Thanks for the support and welcomed return to this story.
Hopefully I can try for more consistent updates than large gaps of it.
And come on people, I wanted some participation from you guys.
You've all got to have a favorite Pokémon and specific teams you've had if you're reading this.
Bucio, you understood. Shoutout to you comrade.
And you as well Darkfusion, knew someone would get it.
Leave more in the reviews and why you like them.
I'll start it off.
My absolute favorite Pokémon is the Treecko evolution line. Treecko, Grovyle and Sceptile are my absolute favorite Pokémon in the whole world. My first ever starter(Hoenn kid) the Pokémon that took me to victory in Emerald. Been my favorite since day one and remains so to this day.
So now it's your turn. Leave in the reviews of your favorite Pokémon and in the next chapter or several chapters later on down the line, we can have favorites of every typing. I feel like this is a story that is one where I can interact more with you guys.
Other than that, on with the show!
Rate, Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
Pocket Monsters Chapter 8: It's easier to make Enemies than Friends
"Will you jerks just backoff!"
"Tell us where the Pokémon are and we just might."
"As if! Vulpix, use Flame Wheel!"
A quadrupedal, foxlike Pokémon sprang into action with fiery wisps appearing around its body.
This Pokémon had a red-brown pelt with a cream-colored underbelly, brown eyes, large, pointed ears with dark brown insides and a triangular dark brown nose. Vulpix's paws were slightly darker than the rest of its pelt and with light brown paw pads.
On top of its head are three curled locks of orange fur with bangs and has six orange tails with curled tips,
The fiery Pokémon pounced and curled up into a spinning ball of fire that struck both man and Pokémon which sent them both flying back.
"Alright. Nice one Vulpix!" The owner of the foxlike Pokémon praised, making the small creature preen from the praise.
"Damn bastard." The man who had gotten beaten back growled as he stood to his feet. "I'll teach you for messing with Team Rocket. Go on Raticate, show 'em who's boss."
The large toothed, brown furred rodent Pokémon let out a huffing growl as it ran forward.
"Vulpix, Ember!"
"Hyper Fang!"
The Vulpine Pokémon was faster than its oversized rat enemy, landing a small streak of fire that struck Raticate in the eyes.
It let out a screech of pain though kept going with its mouth open as it went in for an oversized bite.
Though it proved for naught as the fiery wisps that hit its eyes made it lose sight of the Vulpix who jumped out of the way.
"Go in for a Tail Whip, Vulpix and finish it off with a Headbutt." The trainer of the six-tailed Pokémon instructed and in rapid succession, it pulled off this sequence of attacks and soon enough, the Raticate was knocked out.
"Yeah." The trainer cheered. "Had enough yet, you lowlife?"
The Team Rocket member only sneered at the trainer who had just bested him before his face turned into a more sinister smile.
He had his hand behind his back with his next Pokémon ready and he was confident that he would definitely be able to take out this cocky bastard.
The Rocketeer then flung his next Poké ball at the Vulpix with the order being shouted just as the ball opened up.
"Geodude, use Self-Destruct!"
The other trainer gawked in disbelief. "What?!"
Whatever order or action he would have made would have been for naught as the Rocket's Poké Ball opened up and there was a white glow that was seen before a violent explosion went off that sent both trainer and Pokémon sailing back.
The Vulpix and its owner crashed hard into a nearby tree, the pair slumping down to the ground with the former letting out a whimper of pain.
"Vulpix." Its trainer grunted out, seeing the state his Pokémon was in and saw that it was in no condition to fight any further.
Quickly returning it to its Poké ball, the man struggled to stand back up whilst the Team Rocket member let out an obnoxious laugh.
"You shouldn't have tried struggling, Bill." The Rocketeer taunted. "Had you just gone along with our suggestions, you would have been brought in the easy way."
Bill grunted, rubbing his back while keeping a leveled glare at the Rocketeer.
"There would never be an easy way with you crooks." Bill shouted back. "You're nothing but thugs and criminals who profiteer off stealing and exploiting Pokémon. What kind of sicko uses Self-Destruct as their opening move on their own Pokémon?"
"The kind who has orders to bring you in." The Rocketeer stated with an aggravated huff. "And frankly, would rather bring you in cold than having to listen to your whiny voice all day. So I'll have my Sandshrew do it for me."
Said Pokémon was soon thrown out with it facing Bill in a ready stance.
Sandshrew was a Pokémon with a white belly and with the rest of its body being yellow, patterned as though it were brick pavement or walls. It has short, three clawed arms, round, short legs, short tail and round head with blackish-blue eyes.
"Alright Sandshrew, let's show this punk what happens when he messes with a Rocket." The Rocketeer boasted. "Take him out with a-"
"Water Gun!"
"Huh?"
From the right hand side of the Sandshrew, a stream of water struck it in the head, making the little guy fall over with a squeak of pain.
"The hell?!"
The Rocket member snapped his head around to see a young kid in odd robes and red hair running towards him.
He didn't expect the runt to jump so high into the air and perform a spinning kick.
His surprise left him vulnerable to a foot to the face that sent him down to the ground. The Rocketeer's head bounced off the ground and in an instant was concussed as his ears began to ring.
"Nice work Hopper." The ginger haired kid said, smiling down at a jumping Wooper who babbled happily.
