Pokémon – Thunder Yellow
Fanfiction By – Spirit Reader
Pokémon Original Creator – Satoshi Tajiri
Chapter 4: The Boy and the Frog – Part 1
"We've finally arrived at our first stop, Pikachu. We made it to Viridian City."
As Pikachu happily nodded its head as it sat upon its Trainer's shoulder, Takashi Nakamura was busy observing the landscape before them. The two of them have finally arrived at Viridian City, the first destination in their long Pokémon Journey. It took nearly an entire day to get there as the sun was already beginning to set and day was transitioning into night. Even so, Takashi was happy that he and Pikachu were able to make it, as it meant that they've accomplished their first goal as a team.
After taking a moment to reflect on everything that they've been through over the last couple of hours, Takashi entered the city limits and began sightseeing. For the majority of his life, the young man has spent most of his life in the confines of Pallet Town, which is known to be very small and peaceful. By comparison, Viridian City was much livelier and filled hundreds of more people. Because of this, Takashi felt both excitement and fear as he and Pikachu made their way through the city as this was something he wasn't used too.
While the young Trainer was busy observing the sites his Pikachu was simply trying to get use to what it was experiencing. Unlike Takashi, who lived in a small town, Pikachu spent the majority of its life in a forest, isolated from humans and their culture. As a result, Pikachu was completely overwhelmed and was having a hard time processing it all. Everything from the tall building to the hundreds of people walking the streets were foreign to Pikachu, causing the Electric-Type to wonder if it will continue to see such things while traveling with Takashi.
Soon, as Takashi and Pikachu continued walking down the city streets, the latter started picking up the scent of something rather tasty. This was due to Pikachu's sense of smell, which was far superior to that of a human. As the aroma became more and more flavorful, Pikachu's mouth began to water slightly and it soon started looking around for the source of the scent. After about a minute, the Mouse Pokémon picked up on the location and quickly jumped of Takashi's shoulder before racing towards it.
"Hey Pikachu…!" Takashi called, watching as his Pokémon dashed towards an unknown location. "Where are you going?!"
Confused by Pikachu's sudden behavior, Takashi wondered what exactly caused his partner to act in such a way. Did it see something that peeked its interest or was it something else entirely? In either event it didn't really matter as he knew that he couldn't let Pikachu run off by itself. With that in mind, Takashi quickly gave chase and tried his best to catch up to his Pokémon.
Eventually, once he reached a certain distance, Takashi's nose finally managed to pick up on the same scent that Pikachu smelled earlier. Once he did that, the young man quickly deduced that it was the reason why Pikachu ran off towards it. Given the fact that the two of them haven't really eaten since their battle against the wild Spearow, Takashi understood that Pikachu was very hungry. Just thinking about that made him feel hungry as well, causing him to run even faster so that he could see what was the source of that delicious smell.
Before too long, Pikachu finally stopped and when Takashi caught up with it he was able to determine the smell's source. The scent was coming from a small bread stand that was sectioned in between two large buildings. The aroma of the bread was so great that both Trainer and Pokémon's jaws dropped as saliva started to come out. They then began to reach out towards the bread, intending to have a bite of the delicious looking pastries. However, before they could do so, something immediately shot out from the stand and struck them both in the face.
Taken back from the sudden assault, both Takashi and Pikachu fell towards the ground. The former was the first to recover and quickly examined the object that hit him. It was a foamy substance, almost resembling soap bubbles. Not only that, but it was also rather wet as well. After checking to see that Pikachu was alright, and rubbing the substance off of its face, Takashi stood up and started looking around the inside of the stand.
"Um…Hello," He called. "Is anyone here?"
As Takashi looked for the one that attacked him, Pikachu quickly jumped onto the bread stand and started to do the same. Once it did so however, another soapy substance began making its way towards it. This time however, the Mouse Pokémon was able to avoid the attack and quickly turned its attention towards the direction it came from. When Takashi did the same he was finally able to find the attacker.
The one who attacked him and Pikachu was actually a small, frog-looking Pokémon. It had light blue skin and wide yellow eyes with black irises. However, the Pokémon's most prominent feature was the mane of bubbles that covered a portion of its chest, back, and a portion of its nose. Having never seen a Pokémon like it before, Takashi quickly pulled out his PokéDex and used it in order to get some information.
"Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon." The PokéDex explained. "From its body, Froakie creates bubbles called Frubbles, which act as a cushion and soften the blow of an opponent's attack. It is always alert to any changes to its environment. Froakie is a Water-Type Pokémon."
Once his PokéDex finished its explanation, Takashi put it back into his pocket before going back to looking at Froakie. As this was the first time he's ever seen one before, the young man was highly impressed by the Pokémon's appearance. Not only that, but after realizing that it was Froakie's Frubbles that struck him and Pikachu earlier, the young man's impression of the Water-Type Pokémon only grew even more.
"Wow…You're pretty cool," He said with a smile.
"…Why thank you,"
Upon hearing someone reply to his statement, Takashi's eyes widen suddenly as he quickly took a few steps back. At first, the young Trainer thought that the one who spoke to him was Froakie. However, he quickly dismissed that claim after remembering that Pokémon can't speak like a human. Not only that, but he also noticed that the voiced seemed rather womanly as well. As a result, he looked around the area until he finally managed to find the one who spoke to him.
Takashi saw that voice came from a middle aged woman with light blue eyes and black hair that was beginning to grey a little. She had somewhat of a petite frame, being a bit shorter that him and had a kind disposition to her. The woman then went on to smile at Takashi, who quickly responded with a quick bow.
"Why good evening young man," The woman said to him. "My name is Haru…And as you've just discovered, the little guy watching my bread stand is my friend, Froakie. Now, may I ask what you and your Pikachu are doing?"
"Oh…My name is Takashi, ma'am," The young man replied. "Excuse me if it looked like we were causing trouble. It's just that my Pikachu and I caught a whiff of your bread…and it smelled so delicious. I'm sorry if it seemed like we were able to steal some."
