...Never mind, I changed my mind. Back to me!
The next morning, we were walking up the trail to Mt. Moon. I was in a bit of a good mood, because I had obtained my third Pokémon!
"Gah!" I yelled as I tripped over what felt like a rock. We were in the middle of packing up the campsite and making our way down Route 3, when I tripped.
"Nido!" a voice cried out indignantly. I blinked as I got back to my feet. It looked like I had tripped over a Nidoran , and he was looking a bit irked.
"Err...sorry about that, Nidoran. I didn't see you there," I apologized. Why do I keep tripping over Pokémon, anyway? Anyway, Nidoran was still a bit peeved, and lowered himself into a ready stance. I guess he wants to battle.
"Want a battle, huh? Alright. Spearow, you're up!" I called out, tossing his Pokéball forward.
"Spear!" Spearow cawed out, getting ready to take off at a moment's notice. Nidoran immediately rushed forward for a Tackle attack.
"Spearow, counter with Peck!" I ordered. Spearow immediately flew up, dodging around Nidoran's Tackle. He then proceeded to jab his beak into Nidoran's side, knocking the Poison Pin Pokémon back across the floor. Oh...better be careful. Nidoran's most common Ability is Poison Point. Spearow might get poisoned if he keeps with direct attacks. ...Which are the only ones he knows. Of course.
"Chronos, what are you doing?!" Misty's voice interjected. Turning, I saw that Ash, Brock, Misty, and Pikachu had already finished packing up, and had come over to see what was taking me.
"I tripped over a Nidoran, and he was a bit peeved," I mentioned, before turning my attention back to the battle. "Spearow, follow up with Fury Attack!" I declared. Spearow was about to do so, but my distraction had let Nidoran recover. An odd glint formed in his eye, before he vanished!
Both Spearow and I widened our eyes in unison, before Nidoran appeared in a burst of dark energy and rammed into Spearow! "Row!" Spearow cawed in pain. But Spearow was mad now, and pressed the Fury Attack forward before Nidoran could back away, jabbing into Nidoran repeatedly.
"Nido!" Nidoran cried as he was forced back. Now he was angry. A strange blue glow enveloped him, and his eyes glowed as well. Spearow started glowing the exact same...wait a minute, that's a Psychic-type move! How can a Poison-type learn Psychic-type moves?!
Well, whatever it was, Nidoran used it to toss Spearow clear across the clearing where we had set up camp. I heard the others react behind me, but I tuned them out. Didn't want to lose focus again.
Nidoran then started shooting off barbs from its body. Now this, I recognized as Poison Sting. "Block with Steel Wing!" I yelled. Spearow immediately hardened his wings into the Steel-type attack, blocking Nidoran's attack. It was my hope that he would be able to avoid being poisoned because he was blocking with a Steel-type attack.
Come on, think! I'm not being beaten by a Nidoran of all things! ...Genius time! "Spearow, keep blocking with Steel Wing, and use it to ram Nidoran!" I ordered. Spearow complied, charging forward while blocking the Poison Stings with his Steel Wing. Like I ordered, he rammed into Nidoran, knocking the Poison Pin Pokémon back. Nidoran attempted to get back to his feet, but stumbled and fell over.
Guess what I'm doing? "Pokéball, go!" I yelled, tossing the red-and-white sphere at Nidoran. It struck him with no protest, drawing him in and dropping to the floor.
One shake.
Two shakes.
Three shakes.
-CLICK-
"GOT IT!"
Woah there! Tune down the Ace Attorney! Anyway, upon the catch being completed, I did a fist pump similar to the ones Calem and Serena do in X and Y. Speaking of Serena, I wonder how Ash would react if I brought her up? ...Nah, I'll wait. I picked up Nidoran's Pokéball and scanned it with my phone's Pokédex.
