Thanks for being patient with me guys, and thanks for stopping by to read this story, you're all amazing!
Question for you all: What other Pokémon would you like to see Ruby catch in this arc? Let me know and I might possibly put them in!
Taking in a deep breath I stood outside the Pewter City Gym, readying myself for my first attempt at a badge, the Boulder Badge. Well, here goes. Almost every beginner trainer started their badge hunt in Pewter because the gym leader had to have a certain level Pokémon to make it possible for any trainer to obtain a badge and the same went for all other gyms.
I was hoping that Pidgey's high level of experience would be enough to land critical hits but if all else failed, I could always try and see if Charmander was in an obliging mood. Probably not after last night. Still, although rock type Pokémon were pretty resistant to fire attacks, it might just be enough to get through. If not then I'll go and find a water Pokémon or a grass type Pokémon that will be better matched against him.
"Okay guys, here we go." I murmured then entered the gym, pushing one of the double doors open then slipped inside. "Uh…hello? Excuse me?" I called out into the darkness. "Is anyone there?"
"Who are you, little girl?" A voice called out and I jumped slightly as I continued inside, starting around until a light fell on a guy sitting at the back of the gym. It was strange, he didn't seem much older than I was, not a towering hulk of muscle that I had imagined him to be.
"I…I'm Ruby and I would like to challenge you for a Boulder Badge, if I may." I stuttered, trembling slightly. He stood up, looking at me carefully.
"You seem nervous, is this your first gym battle?" I nodded my head, blushing deeply.
"Well, yes actually. It is." I admitted but then clenched my fists. "But I'm going to do my best to beat you, you'll see!" He chuckled smoothly then nodded his head.
"I accept your challenge. This will be a battle with two Pokémon each without a time limit. Shall we proceed?" I nodded my head affirmatively then looked around, trying to spot where I needed to stand. "I'd step back if I were you." Brock, the gym leader, clapped his hands and the gym flooded with light and doors slid upwards either side of me and a new specialised rock flooring moved out.
"Wow!" I gasped then hurriedly moved out the way, retreating back until I was standing in the rectangle that I was to remain in throughout the battle.
"Call your first Pokémon. Geodude! I choose you!" Brock yelled and flung his Pokéball forwards, letting out his first Pokémon. I swallowed nervously.
"A Geodude?"
"Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. Geodude has incredibly high defensive power, making it virtually resistant to any physical attacks." Dexter supplied to me so I bit my lip then nodded.
"Okay, Pidgey! I choose you!" I called then let Pidgey fly out of her Pokéball with a confident and eager call.
"Pidgey!" Brock arched an eyebrow curiously.
"You do know that flying type Pokémon are weak against rock, don't you?" I nodded my head and rubbed the back of my head with a nervous laugh.
"I'm kind of hoping that my Pidgey's bond with me will help us out." Brick inhaled then sighed, muttered something under his breath then looked at Geodude.
"Geodude, use Rock Throw!" Geodude slammed his fists together then moved over to some rocks, ready to smash them up and throw them.
"Geo, Geodude!" I looked to Pidgey who was calmly watching me, ready for my instruction.
"Alright Pidgey, I want you to use fly up and avoid those rocks, go!" Pidgey nodded her head then soared up into the sky just as Geodude began to throw the rocks. Pidgey's small body easily manoeuvred out of the way and I smiled. "Alright! Now let's turn up the heat, use Sand-Attack to throw off Geodude's accuracy!"
"Geodude, use Rock Polish." Brock answered. "Then use Tackle attack!" Geodude's body glowed with a light sheen before he dived straight for Pidgey, who had landed on the ground and began to kick up sand. Geodude went straight into the thick of it.
"Okay, now position yourself where he can see you Pidgey! We're going to use his strength against him!" I called out, cupping my hands over my mouth and Pidgey instantly flew forwards with a calm call.
"Pidgey…" Geodude turned in confusion amongst the sand, searching until his eyes found Pidgey.
"Tackle!" Brock yelled and Geodude dove forwards.
"Wait for it…" I ordered, watching carefully then after a brief hesitation, I shouted out. "Now move!" Pidgey darted out the way with all speed and the gust from her wings cleared away the sand and I watched as Geodude slammed into a rock, dizzying it so it dropped down and groaned.
