For those forgetful people(like me) here are the teams:
Osaka: Ivysaur(Salad), Magikarp, Ratata
Chihiro: Wartortle(Bubbles), Machop(Fist), Butterfree, Pidgy
Kagura: Charmander?(Dragon), Ghastly(Shade), Pikachu(Bolt)
...
In a certain Cerulean Inn Chihiro and Osaka were preparing for sleep.
"Okay Osaka, we have the money to stay here tonight, but we need the money from beating the Gym Leader, so do your best tomorrow," Chihiro requested of the girl. To be honest, when she compared serself to Osaka, she felt slightly inadequate, even though they only battled back in Viridian. Before this journey she wouldn't have thought anyone could feel inferior to her at anything.
The light in the Inn had already gone out, obscuring the details. The two girls slept in the same bed, being large enough for them to have their own comfortable spots on it. Chihiro had a clear mission in mind for the next day, to capture the pokemon that had been eluding young trainers such as herself. The elusive Abra. As she ran battle scenario through her head, she realized she didn't know much about the pokemon. She'd heard it had the power to teleport, something many found hard to combat. She continued to think about this as sleep came onto her.
...
Kagura was leaning against a fence near the outskirt of the city looking it over. It, like Pewter, was truly a city, something to get used to after living in Pallet. From her position she could see the police station and a hospital, along with urban housing. She had been going to sleep outside, but had learned from her recent folly, and had a plan to prevent theft and attack. It was quite simple really: get Shade to do it. She released Shade from her pokeball.
"Ghosts don't sleep right?" She inquired, Shade shook his head to indicate no, they don't.
"Then you're keeping watch, night." She laid her sleeping bag on the ground and was soon sleeping.
...
At a base out of the city, two men were standing before the large, feline eyes glowing in shadows, being briefed on their mission.
The eyes focused on the first man, "You are recruiting in Cerulean Carl," they then turned to the latter, "You, Blind, are focusing on the mystery of Cerulean Cave, we can only trust the highest of recruits for this."
Blind snapped at the eyes in his gritty voice, "I told you, I am not a member, I work alongside Team D., not as part of it.
"Sure you do, it's cute that you think that."
"What? That is exactly how it-"
"Pencils fly into the promise land in explosions of cheese!"
"I hate you."
...
Chihiro yawned as she woke up. She had decided to trust that Osaka could get around and locate the gym leader just fine, and had decided to leave without notifying the other girl as she slept. She walked through the lobby and out of the building.
The pleasant feelings of morning weren't missed by Chihiro this time around. Pidgy tweeted cheerfully from the trees, and the air had the unmistakable feeling of life that it always seemed to in the mornings of spring. A teleporting pokemon huh? She mused to herself, I need to sneak attack it, and prevent it from escaping then. Having reached her conclusion she released Pidgy and Butterfree from their pokeballs, and starting scouring the hilly region north of cerulean 's city limits. She encountered several pokemon, each being avoided or doing it's own avoiding, before finally spotting Abra, floating above the ground. She quieted at the sight of it, and Butterfree rested on her shoulders as she got a Pokeball our of her bag. The Abra was downhill from her position about halfway to the bottom, and had its back turned, a good spot, she decided.
Pidgy jetted from behind her into Quick Attack as Chihiro launched down scarcely avoiding the meeting of ground to feet and passing by the Abra just after Pidgy hit it and it was on its way to the ground. As she passed mere feet from it, Butterfree unleashed Sleep Powder, and as both entities dropped to the ground Chihiro's pokeball was thrown with a precision that hit Abra directly on its forehead. The Abra was captured with a little difficulty on the pokeballs part. Chihiro landed on her feet coolly. Unnoticed by the girl, Blind was leaning against a sole tree, having watched the entire short spectacle. He began a very audible clapping and started walking from the tree. As he did Pidgy was enveloped in the same light as Bubbles and Salad had been, and grew larger.
