Pokémon – Thunder Yellow
Fanfiction By – Spirit Reader
Pokémon Original Creator – Satoshi Tajiri
Chapter 12: An Egg Scramble – Part 1
Takashi's Pokémon
Pikachu (Male)
Froakie (Female)
Pidgey (Male)
When he first arrived in Pewter City, Takashi had all the confidence in the world that he would defeat the Pewter Gym Leader and his first Gym Badge. However, both he and his Pokémon quickly realized that Gym Battle is a far more difficult challenge than ordinary Pokémon Battle. Going up against the Pewter Gym Leader, Brock, and his powerful Rock-Types, Takashi was soundly defeated despite giving it his best effort. Follow his loss, the young man was forced to head over to the Pokémon Center so that his Pokémon could rest and he can revaluate some things.
After taking the time to talk to his mother, Haruka, who encouraged him not to give up, Takashi resolved to redouble his efforts. Although he lost the first time around, he was determined not to let that happen again. With his Pokémon backing him, Takashi was vowed to get stronger with them so that they can one day challenge Brock to a rematch and hopefully win a Gym Badge next time around.
Before they could head out and begin their training however, Takashi and his Pokémon were soon stopped by the sudden appearance of Rebecca, their new friend that they met back in the Viridian Forest. The last time Takashi saw her was during the argument that had with her grandfather, Victor, back when he was having dinner with her family.
Following that intense exchange, Takashi said some rather rude things to Rebecca as he left to challenge the Pewter Gym. Because of that, he was rather surprised to see her again after everything that happened. Before he could say anything to her however, Rebecca simply told Takashi to follow her as she started to walk away. Although he was confused by all this, the young man found himself complying with her request and soon left with Rebecca.
Soon, after about 15 minutes of walking, the two of them made their way to an open field just outside of Pewter City. The field had a fairly rocky terrain, almost similar to the battlefield that Brock had at his Gym. While noticing all of this, Takashi also watched as Rebecca's pet Rockruff appeared and soon greeted all of them. Seeing it here with the confused Takashi even more, causing him to finally speak up.
"What's going on, Rebecca?" He asked. "Why are we here?"
"We're here so that you can train." She answered. "You're going to need all the help you can get if you want to be ready to face Brock again."
Upon hearing her say that, Takashi's eyes began to widen in confusion. How did she know that he was going to train for a rematch against Brock? Not only that, but how did she know that he lost to him? Those questions ran through his head for quite a while and when Rebecca noticed that, the young woman simply decided to answer those questions before she could be asked.
"Not that long ago, I made my way over to Pewter Gym and asked about the result of your battle." She explained. "When I learned that you lost, I figured that you would feel pretty bad about it given how things went with my grandpa. Because of that, I decided that best thing I can do help you with your training…so that things will turn out better the next time you face Brock. Does that make sense?"
Takashi nodded his head at Rebecca, indicating to her that he understood what she was telling him. It was really nice of her to do that and Takashi figured with someone else helping him with his training, he can get even more work done. Still, there was one more thing that was on Takashi's mind that he needed to talk about.
"I understand…But why are you going out your way to help me, Rebecca? I mean…What are you hoping to gain by doing this?"
"Nothing…" Rebecca revealed. "You shouldn't need anything in return for helping a friend. Besides, you did save Danny and me back when we were lost in the forest. I figured that helping you with your training would be the best way to repay you for everything that's happened."
Once she said that, Rebecca took a moment to recall the incident that happened in the forest. If it wasn't for Takashi helping her out like he did, both she and Danny would've been a lot of trouble. In a way, she owed him her life. Because of that, the young woman wanted to at least repay Takashi in some way for the kindness that he display and figured that helping him train was the best way to do that.
As for Takashi, the young man understood the reasons why Rebecca wanted to help him out. When he helped her and Danny back in the forest, he wasn't expecting anything in return for it. He simply did it because he knew that it was the right thing to do. Because of that, a part of him was hesitant to accept her offer as, like she just said, one shouldn't need anything in return for helping someone. However, Takashi wanted to respect Rebecca's feelings on the matter and so if she really wanted to do this, he knew that he didn't really have the right to decline.
As soon as everything was settled, Rebecca proceeded to reach into her pocket and pull out 2 PokéBalls. After pressing the buttons on both of them in order to make them bigger, the young woman opened them up and watched as a burst of light energy erupted from the balls. The first one transformed itself into a Spearow while the second one changed into a small tadpole-like Pokémon.
