Its been 4 days since start of journey. After leaving Viridian I headed north on route 2. This path connect viridian and Viridian forest and then Pewter. Usally trainers starting from Viridian city take this path and challenge pewter city gym leader Brock know for being newbie friendly, then cross Mt moon after that either go to vermillion or celadon or start challenge minor gyms. Obviously they don't challange Cerulean gym even if they are newbie friendly because they specialize in water type and Viridian trainers have ground starter so it makes sence to skip it or come back when they have right pokemon.
I have decided to not take this path because I want to be different then all the others. By no means this make me special, I know that but still if it make me a little different then I am happy.
So the path I have decided to travel will have to to through Diglett's Cave 'or tunnel more like it' that will take me to end/start of route 11 and from there Vermillion City.I have decided this path for single reason 'other than trying to be different' is because Vermillion Gym Leader Surge specialize in electric type which Ground is immune to. By no means Vermillion Gym is newbie friendly if anything Surge have reputation for being brutal and that scares most new trainers from him. But Surge can't use his main team or do anything that will permanently damage my pokemon league don't allow that.
While don't permanently damaging makes sence but about not using main team that is because Gym Leaders are bacically mayor and protectors of there City and League will not give just anybody that job. In league structure Gym leaders are just below Elite Four that mean they are some of the most powerfull peoble of their respected region. That mean if they use there main team very few peoble will be able to get the badge, that why League have order gym leaders to not use there main team. But even while not using there main team some have mentained reputation for being brutal in case of Surge or trickey in case of Koga or being too powerfull in case of Sabrina, Blaine and Giovann. Those who can't defeat them go for minor gyms. I plan to challange all the Major Gym leaders, even if I can't defeat them will try either way.
While againts Surge I have type immunity and he have to go really easy on me, but that did not mean I am ready to defeat him yet. That's why I am challanging every triner I came across for 2on2 battle leading with Balarion so to give him much neaded experience and then Celeste to clean up as she is trained before so is stronger that Balarion, but that also mean I have to focus more on Balarion as he will be my ace againts Surge. That why I am spending few hours more on training him then Celeste and let me tell you how much she dislike Balarion for that. I have explained to her that he need that extra traning but she don't care because due to training I spends more time with him then her.
I have make it up to her by leting her sit on my sholder while traveling istead of being on pokeball. It helped I think but that made Balarion unhappy that I was treating her special as he have to walk but neither I can cary him ' he is havy' nor his pride will allow it. But he is still a baby few months old that is starting to think of me as his parent, I have read that newly hatched pokemon do that. So as in child's mind seing another of his pack being treated differently that him, did not help to better his relationship with Celeste.
Coimg out of my thought I saw a purple shirt guy with black clolour eyes coming my way, he have confident demineor of walking but I know better as I have many time shown confidence on my face but was cursing inside, looking at him he was same age a me so I belive that he is also a new trainer like me. As he approached both of my pokemon tensed I had to shot a glare at both of them to stop them from attacking the guy. After coming in talking distance from me he said in awe "Is that a Gible, where do you find him? You are same age as me right? So you should be a new trainer." lisning to him Balarion seems proud of himself.
"Well I tecnically did not catch him as he was given to me as my starter from Mr Giovanni." as I finished he seems to be thinking while looking between Celeste and Balarion, this made me nervous. I know that there is no resason to be but I am, same can be said for my pokemon as they look nervous as well and moved closer to me. Person infront of me realize this "Oh sorry if I am making to you and your pokemon nervous but your Ralts looks more trained so I was trying to desifer why you strater is less trained then Ralts." this made me relax while Balarion is hissing at this.
" Well that's a long story but simplist explaintion would be that Celeste 'Ralts here' trained on her on while in the whild" As both of my pokemon looked at me confused, I know that I was lying but I can't just tell what whapned to a stranger. But seems that person infront of me took that explanation, after all pokemon training in wild was not unheared of. "While I am curious as to how you find a Ralts here but lets not bother with it. By the way I am Gary Oak". This shocked me as his last name was Oak that mean he is connected to world famous Professor Oak Kanto's regional prfessor.
"Are you by chance related to The Professor Oak?" he sighed at that and shock his head. "Yes one and only gandson of Samuel Oak. By the way you still did not introdused youself Mr trainer of Gible" at that I blushed in embaresment. "I am Ash Ketchum and please don't call me that." I looked at pleading. With a smirk that suits him he said "Oh you are not trainer of Gible? Mr Ash Ketchum." Balarion looks amused with that and worried as well for some reason while Celeste has not relaxed from begning.
