Big news! It would now appear I have three reviewers for this story, which is awesome.
Back to the point, I don't own Pokemon, and here's Chapter 6.
Chapter 6: Battle for the Grove
"Get ready, everybody!" There was a rush of activity in the grove, everybody responding to the eminent threat. The Caterpie rushed into the bushes and trees, apparently seeking to hide themselves. What few Butterfree there were covered up the Metapod, camouflaging cocoons in an attempt to protect them from harm. Stephen walked over to Scizor, who was directing a group of Caterpie into a nearby tree.
"No offence, Scizor, but shouldn't the Caterpie be hiding somewhere safer than in the trees?" The armored female shrugged, a somewhat sad expression on her face as she replied.
"Zor scizor scizor." Stephen smiled, a conspiratorial grin on his face as he spoke.
"Actually, I'm somewhat glad this is the best you guys could do. I have a couple ideas I would like to lay on you." Scizor listened as Stephen laid out his plan, a smile slowly spreading across her features as she listened.
…..
After Scizor went off to make the preparations, Stephen turned and went back to Peter and Ethan, who were discussing how to best approach the situation.
"I think our best bet is a straight up fight." Ethan was saying. "If we retreat into the forest, we've already given the Beedrill what they want." Peter shook his head adamantly.
"That's ridiculous, Ethan. We wouldn't be able to win a straight up fight against Beedrill! They're way too fast and powerful. We're better off hiding in the forest and using guerilla tactics." As Stephen arrived, Peter looked to him.
"What do you think, Stephen?" The blonde teen thought it over a short while before responding. The buzzing was growing increasingly louder, so he knew there wasn't much time.
"I think both of your ideas make sense, but neither one will work on its own. I think we're going to have to combine both of those to have a shot at this. I've talked to Scizor about some ideas I had, and-" as he was speaking, a small group of Butterfree and Caterpie passed by, carrying an assortment of leaves and vines. Noticing this, Ethan pointed to them as he passed.
"That part of your plans?" Stephen smiled, motioning for the pair to draw closer.
"Alright, guys, this is what I had in mind."
…..
The preparations had just been finished when the Beedrill arrived. Ethan gulped as the giant bees appeared over the trees, each of them fully grown and looking for a fight. In the middle of the grove stood Stephen and Ethan, with Chikorita and Charmander by their respective trainer's sides.
"Chika…" uttered Chikorita, fear flashing across her face. Looking over at the unnerved grass type, Charmander put on a supportive smile.
"Char char mander Charmander char." Smiling at the fire lizard, Chikorita felt the fear begin to drain out of her. Sensing this, Charmander flashed her a thumbs up, looking up to Stephen after Chikorita had nodded her thanks. "Charmander?" The blonde haired teen smiled down at his friend, patting him on the head as he replied.
"Yeah, Charmander, I'm a little scared. But that's nothing to be ashamed of, right?" Looking over to Ethan, Stephen offered his new friend a smile.
"Strange, isn't it? We've known each other only a few hours, and already we find ourselves caught up in some huge plot out of a bad story." Ethan laughed at this, the tension seeming to fall off of his shoulders.
"Before Peter and I met you, we never had anything crazy like this happen to us. I'm half inclined to ditch you the first chance I get." Laughing, the two teens turned back to the issue at hand. Currently, the largest of the Beedrill, most likely the leader, was flying down to meet the old Butterfree. The pair stopped about ten yards apart, each staring evenly at the other. The voice returned to Stephen's mind as the Butterfree spoke.
"I ask you one last time to reconsider. We can share the grove, there's no need for violence!" The Beedrill shook its head adamantly. Although the blonde teen couldn't understand what it said next, he could tell it was something about the Beedrill being unwilling to share anything. Shaking its head, the old Butterfree replied with great remorse.
"Then you leave us no choice." At these words, the Beedrill attacked. The old Butterfree barely had time to dodge out of the way as one of the Beedrill's stingers shot into the space where the elder had just been. In response to the attack, the old Pokemon's eyes began to glow, and it shot a powerful beam of psychic energy at its assailant, catching it squarely in the side. However, Stephen and Ethan were unable to see anymore of the fight, as the swarm of Beedrill had chosen to attack when their leader had. Stephen waited until the majority was near the trees, and then gave the order.