The Pokémon had large eyes, pink lips, and thin blue skin. It also didn't have any arms and a black and white swirl in the middle of its abdomen. When Takashi saw it, the young man had a feeling that he's seen it before, but he wasn't able to put his finger on it. To help him remember, Takashi pulled out his PokéDex and used it to look up this Pokémon.
"Poliwag, the Tadpole Pokémon." Dexter stated. "Poliwag has a very thin skin. It is possible to see the Pokémon's spiral innards right through the skin. Despite its thinness, however, the skin is also very flexible. Even sharp fangs bounce right off it. Poliwag is a Water-Type Pokémon."
Following Dexter's explanation, Takashi was finally able to remember where he saw Poliwag. It was during a summer camp that was being held at Professor Oak's lab. One of his activities was searching for a Poliwag, but Takashi got lost while trying to do so. He also met someone else during that incident, but he wasn't able to remember who that person was. In the end, Takashi decided that it wasn't important right now and refocused himself on the task at hand.
Eventually, after Rebecca happily greeted both of her Pokémon, the young woman turned her attention all 3 of Takashi's Pokémon. Like her, Takashi owned a pure Water-Type and a Normal/Flying-Type. The only difference was that Takashi also owned an Electric-Type in Pikachu while she owned a Rock-Type in Rockruff. Despite that difference however, Rebecca believed that it wouldn't mean anything when it came to the training.
"Now…According to what I learned at the Pewter Gym, the main reason why you lost is because most your Pokémon were a bad matchup against Brock and his Rock-Types." She started off. "Now, the best way for you to win during your next battle is to either capture another Pokémon that will fare better against them or…teach your Pokémon new moves that will be more effective against them."
"So that's why we're here…" Takashi replied. "To teach my Pokémon some new moves…?"
"Precisely…Now, let's start off with Froakie as it'll probably the key to your victory."
Rebecca took a moment to look down at Froakie and could tell right away that she was an extremely driven Pokémon. It if it meant becoming stronger, she would put herself through practically anything. Rebecca respected that and knew that such a drive would be crucial if Froakie had intention of learning the move that she was about to teach her. Before they could begin however, Rebecca decided that a demonstration was in order and proceeded to point towards a large boulder.
"Let's start off with this first. Takashi, have your Froakie fire its strongest Water-Type move at that boulder."
"Umm…Okay." Takashi complied as he faced the boulder. "Froakie, use Bubble on that boulder!"
After nodding her head in compliance, Froakie unleashed a large barrage of bubbles from her mouth and directed them towards the boulder. Upon making contact, Rebecca looked on as several noticeable dents had appeared on the boulder. Seeing this gave the young woman a good indication of Froakie's level of strength.
"Not too bad." She said. "But if you're going to defeat Brock, your Froakie will need to learn a Water-Type move with a lot more power than that."
"And what move is that?" Takashi questioned.
"This…" Rebecca turned her attention towards another boulder that was right next to one Takashi attacked. "Poliwag, use Water Pulse!"
Upon hearing its Trainer command, Poliwag turned towards the boulder and soon started taking several deep breaths. As both he and Froakie looked on, Takashi watched as a large orb of water began to take form right in front of Poliwag. They then watched as the Tadpole Pokémon launched the orb of water towards it target, completely destroying the boulder when it made contact.
When the two of them saw this display, both Takashi and Froakie were amazed by the power of Poliwag's attack. By comparison, Froakie's Bubble seemed quite insignificant as it only managed to damage her boulder slightly. If Froakie can find a way to use Water Pulse to the same effect as Poliwag, Takashi knew that his rematch against Brock would definitely become much easier.
"Now…Let's move on to your Pidgey." Rebecca continued. "What moves does it currently know?"
"Huh…?" Takashi responded as he was still a bit awestruck by Poliwag's attack. "Pidgey's moves…? I believe he knows Quick Attack, Sand Attack, and Gust."
"I see…Personally, I was hoping that it would also know Wing Attack as it would make learning this move a lot easier. Still, I guess we can work around it."
As Takashi listened to Rebecca, the young man was becoming a bit confused by what she was saying. When she saw this, Rebecca knew what was happening and soon decided to show Takashi what she meant instead of just talking about it. To that end, she turned her attention towards another large boulder and pointed her finger towards it.
"Spearow…Use Steel Wing!"
Spearow nodded its head upon hearing Rebecca's command. The Tiny Bird Pokémon then flew up into the air and began charging towards the boulder. As it did so, Takashi watched as both of its wings started glowing brightly. He then looked on amazement as Spearow struck the boulder with both of its wings, slicing it into several pieces. This displayed stunned the young man as Spearow was able to cut through that boulder like a hot knife cuts through butter.
"Holy crap…" He said in a stunned tone of voice.