"Pidgey!" My Pokémon called out victoriously and I laughed.
"Nice moving Pidgey, okay, let's wrap this up!"
"Geodude, can you still battle?" I paused, allowing Brock time to assess the fighting ability of his Pokémon. Geodude groaned then began to get up, shaking itself awake before glaring at Pidgey. "Good work, now, use Rock Throw!"
"Dodge those rocks and use Twister!" I ordered, clenching my fists as my entire body tensed with anticipation, watching the fight unfold. Pidgey dodged the rocks easily then cooked up a twister around Geodude who was hardly affected, his heavy weight grounding him to the spot so I quickly thought up another idea. "Listen up Pidgey, I want you to grab hold of Geodude and try to move him in the Twister, use the momentum to then fling him against the rocks again!"
Pidgey dove for Geodude and before Brock could give a command, had snagged one of his arms and was flying with all her might trying to move him but he was just too heavy. Oh no…what now? "Geodude, use Seismic Toss!"
"Pidgey!" I yelled in fear as Pidgey was grabbed by the talons then flung upwards, Geodude following suit before being buried into the ground. "Pidgey! Are you alright? Talk to me Pidgey!" Pidgey twitched on the ground, laying there whilst cooing weakly.
"Pi…Pi…dgey…" This is all my fault! I shouldn't have tried to take Brock on whilst having such a disadvantage! Huh? Wait a moment, what's that? Pidgey's body began to glow brightly, the silvery white sheen enveloping her body and I stared. Pidgey is evolving?
She got up and stretched her wings which began to grow, as did her body. When the light disappeared she called out with a trill, flapping her wings so that two booms of air burst downwards as her beautiful feathers gleamed. The red ones on her head curved back, matching the few on her tail as well as the yellow ones and I stared. "Pidg…Pidgeotto?"
"Pidgeo!" She nodded her head then began to form a Twister again. I watched as the entire room filled with circling air, forcing me to shield my eyes and I managed to look up briefly to see Brock calling out but the wind snatched away his words, rendering any command useless. Pidgeotto grabbed onto Geodude then lifted him up a little more easily, though her wings beat hard to gain the lift she needed.
"Geo!" Geodude called out as he was lifted up then began to be swung around in the Twister, bits of debris rock also rising up but Pidgeotto dodged them easily, eyes narrowed against the wind and I watched as she then flung Geodude forwards and his solid body smashed completely through the rocks, knocking him out of the battle as he fainted from exhaustion and from the hit he had just taken.
"Geodude, return!" Brock called the moment the air had died down. I stared at Pidgeotto as she landed in front of me, a little bigger than I was used to.
"Pidgeotto!" She cheered happily then looked at me.
"You…you evolved…" I breathed then burst into smiles. "You evolved! Oh Pidgeotto, you look beautiful!" I flung my arms around her neck then smiled. "I'm so proud of you, you're the best ever." Pidgeotto rubbed her head against mine before fluttering back, turning to face Brock once more.
"Very good technique. Let's up the game, this next Pokémon won't be so easy to lift! Go Onix!" An Onix? This was not good. Sure enough, a rock snake Pokémon emerged from the Pokéball and growled down at Pidgeotto, who narrowed her eyes and took off, flying up high so that it was face to face with the massive Pokémon.
"Okay Pidgeotto, we totally got this." I called to her confidently. "Fly low to the ground, make your flight pattern unpredictable so that it can't keep up with you!" Pidgeotto instantly obeyed, flying low to the ground as I waited for Brock to do what I hoped he would do.
"Use Tackle! Swipe that bird out of the air!" Watching as Onix reared back, I waited until he was diving his head down before shouting.
"When his head strikes ground, use Sand-Attack! Cloud his vision!" I yelled and Pidgeotto called back to assure me she had heard. Onix's powerful head slammed into the ground, creating a large crater but before he could bring his body and head back, Pidgeotto kicked up a sandstorm and flung sand into his eyes.
Onix wailed, whipping its head from side to side as the sand stung him. "Now use Gust! Put all the power you can muster into it! Go Pidgeotto!" A large gale of wind burst into life, slamming into Onix who was knocked off balance and hit the ground, weakening it slightly but then its powerful tail whipped out and knocked Pidgeotto out of the air.
