Hey Howdy! Hope y'all are doing well! We're back again with Chapter 7! Not much to say with this one besides I hope you enjoy the read!
(I do not claim to own Pokemon this is just a fan writing. That goes to Nintendo and Gamefreak.)
A crisp and chilled breeze greeted me upon reaching Route 5. With the rays of sun barely peeking out above the tree line, I basked in the morning light and let it start its work on easing the chill that had taken my bones. Route 5 was pretty straightforward in having a few paths that led north towards Cerulean City. There were fields of grass that divided the paths between and I knew that about a half day's travel would take me to one of the major breeding farms in Kanto. With its success, the farm ran a pseudo-Pokemon daycare for trainers that traveled in the Kanto region. Any eggs that appeared from Pokemon left in their care would be taken by the farm and used to supplement their numbers. Of course, you would have your fees knocked down for each egg that your Pokemon would provide and you could claim one that they would produce but any surplus were the farms to use. It was a complicated system but also an effective one. With the surplus of extra Pokemon that many trainers couldn't focus on during their journeys, the daycare saw a heavy amount of traffic. And since many of those trainers already had too many Pokemon to begin with, most of the eggs produced would be pure profit for the farm itself.
And as such, the Indigo League liked having a reputable farm that could raise and provide Pokemon for both regular trainers and League employees so the Cerulean farm was one of the best protected areas in all of Kanto. With Misty to the north and Sabrina to the south, poachers would have to be able to fend off two Gym leaders and all of their gym trainers. That's not even accounting for the heavy Ranger presence that the League has patrolling around Route 5. Then take into account the trainers that were hired on for security and you have what amounts to a respectable garrison in place to protect the farm. While I knew I wouldn't be traveling through Route 5, I could still see the occasional Pidgeot or Fearow zoom past in the skies above as they patrolled and monitored the areas around the Saffron gate.
A lot of central Kanto is heavily trafficked and patrolled due to the crossroads that it brings to the region. I knew that many routes in the outer regions of Kanto were much more rural and full of the dangers of the wild. The areas around Saffron were very different in that regard. Being the industrial and economic capital of Kanto brought the development of dedicated roads and pathways along the surrounding routes. If you stuck to them and didn't wander, the most you would see is the occasional Pidgey or Rattata that would scamper along the pathways. Nothing more than the occasional nuisance for the average traveler. The rangers did their jobs well in regards to keeping the smaller but more important routes clear of any major dangers.
If only I had a little bit more time before my transport and I could have checked out the stock of the daycare. It wouldn't have hurt to take a peek. Many trainers from other regions would leave their Pokemon there so I knew the selection would be pretty impressive if I ever did decide to visit. Their main sources were Normal, Grass, and Flying type Pokemon though so I'm not too sure about the chances of finding something that would fit our team but that wasn't enough to remove it from my "Check out in the future" list. With only one typing being my focus, I couldn't afford to not have my eyes and ears peeled for any possible additions to the team.
I sighed as I checked my watch and realized my flier would be approaching in the next ten minutes or so. I did a quick rundown of all my gear and supplies that I had packed and once satisfied, I threw my bag back onto my shoulders.
It was a few minutes later that I could make out a small dot in the sky approaching from the north. I trained my eyes on it as it slowly grew larger until I could make out the familiar silhouette of a Pidgeot and a rider on top. They made a wide circle around the gate to lose any excess speed that they had from the flight and glided down onto the dirt path that was in front of me. A man fumbled with some straps around his legs and hopped off. He was dressed from head to toe in a gray bodysuit and leather riding pants and a jacket. Which made sense as constant winds would make flying all day very cold and unrelenting. He pulled out a tablet and made a few taps on the screen before looking up at me.
"Miss Cindy I presume?" I nodded and made sure to clip my bag to the jacket that I had donned when I woke up. I didn't want any of my possessions to fall off during the ride. He nodded and made a few more taps on the tablet before releasing a majestic Fearow off to the side. It let loose a mighty call before settling back to the ground and lowering its body to make it easy for me to clamber my way up to the saddle upon its back.
"My name is Johnathan and I will be your flier for today. I've got your destination set for Pewter City which will take us about two hours total in flight time. Have you ever flown before?" Johnathan stopped tapping away on his tablet at this and looked up at me. I could feel the nerves beginning to build in my stomach as I shook my head no. "Alright, no worries! It's a pretty simple matter of mostly just hanging on and not being stupid. There are straps on the saddle that will anchor you to it and Fearow here is a pretty steady ride. Anytime that we get any stray winds, just make sure to hold on tight to the saddle and let Fearow do the work of any adjustments. Kanto's winds can be pretty strong and harsh so it might be a little bumpy. Do you have any questions or concerns for me at the moment?"
