Pokémon - The Journey Begins
Chapter 4: Two New Acquaintances
The Viridian Forest is vast, and wide. Though there was a blunt dirt path placed which can get one from Viridian City to Pewter City, it was very possible to get lost. Matt made sure to check his map several times so that this misfortune would never occur. He stopped to check his surroundings to make sure that Squirtle stayed close by; Matt had the urge to just place him back inside his Pokéball, because all Pokémon regardless of their behaviour or emotions are supposed to be carried around in it, aren't they? Matt asked himself.
A rustling in a nearby bush caught Matt's attention. As he looked, he noticed two large horns with many thorns surrounding it. This seemed to be peculiar, and Matt looked even closer. The horns moved further away from the bush, as the creature's entire body was revealed. An exoskeleton...must be a bug Pokémon, Matt thought. A Pokémon with two claws, and a face which resembled anger looked deep into Matt. He was ecstatic.
"Whoa! A Pinsir! I've heard about these, but I never would have thought that I could find any of them here! I've gotta have it!"
Matt took out his Pokédex and looked up specific information. "Great! Bug Pokémon are weak against Flying Pokémon! Squirtle, you just sit down and relax." Matt then pulled out a Pokéball containing Spearow inside. He then pressed a small button around its center, which enlarged it. He then tossed it close towards Pinsir.
As the Pokéball struck the ground, it opened up. A blast of white light surrounded the area, as Spearow's form then took place.
"Spearow!" the Pokémon screeched.
"Go, Spearow! Give him your Peck attack!" Matt commanded.
The Spearow screeched again, staring towards its opponent. It took flight, then instantly dropped its altitude at a rapid pace, diving at the Pinsir. Pinsir stood completely still, taking the attack head on. Regaining its balance, it quickly lunged itself forward, and grabbed Spearow tightly within its claws.
"This can't be good. Spearow, use Leer!" Matt yelled.
Spearow managed to break itself free from Pinsir's grasp and stared deeply into Pinsir's eyes. Pinsir was startled and shocked, that it began to lose its balance. Spearow then attacked from its position from the sky, pecking at Pinsir from point blank. Pinsir, not to be outdone, quickly pulled itself to its feet, and leaped at Spearow. It clutched Spearow tightly within its grasp, and collided it heavily onto the ground.
Matt clenched his teeth and formed a fist. Clearly Pinsir must have suffered from that high up, too, he thought to himself.
"You can do it! Give it another Peck!" Matt yelled.
Spearow flapped its wings and soared into the air. It then landed in front of Pinsir, who had yet to recover and stand up. Spearow took advantage, and struck Pinsir heavily several times with its beak. Matt enlarged an empty Pokéball, and threw it at the Pinsir. Once captured inside, it didn't resist much; Matt had just captured another Pokémon.
Matt smiled, realizing that he had just capturing his third Pokémon in only his first day. He went up and picked up the captured Pinsir. He tossed and caught the Pokéball before minimizing it and placing it back on his Pokémon belt. He then smiled at Spearow before calling it back inside its ball, then placing it back on his Pokémon belt.
Matt beckoned for Squirtle to follow him, when a youthful voice called out from behind him.
"Greetings, Pokémon Trainer...."
Matt turned around, and saw somebody fully armed in strange, antique-looking armour. A steel helmet covered his head, so his face was difficult to see. He observed this person carefully.
"Who are you?" Matt asked.
"HAI-YEEEEEE-A!" the kid screamed with fury, unsheathing a katana and pointed it very close towards Matt's neck.
"Hey!" Matt yelled, backing up. "Who...who are you? Are you part of Team Rocket?"
The kid laughed, and lowered his sword. "No, no, no. I am a fellow Pokémon Trainer, a Bug Catcher to be precice." He placed his sword back into its sheath. "I am Samurai. I wish to challenge you."
"Are you insane?!" Matt exclaimed, "going around this forest swinging a sword like that; you could really scare a few people. Myself included!"
"I meant no harm to you; I would just like a Pokémon battle. A best-of-three," Samurai said, smirking. "Choose your two best Pokémon, and I'll choose mine."
"Wait a second, I didn't even agree to this," Matt replied. "But fine. How much will the winning trainer get?"
"What?" Samarai replied, confused.
"What do you mean, 'what'? You know, we have to agree on a certain wager on whoever wins the battle. The winning trainer claims the money that both trainers agreed on earlier. How much are you willing to wager?"
"Oh, very well...how does fifty sound?"
"Fifty? That's a bit out of my price range."