Chihiro noted that he was likely approaching middle age, and was quite thin. The normally mundane set of black jacket, white shirt and black jeans somehow gave him an air of variance. Most notably, and drawing her gaze's focus, was his black, but slightly tinted purple hair, along with a stunnignly dark and quite thick blindfold, a D. being stitched where his right eye would normally be.
"Pidgy evolved into Pidgeotto, congratulations" The Pokedex's familiarly small voice cried out as Chihiro returned both of her pokemon to their pokeballs.
"That was pretty good girl, if you improve you might make an excellent pokemon hunter," He claimed as he walked toward her. How can he see anything with that cloth around his eyes? And what's a pokemon hunter, anyway? Chihiro was aware of a number of pokemon related professions, but this wasn't one of them, and the man in front of her didn't appear to have any trouble getting places. Oh, but I can't really ask about the cloth. Maybe he's blind and just had a lot of practice, or he's badly scared from some accident? Asking would probably be rude...
"Surprised you do not know," Blind began, "A poke... first, are you hungry? I would hate to waste this apple." Chihiro neglected to eat breakfast in her haste and excitement to take the challenge of capturing an Abra and was indeed hungry. She gratefully took the apple from his gloved hand and began eating. "Well, a pokemon hunter is someone who devotes their career or even lives to tracking and capturing rare and elusive Pokemon," He began again, "They are often paid good money by pokemon collectors or organizations like the police force to provide pokemon. In my prime, I was a terrific pokemon hunter, if you do not mind my bragging," He continued, "I recognize your potential though, you might really be able to make it in that kind of business." The first thought, for some reason, that came to mind in response was "Looks like I can beat Osaka in something. Wait, what?"
Suddenly Blind's face was taken by a stunned look, one which jolted Chihiro out of thought, "Nice meeting you, but I have to go," He started to leave, but then turned back, "Oh, I did not catch your name, I go by Blind."
"I can see why," She thought before responding, "Chihiro. My name is Chihiro"
Following this Blind dashed away, eventually being lost from view in the hilly area. After watching she headed back to town That man was strange, kind of like that little girl. He's a lot more mysterious though, Not knowing of Kagura's encounter, she believed this to be true. She walked back through the hilly regions, trees, pokemon and trainers all scattered about.
Blind lent against a rugged cave's exterior, talking to a small blond girl in a pink dress.
"Remember, there's always the slim chance we're being watched, so call me #1 while we're here, kay?" The girl requested in her cheerfully carefree voice.
"Well #1, the psionic barrier around the place seems impenetrable, not many know it though, the place is hell to get to. A single pokemon knowing surf, fly and dig is insane."
"Anything new on Team C. or Team D.?"
"Nothing you don't already know I'm afraid to say, but Team D. seems to be recruiting right know."
"That's not a good sign," She thought for a moment, "I see you met Chihiro?"
...
"The challenge of nugget bridge?" Kagura asked the man.
"Yes, you fight four trainers in a row, and get a nugget for each time you win. If you beat them all you fight the final trainer, and have the opportunity to receive the grand prize. Up for it?"
"You bet I am!" The word that had mostly spurred Kagura's enthusiasm was "challenge", not "nugget", as it would have been for most people. Money just didn't seem to hold the same lure when in her position anyway.
She seeped through the four trainers with ease, they were below her skill level, and then she reached the final trainer. It was a man with a orange-yellow jumpsuit which had a D. printed on it, with sunglasses. Both let out their Pokemon immediately. Kagura let her Charmeleon, Dragon, out and the man released a Koffing.
Koffing started with Rollout, which Dragon jumped to avoid, then came by with another, which Dragon combated with Metal Claw. Each jumped back slightly on the bridge, creating a distance suitably for ranged attack . Flamethrower and Shadow Ball clashed, and after a small stagger, the shadows drove the flames aside and knocked Dragon back. Koffing launched sludge, which was dodged by a serious of flips and other acrobat actions by Dragon, who followed with a Smoke Screen, and finished the job with Metal Claw.
"Hah! I win! So what's the grand prize?" Kagura demanded of the man as the smoke cleared, she didn't really care all that much. She battled for adreniline and, to a lesser degree, bragging rights.