Takashi bowed towards Haru one more time, with his Pikachu jumping on his head before proceeding to do the same. As they did so, Haru smiled at them both before extending her hand out towards them. Right away, the woman could tell that neither one of them meant any harm and was actually quite flattered that they openly admitted that her bread smelt so good. However, Haru knew that Takashi and Pikachu couldn't truly appreciate her creation until they tasted it firsthand. With that, Haru made her way inside of her bread stand.
Once inside, the old woman went on to greet Froakie, thanking the little Pokémon for guarding her shop while she was away. She then proceeded to open a small refrigerator and quickly pulled out 2 loafs of bread. After determining that they were good enough, Haru walked up towards Takashi and went on to hand both him and Pikachu the bread, surprising them.
"Are you sure ma'am?" Takashi questioned. "I mean…Shouldn't I pay you first?"
"It's quite alright," Haru answered. "Besides, I can tell that both you and your Pikachu are really hungry. Consider it a treat from a kind old woman."
Takashi stared at Haru for a moment, wondering if he should really accept her offer and take the bread that she was offering him. After taking a moment to think about it, the young man looked towards his Pikachu, who went on to nod its head at him. Just seeing that reassured him, prompting Takashi to turn back towards Haru and gently take the bread from her hand. He then proceeded to hand one of the loafs over to Pikachu before the two each took a bite.
As soon as they bit into the bread, Takashi's and Pikachu's eyes both lit up at the same time. Out of all of the things the two of them have eaten before, this bread was by far one of the most delicious. Because of that, both them started devouring it down like it was the last piece of food on Earth. When Haru saw that, the old woman started giggling to herself as another smile appeared on her face.
"Well, I'm glad that you two enjoying it so much."
While Haru continued smiling at them, Takashi glanced over towards Froakie for a moment and saw that it was looking at him. Given the blank expression that was on its face, Takashi couldn't really tell what the Water-Type was thinking. However, as it continued to look at him, the young Trainer somehow got the feeling that Froakie was examining him for some reason. This confused Takashi, prompting him to stop eating and focus all of his attention on Froakie.
Eventually, as the two of them continued to stare at one another, both Haru and Pikachu took notice of this. This site was rather surprising to the former, as Haru knew that Froakie hardly paid any attention to any human other than herself. Because of that, Haru wondered why Froakie seemed so fixated on Takashi and what it could all mean. Eventually, the old woman decided to think about that later and soon turned her attention solely back towards Takashi.
"So…" She continued. "Based on how clean your clothes are, you're probably a brand new Pokémon Trainer. Am I right?"
"…That's right, ma'am," Takashi replied after turning his focus away from Froakie. "I just started earlier this morning."
"I see. Well in that case, you probably need a nice place to spend the night. There's a building not too far from here called a Pokémon Center. If you head over there both you and your Pokémon can rest up and be fully prepared for the adventures you're soon to have."
Once Haru finished saying that, Takashi quickly pulled out his PokéGear and used it to find out just where exactly this Pokémon Center was located. After seeing that it was just a few blocks away, he nodded his head and went on to put the device away. He then looked back towards Haru and nodded at her as well.
"Alright, we'll head over there right now." Takashi bowed towards Haru one last time. "Thanks for the information, Ms. Haru…and thanks for the delicious bread."
Haru smiled as she nodded her head towards Takashi, who proceeded to happily do the same. Shortly after that, Takashi turned his focus back towards Froakie for a moment and saw that the Bubble Frog Pokemon was still looking straight at him. Due to its blank expression, Takashi wasn't able to tell what Froakie was thinking about as it stared at him, causing the young man to feel a bit confused. It's due to this confusion that he failed to notice what came next.
As Takashi continued to look at Froakie, something suddenly appeared and snatched the piece of bread that he was eating from out of his hand. He then went on to bite his fingers, not realizing that the bread was gone until he was already in pain. While he attempted to shake off the pain, Pikachu looked around and soon spotted the ones who stole Takashi's bread, alerting its Trainer to the culprits.
"What the heck…?" He said, confused by what he was seeing. "Pokémon…?"
Raising his eyebrow a bit, Takashi looked on as two wild Pokémon stared back at him and Pikachu. These Pokemon were Mankey and Nidoran, two individuals known for causing all kinds of mischief here in Viridian City. The two of them loved causing problems for the citizens, especially new Pokémon Trainers. Because of that, Mankey and Nidoran snickered at Takashi before going out of their way to devour the piece of bread that they stole. Once they did that, they then ran off into the big city streets.
Upon seeing them flee the area, Takashi quickly became angered by Mankey's and Nidoran's actions and decided to go after them. Because of that, the young Trainer turned his attention towards Pikachu, who silently responded with a quick nod. It then went on to quickly finish eating its loaf of bread before jumping onto Takashi's shoulder. As soon as he saw that Pikachu was secure, Takashi quickly gave chase after the two fleeing Pokémon.
"Oh dear…" Haru said, sighing quietly to herself. "This could be troublesome. Froakie, would you be a dear and…"
Before Haru could finish her sentence, the old woman looked on and saw that Froakie was no longer at the bread stand. However, instead of being shocked by the Pokémon's sudden disappearance, Haru simply let out a small smile. She then went on to get her stand ready for tomorrow's activities.
Meanwhile, as they raced through the city streets, Takashi and Pikachu continued their pursuit of Mankey and Nidoran. The two wild Pokémon were extremely quick and knew the city well, but Takashi wasn't about to let them get away. Even if it was just a piece of bread, Takashi wasn't about to stand by and allow someone to steal from him, whether it be people or Pokémon. It's due to this resolve that he and Pikachu managed to keep pace and were soon able to corner the Pokémon once they reached a dead end at a nearby alley.
Once Mankey and Nidoran saw that they couldn't escape, the two of them angrily turned their attention towards Takashi and prepared to confront him. Upon seeing that, Pikachu quickly jump off Takashi's shoulder and prepared to confront the two of them. This resulted in a standoff between the 3 Pokemon, giving Takashi time to pull out his PokéDex and see just who he and Pikachu were about to fight.
"Mankey, the Pig Monkey Pokémon," The PokéDex stated. "Mankey flies into a rage at the slightest provocation. These fits of temper are usually preceded by violent tremors, but there's rarely enough time to get away. Mankey is a Fighting-Type Pokémon."