"I know." Rebecca replied with a nod. "Like Water-Type moves, Steel-Type moves are also extremely effective against Rock-Types. Even if your Pidgey is weak against Brock's Pokémon, having this move in your arsenal should make battling them a lot easier than before. However…"
When Takashi heard Rebecca pause, he quickly turned his attention towards her and watched as she held out her arm and allowed Spearow to land on it. Then, after taking a few moments to pet her Pokémon, Rebecca soon turned her attention towards Takashi's Pidgey, who was looking directly at her.
"Under most circumstances, it's normally much harder to teach a Pokémon a move that's not connected to its own Type in some way. Because of that, you should know that teaching your Pidgey this attack is not going to be easy."
"That's fine…" Takashi said with an eager smile. "Pidgey and I like a good challenge. Just you watch Rebecca, the two of us will master than move in no time."
Pidgey cried out in agreement to Takashi's words. He then went on to make his way towards the boulder that Froakie attacked earlier and attempted to destroy it with his wings. Because he didn't know how to use Steel Wing, all of Pidgey's attempts were futile, but the little Flying-Type kept on trying anyway. Seeing this caused Rebecca to smile as she respected the little one's eagerness.
Now, with two moves down, the time had come for Rebecca to demonstrate the move that she was going to teach Pikachu. To that end, the young woman turned towards her Rockruff, who immediately perked up and prepared itself to go.
"Now, as I'm sure you found out earlier, Pikachu's Electric-Type moves are completely useless against Brock's Pokémon as their also part Ground-Type." She started off. "If you're still intending to use Pikachu in your rematch, then you're going to have to teach it a move that can get around that type disadvantage."
"Okay…but what move is that?" Takashi asked her.
"This one…" Rebecca pointed toward one more undamaged boulder and watched as Rockruff turned its attention directly towards it too. "Rockruff, use Iron Tail!"
Rockruff let out a loud bark before running towards the boulder that its Trainer wanted it to attack. As it did so, the Puppy Pokémon's tail started to glow in the same way that Spearow's wings did. Once it reached a certain distance, Rockruff jumped up and soon positioned its tail directly at the boulder. Upon finally making contact, Rockruff's tail completely pulverized the boulder until it was nothing but a pile of dust.
Once the attack was complete, Rockruff started howling in satisfaction as both Takashi and Pikachu looked on in astonishment. Despite Rockfuff being roughly the same size as Pikachu, it was able to completely destroy that boulder like it was nothing. The power of that Iron Tail attack was completely incredible and if Pikachu could learn it then he could become strong enough to defeat any Rock-Type that Brock sends his way.
Eventually, after thanking all 3 of her Pokémon for what they've done, Rebecca turned and faced Takashi and his Pokémon. From what she could tell by just looking at them, she believed that each of them had the ability to learn the moves that she just demonstrated. However, Rebecca knew that doing so wouldn't be easy and she wanted them to know that before getting underway.
"Takashi…If your Pokémon manage to learn these moves, you'll have a great chance of defeating Brock at the Pewter Gym." She started off. "However, the training is going to be really difficult. Not only that, but even if they do manage to learn them it doesn't necessarily mean that they'll win. Despite knowing all of that…do you still want to do it?"
Takashi paused for a moment as she thought about what Rebecca said to him. Instead of replying right away, he looked down towards his Pokémon in order to see what they thought. One by one, Pikachu, Froakie, and Pidgey each nodded their heads at him. The three of them wanted to do this. In fact, they all felt that they needed to do this as they wanted to redeem themselves after what happened at the Pewter Gym. Once he saw that, Takashi smiled at his Pokémon before looking up back at Rebecca.
"You bet!" He said with a confident smile.
"…Alright." Rebecca replied, smiling in return. "Then let's get started."
Meanwhile, as Takashi and his Pokémon were about to begin their training, a black moving van was busy driving through a rocky path just outside of the city. Inside the van was two individuals named Mark and Joe. Both of them were wearing the same clothes, most of which were colored black. The only exception was a large letter R that was colored in a deep crimson color. Other than that, the two of them could almost be considered the same person from a distance.
As Joe continued to drive his partner throughout the rocky road, he ended up driving over a large pothole. Although van managed to stay upright as it did so, the vehicle did jump up, shaking the inside quite a bit. Thankfully, Mark had his seatbelt on so he wasn't too affected by all the shaking. Even so, he went out of his way to slap the back of Joe's head, knocking over his hat as a result.
"Be more careful, you idiot!" He told him. "The cargo in this van is far more valuable than both of our lives. Don't ever forget that."
"Yes sir." Joe replied as he held the back of his head. "I'll be more careful."
