A/N: So I didn't get too much response last chapter in regard to the pairing. This was slightly disappointing. Most people didn't really care, so after thinking it over I've decided to just do whatever I want. What does that mean? Well I'm keeping it a secret. Keep reading and you'll find out eventually.
Cody's Pokémon Adventure
Chapter 5
Cody, Lindsay and Harold were all exhausted as they made their way into Pewter City and left Viridian Forest behind. They headed straight for the Pokémon Center without even looking at the rest of the city. Cody and Harold just wanted to get the Pikachu Cody had found in the forest healed as fast as they could while Lindsay just wanted to collapse.
By the time they reached the Pokémon Center the sun was already beginning to set. They hurried inside to find the center quiet, but not empty. Nurse Joy was at her usual spot behind the counter apparently conversing casually with a Chansey nurse. The three hurried up to the counter. Cody and Harold stood side by side in front while Lindsay lingered behind them.
"Excuse me?" Cody tried to get Nurse Joy's attention.
The pink-haired woman turned to them and smiled. "Can I help either of you gentlemen?"
"Yes, I found a Pikachu in the Viridian Forest that had been injured." Cody put the pokeball with Pikachu in it on the counter. "I'm not sure how badly its hurt, but it definitely needs help!"
"Of course," Nurse Joy nodded. "You did the right thing bringing it here. I'll get to it right away." she took the pokeball off the counter and held it in one hand. "While I'm doing that, do any of your other Pokémon need to be looked at?"
"Actually yes," Cody began to pull out his other two pokeballs. "Both of my Pokémon could use some healing."
"Mine too," Harold said adding his pokeballs to the pile.
The nurse smiled. "I'll get started right away. Please wait until then and feel free to use any of the Pokémon Center's facilities."
Both Cody and Harold thanked her, and then moved away from the counter so as not to block it. Both boys sank into a nearby red couch while Lindsay sat across from them in a comfy white chair. After a few seconds Cody turned his head to Harold. "Do you think Pikachu will be okay?"
"It should be okay," Harold answered while staring at the ceiling. "I've never heard of Nurse Joy failing to save a Pokémon."
"Yeah…" A thought occurred to him. "What's up with Nurse Joy anyway? She looked exactly the same as the one in Viridian City. Didn't you think so Lindsay?"
"Huh?" the blonde blinked a few times and then yawned. "Did she? I thought this one looked chubbier than the other lady." Cody gave her a weird look but didn't say anything."
"All Nurse Joy's look exactly alike." Harold explained. "Apparently there's one in every Pokémon Center and they all look identical."
"How does that work?"
"I'm…not sure." The bug trainer put his hand under his chin as if in deep thought. "I asked once and Nurse Joy showed me a picture of her family. There were a dozen or so Joy's all posing for the camera. She says they're all sisters, but I have my own theory. I think they all must be clones of the original."
"But who would be cloning them?" Cody asked curiously.
Harold shook his head. "I don't know. Whoever is in control of all the Pokémon centers? Someone like that I guess. Well, it doesn't matter."
Cody nodded. It didn't seem to him like the sort of thing he was going to be able to figure out. Especially now when he's tired and hungry. "I'm starving. You guys want to get some food?"
Harold's stomach growled loudly in response. "Definitely, I'm so hungry I could eat a Ponyta."
"How about you Lindsay?" But when Cody turned to the blonde he discovered that she had fallen asleep. She was now lying back in the chair snoring quietly. "…I guess that's a no."
Just then a Chansey walked over and gently placed a blanket over Lindsay, covering everything but her head and feet. "Chansey!" It then walked off.
Reassured that Lindsay would be alright if they left her there, the two boys headed to the kitchen to get something to eat. It soon became apparent that there were more trainers in Pewter City than in Viridian as they both stood in line to get food. They waited a good five minutes before they could get any food. The Chansey in charge was serving pasta and both boys filled their plates before going to find a table.
Sitting down at an empty table they both began to eat quietly. When Cody was halfway through his meal and his stomach was no longer bothering him he stuck his head up and looked around. He got a good look at all the other Pokémon trainers hanging around to eat and talk. Many of whom had some of their smaller Pokémon out eating with them.
It was then that Cody spotted someone leaving the line to get food and heading for a table. He could only see their back but was sure he knew them. "H-Hey!" he stood up suddenly and swallowed the food in his mouth. Harold watched curiously as Cody hurried away from the table and over to a boy walking the other way.