After the PokéDex finished its explanation on Mankey, Takashi turned it towards Nidoran next.
"Nidoran (Male), the Poison Pin Pokémon. Nidoran has excellent hearing and, thanks to specialized muscles, it can move and rotate its ears to pick up the slightest sound. Nidoran is a Poison-Type Pokemon."
As soon as the PokéDex finished talking about Nidoran, Takashi quickly pulled the device back into his pocket and quickly brace himself for battle. Pikachu went on to do the same, releasing several sparks of electricity from its cheeks. Although surprised by Pikachu's burst of power, Mankey and Nidoran stood firm and prepared themselves to confront the Electric-Type. After about a minute, the battle between the 3 Pokémon finally began.
Mankey went on to make the first move, dashing towards Pikachu as it prepared to strike it with a powerful Karate Chop attack. Nidoran quickly followed, charging towards Pikachu with an equally powerful Horn Attack.
"Pikachu, dodge those attacks!" Takashi commanded.
Pikachu gently nodded its head as it waited for both of its opponents to get closer. Once the two of them reached a certain distance, Pikachu used its superior speed to avoid Mankey's and Nidoran's respective attacks and get behind them. Once he saw that, Takashi smiled as he went on to make his next move.
"Good work Pikachu! Now use Quick Attack!"
Right away, Pikachu let out another nod as it quickly dashed towards Mankey at an incredible speed. It then slammed its body right into the Pokémon's chest, causing Mankey to be sent flying backwards. Upon seeing that, Nidoran attempted to strike back with another Horn Attack. However, just as it was about to charge towards it, Pikachu was already right in front of Nidoran and went on to slam it backwards as well.
For about a minute, this is how the battle went with Pikachu using its greater speed to overcome both of its foes. Watching his Pokémon do so well put a huge smile on Takashi's face, as this was an indication of both his and Pikachu's progress. Shortly after their defeat against Sasuke Himura, the two of them spent the last couple of hours training and trying to hone their skills. Takashi wanted to make sure that what happened during his battle with Sasuke wouldn't happen again and he was pleased to see that was the case. Unfortunately, Takashi and Pikachu's quick success were making them overconfident, resulting in them making a key mistake.
While Pikachu continued to use its speed to overwhelm its opponents, Mankey was finally able to see how the Mouse Pokemon was moving around. This enabled it to predict Pikachu's movements, allowing Mankey to run up and trip Pikachu with a powerful Low Sweep attack. Once it hit the ground, Pikachu started holding its right leg, indicating that Mankey's attack injured it.
"Pikachu!" Takashi called, clearly concerned for his friend. "Look out for Nidoran!"
Pikachu turned its head and saw that Nidoran was charging towards it, preparing to strike with its Horn Attack. It tried to avoid it again, but the injury it sustained from Mankey's attack was hampering its movements. As a result, while it was able to avoid a critical hit, Pikachu struck by Nidoran's attack, injuring it further. Seeing that gave both Mankey and Nidoran the opportunity they needed to overpower Pikachu before it had the chance to recover.
Despite trying its best to fend off its opponents, Pikachu found it difficult to fight back against Mankey and Nidoran's combined assault. If it managed to avoid one strike, it would simply be met by another one. This resulted in the Mouse Pokemon receiving several injuries, gradually weakening it further and further. Even so, Pikachu kept on fighting, determined to defeat Mankey and Nidoran no matter what.
Eventually, as the battle continued and Pikachu continued to get pummeled, Takashi decided to step in and stop this from continuing. Because of that, Mankey and Nidoran started attacking him as well. Fortunately, before the two of them could finish things, something suddenly shot down from the sky and separated the two groups. All 4 of them then looked up and saw something staring down at them from on top of roof. It was a something that both Mankey and Nidoran have seen plenty of times, causing them both to back away slightly.
"The heck…?" Takashi said, confused by what he was seeing. "A Pokemon…who wears a mask?"
Jumping down from on top of the roof, the Masked Pokémon of Viridian City landed skillfully on the ground and slowly started making its way towards Mankey and Nidoran. As they watched it do that, the two Pokemon started to recall all of their encounters with this mysterious Pokémon, which always ended in their defeat. Determined to change that, Mankey and Nidoran turned their attention away from Takashi and Pikachu and began charging towards the Masked Pokemon.
As Takashi and Pikachu looked on, the two of them were amazed by what they were seeing. The Masked Pokémon, despite being smaller than both of its opponents, was able to easily jump over them before their attacks could connect. It then pulled out two foamy-like objects from its back and threw them at Nidoran and Mankey, blinding the two Pokémon. Once they couldn't see anymore, the Masked Pokémon then went on to fire several rounds of bubbles at the two bullies, injuring them significantly due to the bubbles density.
Shortly after that, Mankey and Nidoran slowly picked themselves back up from off the ground. The damage they received from their battle against Pikachu was beginning to take its toll, but they were determined to finally settle things with the Masked Pokémon. Upon seeing that however, the Masked Pokémon decided to settle things as well. However, it didn't do that by fighting. Instead, the Masked Pokémon used its powers to create several clones of itself to surround both Mankey and Nidoran.
Surprised by what he was seeing, Takashi wondered if the Masked Pokémon was using some kind of move and he decided to use his PokéDex in order to get an answer. When he did, the young man learned that the technique was called Double Team, a move that allows a Pokemon to avoid attacks by creating illusionary clones of themselves. Seeing it in action like this greatly impressed Takashi and Pikachu, causing them to wonder just who this Masked Pokémon really is.
As for Mankey and Nidoran, the both of them were extremely intimidated by the vast number of Masked Pokémon, being unable to tell which one was the real one. As a result, the two of them quickly gave in to their fear and promptly fled the scene. Once they were gone, the Masked Pokémon undid its illusion, causing all of its clones to vanish from sight. It then turned its focus towards Takashi and Pikachu, wanting to make sure that they were both okay.
"Um…Thank you," Takashi spoke, trying to comprehend what he just saw. "You saved me and my Pikachu."
