Trains, Bikes & Thunder, Chapter 8
It took quite a bit of running, not to mention ignoring quite a few trainers that wanted rematches, but I made it back to Cerulean City just in time to catch the train. In a different world, it would cost me to carry Vulpix on the train, but here Pokemon were as welcome as humans; granting they were inside their Pokeballs. Since I never forced Vulpix into one, I had to beg the conductor to let her stay out, which I accomplished with a bit of begging and puppy dog eyes. Since there were no train tracks anywhere in the city, my guess was the train traveled underground, which proved to be the case.
Of course, this meant there wasn't much of a view along the way, and since Vulpix wasn't exactly much for chit chat, I guessed it would be a dull trip. That is, until I ran across a familiar face on the train. After switching seats with someone nearby, I got a seat in front of David.
"Star! What a surprise to see you again so soon!"
"Same here," I said, looking around for Rebecca. "Where's Rebecca?"
"No idea. She left in a bit of a huff after that Gary Oak fellow carried you away." David shut the book he was reading.
"Oh, I wonder why?"
"I have a bit of a clue, but that's between myself and I. So, headed to Vermillion City?" I nodded.
"Yeah, I got my badge from the gym in Cerulean, and then paid a visit to Bill on Route 25. He let me have a ticket to this train."
"Lucky you. I was going to pay a visit to Saffron City myself, but they aren't letting anyone in, not even people who live there!"
"So you're from Saffron?" I asked, now eager to learn more about David. "What were you doing on the other side of Mt Moon?"
"A little personal project of my own," he replied, bringing his finger to his lips. "For now, I'm afraid I won't say anything else."
"Aww! Come on, it's just me you're talking to!" He shook his head.
"You, and Vulpix there. I can't be certain she'll go blathering to everyone she meets." I looked at Vulpix, who looked right back at me.
"Vulpix never even said a word to me, why would she go telling people about your secret?" Truth be told, I was actually a bit confused at that moment. David's joke went completely over my head, so he dropped it and switched the topic of conversation.
"Well, since you're out collecting gym badges, I trust you're prepared for Vermillion City's challenge? I hear the leader there is quite the opponent."
"With Vulpix at my side," I said, patting her on the head, "we can beat anyone that challenges us!"
"I'd rethink my strategy if I were you. The gym leader there specializes in electric type Pokemon. They're quite dangerous, or so I hear."
I thought about that for a little bit. Other than Mankey, I had no one on my team that stood a chance against an electric Pokemon. A rock or ground type would really give me the advantage, despite Mankey being a fighting type. He could still get hurt badly by thunder. A lightbulb went off in my head.
"You have your Diglett, right?"
"Uh, yes, I do. Why?"
"How about we trade Pokemon? I'll give you one of mine for Diglett! With a ground type on my side, I can beat the gym leader easy!"
"Well," said David, considering the idea, "that's certainly one way to go about it all. But you can't always expect someone in the area with the Pokemon you need to trade it on a whim like that, Star."
"So, you're saying you don't want to trade?"
"I'm saying it'd be better for you to come up with your own way of beating the challenge. There's more to Pokemon battles than type advantages, you know."
David had a point. After all, I had beaten Brock's Onix with Beedrill, and such a match would normally end with Onix on top. Perhaps a clever play, like having Vulpix or Clefairy wear down the leader's Pokemon, then have Mankey finish the battle, would be best. I shared this idea with David.
"Well, you can certainly try it," he said, but not sounding convinced for some reason. "I'd wait until you get to Vermillion before planning anything."
The rest of the train ride was a bit boring. David kept tapping his book the entire time, telling me without actually saying anything that he'd like to keep reading. I sat down in my chair, looking at Vulpix the entire time. Sometimes I wish I could talk to Pokemon. I once read a comic book where a little girl could do just that. I wished I had a copy of it to read on that train.
~o~
When the train pulled in, David went a different way, but not before pointing out the direction of the gym. It was obviously not his first visit to the city, but he still didn't say anything about why he was there. I saw him walking in the direction of Route 11, so maybe there was a chance I'd see him again on the road. Vulpix in my arms, I started walking down the street. It was at this moment, that something beyond weird happened.