"Nidoran, the Poison Pin Pokémon. Its large ears are flapped like wings when it is listening to distant sounds and it extends toxic barbs when angered. It stiffens its ears to sense danger. The larger its horns, the more powerful its secreted venom. This Nidoran has the Ability Poison Point. He knows the moves Tackle, Poison Sting, Sucker Punch, and Confusion."
Sucker Punch? Wait, how did that-? ...Right, Sucker Punch was originally named Ambush or something like that in Japanese. It's not actually meant to be a punch. And that was Confusion? Well, it certainly confuses me! Since when does Nidoran learn Confusion?
Okay, that's enough flashbacks! We're almost near Mt. Moon! I seem to recall that Brock'll catch a Zubat here. I've caught a Zubat myself a few times in the games, but I think I'm not going to go for it this time. Zubat are fine and all, but I don't really want to copy anyone too much.
Hm...since I have Nidoran, I wonder if I can convince the Clefairy to give me a Moon Stone?
Well, things ended up going the way I expected. We walked up to Mt. Moon, conversing about how it was formed when a meteorite crashed here. And how it was called the Moon Stone.
"Any relation to the evolutionary stone?" I wondered off the top of my head.
"They say Moon Stones are all fragments of the singular Moon Stone in Mt. Moon," Brock commented.
"But one meteor that impacted here in Kanto couldn't have caused Moon Stones to show up all over the world. And does the name really imply what I think it does?" I questioned.
"You mean, are Moon Stones actually from the Moon? Who knows. It's a name," Brock shrugged. ...Guess I can't really blame him for not really thinking about it. It's just a legend.
But considering how most legends go around here...
"AAAAH!" a voice screamed out. We all jumped in surprise, while Pikachu woke up from where he was taking a nap on Ash's bag..
"Look! Over there!" Ash pointed out. We dashed forward to see what was going on. A bunch of Zubat were attacking a random man in front of the entrance to Mt. Moon. I think this guy's name is...Seymour?
While I was pondering that, Ash had already scanned the Zubat with his Pokédex, revealing that Zubat hate flying outside during the daytime.
"Well, that's not right," I commented. Of course, Misty immediately got in my face at that.
"This is no time for jokes!" she reprimanded me.
"Err...sorry!" I yelled in fright. Meanwhile, for once Ash actually had his head in the game.
"Pikachu, Thundershock attack!" he ordered. Pikachu leaped up on top of his hat, and started sparking. He then lanced out at the Zubat with his Thundershock. This upset them, so they flew back into the cave...but not before Brock tossed a Pokéball at one of them. It impacted the Zubat directly in the back, drawing it in. Three shakes, and it was caught.
"A Zubat? I thought you were a Rock-type Trainer," I commented. Granted, Zubat is definitely going to be a great addition to Brock's team, but it would look weird if I didn't comment.
"I'm not a Gym Leader anymore. I'm allowed to branch out," Brock shrugged, picking up his Zubat's Pokéball.
A thought struck me at that moment. ...Well, why not? It's polite, and I'm trying to be friendly anyway. "Want me to scan Zubat for you so you know what it has?" I offered, bringing out my Phonedéx.
Brock blinked in surprise...I think. Can't really tell what with his squinty eyes. "Oh! Sure," he agreed, holding out Zubat's Pokéball. Scanning...
"Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. It has no eyes. Instead, it relies on its ultrasonic cries for echolocation to flit about in darkness. It forms colonies in perpetually dark places and uses ultrasonic waves to identify and approach targets. This Zubat is Male and has the Ability Inner Focus. He knows the Moves Whirlwind, Leech Life, Supersonic, and Quick Attack."
I blinked. "Quick Attack? Don't usually see that on a Zubat," I commented.
"You don't usually see Whirlwind on a Zubat either," Brock countered.
...You win this round, Mister Pokémon Breeder.
"Guys, what are you doing?! Come on!" Misty called from the entrance to Mt. Moon. Brock and I started, before going after the others.
