Right, this chapter is super long, I apologise for this but I don't think I could've done this chapter in two parts. Today Blue is going to rebattle the gym leader, but what will Red and Green get up to? Please review honestly!

Chapter 9 – Second Attempts & Bill

I woke up the next morning, refreshed and rather happy. I looked over to Pikachu and Charmeleon, both of which had curled up together for warmth and comfort, and smiled. I then looked up to see Beedrill hovering above me, looking rather refreshed itself, and then I smiled at her too. I looked back to the foot of the bed to see Machop lifting some dumbbells the Pokémon centre had obviously lent to him (it said PC on the handle). I got out of bed and stretched, producing a strange groan at the same time. Machop put down his dumbbell and shook Charmeleon gently awake. Charmeleon yawned loudly and produced a small ember upon the exhale, both of which woke Pikachu up. Pikachu opened her eyes and also yawned. She then stretched her back legs out and shook her head viciously. She then stood up, walked over to me and placed her hands on my knees.
"Pikachu!" she said with a smile. I knew what she was up to…
"Yes, you can go and wake up Blue!" I laughed. Pikachu then fist pumped, walked over to Blue's bed and used Thunderbolt on him. Blue then screeched, jumped up and landed face first on the floor. Charmeleon chuckled at this and Machop went to pick up Blue. It had just occurred to me that I hadn't checked the data for any of my Pokémon, and while Blue dusted off I got out the underused device.
"Charmeleon. This Pokémon is quite calm, but when enraged its tail fire flares up much more than usual, however this can also occur when Charmeleon are exited or nervous. Nature: Relaxed. Level: 26. Moves: Ember, Fire Fang, Metal Claw, Smokescreen." I was quite proud of this and turned the Pokédex to Pikachu and she pricked her ears up to see what it had to say about her.
"Pikachu. This Pokémon can sometimes get what appear to be colds, but are in reality overcharge in their cheek pouches. Nature: Jolly. Level: 27. Moves: Thunderbolt, Electro Ball, Extremespeed, Slam." Pikachu jumped for joy when she heard it, pleased with the analysis. I then pointed the Pokédex at Beedrill and she dropped lightly on to the bed, so that I don't have to hold the Pokédex upwards the entire time.
"Beedrill. These usually form large colonies in deeply wooded areas, such as Viridian Forest, and raise their young there. However, this can be trouble as they can sometimes claim territory that is already somebody else's." Beedrill looked slightly upset by this.
"Don't worry, you don't follow the stereotype. I think you're wonderful!" I comforted. Beedrill looked very content with what I said and continued to listen.
"Nature: Quiet. Level: 24. Moves: Twineedle, Fury Attack, Poison Sting, Bug Bite." I then turned to Machop to see his data.
"Machop. These Pokémon are usually found training by punching rocks on the floor or on a solid cave wall. This allows the Pokémon to be able to master their strength and endurance. Nature: Serious. Level: 27. Moves: Ice Punch, Karate Chop, Seismic Toss, Revenge."

"So, are you done playing with your toy?" asked Blue. I looked up from the device and saw Blue, fully dressed and raring to go. "Besides, I thought you had to meet the fossil boy?"
"AH! I forgot!" I shouted, scaring all my Pokémon with my sudden outburst. I quickly got dressed, threw on my jacket and sped out of the room. Green was waiting for us in the reception area with the boy from Mt. Moon and she saw us, and then promptly pointed at her watch. I ran over to meet them and Blue waved goodbye to us.
"Where is he going?" asked the boy. I still felt impolite to not know his name and sat down with him and Green.
"He's going to the gym to battle the leader again. He lost yesterday…" I quietly said. "I know this is a bit off topic, but what is your name?"
"My name is Zachary. You can call me Zach if you want," he announced. "What are your names?"
"I'm Greg, but please, call me Red. The one who just left was Tom, but he'd want you to call him Blue. And this is Green. I can't tell you her real name because…"
"I HATE it!" Green interrupted. "Sorry for shouting. By the way, what are you doing with your Pokémon? We're going to challenge the Pokémon league in Indigo Plateau!"
"Well, I left last year actually. I was planning on taking on the league last year, but I only got my 5th badge by the time it came to application. So I now work as a junior scientist for the Cinnabar Island laboratory of prehistoric Pokémon," he recited carefully. Both me and Green looked at each other in approval and got up to leave. "So, where are you going today?" Zach asked.
"With any luck, Vermilion City," I responded.