Despite telling Mark that he would be more careful, Joe found himself driving over several more potholes as he continued down the road. With each one he hit, the van continued to jump and shake. In time, this caused the back of the van to open without either one of them noticing. Then, after Joe hit one more pothole, an object fell from the back of the van and rolled down the nearby forest.
"Hey…Did you hear something just now?" Joe asked.
"You're just hearing things." Mark told him. "Hurry up and get going, man. If we don't hand over the cargo, the boss will have our heads on a silver platter!"
Upon hearing that, Joe found himself gulping quite loudly as the thought of angering his boss frightened him to no end. Because of that, he quickly pressed down on the gas pedal and forced the van to go even faster. In time, both he and Mark managed to get free from the beaten path and make their way back onto the main road. They then drove off, completely unaware of the cargo that they lost.
As for the cargo that fell off the van, it continued to roll down a small hill that was in the forest. When it finally reached the bottom, it popped out of the container that it was in and soon landed inside a large bush. A small pack of Rattata noticed this particular scene and decided to see what it was. However, just as they got close enough to the bush, it suddenly started to light in a bright white color. This caused the Rattata to all run away in fear the light continued to shine for a few more moments before finally fading away.
1 Week Later
"Alright, you guys…Let's try it again!"
It's been roughly over a week since Takashi and his Pokémon first arrived in Pewter City and during that time, they've all been working hard in preparation for their rematch against Brock at the Pewter Gym. Like Rebecca told him before he began, the moves that Takashi was trying to teach his Pokémon were very difficult to master. Despite the fact that a whole week has passed, not a single one has been able to pull off the move properly. Even so, Takashi kept on working as he vowed that he wouldn't challenge the Pewter Gym again until all 3 of his Pokémon were ready.
Currently, as Rebecca looked on from a distance, Takashi was at a rocky terrain located close to her house. The area was filled to the brim with several broken or cracked boulders, indicating the amount of time Takashi has been training. Even so, the damage that he was able to inflict onto the boulders wasn't enough for him to be satisfied. Because of that, Takashi kept on working and began another training session. He started off by working with Froakie.
"Froakie…use Water Pulse again!" He ordered.
Froakie gently nodded her head after hearing her Trainer's command. She then held both of her hands out and began to concentrate as hard as she could. As she did so, several water particles began to form within the space in between Froakie's hands and soon took the shape of a small orb of water. After she finished gathering all the water that she was able to muster, Froakie threw the orb towards a nearby boulder.
As Takashi and the others looked on, Froakie's Water Pulse made contact with the boulder that she targeted, causing a massive crack to appear within the middle of it. When he saw that, Takashi nodded his head in approval. Unlike Rebecca's Poliwag, who was able to use the attack with just its mouth, Froakie wasn't able to use Water Pulse in the same way. Every time she did, the only thing the Bubble Frog Pokémon was able to do was simply create a fairly large Bubble attack. After several failed attempts at this, Rebecca decided to change tactics.
The young woman gave Takashi a quick science lesson, informing him that water makes up the majority of their planet, which also included the air they breathed. Being a Water-Type, Froakie had natural connection to the water and thus had the ability to harness it. After a bit a practice, Rebecca was able teach Takashi and Froakie to use Water Pulse by focusing the water into the latter's hands. The technique worked and, with each successful attempt, Takashi saw that Froakie's Water Pulse was becoming stronger and stronger.
Following Froakie's demonstration, Takashi soon turned his attention towards his Pidgey. When the Tiny Bird Pokémon saw this, he immediately flew up into the air and began looking around for another boulder. Once he found one to his likely, Pidgey looked back at Takashi and watched as he gave him a slight nod.
"Pidgey, use Steel Wing now!"
Pidgey quickly flew towards the boulder after hearing Takashi's command. As he did so, he attempted to gather as much energy as he could into both of his wings. This caused them to start glowing, although not to the same extent as Rebecca's Spearow's. Once he finally reached the boulder, Pidgey struck it with his wings, creating a noticeable dent on its surface.
Upon seeing the damage that was dealt, Takashi gave a slightly nod of approval. Despite the fact that Pidgey didn't know a move to base Steel Wing around, like Wing Attack, he was able to make remarkable progress. He felt that with just a few more days of practice, Pidgey might be able to destroy the boulder in the same way Rebecca's Spearow did. Unfortunately, Pidgey didn't feel the same way and soon started attacking the boulder in comedic fashion.