Bill stared at what he had just seen in utter shock and surprise.
This kid came out of nowhere and quite literally just kicked a grown adult down with the greatest of ease.
Sure, when one looks at him, he doesn't appear to be that much older than this boy but still that was an impressive sight to see nonetheless.
The robed kid turned to the downed man and walked right over to him with a hand offered up.
"Are you alright?" He asked in concern. "That Rocket guy didn't get you too bad, did he?"
Bill winced a bit as he felt sore and pain through his body as he grabbed the helping hand and was pulled up to his feet.
"Urgh." The Pokémon trainer rubbed his lower back. "I'll definitely be feeling that in the morning. Still, thanks for the save there, kid. I owe you big time."
"Think nothing of it." The ginger haired kid waved off. "I was actually sent here to see about a Team Rocket presence and take care of it."
Bill looked down at the younger man in surprise. "Wait, what? You were sent here for these guys?"
The Rocket member groaned aloud in pain, managing to push himself on to his stomach though the effort exhausted him as he laid upon the ground and didn't move.
"Yeah. I was sent here by Misty from Cerulean City."
Bill couldn't help but whistle aloud. "Wow. She must have a lot of faith in ya to send you off like that. What's your name?"
"Cal Kestis."
"You can call me Bill." The older teen cheerfully said. "And thanks again for saving my hide."
"Just doing what I have to." Cal modestly admitted.
The brown haired teen hummed to himself as he momentarily gazed back at the unconscious Rocketeer and then back at the boy who just saved him.
"Say Cal."
He looked up at him.
"You said Misty sent you here cause of a Team Rocket situation, right?"
Kestis nodded.
"I see. Then it's more than likely, definitely actually, they're here because of me." Bill revealed, causing Cal to do a momentary double take.
"What? You? Why you?"
The brown haired teen nodded. "Yeah, see, I'm a Pokémon researcher like Professor Oak from Pallet Town."
"Oh, I know him." Cal spoke up. "He gave me this."
From his belt, Kestis detached his rectangular encyclopedia and held it up for the recently rescued teen to see.
Bill blinked in surprise and slight astonishment.
"Whoa, he gave you one of his Pokédex's?" He asked, leaning to get a good look at it. "Huh, what luck. That's another I owe to a Pokédex holder."
Cal tilted his head at that with Bill rolling his hand slightly.
"Was in a bind not long ago and a trainer by the name of Red came in and helped out."
"Red huh?" Cal mused. "Seems like I'm always a step behind him. How'd he help you out?"
Bill waved his hand in front of his face whilst laughing sheepishly. "That's a bit of a long story. I'll tell you about it later when I get back to my home up ahead."
Cal simply nodded, looking around, briefly glancing at the unconscious Rocketeer.
The older teen saw this, his expression changing into a more grim look.
"There's likely still more of these thugs lurking around the area." Bill then looked guilty. "Lord knows how many people and Pokémon they've terrorized. All because of trying to get to me."
"It's not your fault." The Padawan instantly said, making his rescuee jolt a bit from the Jedis' tone. "People like this Team Rocket always use all sorts of excuses to get what they want through violent means. Everything to them is just a means to an end until they get more power for themselves."
Bill stared at the robed kid for a few minutes until he snorted.
"Well now, you sound way smarter than any kid I've met." The Pokémon researcher complimented.
Cal smiled slightly at the praise before refocusing on his task at hand.
"So if Team Rocket is after you, this guy most likely isn't the only one around here."
Bill nodded. "You'd be right about that. Got at least two or three more of these bozos lurking around my house. This idiot right here blurted that out when we were fighting."
The Jedi crossed his arms in thought, mulling over what to do next.
"What exactly are they even trying to get from you, Bill?" The Padawan questioned.
"A number of reasons are likely the case." Came the instant answer from the researcher. "See, I study in the storage and instant transportation and transmission of Pokémon. The Poke Balls they're stored in have a special feature that I've used in helping send Pokémon be sent to other locations or stored within PC's so you don't ever need to carry too much."
"Wow." Cal openly said. That sounded incredibly useful actually.
Instantly teleporting Pokémon around from one location to another? Imagine if it can be done for people.
"I've also been trying to do the same with people, actually." Bill revealed.
Oh, well that was perfectly timed.
"And I've been dabbling into the study and understanding of Evolution amongst Pokémon." The brown haired teen finished off.
"You sound really busy." Cal commented, eliciting a laugh from his new friend.
"Well, you wouldn't be wrong about that." He said, running his hand through his hair. "So Cal, since you were sent up here to investigate the Team Rocket presence, think helpin' me clear them out around my home qualifies as such?"
The Jedi smirked, bobbing his head up and down in confirmation,
"Thanks man." Bill breathed out with a grateful smile. "Wouldn't have known how much I'd be able to do by myself."
"How do you wanna go about this then?"
"Actually, I'll let you lead on this instance." The researcher stated, pointing at the Jedi. "You're way more proficient in fighting then I am so I figure it's better to follow your lead."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely." Bill stated with complete certainty. "You know how to fight with and without your Pokémon. And Professor Oak trusted you with one of his Pokédex's. That's more than enough reason to listen to ya. Plus ya saved my hide."