"Ok, everybody, go now!" At his word, the blonde haired teen's plan became apparent. From the trees, numerous Caterpie poked out their heads, unleashing String Attacks at the enemy swarm and neatly ensnaring a hefty amount. Those who avoided the sticky string were met by the second layer of defense, which was courtesy of the Butterfree. Taking large leaves, the Butterfree had created bags filled with their Sleeppowder and Stun Spore attacks. These leaf bags were now being hurled at the Beedrill from the trees by makeshift slingshots fashioned out of rubbery vines and by Stephen's Machop, who was hitting every single bee he threw at. However, there was not enough Caterpie or powder bags to stop all the Beedrill, and a sizeable amount found their way past the two layers of defense. And so it came down to the final stand.
"Alright, attack!" The few Butterfree there were sped out of the forest, launching attacks at the Beedrill varying from Gust and Tackle to Stun Spore and Psybeam. The Beedrill were caught off guard by the surprise attack, but quickly recovered before their losses became too great. As the Pokemon began to duke it out in the sky, a flash of red shot across the grove, and a Beedrill fell to the ground, completely unconscious. As another one turned to see what the red thing was, a blast of water hit square in the back and sent it to the ground. When two more Beedrill tried to find the source of these surprise attacks, they were rewarded with a stout log to the face, hurled by the now smiling Machop.
"Look sharp, Stephen, we've got company." Ethan's words caused Stephen to tear his eyes away from the awesome battle raging overhead. Currently bearing down on the pair and their Pokemon were two large Beedrill, each of them looking eager to knock some heads for their downed comrades. Smiling, Stephen looked down at his Charmander.
"Ok, buddy, let's show those Beedrill what happens when you mess with us. Use Ember!" Charmander nodded and unleashed the fire attack, which caused the Beedrill to break off their reckless charge while at the same time singing one Beedrill's side. Ethan called out an order to Chikorita.
"Alright, Chikorita hit them with Razor Leaf!" The grass type planted her feet and rotated the leaf on her head, shooting a number of sharp leaves at the two Beedrill. A sudden idea came to Stephen.
"Charmander, quick use Ember on Chikorita's Razor Leaf." Nodding his understanding, the fire lizard shot another burst of flame, this time aimed at Chikorita's attack. As the fire hit the Razor Leaf, Stephen's idea became apparent to Ethan, making the black haired teen smile.
"Great idea, Stephen! Razor Leaf is almost completely ineffective against Beedrill, but with Charmander's Ember providing an extra kick, this attack will really do some damage!" No sooner had the words left Ethan's mouth then had the flaming Razor Leaf hit home, dealing serious damage to the Beedrill. As the two Pokemon fell to their ground and began to rise, Stephen issued a final order to his orange friend.
"Alright, Charmander, let's finish this with Ember!" Nodding, Charmander unleashed the flaming ball for the third and last time of the battle, knocking the two Beedrill out. Charmander turned to Chikorita, grinning and flashing her a thumbs up, complimenting her on a great battle. Chikorita responded with a happy smile, blushing slightly at the fire lizard's praise. Ethan and Stephen gave each other a high five, and then turned to see how the battle was going.
"Oh man…" The battle wasn't going nearly as well for the Butterfree as it had for Chikorita and Charmander. Even with the guerilla attacks from Totodile, Machop, and Scizor, the Beedrill still had the Butterfree severely outnumbered. Meanwhile, the old Butterfree was battling fiercely with the Beedrill leader, but it was apparent that the old Pokemon was tiring quickly, and unless something happened soon, it appeared that the battle would be lost. And that's when it happened.
"What's that?" Ethan asked, gesturing to a while light that was shining from behind a clump of grass. In answer to his question, the grass suddenly flew apart to reveal a Metapod with a giant hole in it. And out of that hole climbed a brand new Butterfree. The battle stopped with the new arrival, and suddenly everybody noticed that white lights were shining everywhere. Before one could really realize what was happening, a large amount of the Metapod completed their metamorphosis. Stephen stared in awe as the new Butterfree took to the sky, their numbers easily greater those of the Beedrill. When the large bees realized this, they also realized that their chance of winning and reclaiming the grove had just erupted in their face. Sighing deeply, the Beedrill leader turned to the old Butterfree, bowing his head in gesture of surrender. The old Butterfree took a deep breath to steady his breathing before responding.
"Now leave this grove, and do not return. We offered you friendship, and you chose violence. Leave before we decide to make a similar mistake." Nodding its head, the Beedrill leader signaled for his followers to leave. After picking up their unconscious and incapacitated comrades, the invading force flew away from the grove, all intentions to claim it as their own thoroughly crushed. Soon after the Beedrill had left, a loud cheer emanated from the grove.
…..
