catching as many Pokémon as he could, followed by letting them choose if they wanted to stay with him or not. Unsurprisingly, every single one he caught decided to stay in their homes. Soon, he realized that his Pokédex was updating him on the progress his Pokémon. After he heard that both Pokémon reached Level Nine, the sun was starting the set and Charmander and Mankey both looked exhausted, so Isaiah decided to head to the Pokémon Center so he and his Pokémon could rest. As he was relaxing, he was looking through his Pokédex to see what updates it had. "Rattata: The Mouse Pokémon. Its fangs are long and very sharp. They grow continuously, so it gnaws on hard things to whittle them down. Pidgey: The Tiny Pokémon. It does not like to fly. It hides in tall grass and so on, foraging for food such as small bugs. Spearow: The Tiny Pokémon. It busily flits around here and there. Even if it is frail, it can be a tough foe that uses Mirror Move." his Pokédex said.
"Interesting. And not only can it read me information on Pokémon I catch, but it also gives me updates on the progress my Pokémon have made." Isaiah said as he looked at his Town Map. "...Okay! Then tomorrow, we'll head for the Viridian Forest and test out these new strengths!" he said before turning in for the night, unaware that there was someone standing outside the door, listening in. "Viridian Forest, eh? Then I'll see you there." they said before leaving.
...
"Caterpie: The Worm Pokémon. It is covered with a green skin. When it grows, it sheds the skin, covers itself in silk, and becomes a cocoon. Weedle: The Hairy Pokémon. Often found in forests and grasslands. It has a sharp, toxic barb of around two inches on top of its head. Metapod: The Cocoon Pokémon. And the evolved form of Caterpie. Even though it is encased in a sturdy shell, the body inside is tender. It can't withstand a harsh attack. Kakuna: The Cocoon Pokémon. And the evolved form of Weedle. This Pokémon is in a temporary stage while making its body. It is almost completely unable to move on its own."
Isaiah's Pokédex registered each of the Pokémon he caught before he let them decide their fates. Unfortunately, they all decided they would rather stay in the wild. He sighed. He couldn't blame them for wanting to stay in their homes, but he couldn't help but want some of them to stay with him. "Well, looking around, it seems like I've caught all the Pokémon for the forest. So, let's train up in battle and head to the next-!" He was cut off by a voice. It sounded agitated.
"Ahh, come on! Just! Stay! In! The ball!" they yelled. It sounded like a female voice. Curious, Isaiah decided to check it out. He soon reached a field where he saw a girl frantically throwing Pokéballs at what looked to be another Pokémon. It was a small yellow mouse looking Pokémon. "Woah. Guess there was another Pokémon I missed. I'll have to find one for myself." Isaiah whispered to himself as he decided to watch the catch attempt. Unfortunately, the Pokémon was dodging every single Pokéball that the girl threw, even laughing and mocking her.
"Grrr! I'm not giving up! That Pokémon is too cute for me to pass up on!" the girl thought to herself before reaching into her bag again. Her eyes widened and she gasped. "Oh no... I'm out of Pokéballs!" "Nooooo!" the girl screamed before the Pokémon started laughing. The girl pouted and stared at the Pokémon as it started to dart off... only for it to get hit by a Pokéball. "Huh?!" the girl said. One shake, two shake, three shake, click!
"There." Isaiah said, showing himself as he looked at his Pokédex. "Pikachu: The Mouse Pokémon. It has small electric sacs on both its cheeks. If threatened, it looses electric charges from the sacs." the Pokédex said. Isaiah looked over at the girl and they made eye contact before the girl fell to her knees, defeated. "Oh well... guess I just wasn't destined to have that cutie..." the girl said. "Here you go." Isaiah said. The girl looked up to see Isaiah kneeling down in front of her, holding out the Pokéball to her. "...Huh?! W-What do you mean "Here you go"?!" the girl asked. "Well, you were trying so hard to catch it, it didn't seem right to basically steal it from you. I usually release Pokémon that don't want to join my team, but I think this Pikachu belongs with you." Isaiah said with a smile. "I-I can't! You caught it fair and square!" the girl said. "And it's therefore my decision on what happens with it. Go ahead. Trust me. The two of you were meant to be together." Isaiah responded with a smile. The girl blushed a little before reaching up and taking the Pokéball. "T-Thank you." the girl said. "Don't mention it. Take care!" Isaiah said before taking off. The girl gasped and stood up. "W-Wait! You never introduced yourself!" the girl called out, but the boy was already long gone. She sighed before looking at the Pokéball.