While Takashi and Froakie attempted to calm Pidgey down, Pikachu was busy looking at all of them with a solemn expression. He didn't seem as enthusiastic about the training as his teammates were. However, as he didn't want to worry anyone, Pikachu chose to keep his feelings to himself. He then continued to watch the scene with Pidgey for a few more minutes before Takashi was finally able to settle the Flying-Type down. Once he did, he turned towards Pikachu.
"Alright buddy…It's your turn."
Nodding his head in agreement, Pikachu turned around and proceeded to face a large boulder. He then positioned himself on all fours, stiffening his tail as he did so. Once Takashi saw that Pikachu was ready, he nodded his head as well and soon pointed his finger directly at the boulder.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
Pikachu let out a loud cry as he began charging towards the boulder. As he did so, the Mouse Pokémon gathered all of his strength and focused it directly into his tail. This caused it to start glowing a bright white color. Pikachu then proceeded to jump towards the boulder and attempted to strike with his super charged tail.
Unfortunately, as Takashi and the others all looked on at this scene, they watched as the glow in Pikachu's tail quickly began to fade away before he even struck the boulder. Because of that, when Pikachu finally made contact with the boulder, he simply sprung off of it. This caused Pikachu to grit his teeth in frustration, as this wasn't the first time this has happened.
"Another dud…"
When Takashi first began teaching his Pokémon these new moves, all three of them had a hard time getting them to work. However, with each day they practiced, both Froakie and Pidgey were gradually able to get the hang of using both Water Pulse and Steel Wing. Sadly, the same couldn't be said for Pikachu as in the week since the training first began, the Mouse Pokémon has made little to no progress when it came to mastering Iron Tail.
After a few days of trying and failing to get the attack to work, Takashi questioned Rebecca about what he and Pikachu were doing wrong. She explained to him that Iron Tail is one of the hardest Steel-Type moves to master and that's especially true if the Pokémon trying to learn it is not a natural Steel-Type. In addition, she also explained that the tail is one of the more difficult parts of the body to train and that if Pikachu wanted to master Iron Tail, he had to strengthen it first.
To that end, Takashi had Pikachu do various exercises in order to strengthen his tail. These exercises ranged from lifting rocks to balancing on his tail for several hours. Each one was extremely tiring, but Pikachu put up with it. Not only did Pikachu didn't want to be a liability, he also didn't want to let Takashi down again. He needed to become stronger and if that meant putting himself through hell then Pikachu was going to do just that.
This would continue for the next few days and every time Takashi would see if Pikachu was finally able to use Iron Tail, the result would always end in failure. Although Takashi would tell his partner that everything would be fine and that he would get the hang of it eventually, Pikachu wasn't as optimistic. He couldn't stand being the weak link on the team and thus pushed himself even harder. Sadly, Pikachu continued to fail and with each failure, his frustration continued to grow.
"Okay…Maybe we should take a quick break." Takashi suggested.
Froakie nodded her head in agreement and soon walked with Takashi as he made his way towards a nearby metal bench. As she did so, Froakie found herself looking back towards Pikachu and saw him angrily glaring at the undamaged boulder. When Pikachu finally looked away from it and began making his way towards Takashi, Froakie could feel the frustration that her teammate was feeling. However, she chose not to say anything as she didn't want to make the situation worse by doing so.
Once all of Takashi's Pokémon were together, the young man proceeded to both feed and water them. After doing so, he sat down and started thinking to himself about how he can get Pikachu's Iron Tail attack to work. As he thought about that, Rebecca noticed someone coming towards them from the distance. Once she got a good look at him, her eyes began to widen slightly.
"Hey sis…!"
Rebecca saw that the individual that was making his way towards her and Takashi was none other than her little brother, Danny. Not only that, but she also saw that their mother, Darla, and grandfather, Victor, was with him too. Rebecca also saw that her mother was carrying a picnic basket, which meant that they were here to give her and Takashi some lunch. Although she was happy for the kind gesture, Rebecca was also a bit concerned by her grandfather's appearance and soon found herself looking at Takashi.
When Takashi first saw Victor making his way towards him, the young man simply looked at him with a silent expression on his face. Although he hated to admit it, the fact that he lost his Gym Battle against Brock proved that the old man was right about Takashi. Because of that, he didn't want to make a scene or get angry. Instead, he kept his cool and went about his business.
"Here you go, sweetie." Darla said as she happily handed the picnic basket over to her daughter. "I figured you and Takashi would be hungry, so I decided to make you some lunch."
"Thanks mom." Rebecca replied as she took hold of the basket. "We were just about to take a break so this is perfect."
