"Doduo, Skull Bash!"
"Spearow, Take Down!"
Spearow dove down and flew low to the ground as it streaked towards Doduo, who was also charging at its adversary, heads lowered. Both birds collided and were thrown backwards by the attacks they had been subjected to.
"Let's do it, Spearow! Peck attack!" ordered Orange.
"Doduo, use your own Peck!" called Red.
"Do do!"cawed Doduo's heads as it charged at Spearow once more. Spearow met it in the middle and they proceeded to peck at each other. Doduo got the upper hand fairly quickly; having two heads gave it a slight advantage.
"Don't give in, Spearow, Razor Wind!" shouted Orange.
"Whirlwind now!" Red commanded.
Spearow started flapping its wings, but Doduo cawed loudly, and large amounts of wind were expelled from their beaks, blowing Spearow back. As the Tiny Bird Pokémon struggled to stay steady in the turbulent wind, it started to glow and change shape!
"Aw, yeah!" Orange exclaimed, a wide grin on his face. "I had a feeling this was coming!" Sure enough, as the glow faded, Spearow was no more. In its place, a larger bird with a much more impressive wingspan hovered, having no problem going up against Doduo's Whirlwind. It had a longer, sharper beak to rival either one of Doduo's, and its entire body was covered in light brown plumage. Atop its head was a small, spiky red crest.
"Feeeeeaaaaaroooowwww!" it cawed loudly.
"Fearow, the Beak Pokémon, and the evolved form of Spearow," droned Orange's Pokédex. "Fearow's large and magnificent wings allow it to keep aloft without ever having to land or rest."
"Awesome!" Orange exclaimed. "Fearow, let's do it! Fury Attack!"
"Roooowwww!" Fearow screeched as it dive-bombed Doduo, giving it zero time to react before striking with its beak repeatedly.
"Come on, Doduo, use your own... Fury... Attack," Red said weakly as his Doduo fell to the ground and fainted.
"OK, Doduo is unable to battle, so Orange and Fearow win!" declared Violet from the sidelines.
"Doduo, return," Red sighed as he held out the Poké Ball, returning the Twin Bird Pokémon to it.
"Nice job, Fearow," Orange exclaimed as he withdrew his own Pokémon.
"That was pretty good," Violet said to both Orange and Red. "Both of you."
"Thanks," replied Red.
"OK, let's get going, Miliovern isn't much farther ahead!" Orange exclaimed excitedly.
"Orange, we got all day," sighed Red. "What's the rush?"
"He used to live in Miliovern before his family moved to Talpel," explained Violet. "When I first met him, he was... really unhappy about the move, to say the least."
"Oh, I handled it fine," Orange said dismissively.
"Uh huh," Violet smirked. "I seem to recall you ordering your mother's pet Pikachu to blow them all back to Miliovern with ThunderShock."
Orange's face reddened. "OK, maybe I took it a little hard."
"A little?" Violet repeated skeptically. "The first night you were there, I seem to recall you screaming throughout the entire night, about how you'd rather die than sleep in a strange house or something like that?"
"I was five!" Orange exclaimed. He then wheeled around and proceeded to march down the path, intent on reaching Miliovern City.
"Hey, Violet, I was wondering," said Red, "How did you and Orange become friends, anyway? I mean, if he was still that annoying back then... I dunno, it just got me wondering."
Violet sighed as she thought back. "Well, here's what happened..." she began.
Nine years ago...
A five-year-old girl was wandering down the streets of Talpel Town. She wore a dark purple jacket, and her long black hair was put in a ponytail. And she was bored. Violet had a tendency to be somewhat bossy, so not many other kids her age liked to play with her. In her boredom, she hadn't noticed that she was now wandering an alley between two large buildings. At least, not until a trio of adults surrounded her, each one clad in identical purple uniforms.
"Well, well, well," sneered one of them. "Little girls aren't supposed to interfere with grown-up business."
"Get out of my way," snapped five-year-old Violet. "I don't care about your grown-up business."