Inside, it went about as I recalled it was supposed to. Seymour revealed that somebody had strung up lights all over Mt. Moon, which was upsetting the Pokémon. They were likely after the Moon Stone, wanting it to increase their Pokémon's power.
...And by they, I mean Team Rocket, who probably forgot/aren't aware that Moon Stones only work on certain Pokémon.
Also, Seymour is pretty poetic, but those poems of his are kind of distracting. And he monologues. A lot. And also seems to think Pokémon came from space in the Moon Stone.
...There are extraterrestrial Pokémon, like Deoxys, but somehow I doubt they came in a meteor. This isn't exactly Final Fantasy V. Still though, Seymour has his heart in the right place. He just wants to make sure the Moon Stone stays with the Pokémon.
Then a Clefairy skipped by, holding a rock that looked like a Moon Stone. The evolutionary stone, not the meteorite. Ash wanted to catch it, but Seymour stopped him. I contemplated catching it myself, but I figured I probably shouldn't.
One thing I was wondering about though, was the Fairy type. Clefairy was changed from Normal-type to Fairy-type in Gen VI. I wonder what that means if Abilities and later-Gen moves are popping up in this timeframe. Will the Mt. Moon Clefairy be Normal-type or Fairy-type?
Anyway, Clefairy got cornered by Meowth of all Pokémon. Considering he only knows Fury Swipes, he's not really all that threatening. Then again, it's not like Clefairy knows that. I was going to express (mock) shock at the talking Meowth...but considering Brock or Seymour didn't even react, I didn't bother. Of course, the mention of troublemakers immediately summoned Jessie and James on the scene. Then they-
...Okay, honestly? I didn't really contribute much of anything at all. Don't get me wrong, I helped! But I didn't really do anything special at all. I was just...there. That kind of bothers me for some reason.
Still, Cerulean is next, and that means Badge #2! Better start planning…
Sigh...brand new day, and yet again Ash tries to leave me behind. I don't get it, Misty I can understand, but why me?!
Anyway, the team's all met each other now, and I've been trying to figure out what new moves to teach them. I thought I might be able to use my new Rock Tomb TM on Nidoran, but after checking the 'Dex, I found out that that wasn't the case. Nidoking can learn Rock Tomb, but not Nidoran. Oi...
Also, I'm a bit worried. There hasn't really been enough time to formulate a strategy against Misty. Staryu and Starmie...Nidoran's Sucker Punch may be of use with Starmie. But for Staryu, I'm going to have to choose carefully between Eevee and Spearow. Terrain is also a big thing, as the gym is a pool. ...Yeah, sorry, Eevee, but I'm going with Spearow. But Misty knows everyone's moves, so...
Gah! I don't have enough time! Meanwhile, Misty was trying to dissuade Ash from going to Cerulean by saying that the town was filled with Ghost Pokémon. "I thought that was Lavender," I interjected. Misty winced at that, then tried to convince Ash to go to Vermillion instead. Egh...Lt. Surge. He's only going to be using that Raichu of his, but that thing is tough. I really don't think that thing should be on a low-Badge team. Ironically, I'm more prepared for him than Cerulean because of the Ground-type moves my Pokémon know.
...Well as things ended up going, we left Misty behind and continued to Cerulean, Ash commenting that he needed more Badges. "Hey, Brock, do you happen to know who Cerulean's Gym Leader is?" I wondered. After all, he didn't say anything regarding Misty.
"Not really. We might share the same title, but Gym Leaders don't usually leave their towns behind. Most of us don't really know the others that well," he explained. You know, I never thought of it that way. Makes a bit of sense. Gym Leaders need to accept matches from challengers, and it reflects badly on them if they can't. So not being able to leave that often makes sense.
...I'm still panicking though.
Well, we were at Cerulean. It's a nice place, but there's not much to really say. I'm a bit too worried about the match right now. I'm not really expecting to get that far in the League or anything, but I don't want to not try! Which means I need to get Badges. Although, I guess I don't have to get the same Badges that Ash gets. ...Nah, it would be too weird for me. And I don't think he passes by any other officially sanctioned Gyms anyway.