"Well I am trainer of Balarion 'gible here' and proud of it but I don't like beling called out like that." as I finished he looked at me like I am idiot "You took that real seriously man, I was just joking." I know that he was joking but being called out like that had me embarest like hundered like in this convertion. "Your pokemon look just same level as my own so how about a pokemon battel" he said with pokeball in hand. This is a chance I can't miss as battling is all I am doing last 4 days but this time I would be fighting someone my age and not just anyone but grandson of Pro. Oak, so I accepted the challange and made some distance between us for our pokemon to fight.
Just like I have been doing, I started with Balarion, he was more that happy to fight while Celeste was as always tense with a human near by. Gary on the opposite side give my pokemon a look then send out a pidgey and I don't need a pokedex or pokenav to tell that this one was bigger than normal but it is nowere close to evolving that mean Gary get hands on a fine spesimen.
After being fnish with inspecting enemy pokemon I gave the fist commend "sand attack then tackel" Sand attack is the new move I have been woring on with gible it was easy for him to learn and on use will reduce pidgey's accuracy forcesing it to miss attack while Balarion will do as much damage as possible with tackel combined with his ability rough skin, not the most genius but with sand tomb not being possible due to flying being immune to ground attack its best we got.
Gibe did as he was commeded and started trowing sand at pidgey while go for tackel. While sand did lower gidgey's accuracy but unfortunately pidgey is not a pokemon bound to ground and with gary's commed started flying high enough that gible can't damage him with tackel. At that Ash cursed Balarion had no long range move so that mean balarion is a siting target for pidgey but even if balarion will go down he should be able to do some damage. "Balarion don't panic when it attck then tackel." I told him but attack was not phycial but long range in form of gust. While single did not take the proud pokemon down but multiple surely did.
I recalled Balarion at that he did his best but still while I was down to one and Gary's first pokemon look like it had even battled. Looking at Celeste I nooded and she returned it before teleporting to battlefild. This time it was Gary who give first commed "Fly high, Gust" and pidgey did so flawlesly taking fly high in sky "Celeste same as always" this was mine and Celeste favorite as she teleport around avoiding attacks while attacking with confusion, it was simple and Celeste had mastery of both of the moves more than others but more than aything this work like a charm againts all the oponents we have come across. And pidgey was no exception, she teleported to avoid gust then firied confusion and before gary could this of anything pidgey was down and Celeste looks like she had not even battled.
After recalling his pokemon Gary send his second pokemon that was a squitle, this shocked me a little but quickly I calmed myself. While squitle was a rare pokemon to find but Professor Oak give Squitle along with there two other rare pokemon to new trainers as starter, mostly influenetial people's childer who wanted to beacame trainer, he even given one charmender to champion Lance as well 'I don't know why champion will need a starter level pokemon but lets egnore the politics' so Gary been given squite has a starter makes sence, that also mean this will be more powerfull that pidgey.
Gary started again "Squitle Bite" with that squitle lauched at full speed to use dark type move. Shit, "Teleport just don't let it hit you" Celeste knowing the dangers teleported away not trying to use confusion but squtiel did not just stop, it run after Celeste everytime she apeared forcing her to teleport instantly. This was bad as while Celeste's fairy typing will leasean the damage but what it truly bad is that if it hid she woun't be able to use Physics attacks properly due to drak energy influence. As her main streatgy is of physcis moves that will be cripling.
As there cat-mouse game continue Celeste was tirying because of constant use of teleport while Squtiel look tiried as well but not the level of Celeste and Gary know's this, that's why he is waiting patentily thinking he will win. While Ash want to disagree but don't know what to do and every passing second inevidable was closing. Thinking in overdrive every possible way to defeat squitle without geting hid with bite then it finally clicked, it was stupidly easy and I was now thinking about it. "Double team and Disarming Voice" as soon as I commeded she used Double team that forced the squitle to miss the bite attack then disarming voice a garnted to hit attack, that was enough for squitle to stop mantaning dark energy for bite. Gary shouted for squitle to use water gun but sezing the opourchunity I said "Confusion give it all you got" she charged a confusion with every last bit of energy then released telekinetic force which was enogh to knockout squitle.
Maybe she did not use all of her strength on that last attack or with sheer will she teleported on my sholder uterly exhausted but yet looked at me waiting something that I know what it was. Patting her head I praised her saying "You where great out here but now rest Celeste" she nooded proud of herseld as she was recalled.
"That's some strong Ralts you have Ash, Squitle was my strongest and Pedgey second yet it beat both of them." I nooded at compiment that was ment for Celeste as we shack our hand in shoprtsmanship and as by League rules lossers was forced to give mandatory money to victor, that Gary give for normal 2on2 match. While I was in no need of cash right now as my mom had saved money for my journey and money that Visker was force to give me was no small amount but I know when I started to buy Tms and reached further in my jouney then I will need ever bit of it so I take it happily.