"Use Scratch!" Isaiah said. Charmander nodded and charged at another trainer's Caterpie. The Caterpie rolled back over to the trainer and fainted. "Oh no!" they said. "Awesome! Great work, Charmander!" Isaiah said before hugging his Starter. "Charmander!" Charmander said with joy. Suddenly, his Pokédex went off. Isaiah checked it and saw that Charmander made it to Level Ten from the battle. "Hey! You leveled up too!" he said. "Leveled... up?" someone said from behind him. "Ah!" Isaiah yelled as he jumped back, startled by the sudden voice. "Oops! S-Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! Ah!" the person said. Isaiah looked to see that it was the same girl from before, but she was now on the ground. "Oh! It's you! Sorry, I was a little distracted." he said before going over and offering her a hand. But he stopped and tilted his head when he saw the girl covering her face. "Um... Are you okay, miss?" he asked. Upon closer inspection, Isaiah saw scratch marks on her face, and he looked at Charmander, who was trying to tiptoe away. "Charmander!" Isaiah called. Charmander froze and slowly looked at Isaiah. "Did you use Scratch on this girl?!" Isaiah asked. Charmander chuckled nervously before bowing to the girl repeatedly.
"O-Oh, there's no need to apologize, really! You had every right to be afraid after I startled you like that! Please forgive me!" the girl said before bowing to Charmander. "Hey hey hey! You don't have to apologize! Charmander was just caught off guard, that's all!" Isaiah said as he offered her a hand. The girl looked at his hand and blushed lightly before taking it and Isaiah helped her up. "Are you okay?" Isaiah asked. "I'm fine. I never got to introduce myself when you helped me before. My name's Carly. Carly Glazier." the girl said. "Oh! You can call me Isaiah! Isaiah Tailor!" Isaiah said. "Isaiah... Tailor..." Carly said to herself before shaking her head. "A-Anyways, t-there's another reason why I tracked you down!" she said. Isaiah tilted his head. Carly was silent for a moment before looking at Isaiah. "W-Would it be too much... to ask you to battle me?!" she asked. "You want to battle?" Isaiah asked. Carly pouted a little. "No, I wanted to have a tea party. Yes, I want to battle you!" Carly said. Isaiah threw his hands up and chuckled. "Touché. But... why are you suddenly interested in battling me?" he asked. "W-Well... The thing is... I'm relatively new to all of this... Raising Pokémon, I mean. And... I saw you catch that Pokémon so easily. And not only that, but you battle really well, too! S-So..." Carly bowed to him. "I-I'd like you to teach me!" Carly said.
Isaiah looked at her for a moment before smiling. "Okay! Let's battle!" Isaiah said before raising one of his Pokéballs. Carly's eyes lit up and she raised a Pokéball of her own. "Thank you so much! I... only have two Pokémon with me, so is a two-on-two battle okay with you?" Carly asked. "Of course! I only have two Pokémon too, so it's actually perfect!" Isaiah responded. "Huh?! You only have two Pokémon?! But you're so good at catching Pokémon!" Carly said. "That's true, but..." Isaiah looked around. "...I don't like taking Pokémon away from their homes unless they really want to come with me. Because of that, I let the Pokémon I catch decide whether they want to stay or go. And most of them have chosen to go back to their homes. Only one Pokémon, outside of my partner, has decided to stay." Isaiah responded. Carly looked around as well, seeing various Pokémon roaming around them. "I see..." Carly said before looking at her Pokéball. "But now's not the time to get philosophical! After all, we've got a battle to fight! And like you said, it'll be two-on-two and it'll end when both of one side's Pokémon are unable to battle!" Isaiah said before standing back. "Ah! W-Wait a minute, I'm not-" Carly tried to say, but due to his excitement, Isaiah wound up cutting her off. "Let's do this! Mankey, game on!" Isaiah yelled as Mankey emerged from its Pokéball.