It took a second to process all of the information but at the end of it, I honestly couldn't think of anything to ask him. I shook my head and took a long and deep breath to help calm my nerves. It helped, even if just a little, and I made my way closer to Fearow.
Johnathan was nice enough to take it at my pace. He showed me all of the straps on the saddle that would ensure that I remained tethered to it in the event of an accident. He also explained how to react whenever any turbulence came. It was nice to know that Fearow would be doing most of the work for me since falling from thousands of feet in the air was not on my agenda for today. I could feel a lump in my throat beginning to form when I began the process of saddling up and strapping down. I was never great with heights in my past life and that fear was starting to make itself known once more.
It must have shown on my face because Johnathan came over one final time and laid his hand on my shoulder. "Alright kid, we're about to take off. Flying for the first time can be pretty nerve-wracking and if it does that's no problem at all. If you need to just close your eyes and focus on the sounds. It can make it easier to deal with for first-timers. And again, Fearow knows what he's doing so just let him handle flying and you focus on keeping yourself calm. And if you feel up to it, take a glance or two. There's nothing quite like the view of Kanto in the air." And with that, he saddled up on his Pidgeot and took off with a salute back toward me. I could feel Fearow stretch out its wings and flap them a few times to get used to my weight and then slowly lift from the ground.
I immediately closed my eyes and buried my face into the back of Fearow. My stomach was twisting and turning itself as we climbed higher and higher into the sky. To be completely honest, I knew I wasn't going to be taking in the sights on this trip but I did glance back at Saffron as we began to make our way towards Pewter. The skyscrapers looked like orange nails that pierced the sky with the reflection of the coming sunrise. It shone bright like a star against the still barely shadowed ground around it.
It would be months before I was able to return to it. But leaving was necessary for now. One day I would return and display all of my strength to my Uncle once I challenged Sabrina. And then it would be the start of moving toward the Indigo Plateau. Cindy Pracket of Saffron would be known far and wide throughout Kanto then and that was the current goal.
I turned back and caught a few glimpses of the countryside that flew below us. Johnathan was right. Kanto truly is beautiful to see in the air. It was a shame that my vomit would color that picture as the nerves finally peaked and I promptly threw up over the side of Fearow.
It wasn't until we had landed on Route 2 that I reopened my eyes at the sudden jostling of the saddle as Fearow settled back down onto the earth. I furiously remove the straps that were tying me down and flung myself off of Fearow onto the solid ground. I could hear Johnathan and what suspiciously sounded like Fearow laughing behind me but I couldn't have cared less at the moment. Ground! Glorious and boring dirt beneath our feet! Oh, how I missed you so! Johnathan dismounted from Pidgeot and walked over toward me.
"Oh, Arceus I've needed a laugh like that for a while. Are you doing alright kid? I honestly don't think flying may be your thing after all with how many times you lost your lunch on the way over." Johnathan rummaged through his bag for a minute before pulling out a bottle of water and a sleeve of crackers and offering them to me. I accepted them graciously and found a tree that I could lean back upon and nibbled slowly on the crackers. Johnathan wasn't wrong. I'm pretty sure that's the last time that I would willingly fly ever again.
Johnathan took a couple of minutes to make sure that I was indeed okay and only needed a few minutes to recover from the stress and nerves. He returned Fearow and mounted atop Pidgeot once more. With a lazy wave and to call him again if I ever needed a flier, Pidgeot rocketed off into the air and flew south. In only a few seconds they disappeared off into the horizon to their next ferry and left me to recover at my speed.
In all honesty, I could have made my way to Pewter right then, most of my reaction was over once we returned to the ground. But Route 2 was pretty nice once I regained my bearings. I listened to the calls of the Pidgey line as they flew overhead and around Viridian Forest. The sounds of the wind rustling through the leaves filled my ears as I lost myself in the moment of nature around me. While I was traveling now due to progress in my goals, I loved traveling in general. Going off the beaten path to find the best places to rest and explore. Trying the different cuisines that a new place has to offer. It was eye-opening and refreshing to experience differences from what you've known your whole life.
It was peaceful here. Something very difficult to find in the bustle of Saffron. I debated on taking a nap but thought better of it since I wanted to go and explore Pewter a bit before I crashed at the Pokemon Center. So instead I decided to check the most recent scans of Kong and Polli that I had taken before we left. It would be nice to see exactly where we stood after our week and a half of training. I pulled out my phone and opened up the scan files.