There was a ruckus at this one store, since someone had stolen a giant vacuum last night. I knew it had to be Team Rocket...because even if I didn't know how this episode went, it's Team Rocket. Invariably, they're the ones responsible for any ruckus. The local Officer Jenny was immediately suspicious of us, since we had just come into town, but a quick showing of Dexes and Badges managed to get her off our case.
I mentioned Team Rocket's name to her, and she immediately got infuriated, running off. I guess she really hates them for whatever reason. Course, before that happened, Brock tried to get dinner with her. Dude, you're what, 15? She's probably in her mid-20s or something. I don't know, I'm no expert in telling.
"Anyway, are you sure you don't know anything about the Gym Leader here, Brock?" Ash wondered.
"Well, I do know the Type they specialize in. But I'll let you find out yourself," Brock teased.
"Why not?" Ash asked indignantly.
"Hey, I'm a Gym Leader too. It's out of respect, you understand."
"That's great and all, but if we're really going to the Gym, shouldn't we go now?" I wondered.
"Oh, right," Ash remembered.
We walked along, looking for the Gym. Brock said he had stuff he wanted to look up, so he'd catch up later. Probably Officer Jenny's phone number...
Anyway, we continued searching. I had the map, as there was no way I was letting this guy navigate. We eventually came across it.
"...It looks like a circus tent with a giant Dewgong plastered on it," I said in a deadpan tone.
"Well, let's go!" Ash declared rushing forward. Before he could, I managed to grab the back of his jacket and get him to stop.
"Hold on there, Leeroy Jenkins, do you even have a plan?" I demanded.
"Why should I tell you?" Ash questioned.
"I'm sorry, who got the Boulder Badge in one try as opposed to two?"
"Err..."
"Yeah, that's what I thought." I sighed. "Look, Ash, Gym Leaders are tougher than your run-of-the-mill Trainers. Improvising is all well and good, but you do need at least some kind of plan," I pointed out.
"Of course I have a plan!" Ash declared, looking a bit shifty. Uh-huh.
"Alright, what is it?" I questioned.
"Pikachu!" Ash proclaimed. Said Mouse Pokémon wasn't paying attention to us at the time, until Ash mentioned him. Then he looked at us like "What are these morons going on about?"
"Pikachu, huh?" I repeated. "Alright, explain your reasoning," I said, crossing my arms. Ash looked a bit crestfallen, looking around him. I knew it, he wasn't actually thinking.
"Err...because the Gym has a Dewgong on it! And Dewgong are Water-types!" he said, his eyes falling on the Gym.
"And Electric-types have the advantage. Congratulations, you used your brain for once," I teased.
"Hey!"
"But any Gym Leader worth their salt would have counters for something as obvious as that." I continued.
"Uh...let's just go!" he yelled, rushing for the Gym. Pikachu ran after him. I sighed. Well, he's getting better at least. Better follow after him.
...Still panicking though.
Anyway, all they had left was a Goldeen that knew Horn Attack. I, like, asked whether we couldn't just wait until the rest of their Pokémon had healed up before we had a battle, but they were, like, totally not into it. ...GAH! They're rubbing off on me!
Okay, okay, calm down. Anyway, they called for their Seel...which I immediately called them out on, but they said Seel wasn't a battler. ...I guess I can accept that. Not all Pokémon want to battle for that matter. Anyway, for whatever reason, Seel was acting as their Badge storage, so he had two Badges on his tongue. They took said badges, and tried to foist them off on us without a fight. Of course, Ash and I both protested that we wanted to earn our Badges instead, but they kept insisting enough that Ash got persuaded.
That's when Misty showed up, protesting what they were doing. She leaped down from where she had been standing in the bleachers...