"I won't go any lower than that," Samurai replied, crossing his arms.
"Seriously, if I lose, I won't be able to pay that amount," Matt complained. "Couldn't we lower the wager just a little bit?"
"Fine then. If you lose, you hand me what little money you have, plus that Pinsir you've recently captured. I wouldn't mind selling THAT Pokémon for some extra dough...."
"My offer is thirty," Matt responded, his arms crossed.
"Very well. Thirty. Now, are we ready to battle or not?" Samurai asked impatiently.
"Yeah, yeah, come on," Matt replied, grabbing a minimized Pokéball from his belt and clutching it tightly in his hand. "Your move."
"If that's the way it will be, then fine." Samurai pulled out a Pokéball and enlarged it. He tossed it into the now-claimed battlefield. The ball struck the ground, and sprang open. A short yet stout Pokémon appeared. Matt recognized it at once; it was a Caterpie.
"Okay, Squirtle. Go!" Matt commanded.
Squirtle nodded and dashed into the battlefield, staring straight into Caterpie.
"Squirtle, give it your Bubble attack!" Matt commanded.
Squirtle took in a deep breath, fillings his lungs out completely, before exhaling a barrage of tiny, yet powerful bubbles. Caterpie shut its eyes in its defense, and took each bubble head-on.
"Caterpie, fight back with String Shot!" Samurai commanded.
Caterpie regained its stamina after the the attack given by Squirtle, and instantly fired a thin, but lengthy stream of string. Squirtle was too slow to react, and held his arms up in defense. He was instantly covered in the substance, and had difficulty moving. The Caterpie then charged forward and struck Squirtle point blank from up front. The collision knocked Squirtle over, and had difficulty moving off from the back of its shell.
"Damn it," Matt muttered, pulling a Pokéball out. "Squirtle, return."
A red beam of light surrounded the Squirtle, reducing its form to match the red light. Squirtle had returned to his Pokéball for the first time since being let out earlier in the day.
"I'm sorry about that, buddy. But I can't carry you around right now." Matt minimized the Pokéball, placing it back on his belt while enlarging the other Pokéball. When Matt looked back up into the battlefield, he saw the Caterpie spraying itself with its String Shot.
"Wow! It's evolving!" Samurai said.
As soon as Caterpie had completely covered itself, a bright light covered its entire body. Its form enlarged, and when the light dimmed, the Pokémon had expanded; its exoskeleton becoming tougher and glossier. Samurai gazed in amazement as his Caterpie had now become a Metapod.
"Congratulations," Matt stated, throwing the enlarged Pokéball into the battlefield, "but I'm afraid this is where your celebration ends. Pidgey, Sand Attack!"
Pidges set its eyes on Metapod, and began flapping its wings at a rapid pace, kicking up small dust particles into the air, entering the eyes of Medapod. Its vision had been hindered; it fell over, unsure of what to do next.
"Beautiful! Now Pidgey, use Quick Attack!" Matt commanded.
Pidgey dove from its previous position in the air and struck Metapod from the ground itself, sending it flying into a nearby tree. Metapod was no longer moving; it was unconscious.
"I forgot that it knows how to harden itself," Samurai muttered, snapping his fingers. He pulled out its Pokéball. "Metapod, return." Once the Metapod had returned inside its Pokéball, Samurai had enlarged his second Pokéball. He then threw it out into the battlefield. Pinsir, very similar to the one that Matt had recently captured, had appeared.
"Pidgey, Sand Attack!" Matt commanded right away. It's an effective strategy, he thought to himself. If it works, I might as well keep on using it! Matt smirked.
Pidgey, spotting Pinsir, flapped its wings at a rapid pace once again. The battlefield was once again filled up with a cloud of dust; sand particles were irritating Pinsir's eyes.
"Not again. Pinsir, Seismic Toss!" Samurai shouted.
Pinsir, its eyes still irritated, began swinging its claws rapidly, hoping in desperation to capture the Pidgey within its grasp to haul up into the air and slam into the ground with pure strength. However, its eyes became too irritated that it shut them tightly and covered them with its claws.
"Pidgey, Quick Attack!" Matt commanded.
Pidgey, instantly acknowledging the command, swooped down from above, striking Pinsir hard off balance. The collision sent Pinsir colliding heavily with the ground. Pinsir was not moving.
"Return, Pinsir," Samurai stated, absorbing Pinsir back inside. As the dust cloud had now cleared, he looked at Matt and instantly pulled out some bills and coins. "You've won fair and square. Here, take it."