"Ah... Um... W-Which one should I start with...?" Carly said. "Don't worry! Just relax and you'll be fine! And don't forget to use an awesome catchphrase when you send it out!" Isaiah called. "C-Catchphrase?!" Carly said. "Of course! Coming up with catchphrases to ramp up your Pokémon makes the battle even more exciting!" Isaiah responded. "U-Um... W-Well..." Carly said before looking at her Pokéball. After a moment, Carly took a deep breath. "O-Okay... I think I got it.K-Kaminari, you're on!" Carly said as she sent out her Pokémon: The Pikachu from before. "Hey, it's that Pikachu! You gave it a nickname?!" Isaiah asked. "Y-Yeah... A-Anyway, let's focus on the battle! K-Kaminari, use Thunder Shock!" Carly said. "Pika!" Pikachu responded before launching its attack... which hit Carly. "AAAAAAHHH!" Carly screamed. "What in the-?!" Isaiah said. Carly fell to the ground and Pikachu laughed at her. Isaiah looked at Pikachu for a moment before sighing. "Mankey, use Scratch!" Isaiah called. Mankey charged and scratched Pikachu while it was laughing, catching it off guard and sent it flying. "Chaaaa!" Pikachu let out a scream as it was hit. "Kaminari!" Carly said as she caught Pikachu. Pikachu looked up at her, surprised that she protected it after it attacked her. "Are you okay?" Carly asked with a small smile. Pikachu only gave her a small nod in response.
"Kaminari!" Isaiah called out. Both Carly and Pikachu looked at him. "That prank of yours isn't funny! You're in the middle of a battle! Now's not the time to be treating your partner like that! She's just trying to be your friend! I understand that you're having fun but attacking her isn't fair to her! Focus your attacks on your opponent, not your friend! She cares about you, so don't you think you should give her the same courtesy?!" Isaiah called out to it. Pikachu was silent for a moment before looking up at Carly. "It's the truth. I think you're really great, Kaminari. And I really want to become good friends with you. If... you want to. So... can we battle together? Please?" Carly said. Pikachu was silent for a moment before it nuzzled her cheek. Carly giggled. "I'm glad. Can you still battle, then?" Carly said. "Pi!" Pikachu said confidently with a smile. "Alright. Then let's do this!" Carly said as Pikachu got back in the battle. "Pika!" Pikachu said. Isaiah smiled. "Alright. Then let the battle continue! Mankey, use Leer!" Isaiah said. Mankey glared at Pikachu, causing it to shiver. "Counter it, Kaminari! Use Growl!" Carly declared. Pikachu nodded and growled at Mankey, causing it to become hesitant to attack.
"So that's how you wanna play it? Then you can be the first target of Mankey's new move! Use Low Kick!" Isaiah called out. "Mankeeeeeey!" Mankey screeched and charged at Pikachu, not giving it any time to react. "Pika!" Pikachu said as Mankey kicked at its feet, sending it flying. "Chaaaaa!" it cried. "Kaminari, no!" Carly said as Pikachu landed at her feet, eyes swirly. "Looks like that's one down." Isaiah said. Carly sighed. "Thanks, Kaminari. Return and rest up." Carly said before returning Pikachu to its Pokéball. "So much for that... Guess I'm still too inexperienced." Carly said. "Hey, you shouldn't say that!" Isaiah called. Carly looked at him. "Like you said, you're still new to raising and battling Pokémon! So don't beat yourself up! Just keep battling until the end!" Isaiah said with a smile. Carly stared at him for a moment before smiling, her determination returning. "Right! I won't give up until it's over! So, let's keep it going!" she said as she raised another Pokéball. "Here's my other Pokémon! Tanjiro, you're on!" she called as she released her next partner: a Squirtle. "You have a Squirtle too?!" Isaiah said, remembering his last battle with Anthony and becoming a little hesitant. "Mankey!" Mankey called to Isaiah, who looked at it. Mankey glared at Isaiah for a moment before Isaiah understood and nodded. "Right. It's different now. Let's do this!" Isaiah said. "Mankey!" Mankey said confidently.