"Hey, how'd you do that?" I wondered, looking between the bleachers and where she was standing.
"That's not important right now!" she said, brushing me off. She then proclaimed that she'd battle us if they didn't want to, much to Ash's shock. Come on, man, you knew there had to be a reason Misty wanted to avoid Cerulean, right?
Of course, her sisters started belittling her and putting her down...and I couldn't really help myself at that point. My temper snapped.
"Hey! Why the hell are you picking on her?! Aren't you sisters?!" I angrily demanded, glaring at the three elder ones.
Lily, the one with pink hair and closest in age to Misty, scoffed. "Oh come on. Like you wouldn't do the same with your siblings," she said dismissively. ...Gkh! I-I...I can't really deny that. But...
I glared viciously at them. "Maybe I have, but I never really meant it, and they knew that. That's not the point! The point is, you're belittling her just because you don't have faith in her! It's the job of the oldest sibling(s) to always have faith in their siblings, no matter what!" I declared. The only one among the three who seemed to take that to heart was Daisy, who's the only one I actually have a positive opinion on...and the only one whose name I could actually remember off the top of my head since she was in Chronicles.
Anyway, Misty was ready to accept our challenge...except who to go first? Obviously, Ash and I can't both go at once. This isn't the Mossdeep Gym after all.
There was only one way to settle it...
"Rock!"
"Paper!"
"Scissors!"
"SHOOT!"
...
"HAH! Scissors cuts paper!" I crowed, winning the impromptu round of Rock-Paper-Scissors. With that out of the way, I took to the Challenger's side first. "So, how's this going to go?" I questioned. As if I didn't already know...
"Two on two! And remember, you're the only one who can switch!" Misty reminded me.
"I know! Alright...Spearow, it's show time!" I called, sending out the Tiny Bird yet again.
"Misty calls Staryu!" And Misty sent out her Staryu. Off on the sidelines, I heard Ash wonder what it was and pull out his Pokédex. ...You know what, I'll see what mine says when I'm all the way over here.
"Staryu, the Star Shape Pokémon. An enigmatic Pokémon that can effortlessly regenerate any appendage it loses in battle. It appears in large numbers by seashores. At night, its central core flashes with a red light. Staryu have Indeterminate Gender." Well, I expected that...Although it's interesting that it can't tell anything else. I was able to completely scan Brock's Zubat after all. Maybe it has to do with distance? Anyway...
Time to get started! "Spearow, let's start this off with..." Steel's not good on Water... "...Fury Attack!" I ordered. Spearow complied, flying at Staryu with breakneck speed!
...Wait, what's with that smirk on Misty's face? "Staryu, counter with Swift!" she ordered. Uh oh...Spearow was going too fast to dodge, not that it matters in this case, and the Swift hit him head on.
"Spear!" Spearow cried out in pain, forced to disengage. Although, something feels off.
"It kind of looks like Spearow took more damage than he should have," I mused. "What-?"
"You couldn't possibly know, of course, but Staryu's Ability is Analytic!" Misty declared in pride. Wait...Analytic? What does that do again? ...Oh great.
"Analytic? That increases the power of Staryu's moves when it goes last in a confrontation!" I said in shock.
"Yep!" Misty chirped. This'll be tricky. If I go first, then Analytic will increase Swift's power, which she's sure to use. If I don't, Staryu'll get the jump on me. What do I do?
...Screw it. I'll just make sure it doesn't hit! "Alright, Spearow, let's go with Peck! But be careful," I cautioned.
"Row!" Spearow cawed, flying forward to attack.
"Water Gun!" Misty declared. From the tip of its star-shaped body, Staryu shot out a jet of water. However, this is good, as this is not an attack that's never-miss!
"Dodge it!" I yelled. Spearow dodged between the Water Gun blasts, swooping in to attack Staryu with Peck. That did some damage, but Spearow also got nicked by a Water Gun that sent him flying off-kilter. "Spearow, you alright?!" I asked in concern.