"Thank you," Matt replied, graciously taking the money offered by the Samurai. He was thrilled; everything seemed to be going his way today.
"Where are you from anyway?" Samurai asked.
"Pardon me?" Matt asked, at the same time absorbing Pidgey back inside its Pokéball. "Oh, where am I from? Pallet Town." Matt minimized the Pokéball and placed it back on his Pokémon belt.
"If that's all, then I'll be off. Be careful how you use that sword," Matt commented.
"I shall," Samurai replied, laughing.
As they both waved each other farewell, Matt continued to walk along the path in Viridian City, when he spots nearby a small lake. He then released his Squirtle out of his Pokéball, and allowed him to swim around, allowing some of the sticky substance from Caterpie's attack to wash away. Squirtle then climbed out, and was ready to go.
As Matt and his Squirtle continued to walk along, they suddenly saw a cloud of smoke inundate the area. Matt instantly covered his nose; the fumes given off by the smoke was irritating to his sense of smell. As the smoke cloud gradually cleared, he saw one man and one woman, both dressed in completely black uniforms with a large red 'R' on the front of their shirts. Their arms were covered in long, dark gray gloves, and their boots were a polished brown.
Matt removed his hands from his face and took a few steps back in shock. No doubt about it, he thought to himself, this has to be Team Rocket, but...but what do I do now?
"Good Afternoon, sir," the man stated. Matt took a long look at him; he was slightly tanned, with dark, ominous eyes, and long black hair, tied back in a ponytail..
"Yes. Greetings, sir," the woman followed up. Her skin was slightly paler, with mesmerizing blue eyes, and shoulder-length brown hair.
"You...you're from Team Rocket, aren't you?!" Matt asked, somewhat afraid.
"My, my, my. What a smart kid; this is the first time we've seen him, and he already knows who we are," the man replied, laughing. "But of course, it doesn't really matter; I sincerely doubt we'll be seeing him again."
"Well, don't be so inconsiderate; introduce yourself!" the woman commanded, nudging the man.
"Oh, but of course, my dear, how could I ever have forgotten such a thing?" He bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zach."
"And my name is Cloë," the woman replied, brushing her hands through her hair. "You should be flattered to see us; all of the other members of Team Rocket are so crude."
"So very crude; so, we've decided to be short, sweet and to the point," Zach added, holding out the palm of his hand with Cloë doing the same. "Since you know us so well, this shouldn't be of any difficulty at all. Hand over all of your Pokémon at once."
"What? You want my Pokémon?" Matt asked, somewhat confused. "You know, the Pokémon that I have aren't really that difficult to capture. You can find them everywhere in this forest."
Zach and Cloë gasped in response.
"D...did you hear that?" Cloë asked, staring straight into Zach's eyes. "He...did he just tell us to go search for these Pokémon on our own?"
"I...I believe he did," Zach replied, looking back towards Matt. "I believe you don't appreciate the seriousness of this situation, good sir. If you just simply handed over your Pokémon, we will do you no harm."
Matt began to get annoyed. "Look, you're standing in my way. Let me pass," he stated boldly.
"My, the kid has guts!" Cloë gasped. "It seems he is eager to die!"
"We must explain it to him again," Zach commented, then looked back towards Matt. "We have agreed that as soon as you give us all of your Pokémon, you may pass. It is either that, or you will have to face severe consequences. Which will it be?"
"I don't plan to give them up so easily," Matt replied, spitting by his feet. "If you want them, you'll have to take them from me by force."
"It seems he does not understand," Zach sighed.
"If you want them taken by force, then that's exactly how it's going to be," Cloë sharply stated, creating a fist.
"Oh, give me a break," Matt gave off an exasperated sigh. "Look, I don't have time with you...people."
"Such rudeness!" Cloë stated, winding up and tossing an enlarged Pokémon in front of her. "Go, Machop!" A short, yet very muscular Pokémon appeared out of the ball and stared deeply into Matt's face.
"All right then--" Matt began, searching for a Pokéball of his choice.
"Nidoran, go!" Zach shouted pulled out a Pokéball and threw it. A small blue Pokémon with several dark spots all over its body appeared onto the battlefield beside Machop. Matt recognized it as a female Nirodan.
"What the--HEY!" Matt shouted, lowering his arm with the minimized Pokéball. "You can't battle with two Pokémon at once; that's a strict violation!"
Zach and Cloë looked deep into each others eyes, then at Matt's, then at theirs once more. They both suddenly broke out into a fit of heavy laughter.
