The next morning, after much begging, pleading and promising good behavior, I was able to convince my parents to let me go back to the beach. It helped that I told them about the bullied little squirtle and my promise to help him get stronger over the next few days. Naturally, they wanted to inspect our meeting cave for themselves before the squirtle arrived and only after Daddy deemed it safe did they leave me to my business with Pixie beside me. They would be on the beach if I needed them.
My butt still stung from my punishment yesterday but at least I could sit now without it feeling like I was on a hot plate. The redness had gone down, but I could still tell I went over moms lap through my suits leg holes. Hopefully nobody else could. My tough girl aura would really be lowered in the squirtle's eyes if he knew what I'd gone through after he'd left. At least Pixie had been there to comfort me.
I took a seat on a big rock and, after wincing, looked around the cave. It really was neat, with a bunch of stalagmites hanging from the ceiling over a small river from the ocean that cut the cave neatly into two halves. It was so deep that even the light from the sun didn't fully shine to the end of it and though there were no wild Pokémon hanging around this entrance area, I was almost certain that there were zubats or paras deeper within. They loved dark, damp caves like this one. Both would be great foes for Pixie and Squirtle to face.
One of my training ideas for Squirtle was to have him spar against Pixie but if I could find some wild Pokémon to battle, that would be even better. I had plenty of potions on my trainers belt for the two of them to go all out without too much worry for their health. Once I was low on potions, we'd slow down for the day.
Just as I finalized my plans, I heard a splash from the little river and, looking over, spotted Squirtle pulling himself out of the water in under the cave floor. He looked a lot better than he had yesterday so I knew that night had done him a lot of good. He would need that energy for today's training.
I smiled and waved at him from my seat, "Good morning, Squirtle! Are you ready to get stronger than any of those other squirtles?"
My voice must have startled him because he looked around quickly before his eyes finally found me. I waved again before I hopped off of my rock seat (concealing a muttered ouch) and made my way over to him with Pixie at my side.
I said, "This is my partner, Pixie. Together, we're going to explore this cave from front to back. I'm sure the resident Pokémon won't like us in their territory but between you and Pixie, they won't be able to stop us. By the time we get back to this entrance, you'll be a lot more experienced in battle!"
Squirtle looked from the darkness of the deeper cave to me with worry and nervousness in his eyes. Was he afraid of the dark?
I waved his worry away, "Don't let the dark get to you. Pixie knows a move that'll keep us in light the whole time. We'll be able to see everything."
Squirtle gave me a look that said 'I'll believe it when I see it', so I looked at Pixie and said confidently, "Go on Pixie. Show him your will o wisp!"
Pixie gave me a happy vul before she closed her eyes to concentrate. Seconds later, her body was surrounded by an eerie green fire, which then lifted from her body and hovered in the air above her as a flaming orb. It was neat to look at but I knew from experience that a single touch from that fire would burn you good. It was a fire I was never gonna touch again. Not even moms worst paddling (I got the paddle for really bad behavior) compared to it. Still, it gave off a gentle light that I knew would help us in the cave.
Seeing this light, Squirtle was reluctantly convinced that we would be able to see in the dark and the little turtle joined us as we followed the river into the caves depths. Without the light of the sun, the deeper part of the cave was a lot cooler than the outside and though it was summer, I wished I'd brought a jacket with me. The deepest part was bound to be chilly, which hopefully meant ice type Pokémon. Pixie would have a field day with those! Not so much for Squirtle or myself. A one piece swimsuit was no help against the cold, though it would do wonders to cool my buns.
The passage into the next area was actually a really big crack in the wall. Though separate from the river, it went in the same direction and the sound of flowing water echoed in the crevice. It was dark, but thankfully the will o wisp lit more than enough of the area to see where we were going. The last thing I needed was a twisted ankle to cancel our training session.
Almost as soon as we stepped into the next open area, something fast streaked above us, letting out a high pitched squeak. Then it slashed down at us and all of us had to jump away to avoid it. Something was attacking! From the sounds it was making and the cave locale, it was almost certain to be a zubat or its evolution golbat. It was just what we were looking for, if only it would slow down and let us get it.
It swooped at us once more, coming straight at Squirtle, so I called out, "Show it what you're made of, Squirtle! Bubble attack!"
Squirtle was in a perfect position to hit the zubat (the light proved my guest right) but instead of hitting it with a high pressure bubbles, the little turtle panicked and withdrew into its shell. While this did practically nullify the zubats bite, it did nothing to help defeat the Pokémon. Still, it did keep the zubat in one place.