I passed by a Bicycle Shop, when all of a sudden, this guy flew out of the store, and stood in my way. Confused, I asked him to please move, as I had to be on my way to the gym. He replied with something that instantly put me on guard.
"Please, come inside my store," he said. I took a step back.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"Please, little girl, I need your help!" He got down on one knee, bringing him to my eye level. I took another step back.
"I'm not going inside that store," I said. Who knows what kind of pervert this guy could be.
"Please," he said again, this time dropping on his knees completely, "I need your help!"
"What do you want?" By now, not only was I seriously getting creeped out, there was a bit of a crowd gathering nearby. The guy took notice, and changed his line.
"You've just won the gift of a lifetime!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, making sure everyone heard him. "Your very own, brand new, bicycle!"
A few people nearby clapped, while most others snickered. Something was fishy, but with so many people around, I didn't think anything bad could happen. Plus, I had Vulpix in my arms, and she'd have been growling if there was anything dangerous about this guy.
"I don't need a bike," I said, more to see his reaction than anything.
"Why, sure you do! Every kid wants their own bike!" The look of desperation on his face was growing.
"Not really, I don't. I'm just trying to find the local Pokemon gym." My responses were clearly starting to get on the guy's nerves. The crowd started to break up, too, so I was about to make my way around him when he once again stopped me.
"Please, little girl," he said, this time almost on the verge of tears. "Just please, hear me out at the very least."
For the record, I don't think I'd ever seen a boy cry. I'm sure I've never seen a grown man cry. This was certainly something to witness, and if he could stand to cry in public like that, I guessed he was seriously in trouble. I figured there was no harm in at least hearing him out, so I agreed and followed him into the bike store. There was a giant glass window, so if anything happened, people from outside could see. And just to be safe, I stayed by the window the entire time.
The man went to the back of the shop, and came back with a bike. It was an ugly shade of pink, but being a girl I guess I kind of expected a pink bike to be shown to me. No doubt that was his reasoning. I looked at the thing for a while, but it didn't get any prettier. I finally asked him what the big deal was.
"Let me explain: I inherited this shop from my dad. Back in his day, kids used to ride bikes everywhere, and when Pokemon training blew up like it did, you'd think the bike industry would be the business to be in, right?"
"Umm... I guess?" He seemed to forget he was talking to a kid, and I wasn't quite following him entirely.
"Exactly," he continued, "When you're a Pokemon trainer, you're always on the move. So what better way to do that, than with your very own bike! Sadly, a few problems came up with the plan..."
"Problems? Like?"
"A bike is nice, and it gets you places faster, but sometimes the bike just isn't a good choice. Inside caves it can be dangerous, and carrying the thing around isn't the most fun thing to do in the world. You wouldn't leave it behind, either, right?"
"I guess not...," I said, trying to figure out where he was going with all this.
"So, I came up with the solution! Introducing: the Foldable Bike!"
Before my very eyes, I watched as the guy went snapping the bike into smaller and smaller sizes. Like taking apart a pen or something, but all the pieces stuck together somehow, until it was all finally a small box on the ground. Being a child's bike, it was much smaller in size than a normal bike, but even then, it was quite amazing to see. I even gave him a bit of applause for the show.
"See? Isn't that just the best? Use it when you can, store it and wear it on your back when you can't! It's also extremely lightweight, too!" He gave me the box with the bike inside, and he had a point. It didn't weigh more than a backpack filled with textbooks!
"This is so cool!" I said. "Everyone would want one!"
"My thoughts exactly! However..." He trailed off, looking out the window for a second. I looked outside, too, seeing a couple people passing by, all of them laughing at what they were seeing inside.
"Why are they laughing?" I asked.
"I invented this bike myself, even built it here."
"Wow! That's so cool!"
"They don't think so," he said, sitting down on the counter. "They think my bikes are cheaply made, and since they've never been proven out there in the real world, no one wants to buy them."
"Oh, I see. Why not show everyone that they really work?"
"I tried, once. I had a local kid ride it around town, then fold it up and take it home. I never saw the bike again, or the kid. You'd think that would sell the bike, but no one came."
"Okay, so why are you giving me one?"
"When I was sitting here, and I saw you pass by with that Vulpix in your arms, it just hit me like a ton of bricks! It wasn't selling, because I was trying to sell it to the wrong customers! This bike was made for Pokemon Trainers, so I have to sell it to Pokemon Trainers!"