Matt crossed his arms. "I fail to see the humour."
Squirtle, standing beside Matt, was also confused.
"You...you expected us, super villains, to be worried about rules issued by some ridiculously powerless Pokémon League?" Cloë said, wiping away tears from her eyes. "You said yourself we would have to take them by force, and that Squirtle looks like it could easily be taken down."
Matt placed the minimized Pokéball back on his Pokémon belt and crossed his arms. "I don't care how many Pokémon you send towards me at once; if I'm going to battle you, I'm going to do it individually," Matt said, spitting yet again.
"My dear, I've had enough of this talking; let's just attack him," Zach pointed towards his female Nidoran. "Nidoran, use Poison Sting!"
"Machop, Seismic Toss!" Cloë shouted.
Matt's eyes widened, listening to the commands just given to their Pokémon. Are...are they going to use them to attack me?! Matt asked himself. As soon as his thought completed, Nidoran had unleashed several sharp needles towards Matt. He quickly jumped to the ground, dodging the attack, however from behind, Machop wrapped his arms around both of Matt's legs, and threw him heavily into a tree.
Matt slowly pulled himself to his feet, rubbing his head. "Hey, you bastards, that really hurt," he muttered, cracking his knuckles. "Fine, then. If you're going to have your own Pokémon assault me, it looks like I'll have to retaliate!"
Matt pushed himself off of the tree on which he was leaning and dashed right towards his closest target, which was Machop. He pulled back his leg, and launched it forward, striking Machop in the lower abdomen. Machop was launched across the field, and landed directly into the mid-section of Zach, knocking both of them over in pain.
"Hey!" Cloë complained. "That's not fair; he's fighting back!"
"If you're allowed to fight dirty, you hypocrite, than so can I!" Matt yelled. He then spit once again and tapped his fist into an open palm. "You want to keep trying me?"
Suddenly, a loud buzzing noise was heard as a motorcycle ripped past several trees while entering the battlefield. Its brakes are heavily pressed, as the sand from the dirt path was kicked up into the air. A female officer with somewhat curly, shoulder length hair and sharp, determined eyes jumped off the motorcycle, and gazed strictly at both Cloë and Zach.
"Team Rocket?! I thought you'd be here," the officer said, pulling out two sets of handcuffs. "I'm placing you both under arrest this instant!"
"Damn it, the police always comes in to wreck our fun," Zach muttered, pulling himself to his feet while holding up a small gray ball in his hand. "Don't take this personal victory to heart, kid; we'll be back!"
Zach tossed heavily the ball into the ground, as heavy smoke began to fill the air. The smoke was unpleasant for Matt's and Squirtle's lungs as they both begin to cough profusely.
"It was a smoke bomb!" Matt shouted between coughs. He then dropped to his knees, and held Squirtle close to him. "This could be a cheap trick to try and steal you!" Matt roughly shouted, coughing again.
Several moments had passed, and Matt had discovered that nothing was happening. The smoke cloud began to clear, as the terrible smoke filling his lungs was vanishing fast. Matt released a huge sigh of relief and pulled himself to his feet.
"Thank you, officer," Matt said, dusting himself off before coughing again. "They tried to steal my Pokémon."
"Hey, no problem. My name is Jenny," the officer stated, and smiled. "Have you been harmed?"
"Their Pokémon gave me a bit of a beating, but I'll be all right," Matt replied, rubbing his head.
Jenny nodded in response. "Team Rocket has appeared everywhere lately. You'd be best to find a traveling companion," she stated.
"Yeah...some old man back in Viridian City told me exactly the same thing," Matt said, releasing a stiff laugh to follow.
Jenny smiled. "Well, as long as you know, that's the most important thing," she said while climbing back on top of her motorcycle. She then looked back at Matt. "Well, have a safe trip."
Jenny shifted gears on her motorcycle, and took off, from the direction she entered the battlefield.
Matt looked at Squirtle, who then looked back at him. Matt smiled and continued to walking down the path of Viridian Forest, hoping to reach the exit before to long.
"Team Rocket...that encounter wasn't as bad as the old man made it seem," Matt commented aloud, "however, I recall that old man saying that they've been responsible for murder in the past, so I can't take anything for granted. Without a doubt, Squirtle, we'll be seeing them again."
Matt stretched and yawned. "But other than that, it's been a really good day. How about when we get to Pewter City we take the rest of the day off?" Matt asked.
Squirtle nodded in response and grinned.
"Then it's settled. Let's go."
