CHAPTER EIGHT
Amy waved goodbye to Beth and turned to walk in the direction of Viridian Forest. She hadn't expected such a long lunch - Mary and Beth were so grateful for Amy's interference in Beth's problem that they had offered her more and more food, to which she politely declined. If there was one thing she would stick to on this journey, it would be that she would not be getting fat. She was too vain to consider having a second helping at meals. It didn't occur to Amy that weight gain was the least of concerns for enterprising, young Trainers who would gladly get their boots muddy to catch a sighting of a rare Pokemon.
Mary had talked quite a bit about her son, Daniel, who had recently become a Pokemon Trainer and had headed off to Pewter City. Beth was upset by her mother's decision not to let her become a Pokemon Trainer and Amy privately agreed - while she herself was going against her mother's wishes, in the case of Beth, it was clear that Mary loved her daughter with all her heart and Amy found it touching that she wanted to keep her at home as long as possible. Amy's mother, however, wanted to keep her at home permanently - with no hope for a career as a Pokemon Trainer and certainly not so once she married some rich gentleman who would no doubt do the same things with her that her mother did now; escort her to parties, take her on shopping trips and buy her nice things - all without a Pokemon by her side.
Amy balled her fist and ignored the pit of guilt in her stomach. She shook herself out of her reverie and came upon the building entrance to Viridian City. Upon entering, she saw a nice woman at the reception handing out pamphlets about the Viridian Forest. Amy took one with a nod, then pushed open the door which led to Viridian Forest.
Her immediate thought was that there was an almost scary lack of light, which led Amy to believe that if she didn't turn back now, she might get lost forever. She was startled, however, as she saw a pair of bug catchers racing after each other, attempting to catch a Weedle which was faster than both of them. Amy exhaled in relief and began walking through the forest, with her loyal Growlithe at her side. She was not alone per se.
Ten minutes later, Amy could not have been more convinced that she was lost. She hadn't saw hide nor tail of any Trainers and could swear that she heard the rustling of Bug Pokemon in the undergrowth. She had Growlithe and Nidoran to protect her, but she had fearful visions of being kept in a jungle for days while her hair became greasy and her clothes filthy. Again, her vanity trumped her ability to enjoy her surroundings, quiet and peaceful that they were.
She and Growlithe continued to walk through the forest, occasionally hearing a Pidgey rustling in its nest. They caught sight of Kakuna and Metapod hanging from the trees and Amy shivered.
"Hey!"
Amy's shoulders sagged in relief as she saw someone running towards her. She saw that it was a young kid, holding a net and wearing a straw hat. It was a bug catcher.
"Are you a Pokemon Trainer?" he asked, puffing as though he had been running for some time.
"Yes." Amy said. "Do you know the way out of here?"
"We must have a Pokemon battle! Pokemon Trainers must battle when they meet eyes!"
"But - "
The bug catcher took some steps back to make room. The Pokemon which hid in the trees and tall grass watched them silently from afar.
"My name's Wade. What's yours?" he asked.
"I'm Amy. Will you tell me the way out of here?"
"If you win!" he squinted his eyes. "Let's battle!"
Amy stepped back to allow enough room for a battlefield. Wade selected a Pokeball on his belt, tossing it into the grass. "I choose you, Weedle!"
Weedle appeared in a flash of red light, its stinger poised.
"Growlithe, you're up." Amy said, as Growlithe stepped forward.
"Weedle, String Shot!"
"Growlithe, use Ember!"
As Weedle expelled a stream of string at Growlithe, Growlithe opened its mouth and released a volley of flames, incinerating the incoming stream of string and searing Weedle's body, sending it writhing to the ground. Weedle lay still.
"Ah! Weedle!" Wade returned Weedle to its Pokeball. He threw another from his belt. "Go, Caterpie!"
Caterpie appeared in a flash of red light. Growlithe watched as Caterpie stiffened, ready to attack.
"Growlithe, Ember!"
"Caterpie, avoid his attack and use Tackle!"
Growlithe opened his mouth to release a volley of flames. Caterpie slithered out of harm's way, maneuvering around to Growlithe's side and launching itself at Growlithe. Growlithe turned and grabbed Caterpie in its jaws.
"Bite Attack, Growlithe!"
