Forget Me Not - Chapter two
I'll spare you the boring details about the beginning of our journey. Me and Rune were quite a team; we beat the first two gyms with ease. Us two dominated everyone standing in our way as we progressed through Kanto.
Of course, it wasn't always easy.
By the third gym, we were getting wiped out by every trainer we saw, and don't even get me started on the gym leader. Lt. Surge and his team of electric Pokemon were fainting poor Rune in just a few hits. It was then it dawned on me that I needed to catch more Pokemon if I wanted to make it to the top.
Where are we going, Keiko? inquired Rune, confused as to why I was lurking in the tall grass- he obviously didn't know this was where wild Pokemon could be seen.
"We're going to catch a Pokemon, Rune." I replied, laughing at his silly question. "We're gonna need some help if we want to beat Lt. Surge."
He nodded as we combed through the tall yellow grass, scouting the land for any Rattata or Diglet skittering by. Unfortunetly there was nothing but a couple of Pidgey flying about- but even I knew that a Pidgey wouldn't last a second against any electric type.
Just as I was ready to give up trying, something caught my eye- yellow, digging a small hole in the ground with its tiny white claws. "Look, Rune! Look! What do ya think that is?" I whispered quietly, pointing in the direction of the Pokemon.
He looked, and nodded. That's a Sandshrew, Keiko. They're pretty rare around here.
I grinned at the word rare. Not to mention this would be perfect to beat Lt. Surge with- electric types had nothing on ground types.
"Alright, Rune! Go get that thing!" I exclaimed, and he teleported off my head and in front of the scaly-yellow... thing. The sandshrew looked up at him, staring, and before I could call out a command Rune was tackled into a tree.
"Rune! Use Confusion!" I screamed angrily, glaring at the Sandshrew. Nobody hurts my Abra and gets away with it.
Purple psychic energy began to glow around his paws as he built up power. Almost... almost... He closed his eyes tightly as the energy came flying out of his hands, hitting the Sandshrew and sending it flying backwards. "Shrewwwwww!" it squealed, getting back up quickly.
It charged at Rune with its claws extended, combining a Tackle with Slash. Thinking quick, I shouted out a strategy that me and Rune had used dozens of times before- it was one I thought out while we were battling against Misty, the Cerulean gym leader.
"Rune, use Circle!"
Nodding, he began to materialize into thin air, and with a small pop, he was a few inches next to where he was a few seconds before. He picked up speed, and soon it was as if there were a circle of Abras surrounding the Sandshrew.
Confused, the Sandshrew aimed for one, tackling with all its might- and missed.
He ending up bashing his head on a tree, and getting his claws stuck inside it. "Abra, tackle him until he's weak enough to be captured!" I shouted, taking advantage that the Pokemon was stuck and defensless. Rune tackled his whole bodyweight into it, occasionally blasting him with Psychic until the Sandshrew was extremely low on HP. Grinning, I called Rune back and looked at the Sandshrew, who was panting and whimpering from his battle.
I smiled and grabbed a Pokeball from my belt, tossing it at the ground type nonchalantly. For a few seconds the Sandshrew seemed to struggle; but after half a minute, I heard a faint click, and my smile grew another few inches as fireworks went off in my head- I'd caught my first Pokemon!
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I stared at the ball in my hands for quite some time before I decided to let out my new Pokemon. A red beam of light slowly took the form of a Sandshrew, who was now sitting on the ground, looking quite dazed. I smiled at him as he returned my kind gesture with a piercing glare. However justified it was, I still felt insulted as he turned his head away from me, growling.
"Hey, come on, little buddy! Let's try and be friends, okay?" I grinned as I put my hand out to the Pokemon, who turned to sniff it curiously, and then...
"OW!" I rubbed the bleeding slash on my hand where the Sandshrew had bit me. "What was that for?" I hissed, glaring at him while he snickered mischeviously. I sighed as I got out a bandage from my backpack. "Come on, it was nothing personal. I just wanted to catch you, is all. I want to be your friend." I smiled, looking at him with puppy eyes.
