So with this chapter out of the way, I am officially further than I got last time. Yay me!
And yay to all you as well. I'm REALLY grateful for every view and review, and I'm glad that people are liking this as much as I am. As such, I'm proud to bring you this new chapter. Fair warning, this will be a Double D-centric chapter for the most part, but I'm trying to make sure everyone in the group gets at least some screentime. I'll get better as I go, and hopefully I can keep you all invested.
For now though, answering reviews!
Pksmashbros: Glad to hear it. And in regards to your question, yes. The teams are going to be almost entirely Johto Pokemon, though I have some ideas that could potentially let me incorporate one or two more members from different regions. We'll see how that goes.
Playerhood18: Funny you should bring that up. Very funny indeed.
The Afterdreamer: Glad to provide my contribution to the cause. Hopefully, I'll have so many more chapters to share with everyone.
And with that out of the way, I'm gonna not waste your time anymore.
On with the show!
The salty sea air of the Cherrygrove shores was an almost intoxicating smell, as the Eds breathed it in like there was no tomorrow. They had never experienced this specific scent, this mix of fragrant flowers and sea breeze, but now they could practically taste it, and there was something special about it.
The city was a sight to see, for sure. Smaller than what they were used to thinking of a city as being, but the rustic atmosphere made everyone almost feel like they'd never left home. People were out and about, interacting with one another as they went about their days, many accompanied by the kinds of Pokemon that they'd all seen out on the previous route.
But perhaps the most obvious and attention-grabbing sight within the entire area were two buildings, right nearby each other, with trainers entering in and out occasionally. The smaller building had a blue rooftop, and was labeled 'Poke Mart'. The other building however, was much larger - easily twice the size of the Poke Mart, and adorned with a red roof. The front door opened, and even from this distance, they could see a lobby, in which there were plenty of different trainers for them to interact with.
They'd only just got here, and already there was so much to explore.
"So everyone," Ryuji called out, as he caught up with the rest of the group, "Welcome to Cherrygrove, the first stop on our Johto journey. How are ya likin' it so far?"
"This city reminds Rolf much of the watering hole where we were attacked," Rolf said, as he scanned his surroundings with a grin.
"Yeah, but in a good way," Kevin added. "Like I could stay here and just enjoy a lazy beach day."
"Good to hear," their guide nodded, before focusing his attention on something. "Now, let's take an hour or two to rest, before we get a move on. That oughta give us enough time to get stuff done."
This was not an idea anyone was opposed to, especially given their feet were still aching slightly from the trek that just ended. As such, they followed Ryuji, as he made his way over to the massive red-roofed building. It was a short distance away, and once they approached, the door opened, allowing them to access the interior.
"Whoa..." was Eddy's only response, "THIS is a Pokemon Center!?"
There were 2 floors, separated by the staircases that led to the top floor, in between which rested a desk with a pink-haired woman standing at attention. The second floor was very long, possessing multiple doors, all of which were numbered, almost like a motel.
In the left corner of the floor they were on, there were small gatherings of trainers discussing everything from movesets to captures, either sitting in the seats around a small table, or leaning against the wall.
But in the right corner, there was a unique sight; behind a sliding door, they saw the silhouettes of trainers lifting weights, punching heavy bags, and running on treadmills. They seemed to be training themselves, as opposed to their Pokemon, with the only vaguely non-human shape appearing to be a Rhydon in the back, watching a trainer do dumbell curls.
"Welcome," the woman behind the front-desk declared, pulling Eddy from his curiosity-induced trance. "How can we assist you, sir?"
"What's goin' on here?" Eddy asked, "This is bigger than any Pokemon Center I've ever seen."
The Nurse nodded. "We've done some renovating, thanks to a generous donation from the League Association to all the Pokemon Centers in Johto. Now we have a well-stocked training room, for those who like to train themselves as well as their Pokemon. In addition, we have rooms we can rent out to trainers who need a place to rest."
"Wait, for real? We can sleep here?"
"Of course," the Nurse explained. "We strive to serve Trainers to the best of our abilities, and as such, offer them a place to rest their weary heads. For a small fee, we can register a room to you, and it is yours until noon the next day."
Eddy's heart dropped at the mention of 'fee', as he remembered that there was no cash in his wallet. And to make it worse, he was pretty sure any money he might have brought would have been useless. Meaning they were all flat broke, at least for now, and would probably have to sleep in the wilderness for a night or two.
Or at least, that's what he thought, until he remembered they had a new buddy who ACTUALLY lived here.
"Yo, Ryuji!" Eddy called out, catching the attention of the entire center with his lack of an 'inside voice' "Rent us rooms, will ya?"
With all eyes on the brunet, he simply let out a light chuckle, and said "Lemme guess, you forgot your money at home?"
"Yeah, let's go with that," Eddy replied, preferring that answer over the real one, "You gotta have some, don't ya?"
"Of course. I can cover for you for these first couple o' days."
And so, Ryuji came over, and paid the price for the rooms. He discussed it with the Nurse vaguely, who explained that the rooms were up to 3 people per room, and that she would require their ID so that they would be registered to the room. Reluctantly, Eddy pulled out his wallet, and revealed it to the woman, who then looked at him with confusion.
"Oh no, not that type of ID," she explained, "I meant your trainer ID, registered on your Pokedex. We need to register it so you can unlock the room."
This caused Eddy to be the confused one. "On my Pokedex? What are you talkin' about?"
"Don't you remember, Eddy?" Ryuji interjected. "Professor Elm had your trainer cards registered to your Pokedexes for convenience. Go ahead, see for yourself."
Sure enough, Eddy did just that, and checked the front page for an application called 'Trainer Card'. Pressing this window brought up a picture of himself, as well as a few lines of important info:
'Eddy Skipper Sampson
Age: 13
Height: 4'9
Weight: 98 lbs
Current Region: Johto
Badges: 0'
Annoyed at the mention of his height and the reminder of his lack of badges, Eddy begrudgingly showed the ID to the lady, who immediately scanned it, and registered him to Room 3. The process continued, as Ryuji brought everyone else up to get situated, and the current resting arrangements were all filled out.