Taking advantage of this, I told Pixie, "Hit him with your ember, Pixie. That'll get it off Squirtle."
Pixie, being my trusty partner, immediately obeyed my command and blasted the zubat with her fire. The zubat, surprised by the back attack, flew up and away from Squirtle, kii'ing angrily. Now it was mad! It swooped around for another attack, this time aiming for Pixie. Unfortunately, it caught another ember before it could hurt her and this brought it down for the count. It was only knocked out of course. I would never willingly end an innocent pokémon's life just for protecting its home.
After I carefully set the zubat safely against the cave wall, I turned to Squirtle and scolded, "Come on, Squirtle. You'll never get as tough as me and Pixie if you don't defend yourself when you're attacked. You've gotta fight back and teach the bullies you're not as weak as they think you are."
Squirtle looked thoroughly chastised and even gave what I interpreted as a squir of apology. He would do better in our next encounter, I just knew it. These Pokémon were no match for Pixie but she couldn't do all of the work. Squirtle had to help too.
Without the zubats swooping down at us, I was able to see that this part of the cave was a little bit smaller than the entrance but continued to follow the river, which was wider now. Big stalactites rose from the ground while stalagmites hung from the ceiling, making the chamber look like the inside of some scary monsters mouth. I wasn't afraid though. I had Pixie and Squirtle with me.
Before we got to the end of the chamber, I heard a splash coming from the river. A krabby pulled itself out of the river and didn't look happy with us being in its cave. I thought it was zubats cave, but maybe the two were co-owners or disputed the rights to the cave. Either way, I remembered what a krabby had done to Captain Moray and wanted to keep my bare legs as far away from those pincers as possible.
Knowing that krabby was a water type, I told Squirtle, "Now is your chance to shine, Squirtle! It's water attacks won't do anything to you but they're really big trouble for fire types like me and Pixie. You've gotta take the lead!"
Squirtle gave me a brave squir of acknowledgement before I started him off with a tackle attack. This time, Squirtle followed my order and slammed the side of it's shell and shoulder into the krabby, which was pushed back a few feet from the force of it. The angry krabby countered by blowing a stream of bubbles out of its mouth. The bubbles flew at Squirtle and popped with high pressure force, but the water attack didn't phase Squirtle one bit.
Another tackle brought the krabby to the ledge of the river but this time it attacked with fury swipes, or in its case, fury pinches. Two of the three attacks glanced off of squirtle's shell but the last pinched him good in the leg and even I winced in pain. Squirtle toughed through the pain like a champ and his last tackle knocked krabby flying into the water, where it didn't surface again.
I cheered happily while Squirtle looked astonished. This must have been his first solo win but from his strong performance, I knew he had a lot more in front of him. He could be a tough little guy when he wanted or needed to be. If he could just learn to assert himself more then nobody would be able to pick on him. Hopefully this victory would give him a much needed boost to his courage and self esteem.
Feeling proud of him myself, I wrapped him in a hug and said, "You did great, Squirtle! Just like I knew you would. You just gotta have confidence in yourself. Once you do that, there'll be nothing you can't do."
Pixie gave an agreeing vul as I put Squirtle back down and continued, "Let's go in even deeper and see what kind of Pokémon pop up."
The three of us continued ahead and almost as soon as we went into the connecting passage, we were attacked by another zubat. This time though, Squirtle gave a Gold Star performance and beat it with a slew of bubble attacks. In the next chamber we disturbed a nest of paras, but the three of them were no match for Pixies flames and Squirtle's tackles and bubbles.
On a casual look, this chamber appeared to be the last one but on a closer inspection, I discovered a small tunnel off to the side, right next to where the river ran. It was so tiny I had to crawl like an ekans to get through and even then it was a pretty tight fit. I'd never before been so relieved to be as tiny as I was. Sometimes being small wasn't such a bad thing.
The other side of the tunnel opened up to a really, really big chamber. It was almost as big as the other three chambers combined, so not even Pixie's will o wisp could light all the way to the back. It was in this chamber that the river finally ended, filling into a really big underground lake. I couldn't see it, but I could hear that the lake then turned into either a waterfall or a fast river, I couldn't tell which 'cause both were just as noisy.
This was the perfect place for a swim, but as I ran for the shore the water started to lump up before a really big krabby broke the surface. No, it wasn't a krabby, it was it's evolved form: kingler! Kingler's were super tough both offensively and defensively so this wasn't a foe I could underestimate. This kingler was probably the ruler of the cave and it certainly looked offended that I was intruding on its turf. Its huge pincers snapped closed over and over as its big legs pulled it out of the water.