Quietly staring at the two of them, the Masked Pokémon gently nodded its head at Takashi and Pikachu. It then proceeded to jump high into the air, landing on the edge of a nearby roof. Once it got there, the Pokémon then took a moment to look back down at Takashi and Pikachu again, particularly the former. At the same, Takashi stared up at the Masked Pokemon, sensing something familiar about it. Soon though, the Pokémon finally took its leave and Takashi and Pikachu were left all alone.
As soon as they were alone, Takashi looked over towards Pikachu and proceeded to gently rub the top of its head, proud of how well it battled. The young man then got ready to leave, intending to head to the Pokémon Center that Haru told him about. However, before he could leave the alley, Pikachu took note of the soapy object that the Masked Pokémon used earlier. When Takashi picked it up, the young man saw that it felt like Froakie's Frubbles, which put a thought into his mind.
"…Could it be?"
Meanwhile, in another section of the city, Mankey and Nidoran continued running in order to get away from the Masked Pokémon. Once the two of them finally stopped, both Pokémon felt ashamed from having to flee like they did. This was especially true for Mankey, who quickly became furious with itself and began destroying the area around it with powerful Karate Chops. By the time it finally settled down, the area that both it and Nidoran were in was completely filled with debris.
"Excellent…Most Excellent…"
Surprised by the voice that just spoke to the two of them, Mankey and Nidoran both jump back as it heard the sound of footsteps coming towards them. As the steps grew louder, the two Pokémon watched as someone suddenly came out of the shadows. This individual was a fairly muscular man who was completely dressed in black and had a fiendish smile on his face. Upon seeing that smile, both Mankey and Nidoran felt extremely unsettled, but they couldn't bring themselves to run away.
"Hello, my friends," The man said to them. "My name is Bruce and I'm here to offer you two something I know you both crave…Revenge!"
When one becomes a Pokémon Trainers there are a few things that their expected to know if they want to be successful. One of those things is the location of the local Pokémon Center that resides within every major town or city. The reason being is that the Center is the one place where Trainers and their Pokémon can rest and recover after traveling together for so long. This is essential as those who don't rest will never be able to fight at full strength. It's for this reason why Takashi Nakamura made his way over to the Pokémon Center stationed here in Viridian City.
Upon first arriving late last night, the young man was very impressed by what he first saw. The inside of the Pokémon Center was filled with so many things, including video phones, high definition televisions, a food court, and free lodging. The Center also included a small practice field out back, allowing Trainers to get some practice in so that they can perfect their skills. It was precisely the type of place that Takashi and Pikachu needed to be in order to recover from the day's events.
Once he made his way inside, the first thing Takashi did was make his way to the front desk and talk to a woman named Nurse Joy. This beautiful pink haired woman was in charge of the entire Pokémon Center, which also included to tending to any of the injured Pokémon that were sent here. Because of that, Joy was more than happy to heal Takashi's Pikachu after he requested her to do so.
After she had her Pokémon assistant, Chansey, take Pikachu to the back, Joy informed Takashi that his little partner should be fine in the morning and went on to give him a room key so that he could rest up as well. Once that happened, Takashi thanked Nurse Joy and went on to say his goodbyes to Pikachu before making his way to his assigned room. As soon as he made his way over there, the young Trainer quickly went to be, exhausted after everything he went through previously.
The following morning, after taking a nice long shower and getting dressed, Takashi made his way back to the front lobby and waited for Nurse Joy to bring Pikachu back. As he waited, Takashi decided to kill some time by walking around the Pokémon Center. While doing so he managed to get a look of all of the Pokémon that some of the other Trainers brought with him to Center. Not only that, but he also happened across a practice battle a couple of Trainers were having as well. Seeing all of those things was not only very cool for Takashi, but informative as well. However, out of all of the things he saw, there was one thing that caught his interest the most.
What Takashi saw was a poster hanging on one of the side walls. It was advertising something called the Pokémon League, which greatly piqued his interest. This is because heard about the League back when he was in Pallet Town and although he didn't know all of the details, Takashi did know that it was an important event for any aspiring Pokémon Trainer. Because of that, Takashi decided to get a closer look at the poster in order to get some more information. Before he could do so however…
"Will Takashi Nakamura please come to the front desk? Your Pokémon is now fully recovered. Repeat…Will Takashi Nakamura please come to the front desk? Your Pokémon is now fully recovered."
Recognizing the voice over the intercom as Nurse Joy's, Takashi reluctantly decided to stop what he was doing and started making his way towards the front desk. As soon as he arrived, the young man met up with Nurse Joy and the two of them were then joined by her Chansey, who was carrying Pikachu on a gurney. After seeing how much better his partner looked, Takashi happily opened his arms and allowed Pikachu to jump into them.
"Good to see that you're feeling better, Pikachu," He said with a smile. He then turned his attention over to Joy. "Thank you for the help, Nurse Joy."
"Don't mention it," Joy happily replied. "I'm glad I could help."
Joy smiled as she gently nodded her head towards Takashi, who responded by doing the same thing. Once he did that, Takashi then turned towards Chansey and silently thanked the kind Pokémon as well. As Chansey prepared to leave in order to get its next patient, Takashi pulled out his PokéDex in order to get some information on the Pokémon.
"Chansey, the Egg Pokémon," It explained. "The eggs Chansey produces every day are full of nutrition and flavor. Even people suffering a loss of appetite eat them up with delight. Chansey is a Normal-Type Pokémon."
After it finished talking, Takashi put his PokéDex back into his pocket. He then glanced over at Chansey as it continued to walk away and saw that it indeed had a large egg in the pouch on its chest. Just seeing it made him feel a bit hungry for eggs, which actually caused him to snicker to himself, much to Pikachu's confusion. Eventually, once the thought of eating eggs vanished from his mind, Takashi prepared himself to leave the Pokémon Center.
Upon making their way outside, Takashi and Pikachu both took a nice and long breath of city air before proceeding to walk around. While doing so, Takashi started thinking about that Pokémon League event that was advertised on that poster he saw. He wondered if that was an event he could enter and, if that were the case, how he could do so. As Takashi continued to think about this, Pikachu noticed something from the corner of its eye and alerted its Trainer to what it saw. This prompted Takashi to turn his head and see what Pikachu saw.