I headed up to the north of Cerulean City to find a rather bright and shiny bridge with trainers strewn across it. I met a rather strange man at the beginning of the bridge and he shook my hand. He had a rather unnatural-looking fat body and a thin neck.
"Hello and welcome to Nugget Bridge! If you all manage to defeat the trainer allocated to each of you, you'll be able to cross the bridge, but most importantly you'll be able to claim this wonderful prize!" he quickly spouted. He reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a small golden lump. "This Nugget!"
"What's so great about a Nugget?" I asked.
"You shall face this Bug Catcher," he said, pulling me to one side of the bridge whilst simultaneously ignoring my question. He then turned to Green and pulled her in front of a Picnicker. Zach then stepped in front of the Hiker.
"You shall all compete in a triple battle against these three trainers. The trio that wins gets a trio of Nuggets. You get to use one Pokémon each, so choose wisely. Also, dodging won't be possible with the limited space. Begin!"

"Alright, go Geodude!" said the hiker. The bug catcher silently sent out a Parasect and the picnicker waited for us to send out our Pokémon.
"Alright, let's use our starters, OK?" I asked. The other two nodded and we all sent in our first Pokémon. Charmeleon ran on to the battlefield and growled at the opponents. Ivysaur walked out on to the bridge calmly and bowed a little and the Poké ball for Zach's starter opened up and out came a greeny yellow quadruped with a leaf on top of its head and a vine-like collar.
"Alright, let's go Meowth!" announced the picnicker. Meowth sprang out of the Poké ball and hissed.
"Razor Leaf!" screamed both Green and Zach at the same time.
"Use Ember, Charmeleon!" I ordered. Charmeleon sprayed small spits of fire at the opponents and the combined Razor Leaves cut up the opponents badly. Geodude fainted due to weakness and Parasect looked very tired.
"Spore…" said the bug catcher quietly.
"Use Pay Day, Meowth," sang the picnicker. Meowth showered Charmeleon with coins and he recoiled from the attack. Ivysaur fell asleep from Parasect's attack and wouldn't wake up.
"Wake up!" cried Green. Ivysaur stayed sleeping and Green sighed.
"Use Body Slam, Bayleef!" shouted Zach. It jumped above the Meowth and smashed its body into the ground. When Bayleef got up Meowth had swirly eyes and had to be withdrawn from battle.
"Alright, let's finish this with Fire Fang!" I confidently ordered. Charmeleon ran over to the Parasect with his teeth on Fire and bit down on the mushroom. Parasect flailed its pincers in the air for a second, and then slumped down on the ground. It was already over.