"I don't get it," I replied. I honestly didn't; I mean, I get the idea of selling it to trainers, but if it was just that easy, why not go around selling it to actual trainers? Why was he just sitting here?
"Trainers don't stop by towns for very long. They're here, they visit the local gym, pick up supplies, then move on. Rather than get them one at a time, I had to reach them all at once! That's where you come in!" I nodded, but I still wasn't sure what he wanted me to do.
"I'll let you have a bike," he said, offering me the ugly pink thing in the box, "You promise to ride it around, show it off even to other trainers. They ask where you got such a neat bike, and then you tell them 'At the Vermillion City Bicycle Shop!' It's the perfect plan!"
"Okay," I said, "but why me?"
"Cuteness factor!" I took another step away from the guy, once again feeling that scary vibe.
"Cuteness?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're adorable!" How could I not take that the wrong way. A grown stranger was telling me I was adorable, and that just sounded creepy.
"What I'm trying to say is, with you promoting the bike around the region, I'm sure to get more customers! People love cute things, and what's cuter than a little girl Pokemon trainer, riding around in a foldable bike, with her Vulpix in the basket? I'd make a fortune!"
Sure, it sounded great, but would it work? He still needed me to ride the ugly thing around, and I still wasn't sold. At this point, I turned towards the door. He noticed, and got down on all fours again.
"Please! Don't go! I need your help!"
"Why can't you get someone else to help you?" I asked.
"I've tried, believe me, I have. No one wants to, and I'm at the end of my rope here! If I don't start selling bikes soon, I'll be left without a house, job, or food! I'm already buying Pokechow by the pound to stay fed! I can't spare any more time! Please! You're my last chance!"
The Pokechow bit turned out to be true, as there was a bag of the stuff in the back room where he brought the bike from. He stayed on all fours for a while, almost not breathing, waiting for my answer. And at that point, how could I refuse? I'm a big softie, and this poor guy was only trying to make some money to eat. I walked over to him, and patted him on the head.
"It's okay," I said softly. "Don't cry. I'll help y-"
"THANK YOU!" Before I could even finish, he sprung up and took me with him, hugging me until I nearly passed out. When he finally put me down, he handed me the box with the pink bike, but I didn't take it.
"Do you have some other color? I don't like pink."
"Of course," he said, reaching behind his counter for a sheet of paper. "Pick any of these colors you want! Another marketing idea: all the colors of the rainbow for your bike!"
The paper must've had over a hundred different colored squares, but I didn't bother to count them. I glanced over the paper, until I found a shade of yellow I liked. Yellow's my favorite color, you see.
"This one," I pointed to the square.
"Just give me a second, okay? All my bikes are white, any special colors have to be added in when ordered!"
A second turned out to be a half hour, but finally he rolled in a freshly painted yellow bike! This was a ride I could love, complete with front basket for Vulpix to ride in. I couldn't take it with me right now, the paint still being wet and all, I told him I'd be back as soon as I visited the local gym. He got back down on his knees and begged me to return, to not leave him behind like so many other trainers he'd asked in the past.
"I promise I'll be back," I assured him, giving him another pat on the head. "The bike is yellow! How could I not come back for it?"
~o~
The gym turned out to be just down the street from the bike shop. There was a large thunderbolt icon painted on the front, proving David was right. This would be the hardest gym battle yet. After taking a few deep breaths, I walked in through the door.
Like Brock's gym, it was just a massive arena, only this time with nothing on the ground. At the other end was the leader. Once he saw that I had entered, he stood from his chair and walked across the arena to meet me. The closer he got, the larger he got, as well. By the time we were face to face, it was more face to stomach. He was probably more than twice my size.
"Welcome," he said, his gruff voice echoing in the gym, "to the Vermillion City gym! I'm Surge, the leader."
"H-Hello," I said, trying to raise my voice a little to sound bigger than I was. "I'm here to challenge you for a badge."
"Well, cutie, I just want you to know: in this gym, I don't go easy on little girls," he said, patting ME on the head.
"I know, I wasn't expecting any special treatment."