Before it could get close, I told my friends, "There's no way either of you can take him on alone, but if you fight together we should stand a chance. We'll hit him hard and fast, but watch out for those pincers. They can do a bunch of damage. If you get hurt, I still have a few potions left so we should be okay if we're careful. Now, let's get it!"
I knew better than to hold back against kingler, so I opened up with Pixie hitting with faint attack and Squirtle took its defenses down with an adorable tail whip. Kingler countered with a powerful water gun aimed at Pixie (it sure wasn't dumb!) but Squirtle got in the way just in time and saved her. Then, the two of them charged together to hit with a quick attack and tackle, which really made the king crab angry. He raised a giant claw into the air, looking right at Squirtle.
Knowing a real hammerblow was coming, I cried, "Hurry Squirtle! Withdraw now!"
Without hesitation, Squirtle pulled itself fully into its shell just in time to avoid the full force of the claw that slammed into it. Squirtle was sent flying back and even as I had Pixie hit the kingler with another faint attack, I pulled a potion out from my trainers belt and tended to Squirtle's wounds.
Almost as soon as Squirtle was healed, Pixie was blasted back by kingler's powerful water gun. My poor friend took the full force of it and only just barely made it back to her feet. She stood on trembling legs with a determined look in her eyes, but then she let out a pained vul and collapsed onto her side. She was out of the fight for sure.
With a hurting heart, I returned her back to her pokeball and said to Squirtle, "Pixie needs a little nap, so it's up to us. You won't let him get away with hurting her, right?"
Squirtle shook his head and looked ready to avenge Pixie, so I started him out with a tail whip that further lowered kingler's defenses. Then, he charged forward and slammed into the big king, knocking it back a bit. Kingler was looking wary too! It was a little slow in smashing its claw down so Squirtle was able to jump out of the way before charging one last time, hitting with his strongest tackle yet. The force of the impact rocketed kingler onto it's shell and the foe didn't get back up.
I jumped with joy and cheered, "You did it! That Kingler didn't stand a chance against us! Not against the strongest squirtle in the world!"
I gave a truck load of praise onto the squirtle, who looked good and proud of himself. He then turned toward the kingler, inhaled deeply and then shot out a stream of water that knocked the crab into the lake. He just used water gun! Feeling proud, I shoveled another truckload of praise on him for good measure. I'd expected to take all week to get Squirtle strong enough to use water gun but thanks to this treasure trove of Pokémon, he'd done it in a morning!
After I settled down, I released Pixie from her pokeball and gave her a couple potions to get her back to good health. Then, I praised her as well. She'd done well against the kingler, especially since fire types were weak against water types. Kingler was an evolved Pokémon too, so his attacks packed even more of a wallop. I wasn't surprised at all when she fell to that water gun. Dismayed, yeah, but not surprised. Lots of Pokémon stronger than her would have fallen all the same.
As I hugged her to my chest, I made sure that she understood this and she gave me a kiss on the cheek in return. We'd had a lot of losses together, so a little thing like this wouldn't get either of us down. Plus, we actually won since Squirtle was on our team. There was a lot to be happy about.
Letting Pixie down, I looked at Squirtle and said, "Come on, guys. Let's go back to Mommy and Daddy and show off how strong you've all become!"
The will o wisp had vanished shortly after Pixie fainted but it quickly turned out we didn't need it. As soon as the light went away, the whole cave lit up with glowing plants that grew like veins along the ceiling and walls. Glowing mosses also lit the floor and all of these lights reflected off of the lake and shiny crystals embedded in the cave. It was so pretty I forgot to breathe until my chest yelled at me for air.
I took the lead on the return to the entrance of the cave, but let Squirtle have some fun when another zubat tried to swoop at us. It obviously learned nothing from his friends. Squirtle's water gun made short work of him and we continued on without any further trouble. At the caves opening, I invited Squirtle to join me for some play on the sand and he happily accepted. I was going to make a great sand Squirtle!
Back in the warmth and sun (I had to shade my eyes for a bit), it soon became apparent that not all was well on the beach. It was under attack by a bunch of squirtles, the same ones that had bullied my friend just yesterday! Obviously they thought they could throw their weight around here, too. Not on my watch! I looked at Pixie and Squirtle and didn't even need to use words, since we were all on the same page. Those Squirtle were going down!