"Oooh, she's a fresh one," chuckled another one of the men. "You know what, little girl? I think it's time Team Error taught you some respect!" At this, each of them took out a Poké Ball. Now, Violet looked worried. The three men prepared to throw the balls, when-
"Hey! Team Error! Suck voltage!" came a shrill yell in a voice Violet had heard many times before. "Pikachu, ThunderShock!"
The Team Error grunts spun around to spot a five-year-old redheaded boy standing at the other end of the alley. More importantly, they also spotted the small, yellow Pokémon standing with him. And even more importantly, they also noticed the sparks of electricity crackling from its red cheeks.
"Hey, whoa, whoa, wait-" they began.
"Pikaaaa... CHUUUUUU!" bellowed the Pikachu as the grunts lit up with electricity, then collapsed in a heap. Wasting no time, Violet ran around them and stopped only when she was next to the boy.
"Hey, you OK?" asked Orange. "Those guys are bad news!"
Violet sniffed. "I didn't ask to be saved."
"I didn't say you had a choice in the matter," retorted Orange. "I didn't see you doing anything to stop them. I've seen you around here before, we're neighbors."
"I know," said Violet. "I heard you screaming all night last week."
"I didn't want to move here," said Orange. "We used to live in Miliovern City, but we moved here last week. I'm Orange McPixel."
"I'm Violet Scramble. So is this your Pikachu?" asked Violet as she crouched down to scratch the Electric-type behind the ears.
"Nah, Pikachu here is a family pet," replied Orange as Pikachu sighed contentedly, pleased with the attention. "I'm not old enough to own my own Pokémon yet, but when I am, I'm gonna become a Pokémon Trainer!"
"Hey, me too!" Violet exclaimed. "Only I'll be better than you!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Oh yeah?!"
"Yeah!"
"OH YEAH?!"
"Orange?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
A somewhat lengthy silence followed this. After about a minute of watching the feebly stirring Team Error grunts, Orange spoke up again.
"So, wanna play?"
"OK."
The two walked off, Pikachu following close behind, leaving the Team Error grunts as they tried to get to their feet, muttering various words that wouldn't have been appropriate for the two five-year-olds to hear.
"Huh," remarked Red. "So basically, you two were the only ones in town who could put up with each other?"
"I guess so," shrugged Violet. "Nobody else ever wanted to play with Orange because he was so annoying, and I used to be rather bossy, so that didn't help my case much either."
"So, why is Orange so scared of Bug-types, anyway?" Red asked quietly. At this, Violet smirked.
"Well, when he was six-" she began.
"VIOLET! I SWEAR TO MEW, IF YOU TELL HIM-!" Orange exclaimed suddenly, despite him being a good distance in front of Violet and Red, and thus seemingly out of earshot.
"How did he do that?" Red wondered out loud.
After another fifteen minutes of walking, Orange came to a stop, as they approached the top of a small hill. From there, they could see a sprawling city before them, and on the other side, the vast expanse of the sea.
"We made it!" Orange exclaimed. "Miliovern City! Just like I remembered it!"
"Well then," said Red, "I say we hit up the Pokémon Center first. Doduo could use a bit of a rest after that battle."
"Yeah, Fearow too," stated Orange. "Though I doubt we'll be using either one of them against the Miliovern Gym Leader."
"Why?" asked Violet. After a short pause, she sighed, "You know what type the Gym Leader uses, don't you?"
"Hey, I used to live here, what do you expect?" said Orange. "The Gym Leader's my cousin, she uses Electric-types."
Red and Violet exchanged somewhat surprised glances at this news. Neither one of them had guessed that Orange would be related to the Gym Leader.
Once they reached the Pokémon Center, the nurse was more than glad to treat everybody's Pokémon. A mere half hour later, she pronounced them all to be fighting fit.
"OK, let's go!" Orange exclaimed. "Miliovern Gym! Let's move!"
"Wait, what about the S.S. Nean?" asked Red. "When does she set sail?"
"Not until tomorrow night," Orange said dismissively. "We can get in our Gym battles today and still have all day tomorrow to party on the ship."