"Hey Noah!" Cody put his hand on the boy's right shoulder. "Noah it's me, it's…"
But the words died on Cody's tongue as the boy turned around. It then became apparent this was not Noah. Despite a similar skin color and similar hair style from the back there were many differences. First off, this boy was a bit taller than Noah and had a smaller head. And while he had a similar outfit, it was different. He wore a beige shirt with the collar up underneath a light blue shirt along with grey jeans, a belt and sneakers.
"Excuse me?" the boy said looking surprised. "Did you just call me Noah?"
"Oh…no, err-" Cody found himself tongue-tied and embarrassed. "Sorry, I thought you were someone I knew."
"Well I'm Dave, not Noah." the boy said apparently wanting to be perfectly clear.
"Sorry I just-
"Whatever." Dave interrupted him. "I'm a little busy okay? I have to go give my friend her food." It was then that Cody realized Dave was holding two trays of food.
"Yeah, okay."
Dave walked off without another word. Feeling embarrassed, Cody hurried back to his table where Harold was still eating. "You know that guy?" he asked in-between bites.
Cody quickly shook his head. "No, he just looked familiar. I had a friend back in Pallet Town named Noah and I thought that was him."
"Where is he?"
"I'm not sure. He left Pallet the same day I did. He might still be here; unless he's already gotten the badge for this city's gym."
"Maybe he's stuck back in Viridian Forest." Harold suggested.
Cody laughed at this. "Maybe…"
They finished the rest of their meal in silence. When they had finished Cody took some food back to Lindsay and gently woke her up. She ravenously ate all the food Cody brought up and probably could've eaten more. As the blonde went to look for dessert Cody checked back in with Nurse Joy.
"That Pikachu you brought in was in bad condition," she explained to him, "but I believe it'll pull through. Check back in the morning and I hope to have better news."
"Thank you Nurse Joy." Cody headed back to Harold and Lindsay and told them what the nurse had just told him. Night had fallen and though it wasn't that late they all decided to go to sleep early. They were all quite tired, including Lindsay, and quickly fell asleep in the sleeping quarters of the Pokémon center.
The next morning the three woke up rested and relaxed. After a light breakfast Harold and Cody went to see Nurse Joy. "I have good news boys," she told them before either teen could question her. "Your Pikachu's surgery went well and its back on its feet. Though I would recommend you avoid bringing it into battle for a day or two just to be safe." she then placed the pokeball down on the counter for Cody to pick up.
She turned around to grab something and when she turned back Nurse Joy was carrying a tray full of pokeballs. "And of course your other Pokémon are all rested up and ready to go."
"Thanks Nurse Joy," Cody said as he and Harold took their Pokémon off the tray.
"No problem. If any of your Pokémon get injured again, feel free to come back. I'm always happy to help." she said cheerfully.
The boys thanked her again before moving away from the counter. Cody looked hesitant. "So does this make Pikachu my Pokémon now?"
"Well yeah," Harold said, "you did capture it after all. That means it's yours."
"I know, I just…" he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I hadn't been thinking about that when you told me to capture it."
Harold then did something that surprised Cody, he smiled, and then placed his hand on the other teen's shoulder. "That's why I know you're going to be a good trainer. You just started and you already care about your Pokémon.
Cody blushed and stared awkwardly at the floor. "Thanks. I was thinking it would be a good idea to let Pikachu out; to get to know it, you know?"
"Sounds good, but let's do it outside." Harold suggested.
"Good idea. Let's go get Lindsay."
They found the blonde sitting on one of the many couches in the Pokémon center. What surprised them was that she was not alone. Lindsay was sitting next to a shorter girl, talking and even laughing. The two boys approached with caution. "Hey Lindsay," Cody greeted her.
"Oh hey guys!" she said having only just realized they were there. The blonde then turned to her companion. "These are my new friends, Cody and Henry."
Harold adjusted his glasses. "My name is Harold, not Henry, gosh!"
"Oh, sorry Harry. No need to get upset." Lindsay told him.
Cody took a better look at Lindsay's companion. She was short, shorter than him in fact and a little pudgy. Her brown hair was up in a ponytail on the left side of her head. She had glasses, braces, and freckles. Her outfit consisted of a green t-shirt underneath a lighter green vest covered in patches along with pink pants and white shoes.
"My name's Beth," the girl held out her hand for Cody to shake. He could tell that her braces gave her a slight lisp. "It's nice to meet you."
"Yeah, nice to meet you Beth." Cody shook her head. Harold then did the same.
"Belle is a Pokémon photographer!" Lindsay exclaimed. She seemed to have just been bursting to say this.