It was soon revealed that thing Pikachu saw was Haru, who was busy holding several large boxes while walking on the other side of the street. Seeing that she was having trouble holding them, Takashi immediately rushed over to her and went on to take a few of her boxes. When she noticed that her load was much lighter, Haru turned her head and smiled when she saw Takashi right next to her.
"Why thank you, young man," She said to him. "I appreciate the help."
"Don't mention it…" Takashi kindly replied. "Just think of it as my way of thanking you for the bread yesterday."
With the boxes safely in his possession, Takashi walked alongside Haru as the two of them made their way over to her bread stand. While doing so, Pikachu wanted to help out and thus proceeded to grab one of the smaller boxes. It then started walking right next to Takashi, causing both him and Haru to let out a small smile.
"So…how was your first night in Viridian City?" Haru asked. "Did anything exciting happen?"
"…You could say that,"
Closing his eyes for a moment, Takashi thought about the events that took place the previous night. Everything from the battle against Mankey and Nidoran to the sudden appearance of Masked Pokémon flashed through his mind. It was an incredible encounter, so much so that Takashi spent about 3 hours thinking about it last night before he finally went to sleep. By the time he reopened his eyes, the young man looked back over at Haru.
"Pikachu and I met some kind of Masked Pokémon. It saved both of us when that Mankey and Nidoran had us cornered."
"I see…" Haru snickered to herself as she listened to Takashi's story. "That Masked Pokémon has been quite busy as of late. Going around the city and helping anyone in need. It's quite the heroic Pokémon…but still…"
Haru stopped herself before she could continue her story, something that Takashi quickly took note of. He wanted to ask her to continue, but decided against it as he felt that it would make her uncomfortable. Because of that, he kept to himself and continued to walk with Haru as they made their way to her shop. By the time they arrived the two of them saw something very interesting.
A Pokémon Battle was taking place right in front of Haru's bread stand. The battle involved two Pokémon Trainers named Jack and Marcus, who were using a Rattata and Spearow respectively. Their opponent, much to Takashi's surprise, was none other than Froakie. While watching Froakie avoid its two opponent's attacks, Takashi wondered why this battle was taking place. Haru noticed the boy's confusion and decided to give him an explanation.
"Look like some Trainers are trying to catch Froakie again," She said.
"Again…?" Takashi questioned. "Wait…I thought Froakie was your Pokémon, ma'am."
"No, Froakie isn't my Pokémon. It's a Wild Pokémon that I found it about half a year ago…shortly after Froakie was abandoned by its former Trainer."
Shocked by this revelation, Takashi looked back over towards Froakie, just as the Bubble Frog Pokémon was too easily to avoid Jack's Spearow. As he watched it battle, the young man wondered why someone would abandon such a cool Pokémon like Froakie. Not only that, he wondered why Trainers would abandon Pokémon at all, believing it to be the worst thing someone could do. He soon continued listening to Haru while also watching Froakie battle.
"Since most Froakie are typically found in the Kalos Region, which is extremely far away, many random Trainers come and try and battle Froakie so that they can capture such a rare Pokémon," She continued. "However, despite how hard they try, Froakie always manages to defeat them."
"I see…" Takashi responded. "I guess that means Froakie doesn't really like humans all that much."
"…Not necessarily," Haru glanced over at Takashi for a quick moment before looking over at Froakie. "Froakie doesn't hate humans at all. It's just very selective of them."
Haru's comment about Froakie being selective piqued Takashi's curiosity and was about to question her about what she meant by that. However, before he could do so, he noticed that Froakie had just knocked down Marcus's Spearow with its Pound attack. Once it was on the ground, Froakie then launched a powerful Bubble attack, which managed to hit both Spearow and Rattata, knocking them both out.
While Takashi looked on, impressed by this incredible display, Pikachu noticed something familiar about the way Froakie just battled. The Mouse Pokémon noted that the way Froakie battled was very similar to how the mysterious Masked Pokémon battled. Not only that, but Pikachu also noticed that Froakie and the Masked Pokémon had a similar scent. It wasn't able to notice this before, due to it being so focused on the battle between Mankey and Nidoran, but was able to tell now and wondered why that is. Pikachu was about to walk over to Froakie, but stopped when it saw Marcus and Jack begin to do the same.
"This isn't over yet, Froakie!" Jack told it.
"That's right!" Marcus followed. "We'll capture you…One way or another!"
Marcus and Jack each pulled out 2 PokéBalls respectively and threw them high into the air. When they did so, the balls opened up and unleashed 4 blasts of light energy that landed on the ground, right in front of Froakie. The energy then transformed into 4 Pokémon; Rattata, Spearow, Pidgey, and Caterpie. The Pokémon then go on to surround the Bubble Frog Pokémon, making sure that it couldn't get away.
As the Pokémon prepared to launch an attack on Froakie, Takashi decided that he couldn't stand by and allow this to happen. Because of that he turned his attention towards Pikachu, who instantly got the message. The electric mouse then proceeded to step in between Jack and Marcus's Pokémon and stand right next to Froakie, much to the Pokémon's confusion.
"Hey…What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Jack questioned Takashi.
"I could ask you the same thing!" Takashi replied. "Don't you think you're taking this a bit too far?!"
"Shut up! Froakies are extremely rare in the Kanto Region. We're not about to let one slip through our fingers…We'll do whatever we have to in order to capture it!"
Jack signaled to both his Caterpie and Spearow to focus on Pikachu while Marcus signaled to his Pidgey and Rattata to focus their attention on Froakie. When they saw that, the two Pokémon braced themselves for battle, standing back to back to one another. Once he saw them do that, Takashi removed his hat from his head before pulling out his father's headband. He then tied it tight around his head, focusing on what was about to happen.
"Alright…Let's do this," He said to himself. "Pikachu, use Thunder Shock on Spearow!"
Acknowledging the order that it was given, Pikachu unleashed a powerful blast of electricity from its cheeks and directed it towards Spearow. However, Spearow was able to easily avoid the attack thanks to its ability to fly. This prompted Pikachu to look up into air so that it could keep an eye on its opponent, taking its attention off of Caterpie for a moment.