TO BE CONTINUED.
Chapter 4: Two New Acquaintances
The Viridian Forest is vast, and wide. Though there was a blunt dirt path placed which can get one from Viridian City to Pewter City, it was very possible to get lost. Matt made sure to check his map several times so that this misfortune would never occur. He stopped to check his surroundings to make sure that Squirtle stayed close by; Matt had the urge to just place him back inside his Pokéball, because all Pokémon regardless of their behaviour or emotions are supposed to be carried around in it, aren't they? Matt asked himself.
A rustling in a nearby bush caught Matt's attention. As he looked, he noticed two large horns with many thorns surrounding it. This seemed to be peculiar, and Matt looked even closer. The horns moved further away from the bush, as the creature's entire body was revealed. An exoskeleton...must be a bug Pokémon, Matt thought. A Pokémon with two claws, and a face which resembled anger looked deep into Matt. He was ecstatic.
"Whoa! A Pinsir! I've heard about these, but I never would have thought that I could find any of them here! I've gotta have it!"
Matt took out his Pokédex and looked up specific information. "Great! Bug Pokémon are weak against Flying Pokémon! Squirtle, you just sit down and relax." Matt then pulled out a Pokéball containing Spearow inside. He then pressed a small button around its center, which enlarged it. He then tossed it close towards Pinsir.
As the Pokéball struck the ground, it opened up. A blast of white light surrounded the area, as Spearow's form then took place.
"Spearow!" the Pokémon screeched.
"Go, Spearow! Give him your Peck attack!" Matt commanded.
The Spearow screeched again, staring towards its opponent. It took flight, then instantly dropped its altitude at a rapid pace, diving at the Pinsir. Pinsir stood completely still, taking the attack head on. Regaining its balance, it quickly lunged itself forward, and grabbed Spearow tightly within its claws.
"This can't be good. Spearow, use Leer!" Matt yelled.
Spearow managed to break itself free from Pinsir's grasp and stared deeply into Pinsir's eyes. Pinsir was startled and shocked, that it began to lose its balance. Spearow then attacked from its position from the sky, pecking at Pinsir from point blank. Pinsir, not to be outdone, quickly pulled itself to its feet, and leaped at Spearow. It clutched Spearow tightly within its grasp, and collided it heavily onto the ground.
Matt clenched his teeth and formed a fist. Clearly Pinsir must have suffered from that high up, too, he thought to himself.
"You can do it! Give it another Peck!" Matt yelled.
Spearow flapped its wings and soared into the air. It then landed in front of Pinsir, who had yet to recover and stand up. Spearow took advantage, and struck Pinsir heavily several times with its beak. Matt enlarged an empty Pokéball, and threw it at the Pinsir. Once captured inside, it didn't resist much; Matt had just captured another Pokémon.
Matt smiled, realizing that he had just capturing his third Pokémon in only his first day. He went up and picked up the captured Pinsir. He tossed and caught the Pokéball before minimizing it and placing it back on his Pokémon belt. He then smiled at Spearow before calling it back inside its ball, then placing it back on his Pokémon belt.
Matt beckoned for Squirtle to follow him, when a youthful voice called out from behind him.
"Greetings, Pokémon Trainer...."
Matt turned around, and saw somebody fully armed in strange, antique-looking armour. A steel helmet covered his head, so his face was difficult to see. He observed this person carefully.
"Who are you?" Matt asked.
"HAI-YEEEEEE-A!" the kid screamed with fury, unsheathing a katana and pointed it very close towards Matt's neck.
"Hey!" Matt yelled, backing up. "Who...who are you? Are you part of Team Rocket?"
The kid laughed, and lowered his sword. "No, no, no. I am a fellow Pokémon Trainer, a Bug Catcher to be precice." He placed his sword back into its sheath. "I am Samurai. I wish to challenge you."
"Are you insane?!" Matt exclaimed, "going around this forest swinging a sword like that; you could really scare a few people. Myself included!"
"I meant no harm to you; I would just like a Pokémon battle. A best-of-three," Samurai said, smirking. "Choose your two best Pokémon, and I'll choose mine."
"Wait a second, I didn't even agree to this," Matt replied. "But fine. How much will the winning trainer get?"
"What?" Samarai replied, confused.
"What do you mean, 'what'? You know, we have to agree on a certain wager on whoever wins the battle. The winning trainer claims the money that both trainers agreed on earlier. How much are you willing to wager?"
"Oh, very well...how does fifty sound?"
"Fifty? That's a bit out of my price range."
