Scene 3: Training
Celeste, Kari and Eevee were on their return-trip home from Pallet Town. They were discussing their plans for that night's dinner, "So, would you like me to cook something for dinner, or maybe we can pick something up to eat at the Poke'mon Center? What do you think, Kari?" Celeste looked down at Kari. Kari had been unusually quiet during their trip. She stopped and looked down her, "Kari, is their something the matter?" Kari didn't want to say. Celeste bent down and looked her in the eye, "Kari, what is it? Did something happen at the lab?" Kari looked over at Eevee, "No. It's just..." Celeste was giving her time to speak. Kari looked up at her mother, "At the lab, Gary said that I couldn't become a strong trainer!" She looked down at Eevee, "He said that 'as long as I had a small and weak Poke'mon like Eevee,' that there was no way that I could become a good trainer..!" She was starting to tear up. The little Eevee jumped onto Kari's shoulder, trying to comfort her.
"Oh, is that all?" Celeste giggled. Kari was confused, and even a bit angry with her mother, "Why are you laughing?" Celeste gave her a smile, "Oh, Kari, don't you listen to what that Gary Oak says! You can do whatever you want, as long as you work your hardest, believe in yourself, and never give up!" She gave Kari a kiss on the forehead and stood up, "Let's see," she was scanning the area, "If you want to become a great and powerful Poke'mon trainer, you're going to have to train really hard." Just as she was finishing her sentence, an Ursaring and its Teddiursa cub came walking out of the trees. Celeste clapped her hands together, "Just perfect!" She looked back at Kari and Eevee, "You two just wait right here and let Mommy do all the talking!" She then bounded her way towards the wild Poke'mon. They stopped to look, Ursaring seemed on the offensive. Celeste reached into her bag and pulled out some berries, "There's no need to be afraid, here." Celeste handed them the berries. They were both happy to accept the food. Kari and Eevee looked at each other, in awe of Celeste's skill. They all watched on as the Poke'mon ate, "So, Ursaring, I was wondering," Celeste began, "You see, my daughter here and her Eevee have never been in a battle before. And I was thinking that your little friend, Teddiursa, just might be the perfect sparring partner for them. What do you say?" Ursaring finished its food and looked at her. She looked down at her Teddiursa cub. They had a short conversation between themselves before returning an answer. Celeste seemed pleased, "That's fantastic! Thank you!" She turned back towards Kari and Eevee, "They said that they'll battle you!" Teddiursa ran forward in response, ready for battle. Kari and Eevee shared another look, "Wait, what? We can't battle! We don't know how!" Celeste walked towards the center of the battle area to play ref, "That's alright, this is just a practice battle. Go ahead and tell Eevee to use an attack." Kari looked at Eevee in disbelief. After a moment's hesitation Eevee leaped off of Kari's shoulder and prepared itself for battle. Kari had no choice, "Well, if Eevee wants to battle, I guess I have no choice. Alright- Eevee use Tackle Attack!" Eevee leapt forward and tackled Teddiursa with a surprisingly quick speed. Celeste was surprised, "Wow. For a little Poke'mon, it sure is fast." Teddiursa was back on its feet. Kari called out to her mother, "Now what do I do?" Celeste responded, "Keep calling out attacks, Kari! Just like you've seen Daddy do!" Kari had to think really hard. She'd learned about Poke'mon moves in school, so now she just had to remember which moves Eevee could learn. Before she could decide her next move, Teddiursa had countered with a scratch attack. Eevee had been knocked back a few paces, but was ready for more. Kari didn't want Eevee to get hurt, so she knew she had to work fast, "Alright, Eevee, let's do this!" Eevee was ready, "Quick, use Tail Whip!" Eevee bounded forward and used its attack- Teddiursa couldn't avoid it. "Now, Eevee, follow-up with a Sand Attack!" Eevee was too quick for Teddiursa to dodge the attack, and now it would be unable to see Eevee next move. "It's time to finish this, Eevee! Use Bite!" As Teddiursa tried to rub the dirt out of its eyes Eevee pounced! Teddiursa had lost all of its energy before he was able to shake off Eevee.