After the battle we both camped there allowing our pokemon to recover and rest, no pokemon was hurt badly that portion could not heal but that is to be expected as nether our pokemon has powerfull move. After resting Gary left but I did not because I had to train specificaly Balarion I know he was not prepared for gym before but after today's battle it was clear as day how much weak he actally is. I brought up Idea with my pokemon as expected Balarion disappointed in himself after todays battle so he was more than reay to train even harder and Celeste argure againts the ideas but I shut her down as this is something realy important not just for gym but me as a trainer as well.
While Balarion may look loyal right now but that's only becasue Celeste is stronger than him and she is loyal to me. Balarion as a dragon repect strength and as long as Celeste is stronger than him will follow me but when that's not the case, well I am not blind enough to belive he will flow me atlest not as things are. Now this problem could be sloved if I train Balarion less than Celeste, that will make sure Balarion is weaker then Celeste ensuring his loyalty. Opposite of what I am doing right now, that's because while it will ensure his loyalty but also will held back what could be my strongest pokemon but more than anythingelse what kind of trainer will I be if I not help my pokemon reach their fullest istead held them back to earn their respect and loyalty and reling of my other pokemon to beat it to earn and not just any pokemon but my starter.
Balarion is young that's why I want to spend as much time with him as I can and not just time but quility time to bond stronger so that I can earn his loyalty. Training with him one on one would be best option as it will give us time to bound and became stronger.
With that I and Balarion started training while Celeste sat there with unredable expression, ingnoring her I fouced on Gible "Lisen Balarion today's battle showed as that you have a glaring weakness to flying typyes, not just as ground type but in attacking department as well we will solve that by learing you your first dragon type move dragon breath." I stoped to take breath and look at Balarion as he was looking extreamly excited to learn his first dragon move. I cuckled at that which caught his attention and he glowled at me "Relax Balarion relax I don't mean disrespect, just that it will take you extreamly long to time to maste it and probably won't be mastered by the time we reach vermilion, so have to strength your sand tomb as well." After done speaking Balarion had a determined look on his face ready to train his herdest.
After my battle with Gary it took me a day more to find the way to diglett cave, unlike route 2 there where few trainers here and even few that I can challange as most that down this path were more experince then me. That mean it give me more time to train Balarion, I also notice that Celeste was now being neglected so I try to spend has much time as I can to make it up to her but that is little has I have to focus on Balarion. While Celeste should blame me for neglecting her istead she blame Balarion worsning there relation even more.
2 days to travling down this path I found the exterence to diglett cave. First thing that I notice was it was cold as sunlight don't come inside but I heard about it so I come perpared with a jacket. But unlike what I heared about mt moon, diglett cave have bare minimun light inside, path that I travel was not flath but had lot of pot holes that I was only able to stop falling into because of Balarion 'as he was able to feel the ground due to his typing', there were rocks fallen down some places making it dificult to move forward, all in all diglett cave is not being maintained properly. That is understandable bacause it is not a route where cargo move or even many trainers use alot and those that use it are experienced enogh that this would not be a problem for them.
While I and Celeste not enjoying traveling down there same can not be said about Balarion because he was enjoying it probably due to his typing and it also give him encourgment to strengthen sand tomd, while dragon breath was going slowly as I expected even with how much Balarion tried but it was just hard for him at his level combied with the fact that he never harness dargon energy before so for Gym battle it leaves only sand tomb and tackel for him to use, while tackel is good but sand tomb need some practice that Balarion was not wiling to do because he want to master dragon breath. Coming down here give him encoregment need for him to start strengthning sand tomb.
Other than my pokenav it was impossible to tell where it was day or night due to absence of sunlight it mess up my rutine as I just sleep, train and walk when I feel like not bothering with time. When I do sleep it not peacefull at all because if I feel like sleeping my pokemon may not. While Celeste sleep with me whenever I do but Balarion do not he train on his own. Normaly this would not be a problem as pokemon inculing human have habit to sleep after sun set and work when sun light the sky but with no sun well this is problem.
This also highlight that how much Celeste and Balarion don't like each other because till now they just hiss and growl at each other but one time I wake up from sound of fighting seeing Celeste attacking Balarion who was on last leg with Disarming voice when was super efective on Balarion, I have to jump in between to stop Celeste from attacking.
Reason for this fight was Balarion's sound of training wake Celeste so she attacked. I had to badly scold Celeste first time then as Gible was bleading from many places 'which while portion could heal easily' was still bad specilityas it was done by one of team members and I could not think what would have happen it Celeste continued her attack. Not wanting to be unfare I scold Balarion as well but not badly as he was the victim here. While Celeste was upset for few hours but returned to normal after some time but then starting to ignore Balarion altogether, Balarion was no better here as he started to ignore Celeste as well. I sighed at that that would be a big problem.
Now Coiming out of the cave at night after for almost a week inside I headed towards Pokemon centers of Vermilion City for stay.
A/N
Those ask why Ash was so bad at forming streatgy because he just started his pokemon journey so what do you expect?