This guy certainly knew how to give out a compliment.
"Alright then." Cal bashfully said. "So where's your cottage?"
"Not too far from here." Bill said, thumbing behind him. "Just a little ways up ahead. We'll be there in ten minutes."
"Ok. Do you have a plan in mind on how to deal with the Rocket members?"
The older teen scratched the top of his head for a moment as his brows were furrowed in thought.
"We could go for what you did and surprise them." Bill said with a shrug. "I know they're expecting me to come back but I know they won't be expecting help. A quick rush should do it. Only saw three of those Rocket goons at most."
"Alright, let's do this." Cal said with determination, fists raised at the ready.
The newly made pair turned to travel down route 25, reaching the end of the area to see a single cottage with three men in black clothing, berets and the R logo emblazoned on their chests standing in front of it.
There were several Pokémon already out and attentively looking around for the resident of the house behind them.
Several of the Pokémon were Rattata's, Ekans', Grimers and Zubats.
But several new Mon's stood among them.
They were all a quadrupedal, canine-like Pokémon with black fur, a red underside and muzzle with white around its legs and a skull-like helmet on its head and rib bones on its back.
From behind a dense set of trees was where Cal and Bill remained hidden and out of sight though the former had a degree of trepidation at the sight of the canine Pokémon standing among them.
Species that fell within the canine variety were known to have exceptional senses, specifically their sense of smell and hearing.
So they had to make sure to go in fast before they could be detected.
To make sure they had an idea as to what they were facing, Cal pulled out his Pokedex and held it up as the synthetic voice began speaking to identify the Pokémon for them.
"Houndour, The Dark Pokémon. It communicates with fellow Houndours via a unique howl, informing them of its location. The herd will then move in together on their prey."
"They go first." Cal announced, closing his Dex and putting it away. "Kaiju, you're up. Dig underground and wait for my signal."
His Larvitar who he had called out earlier let out a sound of acknowledgement and proceeded to dig into the earth, leaving his trainer with Bill as the two kept their eyes on the Rockets and their Pokémon.
A moment later, Cal called forth his Wooper and made a jabbing gesture towards the hole Kaiju had dug up and Hopper rapidly nodded his head as he understood the order.
After several more seconds of silence, Cal raised his foot and stomped it hard on the ground.
Whilst it appeared to go unnoticed by a majority of the Rockets and their Pokémon, the Houndours in the group snapped their heads in the direction of the Jedi and Researcher.
They opened their mouths, about to bark at the duo only for the ground beneath them to collapse and them falling in with a scared yelp.
"What the-"
"Mud Shot!" Cal shouted, springing into action as he and Bill ran out from their hiding place.
"Hey it's the guy tha-GYARGH!"
From the holes Kaiju had made came an explosion of watery mud that sent most of the Rocket Pokémon and their owners sailing into the sky above.
One Rocketeer managed to avoid getting hit only for him to be attacked by Bill's Vulpix whilst Cal engaged in taking out the rest of the Pokémon that were unscathed.
A set of Force pushes and acrobatics quickly incapacitated the remainder of the Pokémon and soon enough, all the criminal trainers were knocked out.
"Wow." Bill said aloud, whistling at the decisive and instant victory they had achieved. "That was really something, let me tell ya. You really are talented, Cal. Taking out Pokémon on your own? Oak was right to give you a Dex."
'He really needs to stop.' Cal thought with his cheeks reddening at being complimented like this.
Even Master Tapal was selective when giving out praise.
"Come on." Bill spoke up, waving his hand for Kestis to follow him. "Should have something to use to restrain these hoodlums before the police arrive. Besides, I wanna show ya something."
Blinking, Cal took one last look at the unconscious criminals, his Pokémon by his side now as they followed the researcher into his abode.
They walked into a somewhat organized clutter of a lab with two distinctly large machines with a computer desk situated in front of them.
Everywhere else were books, screens, papers, shelves and a staircase leading to a second floor.
"Sorry that it looks like this." Bill said with a sheepish smile. "Don't usually have that many guests over so I kinda leave things as is."
"It's alright." Cal said, seeing his Pokémon walk around, looking at several pictures of other Pokémon drawn on it.
The Padawan had his eyes fixated on the two cylindrical machines in the center of the room and narrowed his eyes scrutinizingly.
"So… what's that supposed to be?"
"Hmmm? Ah, yes, my work." Bill said, going over to pat the machines. "The Pokémon teleporter or transfer system. And apparently, works on humans too."
"It does?"
"Yeah." The researcher said with a sheepish chuckle. "Found that out by accident. Just make sure it's two humans or Pokémon on end instead of one of each. Some… weird consequences will spring up."
Cal inclined his head to the side, making Bill laugh again as he went on to quickly explain what he was referring to.
Coincidentally, it was also how he had met Red earlier.
Apparently a Rattata had gotten in one of the machines while Bill was in the other, initiating the transfer and crossing, really fusing the two into one being.
In trying to figure out what went wrong, he ran into Red who was traveling here and they met in a unique circumstance of Cal's fellow Pokédex holder nearly trying to capture Bill.
Instead, a Fearow wound up doing just that and Red rescued him soon after.
"So is this what you wanted to show me?" Cal asked, standing in front of the machine.