"It's getting a little late," Violet observed. "Do you really think we'll have time for all three of us to battle?"
"Sure, I don't see why not," said Orange. Without waiting for an answer, he led the way down the path (which seemed to be made of duct tape and pairs of sunglasses) to a large structure seemingly built entirely out of toothpicks, copper piping, and rubber bands.
"Let me guess- Miliovern Gym?" asked Red.
"Never thought I'd be back here," grinned Orange as he pushed his way through the double doors. Violet and Red followed him.
The interior of the Miliovern Gym was brightly lit. At the other end of the usual dirt battlefield stood a woman who looked slightly older than Orange, with fiery red hair that came down nearly to her waist.
"Orange!" she exclaimed. "Well, well, I didn't expect to see you here. So, you gonna introduce me to your friends?"
"Yep!" Orange stated. "Electra, this is Red Vershunn, and this is Violet Scramble. Vi, Red, this is my cousin, Electra McPixel, Gym Leader of Miliovern City."
"So, I'm guessing you're all here to battle me?" Electra asked, a confident smirk on her face.
"We are," Violet confirmed.
"Alright, but I think I want to battle my little cousin, first," said Electra. "He was always going on about how he'd be the best Pokémon Trainer in McPixel family history, so I'd like to see how he does."
"Let's do it!" Orange exclaimed excitedly as he took his position at the edge of the battlefield, having already taken a Poké Ball off his belt and enlarged it.
Electra stepped forward, taking one of her own Poké Balls. "Three Pokémon each," she stated. "How's that sound?"
"Fine by me!" Orange replied. "Let's go!"
In response, Electra smirked as she threw her Poké Ball. "Voltorb! Go!" she shouted.
In a flash of light, what appeared to be an overgrown Poké Ball with eyes instead of a button materialized on the battlefield. Orange nodded, apparently recognizing the species, but Violet was the one who took out her Pokédex.
"Voltorb, the Ball Pokémon," it droned. "Often found in power plants. It has zapped many people due to its resemblance to a Poké Ball."
Orange heaved his Poké Ball. "Nidoking! Go!" he shouted.
The ball opened up in midair, unleashing the monstrous, purple form of Orange's Nidoking. Electra looked mildly impressed, but not too worried.
"Let's get started!" she declared. "Voltorb, use Swift!"
"Voltorb," droned Voltorb in a monotonous mechanical voice as a barrage of glowing stars flew forth from its body. Nidoking tried to dodge them, but the stars changed course easily and slammed into the Poison/Ground-type.
"That's nothing!" scoffed Orange. "Nidoking! Quick Attack!"
Nidoking roared as it speedily dashed at Voltorb, slamming the Ball Pokémon backwards before Electra had any time to react.
"Voltorb, Rage attack!" she shouted.
"Voltorb, Voltorb," Voltorb droned menacingly, its eyes seeming to show more and more anger as its entire body started shaking. Within seconds, Voltorb sped forwards, and rolled into Nidoking.
"Rolling Kick now!" Orange ordered.
Nidoking roared again as it expertly delivered a roundhouse kick, sending Voltorb flying. As it crashed to the ground, though, Voltorb only seemed to be even more angry than before, and without waiting for orders, it slammed into Nidoking again, this time with more force.
"Smart move on Orange's part, using Nidoking," Red remarked. "Electric moves won't work on it."
"Yeah, but the way this is going, it doesn't seem to matter to Voltorb," Violet frowned as Nidoking blasted Voltorb with Water Gun, only to be met with another blow from the enraged sphere. "When a Pokémon uses Rage, it won't stop the attack until the fight is done, and it gets more powerful with each hit it takes."
"Nidoking! Aurora Beam!" Orange bellowed.
"Rage once more, Voltorb!" Electra ordered.
Voltorb lunged at Nidoking once again, but instead met with a rainbow-colored ray of light fired from Nidoking's horn.
"Vol... torb..." groaned Voltorb as it fought to get through the Ice-type move. Ultimately, Nidoking won out; Voltorb collapsed to the floor and ceased movement.