"And that's it!" Celeste threw her hands up, "Teddiursa is unable to battle- Eevee wins! This Practice Battle goes to Kari!" Celeste began applauding the battle. Kari was cheering- she ran to Eevee's side, scooped him up, and they both began celebrating their first victory. Celeste went over to Teddiursa, "You did a great job, Teddiursa. Here." She handed the small Poke'mon an Oran Berry to help with its recovery. She picked it up and went over to Ursaring, "Thank you, both of you, for letting them battle you. I'm sure they learned a lot." Both Ursaring and Teddiursa nodded in appreciation, said their goodbyes, and disappeared through the bushes. Celeste returned to where Kari and Eevee were still celebrating, "Wow, Eevee! You were awesome & amazing & incredible! I never knew you could battle like that!" Celeste was laughing now, "I was surprised, too! Eevee is a lot stronger than it looks!" Kari was hugging Eevee, "I know! And we're going to train- everyday- and we'll become even more stronger, right Eevee?" He happily agreed. Celeste gave Eevee a congratulatory pat on the head, "But you two need to remember that Poke'mon battles aren't all about being strong." Kari and Eevee looked up, "What do you mean?" Celeste kneeled down beside them, "When you're in a Poke'mon battle," she placed her hands on Kari's shoulders, "You and your Poke'mon must fully, and completely trust each other." Kari and Eevee exchanged a look, "We have to trust- each other...?" Celeste nodded, "Yes. And the only way that can happen is if you are able to connect both of your hearts, minds, and spirits- completely. You must work and train hard, together, only then will you be able to become strong- together." Kari looked a bit confused, "Well, I don't really get it, buuuut I guess we'll just have to try our best! Right, Eevee?" He happily agreed. Celeste smiled, "Well good, because that's all I can hope for!" She then stood up and offered her hand to Kari, "Now, how about we head home? I'm sure your daddy's waiting." Kari nodded and took her mother's hand, "Ok!" And they continued their journey home.
The next few weeks soon turned into months, and every day Kari and Eevee would train. They would train for hours after school, and even on weekends. They would train with both Celeste's and Giovanni's Poke'mon while at home, and every now and then they would meet wild Poke'mon in the woods near their house to challenge. It had begun as just normal training- Kari trying to give Eevee battle experience; however, after learning about a super strong Poke'mon move, Kari decided to dedicate their training time to learning that move. Eevee was often picked-on for being little, "But just you wait," Kari told Eevee one day, "As long as you learn this move there won't be any trainer that will be able to beat us! You'll be the strongest Eevee in the world- I promise!" Eevee was just as excited to start their special training as Kari was. The time passed quickly.
One weekend, while Giovanni was home, Kari came running into the house, "Mommy! Daddy! Come outside- I want to show you something!" Celeste was in the middle of brushing Persian's fur, "What is it?" Kari tugged at her mother, "It's a surprise! Just come outside- pleeeaase!" Giovanni chuckled from the couch. He placed the newspaper he was reading on the table, "Alright, Kari, we're coming." Upon hearing this, Kari ran out through the back door. Giovanni stood up and looked over his shoulder at his wife, "What do you think this is about?" Celeste took his arm and they both made their way towards the backyard, "I have no idea." They stood on the patio where Kari and Eevee were waiting, Growlithe standing just behind them. Kari and Eevee bowed, "Thank you for coming. Now, if you would please watch- this is what we've been working on, right Eevee?" He and Wartortle both nodded in agreement, "Oh!" Kari took Wartortle's hand, "And we'd like to thank all of our Poke'mon friends that helped us perfect this move!" Celeste and Giovanni were trying very hard not to laugh out loud. Completely oblivious, Kari and Eevee turned their backs on them. Kari pointed towards the sky, "Alright, Eevee, make sure you aim up high!" Eevee readied itself, "Now. Build up all of the power, just like we practiced!" Eevee began to concentrate its energy, "Now! Ready, Aim, Fire!" Eevee sent a powerful blast towards the sky. The force of the attack made the trees blow and the nearby bird Poke'mon fly away in surprise. Both Giovanni and Celeste were gaping in shock. Celeste looked at the little Eevee, "Was- was that..?" Giovanni nodded. Kari was jumping around with Eevee and Wartortle, "We did it! We did it! Way to go Eevee- that was perfect!" They celebrated as her parents continued to look on. Celeste shook her head, "But that's impossible," she looked at her husband, "A small Poke'mon like Eevee shouldn't be able to learn a move like that!" After a moment, Giovanni busted out in laughter. Kari looked at her father, confused by this sudden burst of emotion. Giovanni sauntered over to his daughter, "To have been able to learn a move like that- a Hyper Beam wasn't it?" Kari nodded, "Yep! We learned about it in class, and I just knew Eevee had to learn it! So we've been practicing it ever since!" Celeste had made her way to beside Kari, "But, Dear, how could you have done this? Eevee shouldn't be able to learn that move." She looked half amused and half concerned. Kari and Eevee shared a look and then smiled up at Celeste, "We just did like you said, Mommy!" Now Celeste was really confused. Kari laughed, "You said that as long as we work our hardest, believe in ourselves, and never give up, that we could do anything! So that's what we did!" Celeste was now the one laughing, "You're right- I did say that, didn't I? Well, you two have certainly outdone yourselves!" Giovanni stood up, "Haha, didn't I say that Eevee was a special Poke'mon? And I was right," He looked down at Kari, "You two make the perfect team!" He patted both their heads. Celeste stood up next to him, "Well I think this calls for a celebration!" Kari smiled, "Really, Mommy?" She winked, "Yep! How about we order in your favorite pizza and turn this into a family movie night? What do you say?" Kari ran past them excitedly, "Well, what are we waiting for?" Celeste looked at Giovanni, "She's going to be a strong and talented trainer, just like her daddy!" Giovanni laughed, took her hand, and they both walked back inside the house after Kari.