Caterpie squealed in pain as Growlithe bit hard into Caterpie, tossing it onto the ground. Caterpie was weak and could barely stand.
"Caterpie, use - "
"Your Pokemon is too weak to move. You shouldn't push it," Amy insisted.
"Nonsense! How will Bug Pokemon ever get stronger if you don't push them?" Wade demanded. "Caterpie, get up!"
"Growlithe, use Ember - but not too much!" Amy looked pitifully at Wade.
Growlithe hesitated before releasing another volley of flames, this time engulfing Caterpie wholly as it lay on the ground. As the smoke cleared, there was no doubt about it: Caterpie had fainted.
"Caterpie..." Wade returned Caterpie to its Pokeball and faced Amy. "Well, you won. Here's your prize money."
As Wade walked over to Amy, he handed her fifty dollars in cash.
"Where's the exit to Pewter City?" Amy asked kindly. "You should heal your Pokemon at the Pokemon Center when we get there."
"I'll be fine." Wade said stubbornly. He turned and pointed. "You go left through there, then take two rights. You can't miss it."
"Thanks." Amy nodded.
"By the way," Wade said, as Amy turned to leave. "Do you think I'm a good Trainer?"
Amy paused. She didn't want to pretend to be a sage imparting advice. However, he did ask a simple question. Was there a simple answer?
"I think you push your Pokemon too hard. You should respect them a bit more. Know their limits. Then, you can work on how to make them stronger. You can't force a Pokemon to do anything they don't want to do."
Wade smiled. "Thanks."
"No problem," Amy smiled, heading in the direction Wade pointed. The glow of accomplishment felt better, being acknowledged for something at which she excelled. But wasn't it because Growlithe obliterated Bug-types easily? She could hardly call herself an expert fighting only Pokemon who held a type disadvantage against hers.
It wasn't long before she caught sight of another Bug Catcher, although this one was chatting with another, perhaps a friend. Both of them noticed her and perked up at her arrival, running over.
"Hey!" "You!"
Inwardly she sighed and faced the rambunctious, sweaty-faced boys with their nets and straw hats.
"You're not a bug catcher, are you?" they eyed her immaculate dress, tarred with mud and branch scratches.
"No," huffed Amy. "Well, I better be - "
"You can battle us! Both of us!" they grinned. "Two on one!"
"Two on one?" Amy frowned, then paused at their beatific expressions. She had almost forgotten her trump card. "Well, if you say so."
"Yeah, yeah!" cried one, then another: "You'll regret battling us!"
Reluctantly, she faced opposite the two boys who drew a Pokeball each from their belts, their only Pokemon. "Ready?"
"I choose Caterpie!" cried one, the furry insect materialising in front of his owner.
"And I choose Weedle!" cried the other, his Poison-type horned beetle scurrying in the undergrowth.
"Very well," said Amy, gesturing for her Growlithe to step out the shadows.
The first bug catcher was round-eyed. "Whoa! A Growlithe! But Eric - "
Eric was quick to shake off any perceived disadvantage. "Let's get this battle started! Weedle, Poison Sting!"
"Caterpie, String Shot!"
"Growlithe," Amy commanded. "Ember!"
Weedle launched into the air, barb poised for Growlithe's fur as Caterpie let loose a web of sticky string towards the Fire-type. Immediately, Growlithe opened his mouth wide and released a volley of flames, obliterating the incoming String Shot and burning both Weedle and Caterpie into the mud. The two Bug-types writhed in agony as their Trainers fought over where their shared Burn Heal was kept -
"Finish them, Growlithe!" Amy cried.
Growlithe bounded forth, but Eric ran forward to block his path while the other Bug Catcher administered Potions and Burn Heals. "Stop! We surrender!"
Growlithe paused, not concerned either way. At Amy's instruction he bounded back to her side, both watching as the Caterpie and Weedle were administered basic medicine and disappeared with a red flash inside their Trainer's Pokeballs.
"Uh, I guess I owe you some money..." said Eric, shamefaced as he handed over a wad of cash.
"Both of you," said Amy sternly. "I defeated both of you, didn't I?"
Glancing at each other, they nodded their assent and the other Bug Trainer dug deep in his tattered shorts for his wallet. Amy accepted the thick wad of cash, self-satisfied as she disappeared into the forest with her loyal Growlithe by her side.