"Wow! That was quite the spar. OK, here you go. A Nugget each," said the strange man, handing each of us a golden lump. "You know, with your talents you could become big in Team Rocket. Will you join us?" he suddenly asked.
"No," we all said in unison.
"Please?"
"No!"
"You could all become executives!"
"NO!"
"Fine…" he said coldly. He took off his jacket and t-shirt to reveal the jacket of Team Rocket. "If you won't come voluntarily, I'll take you by force. Go, Ekans and Sandshrew!"
"Charmeleon, use Ember on Ekans!" I quickly retorted. Charmeleon spat out tiny globs of fire and caused Ekans to reel back.
"Use Poison Sting and Scratch on Ivysaur!" shouted the man. Sandshrew jumped on Ekans and it swiftly slithered over to Ivysaur. Ekans then opened its mouth and released a swarm of tiny needles. Sandshrew then jumped off of Ekans' back and slashed Ivysaur across the face.
"Ivysaur, are you OK?" asked Green. Ivysaur roared in response and Green got her game face back. "Alright, then use Leech Leaf!" she ordered. Ivysaur spat out some seeds from her bulb and some leaves from her back, causing the seeds to fall on the leaves and get cut into the enemies, allowing more health to be drained. Ivysaur's wounds mostly healed, but Ekans looked very tired. Sandshrew on the other hand was looking very healthy.
"Use Dig!" ordered the Rocket member. Sandshrew shovelled his way underground and Charmeleon looked very confused.
"Watch out! Jump up and use Ember again!" I quickly shouted. Charmeleon jumped up very high indeed and breathed out a quick burst of fire, enveloping Sandshrew and causing him to faint. Charmeleon landed heavily and faced the Rocket member, folding his arms in the process.
"NO! Use Poison Jab, Ekans!" screamed the Rocket member. Ekans slithered over to Charmeleon with its tail glowing deep purple.
"Ivysaur, stop it with Vine Whip!" Green shouted. Ivysaur extended a vine from its back and slapped Ekans hard across the face with it, causing it to faint. Ivysaur let her bulb spin for a second before posing.

"Ha, you showed him!" cheered Zach. The Team Rocket member just gawked at how easily he lost and ran back to Cerulean. We all continued along the path until…
"Whoa! That Pidgey looks… different. I'd like to catch it. Is that OK?" I asked Green and Zach.
"Well, you spotted it first. Good luck!" agreed Green. Zach nodded along with Green's words and I thanked them.
"Alright, go Machop!" I shouted. The Pidgey turned around to look at the challenger and flapped its green wings in intimidation. "Use Seismic Toss on the Pidgey!"
"Pidg-Pidgey!" screeched Pidgey as it flapped its wings hard. Machop fought through the Gust and jumped upwards, grabbed Pidgey and threw it into the ground. Pidgey stood up, dazed and fatigued.
"Watch out, that Pidgey looks to be a lower level," suggested Zach. I nodded and threw a Poké ball at it. The capsule sucked in the Pidgey and shook 1… 2… Pop! The Pidgey broke out of the ball and sparkled.
"I think that Pidgey is shiny! Catch it!" shouted Zach. I threw another Poké ball at it and it sucked the Pidgey inside. 1… 2… 3… Pop! The Pidgey broke out again and sprayed sand in Machop's face.
"Come on," I thought as I threw another Poké ball at Pidgey. 1… 2… 3… Ping!
"Yes!" shouted Zach. I turned and raised an eyebrow whilst chuckling. I then picked up the Poké ball and let Pidgey out. She sparkled as she spread her wings and swooped around the area. I got out my Pokédex to check her data.
"Pidgey. These Pokémon tend to live in harmony with Rattata and prefer not to fight. However, they are pretty capable fighter when it comes down to the wire and will defend their trainer/territory with their lives. Nature: Sassy. Level: 14. Moves: Gust, Sand-Attack, Tackle, Quick Attack. This Pokémon is shiny."
"What does it mean when a Pokémon is shiny?" I asked Zach.
"It means that its colour is different. But, shiny Pokémon are incredibly rare. I haven't seen one since the incident with the Lake of Rage… and that was on telly," Zach explained. Pidgey then swooped down on to my shoulder and cooed. Pikachu jumped up on to my other shoulder, greeted Pidgey and balanced herself with her paw on my hat. I made sure they were settled and continued onwards.