Rebecca went on to open the basket and pull out some tasty finger sandwiches. After setting aside a few for herself, the young woman presented the rest to Takashi. As he reached over to grab them, Takashi's eyes made contact with Victor's and he soon found himself becoming a bit agitated. When he noticed this and saw that one of his hands was beginning to twitch, he quickly placed it into his pocket so that no one would see. He then grabbed his sandwiches and quickly took a bite out of one of them.
"Yum…It's delicious."
Although his mother, Haruka, taught him how to cook before he left on his Pokémon Journey and he considered himself pretty good at it, Takashi also felt that real home cooked meals were the best. There was just something about them that made him feel happy and content. Because of that, he soon found himself taking several more bites, making Darla happy that he was enjoying her food.
Meanwhile, as Takashi continued to eat, Danny was busy watching the former's Pokémon as they ate their food. Despite the fact that he was getting a little too close for their liking, Pikachu and the others put up with it as they knew that Danny didn't mean any harm. After continuing to look at them for a little while longer, Danny soon turned his attention towards Takashi.
"Hey Takashi…" He called. "So how's your training going? Have your Pokémon learned their new moves yet?"
"Well…" Takashi paused for a moment as he tried to come up with an answer. "Let's just say that we're making progress. I'm confident that they'll be able to master their new moves in no time."
"Really…? Then can I see them train? It would be awesome to see how they're doing so far."
Takashi became slightly stunned upon hearing Danny's request. Although he wasn't against showing him how far his Pokémon have come in the last week, he was a bit apprehensive about doing so while his grandfather was present. He was about to say something, but stopped when he saw Pikachu eagerly give his approval. Despite still having a hard time with Iron Tail, Pikachu was still determined show Danny what he's got. Upon seeing that, Takashi simply let out a small smile as he nodded at his partner.
"Alright then…Let's show him."
With that said, Pikachu nodded his head in approval and soon raced back over towards the rocky terrain. He was soon joined by both Froakie and Pidgey, who just finished eating their own lunch. Once all three of them were in position, Takashi pointed towards a large boulder in the distance.
"Froakie, use Water Pulse! Pidgey, use Steel Wing! And Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
The Pokémon all let out a loud cry as the prepared themselves to launch their respective attacks. As both Pikachu and Pidgey made their way towards the boulder, Froakie was busy gathering water in between her palms. After gathering as much as she could, Froakie threw the orb of water at the boulder, creating a rather large crack when it made contact with it.
Meanwhile, Pikachu and Pidgey were busy gathering all the power they could into their tail and wings respectively. Like before, this action caused those body parts to glow brightly. They then positioned themselves to strike at the boulder. However, while Pidgey was able to sustain the energy in his wings and slice up the boulder, Pikachu wasn't as successful. Because of that, the energy in Pikachu's tail quickly faded away and he wasn't able to deal any damage to the boulder.
Following this demonstration, Takashi started scratching the back of his head as he watched Pikachu angrily bang his paws against the boulder in anger. Once again, his attempt to use Iron Tail ended in disappointment and to make things even worse, more people were watching him screw up. This frustrated Pikachu to no end, causing the Mouse Pokémon to bang against the boulder even more.
"Hey Pikachu…" Takashi said as he made his way over to him. "Don't be so upset. I know you'll get the hang of it."
As Takashi attempted to reassure his Pokémon, Pikachu frustration reached the boiling point, causing him to unleash his electricity and unintentionally hit Takashi with it. Upon hearing him scream out in pain, Pikachu suddenly snapped out of it and watched as his Trainer fell to one knee. Horrified by his actions, Pikachu tearfully fled into the forest as everyone else looked on.
"Pikachu…Come back!"
After watching Pikachu run away, Takashi almost instinctively made his way into the forest in order to catch up with his friend. When they saw this too, both Froakie and Pidgey joined up with Takashi as they wanted to help Pikachu as well. None of them could bring themselves to leave the other alone, especially if they needed help. That was simply the type of bond that they all had with one another.
Once Takashi and his Pokémon were gone, Rebecca was busy looking out in the direction they left with a concerned look on her face. Having been with them since the training first began, the young woman knew firsthand just how hard Pikachu has been working and how frustrated he was becoming. Because of that, Rebecca understood Pikachu's feeling and was about to chase after him as well. Before she could do so, Rebecca saw that her grandfather was leaving too, but in the opposite direction.
"What a joke…"
When Rebecca heard her grandfather say that, she immediately knew that he was talking about Takashi. Ever since she's known him, Victor has never really been fond of Pokémon Trainers, but that seemed especially true when it came to Takashi. Rebecca didn't really know why her grandfather felt that way, but she was quickly getting sick of it.
"What the hell is your problem?!" She angrily questioned.