By the end, they had the Eds all in Room 3, Kevin, Nazz, and Rolf in Room 4, and Sarah, Jimmy, and Ryuji in Room 5. Meaning that now they'd no doubt be staying here once they'd gotten Mr. Pokemon's egg.
"So, with that out of the way," Ryuji said happily, "You guys oughta go and have some fun. I have some things I gotta speak with Double D about."
"Ah, perfect," Double D declared, pulling out a second notepad labeled 'miscellaneous', "There are many inquiries I have come to gather since we came here. I hope you'll answer them to the best of your abilities."
"I'll try my best. Now follow me."
A few minutes later, the two boys were situated in Room 3, Ryuji at a table nearby the small TV, and Double D resting comfortably on the bed. Ryuji himself seemed a little apprehensive, almost as if he wasn't too sure of the answers he'd give. However, he took in a deep breath, and waited for Double D to start his questioning.
"So, let us begin with the more rudimentary questions, shall we?" Double D began, as he pulled out a pen. "So, as I'm sure you remember, Eddy mentioned that Pokemon was a video game in our world."
"Yep, and that still is a shock to the system," Ryuji joked.
Double D suppressed a chuckle, and continued his line of thought. "So, I would like to know if there are any inconsistencies with our current knowledge. For instance, are there any different Types or battling knowledge than what we're used to?"
Hearing this, the brunet looked to the ground for a moment, deep in contemplation as he tried to find the proper way to answer this. But perhaps the best way to find an answer would be to get some much-neeeded context.
"Well, let's start with the Typing," Ryuji finally said. "What Types are in your game?"
"If my memory serves, there is Normal, Fire, Grass, Water, Electric, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Rock, Ground, Flying, Psychic, Ghost, Bug, and Dragon."
Ryuji nodded. "So you're missing three Types then. You see, there's Steel, perhaps the most defensive Pokemon Type known to man, with so many resistances it's hard to keep track of. There's Dark, which is strong against the Psychic Type mainly, but weak to Fighting among other things. And lastly, there's Fairy, which is good against Dragon Types, but doesn't like Poison or Steel Types. Did you get all that?"
Double D nodded as well, jotting down notes at an incredible speed. "Is there anywhere I could get more detailed information on these Types?"
"Should be on your Pokedex. An app called Type Database."
Raising an eyebrow, the brainiac placed his notepad down, and pulled out his Dex. The Professor had not mentioned that specific one, but it was worth a check. A simple unlock later and there it was, plain as day.
One press, and he had access to all 18 Pokemon Types, which he used to check on the 'Steel' typing, first and foremost. There was a great well of curiosity within him about this 'most defensive Type', which was sated when he saw the many resistances. And when he saw them, his eyes went as wide as dinner plates.
"Good lord, that's over half of the Typings..." he stuttered, taking it all in. "And its offensive matchups are quite solid as well... is Steel a common Typing?"
"Well, the only Steel Types we have naturally back in Kanto are Magnemite and Magneton, which are Steel and Electric."
The notepad was snatched up with the speed of a rattlesnake's bite, as Double D made a note to 'remember that Magnemite is no longer a pure Electric Type'. And of course, that only raised more questions, as he wondered what other Types might be different than what he was used to. This was also further incentive to capture as many Pokemon as he could, so that he could keep a well-stocked file on everything in the local area, and learn the Type matchups for when he needed to battle.
Quickly writing as much as he could about the new Types, Double D found himself completely engrossed, and his curiosity having been increased tenfold. Once he had down everything he needed, he went to his next question, this one more related to battle.
"So Ryuji, you mentioned something about a 'Tajiri Scale' earlier? Could you please explain it in detail?"
"Luckily, that's a much easier concept," answered the older boy, "The Tajiri Scale is how we measure a creature's battle prowess. We split it evenly into 6 stats, and rate each one on a scale from 1 to 255."
"And these stats would involve HP, Attack, Defense, Special, and Speed, correct?"
"Well yes, but Special is split between Attack and Defense, just like the physical end of the spectrum."
"Fair enough... one last question."
Double D ran a hand through his newly blonde hair, unsure of how to articulate this one, or even if he should. Ryuji had taken everything in stride thus far, but there was always a worry of overloading their friend. Perhaps it was better to save this one for later.
Yet perhaps it was better to rip this proverbial bandage off now.
Letting the more bold part of his mind win out this time, the sock headed boy decided to ask.
"So, you remember how we mentioned that Pokemon is a video game in our world?" he asked, with Ryuji nodding almost immediately.
Basically having express permission, Double D went into detail about the plot of Pokemon Red and Blue, chronicling the two boys leaving their hometown, facing gym leaders, thwarting Team Rocket, and most importantly, facing each other at the Pokemon League. He left nothing out, leading to a story that took much longer than either side was expecting.
And by the end of it, Ryuji was pale as a ghost.
"Oh dear, I've overdone it, haven't I?"
It took a few seconds before the color returned to the brunet's face, but when he did, he had only one thing to say:
"That is... uncanny."
"Uncanny?"
Ryuji flinched, but responded quickly. "W-well, what I mean is, the parts involving Team Rocket and the League all happened. All done by Champion Red, before he became the League Champ."
"Champion Red?" Double D questioned. "So he's the person the player character was based on, perhaps?"
A shrug was the only answer he received.
This annoyed Double D slightly, since he'd hoped Ryuji might have all the answers he required, but he chose to stay silent in the face of it. "And how long ago was the incident involving Team Rocket, exactly?"
"About 3 years."
Carefully making sure to note that, almost all of Double D's initial questions were answered, satisfying him for now. With this extra info, the party would have a far easier time acclimating to their situation, his fellow Eds especially. With that in mind, he stood up, thanked Ryuji, and chose to leave the room, needing some fresh air, and time to crystallize his thoughts on this whole matter.