"Pidgeo!" It cried as it tumbled, flapping its wings to try and get back into the hair again.
"Pidgeotto!" I cried out as she struck the floor.
"Quick Onix, use Tackle again!" Brock called and before I could do anything, Pidgeotto was rammed into by a towering rock monster and the last of her strength was knocked from her. Looking away I lifted her Pokéball.
"Pidgeotto return now, I'm very proud of you." I said to her then pulled out Charmander. This was not going to end well for me. "Okay Charmander, let's give this a go." I let him out and instantly, he turned and blew a small burst of flames at my feet, making me leap up into the air to avoid them. "Yowh! That's hot!" I glared at him. "Okay, see that big rock snake over there? He's going to crush you unless you do exactly as I say, got it?"
"Char!" Charmander flailed his arms then turned around, hissing slightly at Onix who looked a little beat up. All I needed was to land several good hits and it'll all be over. Shaking my head I furrowed my brow in concentration.
"Okay Charmander, let's start with Growl!" Charmander yawned then stractched his head, ignoring my command. Instantly I slapped a hand to my face. "Why do I even bother?"
"Onix, use Bind!" Oh no! If Charmander is caught in Onix's Bind, we'll be done for.
"Charmander, wake up and move!" I yelled and Charmander blinked, opening his eyes to see Onix whip out his tail and wrap it around him. "Jump!" Charmander jumped up into the air and landed on Onix's tail, growling slightly. "Run up his tail!" Charmander instead shot out a loud Growl, causing Onix to flinch away from him. "Oh, so now you use Growl?" I sassed at Charmander who gave me a smug look.
Onix began to slither and snake, trying to shake Charmander off. "Onix, roll over to get that Charmander off you then use Rock Smash!" Brock called so I countered his plan with one of my own.
"Hurry up and run Charmander! Get to his head then jump!" Charmander raced forwards, moving so that no matter how much Onix twisted, he always remained on top until finally, he reached the head. "Okay, now jump!" Charmander ignored this command, choosing another Growl instead. "No! No more Growls! Ugh, just listen to me!"
"Your Pokémon is out of control. You obviously haven't been raising it as well as your Pidgeotto." I shot Brock a blank expression.
"You think I don't know that?" I deadpanned before looking at Charmander, who was beginning to Scratch at Onix with all his might and it was making some effect as Onix flinched and began to stoop lower.
"Onix, use Rock Smash!" Brock called so I clenched my fist.
"Alright, barf up the biggest Ember you can muster! Torch that rock snake!" I bellowed out and Charmander thought for a moment, pondering over my command as Onix drew back his head and began to aim for some rocks to smash them into shards.
Finally Charmander deemed my order as good advice, so he leaped up into the air as Onix collided with the rocks, sucked in all the air he could then blew out a large burst of fire, which swallowed Onix up and made him rear back from the hit.
Charmander landed in front of me, back facing, then folded his arms. "Char." He nodded his head with satisfaction and I slapped my face again. This was not going well, he still won't listen! Onix shuddered then drew himself up, glaring down at Charmander. I bit my lip, he was still able to battle? Even after that Ember?
But then suddenly, Onix moaned and collapsed to the ground, making the entire ground shake as little flames danced on his body, signalling the burn. "Onix? Are you alright Onix?" Brock questioned with worry, racing forwards slightly then stopped. Onix lifted his head to try and get up but slumped again, unable to battle anymore. "It's okay Onix, you did great." Brock exhaled softly then returned his Pokémon.
"Good work Charmander, thank you for your help. Return now." I said to him quietly, summoning him back into his Pokéball then clipped it onto my belt. Brock was approaching me with a warm smile and I relaxed slightly.
"A good battle. You have talent, Ruby. Here, this is yours." He held out his hand and in the centre of his palm sat a grey octagonal badge, the Boulder Badge!
"Thank you!" I beamed, taking it from him then admired it silently, turning it so that the light shone off its surface. Looking down to my belt I smiled to my Pokémon. "We did it guys and it's all thanks to you. I'll get you all healed up in no time, I promise." Unslinging my backpack I pinned the badge on then shouldered it once more. "Thanks again, I really had fun." I said to Brock who nodded his head. "And I learned a lot about my Pokémon's limits, as well as my own."