He seemed to reconsider our relationship for a moment, but quickly snorted and turned his head away. "Well, I can at least name you, then." I looked him over, for anything that might suit him for a name. "How about Kin?" I finally said, smiling. "Your scales are so golden... and that's what Kin means. Golden. You like it?"
The Sandshrew looked at me, still glaring. "Shrand." he replied rather crossly, but nodded in agreement. I grinned. "Perfect then! Keiko, Rune, and Kin - bound for destiny!" I exclaimed, as Kin and Rune looked up at me with looks on their faces that said, "What an idiot."
I took off running through the grass as my two Pokemon exchanged glances before chasing off after me, Rune teleporting onto my head as Kin picked up the same pace as me. I smiled down at him, and the Sandshrew looked back up at me angrily. Well, he was following me; it was a start.
The sky was clear and blue, without a cloud to be seen. A perfect day for battling... and beating Lt. Surge! I thought with confidence. With Kin, I could be unstoppable - if he would ever warm up to me. I sighed as I looked down at the golden, shrew-like Pokemon. I was feeling bitter considering he didn't seem to like me. Sure, I had fought against him, but trainers do that all the time, and their Pokemon always warm up to them, right? Right?
I tossed aside the depressing thoughts and continued to run to who-knows-where, with Kin and Rune at my side - er, Rune was actually sitting on my head, but whatever. We eventually stopped as I rested against an oak tree, panting from all the running I'd been doing. I could see the tall, metallic white gym up ahead - so close to the gym. I just needed some rest.
"Hey, you! You've got Pokemon, let's battle!"
I spun around to see a young male with black, messy hair, a red and white jacket on, and a smirk on his face. He looked about my age, and three Pokeballs filled up his belt. Not about to turn down a match and get called a wimp, I nodded and Rune quickly teleported off my head and onto the ground, ready for battle.
"Alright, but don't expect any mercy from me!" I shouted, grinning slyly.
"And don't expect any from me! Go, Poochyena!" He pressed the button on his Pokeball and revealed a small, black, fierce-looking dog-like Pokemon. His yellow eyes glared at Rune as he kicked up the dust behind him. The boy smirked. "Think your Psychic Pokemon can take on my Dark type?"
I glared back at him. "You bet so!" I wasn't going to take being teased from this chump. I would show him - Rune would beat that Poochyena with ease.
"Fine, then. Poochyena, Crunch!" The Poochyena immediatly took off with amazing speed, and crunched his massive teeth into the arm my precious Abra. Rune screamed in pain as the dark-type's grip worsened. Without me having to say anything, Rune blasted the Poochyena off with Psychic. I gasped in horror as I saw that it didn't affect the Poochyena at all - he continued to glare at Rune unaffected.
"Wha- bu- but how!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms into the air. "How on earth did he do that!"
"Surprsied?" scoffed the boy, grinning. "Psychic moves are uneffective on dark Pokemon. Read a book or two and you'd learn that." He chuckled, but not before letting his Poochyena get another bite out of Rune.
Fuming with rage, I clenched my fists watching the Poochyena ripped Rune apart. I finally got an idea after picking through my thoughts. "Rune, Focus Punch!"
Nodding his head weakly, the Abra calmed his mind, clenched his fist, stood up, and...
BAM!
He knocked Poochyena across the field, and the dog-like Pokemon only stopped when he landed back-first into a tree. I grinned, looking at my opponent's nearly-lifeless Pokemon. "Had enough yet?" I said proudly, crossing my arms. The boy just glared at me as he returned Poochyena to his Pokeball and let out another Pokemon - a small, grey, puppet-like creature, with piercing blue eyes.
"Shuppet."