Stepping outside of his room left him with a strange taste in his mouth, as the new knowledge seeped into his mind.
'Amazing,' he thought as he stepped down the stairs, 'Truly immaculate. Three more Types than our norm! A quantifiable system of determining a Pokemon's battling capabilities! Special being divided into offensive and defensive prowess! Why, I'll have a field day here like none before!'
But even as these positive emotions overtook him, there was something that still didn't click. The one unanswered question that now had him genuinely curious.
Just who was this 'Champion Red'?
Logically, Double D could deduce him to be the inspiration behind their player character, but that had so many implications. What was the Champion's team? What was his battle strategy? His battling record?
Perhaps a subject worthy of looking into on his own time. After all, it might be a good idea to study the masters.
Once he'd reached the first floor once again, it immediately jumped out at him how barren it looked now. His fellow trainers must have gone off to achieve personal goals while they were discussing these matters. Right now, the only other people here were the center Nurse, who was tending to a trainer holding an ice pack to the side of his head.
"There we go," she said soothingly, "That should help to reduce any swelling from the Poke Ball. Though I must ask, what were you doing somewhere as dangerous as Mt. Silver anyhow?"
The older trainer looked away, embarrassment clear from even where Double D was standing. "If you must know," he began, "I was following a rumor. A little birdy told me that Champion Red was currently residing on that mountain. So I went up there to see if that was true."
Seeing an opportunity to get an answer, Double D wasted no time approaching. "Excuse me, sir," he politely inquired. "Did you say Champion Red?"
"I did indeed."
"Perfect. You see, I'm new around here, and I've been recently informed of this Champion Red fellow. Do you think you could offer any info on him?"
This elicited a shocked look from the trainer, but he responded in kind. "To put it simply..." he started, "Red is the best. An undefeated Champion. Some would even say an unbeatable Champion."
"Unbeatable?" asked Double D, "Come now. No one is truly that well-versed in any particular field."
"You would think," the man retorted, "But Red is different. He doesn't even speak, and yet his Pokemon always pick the right move for the situation. It's almost like they're in perfect sync. Like they know each other so well they don't NEED to even say it."
It was now Double D's turn to be shocked, as he heard this explanation, which sounded too far fetched to believe. Yet some part of him couldn't help but believe, maybe just because the concept seemed so intriguing.
"You said that he was out on Mt. Silver?"
"Well, no," he corrected, "I said there was a rumor that he was on Mt. Silver, and that's where he's been hiding since he vanished last year. I went up to check it out for myself, but turns out it was complete bunk. And to make matters worse, I got hit in the head by a Poke Ball."
A twinge of proxy guilt ran through the blonde, who quickly muttered, "My deepest apologies. A friend of mine threw a Poke Ball with a bit too much force while we ventured through Route 29 earlier."
"Route 29? What, is your friend part Machamp?" the man joked.
"Heh heh... anyway, this 'Red' fellow. What does he look like?"
"Oh, you'd know him when you see him. The way he carries himself is unmistakable. Other than that, let's just say he's called 'Red' for a reason."
Once again, another vague answer, which was more than a little irritating. But that final sentence was what grabbed his focus more than anything.
'He's known as 'Red' for a reason...' Double D considered, 'So, that alone gives me a few pieces of information. That tells me that 'Red' is likely a pseudonym, or if that's his real name, it is that way for a specific reason. Perhaps it is a color he is well-associated with. He could dress in mostly red, or perhaps have red hair. Or what about...'
*CRASH!*
All three present individuals jumped at the loud noise, looking back to see the massive indent left in the side of the building because of whatever it was slamming into it. Rushing outside, they all were greeted with the sight of one of the group.
There was Eddy, sprawled out on the ground with an ancient looking fishing pole in hand. He must have hit the side of the building by reeling in something far too large, and judging by how he was clutching his head, it must have been one hell of an impact.
"ED BOY!" Rolf screamed, as he rushed over and grabbed the rod. "Be careful with Rolf's fishing pole! This is a family heirloom, passed down from my Great Nano's Great Nano!"
Hearing this, Eddy got back up at an unprecedented speed. "I'M FINE, THANKS FOR ASKIN'!" He yelled, surveying the area, "Now where's my damn Pokemon!?"
And as if on cue, a set of little legs scuttled over, and the others were greeted by the sight of a familiar crustacean Pokemon - a Krabby. But much to everyone's surprise, he wasn't alone, accompanied by a Horsea, currently on land and balancing on the end of its tightly curled tail.
"Ah crap, that explains it! Two for the price o' one!" Eddy pulled out his Poke Ball, and looked to Rolf. "Hey stretch, you wanna help me with this battle?"
"It would be an honor. Rolf will catch one of these two Pocket Monsters. Now come out, small rock with arms!"
The two trainers threw their Poke Balls into the sky, and out of them burst Cyndaquil and Geodude. The Rock Type looked on to his opponents, and nodded.
"(Flaming one,)" he said, glancing to the side, "(This is a battle where I will most likely only get off one attack. Do your best not to lose.)"
Cyndaquil nodded. "(I'll try... I don't want to let Eddy down again.)"
"Alright Cyndaquil, use Leer!" Eddy commanded.
Before the Fire Type could get off the move, a stream of bubbles was aimed at both he and his partner. It certainly hurt Cyndaquil as his flames were suppressed by the Water Type attack, but he was able to keep standing. Geodude, on the other hand, was flung backward, as if he'd just been hit with a massive Hydro Pump. Yet miraculously, he stood back up, as if nothing had happened.
"What in the world?" Double D questioned. "Even a weak water move such as that should have been more than enough to take out a Level 3 Geodude."
"And it would, usually. But clearly, his Geodude must have Sturdy for its ability. That saves it from being knocked out in a single hit."