Victor stopped after hearing his granddaughter call him out and slowly turned his head towards her. He saw the angry look on her face and how she was getting close to striking him. However, the old man kept his cool and managed to maintain the stern look that was on his face. He then let out a light scoff before getting ready to continue on his way.
"You wouldn't understand." He told her.
"Yeah…Because unlike you, I'm not an embittered old man who looks down on people!" Rebecca told him. "I don't know what happened to you that made you this way, but this attitude of yours is really getting old. If you're going to continue being this way then why don't you just…"
"Rebecca!"
Before she could continue her rant, Rebecca stopped when she heard her mother yell at her. When she turned to face her, the young woman watched as Darla shook her head in disapproval. It was clear that she knew the reason behind Victor's cynical attitude and that she wasn't a big fan of it either. Even so, Darla didn't want her daughter to open up any old wounds, which is the reason why she ordered her to stop talking.
Reluctantly, Rebecca complied too her mother's request. Despite that though, she couldn't bring herself to stay in the same area as her grandfather. She needed to get away from him and the best way to do that was to go after Takashi. With that in mind, Rebecca and her Rockruff raced off in the same direction that her new friends headed down.
After Rebecca and Rockruff were gone, Darla let out a silent sigh before grabbing her things and preparing to head back home. As she did so, Victor watched as his daughter looked past him, as if he wasn't even there. He then listened as Darla gave him a passing comment.
"You can't fix your own failures by being a jerk."
As soon as that was said, Darla continued on her way with Danny walking right beside her. Meanwhile, Victor found himself standing in the same place for several minutes. He then looked out in the direction that Rebecca and Takashi ran down towards, scratching his head in annoyance as he did so.
"This is…a complete joke."
"Damn it…How could this have happened?!"
In the week since they passed through Pewter City, Mark and Joe found themselves coming back after discovering that the piece of cargo that fell out of their truck was missing. Because the cargo was so invaluable, the two of them knew that they were as good as dead if they couldn't find it before the intended deadline. To that end, they've spent the last week retracing their steps, hoping to find it as soon as possible. Unfortunately, despite covering nearly the entire area, Mark and Joe still haven't found it yet.
As they stopped to take a quick break, Mark was busy banging his hand against a nearby tree. The frustration that he was feeling was beginning to reach the boiling point and it wasn't just because he was afraid of getting punished. This particular job was very important to him as accomplishing it would allow him to rise up in the ranks. Doing so would give him more power and in his organization, power was everything. Because of that, Mark was quickly becoming more and more irritated by this turn of events.
"Damn it…God damn it!"
While Mark was busy complaining, Joe was busy thinking about where the cargo might be. From the way that it was when he last saw it, he believed that it couldn't have gotten far. Still, he knew that there was always a possibility that things may have changed. If that were the case, Joe knew that he and Mark would be in even more trouble than they already were.
Eventually, after a short 20 minute break, the two of them got back to work and began to survey the area again. While doing so, Joe noticed something rustling some bushes. When Mark took notice of this as well, both he and his teammate hid behind some trees in order to stay out of sight. They then watched as a Pikachu emerged from the bushes and soon began to strike at a tree with its tail. Upon seeing it, Mark and Joe were about to ignore the Mouse Pokémon and get back to work, but hid one more time when the bushes began to rustle again.
This time, the thing that emerged from the bushes was none other than Takashi and the rest of his Pokémon. Upon seeing him and noticing the smile that was on his face when he saw Pikachu, Mark and Joe immediately understood that Pikachu was one of the young man's Pokémon. Not wanting to make their presence known, both of them watched closely as Takashi began making his way towards Pikachu.
"Hey buddy…" He said as he knelt down towards his partner. "Everything is going to be okay. I know you're going to get the hang of it."
As he gently pet the top of Pikachu's head, Takashi watched as tears were streaming down the electric mouse's face. He knew how much perfecting Iron Tail meant to Pikachu and how he felt he let them all down during the battle against Brock. However, Takashi never once blamed Pikachu for his defeat and despite what the Mouse Pokémon may feel, he was very proud by all the hard work he put in. Takashi wanted Pikachu to know that and assure him that everything was going to be alright.
"Listen pal…If anyone knows what you're going through, it's me. I know what it's like to fail and know what it's like to get frustrated over that failure. But my mom told me something recently that really stuck with me. It doesn't matter how many times you get knocked down…but instead how many times you decide to get back up. I know you can do this, Pikachu. All you have to do is keep trying and not give up. Just know that Froakie, Pidgey, and I will be behind you all the way."
