Normally I'd skip by Route 4 and head straight to Cerulean City, but I like the subject(s) of this next chapter far too much to pass it by. This is the kind of thing that would be cut in a movie for length's sake, but I don't really have much in the way of time constraints. So, yeah, pointless chapter is a go!
The sun peeked over the horizon, glistening off the snow-caped Mt. Moon. Red and Green rose early, packed up their respective camping gear and set out down the path to Cerulean City. They expected an easy road ahead, but the path was rocky and uneven. Honestly, it was hardly a path at all. Just a pass in the mountains. It took the better part of the morning just to get half way down the trail. As they continued, they spotted a strange sight in the mountains. Two large yurts in the middle of the mountain pass. Neither Red nor Green knew what would possess anyone to set up such things in such a remote and harsh location. As they approached, they noticed two men in gi, meditating in front of the tents. Over the respective doors of the two structures were symbols. One was that of a fist and the other was a foot. As soon as the two kids got close, the meditating men (who could have been brothers with their spiked black hair and similar facial features) sprung to life and their feet.
"So, you've come to train with me?" they said in perfect unison. Even their voices and mannerisms were practically identical! "Train with you?!" they barked at each other in stereo, "They're here to train with me!"
"Excuse me," Green broke in, "But we're not here to train with anyone. We were just passing through and curious."
"Oh, well in that case-" one of the karate men said happily before being shoved aside by the other.
"-It's your lucky day! Because if you just train with me…" the second said before getting shoved out of the way by the first.
"-If you train with me, I can teach one of your Pokémon…"
Suddenly the other one was up and they started talking in unison again, "The ultimate move!" For the first time, Red started paying attention to the conversation rather than trying to count all the different grasses that he could see on the path. "Mega Punch/Kick!"
"What?! How could your inaccurate, unreliable Mega Kick doesn't hold a candle to my masterful punching technique!"
"How dare you! Your puny Mega Punch is nothing compared to my earth-shattering kicking technique!"
"Why not use both?" Green asked sincerely.
The punching advocate gasped in horror at the idea of it. "How naive must you be to think kicking would ever be necessary?"
The kicking advocate scoffed. "Well, unlike you, I would never turn away a student for creative (if misguided) thinking! Come with me miss, and I'll show one of your Pokémon the secrets of Mega Kick!"
"You seem like an intelligent young man," the other said pointing at Red, "Come with me and I can teach one of your Pokémon the amazing move Mega Punch!"
Red and Green mulled it over for a moment. The idea of teaching their Pokémon new moves was really appealing, but these two were crazy in their silly rivalry. Suddenly, Green was struck with an idea. She asked to speak to Red and they started whispering to each other. At first it seemed like they were working out some kind of plan, but without warning, they started shouting at each other.
"Have you gone crazy?!" Green demanded, "It's obvious that Mega Kick is the better choice!
"Not a chance!" Red returned with little of his usual subtlety, "Mega Punch is the better move!"
The two masters beamed at having a student en potentia so enthusiastic about their respective crafts. They called them into the yurts, not noticing their new students flash each other the thumbs up just before they entered. The yurt was spacious on the inside, only a rolled up sleeping mat in one corner. The punching master asked which Pokémon Red wanted to learn Mega Punch. He chose his Pikachu. Since his electricity didn't work on ground-type Pokémon at all, Red decided Pikachu needed some strong physical attacks. Red released Pikachu and the lesson began. The motions of Mega Punch were easy and straightforward. There were some subtleties to the art of the straight punch, but it took only a few seconds to master. It was turning that simple motion into a battle move that could crack rocks and fell Pokémon twice Pikachu's size that was where the difficulty lied. All kinds of talk about chi and inner focus. It was hard work, but after about an hour it was rewarded with a perfect Mega Punch.
Red thanked the master. He asked what he could do to pay the master back, but the master told him that he only needed to use Mega Punch responsibly and to its full potential. Red nodded and left the tent. As soon as he left, he saw Green exit the other tent. They smiled as they passed each other on their way to the other master. When the two entered, they explained they had seen the error of their ways. That was all the convincing the masters needed and they began teaching again. Because they had already mastered the sister technique to the one they were learning. Both were complimented as "the best student I've ever trained" according to the masters (parroting themselves again without knowing it).
"Now that Pikachu knows Mega Kick," Red said to the kicking master, "Let's go teach the other dojo a lesson!"
"Brilliant idea!" the master complimented. They left the yurt together, seeing Green and the punching master do the same. It didn't occur to either of the masters that their last students had switched sides.
"Green, I challenge you to a one on one Pokémon battle!" Red declared.
"I accept," Green returned, "I choose my Mankey!" When the Pokémon Green called on appeared, it was revealed to be an exclusively bipedal monkey with a pig-nose and angry eyes. Its stiff fur was a tan color with brown around its paws and the tip of its tail.
"My choice is Pikachu." Pikachu was already out of his ball and scampered forward. "Pikachu, use Mega Kick!"
"Mankey, use Mega Punch!"
The two Pokémon darted after each other. Pikachu, the faster, kicked at Mankey, but the pig monkey dodged all the same. Mankey hit Pikachu with its Mega Punch, but Pikachu caught the attack. "Thundershock!" Red ordered. Pikachu complied, zapping Mankey. When Mankey fell back, Pikachu Mega Kicked it in the nose. The battle continued trading blows. It wasn't until Pikachu landed a Mega Punch simultaneously with a Mega Kick from Mankey that the masters realized they had been duped.
"Hey!" they both declared, "You're using both moves!"
"That's right," Green said. She walked over and picked up her exhausted Mankey since both it and Pikachu were at the limits of their endurance and a decisive winner was far off. "Both Mega Punch and Mega Kick are useful moves. Why wouldn't you want them both?"
"Mega Punch is fast and accurate," Red explained as he picked up his own tired Pokémon, "But it doesn't do the kind of damage Mega Kick can. They make up for each other's weaknesses. It's like teaming up two different types of Pokémon."
"Well, I guess Mega Punch can set up more opportunities to use Mega Kick…" One master said.
"And maybe Mega Kick could work as a finishing move for some of the tougher opponents…" the other master admitted.
"See," Green said cheerfully, "Both moves have value! Now you can work together to make an even better style of battling!"
"Work with him? No way, Mega Kick is still clearly the superior move!"
"What?! It's obvious that Mega Punch is the core of any effective strategy!"
"Mega Kick!"
"Mega Punch!"
"Mega Kick!"
"Mega Punch!"
"Green?" Red asked, slight irritation breaking through his monotone.
"Yeah, Red?" she replied in a daze.
"I'm leaving."
"Good idea." They left the two karate masters to their argument and continued down the rough path to Cerulean City. After a little more hiking, they made it to a paved road leading to the city. "I kind of wish we could have helped them get over there disagreement. I guess they'll have to sort out the rest themselves."
"They probably will," Red said indifferently. "They're so similar they fight like brothers. Who knows, maybe they are…"
"Actually," Green giggled, "They remind me of two other thickheaded boys who could be brothers and fight all the time."
"Who?" Red asked. Green only started laughing and broke for the city creeping over the horizon. "Wait!" Red called after her, "Who is it?!"
Yeah, pointless. I just love that the two guys that teach you Mega Punch and Mega Kick are standing right next to each other and you can still get both moves. I don't care that this does nothing for story or character development.
…
That's a lie, I feel like an idiot.