It took a second or two for that to click. He remembered noting that Rattata earlier had 'Guts' listed as an ability, and his Pidgey had 'Keen Eye' when he'd scanned it. The idea of Pokemon having inherent abilities had completely slipped his mind during his conversation with Ryuji, but that was something that definitely needed to be understood by his compatriots. So, he made sure to make one last note, thoroughly enjoying the many new concepts that there were.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Cyndaquil was watching on in abject shock that Geodude survived that hit. He knew the Pokemon was Rock and Ground, and such a hit should have been more than enough to knock him out.
"(Grr... they're fast,)" Geodude managed to say, "(Looks like this is one where I got in over my head. Flaming one, go on without Geodude.)"
"(Do you have any idea what he's talking about?)" Krabby questioned to his partner. "(Is he going to lose that easily?)"
"(He's a Rock Type, and they don't like water,)" Horsea explained, her eyes glancing between the two sides of the battlefield, "(I... wouldn't go for Bubble again.)"
"(Why not?)" Krabby asked.
"(Well, I wouldn't want to accidentally kill him. Would you?)"
"(Fair point. VISE GRIP IT IS!)"
While he was distracted, Eddy's Leer went off without a hitch, lowering the defenses of both Water Types. Krabby scuttled over, and brought one of its claws down on Geodude, who was immediately overwhelmed, even though the damage was nothing special. Rolf watched as his Geodude was thrown back at him, eyes glazed over, and completely slack-jawed.
"Small rock with arms!" Rolf called out, picking up his newer team member, "Stand back up and show these creatures of the sea what you are made of!"
"I don't think he can, Rolfy boy." Eddy told him. "Looks like he fainted, and he won't be able to fight again until he gets healed at the Pokemon Center."
"So then, is Rolf unable to continue battling?"
"You've still got Chimchar. Send her out!"
The son of a shepherd nodded, returning Geodude to his Poke Ball, and sending out the Sinnoh starter out in his place.
"(Oh hey, it's you again.)" She greeted. "(And by the look of it, you're in a bit of a losing battle here.)"
Cyndaquil was dead silent, his focus on the two sea creatures ahead of them.
"Alright, we're gonna have to focus fire that Horsea. Use Smokescreen!" Eddy called out.
"As Eddy's flaming mouse does that, you scratch at the sea horse!" Rolf commanded.
With a strategy in mind, the two released their attacks, but were immediately stopped by another stream of bubbles, this time from Krabby. The attack was severely weaker than that of Horsea's but did manage to make Chimchar reel back, far more than it did with Cyndaquil.
"(Crap...)" Chimchar squeaked out. "(That was a critical hit, I'm sure of it.)"
And to make matters worse for the flaming simian, she saw a small smokescreen aimed at her from Horsea. The jet-black gunk hit her square in the face, and she screeched out while trying to wipe it away from her eyes. But her commands were clear, and she attempted to act them out, sight be damned.
The scratch attack connected, knocking Horsea back, which was further compounded by Cyndaquil's smokescreen hitting her square in the eyes. By this point, some of the others had come to watch this altercation, including the likes of Jimmy and Sarah, who were both enamoured by the Water Type that bounced back to its standing position.
"Nice one, Rolf!" Eddy said with a raised fist. "Now come on! We just gotta hit it again."
"Indeed! Second verse, same as the first, flaming monkey!"
"Then I'll do the same! Smokescreen, one more time!"
This time, Rolf's starter was the one who moved first, attempting another strike in the general direction of Horsea. However, the gunk in her eyes made it hard to see where she was aiming, and she missed by a slight margin. In retaliation, Horsea released a stream of bubbles that slammed right into Chimchar's chest, but narrowly missing Eddy's Cyndaquil.
"Rolf is out of battling monsters! These creatures of the sea are too mighty for Rolf to face!"
"Then go talk with the Nurse," urged Eddy, "She'll heal 'em up, and I'll handle the rest! Yo, Double D, get in here and help me!"
One friend left the scene, and another tried to enter in. But before the brainiac could take Rolf's place, he was pushed out of the way by Sarah. She barged into the battle and said "I want that sea horse! Now help me get it!"
"No way! I called Double D over!"
"He already caught something! I'm getting this one!" Sarah pulled out her Poke Ball, "Alright, bird! Kick that sea horse's butt!"
Rowlet entered the battlefield, stretching his little wings as he stared to his opponents. "(Capital,)" he declared, "(These two are clearly both Water Types, meaning this shall be an easy capture for my trainer.)"
"(That's your trainer?)" Horsea questioned. "(She seems kinda... mean.)"
"(She is,)" Rowlet declared proudly. "(But she is my trainer, and I will fight for her.)"
Using the opportunity, Cyndaquil let off a second Smokescreen, further lowering Horsea's accuracy, as Krabby rushed in to Vise Grip the new Grass Type, dealing a good chunk of damage through his grassy feathers.
"What the heck!? Do something!" Sarah demanded, "Attack it!"
"You gotta give him a command, Sarah," Eddy tried to explain. "It's a bird, so it probably has Peck. Tell it to do that!"
"Ugh! Fine! Peck the sea horse, or whatever you do!"
Try as he might, Rowlet was unable to break Krabby's grip, which caused Krabby to keep gripping as tight as he could. Eddy watched in shock, as this combination of techniques resulted in even more damage being sustained by Rowlet than before.
"Cyndaquil! Tackle that son of a bitch!" said Eddy, and Cyndaquil did as commanded. The mouse went forward and slammed into Krabby, dealing a surprising amount of damage, and releasing Rowlet from his iron grip.
"(Not bad,)" Krabby commended. "(But NOT good enough!)"
Rowlet went in to finish his commanded course of action, dealing a good chunk of damage to Horsea. However, almost as soon as this was done, she retaliated back with a wild, aimless bubble, that barely tickled Rowlet, but dealt severe damage to Cyndaquil. The Fire Type stepped onto his back foot, both literally and metaphorically, and let out a shaky breath.