Mankey (Kong)
Gender: M
Type: Fighting
Prowess: B
(HP, Attack, Sp. Def and Speed)
Ability: Defiant
Moves: Scratch, Leer, Focus Energy, Encore, Spite, Fury Swipes, Low Kick, Seismic Toss, Swagger, and Protect
Type Energy Proficiency
Normal: C-
Fighting: D
Ghost: D
Kong was looking good as always. With him learning two fighting moves it boosted up his fighting energies. I smiled at the increase in his Ghost proficiency. One of Kong's favorite tactics while fighting had been incorporating Spite into his fighting style. While it would take forever to drain the energy from an opponent, it made for a nice distraction on which he would capitalize. An extra hit or buying the time needed to change the distance was invaluable for a close combat fighter like him. And Spite was a great tool to help supplement that style of fighting. Kong was shaping up to have a solid foundation which is what I was aiming for with him. And his move pool had expanded quite well too and I had no doubts that in the next month or so he would be ready to evolve. Closing out Kong's scan I pulled up the file for Polli and was pleasantly surprised.
Poliwag (Polli)
Gender: F
Type: Water
Prowess: C
(Sp. Att, Sp. Def and Speed)
Ability: Water Absorb
Moves: Bubble, Hypnosis, Water Gun, Pound, Haze, Mud Shot, Encore, and Protect
Type Energy Proficiencies
Water: C-
Psychic: D-
Normal: D
Ice: F
Ground: D
While we may not have been able to expand Polli's move pool as much as I would have liked, I was pleased to see how much she had developed her proficiencies. And now with a grasp on Ground type energy, we had additional type coverage for our team. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she evolved over the next month. Her tail was starting to get shorter and her legs had started to slowly grow longer. With her being a cornerstone for all three of the next gyms I planned to tackle I knew her evolution would be sooner rather than later.
Putting my phone back into my pocket I decided to gather myself finally and start my way towards Pewter City. Brock awaited me and there was a Boulder badge with my name on it.
Pewter City was rustic in my opinion. "City" might have been an overstatement. It was a large town with a thriving commercial aspect of being a major producer of ores and stone for construction. But it didn't have the size scale of say Celadon with its modernized buildings or Vermillion with its bustling port. It was smaller than Saffron as I made it to a Pokemon Center within a ten-minute walk. I entered and made my way up to Nurse Joy that was manning the counter. With a quick scan of my team and assurance that they were in peak condition, I began to make my way toward the Pewter Gym on the west side of town.
Eventually, I found myself in front of a large modern building with a large zen rock garden in front of it. There were large stone pillars that rose around the pathways that had tips and tricks for beginning trainers to take note of. A couple of trainers and regular folk were walking through the gardens and marveling at the balanced rocks that spread throughout the gardens in magnificent displays. I made my way through the doors and found myself in a large lobby that was certainly busy but not overwhelming. It seemed that I had placed my visit during an off period for this gym. Which I was grateful for as the rush periods during the beginning of the circuit year are unrelenting in the wait times. Some people have to wait weeks to challenge for a badge whenever it's the rush season. Seeing as I was starting a few weeks later than the start of the circuit, I would thankfully be missing out on the crowds with my chosen path.
I made my way forward to the receptionist and waited for the trainer ahead of me to finish their booking before walking up to them. A young man with a friendly smile on his face welcomed me as I approached and spoke while motioning for me to scan my ID at the scanner. "Hello! Will you be challenging the Gym today Miss."
I scanned my ID and nodded back to him. "Yes, please. I will be challenging the gauntlet at the Rookie level."
He nodded and made a couple of notes on his computer. "Alright Cindy, we have an opening for the gauntlet challenge at the moment. Not too many takers for that one so if you are ready we can direct you to the starting room!" I nodded and followed him over to a set of doors that led to a large and rocky corridor that led way to an open cavern that held a battle court upon it. On the opposite end, I could see a young boy waving in the distance. I made my way through the tunnel until I found myself standing across from him.
"Hey there! I'm Gym Trainer Liam! I'll be your first opponent for this challenge! This will be a 2 on 1 fight in favor of the challenger! The challenger has one substitution for the battle! Are you ready?" I nodded and drew Polli's Pokeball from my bag. I wanted to save Kong's energy as long as I could and I knew that Polli could take a few battles before feeling tired from all of her attacks.
"Begin!"
"Rhyhorn! You're up!"
"Polli! Wash them away!"
A large rhyhorn appeared from the Pokeball with a rumbling roar. It stomped its foot onto the dirt and snorted dust from its nose and looked like an absolute unit. As Polli appeared on the field it tossed its head from side to side and growled, finally leveling its stare at Polli.