"I won't go any lower than that," Samurai replied, crossing his arms.
"Seriously, if I lose, I won't be able to pay that amount," Matt complained. "Couldn't we lower the wager just a little bit?"
"Fine then. If you lose, you hand me what little money you have, plus that Pinsir you've recently captured. I wouldn't mind selling THAT Pokémon for some extra dough...."
"My offer is thirty," Matt responded, his arms crossed.
"Very well. Thirty. Now, are we ready to battle or not?" Samurai asked impatiently.
"Yeah, yeah, come on," Matt replied, grabbing a minimized Pokéball from his belt and clutching it tightly in his hand. "Your move."
"If that's the way it will be, then fine." Samurai pulled out a Pokéball and enlarged it. He tossed it into the now-claimed battlefield. The ball struck the ground, and sprang open. A short yet stout Pokémon appeared. Matt recognized it at once; it was a Caterpie.
"Okay, Squirtle. Go!" Matt commanded.
Squirtle nodded and dashed into the battlefield, staring straight into Caterpie.
"Squirtle, give it your Bubble attack!" Matt commanded.
Squirtle took in a deep breath, fillings his lungs out completely, before exhaling a barrage of tiny, yet powerful bubbles. Caterpie shut its eyes in its defense, and took each bubble head-on.
"Caterpie, fight back with String Shot!" Samurai commanded.
Caterpie regained its stamina after the the attack given by Squirtle, and instantly fired a thin, but lengthy stream of string. Squirtle was too slow to react, and held his arms up in defense. He was instantly covered in the substance, and had difficulty moving. The Caterpie then charged forward and struck Squirtle point blank from up front. The collision knocked Squirtle over, and had difficulty moving off from the back of its shell.
"Damn it," Matt muttered, pulling a Pokéball out. "Squirtle, return."
A red beam of light surrounded the Squirtle, reducing its form to match the red light. Squirtle had returned to his Pokéball for the first time since being let out earlier in the day.
"I'm sorry about that, buddy. But I can't carry you around right now." Matt minimized the Pokéball, placing it back on his belt while enlarging the other Pokéball. When Matt looked back up into the battlefield, he saw the Caterpie spraying itself with its String Shot.
"Wow! It's evolving!" Samurai said.
As soon as Caterpie had completely covered itself, a bright light covered its entire body. Its form enlarged, and when the light dimmed, the Pokémon had expanded; its exoskeleton becoming tougher and glossier. Samurai gazed in amazement as his Caterpie had now become a Metapod.
"Congratulations," Matt stated, throwing the enlarged Pokéball into the battlefield, "but I'm afraid this is where your celebration ends. Pidgey, Sand Attack!"
Pidges set its eyes on Metapod, and began flapping its wings at a rapid pace, kicking up small dust particles into the air, entering the eyes of Medapod. Its vision had been hindered; it fell over, unsure of what to do next.
"Beautiful! Now Pidgey, use Quick Attack!" Matt commanded.
Pidgey dove from its previous position in the air and struck Metapod from the ground itself, sending it flying into a nearby tree. Metapod was no longer moving; it was unconscious.
"I forgot that it knows how to harden itself," Samurai muttered, snapping his fingers. He pulled out its Pokéball. "Metapod, return." Once the Metapod had returned inside its Pokéball, Samurai had enlarged his second Pokéball. He then threw it out into the battlefield. Pinsir, very similar to the one that Matt had recently captured, had appeared.
"Pidgey, Sand Attack!" Matt commanded right away. It's an effective strategy, he thought to himself. If it works, I might as well keep on using it! Matt smirked.
Pidgey, spotting Pinsir, flapped its wings at a rapid pace once again. The battlefield was once again filled up with a cloud of dust; sand particles were irritating Pinsir's eyes.
"Not again. Pinsir, Seismic Toss!" Samurai shouted.
Pinsir, its eyes still irritated, began swinging its claws rapidly, hoping in desperation to capture the Pidgey within its grasp to haul up into the air and slam into the ground with pure strength. However, its eyes became too irritated that it shut them tightly and covered them with its claws.
"Pidgey, Quick Attack!" Matt commanded.
Pidgey, instantly acknowledging the command, swooped down from above, striking Pinsir hard off balance. The collision sent Pinsir colliding heavily with the ground. Pinsir was not moving.
"Return, Pinsir," Samurai stated, absorbing Pinsir back inside. As the dust cloud had now cleared, he looked at Matt and instantly pulled out some bills and coins. "You've won fair and square. Here, take it."