"Well, good thing, then!" He turned around and started back towards his end of the arena. Along the way, he released his first Pokemon, a Raichu. He looked pretty angry, kind of like his master.
"Okay, little baby," he called out to me. "The rule is one on one, winner takes badge. Will that little fox be your choice?"
I looked down at Vulpix. She was ready to face off against Raichu, but would I send her? The plan was ruined already, so I had to think up a new one. Mankey was still the best option, but I wasn't sure he could take on Raichu all on his own. If he was half as strong as he looked, Mankey would be in serious trouble. Still, I went for his Pokeball.
"I ain't got all day, kid," Surge called out. "Pick your Pokemon, or get out of my gym while you still can! No need to make a baby cry, I always say."
I released Mankey, and sent him out on the arena. Once Surge saw who my choice was, he burst out into a hearty laughter. I have to admit, with every chuckle, I felt smaller and smaller still.
"That's your choice? Well, I guess I can see why, trying to one up Raichu with type advantage. Last chance, kid, are you still up to this?"
The thought of running away for the moment crossed my mind. Still, I hadn't quit on a fight just yet, and I wasn't about to let some overgrown bully scare me off. I asked Mankey to come back to my side for a moment, where I gave him a hug and a pat on the back. This battle rested entirely on him.
"Well, your choice, kid. Battle goes until either side falls or backs out. Ladies first, I always say." With a snap of his fingers, the battle officially began.
"Mankey, Low Kick!"
Mankey ran in for the attack, but Raichu didn't make a move. Surge chuckled from the other side of the arena.
"Thundershock!"
Before Mankey's attack could connect, Raichu's thunder struck Mankey, stopping him in his tracks. Smoke rising from Mankey's fur, I feared he was already out of energy. He stumbled for a moment, but shook it off before letting out an angry howl.
"Try Karate Chop!"
"Thunder Wave, Raichu!"
Again, before Mankey could get close enough to attack, Raichu's attack struck first. The electrical waves pushed him back, and Mankey was finding it hard to move now. The battle wasn't going so well.
"Snap out of it, Mankey! Use Karate Chop!"
Mankey tried to follow my order, but his body just wasn't moving, too paralyzed to even lift a his arm. Surge let out another bout of laughs.
"Care for a towel, baby? You can throw it in if you'd like." His taunting was proving more annoying than actually losing the fight.
"Keep trying, Mankey! Karate Chop!" No matter how many times I called it out, Mankey just couldn't move.
"Your loss, kid. Raichu, show the baby and her weak excuse for a Pokemon out the front door."
Raichu walked up to Mankey, laughing like his master as he wrapped Mankey up in his tail before lifting him off the ground. Raichu walked up to me, dangling Mankey before me like a plush animal. And in front of my face, Raichu charged up an electric attack, before releasing it through his tail and into Mankey. I could hardly stand watching Mankey cry out, let alone hear him. When the attack was over, I looked at Mankey, now dangling limp in Raichu's tail.
The Pokemon spun around, sending Mankey flying out the front door of the gym, and out onto the street. I just stood there, my head looking down at the ground. Droplets fell from my face and onto the floor. The only sound at that moment was of Surge having a roaring good time.
"Aww, did I make the poor baby cry?" He called out from his end of the arena, before following up with more taunting coos and awws. "I gave you the chance to run, you didn't take it. Come back when you grow out of your diapers, kid!"
~o~
I rushed Mankey to the Pokemon center, where Nurse Joy quickly took him into the emergency room. Vulpix was just as down as I was, but I doubted she felt the same way I did. As it turned out, I wasn't the only trainer who had been pounded by Surge. A few other would-be trainers sat around in the center, all awaiting Nurse Joy's report. If they lived here in Vermillion, it must've been quite the downer to be shot down by the local gym so easily. One had to wonder, if Surge was this tough, would every other gym be as tough? Tougher, still? Thinking like that would scare off trainers from taking the League challenge.
I wasn't from Vermillion, though. I was from Pallet Town, a small town on the edge of the map. Mom was there waiting for me, and I was sure she wouldn't want me to go back a failure. Surge was no different than any other Pokemon trainer: he had his strengths, but he also had a weakness. I replayed that terrible battle in my head, trying to remember every detail.