"Really?" Harold looked vaguely interested. "Ever photographed any rare Pokémon?"
Beth looked down at her feet. "Well, not really. Not yet anyway. I'm still new to it so I've been sticking to safer Pokémon."
"And she agreed to photograph my Jigglypuff!" Lindsay said beaming.
"Now?"
"Well…yeah." she shrugged. "Why? What are you going to do?"
"We're going to go introduce ourselves to my new Pikachu, and maybe look around town." Cody shrugged. "You sure you don't want to come?"
"Thanks, but I'd rather stay here with Belle." Lindsay explained.
"See you later then."
Cody and Harold left the two girls to their fun and walked out of the Pokémon Center. They made their way to a nearby park Harold knew about and found an empty bench to sit on. From there they could see a few joggers running through with their Pokémon.
"Pikachu, come on out!" Cody tossed the pokeball up. After it opened it returned to his hand empty. The Pikachu he had found in the forest popped out and looked around hesitantly. "Pika?"
"Hey Pikachu!" Cody held his hand up in greeting and smiled. "My name's Cody, you don't remember me but I found you in the Viridian Forest yesterday. You were injured but I brought you to the Pokémon Center. Do you feel better?"
"Pika." the yellow Pokémon said plainly. It looked at Cody curiously as if trying to assess him. It made no attempt to move or do anything besides sit there. Cody felt rather stumped and wasn't sure what to do next.
"Well anyway, I ended up capturing you so it looks like we'll be traveling together from now on." At this point Cody moved off the bench and kneeled down to get closer. The second he did the Pikachu recoiled in fright and fled behind a nearby tree. Cody worried he had done something wrong.
"It's probably afraid of humans." Harold spoke up. "If it was hurt by Team Rocket like that Dawn girl said then it would make sense. Idiots!" he cursed at Team Rocket.
Cody frowned. He then gently held out his hand toward the Pikachu edging it to come back, but it only retreated to a different tree. "This isn't working." he sighed. "Let me try something else." the Pokémon trainer then pulled out a different pokeball.
"Go Bulbasaur!" Cody's starter Pokémon came out looking refreshed and happy. "Bulbasaur do you think you could talk to Pikachu for me? It's too afraid to talk to me."
Bulbasaur nodded slightly before making its way to the tree Pikachu hid behind. The electric Pokémon seemed wary of the grass Pokémon's approach, but did not flee. Once it reached the tree Bulbasaur began to speak with Pikachu in their own language. Pikachu listened and even spoke back.
Cody and Harold waited patiently until the two Pokémon were finished. Bulbasaur came back to Cody and nudged him. When he looked back at Pikachu Cody could see it looked less nervous, however it did not come back with Bulbasaur. "Thanks for trying Bulbasaur." The brunette recalled it back to its pokeball. He then did the same with Pikachu.
"What do you think?" he asked Harold.
"I can't speak Pokémon, gosh!" Harold shrugged. "But…it's probably fine. Give Pikachu some time and it'll come around."
The two then left the park and decided to get some lunch. They found a small café where they bought a few sandwiches and ate them inside. Once they were full they left and wandered back through the city. "I want to check out the gym," Cody said. "Do you mind?" Harold shook his head. As they walked a thought nagged at the Pokémon trainer's mind. "Harold are you trying to collect badges too?"
"Nah," the redhead answered quickly. "I'm not interested in badges. I'm more interested in capturing rare bug Pokémon. Gyms are a real hassle."
"Then are you sure you want to hang around with me? Because I'm planning on challenging all the gyms in Kanto."
"You make a good point." Harold says as if this is the first time it occurred to him. "Now that I know your Pikachu is okay I could just restock my supplies and head back to the forest."
"Well…I didn't mean it like that." Cody looked embarrassed. "I wouldn't mind if you hung around for a while. You seem nice enough and while I like Lindsay, it's nice to talk to someone with a bit more in the smarts department." he chuckled. "If you know what I mean."
Harold grinned. "I think I know what you mean. So does this make us…friends?"
Cody hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. "Yeah, we're friends."
Harold smiled. "Nice!" he then let out a small cough. "That is, I wouldn't mind hanging out with you for a while. At least until you get that badge."
"Sounds good."
Right as their conversation ended they arrived at the Pewter Gym. Unlike the Viridian Gym, this gym was much easier to find. The ground outside the gym was completely devoid of grass or dirt. Instead it was covered in rubble and rocks which matched the grey paint that covered the gym.
"Have you ever been in?" Cody asked.