"You did great, Growlithe," said Amy, proud to have made it this far. Their footsteps were muffled in the undergrowth that blanketed the forest. "You're learning so fast."
Growlithe barked happily, upsetting a flock of Butterfree who took for clearer skies. Amy watched the beautiful Bug Pokemon fly through the canopy of trees and beyond.
It was not long before Amy saw a widening light that indicated the end of Viridian Forest. Her pace quickened alongside Growlithe's bounds as she emerged into bright sunlight, wincing against the glare as she saw two Trainers battling. A boy and girl her age using a Bellsprout and Metapod, respectively. She watched them for a while then moved on, into the vast bulk of Pewter City.
No stranger to large cities, this one certainly held merit for the many residents who called it home. Growlithe looked about, fascinated in the sights and smells that he had missed in the smaller towns and aboard the S.S. Anne. Amy released Nidoran from her Pokeball so she too could explore the city, nose snuffling at unfamiliar people and keeping close to her Trainer.
Passing by the Pewter Museum of Science, in which she had little interest in the subject and exorbitant entry fee, her heartbeat quickened as she saw the sign 'PEWTER CITY GYM' in front of a large building and raced towards it, forgetting in her haste to visit the Pokemon Center first.
"Metapod, Harden!" cried Natalie.
"Bellsprout, Vine Whip!" urged Daniel. "Please!"
As Bellsprout reluctantly used its vines to whip Metapod, Metapod glowed and hardened. Bellsprout's vines had no effect, as Metapod stayed rigid still, unaffected by the attack.
"Metapod, String Shot!"
Before Bellsprout could react, Metapod shot string at Bellsprout, which gathered and tied it up again. Bellsprout tried in vain to use its Vine Whip, but that too was hindered by the String Shot.
"Metapod, use Tackle!"
Metapod launched itself at Bellsprout, tackling it with its hard shell. Bellsprout was hurt, again and again, until Daniel called, "Stop!"
Daniel retrieved his Pokeball and pointed it at Bellsprout. Bellsprout returned to its Pokeball.
"The same thing happened again..." Daniel said.
"Oh, yeah! I'm on a roll!" Natalie called, jumping up and down.
"We should head back," Daniel said. "I need to heal Bellsprout."
Natalie returned Metapod to its Pokeball and joined Daniel as the two of them headed towards the Pokemon Center. While Natalie and Squirtle waited outside, Daniel emerged a minute later with a fully healed Bellsprout.
"Are you ready for the Pokemon Gym?" Natalie asked anxiously.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Daniel asked, as they walked in the direction of the Pewter Gym.
"Bellsprout is a little bit reluctant to follow your orders... plus, it couldn't even defeat my Metapod!"
"That's only because it's a Bug-type. All of Brock's Pokemon are Rock-Types. Bellsprout's Grass-type attacks will defeat them."
"It's not enough to have the right Pokemon-type, Daniel." Natalie said in all seriousness. "You've got to love your Pokemon."
"It's tough to love Bellsprout when it's so adamant - "
Daniel attempted to open the door of the Pewter Gym but it was locked.
"Huh?" Natalie said, pushing Daniel aside and trying to open it herself. "I have the Boulder Badge! Brock should let me in, at least!"
"I don't think he cares," Daniel said, as they heard voices coming from inside. "There must be a challenger in there about to face him."
As Amy entered the Pewter Gym, she heard the door lock behind her and faced the large, rocky battlefield before her. A light shone to illuminate the Gym Leader. Growlithe stood closer to Amy.
"My name is Brock! I am the Gym Leader of Pewter City! What is your name, challenger?"
"My name is Amy." Amy said bravely. "I'm here to fight you for the Boulder Badge."
"Very well, then. I hope you have more than one Pokemon to take me on with. I have two Pokemon for this battle."
"Yes." Amy said, as Growlithe stepped forward. "I have two Pokemon ready."
"Prepare to lose!" Brock said, unlatching a Pokeball from his belt and tossing it into the battlefield. "Go, Geodude!"
Geodude appeared in a flash of red light, hovering before the battlefield, its fists clenched.
"I choose Growlithe!" Amy said, as Growlithe growled to taunt the enemy. It slammed its paw down upon the ground.