"Spear-row!" the Tiny Bird said, waving off the concern.
...I didn't want to have to do this, but it looks like I don't have a choice. "Spearow, Drill Run for the win!" I declared. Yet again, Spearow looked taken aback, before spinning into the drill. Okay, there's got to be a reason for that.
Anyway, Misty panicked. "Staryu, Water Pulse!" she ordered. Wait, Water Pulse?! ...I guess that is the move she gives out in the Gen III games, so it makes sense.
The Water Pulse hit Spearow straight on, but his drilling motion and speed meant that he barreled through despite that, impacting Staryu. A brief explosion happened, before revealing an unconscious Spearow and Staryu.
I gritted my teeth at this. I was hoping that Spearow would have been able to wear Starmie down as well, but that's a pipe dream at this point.
"You're not half bad, but it's over now! Misty calls Starmie!" Misty declared, sending out the purple Psychic-type Evolution of Staryu.
...Something's telling me that I'm doomed. Damn it! If only I had had more time to prepare! But I can't send Eevee out there with no way to safely traverse the water so... "Nidoran, you're up!"
With that said, Nidoran was sent out..but I'm going to have to get very lucky...
"Starmie, use Water Pulse!" Misty declared.
"Sucker Punch!" I countered. Before Starmie could react, Nidoran vanished and hit it while covered in a black aura. The Dark-type attack was super effective...but it's an unevolved Mon versus one fully evolved. I know that doesn't really matter in the Anime, but I only caught Nidoran a couple of days ago!
Damn it, I should have used Eevee!
Anyway, before I could do anything else..."Confusion!" Misty ordered. Nidoran tried to dodge, but to no avail. Starmie picked him up and tossed him back towards me. Psychic-type move used on a Poison-type, only one thing could happen.
Nidoran fainted. I-I lost. "D-Damn it..." I muttered to myself, even as I returned Nidoran. I can't believe it...I tried so hard, and I lost. Is this what people feel around here when they lose? I clenched my fists in frustration.
"Hey, good match!" Misty attempted to cheer me up.
"Yeah..." was the only thing I could say. Misty frowned, but motioned Ash up into place. I walked over to the sidelines morosely. I can't believe I lost!
From there, things went as I remembered the episode going. Ash and Misty had their battle, but all I could think about was my loss.
Course, Team Rocket's appearance snapped me out of that. They were using the vacuum they stole to suck up all the water in the Gym to get at the Pokemon. But the only one they could get was Seel.
I immediately reacted. "Eevee, grab Seel with Quick Attack!" I ordered.
"Vui!" Eevee yelled, using Quick Attack's speed to leap onto one of the floating platforms. Now why I didn't think of that escapes me. Anyway, Eevee grabbed Seel by the scruff of the neck and leaped back to safety. This let Pikachu zap Team Rocket with Thunderbolt, sending them blasting off.
Misty's sisters rewarded Ash for saving the Gym by giving him the Cascade Badge, even though the battle was interrupted. That I expected. I didn't expect...
"Me?" I asked in surprise. Because they were trying to give me the Badge too.
"For saving Seel," Daisy explained. But...
"I lost. I don't deserve it," I shook my head. Suddenly, Misty snatched the Badge they were trying to give.
"I'll take that!" she declared, before turning to me. "We're going to be traveling together for a while. Say the word, and we'll have a rematch, wherever we go," she told me.
I blinked in surprise. "Really?" I asked. Misty nodded, before going over to the wall. She banged on a specific area, opening a secret compartment. And from it, she removed...a TM.
"Even though you lost, take the TM for Water Pulse anyway. Maybe it'll help you get better," Misty told me, handing it over.
I couldn't help but grin in relief. "Thanks, Misty," I said graciously.
Ouch, I lost. But I'm going to get that rematch, for sure! And regardless of losing, I've gotten the TM for Water Pulse, which'll probably help in the future...maybe.