"All right!" Orange exclaimed as Electra withdrew Voltorb. Violet, however, noticed that Nidoking was breathing rather heavily.
"Orange, you might want to call Nidoking back for now," she advised him. "It's looking pretty tired."
"Huh... good point," conceded Orange as Electra prepared a second Poké Ball.
"Go, Magnemite!" she exclaimed as she threw the ball, unleashing what appeared to be a shiny, silver orb into the air. A single eye was visible on this orb as it hovered in midair. Three screws were inserted into the orb- two below its eye, and one on the very top of the orb. From either side of the orb there was attached a large Ponytashoe magnet.
"Magnemite, the Magnet Pokémon," said Violet's Pokédex. "Uses antigravity to stay suspended. Appears without warning and uses Thunder Wave and similar moves."
"OK, Nidoking, take a rest!" Orange declared as he held out Nidoking's Poké Ball, allowing the red beam to recall the ball's occupant. Once Nidoking had been withdrawn, Orange threw another ball. "I choose you, A!"
In a flash of light, Orange's A materialized. It floated in midair, roughly level with Magnemite.
"An A, pretty impressive, those don't appear very often," Electra observed.
"Not too shabby, huh?" Orange grinned proudly. "Now let's get going so we can beat you already."
"Magnemite, ThunderShock!" ordered Electra.
"A, Transform!" called Orange.
As Magnemite crackled with electricity, A glowed and changed shape, shrinking down slightly. Once the glowing ceased, there now floated two Magnemite on the field. Electra's Magnemite launched a sizzling blast of lightning at A, but in its Transformed state, the Speed Demon Pokémon took the attack with little effect.
"A, use your own ThunderShock!" Orange shouted.
A squeaked loudly as it let off an identical electrical blast. Magnemite, as could be expected, endured the move easily.
"Magnemite, use your Double-Edge!" ordered Electra.
"A, Supersonic!" said Orange.
Magnemite charged forward, but was stopped short as A let off a barrage of visible soundwaves, stopping the Magnet Pokémon where it hovered. After a moment, Magnemite began to float about erratically, its eye not focusing on anything.
"It's confused!" Orange exclaimed. "A, Thunder Wave now!"
A gave a loud squeal as it fired off a jolt of electricity at Magnemite. This time, the electricity continued to crackle all around Magnemite after the attack had ended, and Magnemite found itself floating closer to the floor.
"All right, A, Double-Edge now!" Orange ordered.
"Magnemite, Reflect!" called Electra.
In spite of the confusion and paralysis, Magnemite managed to create a shimmering wall of light in front of it, off which A bounced harmlessly. Around that point, the confusion seemed to wear off, though Magnemite was clearly still paralyzed.
"A, Double-Edge again!" Orange exclaimed.
"Magnemite, Thunderbolt!" ordered Electra.
A charged forward once again, but the real Magnemite let loose a massive bolt of electricity, stopping A in its tracks. Once the attack was finished, A collapsed to the floor, unmoving.
"WHAT?!" Orange exclaimed as A's Transform wore off, the Normal/Normal-type reverting to its usual form. "Rrrgh... A, return now!" he snapped, holding out the Poké Ball. Once A was back in its ball, Orange threw a third Poké Ball. "Let's go, .4!"
The ball split open, unleashing the impossibly hyperactive .4 into the air, where it made two or three laps around the entire battlefield in about two seconds, then floated in front of Orange, practically quivering with excitement.
"Magnemite, Thunderbolt it!" Electra exclaimed.
".4, TM05 now!" Orange ordered.
"Magnemiiiiiite," droned Magnemite as it fired off another Thunderbolt. .4, however, ducked beneath it, then charged towards Magnemite, only to pull off at the last second and vanish into thin air.
"Now use TM28!" Orange shouted.
"EEEEEEEEEEE!" shrieked .4 as the air behind Magnemite exploded, sending the Electric-type crashing to the floor. Seizing its chance, .4, who had reappeared, began flying in circles around Magnemite, letting off multiple minor explosions in rapid succession. Once it was done, it was clear that Magnemite wasn't going to make any more effort to get back up.