"Thank you," Matt replied, graciously taking the money offered by the Samurai. He was thrilled; everything seemed to be going his way today.
"Where are you from anyway?" Samurai asked.
"Pardon me?" Matt asked, at the same time absorbing Pidgey back inside its Pokéball. "Oh, where am I from? Pallet Town." Matt minimized the Pokéball and placed it back on his Pokémon belt.
"If that's all, then I'll be off. Be careful how you use that sword," Matt commented.
"I shall," Samurai replied, laughing.
As they both waved each other farewell, Matt continued to walk along the path in Viridian City, when he spots nearby a small lake. He then released his Squirtle out of his Pokéball, and allowed him to swim around, allowing some of the sticky substance from Caterpie's attack to wash away. Squirtle then climbed out, and was ready to go.
As Matt and his Squirtle continued to walk along, they suddenly saw a cloud of smoke inundate the area. Matt instantly covered his nose; the fumes given off by the smoke was irritating to his sense of smell. As the smoke cloud gradually cleared, he saw one man and one woman, both dressed in completely black uniforms with a large red 'R' on the front of their shirts. Their arms were covered in long, dark gray gloves, and their boots were a polished brown.
Matt removed his hands from his face and took a few steps back in shock. No doubt about it, he thought to himself, this has to be Team Rocket, but...but what do I do now?
"Good Afternoon, sir," the man stated. Matt took a long look at him; he was slightly tanned, with dark, ominous eyes, and long black hair, tied back in a ponytail..
"Yes. Greetings, sir," the woman followed up. Her skin was slightly paler, with mesmerizing blue eyes, and shoulder-length brown hair.
"You...you're from Team Rocket, aren't you?!" Matt asked, somewhat afraid.
"My, my, my. What a smart kid; this is the first time we've seen him, and he already knows who we are," the man replied, laughing. "But of course, it doesn't really matter; I sincerely doubt we'll be seeing him again."
"Well, don't be so inconsiderate; introduce yourself!" the woman commanded, nudging the man.
"Oh, but of course, my dear, how could I ever have forgotten such a thing?" He bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zach."
"And my name is Cloë," the woman replied, brushing her hands through her hair. "You should be flattered to see us; all of the other members of Team Rocket are so crude."
"So very crude; so, we've decided to be short, sweet and to the point," Zach added, holding out the palm of his hand with Cloë doing the same. "Since you know us so well, this shouldn't be of any difficulty at all. Hand over all of your Pokémon at once."
"What? You want my Pokémon?" Matt asked, somewhat confused. "You know, the Pokémon that I have aren't really that difficult to capture. You can find them everywhere in this forest."
Zach and Cloë gasped in response.
"D...did you hear that?" Cloë asked, staring straight into Zach's eyes. "He...did he just tell us to go search for these Pokémon on our own?"
"I...I believe he did," Zach replied, looking back towards Matt. "I believe you don't appreciate the seriousness of this situation, good sir. If you just simply handed over your Pokémon, we will do you no harm."
Matt began to get annoyed. "Look, you're standing in my way. Let me pass," he stated boldly.
"My, the kid has guts!" Cloë gasped. "It seems he is eager to die!"
"We must explain it to him again," Zach commented, then looked back towards Matt. "We have agreed that as soon as you give us all of your Pokémon, you may pass. It is either that, or you will have to face severe consequences. Which will it be?"
"I don't plan to give them up so easily," Matt replied, spitting by his feet. "If you want them, you'll have to take them from me by force."
"It seems he does not understand," Zach sighed.
"If you want them taken by force, then that's exactly how it's going to be," Cloë sharply stated, creating a fist.
"Oh, give me a break," Matt gave off an exasperated sigh. "Look, I don't have time with you...people."
"Such rudeness!" Cloë stated, winding up and tossing an enlarged Pokémon in front of her. "Go, Machop!" A short, yet very muscular Pokémon appeared out of the ball and stared deeply into Matt's face.
"All right then--" Matt began, searching for a Pokéball of his choice.
"Nidoran, go!" Zach shouted pulled out a Pokéball and threw it. A small blue Pokémon with several dark spots all over its body appeared onto the battlefield beside Machop. Matt recognized it as a female Nirodan.
"What the--HEY!" Matt shouted, lowering his arm with the minimized Pokéball. "You can't battle with two Pokémon at once; that's a strict violation!"
Zach and Cloë looked deep into each others eyes, then at Matt's, then at theirs once more. They both suddenly broke out into a fit of heavy laughter.