"A battle is only worth something if you learn from it." He agreed. "Come on, we'll go to the Pokémon centre right now to heal our Pokémon, I'll walk you." I blushed slightly at his kindness.
"Thank you." So together we headed out of the gym and Brock locked it, putting a note up to say that the gym was closed for the time being. "You're very different from how I'd imagine a gym leader to be." I commented to him. "You're quite young to be a master."
"Oh I'm no master really." He chuckled. "I'm just good with Pokémon. In all honesty, I never wanted to be a Gym Leader, I prefer to raise and breed Pokémon. There's a lot to learn about Pokémon from observing how they grow and learning their likes and dislikes. However I have to stay here so I can look after my siblings. They're all younger than me and need someone to take care of them." I blinked at him.
"What about your parents?" He looked away instantly and I flinched. Perhaps I shouldn't have asked.
"My mom died a while ago because my dad left us to become a Pokémon Master. We haven't heard from him in a long time." Lowering my head I felt great sympathy for him.
"I'm sorry, that's awful." I said to him and for a while there was an awkward silence until I decided to change the atmosphere. "About my Charmander, I was wondering if you could help me." I began and Brock lifted his head with intrigue. "You see, he's only a baby really and he knows that he was taken from his nest which was on Cinnabar Island when he was only an egg, so he wants to go home and find his family and I've assured him that I'll take him there, but he still won't trust me and he doesn't even like me." I blurted, barely pausing for breath. "I've tried playing with him, giving him different foods to try and tempt him, talked with him, trained with him but nothing seems to work! I'm at my wits end because he hardly listens to me in battle and sometimes nearly costs us the fight. Well…you saw him! Is there anything I'm doing wrong?" I asked him and he thought for a moment, humming whilst rubbing his chin.
"It seems you're doing your best, of course playing with him is a good idea. You could try massaging him, if he'll let you. Helping him to relax when around you is key to boosting trainer and Pokémon relationships. If he learns to trust you then he'll come to like you. If you stop by my house, I'll make up some Pokémon food for him, he might like that more." Brock beamed proudly. "I make it myself specially for individual Pokémon."
"That would be great! I'd love to give it a go. I'll stop by your place after you close the gym tonight, is that okay?" I asked him and he nodded just as we entered the Pokémon Centre. Instantly his entire character changed. Brock ran a hand through his hair then put on a casual yet smouldering look on his face as he sidled up to the desk.
"Nurse Joy, you're looking very beautiful today though you look beautiful every day, so you'd think that your dazzling magnificence would have no effect on me by now, but no! Your radiance blinds me still and I cannot help but feel that you should join me for dinner tonight." Nurse Joy looked startled before she laughed.
"You know that I'm working late tonight, Brock, so unfortunately I'm going to have to refuse you. Again." I arched an eyebrow as Brock slapped his face then face palmed the floor, whimpering like it was the end of the world.
"Why must she always crush my heart?" Looking to Nurse Joy, who smiled at me.
"Does this happen often?" I asked and she laughed.
"Every day! Let me heal your Pokémon for you, it'll be done in a jiffy!" She held out a tray for me so I put my two Pokémon in the little holders as Brock lifted a hand and put his two Pokémon in the other though he was still crashed out on the floor.
"Uh…Brock? Do you need a hand?" I asked him but he shook his head which was still planted into the ground.
"No, I'm fine." He sobbed quietly before getting up, looking rather dejected though his face was dry, so I figured he was fine and probably used to the rejection. We waited around for our Pokémon to be healed before leaving together also, though Brock had to literally be dragged out by me as he clung to Nurse Joy's hands and declared his undying love for her.
"Wow, that's a show and a half, but I think the curtains have already closed mister." I told him with a frown as I pushed him out the Pokémon Centre with my hands anchored into his back, scooting him outside. Then I laughed. "I'm guessing you like her a lot. Still, I think you may have been a little too upfront." Brock blushed then scratched the back of his head with a dry laugh.