And from the distance, this had Eddy worried.
"C'mon Cyndaquil!" He called out, fearful that this would be his second loss, and against a wild Pokemon no less. "We can't give up, bud! You gotta keep goin'!"
Spurred on by the words of his trainer, Cyndaquil's back flames flared up more than any of them had seen thus far.
"Alright, that's what I like to see! Come on, Tackle him again!"
Currently, Krabby was scuttling off to attempt another Vise Grip on Rowlet, and Cyndaquil broke into a charge to stop this in its tracks. Unfortunately, he was just a bit too slow, and Krabby was able to get his claws right back on Rowlet. The sheer force was too much for the poor bird, even for the second or two that it happened, and that spelled the end of Rowlet's - and by extension, Sarah's - involvement in the fight.
Krabby threw the Grass Type back to his trainer, and Eddy could swear he saw a blood vessel pop in Sarah's skull.
"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" she yelled indignantly, "THIS BIRD IS SO USELESS! WHY COULDN'T I HAVE GOTTEN SOMETHING STRONGER!?"
A groan escaped Eddy, who was having a damper put on his mood. He did NOT need this.
"Look, just get inside the Pokemon Center, and have the Nurse heal him up," he demanded of the younger girl, "You ain't gonna be any help like this."
"You can't tell me what to do!" She pulled out a Poke Ball. "I'll catch that stupid animal and fight with that!"
While he wanted to object, the Poke Ball was out of Sarah's hands before he could even get a word in edgewise. It flew way over the head of Horsea, resulting in Krabby getting a hearty laugh, which he readily aimed at the now completely fuming girl.
"FINE!" She yelled. "I didn't want either of you anyway!" As she turned around, returning Rowlet to her Poke Ball was her first action, followed by stomping off back to the Pokemon Center, resulting in the ground shaking slightly with every step.
It looked like it would be left as a two-against-one bout once more, but as Eddy tried to call for something, he heard a set of footsteps approach from his left side. They were soft, which gave Eddy a clue as to who it might be. But he knew it'd be smart to wait and see who was joining him.
And sure enough, it was the other youngest member of the group, Jimmy. Before Eddy could even speak, the burst of light came from his Poke Ball, revealing his Litten.
"You gonna help me knock them down, fluffy?"
"Sure," he said softly, but with a certain strength behind it, "I'll finish what Sarah started. Litten, use scratch and help Eddy's Cyndaquil!"
The two Fire Types practically moved in sync, with Litten's claws landing first, and Cyndaquil slamming into Krabby immediately afterward. The combined damage nearly knocked him on his back, and now he was staring down two angry starters.
"Um, Eddy?" Jimmy questioned. "Should I throw the ball now?"
"Let's do it!" Eddy told him with glee, while grabbing his own Poke Ball. "But I get first crack."
With a nod, Jimmy pulled out an empty ball of his own, and they each aimed for one of the two wild Pokemon; Eddy's ball went toward Krabby, with Jimmy's aimed at Horsea.
The two capsules landed simultaneously, and everyone watched as both Pokemon were brought within. Tension rose as the two balls began to shake vigorously, jittering one way, then another, and back again...
Before two resounding *DINGS* were heard together, signaling the capture of two new members.
"Alright!"
Both boys rushed in, grabbing their Poke Balls off the ground, with Eddy grinning ear to ear, and Jimmy holding it close, his affection already evident for his new team member. While the others came over and began to shower the boys in congratulations, Jimmy himself couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
He'd only seen half the battle, starting when Rolf's Chimchar entered the battlefield, but that was easily the most intense thing he'd ever seen. Watching as Eddy tried to work under the pressure of their bubble blasts and that crab's powerful claws, it got his adrenaline going. And now thanks to a little boost of courage, he'd been able to join at the last moment, and catch one of the two for himself.
"I'll have to be sure to thank Rolf and Sarah," he declared. "I hope they're not too mad at me for catching the little guy."
"I wouldn't worry too much, shrimp." Eddy told him, gesturing for them to head to the Pokemon Center. "Always gotta work with opportunity, ya know?"
That made sense to the younger boy, who couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Are ALL real battles that exciting?"
"I sure as hell hope so! That was freakin' fun! And now I got a Water Type to cover some o' Cyndaquil's weaknesses!"
"Cover?"
"Hell yea, Jimmy. We got 6 slots for our teams, so I try to cover as many bases as I can. You should do the same."
Jimmy did a double take at that. Eddy giving him advice? Not only was that unusual in every sense of the word, but it was also worrying. There were three times he could think of where this happened, and each of these times didn't end TOO well for at least one of them.
'But then again,' he reasoned, 'What he's saying does make a lot of sense, if I'm using a team so big. And plus, we did win an Emmy for one of those episodes... I think.'
The sliding doors of the Pokemon Center opened, as the two boys entered in, only to be greeted by not only their previous spectators and battlers, but also both Ryuji and Nazz.
"Hey guys," Ryuji greeted, "So, did you end up winning your battle?"
"You know it!" gloated Eddy. "Now I got a Krabby on my side. And Jimmy was the one who finally caught that damn Horsea."
Sarah and Rolf both had their eyes on Jimmy, but for very different reasons. The foreign boy approached and placed an arm around his friend's shoulder. "Excellent work, boy Jimmy!" He congratulated. "May that Pocket Monster serve you well, and knock down many mighty foes with those sissy bubbles that it releases!"
"Gee, thanks Rolf! But I couldn't have done it without you or Sarah fighting so hard."
As much as her anger was still burning, hearing that made the redheaded girl smile slightly. Even if she'd been utterly humiliated by that stupid thing, at least Jimmy was happy now, and if Jimmy was happy, that was good enough for her. And even though it lost, she technically had her bird to thank for this.
'Alright, I guess I'll forgive it for losing,' she thought, before quickly adding 'But ONLY this once.'