"Spearow, use Peck attack!" Jack ordered. "Caterpie, use String Shot!"
Spearow started diving down towards Pikachu, intending to strike it with its extremely sharp beak. Keeping its eye on it, Pikachu prepared itself to dodge the attack, but it was at that moment that Caterpie made its move. Taking aim, the small Bug-Type Pokémon fired a small thread around Pikachu's feet. When it made contact, Pikachu found it extremely hard to move due to the thread's sticking properties. As a result, the Mouse Pokémon was sent skidding backwards after getting hit in the stomach by Spearow's attack.
Although the attack stung a bit, Pikachu was able to shake it off and brush Spearow aside. This caused Takashi to smile, proud that his Pokémon was able to take that attack like it did. The two of them then prepared themselves for the next attack, determined to not let Jack take advantage of them again.
While all of this was going on, Froakie was preparing itself to deal with Marcus's two Pokémon. However, even though it also had 2 opponents to deal with, the Bubble Frog's mind was busy focusing on Takashi and Pikachu's battle. Although the two of them were struggling a bit, neither one of them had any intention of giving up. This greatly impressed Froakie, causing it to take its focus off of its opponents for a moment.
"Now's my chance!" Marcus said to himself. "Rattata, use Bite and Pidgey, use Quick Attack!"
Both of Marcus's Pokémon quickly complied with his command and began making their way towards Froakie. At first, it seemed like Froakie would be blindsided by the two of them, but the Bubble Frog Pokémon was able to easily avoid their attacks by jumping high into the air. It then went on to grab pieces of its Frubbles and throw them at Pidgey and Rattata, hitting them both. This caused the two Pokémon to become immobile, especially Pidgey as Froakie's Frubbles were covering both of its wings.
Once the two of them were unable to move, Froakie then hopped towards Rattata and began slapping the Mouse Pokémon repeatedly with its Pound Attack. The force of each attack was great and since Rattata was still stuck by Froakie's Frubbles, there wasn't anything Marcus could do about it. As a result, Froakie was able to launch one last strike that managed to knock out Rattata. The Water-Type then started making its way over to Pidgey, intending to finish things with it as well.
"Pidgey, break free and use Gust!" Marcus ordered.
With Froakie closing in on it, Pidgey used all of its strength to finally break free of the Frubbles and fly up into the air. Upon seeing that, Froakie jumped up in order to close the distance between the two of them. However, before it could launch another Pound attack, Pidgey started flapping both of its wings as quickly as it could. This created a small windstorm that managed to push Froakie back towards the ground.
Although stunned by the force of Pidgey's attack, Froakie managed to reduce the damage by rolling on the ground upon impact. It then jumped up again and fired a barrage of bubbles at Pidgey. This prompted Pidgey to unleash its Gust attack again, which produce enough wind to destroy all of the bubbles before they managed to make contact. Once that happened, Marcus managed to find the opportunity that he was looking for.
"Now Pidgey, use Air Cutter!"
Again complying too its Trainer's command, Pidgey started flapping its wings as quickly as it could. As it did so, the Tiny Bird Pokémon created small blades of wind which were created from the air pressure that it was exerting. Froakie managed to spot some of these blades and thus it tried its best to avoid them. However, it wasn't able to do so as one of the blades managed to hit it right on its forehead, knocking Froakie back towards the ground. Takashi managed to see this from the corner of his eyes and acted accordingly in order to save Froakie.
"Pikachu, stop what you're doing and catch Froakie!" He yelled.
Seeing that Froakie was getting closer to the ground, Pikachu quickly removed the strands of Caterpie's String Shot from off its feet before using its Quick Attack to jump high into the air. Pikachu then manage to catch Froakie before landing safely on the ground. This action greatly surprised the Bubble Frog Pokémon, who never expected that it would be saved like that. Once Pikachu was sure that Froakie was alright, the Mouse Pokémon then focused its attention on Pidgey.
"Don't get my way, rat!" Marcus yelled. "Pidgey, use Gust!"
"Pikachu, hold your ground and use Thunder Shock!"
Pidgey proceeded to launch another powerful windstorm, with this one coming directly for Pikachu. At first, the Electric-Type had a hard time keeping its footing due to intense wind, but managed to hold itself in place by planting its tail into the ground. Once it was secure, Pikachu then started preparing to fire its electrical attack. It was at that moment however that Jack made his presence known.
"Don't think I'll allow that! Spearow use Peck and Caterpie use Tackle!"
Spearow and Caterpie quickly nodded their heads and rushed over towards Pikachu in order to stop it from launching its attack. Seeing that, Froakie quickly step in between them and launched another barrage of bubbles from its mouth. This caused both of Jack's Pokémon to dodge the bubbles, disrupting their flow of movement. It's thanks to this that Pikachu gathered enough power to unleash its Thunder Shock attack, electrocuting Pidgey upon contact. Pikachu then started dashing towards the Tiny Bird Pokémon as it started falling towards the ground.
"Pikachu, now use Quick Attack!"
In what seemed like an instant, Pikachu's speed suddenly increased by several fold as it ran towards Pidgey. It then slammed its entire body into Pidgey's, causing the Flying-Type to be sent crashing into a nearby wall. At the same time, Froakie followed up with its previous attack by getting close enough to Jack's Spearow and slapping it to the ground with its Pound attack. It then unleashed its Bubble attack, which rained down on Spearow with the force of several boulders. By the time attack ended, Spearow was rendered completely unconscious, along with Marcus's Pidgey.
Now with only Pokémon left, Jack started gritting his teeth as he watch Pikachu and Froakie begin making their way towards his Caterpie. Although he knew that he was outmatched, Jack refused to back down and thus he decided to make one last stand.
"Caterpie, use String Shot!" He demanded.
Gathering all of its strength, Caterpie unleashed its biggest and stickiest strand of string directly at Pikachu and Froakie. At first, Pikachu was intending to avoid the attack, but Froakie actually had something else in mind. Because of that, Froakie got in front of Pikachu and proceeded to surround the Mouse Pokémon by creating several clones of itself. The sight of so many Froakies completely disrupted Caterpie's aim, causing its attack to miss. After that, Caterpie then started looking for the real Froakie and Pikachu, which proved to be extremely difficult.