"Geodude, Tackle Attack!"
"Growlithe, use Ember!"
As Geodude zoomed towards Growlithe, Growlithe opened its mouth and shot a volley of flames at Geodude. Geodude was unimpeded, tackling Growlithe and sending it flying across the battlefield.
"Growlithe!" Amy cried.
"Fire-type attacks are weak against Rock-type Pokemon," Brock remarked, shaking his head. "Didn't your mother teach you anything?"
Amy wanted to retort, but held her tongue. She hadn't learned much about Type strengths and weaknesses from her younger brother; only the sour taste of defeat as he won in nearly every battle he had with her, held in secret sessions out of range from their mother's prying eyes.
Growlithe managed to stand up, but not before Geodude launched another Tackle Attack at Growlithe. Growlithe only just managed to jump out of the way.
"Use Roar, Growlithe!" Amy called.
Growlithe roared loudly at Geodude, to which it paused for a moment, carefully eyeing Growlithe. Amy was hesitant; no move she could think of would be effective on Geodude.
"You should give up before it's too late," Brock advised. "Geodude, use Defense Curl and then Tackle Growlithe!"
"Growlithe, use Ember attack, now!" Amy cried.
Growlithe opened its mouth as Geodude began spinning like a top. Growlithe released another volley of flames, but this time, the flames went in several directions as they made contact with Geodude. As Geodude became a blur, it zoomed towards Growlithe and tackled it head on, sending it flying near Amy's feet, unable to move.
"Growlithe!" Amy cried. She knew she couldn't walk onto the battlefield, so she held out Growlithe's Pokeball. "Return, Growlithe."
Growlithe returned to its Pokeball in a flash of red light.
"Are you sure you want to continue?" Brock asked. "If you're not ready, I'll be here, waiting for you."
Amy paused. She knew Nidoran might have a chance, but her spirit began to plummet. Her first Gym battle and she wasn't adequately prepared; she had not thought this through at all. Did she want to put Nidoran through a painful defeat in her pride not to give up?
"I..." Amy's lip wobbled. "I surrender."
"Fine. You may go. Take your Pokemon to a Pokemon Center. Train harder before you see me next!"
Amy burst out of the Pewter Gym, bumping into two people. One was a boy with blonde hair, fair skin and a Meowth by his side, while the other had her red hair in a ponytail and a Squirtle at her side.
"Excuse me," Amy said, trying to hold back tears and running in the direction of the Pokemon Center.
"I'm sure I've seen that girl before..." Natalie pondered. "Yeah, I think I caught a glimpse of her when we were battling earlier. She came out of Viridian Forest."
"She must've lost pretty bad to come out of the Gym looking like that."
"It doesn't look like she's from around here," Natalie said, pushing open the door.
"Ah! It's you two again!" spoke a voice.
As they entered the familiar surroundings of the rocky battlefield, they saw Brock opposite the entrance on a podium. "Come to challenge me again, have you, Natalie?"
"Not today," Natalie poked her tongue out at him. "Today, my friend Daniel will be battling you."
"I see," Brock said, summing him up. "Well, the last challenger I battled barely put a scratch on my Pokemon. I don't even need to go to the Pokemon Center before beginning. Are you ready, Daniel?"
"Yes," Daniel said resolutely. He stepped forward, as Meowth stood by his side.
"Glad to hear it. Let us begin!" Brock said, throwing a Pokeball onto the field. "I choose Geodude!"
Geodude appeared in a flash of red light, pumped for action. Daniel detached a Pokeball from his belt, holding it for a second, praying that Bellsprout would obey.
"Bellsprout, go!" Daniel called, as he threw the Pokeball into the fray. Bellsprout appeared in a flash of red light, waving its leaf arms.
"Geodude, Defense Curl!"
"Bellsprout, use Vine Whip!"
Bellsprout stayed still, folding its leaf arms again. Geodude began to spin madly.
"Bellsprout!" Daniel shouted. "I need you to win!"
Bellsprout shook its head, as Brock yelled,
"Geodude, let's secure another win! Tackle Attack!"
Geodude hurtled towards Bellsprout at an intense speed, but Bellsprout managed to avoid the attack just in time.
"Bellsprout, whatever our problems, we can sort them out! But for now, I need you to win against Brock! Can you do that for me?"