"Good to know we're catching some Pokemon with incredible potential," Ryuji chimed in. "Nazz just got back with a new Pokemon of her own."
"Oh really?" Eddy asked, as he glanced over to the blonde. "So, what'cha get?"
"Oh, uh..." she stammered, "Well, I went up to the north a bit, and I caught a Caterpie."
"Sweet!"
"Wait, what's a Caterpie?" Sarah questioned.
As if on cue, the others noticed a strange bunching of Nazz's white overshirt, which not a second later was revealed to be her newest Pokemon. Perhaps the largest insect any among them had ever seen, the massive green caterpillar looked to the party with a tilted head, and closed her big eyes.
"(Pleased to meet you!)" she exclaimed, only to be stopped by a shrill, piercing scream from the group's resident wimp.
"Creepy crawly!" He exclaimed, looking like he was close to a heart attack at the sight of such a large bug. "Get it away from me! Get it away!"
Eddy chuckled in response to this. "Some things never change. Jimmy being a wuss aside, I can think of worse Pokemon to have than Butterfree." He looked over to their guide, and asked. "You think that'll help her with the first gym, big man?"
However, before Ryuji could answer, he was interrupted by the beauty's response.
"Actually guys..." she started slowly, unsure of how to word this. "I, um, don't think I wanna battle. Like, at all."
A collective silence went through the center, that lasted a good three seconds before the loudmouthed Eddy shot back with "Wait, WHAT!?"
"Yeah, I just wasn't having any fun," she explained. "And Ryuji said we could just have 'em as pets. So I think I'm just gonna catch some that I think are cute, you know?"
"But Nazz, don't you think that would be a foolish choice to determine this so early on?" Double D questioned, trying to keep a rational head here, "You'll end up missing out on so many great experiences if you're not willing to participate."
"Not necessarily," Ryuji countered. "She'll just have her own unique set of experiences. Nothin' wrong with that."
Double D and Eddy both looked to the brunet, who leaned against the front desk and wore a surprisingly sagely smile.
"Different people get different things out of Pokemon journeys," he continued, "There are some people who train them for battles, others who train them for Pokemon Contests, and some people just don't train them at all. So whatever Nazz decides to do, that's her call. After all, she's on this journey too."
"Yeah, I guess so," Eddy conceded, before a thought made him chuckle slightly, "And plus, that means less competition when we finally get to the league, boys."
Nazz giggled at the sudden change in tune. "Glad to see you're seeing things my way, Eddy."
It took an hour and a half before the party got moving again, as everyone had settled into doing their own things for a while. They would have been on the road earlier, but the Pokemon Center was rather comfortable, and Double D had insisted on going over their supplies, so that Ryuji knew what to buy. And after he got everything, they had to divide it up evenly, since everything wouldn't fit into his simple little drawstring bag.
Tedious as this was, the process granted them a whole host of supplies, including battle items, food for their Pokemon, and some extra non perishables for the road. And once they were on the road, their pace was consistent once again.
... Well, as consistent as one would expect when you had a horde of Caterpie mobbing you at every given opportunity.
They'd been out here for an extra half hour already, thanks to the constant threat of battling Pokemon. Now everyone was starting to see why Professor Elm said it would take them until tomorrow morning. At this rate, it'd be evening by the time they got back to town, and that was assuming they found Mr. Pokemon's house quickly.
But even so, this didn't put a damper on the Eds' moods, and Ryuji looked as easygoing as ever.
"Now remember everyone," Ryuji told them, as they followed the main roads toward a nearby house, "Don't feel pressured to catch anything while you're out here. We'll be coming back, and if you don't see anything that catches your eye, that's fine."
"Good to know," Kevin said, returning his starter to the Poke Ball after a hard-fought battle, "I oughta try catching something though. My Treecko's looking a lot worse off than before we got out here."
As they continued on past the house, having been revealed to not be Mr. Pokemon's abode, it looked like the party was going to have to make their way through a large patch of tall grass in order to continue their northward travel. Before they continued through however, Ryuji called over to them, his only explanation being "This way might be a little faster."
Coming over to where he was, the party noticed a fairly large ledge, coming up to about his waist. This wasn't the first time they'd seen them - in fact, it was a common sight on Route 29 - but they'd yet to think to just move past them. However, seeing Ryuji jump up onto the higher ground set that delusion straight, specifically for the Eds, who had only ever used them to head downward.
'Truly strange to be exploring this world without the limits of game design mechanics to inhibit us,' mused Double D, as he stepped over with the rest of the group. One by one, they made their way up, and continued forward until they came to a fork in the road. To their left, a path stretching out toward the north, and divided from the rest of the land by many trees.
However, to their north was what grabbed everyone's attention.
"Look!" Ed called out excitedly, "The Rattata is facing his evil twin brother, as two clones duke it out for dominance!"
A cursory glance allowed the rest of the group to see exactly what their friend was babbling on about, and they could see how he could come to such a conclusion. Two boys stood, dressed almost identically to one another, each with a Rattata who were currently locked in a clash of their tackle attacks.
"Well that's always nice," Ryuji commented, "It's good to see the youngsters getting in some training while they can."
"That ain't the way we have to go, right?" asked Eddy, as he looked to their other path option.
"I don't think so, considering I don't see a house anywhere that way. Let's try the other direction, shall we?"
This began everyone down the eastward path, following it to be lead right to a huge patch of tall grass, directly before a set of trees that split their current trail right down the middle. It was off the dirt road, but there looked to be little resistance, or trainers in there way.
And so, they started to move through the grasses, taking great care to move lightly, so as to not get into more battles than they had to. Every step was a risk, and their Pokemon weren't in the best shape after those battles. They had potions, but Ryuji had warned them to save those for emergencies, which they were hopeful they would not have to deal with.
Unfortunately, the scuttling sound of little legs behind them dashed that hope immediately.