Bill shook his head. "Not exactly. I wanted to show you this."
The Jedi looked over to Bill holding a Poke Ball and casually dropped it on the ground.
A brief, small flash appeared as the ball opened up and the light changed into a small, quadrupedal Pokémon that was seated on its hind legs.
The Pokémon was relatively small, around Hopper's size but definitely an inch or two smaller than Kaiju.
It's coloring was that of a silvery gray. The bushy tail and its large furry collar were closer to a silvery white.
It has slender legs with three small toes and a black paw pad on each foot. This Pokémon had bluish-black eyes, long pointed ears with dark gray interiors, and a small black nose.
It gazed up at Cal with wonder and curiosity and he couldn't deny that he found this Pokémon undeniably adorable.
Bill smiled, going down to one knee and placing a hand atop its head and scratching the back of its ear.
"Cal, this is an Eevee." Bill said. "Eevee, meet Cal Kestis."
"Vee?" The small Pokémon made a cute curious sound as it turned back to gaze at the red haired Jedi.
"Hey Eevee." Cal introduced himself, going down to one knee. "Nice to meet you."
The Eevee stood on all fours, black nose twitching about slightly as it got a whiff of the Padawan's scent and tentatively approached the Jedi.
Cal remained motionless for the most part as the Eevee drew closer until reaching him.
He slowly held out a hand with the Pokémon going right up to it and sniffed his fingers several times.
It let out a small sound of approval and leaned into his palm, rubbing its furry head against his hand.
Cal laughed, rubbing the top of the Pokémon's head as it cooed with it leaning in for more.
"He likes ya." Bill said with a pleased smile.
"A boy huh." Kestis muttered, scratching the Eevee's head whilst pulling out his Pokédex.
Upon opening it, Cal blinked upon seeing the display of Eevee in his Dex being that of the Pokémon in front of him except it was colored in a drastically different set of fur. It was primarily brown with its furred color being cream colored.
"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. Its irregularly configured DNA is affected by its surroundings. It has the ability to alter the composition of its body to suit the environment it finds itself in."
"Evolution Pokémon?" Cal parroted in bewilderment. "What's that mean? And what's with the fur? Is it supposed to be this color or is the Dex malfunctioning?"
"I may have an idea as to what it is." Bill spoke up. "See, I've heard rumors of a certain Pokémon being able to achieve various sorts of evolved forms depending on different circumstances. Eevee is supposedly that Pokémon."
"Whoa." Cal murmured, looking back down at the Eevee who was now on his back, enjoying the belly rub it was receiving from the Padawan.
"Yeah." Bill then frowned. "If Team Rocket had managed to enter my home then there would have been a serious chance of them finding and stealing the little guy."
"Good thing we stopped them." Cal said with a smile that his new friend had mirrored.
"Yeah, it was." The Researcher said, crossing his arms. "So, how 'bout you look after him?"
Cal lurched forward somewhat, startling the Eevee who looked up at the Jedi in concern.
"Wha-what?" The Padawan said in complete surprise. "Me? Why?"
"A number of reasons really." The brown haired teen stated. "Red had a lot of Pokémon on him when I first met him, so no reason really to give him one. You only have three Pokémon at the moment so I figure you could do with some more assistance. Feels like you'll be running into those Rocket jerks a lot if what I heard about them being all over Kanto to be true."
"Oak did say they're all over the region." Cal admitted.
"Yeah and having more Pokémon to back you up will be needed." Bill stated in complete seriousness. "And I think it would be better for Eevee to go with you in case Rocket comes back for me."
"But… wouldn't he be safer here?" Cal questioned and saw Bill shake his head.
"They already came after me once. I beat them back but who's to say they won't do it again?" Bill rhetorically asked. "Even though I live close enough to Cerulean City, my home is still out of the way to a degree so it would take some time for someone to find out about anything that happened here to me. Besides, this Eevee is a rescue, not one I really caught."
"You… didn't catch him?" The Jedi looked down at the Pokémon staring right back at him.
Like all Pokémon, the Eevee had a Force signature that he could feel emanating off of it though this one was distinctly stronger to a degree.
Almost matching that of a Youngling or Padawan learner.
All his Pokémon, as a matter of fact, are a lot closer to what he would describe to be his level in his understanding and mastery of the Force.
And mastery would be a word to be used very loosely in his instance.
"Sort of." Bill said with an iffy hand motion.
"And the color?"
"A rarity. Certain Pokémon at times come in a unique appearance distinct from their own species."
Cal only hummed, looking down at Eevee who was staring back up at him.
There was a moment of deep silence as the two beings gazed into each other's eyes and everything else around them seemingly faded out from their perspectives.
It was just the two of them at this time.
The Jedi and Pokémon bore into one another's eyes, souls even and it was there that the former felt the familiar sensation once more.
The Force.
Cal remembered one of the very first set of lessons he ever had in the Jedi temple.
"Size matters not." The aged and wizened voice of the Grandmaster of the Order rang through his ears. "Look upon yourselves. Look upon me. Judge strength by size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For the ally of all Jedi is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the trees in the gardens, the pillars, the rocks, everywhere, yes. Even between living and non-living beings alike."
The bond that was shared by all through the Force. He felt it here and now with himself the silver furred Eevee.