Bellsprout turned to Daniel, pausing for a second. It considered Daniel's response.
"Geodude, Tackle it again!"
Geodude attempted to tackle Bellsprout again, but Bellsprout was agile enough to avoid it for a second time.
"Ugh!" Brock shouted. "Even a puny Pokemon like that should fall by my Geodude's hands! Very well, then! Geodude, return!"
Brock held out a Pokeball and Geodude disappeared inside it in a flash of red light.
"Oh, no!" Natalie said in dismay.
"That's right! Go, Onix!" Brock said, throwing a Pokeball onto the field.
Onix appeared in a flash of red light, its rocky serpentine body unfurling and its gaze directed straight at Bellsprout.
"Onix, let's show this puny Bellsprout what we're made of! Tackle Attack!"
Onix swooped its head down to Bellsprout, as Bellsprout's eyes opened wide. Furious at Brock's comment, it jumped at the very last possible moment, landing on Onix's head. Bellsprout then released several vines from its body which secured itself around Onix's face, rendering it unable to see. Onix, angry in its blind fury, began writing on the floor, trying to shake Bellsprout off. Bellsprout hung on with all the finesse of a rodeo master.
"Bellsprout, use Vine Whip!"
Bellsprout waited for the opportune time, then jumped off Onix as its face came close to the ground. With its vines released, Bellsprout flicked them right into Onix's face, causing it to groan in agony. Onix fell to the floor, but was still conscious.
"Bellsprout, finish it! Use Vine Whip again!"
"Onix, no! Use Screech Attack!" Brock yelled.
Bellsprout's vines reached Onix first; whipping it across the face and all over its body. Groaning in pain, Onix's head slumped to the ground. It had fainted.
"Nice job, Daniel!" Natalie shouted.
Brock morosely returned Onix to its Pokeball. "You're promising, I'll give you that. But you've yet to defeat me! Go, Geodude!"
Geodude appeared in a flash of red light, its fists tightly clenched. It looked at Bellsprout with an expression of aggression.
"Bellsprout, Vine Whip!"
"Geodude, Defense Curl!"
As Geodude began to spin around madly, Bellsprout released two vines from its body which whipped Geodude as it did so. The vines bounced off, but Geodude began to slow down.
"Good, Bellsprout! Do it again! It's getting weaker!"
"Geodude, Tackle Bellsprout now!"
Bellsprout avoided Geodude's Tackle and whipped it again. Bellsprout kept this up for a while, avoiding Geodude's attacks and using Vine Whip whenever it had the chance. After a minute, Geodude stopped spinning and began panting. It could take no more.
"Finish it, Bellsprout! Use Vine Whip!"
Bellsprout didn't need telling twice. It launched its vines at Geodude, whipped Geodude around the face and sent it flying across the battlefield. It stopped in front of Brock's feet. It had fainted.
"No way..." Daniel said in disbelief. "I won. I won!"
"You won?" Brock asked, in as much disbelief as Daniel was. "How could I lose?"
"Look at it this way, Brock; you're getting used to losing!" Natalie poked out her tongue.
As Brock walked towards Daniel, Daniel ran onto the battlefield to Bellsprout.
"You did an excellent job, Bellsprout. You're quite a powerful Pokemon," Daniel admitted.
Bellsprout was happy to receive such a compliment and reached up to give Daniel a hug with its leaf arms. Touched by the moment, Natalie stifled a sob.
"Daniel, you deserve this." Brock held out his hand. The Boulder Badge gleamed in his palm.
"Thank you, Brock," Daniel said gratefully, taking the Badge. "You're a good Trainer."
"What are you talking about? I'm a great Gym Leader!" he laughed.
Daniel and Natalie joined in, too. After all, the last thing they had been expecting was a warm reception from defeating a Gym Leader.
"You two are traveling together, am I right?"
"Yes," Daniel said, as Natalie nodded.
"Take this," Brock said. "It's customary for Trainers to give money to whom against those they lose."
Daniel took it and shook Brock's hand. As the two of them exited the Gym, Daniel said,
"I'm curious, Natalie. Did Brock give you the same amount of victory money?"
"Oh, who cares, Daniel?" Natalie said with a mysterious grin. "You got your first Gym badge! Memories are worth more than money!"