Harold shook his head. "No, but I know the gym leader is a guy called Brock. I hear he specializes in rock Pokémon. He's supposed to be pretty tough."
Cody gulped. This would be the first time he entered a gym and was quite nervous. Still, he wasn't going to turn back just yet. His hand grasped the door and pulled it open. The inside of the gym was fairly dark, with the only light coming from burning torches that hung from the ceiling. Despite the dark, both boys could tell the gym was huge. On first look it seemed as large as a cathedral and just as well maintained.
Cody had heard that each gym specialized in a certain type of Pokémon, but he hadn't realized how bit a factor that would be. The entire gym was covered in rocks from ceiling to floor. The only parts not filled with rocks was a path that led to the gym leader and his battle arena.
An older man stood near the entrance to the gym beside one of two statues. He spotted Cody and Harold as they walked in. The moment they walked closer he began talking. "Hiya!" he looked right at Cody. "I can tell you have what it takes to become a Pokémon champ!"
Cody found himself slightly alarmed at this sudden greeting. "Oh well…thanks?"
"I'm no trainer, but I can tell you how to win! Let me take you to the top!"
"Well that's very…kind of you." Cody glanced at Harold in the hope of getting an explanation. Unfortunately Harold didn't know what was going on either and could only shrug. "Who are you exactly?"
"Me? Well I'm just a gym guy." the old man shrugged as if to say his own identity was irrelevant. "The real question is: who are you? You're the one here to challenge Brock after all."
"My name is Cody Anderson." the brunette stated. "But I'm not here to challenge Brock-not yet anyway. We're just here to look around."
"No problem, no problem." the man said. "You would've had to wait anyway. Brock is currently facing another challenger right now." Hearing this Cody squinted and could make out a Pokémon battle going on at the other end of the gym. "But maybe you'd be interested in taking on one of Brock's disciples!"
"His disciples?"
"Those guys and gals that train directly under Brock." the man explained. "Those who seek to learn the ways of a rock Pokémon master. If you want to get to Brock you'll have to get past his disciples first."
"How many are there?" Harold asked.
"Well there's only one left today." The man fidgeted. "The girl who's taking on Brock right now took down the other two with ease."
"And if I fight this disciple I'll still be able to come back and fight Brock later?"
"That is correct!"
Cody decided to accept. "Alright then, I'll do it!"
The gym guy smiled widely. "That's great! Just remember: rock Pokémon are extremely tough. Fire and electric attacks won't be of any use here. If you want to be smart, use a water Pokémon!"
"Thanks." Cody said as he and Harold moved past the man. They made their way down onto the dirt floor where walls of stone obscured their view. A nervous excitement filled Cody as he followed the path deeper into the gym. After turning a corner they came across a long and narrow passageway. Standing alone at the end of it was a male teen in red.
"Hey you!" the boy called out pointing at Cody. "Don't move! We're going to have a battle!" He then began to run toward them. Cody didn't move, but watched as the boy slipped after only a few steps and slid on his back all the way to them. When he finally stopped he was right in front of them.
"Oww…"
"Are you okay?" Cody and Harold helped him to his feet.
"I'm fine!" the boy said pulling himself up. He was taller than Cody wearing a red headband over his brown hair. He wore a red track suit and white sport shoes. "Don't worry that happens all the time. Thanks for the assist bros."
"Sure," Cody said, "are you one of Brock's disciples?"
"That's right," he nodded. "My name is Tyler, and I've been trained by Brock himself so don't think you'll beat me! I always bring my A-game!"
Seeing the determined look on Tyler's face, Cody knew the battle was about to begin. He pulled out his own pokeball as Tyler did the same. "Go Diglett!" The boy in red was the first to summon his Pokémon.
"Go Bulbasaur!"
The two Pokémon eyed each other. "A Diglett huh?" Cody pulled out his Pokedex. A Diglett appeared on-screen. "Diglett: the mole Pokémon. Diglett prefer dark places. It spends most of its time underground, though it may pop up in caves."
"What's that?" Tyler asked catching sight of the Pokedex.
"Something Professor Oak gave me." Cody explained. "It collects information on Pokémon and gives me an edge."
"Ha!" Tyler laughed blatantly. "You'll need more than a talking PDA to beat me!" he caught his Pokémon's eye. "Come on Dig, let's show this chump how we fight! Use scratch!"
The small brown Pokémon raced forward and scratched Bulbasaur across the front. Bulbasaur jumped back in pain. "Bulbasaur use tackle!" Cody called out. The grass Pokémon ran forward and tackled Diglett down, but it didn't appear to be very effective.