As soon as they saw a house in their field of vision, a loud hiss could be heard from behind the party, revealed to them to be a massive spider. Or at least, they thought it might be a spider, given its shape, but the fact that it only had 6 legs brought that into question to some degree. Regardless, its body was mostly green, with a set of red mandibles, yellow legs, large black eyes, and a single horn.
But perhaps it's most defining feature was the markings on the back of its abdomen, which made the invertebrate look like it had a face on its back. Currently, that face was a smile, as it approached the party.
"A Spinarak?" Ryuji questioned. "What the heck is one doing out at this hour?"
"Spinarak?" Eddy asked, pulling out his Pokedex, "That's a new one."
After a second passed, the scan was complete, allowing Eddy access to this entry:
'Spinarak, the String Spitter Pokemon
Bug/Poison Type
The webs weaved by Spinarak can be considered a second nervous system. It is said that this Pokemon can determine what type of prey is touching its web just by the tiny vibrations it feels through the web's strands.'
"Why is every bug here so big!?" Jimmy screamed, rushing off into another patch of grass, much to his best friend's dismay. She followed after him, running headlong into danger, which caused Ed to give chase immediately.
"Ah crap," muttered Ryuji, "We gotta stay together, guys!"
"Then go after 'em," Kevin responded, pulling out a Poke Ball. "I'll beat this bug."
"Are you sure?" the older boy questioned. "Your Treecko's a Grass Type, meaning it's at a disadvantage against a Poison Type like Spinarak."
"I'll figure it out." Kevin insisted, throwing his Poke Ball into the air, revealing his battle partner to the wild Pokemon. "Now go to Mr. Pokemon's place. I'll catch up, dudes."
With nothing more than a nod, the remaining five bolted forward to make up their lost ground. The tall grass rustled fervently with every impassioned step, scaring off a good chunk of Pokemon within the vicinity, and moving too fast for the ones who had intent to jump them. It was more than a bit of a hassle, but eventually, they were able to catch up to their younger members, who were catching their breath after such a run.
"Seriously, Fluffy, stop doin' that!" Eddy yelled, before turning his ire to his friend. "And you! Why the heck did you chase after 'em, Monobrow!?"
"But Eddy, she's my baby sister!" Ed tried to reason.
"She's also a goddamn boxer!"
The shorter boy continued to rant and rave for a few seconds, allowing everyone to take in their surroundings. The beautifully painted wooden exterior of a house bombarded their vision, and a plaque on the outside confirmed where exactly they were; in clearing that large patch of land, they had finally made it to Mr. Pokemon's house.
"Well, we've finally arrived," Double D declared, "Let us venture inside, and speak to the man himself."
Out of sheer courteousness, Double D made sure to knock first, and only opened the door when he heard an older man on the other side of it tell them that "It's open!"
With nothing else inhibiting them, the group entered.
The cool air of the man's house was inviting, as the party was met with the sight of Mr. Pokemon sitting on his couch, a slight twitch of his mustache the only indication of his change in emotion. He stood up slowly, and approached the party.
"So, you must be the party that Elm mentioned," he said with a voice both smooth and refined. "Well, I'll cut to the chase, children. This is what I need Professor Elm to examine."
Heading over to a display case tucked away in the top left of the room, the older man pulled out a decently large container, made almost entirely of glass, allowing the party full view of what was within.
This egg was absolutely huge, far larger than an even the biggest of ostrich eggs (though only Double D knew that part), and with a very distinct pattern across the outside of it. Many small red and blue triangles decorated its surface, helping to make it appear more unique compared to any egg they'd ever seen. Almost like an Easter egg, but real.
"I see I've caught your attention," He declared, handing the egg to the closest member, "Do take great care with that egg. I received it from a friend in Ecruteak City, who insisted it is a rare species here in Johto."
"Oh, marvelous," Double D scanned the egg with intense curiosity. "And you believe it might be beneficial to Professor Elm's research?"
"Why of course," an unknown voice called out from the other side of the room, "The man is the authority on Pokemon breeding and reproduction. No other Professor has quite the understanding he does."
Ryuji froze up at the voice, but everyone else was immediately curious as to who they had missed, and how. All it took was a look to the group's right, and there he was, plain as day. A man of about fifty, with greying hair, a lab coat over his casual clothing, and a very inviting smile. To a good chunk of the group, he looked simply like an old scientist, but there were 4 who knew better.
And among them, an excited squeal came from the unlikeliest source.
"Oh my word!" Double D said excitedly, rushing over to the Professor with glee in his eyes and an unbridled smile. "You're Professor Oak, THE Pokemon Professor! It's an honor sir, I never thought I'd receive the chance to speak to you! There is so much I'd li-"
In the middle of his gushing, the brainiac was pulled back by Eddy, who grabbed him by the ear.
"Lay off him, sockhead," Eddy warned, "You're acting like a crazed fangirl right now."
"My apologies, Eddy," he responded, "I don't know what came over me."
A hearty laugh escaped Professor Oak's throat, as he looked to the group with approval. "It's quite alright, you two," he told them, "Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to stay and discuss things, I was simply here to visit an old friend. But somehow, I feel we'll meet again. After all, you're clearly travelling with one of my acquaintances."
The professor's eyes locked to Ryuji, who tried his best to avoid eye contact with the older man. He approached slowly, making it quite evident that there was no getting out of this conversation.
"It's good to see you again, Rik- er, wait..." Professor Oak paused, and then shook his head. "Forgive me, I'm terrible with names. Could you please jog my memory?"
"Ryuji Kazama, sir," their friend answered, "I didn't know you were in Johto."
"Nor did I know you were in Johto. I suppose you must have made a snap decision instead of going through Kalos, huh?"
Ryuji nodded.
"Well then, I'd say your new friends are in good hands."
The Pokemon Professor turned around, staring at the group, almost as if he was sizing them up. "I assume you all have received Pokedexes from Elm, correct?"
Another nod, this time collectively from the remaining 7 trainers.