"Yeah, I guess. I just can't help it! She's so pretty…" Giggling I shook my head.
"Well, you'd better give me your address so I can find your house later." I told him. "But I think you'll be challenging yourself with Charmander, he's tough to please."
"No problem! I enjoy a new challenge. Here, I'll write it down for you." Broke wrote down his address on a scrap of paper then handed it to me. "Stop by around six, I'll even make dinner."
"Thanks! That sounds great." I said to him. "Will your little brothers and sisters be there? Do I get to meet them?" He laughed then nodded his head.
"You'll be hard pressed not to meet them. I'll see you later Ruby. Whilst you're here, you should check out the Pewter City Museum, it's got all kinds of information on ancient Pokémon and fossils. It's quite interesting for new trainers such as yourself." He suggested and I instantly perked at the idea. I love museums!
"Sure! That'd be great. Thanks for telling me." I waved then set out to find the museum, which wasn't difficult as it was sign posted so I just followed the directions. I didn't get very far, however, when I heard a snide voice make a comment at me.
"So, you got your first badge. I suppose I should congratulate you." Gary mused and I turned, blinking when I noticed him leaning coolly against his red sports car with his gang of cheerleaders all giggling at him.
"Yeah, I won the match." I answered, instantly putting myself on guard.
"I wouldn't really call it a match, I saw you just now flirting with that Brock, maybe you just asked for one, fluttered your lashes then begged a little more." My temper flared and I growled at him.
"We were not flirting! I won my Boulder Badge fair and square you little loser!" Instantly the girls all gasped in shock.
"Gary is no loser, you take that back you little squirt!" One of them shouted and the others all cheered in agreement.
"Gary, Gary he's the best! He's the one who'll beat the rest!" Oh please, this is just sad. I pity those poor girls for having so little brain.
"We were watching you just now, weren't we girls? You're going to have dinner with him and he even gave you his number. How sweet, a kindling romance." Gary said sourly then stood up straight. "Looks like you just leech off everyone you meet, Rubes, perhaps you're not cut out to be a trainer after all." I stared at him in shock as he got into his car. "Oh, and by the way, you're lagging behind. I've got two badges now, that other kid Victor has two as well and you still only have one. Better get a move on and catch some Pokémon, because that little lizard isn't going to help you get the Cascade Badge." His car roared forwards then spun around to pull up beside me. "If you can even control it, that is."
"You're such a mean jerk, Gary! I hate you!" I yelled then stormed away as he drove in the other direction. Tears rose to my eyes at his harsh words but I angrily held them back, not wanting to appear weak. It wasn't a date or anything, Brock was just trying to help me out. Besides, if Gary had seen my fight with Brock then he'd be eating his words! Our battle was intense and only a skilled trainer could have won it. Yeah, Gary was just a spiteful loser, he didn't have a clue what he was saying.
I arrived at the museum and instantly cleared my head, entering then walked over to the desk. "Just one, please. I'd like to look at the exhibits." I said to the ticket lady who beamed.
"That'll be fifty dollars please!" I paid over the money and she handed me a ticket. "Please enjoy your time here at Pewter City Museum!" I nodded my head, still a little put out then went over to the fossil cabinet to look at all the fossils. There were two specific ones that stood out, called the Helix Fossil and the Dome Fossil which apparently, when revived, would become an Omanyte and Kabuto. I scanned their information and read the boards which told me all about them before moving on. It was all extremely interesting and the concentration it required allowed me to forget all about that idiot Gary so that I could study properly.
There was more than enough information to keep me occupied for several hours. Most people came in, had a glance around then left in about an hour but I just kept on reading, stopping to look through every book they had that contained details about Pokémon.
"Young lady, you seem very interested in historic Pokémon." A voice said to me and I blinked and looked up, only just noticing that I was the only person still in the Museum. I looked up at the scientist who smiled at me. "You've been in here for nearly four hours."
"Oh! My goodness, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a nuisance." I told him with a blush, leaping up and quickly putting the book back. "I'll leave now if that's what you want." Instantly he waved his hands in front of me, stopping me from going anywhere.