"I can't believe we won." Stephen, Peter, Ethan, their Pokemon, Scizor, and the old Butterfree were currently sitting in the middle of the grove. It had only been five minutes since the end of the battle, but the energy lost in the fight seemed to have magically returned to all those present. Small groups of Caterpie scampered about the grove, playing games in celebration of the victory. The newly evolved Butterfree were moving the Metapod who hadn't evolved back into sight, the danger posed by the Beedrill no longer there. Meanwhile, other Butterfree were reenacting the battle for the amusement of the Caterpie, and still others were using their wings to swirl powder in pretty patterns in the sky. Smiling at the celebrations, Ethan turned to Stephen.
"Well, I think the biggest thanks goes to Stephen. If not for his strategies, I don't think we would have won here today." Stephen smiled and waved the compliment.
"I don't think so, Ethan. It was a team effort, and don't forget that those Metapod evolving when they did was the true key to victory." Peter shook his head at the blonde teen's words.
"Don't be so modest, Stephen. While it's true that the evolved Butterfree made victory possible, they wouldn't have been much help if we had lost before they came. Your plans were the perfect thing to even the odds." Stephen blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his head.
"Well, I guess. Still, you guys were all great. Ethan, Chikorita was awesome in that fight against the Beedrill." The grass type looked up from the conversation she was having with Charmander, smiling at the praise from the blonde teen. Letting her get back to her talk with his fiery friend, Stephen turned to Peter.
"And Peter, the guerilla attacks were flawless. Totodile, Scizor, and Machop complimented each other perfectly." The three Pokemon exchanged glances at their names, each smiling at the part they had played in the victory. Stephen smiled happily at the camaraderie that was present in the group, and part of him wished the moment could last forever: Charmander and Chikorita smiling happily at each other, Machop and Totodile nudging each other playfully with their elbows, Scizor and Peter exchanging happy smiles; it was all just so perfect. Yet, the blonde teen realized that it would have to end soon. The old Butterfree's voice returned to his mind.
I sense in you a strong desire to continue on your journey. Stephen blinked, but soon found himself smiling at the old Pokemon, nodding his head solemnly.
"Yes, I would like to get going again. It's not that I don't enjoy being here, because I do. It's just…" Stephen's voice trailed off, causing the old Butterfree to smile.
"There is no need to explain, my friend. The urge to travel and chase one's dreams is dominant in one's youthful years. I wish you luck on your journey, and I am positive that you are destined for great things." Smiling, Stephen stood up and brushed himself off, turning to his friends as he spoke.
"Well, do you guys feel like hitting the road?" Ethan and Peter nodded their heads, standing up and stretching as they did so. Stephen turned back to the old Butterfree and bowed respectfully. "It has been an honor to meet you." The old Pokemon smiled at this.
"The honor was all mine, Stephen. And though I will never be able to thank you enough, I hope you enjoy the gift I have given you." When the teen's face showed nothing but confusion, the old Pokemon pointed to his head. "I have instilled in your psyche the ability to understand the Butterfree. Everywhere you go; it shall serve as a sign that you are a true friend to our species." Stephen didn't know quite what to say.
"I…um, thank…it's a true honor. Thank you." Turning from the old Pokemon, Stephen found his friends ready to go.
"Ready to go, guys?" Ethan and Peter nodded, and together the trio and their Pokemon began to exit the grove. However, they had just reached the edge of the clearing when a voice called after them.
"Scizor!" The group turned around to see Scizor rushing after them. Stopping a few feet away, the red Pokemon looked Peter straight in the face, and then bowed respectfully. "Scizor zorzor scizor?" Peter blinked a couple of times at this.
"You-you want to come with me?" The red female nodded her head, gesturing around the grove. Peter understood immediately. Her job was done here, as the grove no longer needed her services as a guardian. So, not knowing where else to go, the steel and bug type had chosen to travel with him. Smiling, Peter pulled out a poke ball and enlarged it.
"Scizor, it would be wonderful to have you along." Smiling, Scizor stood perfectly still as Peter threw the poke ball at her, continuing her utter lack of resistance as the ball wobbled back and forth and then finally stopped. Peter bent down and picked up the poke ball, letting Scizor out so she could walk with them through the forest and serve as a guide.
Smiling and waving goodbye to their friends in the grove, the group, along with the new addition of Scizor, continued on their way to Pewter City, eager to see how much more could happen in the remainder of their first day.
…..
Well, what did you guys think of the battle? I liked the way it turned out, personally.
The updates will come slower now, but I still hope to have one a week.
Anyways, please remember to review/question/suggest with that little button down there.
Enjoy and see you next time!