Chapter 3: Route 2

Now that her Pokemon had been healed and were ready to go back into action, Tootie made her way into Route 2. As she walked through the grass, she turned her head this way and that, looking for Pokemon that her own could battle. As much as she wanted to find some new Pokemon, she also wanted to train the ones she already had so they could become stronger.

As she was walking, however, she saw a Rattata a couple of feet away. This Rattata looked just like the one she had, but this one was smaller, and its whiskers appeared to be twisted. Suddenly the Rattata stood up and looked at Tootie, its eyes wide.

Tootie smiled and pulled out her Pidgey's Poke Ball. She pressed the button until it became its normal size, and then she threw it at the ground.

"Go, Pidgey!"

The Poke Ball opened, and with a flash of light, Pidgey came out of the ball and emitted its cry.

"Pidgey, use your Tackle attack!" Tootie said.

The Pidgey did as it was told, flying toward Rattata at full speed, until it finally rammed into it. The Rattata fell backward, the impact leaving it in a daze. Knowing that her Pokemon had caused it to faint, Tootie smiled and petted the top of Pidgey's head.

"Way to go, little guy," said Tootie. "You may be small, but you've got potential. I can sense it..."

The Pidgey cooed as it nodded in agreement. Then Tootie pulled out its Poke Ball and recalled the Tiny Bird Pokemon back into it. As she went back on her way, however, she saw another Pokemon in the field. It just so happened that this Pokemon was the exact one she'd used moments ago, another Pidgey. And as if sensing her presence, the wild Pidgey looked up at her.

"I've used Pidgey to battle once, now it's time to use Rattata," Tootie thought to herself. She reached into her pocket, pulled out Rattata's Poke Ball, pushed the button so that it became its normal size, and then threw it at the ground.

"Let's go, Rattata!"

The Poke Ball opened, and with a flash of light, Tootie's Rattata came out of the ball and emitted its cry.

"Rattata, use Bite!" Tootie commanded.

The Rattata dashed toward the wild Pidgey, then leaped onto it and sunk its buck teeth directly into its neck. The Rattata wasn't all that strong, but the pain this attack brought was intense. Pidgey's eyes widened and pupils shrunk as it yelled out at the top of its lungs, then finally fell over as it fainted.

Tootie was surprised at how quickly the Rattata had taken out the Pidgey, but she was also impressed. As Rattata removed its teeth from the Pidgey and wiped its mouth with its front paw, Tootie walked over to her Pokemon, picked him up gently and gave him a hug.

"Great job, Rattata!" said Tootie. "I didn't think you were that strong, too!"

As proud of itself as Tootie was for it, the Rattata relaxed and allowed its trainer to hug it. After a few seconds, Tootie pulled out her Rattata's Poke Ball and brought her Pokemon back into it.

A couple of steps later, Tootie finally saw a different Pokemon other than what she'd encountered. This Pokemon looked like a small green caterpillar with big yellow eyes. On the top of its head was some bright red antennae. Tootie's eyes lit up as she smiled in happy surprise.

"Hey, who do we have here?" Tootie asked herself. Quickly, she pulled out her Pokedex and opened it up, revealing a picture of the Pokemon.

"Caterpie, the Worm Pokemon," said the Pokedex. "This Bug-type Pokemon can climb walls and other surfaces thanks to its suction pad-tipped feet. To protect itself, it releases silk from its mouth or a stench from its antennae."

"I gotta say, it looks kind of cute for a bug Pokemon," Tootie said to herself. She closed her Pokedex, put it away and pulled out her Bulbasaur's Poke Ball. "Not to mention useful!"

She pushed the button on the Poke Ball, allowing it to grow to its normal size, and then threw it at the ground.

"Go, Bulbasaur!"

The Poke Ball opened, and from its flash of light came Bulbasaur, who emitted its battle cry.

"Bulbasaur!"

"Bulbasaur, use Tackle!" said Tootie. "We've got to weaken that Caterpie!"

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur replied as it nodded in understanding. It then ran over to the Caterpie, then jumped up and tackled it. The Caterpie flinched, then stood where it was as it looked dizzy.

Tootie smiled hopefully and pulled out an empty Poke Ball. She pushed the button on it so that it became its normal size, and then threw it at the Caterpie. At just the right timing, Bulbasaur ran out of the way.

"Go, Poke Ball!"

The Poke Ball hit the Caterpie right on the antennae, and before it could react, the ball opened, revealing a flash of light that surrounded the Caterpie and brought it inside. The Poke Ball closed, then fell to the ground. It shook a couple of times, the button having turned a shade of red, but ultimately stopped. The button went back to its normal color as well.

Caterpie had been caught.

"YYYYES!" Tootie cheered as she jumped, then ran over to the Poke Ball and held it up for her Bulbasaur to see. "I've got a Caterpie!"

"Bulbaaa!" Bulbasaur cheered as well, hopping in triumph.

Now that she had gotten her Pokemon, Tootie recalled her Bulbasaur with its Poke Ball before she placed it in her pocket. Then she pressed the button on Caterpie's Poke Ball and threw it onto the ground. It opened with a flash of light, and Caterpie came out, squealing.

Tootie got down on her knees as she looked down at the Caterpie, and in return, the Pokemon looked up at her.

"Hey, little guy," Tootie said to greet her new addition to her team. "I'm Tootie, and I'm your Pokemon trainer. It's good to meet you."

The Caterpie didn't seem to understand, but if it did, it showed no sign. Tootie held out her hand for Caterpie to see, and after a few seconds of looking at it, it slowly crawled onto her hand. Tootie smiled as she stood up, bringing her hand upward with her. With her other hand, she petted the Caterpie's back, taking care not to touch its antennae.

"Don't worry, little guy," said Tootie, "I'm going to take good care of you. And someday, you'll be as strong as all my other Pokemon friends."

The Caterpie's eyes were closed, but this was because of how much it was enjoying her petting. Tootie pulled out its Poke Ball, aimed it at Caterpie and brought it back into the Poke Ball. The Caterpie didn't complain when it saw what she was doing; in fact, it didn't even look like he noticed.

Tootie closed the Poke Ball and put it back in her pocket. When she looked up ahead, she saw that there were a line of trees, their leaves waving gently in the wind. In front of these trees was a sign, and Tootie walked up to it so she could read the words.

"Up ahead, Viridian Forest," read Tootie. "Hmm, I didn't know Viridian City had a forest, too."

Making sure she had all of her Pokemon with her, Tootie headed on to the Viridian Forest. Hopefully she could train her Pokemon here, and perhaps catch some more new ones she hadn't seen before.