"No, no, no! You misunderstand, I'm very glad that you take such an avid interest. Unlike most trainers, you seem to have a genuine curiosity whereas most just come to see the fossils, learn what Pokémon they can revive then go out to look for fossils of their own." The scientist looked at me for a moment, musing as he stroked his wispy beard before smiling. "Yes, you'll do perfectly. Come with me!" He cried then grabbed my wrist to drag me forwards.
"Whoa! Where are we going?" He raced forwards at top speed then swiped his card key to let us through a locked door which then descended into the basement.
"We have a very special fossil that we want you to take to Cinnabar Island, where there is a Pokémon Lab which can revive the Pokémon. We have a theory of what Pokémon it could be but we need to have solid evidential proof. Will you take it for us? It's just we're so busy here, we can't leave our work!"
"Oh…well yes, I suppose I can." I agreed. "What is it?" I was shown through a door and before me stood a lab of some sorts, with several computers, piles of paper scattered around messily, a glass tube standing on a pedestal which then held a beautiful item inside, which looked like solid gold.
"This…this is Old Amber. We believe it is the fossilised DNA of an Aerodactyl, but we are not yet certain. If you take this to the Research Lab in Cinnabar Island then they'll revive it for you. Will you do it? We'll even give you this HM Flash for your trouble." He bundled the HM disk into my hand which I blinked at before looking at him.
"Well, I'm heading to Cinnabar Island anyway so sure, it shouldn't be a problem. I'll take it for you."
"Excellent!" He cheered then rushed forwards to retrieve the Old Amber. He brought it back and I put it into my bag at the side pocket where it would be safe then put my backpack on my shoulders again. "Thank you thank you thank you! This is going to be an amazing breakthrough, good luck trainer! Hurry along now, we need that information!"
"Sure, I'll get there as soon as I can." I assured him as he escorted me to the museum entrance. "But I'll have to make stops along the way to get my badges, so don't worry if there's a time gap between me getting to Cinnabar."
"No problem, no problem, just make sure you don't lose it!" He cheered happily then waved. "Goodbye now!" With that I was pushed out the museum then the doors slammed shut behind me. Blinking in a slight daze I checked the time then almost shrieked. I had ten minutes to get to Brock's house!
I ran all the way, gasping for breath as I counted the numbers on the houses until finally, I reached his house which was up on the hill. Legs aching I rang the doorbell then almost collapsed. I was only a few minutes late, I hope he wouldn't mind.
Suddenly the door was flung open and a hoard of children swept out. "She's here!" They all chorused then grabbed me by the arms and clustered around me, sweeping me inside.
"Wargh!" I yelped as they pushed me forwards by force.
"Brock! Brock she's here! The girl is here!" There was a laugh and I looked up, completely panicked as Brock stepped out of the kitchen wearing a cooking apron.
"Okay, let Ruby have some space to breathe. We don't want to scare her away now, do we?" Brock said to his little brothers and sisters who all instantly let go. They all beamed up at me and I could see the similarities between them. They all had the same expression, and spiked hair, even some of the girls.
"Hi!" I smiled to them all and waved. "I'm Ruby, it's nice to meet you all."
"Come play dollies with us!" One of the girls pleaded and grabbed my hand to pull but as I began to tilt towards her, one of the boys grabbed my other hand.
"No, play battles with us! You can pretend to be a Slowpoke and I'll be a Graveller!"
"No, she wants to come and play bricks, don't you Ruby?" One of the littler children asked with large, winsome eyes as he tugged on my shirt and I gulped. What should I do? I can't be in three, no, four, no…eleven different places at once! They were all asking me to play with them and I only had so many hands!
"Enough!" Brock yelled. "She can't play with all of you, you're going to have to wait your turns. That is if Ruby wants to play in the first place." He told them sternly so I took a deep breath then smiled.
"Of course I can play with you all, I know a great game we could all join in on. How does that sound?" A loud cheer roared in my ears and I blinked before reaching into my backpack and drawing out the tennis ball, tossing it up into the air then caught it again. "If we go out into the garden then I'll show you."
A stampede suddenly swept me out into the garden, practically carrying me and I laughed with them as I was then allowed to balance on my own two feet. "Okay, you ready?" I asked and watched as they all nodded eagerly. "Pidgeotto! I choose you!" I called and sent her out to play. "Okay Pidgeotto, its playtime! Catch!" I flung the ball as far as I could and Pidgeotto glided through the air.