Suddenly, however, something happened. Electricity sparked through Mankey, causing it to fall to a knee. "What's that?!" Isaiah said before looking it up on his Pokédex and he gasped. "Static... That's Pikachu's special ability! Since I had Mankey make physical contact with it, it was paralyzed!" Isaiah said. "Really...? That's incredible! Then we really do stand a chance! But now's not the time to get distracted, Isaiah! Tanjiro, use Tackle!" Carly declared. Squirtle charged and Mankey tried to move, but the paralysis was slowing it down. The attack landed. "They're wide open now! Use Low Kick!" Isaiah declared. Mankey moved, but the electricity stopped it. "Oh no!" Isaiah said. "Keep up the pressure Tanjiro! Use Tail Whip!" Carly said. Squirtle followed her instructions and used the move, lowering Mankey's defense. "Use Scratch!" Isaiah called. But Mankey was once again frozen from the paralysis. "Tail Whip again!" Carly said. Squirtle used the move, but Mankey glared at it this time. "Yes! Use Scratch!" Isaiah called. Mankey managed to land the hit this time, but Squirtle barely flinched.
"No way! It barely did a thing?!" Isaiah said. "And now you're wide open! Tackle!" Carly said as Squirtle attacked, sending Mankey back a bit. "Use Low Kick!" Isaiah said. Mankey was once again able to land the attack. "Use Tackle over and over!" Carly declared. "Match it with repeated Low Kicks!" Isaiah called. The two Pokémon used their attacks again and again, but due to the paralysis at the start, Mankey was inevitably the first one to fall. "Alright! I actually managed to win one!" Carly cheered. Isaiah chuckled. "Nice work. That paralysis really caught me off guard. But at the same time, Squirtle took a lot of damage from that fight." Isaiah pointed out. Carly gasped and looked at Squirtle, who was pretty beat up. But it looked back at her and gave her a thumbs up, letting her know it was still able to battle. Carly nodded and looked at Isaiah. "It's okay! We're going to battle until the very end!" she said. Isaiah smiled. "Good answer. Then let's wrap this up! Charmander, game on!"
Isaiah sent out his own partner Pokémon and the two Pokémon stared each other down. "Let's go!" Isaiah and Carly said. "Scratch!" Isaiah called. "Tackle!" Carly called. The two Pokémon charged at each other, but Charmander managed to pull off the same move it did against Anthony's Squirtle, sidestepping Squirtle and landing its attack, sending it flying. "Tanjiro!" Carly said as she went over to it. Unfortunately, Squirtle's eyes were swirly at that point. It was unable to battle. Carly sighed and picked it up. "Guess that's it..." she said. "That was a great battle, though!" You've got a lot of potential, Carly!" Isaiah said with a smile. Carly looked at him and smiled. "Thanks, Isaiah... I'm glad you think so." Carly said. Isaiah tilted his head. "You... say that like you're not used to people encouraging you." Isaiah said. Carly sighed. "That's not important right now. I appreciate you battling me, but I have to get to the Pokémon Center. I hope we can meet again in the future." she said with a bow as she returned Squirtle to its Pokéball and took off, exiting the forest and making her way back to the Pokémon Center. She gave her Pokémon to Nurse Joy and sat down while waiting for them to be healed.
Carly sighed. "That battle was such a rush... But I lost in the end. Guess I really am unable to properly raise Pokémon." she said to herself. As she sat lost in thought, she was surprised to see a hand in front of her. She looked up and gasped when she saw Isaiah offering her a hand, smiling. "I-Isaiah! W-What are you doing here?!" Carly asked. "I wanted to ask if you wanted to travel with me." Isaiah said. "W-What?! T-Travel with you?!" Carly asked. "Yeah. If someone out there thinks that you're not fit to raise Pokémon, the only way to prove them wrong is to improve. If you travel with me, the two of us can learn and improve together. Besides, our respective journeys will be a lot more exciting and fun if we have a friend to talk to." Isaiah said. "B-But I don't want to interrupt you from your own journey! That's not fair to you!" Carly said. "You're no bother. Battling you was tons of fun and I feel like I've gotten to know you a lot better from it! And you definitely seem like a great person to be around. So, I'd be really happy to call you my friend and companion." Isaiah said. Carly blushed lightly in response, sitting in silence for a moment before smiling and taking a hold of his hand.
"I'd be honored." she said. "Great! Happy to have you on board!" Isaiah said as he helped her up and Nurse Joy called her over. "Thank you so much for waiting! Both of your Pokémon you left with me are completely healed and fighting fit. We hope to see you again!" Nurse Joy said with a smile. "Thank you very much!" both Carly and Isaiah said. After receiving their Pokémon, the two walked out together and looked at each other before smiling and took off back towards the forest, ready to continue their adventures with a new friend by their side.
To be continued...