There was a connection there, a strong one at that. So much like his other Pokémon.
"Vee?"
Cal hadn't realized he had closed his eyes as the Eevee in front of him came right up to him to nudge him on his knee, breaking him out of his momentary thought process.
"Wanna come along with me on a journey?" The Padawan asked without thinking much about it.
Eevee let out a small, happy sounding cry and nodded his head rapidly.
Cal found himself laughing as Eevee jumped into his arms, snuggling up against him.
At this point, Kaiju and Hopper were by his side and without prompting, his Starly came out from his Poke Ball to join the entire group in welcoming their newest member.
"Welcome aboard, Loth." Cal officially declared, the newly named Loth happily rubbing his head against Cal's cheek.
Bill watched on with a wide smile, pleased to see that the Eevee was taken in with a trainer that he can trust.
After a small celebratory meal, followed by police officers arriving to pick up the bound Rocket members, Cal bade his farewells to Bill and turned to go back to Cerulean City.
It was largely uneventful, having his Pokémon all out to keep him company as they walked back along the path they came back to the city.
Some Pokémon appeared here and there which served as a means of getting a feel of how his newest Pokémon would be able to handle itself in combat.
Loth was very quick and nimble, being able to jump on, off and around enemy Pokémon that came before him and whenever Cal called out an attack, his Eevee appeared to know just where to strike.
Very precise and very impressive all together.
This went on until Cal spotted the northern entrance to the Nugget Bridge that would lead directly into Cerulean City when he felt a sudden foreboding feeling come over him.
The Force… he felt a slight disturbance, a warning from the Force.
"What have we here?"
Cal's head whipped up to see a domed flying vehicle being operated by a rather childish looking individual.
Piloting the ship was a young man who was short in stature, his height and body proportions being similar to that of a small child.
He has large eyes with black pupils and short, spiky yellow-gold hair and wore a collared, loose fitting gray jacket with black cuffs and a black zip, with a large red R etched onto his left part of his chest. He has a dark belt around his waist, with the buckle shaped like the Team Rocket logo and wore loose fitting gray trousers, black boots and a black beret.
"Well, well, well," The short man sneered down at the Jedi with a dismissive gaze. "Here I am coming to check up on my men only to find them all gone, arrested even and all I can find is a snot nosed punk walking around Scot free."
Cal was immediately on the defensive, his Pokémon imitating his actions as the Padawan gazed intently at the R logo on the man's clothing.
"Team Rocket." Cal muttered.
"Really?" The man condescendingly said, patting the logo on his chest. "I'm part of Team Rocket? No shit, what gave that away?"
"What do you want?" Kestis' hand subconsciously hovered over his master's lightsaber, ready to ignite at a moment's notice.
"Want?" The Rocketeer was now being coy, finger on his chin while looking up to the sky. "Want, want, want. What do I wa-Oh yeah, you!"
In an instant, the small man threw out several Poke balls and from them came several Pokémon.
One was a blue-green, pinecone-like with red eyes and no visible limbs and a single spike on top of its head.
The others made Cal do a momentary double take as he thought this Rocketeer just sent out Poke balls from Poke balls only to see they had very much alive looking eyes glaring down at him.
The last was a particularly large, spherical creature with no visible limbs. The upper and lower halves of its body are capped by bumpy steel plates having outer plates with zigzagging ridges that open along its back and front, revealing its smooth, red inner shell. The inner shell is punctuated by four cylindrical spikes, each tapering to an open point. Between the spikes, the inner shell opens along a straight line to reveal eyes, which are round with large pupils.
Cal had his Pokedex out at this moment and quickly identified the coming adversaries.
Pineco's, Voltorbs and a Forretress.
"Arc, Peck those Pinceo's out of the sky." Cal immediately instructed. "Kaiju, Hopper, Loth, Sand-Attack!"
In an instant, his Pokémon sprang into action with Cal doing the same.
Whilst his Starly flew upwards and assaulted a Pineco, the three grounded Pokémon kicked up dirt with another plume being added from a Force push Cal made to the ground.
The large cloud of brown dust that went up into the sky, momentarily obscured the Jedi from the Rocketeer's sight.
He only snorted derisively at this move.
"Clever but clearly not as intelligent as you'd like to think yourself to be." The Rocket member boasted. "Forretress, Rapid Spin!"
The armored, spiked Pokémon began spinning about, becoming a blur as wind picked up around him.
With said wind, the dust was quickly blown away to reveal Cal Kestis jumping into the air straight towards the Rocket member.
And in his hands was his master's ignited Lightsaber, something that the Padawan's enemy saw, eyes widening in fear and shock.
"Voltorb, Self-Destruct!" The beret wearing man cried out in panic.
Two Voltorbs that had been on his ship quickly dropped from where they were perched upon and in an instant, glowed white and self-detonated violently.
The shockwave and some of the heat sent Cal flying back, the young Jedi crying out in pain as he felt his arms get burned.
His Pokémon cried out in shock and fear at hearing their trainer get hurt, rushing towards their partner who crashed hard to the ground.
"What the hell was that?" The Rocketeer murmured in disbelief. "I'm a good twenty feet from the ground but he jumped right up to me. Was it his Pokémon? No, can't be, they're still just sprouts. And the hell is that sword in his hand?"