"We got this Diglett! Use sand attack!" Diglett brought up a flurry of sand which hit Bulbasaur in the face. It attempted to shake the sand out of its eyes. "Now use scratch again!"
Once again Bulbasaur took damage as Diglett scratched it. "Cody, use vine whip!" Harold called out from the sidelines. "A grass attack will be more effective!"
Cody nodded . "Bulbasaur use vine whip!"
A vine shot out from both sides of Bulbasaur and angrily whipped Diglett in the face. The attack must've been super effective as Diglett was knocked out. "Diglett is unable to battle," someone from the sidelines called out. "Bulbasaur wins! Call out your next Pokémon." Cody turned to see it was a referee in a white and black striped shirt.
A look of shock crossed Tyler's face, but he quickly recalled his Pokémon back to its pokeball. "Go Geodude!"
When the pokeball opened Cody saw what looked like a rock with a face and arms hovering there. After exchanging a look with Harold, Cody was sure this Pokémon would also be weak to a grass move. But before he could attack Tyler beat him to it.
"Geodude use defense curl!" The rock Pokémon pulled its arms inward and suddenly seemed to glisten.
"Hit it with vine whip!" Bulbasaur's green whips shot out and cut into Geodude. It was knocked onto the ground hard, but managed to get back up.
"It won't be that easy!" Tyler clenched his fists determinedly. "Geodude tackle it!"
Geodude slammed into Bulbasaur causing significant damage. Cody flinched, but didn't back down. "Just hit it with vine whip again!"
Bulbasaur's next vine whip attack was also its last. Geodude went down hard and did not get back up. "Geodude is unable to battle," the referee declared. "Bulbasaur wins! The match goes to Cody."
"Yes!" Cody cheered.
"Awesome!" Harold patted Cody on the back as Bulbasaur disappeared back into its pokeball.
Tyler's shoulders were slumped and he looked rather glum and defeated. But when he walked over to Cody and Harold the boys were worried he might be angry. It wasn't until the jock held out his hand for Cody to shake that they relaxed. "Nice job bro."
Cody reluctantly shook his hand. "Thanks."
"Your Bulbasaur seemed well trained," he let go of Cody's hand. "But I should warn you, I'm nothing compared to Brock. One grass type Pokémon won't be enough. His Pokémon are tough enough to withstand multiple attacks from water or grass and their attacks hit so hard your Pokémon won't make it past the second attack. Your Bulbasaur won't last five minutes."
Cody looked slightly taken back. "Was that supposed to be a warning or a threat?"
"Just a friendly tip," Tyler grinned, relaxing slightly. "I see plenty of new trainers go up against Brock and get sent straight to the Pokémon Center. I don't enjoy seeing Pokémon getting hurt if it can be avoided."
"Well thanks for the advice." Cody said. "If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't planning on challenging Brock yet." he turned to his red-haired friend. "Come on Harold let's go."
Tyler gave a slight wave as the two walked back the way they came. Cody thought as he walked. Defeating Tyler had filled him with confidence, but hearing his warning turned Cody's confidence to uncertainty. The idea of beating an actual gym leader in battle suddenly seemed much more real and more difficult than he had thought.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when they reached the entrance. The gym guy was still there, only now he was talking to a girl and boy. Cody's eyes widened when he realized the boy was the same person he had mistaken for Noah last night. He stopped dead in his tracks not wanting to run into him in case the boy remembered.
But Cody did take another look at the girl. She was a pretty girl around his height, with wild black hair and orange earrings. She wore a sleeveless blouse with a purple line near the bottom that matched the beaded necklace around her neck along with black pants and purple sneakers.
It was then that this girl turned her head toward him and for a moment their eyes met. She looked at him briefly before turning her head back to her companion. A moment later they both walked out of the gym. After waiting a few more seconds Cody and Harold walked over to the gym guy.
"Who was that girl?" he asked curiously.
The older man smirked. "A Pokémon trainer," he answered. "And a good one at that. She just defeated Brock in record time. Why, it's been a while since I've seen such skill in one so young…" He turned away from Cody looking thoughtful.
Harold looked at Cody curiously, but the brunette said nothing. He walked out of the gym and looked around.
But the girl was already gone.
A/N: So I introduced a total of 4 new characters in this chapter which is a lot, I know. Of course one of them I didn't mention by name, but I'm sure you Total Drama fans figured out who she was without too much trouble. It's unlikely that I'll ever introduce that many characters in one chapter again. Anyway, reviews are appreciated.