We soon arrived at a building in a nihon jutaku style with a homemade sign outside that read 'gym'. We all walked in to see a few Pokémon using the gym equipment and a Sandslash diving into the pool.
"So, you think you can take on my gym? If I win again, it'll be my 100th, and as such I'll take on the Pokémon league," announced a trainer from above.
"I'd like to think so," I voiced. Sandslash jumped out of the pool and stood menacingly until its trainer stepped down from above.
"Well, let's see if you can take down my Sandslash with your starter," replied the trainer. "The name's AJ by the way."
"Alright AJ, I accept your challenge. Charmeleon, use Flame Burst!"
"Into the pool!" ordered AJ. He then swirled his finger in a circular motion and Sandslash started to spin in the water, sending jets of water into the battlefield and Sandslash used a makeshift Aqua Jet.
"Dodge it and use Flame Burst again!" Charmeleon tried to dodge, but Sandslash was just too fast. Charmeleon was slammed into the wall, but he quickly got up and shot a burst of fire. Sandslash fell backwards and extended its bright red quills.
"Use Stone Edge!" shouted AJ. Sandslash fired a volley of stones.
"Duck and use Fire Claw!" I quickly spouted. Charmeleon ducked then extended his claws. He gave them a metallic sheen and used Flame Burst on them. He then scored Sandslash's skin, causing a burn, and AJ stamped his foot.
"Argh! Use Gyro Ball!" barked AJ. Sandslash curled up tightly and rolled very quickly towards Charmeleon, his body turning metallic.
"Jump and use Fire Fang," I ordered. Charmeleon jumped up and Sandslash skimmed him. His teeth then became fiery and he bit down on his quills. Sandslash cried out and pointed its quills, making Charmeleon jump up in pain.
"Quick, use Flame Burst!" I spouted. Charmeleon quickly shot a longer burst of flame than usual and Sandslash reeled back in pain, falling into the pool in the process. AJ twisted his finger again and Sandslash used his makeshift Aqua Jet again. Charmeleon got slammed into the wall again and struggled to get up. He did, but his legs were slightly wobbly, however, his tail flame looked brighter than ever.
"Flame Burst, one last time," I said to Charmeleon. He opened his mouth and out came a huge blast of fire, scorching Sandslash, and as such made it faint. I smirked.

AJ just looked at Sandslash in disbelief and fell to his knees, his mouth agape in shock.
"I spent 4 years training that Pokémon. Why did I have to lose to another trainer with a Pikachu?" asked AJ. I did feel sorry for him, after all I'd just lost him his win streak, but I was glad to have shown him to take action before it's too late.
"AJ, I may have won, but you have a lot of skill," I started. AJ looked up at me in disbelief. "Everybody loses sometimes. I think you'd braver to challenge the Pokémon league than you would be if you waited for another win streak."
"R-really?" stuttered AJ. He'd obviously not been spoken to like this before and blinked a rather large amount.
"Really. I expect to see you in the Indigo Plateau conference," I announced. I shook AJ's hand as he got up, gave Green and Zach a subtle smile and left the gym.
"Don't worry about him, he's just passionate about making sure people don't chicken out of things," sang Green.
"I'll show you. I'm not a chicken!" shouted AJ as he stuck his chest out. Green waved goodbye and Zach wished AJ good luck as they left the gym.

We headed away from the gym and continued along the path for a while, taking in the afternoon air. Green gave me and Zach some Oran Berry marmalade sandwiches. We munched these down as we scanned the area for any signs. We stopped all of a sudden when we arrived at a cliff.
"I think we're lost," said Green. We all nodded and looked at each other in wild desperation whilst we worked out what to do.
"E-excuse me… could you help me?" asked a voice behind us. We turned to see who spoke and saw a Clefairy, but nothing else.
"Was that you who spoke?" I asked the Clefairy. Green looked at me like I was crazy and Zach just stared at the Clefairy.
"Yes, I'm a Pokémon. Wait, no I'm Bill, the creator of the box system," said the Clefairy. I looked at it in great disbelief and 'Bill' sighed heavily and waved his hands dismissively. "I'm not joshing you pal. I was conducting another experiment with the transportation of Pokémon and humans, and my DNA got mixed up with this Clefairy's. Look, come to my house and help me out. My PC has the transporter loaded on it, just press the button and it should undo it all."
"OK, I'll help. However, if it turns out you are messing with me, don't expect any more help," I said. Bill led the way to his house with Green and Zach still looking sceptical. I opened the door for him (being a Clefairy, he was too short) and walked to his PC. I looked steadily at the screen, becoming ever dizzier the more I looked at it.
"All you need to do is press the 'enter' key when I get in the transporter and the door has completely shut," explained Bill. Bill and Green walked over to the transporter door and Bill got into the machine. Green gave me a nod when the doors had shut fully and I pressed the key. Lots of whirring and vibrations came from the machine and lots of lights flashed on and off. It then stopped just as suddenly as it had started and the left hand door opened with plenty of steam flooding the room. Out of the door came the not-so-looming figure of Bill as a human and he stood tall (now that he could).
"Thank you ever so much," said the familiar voice of Bill. This confirmed for me that it really was Bill as the Clefairy and Charmeleon opened his mouth in disbelief. I put of my hand. Bill shook it heartily and left in my hand a piece of paper.
"It's a ticket for the S.S. Anne. They invited me to judge the tournament that'll take place, but I refused due to my research. You can take everybody you're travelling with, no problem," explained Bill. "Strange, I refused a party on the S.S. Anne about 6 years ago… I ended up giving the ticket to a kid who helped me in the same scenario."