What the man failed to notice was the Larvitar down below glaring straight up at him and hefting a nearby rock over its head and flinging straight at him.
His Forretress was more attentive, luckily for him, the large rock harmlessly bouncing off its steel-like shell.
Snapping out his daze, the Rocketeer letting out a scoffing laugh.
"You really thought you could sneak up on me like that with all my Pokémon out?" He taunted. "You really are just a kid."
"And you're not?" Cal shot back, making a tick mark appear on the Rocket members' forehead.
"Who you callin' a kid you snot-nosed punk?" The blond man shouted. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to? The name's Carr, one of the three beasts of Team Rocket."
"Beasts?" Cal grunted out, sitting up with a wince. "You're the last thing I would ever call a Beast. I knew someone smaller than you that can take you out with a wave of his hand."
"Tough talk coming from a brat like you." Carr spat out, angling his ship down to try to ram into the Jedi. "Eat this, Thundershock!"
The Voltorbs around Carr all lit up with yellow electricity sparking around them before small bolts were sent in Cal's direction.
The Jedi hastily threw up his lightsaber to deflect the bolts but found his own hands being electrocuted.
He dropped his saber, the blade receding into its container as Cal was shocked.
Luckily for the Padawan, Kaiju and Hopper jumped forward and let the electricity strike them head on.
And rather than being shocked, the electricity harmlessly flowed off and around them with neither getting harmed.
"Damned ground types." Carr growled. "Get 'em Forretress. Heavy Slam!"
His spiky shelled Pokémon lurched forward, going straight for Cal who was still wincing as he felt his body jolt about from the electricity.
Without even hesitating, Cal's Larvitar placed himself between the enemy Pokémon and his trainer and braced himself for impact.
Kaiju recognized that the Forretress had a distinct advantage over him due to the typing it had but it would not allow it to harm his trainer and friend.
Sensing what was about to occur, Cal's eyes widened dramatically and forced himself to move despite his spasming limbs.
"No!" He shouted and without thinking, threw his hand forward at the Forretress and the stunning sight of the large Pokémon being frozen in the air was seen by all.
"What?!" Carr shouted in bewildered shock. "What the hell just happened?"
Kaiju stared, equally astonished at what he was looking at.
He knew his trainer was different from most other people compared to the abilities and the way he moves about.
But to stop a Pokémon dead in its tracks was truly something to marvel at.
"Kaiju, hit him now with a Dig!" Cal nearly shouted, feeling pain from just speaking.
Not wasting a movement, Kaiju jumped up and dove straight into the ground, kicking up dirt in his wake.
"No, no, Forretress move dammit!" Carr shouted in anger. "Self-"
"REH!"
The order came too late as Kaiju burst out from directly beneath the stasised Forretress, his horn bashing directly into the steel bugs shell.
Forretress let out a pain grunt which turned into a moaning cry upon getting its shell pierced.
Carr's eyes widened in shock which morphed into unbridled fury.
"You bastard!" He shouted, reaching into his jacket for another Poke ball but Cal was already sprinting towards him.
As Forretress crashed down to the ground, the Padawan used the shelled Pokémon as a footstool and jumped from the downed Mon to get to the airborne Carr.
"Hopper, Loth, Sand-Attack, Arc hit em with a Gust!"
The large amount of dirt being thrown upon into the air followed by the sweeping winds served as a two folded plan.
The dirt that was kicked up disrupted some of the electrical energy the Voltorbs were still giving off and with Starly's Gust blew the dirt and the Pokémon away, including several Pineco that were still in play.
With the enemy Pokémon cleared of Cal's path, the Jedi ignited his Lightsaber once more and this time didn't miss.
Though Carr was spared from being sliced in two, his flying vehicle wasn't so lucky as it quickly came apart and fell to the ground.
The Rocket "beast" rolled out of his destroyed vehicle with a pained shout yet glared all the while at the Padawan.
"You little shit!" Carr screeched. "Do you have any idea who you're messing with? Who Team Rocket is?! We run all of Kanto! The entire-"
"Not all of the region it seems." Cal cut him off. "Cerulean is not under your sway. Even if you tried for it, you would fail."
Carr's enraged demeanor diminished slightly, a condescending expression coming over him.
"Is that right?" He taunted. "We don't have Cerulean? Kid, you forgot to add yet to your sentence there. It's only a matter of time. It's just a delay to the inevitable."
"Not gonna happen." Kestis stated. "I'm gonna bring you in to Misty and you're going away for a long time."
The beret wearing Rocketeer rolled his eyes in a dramatic fashion.
"Oh my God, you are such a child even with all those crazy moves you just pulled off." Carr sneered. "What don't you understand yet about us? We span all of Kanto. You think just "arresting" us will solve anything? It's just a setback for us at most."
"Setback or not, at the very least, you'll be put away." Kestis proclaimed.
"Oh brother." Carr looked up to the skies in a deadpan manner. "Skarmory, if you would."
With no warning, Cal felt both the force of a billowing wind plus a number of painful cuts and scratches riddling his body.
His Pokémon cried out in pain as he did, flying through the air and crashing down hard upon the ground.
He winced in feeling his body move, craning his head to the side as he heard something embed itself into the ground beside him.