Takashi went on to smile at Pikachu as he affectionately rubbed the top of his head. The Mouse Pokémon then watched as both Froakie and Pidgey nodded their heads in approval. Like their Trainer, the two of them also believed in Pikachu and that they would stick by him no matter what. When he saw that, Pikachu found himself shedding a few tears before nodding his head at all of them.
While looking on at this scene, Mark found himself nearly about to vomit. This was like something out of a corny soap opera and it was making him sick. Even so, he somehow managed to put up with it. He then watched as Takashi sat up and prepared to leave with his Pokémon, relieving Mark a great deal. However, before they could get too far, Takashi stopped when saw Pikachu looking out to his right.
"What is it, Pikachu?" He asked him. "Do you see something?"
Pikachu pointed out in the direction that he was facing, which also just happened to be the same place that Mark and Joe were hiding at. When they saw this, the two of them became extremely nervous and wondered if Pikachu managed to spot him. They then watched as Pikachu was beginning to head in their direction, with Takashi and his other Pokémon following close behind.
As they got closer, Mark and Joe both reached down and pulled out a PokéBall. They were about to use them, but stopped when it became clear that Pikachu wasn't leading Takashi towards them, but somewhere nearby instead. The two of them then watched as the Mouse Pokémon went into a bush for a few moments before coming back out with something in his arms. When they saw it, both of them were shocked by what it was.
"What the hell? Is that a…Pokémon Egg?!"
Indeed, the thing that Pikachu was holding in his arm was in fact a blue Pokémon Egg. Although he knew that most Pokémon were hatched from eggs, this was the first time Takashi has actually seen one in person before. Not only that, but he also saw that the egg seemed to be in pretty good condition.
"What's a Pokémon Egg doing in a place like this?" Takashi asked himself as he examined it. "Does it belong to somebody?"
While trying to determine this, Takashi watched as the egg that he was holding began to glow for a quick second. This caused him to drop the egg for a moment, but thankfully Froakie was able to jump up and catch it before it hit the ground. The Bubble Frog Pokémon then handed the egg back to her Trainer, who thanked her with a smile and a nod. He then examined the egg again, wondering what caused it to start glowing.
As this was happening, Mark and Joe glanced at one another as they nodded their heads. The Pokémon Egg that Takashi was holding was in fact the same piece of cargo that they lost a week ago. Inside it was an extremely rare Pokémon and the glowing was a sign that the egg was in the first stages of hatching. When they saw that, the two of them knew that now it's become even more imperative that they retrieve the egg. To that end, Joe took the PokéBall that he was holding and threw it up into the air.
When the PokéBall opened up, a blast of light energy erupted and began to take shape as it remained in the air. It soon turned into a balloon-like Pokémon with purple skin, vacant eyes, a wide mouth, and two pointed teeth in its upper jaw. In addition, it also had a cream colored skull-and-crossbones marking on its chest and several gas ports all over its body. Once the Pokémon fully materialized, Joe wasted no time in giving it an order.
"Koffing, use Smog!"
Upon hearing its Trainer gave a command, the Pokémon known as Koffing quickly complied and soon began releasing a thick and dark gas cloud from the ports all over its body. It then made its way over towards Takashi and his Pokémon, causing the area around them to quickly become covered in this smoke.
Right away, the first thing Takashi noticed when he saw the cloud was how awful it smelled. Just one whiff was enough for him to start coughing uncontrollably. It got so bad that he nearly dropped the egg again while trying to get some air. Thankfully, he managed to catch this time. He then turned towards his Pokémon, his Pidgey in particular.
"Pidgey…use Gust…to blow away the…smoke!"
Due to the effects of the smoke, it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to even get a work out. Thankfully, Pidgey was able to hear him and despite having a hard time breathing himself, the Tiny Bird Pokémon managed to find the strength to launch his attack. By flapping both of his wings as quickly as he could, Pidgey managed to create enough wind to blow the gas cloud away. This allowed the group to finally breathe in some clean air again, which quickly restored their strength.
Unfortunately, before they could even ponder what just happened, Takashi and his Pokémon watched as Koffing was heading straight towards them with a Tackle attack. Moving quickly, they managed to move out of the way in time. They then watched as Koffing made its way towards Mark and Joe, who just appeared from their hiding place.
"Who are you guys?!" Takashi questioned.
"Who we are is of no importance to you." Mark coldly replied. "Now kid, hand over that Pokémon Egg right now…or suffer the consequences!
Chapter Preview
Takashi has found himself in another pickle as he now must contend with the ruthless Mark and Joe. With his training still far from complete, can our hero stop this evil duo and keep them from stealing back the Pokémon Egg?
Next Time, Chapter 13: An Egg Scramble – Part 2