"Pidgeotto!" She trilled then flew after the ball. Whilst the children were transfixed with my Pokémon, I picked up another ball that lay on the ground outside then launched it to them. "Catch it quick!" I called and they all jolted.
"I got it!"
"No, I got it!" And then a ball war erupted. The children all went about grabbing balls and we all played catch, Pidgeotto having the time of her life trying to catch as many as she could before they hit the ground. Sometimes she would let them fall a little too close to the ground and, just to show off a little, would catch them at the last second before enjoying the cheer that the children would award her.
"What about your other Pokémon?" One of the girls asked. "Won't they come play too?" I paused then made a slight face.
"Charmander isn't very reliable at the moment, I don't know if he'd hurt you by accident and he doesn't like to play." Her face fell with disappointment.
"You have a Charmander? Oh…I've always wanted to see one." I bit my lip then sighed. How could I refuse such an adorable face like that? Maybe just for a few minutes. What's the worst that could happen?
"Okay, Charmander, come on out!" I called then threw the Pokéball forwards, letting him have a breath of fresh air. Charmander turned around and instantly belched a puff of fire at me, causing me to yelp and leap out the way. "Hey watch it!"
"Ah! It's so cute!" She cried then flung her arms around him. "You're just the most adorable Pokémon I've ever seen!" Charmander growled and folded his arms across his chest, obviously displeased with being coddled by this child and I saw him begin to inhale a deep breath.
"Charmander!" I warned him, placing my hands on my hips. "Don't even think about it." He huffed then snorted, smoke spilling from his nostrils but I wagged a finger at him, keeping a close eye on what he was doing as the children began to crowd around and tickled or patting him.
He flinched every time a hand patted him a little too hard, continuing to growl and mutter with irritation under his breath. Pidgeotto flew to my side and I looked at her. "Think we should return him before he sets fire to the house?" I asked and she nodded her head.
"Pidgeo!"
"Right. Charmander, return!" The kids all pouted and moaned but I returned him regardless. I don't think he would have taken much more.
"Food's ready! Come and get it!" Brock called and instantly everyone's faces lit up and they raced inside.
"Yay! Dinner time!"
"Hey wait for me!" I called with a laugh then chased after them. I sat down at the table on the floor comfortably on my cushion after returning Pidgeotto to her ball. Wonderful smells wafted out of the kitchen and I licked my lips as Brock brought out a noodle soup that would rival all of my mom's cooking.
Using the chopsticks I dove in the moment a bowl was put in front of me and the kids all did the same. "Hey Ruby, you know we saw your fight today against our big brother? You looked really awesome!" One of the older boys said to me. "Your Pidgey evolved just for you, that's totally amazing!"
"Yeah! And then that Twister was strong enough to do damage to Geodude and Onix, your Pokémon must be really, really strong to be able to do that." I blushed modestly.
"I didn't realise I had an audience, but thanks, I really appreciate your comments. I felt so nervous, to be honest, so I owe the victory completely to my Pokémon."
"Why wouldn't Charmander listen to you? He has no reason not to." One of the girls asked. "You look strong and your advise was also very clever." I gave a hopeless shrug and sigh.
"I don't know. I guess we just don't click. It's my fault, I'm obviously not the trainer he needs though I'm not giving up on him yet. I at least want us to be friends." Brock nodded his head.
"You take good care of your Pokémon and you obviously care about them a lot, with a few more tips and perhaps some different tactics, I think the main thing you need to help encourage your Charmander to trust you is time." It was probably true, maybe Charmander just needed more time to adjust.
"We also saw someone else up in the stands, he watched the entire fight." Another one of the boys piped up. "Though he told us not to tell you he was there." Then his face fell. "Oops!" He winced, giving a guilty face and I frowned.
"Who was it?" The children all looked to one another then nodded their heads.
"We don't know his name, but he drove up in a real nice sports car, a red one!" A girl exclaimed. "He was so dreamy…though he had a group of cheerleaders with him. They were annoying." She pouted and I yelped.