We left Bill's house largely satisfied with the detour we'd happened to have taken and headed back the way we came to meet up with Blue after his second gym battle. We all waved to AJ as he took his gym sign down from outside his house and we all arrived in Cerulean City as the sun was beginning to set.
"Where the heck have you all been!" shouted Blue from the Pokémon centre as he ran over to us enraged. Pidgey hid behind my head by nestling into my bag and Pikachu
"We just went to see what Vermilion was like before we all went there," stammered Green. Zach looked at the ground in shame and I stayed stood upright, after all we'd done the right thing… right?
"I have been looking for you for ages!" Blue shouted. "You went to go to Vermilion without me?!"
"No, we just went to see what it was like. Turns out, we went the wrong way," I said quietly. "We got a ticket for all of us to participate in the S.S. Anne tournament!"
"Fine, we'll head out tomorrow," said Blue coldly. We all headed into the Pokémon centre rather slowly and headed into the rooms Blue had booked us.
"So, tell me more about the tournament, and how you got it," asked Blue as our evening meal was delivered.
"Honestly, we don't know very much about the tournament yet. We just got the ticket, and got told by Bill the tournament is on the S.S. Anne."
"Bill? You mean, PC Bill?" asked Blue, his eyes getting ever wider.
"Yes, we helped him reverse the effects of the transporter experiment he was doing," I explained. "On another note, have you met my Pidgey?" I asked offhand. Pidgey was still nestled into my bag and I pulled her out, stroked her to calm her down and she looked up at Blue.
"Hello. Sorry for scaring you earlier," said Blue. Pidgey squawked and flew over to Blue, pecking him on the head. "OW OW OW OW OW OW OW! Stop pecking me!"
"PIDGEY!" I shouted. Pidgey stopped and stared, surprised by my raised voice. "Get yourself back over here, NOW!" Pidgey flew back over to me and landed with a soft thump on the bed.
"Is that a shiny Pidgey?" asked Blue. I nodded and he looked at me in despair. "Why do you get the shiny Pokémon? If I could've won that battle yesterday it could have been mine!"
"It's your fault the universe decided to give you the bad karma. You did, after all, catch the Mankey I was going to," I stated, matter-of-factly. Blue sighed and shovelled some of his curry down. I set out the appropriate food for each one of my Pokémon and tucked into my curry, anticipating the arrival of the next day.

A few battles later and already have a sideplot, yay! To anybody who submitted an OC, thank you. Tyhe2476's OC is the one who will be used, but Anonymous who sent in Dan (see the reviews) will have his OC used for AJ's team (albeit mildly adjusted). Ace will be used at another point in the story, but again later.

I will need another OC for the child of the Safari Zone warden they will be meeting in a later chapter, so any submissions will be taken into account (you can submit by either a review, PM or on the forum). Thank you for reading. Don't forget to vote on the poll and post on the forums. See you next time! Bye!

Oh! Before I forget, question for the forum: do you prefer Chespin, Fennekin or Froakie? It'll be nice to hear from you! Smell ya later!