While this is going on, Takashi was utterly amazed by Froakie's skills, but something about the way it battle seemed very familiar. Like Pikachu before him, Takashi felt that they way Froakie battled was the same way that the Masked Pokémon battled. This caused a certain thought to enter his mind, but he wasn't able to focus on it as two of the Froakie clones looked towards him and started yelling. They were telling him to get his mind back on the battle, which he immediately did.
"Pikachu, finish things off with Thunder Shock!"
Within the horde of Froakie clones, Pikachu heard Takashi's command and quickly acknowledged it. It then waited for the right opportunity before jumping up and firing another electrical blast from its cheeks. By the time Caterpie finally notice this, the Worm Pokémon was zapped and soon fainted as a result. With that, the battle ended in Takashi's, Pikachu's, and Froakie's victory.
Upon being defeated, Jack and Marcus were visibly stunned by what just occurred and soon watched as Takashi, Pikachu, and Froakie began turning their attention towards them. When they saw this, the two Trainers realized that they were outmatched and thus fled from the area as quickly as they could. Once they were out of sight, Takashi let out a huge sigh of relief before proceeded to remove his father's headband from off of his head. He then put his hat back on before looking down towards both Pikachu and Froakie, gently petting the former.
"Great job Pikachu," He said with a smile on his face. "I'm extremely proud of you."
Pikachu smiled upon being praised by its Trainer, happy that it was able to make him proud. As it continued to be praised by him, Froakie looked on at this exchange and the Bubble Frog Pokémon started to feel something that it hadn't felt before in a very long time. As it reflected on this feeling, Froakie soon found itself being approached by Takashi. The Water-Type then watched as the young Trainer went on to gently pet the top of its head, much to its surprised.
"Thanks a lot, Froakie," He said to it. "You really helped me and Pikachu back there. I truly appreciate it."
Thinking back to the battle, Takashi recalled how Froakie went out of its way to protect Pikachu while it was dealing with Marcus's Pidgey. He then remembered how it managed to confuse Caterpie and hide Pikachu by using its clones as a makeshift barrier. This caused the smile that was on Takashi's face to steadily grow bigger as he continued to pet Froakie.
"You know…I just don't get it. Why would someone want to abandon a cool Pokémon like you? It just doesn't make sense."
Froakie's eyes suddenly widen as it listened to Takashi's statement. It suddenly remembered that it was having and realized what it was. It was the feeling of being loved and appreciated, something that it hadn't felt in such a long time. Ever since it was abandoned, Froakie steadily forgot what that felt like so feeling it now made it visibly stunned. As a result, Froakie simply stared at Takashi as he continued to pet it.
While all of this was going on, Haru was busy looking at Takashi and Froakie with a silent expression on her face. She then started to reflect on all the times she watched random Trainers battle against Froakie and try to capture it. During all of those battles, the old woman always noticed that those Trainers simply wanted to capture Froakie because it's such a rare Pokémon in the Kanto Region. Although that was natural for a Pokémon Trainer, Haru felt that it wasn't exactly what Froakie needed after everything it's been through. Because of that, Haru wasn't sure what she could do for Froakie other than watch over it. However, things were different now.
Although they just met one another, Haru could tell that Froakie has developed a liking to Takashi. There was something about this young Trainer that a brought upon a warm and comforting feeling, which Haru picked up on after seeing him interact with his Pikachu. She then started to wonder if Takashi was the one that she's been waiting for, a Pokémon Trainer that could truly take care of Froakie. As a result, the old woman let out a small smile before making her way towards him.
"Say Takashi…" She called.
Takashi looked up towards Haru and watched as she was making her way over to him. Right away, the young Trainer could tell that she had something on her mind, something that was extremely important. Although he wasn't sure what it was, something about her expression made Takashi feel that he needed to listen to what she had to say. With that in mind, he picked himself up from off the ground and stared directly at her.
"Ms. Haru…?" He questioned.
"Listen Takashi…" Haru started off. "If you're willing…There's something I would like you to do for me."
Raising his left eyebrow slightly, Takashi wondered what Haru wanted him to do for her. He again noticed the serious expression on her face, which made him feel a bit nervous in turn. Takashi then watched as Haru looked down at Froakie for a quick moment before looking up back at him.
"Would you plea-"
Just as Haru was about to state her request, an extremely loud noise suddenly sounded off. Turning their heads slightly, the old woman and Takashi looked on and noticed that a noticeable smoke cloud was shooting up from another part of the city. Even though he wasn't sure what was going on, something told Takashi that it wasn't good. His Pikachu felt the same way, which the Electric-Type indicated by grabbing his shirt collar and pointing in the direction of the smoke cloud. Upon seeing that, Takashi realized that both he and Pikachu were on the same page and thus they started running in the direction of the disturbance.
"Where are you going?!" Haru asked, clearly concerned. "You have no idea what's going on over there."
"I know that," The young man stated. "But I just can't shake the feeling that something isn't right. Pikachu and I will be fine, but you and Froakie stay here where it's safe!"
After giving Haru both a reassuring thumbs up and a warm smile, Takashi raced off with Pikachu following closely behind. As she watched the two of them leave, Haru felt extremely worried for them as something was telling her that this particular incident wasn't normal. Eventually, this prompted her to look down towards Froakie, intending to ask the little Pokémon for help. However, just as she did look down, Haru noticed that Froakie was already gone.
Looking around for a moment, Haru soon noticed that Froakie was already making its way towards the site of the disturbance, having left shortly after Takashi spotted it. Now all alone, Haru realized that the only thing that she could do was hope that the situation wasn't as bad as she think it is, which prompted her to clasp her hands together.
"Please be careful…" She said to herself. "…All 3 of you."
Out of all the spots in Viridian City, the main city block is one where people tend to hang around the most. The reason for that is because the city block is where the most popular stores and eateries are located. Unfortunately, while the block is considered the most popular site within the entire city, it also makes it one the best places for people to cause trouble…just like what's happening right now.