"Gary watched the battle! Oh great, that's just…wait a minute, he watched me fight?" If he'd watched the fight then why did he say all those things earlier? Was he just being spiteful? Threatened that I was beginning to show a little skill at this battling thing? Or…or was he jealous?
Nah, probably just threatened. Blinking myself awake I gave a weak laugh. "So, who here likes the noodle game?" Instantly I was met with a cheer and we all began racing to slurp up noodles as fast as we could, announcing ourselves the winner then friendly arguments erupted across the table.
After dinner the kids all got ready for bed and Brock took this time to show me how to massage Charmander the correct way. He was suspicious and wary of Brock at first and even slapped his hand away with his tail several times but once Brock got hold of his head and began to work in his fingers, Charmander blinked in surprise then relaxed. "Chaaaar…" He sighed then slumped down on the floor.
"You see? Now you try. Make sure that you work into his shoulders, belly and back too. Once you get a little closer you can even tickle him a few times. It always makes a Pokémon laugh which tightens its affection for you." He explained so I moved closer then took over, rubbing my fingers into Charmander's warm skin and I smiled as he continued to enjoy the treatment.
"Hey, it's working!" I beamed as I whispered quietly, not wanting to startle him. "Could I do this for Pidgeotto too?"
"Of course, just be careful to avoid her wings and tail feathers. If you ruffle them up then it could affect her flight." Nodding my head I watched as Brock then approached with some Pokémon food. "I've made a few samples, how about we try them out to see what he likes best?" Nodding my head I pulled my hands back then sat in front of Charmander.
"Hey, would you like to try some food? It's all good, Brock made it specially for you." I murmured and Charmander blinked before looking down to the tray of several samples Brock had cooked up for him. He reached forwards with his nose and sniffed, looking at them all before selecting one cube and bit into it.
"That one is spicy, most fire type Pokémon do prefer spicy food though sometimes it's not always the case." Brock said to me. Charmander then went on to try a sour sample then spat it back out with a hiss of distaste so I removed it.
"Okay, not that one. Try some more." We went through several flavours, nutrients and spices until Brock had a rough idea of Charmander's preferences.
"This shouldn't be too hard, it seems he's a big fan of chocolate." I looked to Charmander who had stuffed his face into the bowl of chocolate and was eating it all up with a happy expression.
"Yeah, he loves burgers as well." I added. "And the spicy sushi you get at the Pokémon friendly restaurant in town." Brock smiled.
"Yeah, that was my own recipe. If you can hang around for a while then I'll make a batch for both Charmander and Pidgeotto." I blinked at him.
"Don't you need Pidgeotto to sample things as well?" He smiled and shook his head in answer.
"No, I've done it loads of times before and it's a generalised recipe so she's bound to like it. If not then I'll…eat a rock." He laughed then went into the kitchen, leaving me alone with Charmander. I looked at him to find that he was watching me intently. "Hey there, how are you feeling?" He snorted slightly then turned his head. "Listen, I know you think that I'm the bad guy for being your trainer, but I'm really not like that. I will take you home I promise, but if we're both going to get to Cinnabar Island in one piece then we need to work together." Charmander slowly turned his head back around, signalling he was listening.
"I know you miss your family, but for now I'm the only thing you have and I want to take care of you. We could have fun! It's a big world out there, just imagine all the stories you could tell to your family when you finally get home, you'll have so much to tell them but if you keep on acting so stubborn and resentful, you'll only make yourself unhappy." Now he was turning to face me, tilting his head to the side slightly with curiosity. "So how about a truce?" I lifted my hand and held it out to him, waiting.
Charmander regarded it carefully for a while then nodded his head, reaching out and shaking my hand which made me beam. "Yay! Thank you Charmander!" I scooped him up into my arms and laughed, tickling his belly and he cooed, wriggling in my grip as he laughed.
"Char! Char! Char!" He kicked up his feet as I cuddled him, feeling ecstatically happy but that was quickly cut short when Charmander blew a short burst of flames at me, singing my hair and I froze. "Char." He snorted then leaped out my arms, brushing himself up.
"Right. Got it." I nodded then let him go for a rest in his Pokéball. Looking out the window I regarded the stars with quiet thoughts, wondering about the future and what it had in store for me. I guess I'll never know until I get there.