Matt crossed his arms. "I fail to see the humour."
Squirtle, standing beside Matt, was also confused.
"You...you expected us, super villains, to be worried about rules issued by some ridiculously powerless Pokémon League?" Cloë said, wiping away tears from her eyes. "You said yourself we would have to take them by force, and that Squirtle looks like it could easily be taken down."
Matt placed the minimized Pokéball back on his Pokémon belt and crossed his arms. "I don't care how many Pokémon you send towards me at once; if I'm going to battle you, I'm going to do it individually," Matt said, spitting yet again.
"My dear, I've had enough of this talking; let's just attack him," Zach pointed towards his female Nidoran. "Nidoran, use Poison Sting!"
"Machop, Seismic Toss!" Cloë shouted.
Matt's eyes widened, listening to the commands just given to their Pokémon. Are...are they going to use them to attack me?! Matt asked himself. As soon as his thought completed, Nidoran had unleashed several sharp needles towards Matt. He quickly jumped to the ground, dodging the attack, however from behind, Machop wrapped his arms around both of Matt's legs, and threw him heavily into a tree.
Matt slowly pulled himself to his feet, rubbing his head. "Hey, you bastards, that really hurt," he muttered, cracking his knuckles. "Fine, then. If you're going to have your own Pokémon assault me, it looks like I'll have to retaliate!"
Matt pushed himself off of the tree on which he was leaning and dashed right towards his closest target, which was Machop. He pulled back his leg, and launched it forward, striking Machop in the lower abdomen. Machop was launched across the field, and landed directly into the mid-section of Zach, knocking both of them over in pain.
"Hey!" Cloë complained. "That's not fair; he's fighting back!"
"If you're allowed to fight dirty, you hypocrite, than so can I!" Matt yelled. He then spit once again and tapped his fist into an open palm. "You want to keep trying me?"
Suddenly, a loud buzzing noise was heard as a motorcycle ripped past several trees while entering the battlefield. Its brakes are heavily pressed, as the sand from the dirt path was kicked up into the air. A female officer with somewhat curly, shoulder length hair and sharp, determined eyes jumped off the motorcycle, and gazed strictly at both Cloë and Zach.
"Team Rocket?! I thought you'd be here," the officer said, pulling out two sets of handcuffs. "I'm placing you both under arrest this instant!"
"Damn it, the police always comes in to wreck our fun," Zach muttered, pulling himself to his feet while holding up a small gray ball in his hand. "Don't take this personal victory to heart, kid; we'll be back!"
Zach tossed heavily the ball into the ground, as heavy smoke began to fill the air. The smoke was unpleasant for Matt's and Squirtle's lungs as they both begin to cough profusely.
"It was a smoke bomb!" Matt shouted between coughs. He then dropped to his knees, and held Squirtle close to him. "This could be a cheap trick to try and steal you!" Matt roughly shouted, coughing again.
Several moments had passed, and Matt had discovered that nothing was happening. The smoke cloud began to clear, as the terrible smoke filling his lungs was vanishing fast. Matt released a huge sigh of relief and pulled himself to his feet.
"Thank you, officer," Matt said, dusting himself off before coughing again. "They tried to steal my Pokémon."
"Hey, no problem. My name is Jenny," the officer stated, and smiled. "Have you been harmed?"
"Their Pokémon gave me a bit of a beating, but I'll be all right," Matt replied, rubbing his head.
Jenny nodded in response. "Team Rocket has appeared everywhere lately. You'd be best to find a traveling companion," she stated.
"Yeah...some old man back in Viridian City told me exactly the same thing," Matt said, releasing a stiff laugh to follow.
Jenny smiled. "Well, as long as you know, that's the most important thing," she said while climbing back on top of her motorcycle. She then looked back at Matt. "Well, have a safe trip."
Jenny shifted gears on her motorcycle, and took off, from the direction she entered the battlefield.
Matt looked at Squirtle, who then looked back at him. Matt smiled and continued to walking down the path of Viridian Forest, hoping to reach the exit before to long.
"Team Rocket...that encounter wasn't as bad as the old man made it seem," Matt commented aloud, "however, I recall that old man saying that they've been responsible for murder in the past, so I can't take anything for granted. Without a doubt, Squirtle, we'll be seeing them again."
Matt stretched and yawned. "But other than that, it's been a really good day. How about when we get to Pewter City we take the rest of the day off?" Matt asked.
Squirtle nodded in response and grinned.
"Then it's settled. Let's go."
TO BE CONTINUED.