The man walked up to Kagura, "You get a very special privilege! You have the opportunity to join Team D.," He informed her, "You won't have to do all that much really. Deliver such and such parcel, catch such and such pokemon or pay so and so a visit. We just need good trainers for it, and there are all kinds of benefits. All the TMs and items, including evolutionary, you could ever need, and a certain power-booster known as Rare Candy. You might not want to show your face before some police stations, but it's just fine.
"Well-" She hastily began, but then paused in mid-sentence "That does sound nice, but avoiding the police? Still, just look at the moves his Koffing knew, I could evolve Bolt and... No it's just to shady. Think about it." The man saw Kagura was still not making a decision, and so started again.
"You might even get your hands on a legendary you know," He stated, "The pokemon who can learn any move, the bird with the power of the sun itself. You'll find us a very respectable organization. The pays terrific also, we sponsored this, and give nuggets away so freely, you see?"
"Legendary? Good money, items and power. It sounds terrific, like he said," A feeling of mixed excitement and caution filled her, "The power, is that really what I won't as a trainer? Avoiding police has an extra tab of adrenaline. It sounds... great" Her mind flashed to her meeting with Shade, and the adventure that led to his capture,"That is what I want as a trainer, I wouldn't trade that for the world." She looked to the man and said what followed very slowly, "I really don't think so, sorry."
"Too bad, you have good potential, this won't be the only offer, just think about it." He then let a smoke bomb drop, and vanished after before the smoke cleared. Loving his flashy exists.
"I'm a great trainer on my own, aren't I?"
...
Chihiro had one more stop to make before returning to the inn, hopefully to find Osaka awaiting her, Torrent Badge in hand. She was expecting a letter, and needed to stop by the post office. She did so late in the evening and she was the only customer present as a result. As Chihiro walked in and approached the counter where a teenager boy with a bit of an acne problem was behind the desk, looking quite bored at this point and focusing on the clock, likely waiting for the time he could return home.
"Hello, it there any mail for Chihiro Inoue?"
"Yes ma'am, I'll get it," He draggedly replied. It had just arrived, and was fresh in his mind. He turned behind him, and took a parcel from a cabinet labeled I. He looked it's exterior over a bit, and then handed it over to Chihiro, honestly feeling sligthly cool that he knew right off, though it was easily explained.
Chihiro opened the letter and began to read it on the spot.
Dear Chihiro,
Glad to hear your doing well, and yes I do still paint, it's relaxing. I think I'll always like star gazing more though. You can't convince me to go off adventuring so easily, but I have considered a few things recently. Have you heard of Pokemon Contest? They're competition for pokemon where they try to appeal to judges in categories like beauty and coolness. It's almost like a new fad for coordinators, that's what the people who have their pokemon compete in the contests are called, become stars like the big time battlers in tournaments. I'm a big fan of someone in the cute section, Miss Sakaki has mastered the art if you ask me, and she's only about our age! The Slateport festival was really fun.
Your Friend,
Kaorin
PS Good luck with the badges!
Chihiro smiled while reading, and also as she took her leave. It was a shame that, even before this adventure, she could only see Kaorin during summer, when visiting her Aunt in Slateport. She was still thinking about her friend as she entered the Inn, and found Osaka holding up the Torrent badge in front of her face.
"Finally, I've been like that for almost two hours," Osaka complained as her arms dropped.
"You really didn't give up on it? I guess that's just how you are Osaka," Chihiro smiled, and then started to giggle, "Even without my brother or Kaorin, it's hardly lonely with Osaka around. She's becoming a good friend.
Her smile was mirrored by Osaka, as she had similar thoughts, "I sure do miss Tomo and Yomi, but Chihiro is fun to hang around with too."
Author's Notes: Yes we didn't focus on Osaka at all, I think I may fall into a habit of including Chihiro and maybe even Kagura as equally important to the story as Osaka or more so. I may rewind next chapter to show Osaka's Gym battle.