We weren't the only ones who decided to teach those bullies a lesson. At least three other trainers including my dad were giving them a good match but not all of the beach was covered. Nobody was helping the people on my side of the beach, where two squirtles were hitting kids and grownups alike with water guns and bubbles. That was about to change!
The three of us charged across the sand and as soon as I was close to the Squirtle pair, I called out, "Hey! Why don't you get the shell off of our beach! Pixie, faint attack! Squirtle, tackle! Hit 'em both at once!"
Both of my friends raced forward and hit the squirtles hard, but the fight was only begun. I knew I was at a slight disadvantage with Pixie but her speed would hopefully keep her safe. Squirtle would also be fined as long as I continued to use normal typed tackle.
The two Squirtle got back to their feet and faced their attackers with glares in their eyes. They certainly didn't like the taste of their own medicine, that was for sure. Since I wasn't wearing my swim cap, I didn't look much like a wartortle so their eyes passed me by and locked onto my Pokémon. They seem to recognize my Squirtle friend, because their eyes lit up with confidence and after some quick talk, they shot water guns at Squirtle.
This wasn't the same Squirtle as yesterday though, and as soon as they were done, Squirtle blasted one of them right back before immediately following up on the other. I couldn't help but laugh at their astonished and very wet faces, which of course made them angry. Bullies always hated being the butt of any joke. The Squirtle on the left inhaled for another water gun but Pixie's quick attack hit first and knocked his aim off, right into the back of his buddies head!
The even wetter squirtle didn't have time to get angrier because our Squirtle hit him immediately after with a tackle, which knocked the bully onto its shell, where he had trouble getting back up until he rocked around onto his belly. The tides had really turned for the duo but still they didn't give up. One squirtle launched a water gun at Pixie while the other aimed to tackle Squirtle.
Both attacks hit, but Pixie and Squirtle remained standing. That water gun was nothing compared to kingler's! My two Pokémon countered with a faint attack and a powerful tackle that rocked the foes even further back. They were hurt both physically and pridefully, which was probably why the two of them turned tail and ran back to the safety of the water. Elsewhere on the beach, the rest of the squirtles were doing the same. Hopefully they had learned that trying to mess with the beach was a bad idea.
As they splashed into the water, I shouted, "And don't come back unless it's for an apology!"
Once the trouble was gone, I used the last of my prepared potions to get my friends back to full strength and I was just about to look for my parents when I heard Mom call, "Kira!"
She was running my way and though she didn't look mad, my mouth still worked faster than my brain, "I'd only said shell!"
Thankfully, she ignored that and wrapped me in a hug, "I was so worried about you! You've been in the cave for so long, and then the squirtles attacked. Are you alright? Were you hurt?"
She turned me this way and that looking for injuries and I was so worried that she would drop my suit to check me full more fully that I stepped back and said, "I'm fine mommy, honest. Besides a tender butt I'm a-okay. There was nothing in the cave or on the beach that Pixie and Squirtle couldn't handle. He's a good squirtle, unlike those naughty other squirtles.
Apparently satisfied that my head and limbs were still attached, she sighed and said, "I'm glad to hear that. The three of you worked well together, I could see that much from our spot on the beach. Come on, let's get back to your father before his ego explodes."
I wondered what she meant until people from my side of the beach started approaching me with thanks and praise for fighting off the squirtles. It felt really cool to be appreciated and as I basked in the glory of my deeds, I saw similar crowds around the other defender groups. Mom was right, Dad really looked like he was milking this for all it was worth. Once we were close enough to hear his voice, I could hear him say that the attackers hadn't stood a chance against a member of the Saffron Fighting Dojo. What a ham.
Strictly with moms permission, I had Squirtle douse Dad's head with a water gun and when he turned my way, I said cheekily, "Sorry, Daddy! Mommy said to cool your head to keep the swelling down!"
His expression went from shocked to (I hoped) feigned anger. He wrapped his arms around me and crushed me in an ursaring hug as he said, "You little brat! You just want the spotlight all to yourself. I saw you crushing those squirtles on your side of the beach."
I couldn't help it, "Well, what do you expect from the daughter of a student of the Saffron Fighting Dojo?"
I giggled and Dad wrapped me into a real hug. Seeing our family moment, the crowd around us dispersed and I felt a little relieved about it. I'd only done what was right, so people shouldn't have made too big a deal out of it. I was sure if any of the others had Pokémon, they would have leapt into the fray too.
Together, we returned to our beach towel and I had fun piling sand into the shape of a squirtle. I then had more fun having Squirtle blast the sandy foe with his water gun while Pixie cheered him on. Once the sand got boring, we took a swim in the water and this time I kept well within sight of my parents. I'd learned my lesson. Plus, I didn't want to meet any of those squirtles on their own island.