In a jewelry store located in the middle of the city block, several citizens are busy running for their lives as smoke poured out from a broken glass window. The smoke was coming from a small purple Pokémon called Koffing, who resembled a balloon and had a cream-colored skull and crossbones symbol on its body. As it continued to spew smoke, Koffing was soon joined by Mankey and Nidoran, who were busy destroying everything within the store.
Although they typically stick to pulling pranks and stealing from unsuspecting citizens, Mankey and Nidoran's encounter with the mysterious man named Bruce made them realize something. As a result, the two of them decided that they needed to step up their game and thus called upon their good friend Koffing for help. Together, the 3 of them were now able to cause a make bigger scene and, by extension, caused a lot more trouble for the people of Viridian City.
Eventually, while Koffing continued to unleash its toxic smoke and Nidoran started destroying things with its large horn, Mankey used the opportunity to steal several of the jewels that were on the display cases. As it did so a small box of tissues suddenly struck the Pig Monkey Pokémon on the side of its head. While the box didn't hurt it, the fact that it was thrown at it greatly angered Mankey and soon started looking around for the culprit. After a while, Mankey soon saw that it was the store owner, who was sitting behind a desk, clearly shaken by everything that's going on.
"Go…Go away!" He told Mankey, obviously afraid of the Pokémon. "Leave now!"
The store owner quickly grabbed a telephone that was on his desk and started holding it tightly as Mankey stared at it. He then threw at the Pokémon as hard as he could, but Mankey simply knocked it away. Once it did that, Mankey then slowly made its way towards the owner, wanting to repay him for hitting it early. Fortunately, before anything could happen to the owner, soapy substance suddenly came in between him and Mankey. Recognizing what it was, Mankey turned its head and stared directly outside the shop.
From on top of a street lamp, the Masked Pokémon was busy looking down at Mankey, clearly irritated that both it and its friends were causing trouble again. However, while the Masked Pokémon was upset by their reunion, Mankey was actually pretty pleased. The Pig Monkey Pokémon then went on to alert both Nidoran and Koffing to the arrival of their old acquaintance, prompting them stop what they were doing and turn their attention solely on it. Upon doing so, all 3 Pokémon promptly made their way outside.
As it looked down at them, the Masked Pokémon noticed something rather strange. From what it could tell, Mankey and Nidoran seemed rather eager to fight it again. Most of time, the two of them would rather run away whenever they spotted their adversary, knowing full well what would happen if they fought. Did the two of them feel that things would be different now that they had Koffing or was it something else entirely? Either way, the Masked Pokémon realized that it didn't matter. All that did matter was taking care of this problem before it got any worse. With that in mind, it jumped down from the street lamp and prepared to engage its opponents.
The confrontation started off like any other, with Mankey and Nidoran blindly charging in with their Karate Chop and Horn Attack, which the Masked Pokémon easily avoided by jumping up high into the air. It then prepared to attack them from behind by firing its Bubble attack. However, just as it was about to do so, Koffing suddenly appeared right behind the Masked Pokémon, ready to strike.
"Koffing, use Gyro Ball!" A mysterious voice suddenly commanded.
Startled by this mysterious voice, the Masked Pokémon stopped its attack and started looking around for the one who just said those words. This caused it to lose its focus and not realize that Koffing was spinning towards it at an incredible speed. By the time it finally did notice, the Masked Pokémon was suddenly struck in the back and started falling towards the ground. Fortunately, upon making contact with the concrete, the bubbles that were covering its face also acted like a cushion, reducing the damage of the impact.
"Now while it's down," The voice continued. "Nidoran, use Poison Sting!"
Upon hearing the voice, Nidoran smiled eagerly as it opened its mouth and unleashed a large barrage of purple needles from it. By the time the Masked Pokémon finally recovered, the needles were about a hair's away from making contact with it. With no time to dodge, it grabbed some of the bubbles from its back and used them as a make-shift shield. This plan worked, but it also left the Masked Pokémon unable to move, leaving it wide open for Mankey.
"Mankey…use Thunder Punch!"
Letting out a devilish smirk after hearing the voice's command, Mankey firmly clinched its fist as it dashed towards the Masked Pokémon. As it ran, the Pig Monkey Pokémon started gathering all the energy it could muster into its fist, causing it to be covered with electricity. When it saw this, the Masked Pokémon tried its best to break free from Nidoran's assault so that it could avoid Mankey's attack. Unfortunately, it simply wasn't able to do so and was thus struck directly in the face by Mankey's electrical fist.
Upon being hit by the attack, the Masked Pokémon tried its best to endure the blow, but the electricity that was circulating through Mankey's hand was simply too much to take. Not only that, but as it dropped its guard, the Masked Pokémon was also hit by some of Nidoran's poison needles. All of these things caused it to be sent flying into a nearby wall, dealing it a considerable amount of damage as a result.
As the Masked Pokémon struggled to get back on its feet, Mankey and Nidoran were delighted by the pain that it managed to inflict on it. For months now, they have been foiled by their mysterious attacker and now it was payback time. However, before the two of them and Koffing could continue their assault, the Pokémon suddenly heard the sounds of footsteps and immediately stopped. They then looked on and saw that the person approaching them was none other than Bruce.
The mysterious individual, clearly pleased by what he saw seeing, gently nodded his head towards Mankey and the others. He then walked past them, slowly making his way towards the struggling Masked Pokémon. Once he reached a certain distance he stopped and soon pulled out an empty PokéBall from his belt.
"Well…what do we have here?" He said arrogantly, enlarging the PokéBall that he was holding. "You seem to be in a lot of pain, little one. But don't you worry. Once I capture you and bring you over to the organization…all of your troubles will fade away."
With that said, Bruce let out a fiendish smirk as he continued to watch the Masked Pokémon struggle to get back on its feet. He then proceeded to throw the empty PokéBall at it.
Chapter Preview
With its back literally against the wall, the odds of the Masked Pokémon escaping from this predicament don't seem good. Will Takashi and Pikachu make in time to help or will the evil Bruce have a brand new Pokémon by his side?
Next Time, Chapter 5: The Boy and the Frog – Part 2