"Rhyhorn! SmackDown!" The Rhyhorn growled and stomped the earth launching a small chunk of jagged rock at Polli. Polli leaped to the side barely dodging the sudden attack and spun to face Rhyhorn.
"Polli! Evasive maneuvers! Use Mage tactics for now!"
Polli jumped out of the way of another SmackDown and shot off a nasty Water Gun in response. The Rhyhorn jumped out of the way but only barely as it eyed Polli warily at the display of accuracy. Polli continued to shoot Water Guns and managed to finally connect with one and Rhyhorn shuddered from the hit. It glared ferociously at Polli and, while hurt, seemed to be more angry about that fact than anything.
"Rhyhorn! Dig!" Rhyhorn immediately dove down into the earth as another Water Gun sailed past where it used to be. I grit my teeth knowing that that one would have probably ended the battle right there. I was going to have to work on teaching Polli to keep attacking whenever she lands a hit. It was a bad habit that we formed in the Battle Club against other rookie trainers that would faint with one hit. We couldn't afford to make a mistake like that again in a battle.
"Polli! Water Gun and Mud Shot on the ground around you! Make some mud to help slow him down! Try and see where it's going to break through and tank!" Polli leaped into the air and shot off dozens of Water Gun and Mud Shot attacks. While they were low-powered, they served their purpose as they soaked into the earth around here and softened it into a thick mud pit. She steadied herself and focused on the ground around her for any sign that Rhyhorn would be emerging. Not long after there was a disturbance in the mud on one side of Polli. She barely had enough time to turn and form a Protect as Rhyhorn erupted from the ground and slammed into the barrier. While it held, it showed the tremendous force that Rhyhorn was carrying behind it as it was spiderwebbed with cracks that traveled the length of the barrier. Polli reacted incredibly well however as during the brief moment that the Rhyhorn was stunned she sent a strong jet of a Water Gun straight into Rhyhorns face. Rhyhorn roared and collapsed onto the grown in pain. Soon it was returned as Liam recognized the signs of unconsciousness enveloping Rhyhorn. He replaced the Pokeball with a small machine in the podium that I had just noticed and it disappeared in a flash of teleportation.
"Well done! Not many rookies could have prepared to have a counter for Dig. You've trained your Poliwag well! Hopefully, you'll prove victorious in your next battle as well." With that Liam left and exited through a set of doors at the rear of the room. As soon as Liam had disappeared another trainer walked through to take his place. A large and burly man approached the podium and stopped before the computer before tapping a few buttons.
"Hey. My name is Damian. This will be a 2 on 2. Challenger has one sub. Are you ready?" Damian spoke in a rough voice that almost sounded like a rumbling stone. I slowly blinked at the personality difference between the gym trainers and nodded. Polli was still on the field so I currently held the disadvantage at this point. Thankfully Polli had only been spooked by the close call from Dig so she hadn't been hurt in any way. I still wanted to keep a close eye on her since I knew her stamina would start to drain at the constant fighting.
"Geodude! Crush!" A Geodude appeared with its arms crossed across its body. Once it was fully released it threw its arms wide and grunted a challenge towards Polli. Polli slapped her tail twice in the mud beneath her and glared back, more than eager to continue fighting after her first victory.
"Begin!"
"Rock Polish!" Geodude suddenly glowed with a sheen as it polished its body and increased its speed. I grit my teeth in frustration. While we could counter it with Haze, until the haze made contact it would be able to make use of its speed as it wanted. Polli immediately launched a haze attack in response but not before the Geodude was able to spin up a Sandstorm and move closer towards an area of the field that had larger rocks that rose from the ground. The Haze nullified the Speed boost from Geodude but it had accomplished what it had attempted to do in relocating and manipulating the field. Not only would the sandstorm chip away at Polli's health but it also lowered visibility and made it harder for Polli to aim her shots. Factor in that Geodude could use the rocks as cover or as ammunition and Polli found herself in a tough position.
I thought about switching to Kong. He would be better suited to fighting around the rocks and could use them to spring around the battlefield for more mobility. That was until I noticed Polli giving a loud cheer and dancing while coated in glowing white energy. That's right! Kong taught Polli how to use Encore! She saw a perfect moment to trap the Geodude into only using Sandstorm! I grinned as I thought of what to do next.
"Well done Polli! Move closer and hunt him down! Box him in and let loose!" Polli dashed forwards towards the rocky outcropping and proceeded to bound around trying to score a hit on Geodude. She managed to get a hit in when she launched a bubble to collapse one of the leaning rocks. It cut off Geodudes escape and he slammed into the sudden resistance. Polli was unforgiving as she used a Bubble attack that slammed straight into Geodude's body. It flew back through the air but managed to hang on to consciousness by the skin of its teeth. It must have had the Sturdy ability and was barely hanging on.