The Shuppet glanced around, eventually fixing his glaze on Rune and glaring. "Shuppet! Shuppet!" it screamed, immediatly racing towards my nearly-fainted Abra. "Ack! Rune, Teleport!" I screamed, and he didn't hesitate. He teleported onto my head as the boy laughed. "What? Is your Abra to weak for my Shuppet? Guess you'll have to use your Sandshrew, but he doesn't look very willing." he chuckled as he pointed to Kin, who had began to kick sand in my direction.
I bent over to Kin and sighed. "Look, Kin, I won't force you to battle, but I'd really appreciate it. I just want us to be friends, okay?" I forced a smile as I patted his head. He looked at me. Then at Shuppet. Me. Shuppet. Me. Shuppet. Me. Shuppet. Eventually, he nodded his head, but didn't change his glare. "Shrew."
I smiled, and he quickly dug a hole in the ground with his extended claws and disapeared underground. Shuppet, confused, began tackling the ground without mercy, looking for Kin - and he found him, only when Kin leaped out of the ground and wrestled the Shuppet down, slashing at him with his ivory claws.
"Shup! Pet! Shuppet! Shuuuu!" squealed the ghost Pokemon angrily. "Shuppet!" With that last word, he began to glow an eerie yellow colour, and rain clouds formed above us. A bolt of thunder came crashing down on the two, blinding me temporarily. I gasped after the smoke cleared.
Kin was unharmed.
I laguhed. "Electricity against a ground Pokemon?" the boy shot daggers at me, but ordered his Shuppet quickly after. "Shuppet, use Will-o-wisp!"
Fire formed around the Shuppet and it quickly launched at Kin, whom landed on the ground, rolling around in pain. "Shrewwwww! Shrewwwwwww!" I glared at the boy again - both Pokemon were down to their last hit points. One final blow could take out either of them - now it was only a matter of speed. "Kin, combine Dig with Quick Attack!" I screamed, and Kin quickly scratched up a hole and appeared under the Shuppet.
Those last final seconds seemed like it was my battle, until...
"Shuppet, Will-o-wisp!"
Fire erupted from the ghost Pokemon like I've never seen before. Black smoke engulfed the two struggling Pokemon as I heard assorted cries of "Shrew!" and "Shup!" When the smoke cleared, only my Sandshrew was left standing, munching quietly on an Oran Berry, with a fainted Shuppet lying at his feet.
"Woohoo! Alright, Kin!" I scrambled over to him and lifted him into the air, hugging him and cheering him on. "I'm so proud, Kin! You won your first official battle!" I looked into his eyes and for once, he looked back, giving me a delighted, "Shrand!" before I set him down and walked towards my opponent.
"Good game, uhh..."
"You can call me Katsu. You know what that means, kid? It means victory. Which naturally describes me perfectly." He smirked, crossing his arms proudly as I rolled my eyes.
"You sure that defines you? I could have sworn that I just kicked your..."
"That was just dumb luck that your Sandshrew found an Oran Berry. He would have never made it otherwise." He snapped back as he recalled his Shuppet back to his Pokeball. I chuckled dryly as I began to walk off, but I looked back when I heard his voice again. "Hey, where are ya headed, anyway?" he called, eventually walking at the same pace with me.
"I'm headed for the Vermillion City gym. Today I plan to beat Lt. Surge with Kin." I replied, grinning at Katsu. He returned my smile with his own, genuine one.
"Well, I'd think it strange that I know your Pokemon's name and not yours. So what would it be, anyway?"
"My name is Keiko. Pleased to meet you." I smiled, grabbing his hand and shaking it.
He nodded thoughtfully. "Well, then, Keiko, I'll just have to beat Lt. Surge before you, won't I?"
I grinned slyly back at him. "I'll consider that a challenge! Katsu, I declare you my official rival!"
"I accept! I'll see you again soon, Keiko!" he smirked, as he took off ahead of me to the Vermillion City gym.
I sighed and let him get ahead as I looked up at Rune. "Looks like we've got another one to add to the group, Rune." I chased off after Ketsu, my sworn rival for life, laughing as we raced towards the gym together...
To be continued...