"Impressive. Very impressive," nodded Electra as she withdrew Magnemite. "But the fun's just beginning."
"Ohhhh, crap," Orange muttered as a smirk made its way onto Electra's face. "If she's using what I think she's using..."
"Electabuzz, let's go!" shouted Electra as she threw a Poké Ball. Immediately, a human-shaped creature appeared, black stripes covering a large portion of its bright yellow body. Sparks of electricity crackled between the horns on its head, its hands were clenched into fists, and its tail whipped back and forth.
"Ohhhh, crap," repeated Orange as Violet held her Pokédex out.
"Electabuzz, the Electric Pokémon," the machine stated. "Found near power plants, where they feed on electricity. Notorious for causing major power outages."
"Not good, I'm guessing?" said Red.
"Electabuzz is her strongest Pokémon," Orange whispered. "It's nearly unstoppable."
"You can do it, Orange," Violet said encouragingly. "You have more Pokémon still able to battle, and one of them has the type advantage."
"Yeah... yeah, you're right!" Orange exclaimed, his usual grin returning at full force. "OK! .4, use your TM28 attack!"
"Electabuzz, Teleport!" Electra exclaimed.
As .4 gibbered incoherently and blew up, Electabuzz vanished into thin air, only to reappear several yards off to the left, well out of the way of the attack.
".4, again!" Orange ordered.
"Electabuzz, Mega Punch!" yelled Electra.
Electabuzz growled loudly as it slammed its fist into the oncoming .4, sending it flying backwards. The attack seemed to have little effect, however, for .4 came right back and exploded in Electabuzz's face.
"Yes!" Orange exclaimed. However, as the dust settled, Electabuzz could be seen, more or less unscathed, hiding behind a shimmering wall of light.
"Light Screen?!" Orange whined. "OH, COME ON! .4, let's end this! TM09!"
.4 trilled loudly as it rose high into the air and caught fire. Then it dove down towards Electabuzz, and a violent explosion ensued. Electabuzz had dove out of the attack's path, but wound up caught up in the blast anyway. Unfortunately, while Electabuzz was able to get back up, .4 was not so fortunate.
".4, return!" he shouted as he held .4's ball in one hand and threw another one with his other hand. "Nidoking, go!"
In a flash of light, Nidoking was back out onto the battlefield. It roared loudly, stomped the battlefield, and glared across the battlefield at its foe, who glared right back.
"Let's end this here and now!" Orange exclaimed. "Nidoking, Quick Attack!"
"Electabuzz, use your own Quick Attack!" Electra shouted.
Both Nidoking and Electabuzz tore across the battlefield, colliding at high speeds, bouncing off each other. As they slowly got back up, Electra grinned evilly.
"Let's end this here and now," she said, mockingly repeating Orange's earlier words. "Electabuzz... Psychic."
Electabuzz's body took on a blue aura, and a blast of blue light came off of it, striking Nidoking, seeming to hurt it a lot. When the light faded, Nidoking collapsed to the floor and did not move.
"Wha... wha..." Orange stammered as the reality of what just happened started to sink in. Though Nidoking was now feebly stirring, it was clearly in no fit shape to battle any further.
"Not a bad match, cousin," said Electra as she withdrew Electabuzz. "But what say you toughen your Pokemon up a little more, hmm? I'd love to take on your friends, only this is around the time I close up the Gym for the night."
"I told you we wouldn't have time for all three of us," said Violet. Orange didn't answer, still seemingly stunned at the battle's outcome as he withdrew Nidoking.
"Orange, you should listen to your girlfriend there," said Electra.
"My WHAT?!" Orange exclaimed, seeming to snap out of it. "What- you think she- and I- WHAT?!"
Electra giggled, pleased at this reaction. "Well, I think you better get going to the Pokémon Center. Great seeing you again, Orange."
"Yeah, yeah," Orange grumbled as he led the way out of the Gym. Though he had clearly snapped out of his funk, the look in his eyes betrayed the fact that he was still unable to believe that he had actually lost.