"Excellent," he continued, "I hope you'll all go on to fill out as much of your Pokedexes as possible. And whatever you all choose to do on your journey, be sure to watch over each other. Whether this is your first, second, or even tenth Pokemon journey, part of your strength will come from unity. Never forget each other."
Having said that, the good professor turned and began to walk out of the house. A brief silence overtook them, as the advice took form within their heads, further solidifying their collective resolve.
"Ah, always the enigmatic one," Mr. Pokemon mused, "But I'm sure he has his reasons. Before you go, I'm sure it was no picnic on the way here, so how about you and your Pokemon take a rest?"
No one argued with that, and decided to take a few minutes to relax before they headed back out.
A few minutes turned into an hour, as Mr. Pokemon invited them to stay for a meal, which the party was all too ready to accept. Once Kevin had rejoined with them, they were ready to eat, and made sure to enjoy the cooking of their gracious host. By the time they were done, the group was well-fed, and ready to return on the road again. It was getting closer to evening with every passing minute, and at the rate they were going, they would most likely have to stay at the Pokemon Center for the night.
But that was not an issue, as at this point, a general sense of levity had overtaken everyone. Even though they'd left that morning with the intention of catching the Kankers, the general attitude of this first day had left them with a good taste in their mouths.
"Alright, as much as I'm lovin' this," said Eddy, opening up the door for the rest of the party. "We need to get a move on. Day's not getting any brighter, and I don't wanna sleep on the floor."
"Yeah yeah," Kevin responded as he exited, his newly captured Spinarak on his shoulder, "At least that's all out of the way. Hopefully we can get more done in the morning."
"Yeah, dude," Nazz added in, being the last one to exit the building. "I can't wait to catch some more cute Pokemon."
Once they were all present and accounted for, Ryuji was quick to start leading them back to town. Their footsteps were light, but meant to cover plenty of distance - clearly meant to avoid any unnecessary battles until they made their way back to the dirt path.
It seemed like they'd be able to avoid startling any beasts if they kept a steady pace. At least they thought so for all of 5 seconds. To the group's left, there was an intense rustling in the trees, indicating that whatever was in there was a very large beast.
"Ah crap..." Eddy sighed, "MORE battles? This is starting to get ridiculous!"
"Perhaps we can avoid this one," Ryuji whispered, "We don't even know what kind of beast it might be. Maybe we can lose its attention by throwing a rock or something."
"Good idea! Now, where's a rock?"
"Hello!? Is that another person?"
Everyone froze at that voice. The rustling continued, but now everyone knew it was a person. Footsteps could be heard as the new guy approached, close enough for the party to actually get a good look at his silhouette.
"Over here," Kevin called out. "You need help, dude?"
"Nah, we're just happy to here there's someone else out here! Right buddy?"
This elicited a raised eyebrow, as the person finally came into full view. And when he did, the immediate response was a collective gasp. The boy was about their ages, and almost everyone in the group could recognize him.
The tanned skin, the shaved head, those plain clothes and sandals, and that stupid grin on his face were so easy to recognize. Despite the different proportions, as well as all of these features being rather unremarkable, they managed to catch the attention of the Cul-De-Sac kids without question. This was a face they knew, and one they had not seen in over half a year...
"JONNY!?"
PARTY DATA:
EDDY
Cyndaquil (Male)
- Level 7
- Ability: Blaze
- Quiet Nature, Alert to Sounds
- Moves: Tackle, Leer, Smokescreen
Krabby (Male)
- Level 7
- Ability: Hyper Cutter
- Jolly Nature, Likes to Fight
- Moves: Vise Grip, Bubble, Mud Sport
ED
Totodile (Male)
- Level 6
- Ability: Torrent
- Jolly Nature, Somewhat of a Clown
- Moves: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun
Rattata (Male)
- Level 6
- Ability: Guts
- Adamant Nature, A Little Quick Tempered
- Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack
DOUBLE D
Chikorita (Female)
- Level 7
- Ability: Overgrow
- Gentle Nature, Good Endurance
- Moves: Tackle, Growl, Razor Leaf
Pidgey (Male)
- Level 5
- Ability: Keen Eye
- Sassy Nature, Scatters things Often
- Moves: Tackle, Sand Attack
KEVIN
Treecko (Male)
- Level 7
- Ability: Overgrow
- Lax Nature, Thoroughly Cunning
- Moves: Pound, Leer, Absorb
Spinarak (Female)
- Level 2
- Ability: Insomnia
- Naïve Nature, Alert to Sounds
- Moves: Constrict, Poison Sting, String Shot
ROLF
Chimchar (Female)
- Level 7
- Ability: Blaze
- Naughty Nature, Mischievous
- Moves: Scratch, Leer
Geodude (Male)
- Level 4
- Ability: Sturdy
- Careful Nature, Loves to Eat
- Moves: Tackle, Defense Curl, Mud Sport
NAZZ
Popplio (Female)
- Level 5
- Ability: Torrent
- Calm Nature, Often Lost in Thought
- Moves: Pound, Growl, Water Gun
Sentret (Male)
- Level 2
- Ability: Run Away
- Bashful Nature, Likes to Fight
- Moves: Scratch, Foresight
Caterpie (Female)
- Level 4
- Ability: Shield Dust
- Calm Nature, Mischievous
- Moves: Tackle, String Shot
SARAH
Rowlet (Male)
- Level 5
- Ability: Overgrow
- Brave Nature, Likes to Relax
- Moves: Tackle, Growl, Leafage
JIMMY
Litten (Male)
- Level 6
- Ability: Blaze
- Hardy Nature, Quick Tempered
- Moves: Scratch, Growl, Ember
Horsea (Female)
- Level 7
- Ability: Swift Swim
- Docile Nature, Study Body
- Moves: Bubble, Smokescreen
RYUJI
Fennekin (Female)
- Level 9
- Ability: Blaze
- Mild Nature, Mischievous
- Moves: Scratch, Tail Whip, Ember