"It's almost out of the fight Polli! Just one more hit!" Polli leaped off the rock and shot a large glob of mud that flew toward the Geodude. We both knew it wouldn't have the energy to dodge the attack so it was a certain hit. What we weren't prepared for was the RockThrow that the Geodude used before the Mud Shot hit. With Polli soaring through the air trying to finish the battle quickly, she was unable to dodge the rock as it slammed into her and sent her hurtling back into the ground. She rose slowly from the landing but I could see the scrapes and the beginnings of bruising along her side. She wouldn't be able to fight for much longer.
Damian returned Geodude without a word and tossed out his next battler. Out came what looked like a small red rock. That was until yellow appendages appeared from small holes in the rock that I now knew to be a shell and I came face to face with a Shuckle.
Shit. Shuckle was fantastic when it comes to defensive abilities. And while I knew we would be able to outmaneuver it in speed, we would have to hit it hard to do any real damage to it. It was a stall fighter which was not a good matchup for an injured Polli right now.
"Begin"
"Shuckle. Trap and Drain." The Shuckle immediately launched three of its appendages at Polli. They stretched and chased after Polli. She weaved between them and even managed to get a few attacks of her own off but each Water Gun just seemed to douse the Shuckle and not have much of an impact. We would need to get a chance to get a clean hit in. A full-powered attack from Polli would be enough to rattle the Shuckle. That plan fell fruitless as one of the Shuckle's appendages wrapped around Polli and slammed her into the ground. The other two glowed and turned a sickly purple as they both slammed into Polli. It retreated its arms as it had achieved its mission in setting up Polli with its poison and waited for further instructions.
Polli once again rose slowly to her feet but I could see the effort that it took for her to do so. Being her third battle, she had been fighting nonstop for about thirty minutes now. If we had traveled for longer that might have been a breeze for her but battling was more difficult than training. Decisions mattered a lot more and had more of an impact than a mistake during training.
"Polli! It's not going to be able to dodge what you throw at it. If you still want to fight you're going to have to find an opening and put everything you have into it!" Polli nodded and leveled a fierce glare at the shuckle fueled by the pain of the poison making itself known in her body. She reared back and started her volley of Water Guns in hopes of one scoring a hit. The Shuckle was well versed in defensive battling however as it used Mud Slap and Sticky Web attacks to intercept any that came close to it. It knew that all it had to do was wait it out and it would win so it never needed to focus on pressing the attack. As Polli stood I could see dark purple bruising as the poison spread through her system. We needed to get close and we needed to know.
"Encore into Haze Polli! Then get closer and breakthrough!" Polli started cheering again and this time I could see the effects that it had on Shuckle. As it finished firing a Sticky Web at one of Polli's Water Guns a glaze appeared in its eyes. Suddenly the Mud Slap attacks vanished as Shuckle was locked into Sticky Web for a short time. A cloud of Haze filled the battlefield surrounding Polli and she disappeared from view for a moment before it began to dissipate. She reappeared having dashed at an angle to move closer to Shuckle. The haze helped to disguise her movements but she had only got to about ten feet away from Shuckle before a shape was visible in the Haze. Shuckle shot a Sticky Web at the approaching shadow and impacted mud. Polli appeared a few feet to the left having used a Mud Shot to distract the Shuckle and let loose a mighty stream of bubbles in a rushing stream that exploded into Shuckle. That was a Bubblebeam! And it seemed to have had the impact needed as Shuckle's appendages collapsed under the intense attack that penetrated its defenses. Polli collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion and quickly fell unconscious.
We both recalled our Pokemon as the battle concluded with my victory. I brushed my thumb over Polli's Pokeball. "You did great, girl. I couldn't have asked for a better performance. Rest well". The Pokeball shook slightly and stilled with Polli falling into stasis. I looked up at Damian as he gave me a congratulatory grin towards me.
"You're Poliwag fought very well. Not many rookies are prepared to push through Shuckle's defense with only one Pokemon. You've earned the right to face Brock. Please step through the doors on your right and follow the attendant." Damian dipped his head towards the side where I saw another set of doors and the receptionist who had directed me earlier was waiting for me. I nodded in thanks and moved over towards him and prepared myself to face the final challenge of Pewter Gym.
Brock awaited me.
And there we have it! Cindy is a step away from claiming her first badge! As always let me know what you think and review if you like! As a side note, what is y'all's favorite side Pokémon game? A personal favorite of mine would have to be Pokemon Conquest. I played the shit out of that game as a kid.
And remember! Stay hydrated!