At lunch, we returned to the towel and feasted on sandwiches and lemonade. Even Squirtle got a share of the Pokémon food and he sure looked like he enjoyed it. Dad was a great cook for Pokémon food, so I wasn't surprised. Not as good as Mom, but still good.
What did surprise me was when Dad said, "Well, I suppose we're going to have another mouth to feed, right dear?"
Confused, I asked while Mom nodded agreement, "What do you mean, Daddy?"
It was Mom that answered, "Well sweetie, it's obvious when you think about it. Your new friend helped you fight back against that gang of squirtles. How do you think they're gonna feel about that?"
I hadn't thought about that, but I answered, "They wouldn't be happy at all. They'd pick on him even worse."
Mom nodded, "If they didn't try to really hurt him. I think the best thing for his safety is to keep him close to a strong trainer. Preferably one that he already likes and works well with."
Finally it clicked. They were saying I could keep Squirtle! I could have the second Pokémon of my dream team! That's what they were saying, right?
I had to ask to make sure, "I can really keep him? Really and truly?"
Dad smiled, "Really and truly, as long as he gives the okay himself."
He opened the picnic bag and pulled out a pokeball, which he handed to me before I asked Squirtle, "You've heard him Squirtle. What do you think about becoming my friend and partner full time?"
There was no hesitation as Squirtle tapped his hand against the pokeball, which opened up in my hand and pulled him inside in a beam of light. In my cupped palms, the ball's center glowed red as it rocked once, twice, three times before finally settling and the glow went away. Squirtle was mine!
I quickly let him out again and wrapped him in a hug while Pixie nuzzled us both happily. I was glad she approved of the addition since a team with a good bond was much stronger than a team without one. They worked well together today and I knew the two would only get better in time.
With a fire in my eyes, I said eagerly, "I can't wait to fight Koji. Squirtle will turn his growlithe into a yelping wreck and Pixie will definitely trounce ekans. He doesn't stand a chance anymore!"
Daddy ruffled my hair and said, "Unless he's picked up a Pokémon from the Sevii Isles. I've heard there were some rare electric types over there."
That put a stumble to my step, but I recovered, "He can get any Pokémon he wants. He's still a stupid Koji and that alone means I'll beat him."
Mom and Dad laughed at that even though I hadn't been joking. The two of us were rivals but I knew I would always be the better trainer. My winning record spoke for itself. With Squirtle added to the team, that record could only continue to show to my favor. My water-fire duo would steam through all of my competition.
After lunch I went right back to playing and swimming until my parents said it was time to leave. We did some sightseeing around the city and gave Pixie and Squirtle a check up at the Pokémon Center, where they were given a clean bill of health after Nurse Joy did her healing magic. Then we went back to the hotel and ordered delivery pizza for dinner, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I ended the night with a nice shower with Pixie and Squirtle, during which I wondered how crowded my baths were gonna be at home. I'd have to start washing them separately.
The next day was our scheduled trip through the Safari Zone, which turned out to be the second best part of the whole trip (the first, of course, was being allowed to keep Squirtle). There were a ton of rare Pokémon at the Safari Zone that were almost impossible to find in the wild, like scyther or chansey. There were even two more members of my dream team here! Wild ryhorns stomped along open fields while beautiful dratini's sunned next to their watery homes. Both of those Pokémon would make my team infinitely more formidable, so I planned to make my way back here once I was an approved, licensed trainer.
After the fun that was the Safari Zone, the rest of the vacation went by pretty normally. We spent more time on the beach, bought a few souvenirs and enjoyed everything Fuchsia City had to offer, especially the food. There were great food places back home but Fuchsia had good some good spots too. Mom used all of her hometown knowhow to find the best ones.
All too soon, it was time for us to go. I'd had a ton of fun but I couldn't wait to get home. I wanted to tell Copycat all about my trip and show off Squirtle. I could also get in contact with the twins for a rematch. Now that I had two Pokémon, I could have a real solo double battle. It was gonna be fun!
We packed up and, after we made sure we hadn't forgotten anything, went back to the docks and looked for our ferry. Much to my surprise and joy, we were lucky enough to get picked up by Captain Morray again. I asked if I could hear more stories from him and he promised that as soon as we were underway, he'd tell me some stories I'd never forget. I couldn't wait!
THE END!
Pokemon: Vulpix: LVL 19
Squirtle: LVL 13