Opening his eyes, Cal blinked for a moment as he felt a light shine in his irises until he saw what had cut him.
It looked kinda like a metallic-
"Feather?" Cal muttered, flinching as his ears wrung from a screeching creature coming from where Carr was.
Turning his head back to his adversary, Cal saw the beret wearing Team Rocket member atop a metallic bird.
It was a silver-gray, avian Pokémon with a long, metallic blue neck, legs, and tail. It had yellow eyes, a pointed beak with several pointed teeth, and a triangular crest on its head. Red feathers were seen under the sheaths that covered the sharpened wings with its feet having three toes on them, two in front and one in back, and its tail has hooked ends.
"It was "nice" playing with a kid like you but I've got more pressing matters to attend to." Carr said aloud. "See you later, punk."
And with that, Carr maneuvered his Skarmory to fly away from the downed Jedi who painfully sat back, watching as the silvery-gray Pokémon flew further and further away until it was out of sight.
Cal could only sit there and simmer in what was essentially a defeat.
He may have quashed a Team Rocket presence near Cerulean City but…
This loss bothered him.
"Guess I'm not as ready as I hoped I was." Kestis muttered to himself.
His Pokémon were quick to rush over to his side despite their own injuries and fret over him.
Hopper instantly jumped onto his chest, Loth not hesitating in joining him. Larvitar grasped his arm nervously whilst Arc flapped around him overhead.
"Sorry for worrying you guys." Cal apologetically said, patting Kaiju's head using his other hand to do the same for Hopper and Loth.
His Starly flapped down and settled upon his shoulder, leaning his body on Cal's head.
Straining himself, the Padawan forced himself to stand back up despite the pained protests of his own body.
"That's gonna sting tomorrow." Cal grunted. "Come on you guys, let's head for the center. All of us need some rest."
None of his Pokémon disputed such a statement, all walking side by side with their trainer as they crossed the Nugget Bridge back into Cerulean City.
-Scene Cut-
"I'm sorry Cal." Said a remorseful Cerulean City Gym Leader. "If I knew it was gonna be that bad, I would have come with you."
"But you didn't." Cal assured the older teen. "You got nothing to apologize for Misty."
"I have to." The orange-haired girl argued. "In case you forgot,Iwas the one who sent you to check routes 24 and 25 for a Team Rocket presence and you wound up hurt because of it."
"I also got a new friend." Cal countered happily, holding up his Poke ball with his new Eevee inside, the little guy happily smiling at Misty.
"Cal…" She said with her hands on her hips with a clearly unconvinced tone.
Seeing her concern, he put up a reassuring smile. "Misty, I'll be fine, trust me. This isn't the first time I've been injured like this and probably won't be the last."
"What an alleviating thing to say." Misty dryly said.
"Aw come on Misty, you and I both know that's likely the truth." Cal rebuked. "Not everyone is a friendly Pokémon trainer like you and me. There's always gonna be some bad blumfruits out there."
Misty opened her mouth to speak but closed it shut, giving the Padawan a quizzical look.
"What?"
"Blumfruit?"
Cal blinked, his mouth opening in an "O", realizing his small slang misunderstanding.
"Yeah, Blumfruit, it's a fruit from my hometown."
"Oh." Misty nodded her head, tapping the side of her cheek. "Never really heard of something like that before."
"It's native only to my home." Cal quickly said. "The only place really where it could grow.
"Ah, that makes more sense." Misty remarked. "The term thrown around here is usually bad apples."
Cal silently nodded, flinching slightly at moving his bandaged arm.
"So what will you do now?" Misty inquired, her new Jedi friend remaining silent for a moment.
"Guess I'll… move onto the next town or city." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Don't know what else I should do around here in Cerulean."
"Bored of it already?" Misty asked in an affronted manner.
"H-huh?" Cal froze up, shrinking slightly under her accusatory glare. "N-No, of course not, it's just-"
His stammering came to an end upon hearing Misty's mischievous giggling, earning a flat look from the Jedi.
"You're mean."
"And you're just easy to mess with." Misty cheerfully taunted, pulling on the Jedi's cheek, her hand getting swatted away. "But in all seriousness, what do you plan on doing next?"
Cal shrugged once more. "Continue onward, like I said before. Go on to the next town and see where my journey takes me."
"See where your journey takes you?" Misty parroted. "What sort of spiritual idea is that supposed to be?"
"It's something that I've been taught from the order I come from." Cal elaborated. "Have you ever heard about something called The Force?"
With a shake of her head, Cal launched into an abridged version of the Force, what it is, how he uses it and how it is found everywhere, especially within the Pokémon of this region.
When she asked about whether or not she has it, he surprised her when he told that she does indeed have a Force signature stronger than most and could possibly learn the ways of the Force as he does.
"But at the same time, maybe not."
"Huh?" Misty held a quizzical expression now. "Whaddya mean maybe not? Can I or can I not use this Force thingy majiggy?"
"I think you already do but just not in the way that I've been taught." Cal clarified. "I don't know if it's just a few people but I have noticed a pattern, you could say. I don't really know all that much about Pokémon still but what I have picked up on is the way certain people use their Pokémon in battle. Almost like extensions of themselves or… I dunno, it's like they just get or understand their Pokémon to the point where they sometimes don't even need to talk with each other. They just know what to do without saying a word. It's… kinda hard to explain. I don't really get it myself."