The entire fight, Mankey was always the first to make a move. And every time, Surge would order Raichu to do something from a distance. Mankey could try forever to get closer, but Raichu would only just keep him away with Thundershock or paralyze him with Thunder Wave. There had to be a way to get around that. I thought some more on Raichu, when I realized it didn't move from its one spot on the field. It just stood there, waiting for blows to come in. It only moved when it knew Mankey couldn't fight back. And when it did, it didn't even run towards Mankey, just walk towards him. I reached for my encyclopedia.
The page on Raichu said it was an evolved form of Pikachu, another cute critter with many fangirls. Unlike most Pokemon, however, it could only evolve with a Thunder Stone, a special type of rock. Pikachus were fast Pokemon, but that Raichu didn't move very quickly. A Raichu is only as fast as the Pikachu that came before him. I had my opening.
Though Nurse Joy recommended Mankey stay the night, just to be rested, I asked that he be returned as soon as he was healed up. I knew she only meant the best for Mankey, but I knew Mankey better. He'd want a rematch against Surge. And I was going to give it to him.
~o~
I burst through the doors of the gym again, Mankey and Vulpix at either side. The sun was going down, and from what I could tell, Surge was preparing to leave for the day. Once he saw who it was, he dropped his things.
"Well, well! Look who's back so soon! I didn't think I'd see your face around here again."
"I've come for a rematch, Surge." Mankey stepped forward after I said that, pounding his chest. Surge let out another one of his annoying cackles.
"If you want to see your Pokemon rushed back to the emergency room that bad, I'll have to oblige, kid."
He released his Raichu from its Pokeball, the Pokemon looking well-rested and ready for another fight. Mankey took his place on the arena, and Raichu did the same.
"The rules haven't changed, kid. One on one. Ladies first."
"No, you go first." For the first time, Surge was caught off-guard. Still, it didn't faze him much.
"Your funeral, kid. Raichu, Thunder Wave!"
"Mankey, dodge it!"
Raichu let out a wave of yellow rings, but Mankey just took a step to the left to avoid it entirely. Surge snickered, but didn't give it much thought.
"Raichu, Thundershock!"
"Again, Mankey!"
Raichu reeled up for a blast of thunder, but once again, Mankey just took a step to the side and avoided it completely. Surge said or did nothing.
"Again, Raichu!"
"Mankey!"
Again, Raichu shot forth thunder, and again, Mankey sidestepped it. This kept going for a few more times, each time ticking off Surge more and more. What he hadn't noticed yet was Mankey's position. With every dodge, Mankey inched closer and closer to Raichu.
"Raichu, end this already! Thunderbolt!"
"Now, Mankey!"
Raichu had been tiring little by little all this time, wasting energy on attacks for no reason. As it charged up for the next attack, Mankey rushed in for the attack. With a smaller distance between him and Raichu, Mankey finally delivered the kick to Raichu's stomach. The Pokemon went flying in the other direction.
"Karate Chop, now!"
"Raichu, Thundershock!"
Before Raichu could even recover from the kick, Mankey went in for the next blow, breaking the Pokemon's concentration and stopping the attack again. Surge's face grew more and more worried.
"Don't let up, Mankey!"
"Raichu! Do something!"
No matter how many times Surge called out, Raichu was just moving too slow to beat Mankey's attacks. Having fought trainers for so long by just sitting put, the Raichu just couldn't keep up with the attacks. With a few more kicks and chops, Raichu finally fell over, totally exhausted. The battle was mine!
~o~
"I have to say, I didn't expect you'd come up with such a great battle plan so quickly, kid." Surge scratched the back of his neck for a moment, unsure of his words. "I mean, what's your name?"
"Star," I said, smiling at him.
"Star, you've rightfully earned this here Thunderbadge." Surge handed over the small trinket, and it shined in the dim light of the gym.
"Thanks, Surge."
"Guess you proved me wrong, huh?"
"Wrong about what?" I asked, unsure what he was talking about.
"You sure ain't no baby!" I only gave him another smile. There really was nothing else to say about that.
As I was on my way out of the gym, I ran face to face with the guy from the bike shop. Apparently he thought I had forgotten about my promise. After calmly explaining the situation, he apologized, and handed me the box with my bike inside. The very next day, I'd be trying this baby out on Route 11!