Misty held a hand under her chin, thinking on all this.
This whole Force business went way over her head really but from the gist of it, it was like an omni-present energy field that surrounded everything and connected it.
Every Pokémon had it, Cal did and apparently, so does she.
What does that even entail?
"What can this Force thing do?" She asked, hoping he would show her a display.
Wordlessly, Cal unclipped the strange silver device that always hung from his belt and tossed it away from them.
With the same hand, he widened his fingers apart and Misty felt a sudden shift in the air. Like a vibration that went down to her core.
In the middle of the air, an unseen "Force" grabbed on to the lightsaber before it was quickly recalled back into Cal's hand.
"Whoa!" Misty exclaimed, stars in her eyes. "That's amazing!"
"And surprisingly easy." Cal murmured. "This whole pla-region is so strong with the Force that a lot of the usual abilities that are taught to Padawan's like myself come really easy."
"And I can learn this?" Misty excitedly asked.
"Yeah, if you have someone like a Master from… my order…" Cal trailed off, a somber and forlorn mood coming over him, one Misty immediately picked up on.
"Hey, are you alright?" She asked in concern, placing a hand upon his shoulder.
He felt tears well up in his eyes though he moved to wipe the way quick as they came.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine." He stammered out. "Just c-caught something in my eye, you know?"
It was a weak attempt at assuaging her worries and they both knew it but the Cerulean Gym Leader opted to play along.
"If you say so." She softly whispered.
Without any prompting or warning, the orange haired girl took Cal's hand into her own and placed something into it.
Blinking at the gesture, Cal glanced down into his hand and saw it was a bright blue water droplet.
"The Cascade Badge." Misty revealed, making Cal snap his head up at her in surprise. "I figure you've more than earned it."
"W-wait, what?" Kestis nearly squawked out. "But don't I need to battle you or something for it? This doesn't seem fair."
"We Gym Leaders all have our own means of gauging the strength of a trainer and our own ways of giving them out." Misty said with a shrug. "You completed a task that I assigned to you, are a Pokedex holder and I can tell you're a skilled trainer despite being so new to it. Don't really need to battle you to see that."
"But that just feels… unfair." Cal mumbled, looking down at the Gym Badge.
"Maybe it, maybe it isn't." Misty admitted, patting his shoulder. "But I feel that it's right and you've earned it in your own way. Besides, I have a feeling that you won't be able to get your next badge so easily if you challenge for it."
Cal looked at her in confusion but she only threw her hands up in, a silent statement of "I dunno, it's just a feeling".
Taking one last look at the water droplet, his hand slowly curled around it, clutching the badge in his fist.
Like with the Boulder Badge, Cal was able to sense the Force subtly emanating off the Cascade Badge. He was uncertain as to just how these badges have been imbued with the Force or even where they came from but from what he had been told, each one of these badges contain a special property and presence about them.
Maybe if he collects some additional badges, he would be able to learn more about them.
"I'll make sure to earn this properly." Cal declared, holding up his fist that held the badge. "I'll come back and challenge you properly for it."
"I'll hold you to it." Misty stated, smiling at his determination. "Until then, the two of us will need to get stronger. Kanto is gonna need trainers like us if we're to take on whatever is headed our way."
Kestis simply smiled back at her and nodded in an assuring manner.
His new friend held a great degree of faith in his and he would not let her down.
"Thanks Misty."
Her smile only widened. "What are friends for?"
After he and his Pokémon recovered, Cal left Cerulean City, waving goodbye to Misty who came to see him off.
AAAAAND BREAK!
Alright, glad to be able to get on this one and churn out the chapter faster than usual. Lunch breaks at work are their own reward.
So Cal's got himself a new Pokémon, Eevee and there's a funny but also tragic story behind it.
See, a number of comrades I have are the ones who helped me with forming the Pokémon Cal and other individuals were to receive in this story.
Let's just say the Eevee's intended name was of a former comrade who isn't one anymore.
So I had to scramble to give it a new name and decided on Loth, like the Loth-Wolves of Lothal.
And yes, it's a shiny Eevee.
Anywho, quick refresher as per the usual.
Current Roster.
Larvitar(Kaiju): Rock/Ground
Moves: Leer(Normal), Tackle(Normal), Rock Throw(Rock), Payback(Dark), Bite(Dark), Take Down(Normal), Dig(Ground), Headbutt(Normal), Skull Bash(Normal), Rockslide(Rock).
Wooper(Hopper): Water/Ground
Moves: Tail Whip(Normal), Tackle(Normal), Water Gun(Water), Rain Dance(Water), Mud Shot(Ground), Mud-slap(Ground).
Starly(Arc): Normal/Flying
Moves: Growl(Normal), Tackle(Normal), Quick Attack(Normal), Wing Attack(Flying), Gust(Flying), Double Team(Normal), Peck(Flying), Seismic Toss(Fighting).
Loth(Eevee): Normal
Moves: Tackle(Normal), Covet(Normal), Helping Hand(Normal), Quick Attack(Normal), Tail Whip(Normal), Sand-Attack(Normal), Swift(Normal).
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.