Back after a long time but will address it later. Thank you for being patient for so long.
Rate, Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
Pocket Monsters Chapter 10: Levity is needed. How about a race?
"So got a name for him yet?"
Cal shook his head, gazing at his newest Pokémon who was hovering in front of him with a rather pleasant hum of electricity coming off the floating metal ball.
"Have several, actually." The Padawan admitted. "Phrik, Zee, Corto. Though leaning towards Zee."
Red scratches his head, shifting his cap back slightly. "Zee? Why Zee?"
"Zzzzzt!" The Magnemite in front of the two let out, its magnetic appendages shifting about up and down. "Zzzzt!"
"Seems to like it so far."
"Point taken." Red conceded with a light laugh.
"What would you have suggested?" Cal asked a wry smirk now in place. "Something like Magne or Mite? You know that's real unoriginal, right?"
"Hey, do you see my Pokémon complaining about it?" The Pokédex holder questioned in an affronted manner though there was no bite to his tone.
Cal snorted, shaking his head at Red's defensive attitude towards the ways in which he names his Pokémon.
"Oh yeah, before I forget." Red stuck his hand into his back pocket and pulled out two badges that resembled small suns with how they were designed.
"What's this?" Cal questioned yet a familiar feeling came over him once one of these small items was placed into his hand. "Hold on… is this… this is a Gym Badge, right?"
"Yup." Red cheekily said, holding up the other he was keeping for himself. "Figured that since it was our Pokémon that beat that jerkwad Surge, we earned our badges."
"How'd you even get these?" Kestis questioned, looking down at the badge, a signature of the Force emanating from the small thing. "I'm pretty sure that psycho wouldn't just hand these out to us even if our Pokémon did beat him and his."
"You can thank Hopper for that." Red revealed. "When I woke up, I saw your Wooper jumping around us with that big smile of his and he was carrying them in his mouth. Little guy must've nicked it off the guy before he managed to get away."
Hopper, who had been out of his Poke ball, happily jumped around with his big dopey smile in place as he usually had it.
"Did he now?" Cal smirked at his Wooper, the little guy bouncing around without a care in the world.
He then turned back to his newest Pokémon who had been floating in place patiently, looking upon its new trainer with its single eye.
"What do you figure, Cal?" Red spoke up, patting his friend on the back. "Up for a little training with your new buddy to get a feel of him."
His Magnemite seemed to be for it as the eye closed in an upturned manner, its way of conveying an agreeing smile.
"He seems up for it."
Cal simply shrugged. "Sure, let's give Zee a go of it."
"Alright then, got the perfect training partners for this one." Red declared, pulling out two Poke Balls and having his Bulbasaur and Pikachu come out.
Cal had all his Pokémon out already, his Starly being perched comfortably on his shoulder with his Eevee, Larvitar and Wooper right by his side, playing around.
"Alright then." The Jedi Padawan said aloud. "Let's do this."
And thus, with Red, Cal underwent a series of quick matches and tests of sorts to see what his newest Pokémon were capable of.
Though he had Loth train up against some wild Pokémon before going to Vermillion, the silver Eevee hadn't faced any Pokémon that had a trainer guiding their actions. Especially one as skilled and competent as Red.
So for his Eevee and his new Magnemite, the trainer would prove to be the perfect template for a quick set of practice matches.
His Bulbasaur was especially tanky, being able to absorb Zee's electric-based attacks with little to no problem.
Red's Pikachu was also a great match for his Eevee since both were small and relied more on their speed over power to take out their opponents.
The only leg-up Pika had over Loth was the access he had to the element of lightning.
Still, he got some good training for all his Pokémon.
Red was incredibly talented in battling, being able to point out Eevee's potential in more precision-based attacks whilst Larvitar and Wooper can be more diverse with a specialty in affecting their surrounding areas.
His fellow Dex holder called Arc a "glass cannon", elaborating that the Starly can strike hard and fast but has a degree of vulnerability that can be exploited.
Yet the Pokémon trainer was unperturbed, stating any weakness can be covered or lessened at the very least so long as the time and effort were put into it.
When getting around to Zee, as pointed out earlier, Red spoke of how much abuse his Magnemite was able to endure with little to no damage from several types of Pokémon. And having access to electricity gave Zee a variety of attacks that Cal could actually use in conjunction with him.
That greatly intrigued the Padawan, the idea of using lightning through the Force without the need of tapping into the Dark Side.
Was it technically cheating?
Of course it was. Cal was not fooling himself with that.
But so long as it keeps him from swaying to the Dark Side, so be it. If using Zee as the means to use Force Lightning is considered cheating then cheating is awesome.
Not that he wants to send a wrong message or anything like that but come on, Force Lightning without Dark Side temptation.
Jedi Padawan as he was, he was still only a kid and he wasn't gonna pass up the chance of adding something like that to his arsenal of Force abilities.
He didn't have all that much to begin with and he's still a learner after all. Cal will take what he can get.
"Say Cal."
"Hmmm?"
Red appeared to hesitate for a moment, causing the Jedi to look at his friend who had a contemplative expression.
"Red?"
He didn't answer at first, arms now crossed as he was in deep thought for a moment before speaking up again.
"Not to sound rude or anything but what was all that back on the ship the other day?" Red threw his hands up slightly. "That laser sword, that weird feeling I got, what was all that?"
Cal rubbed the back of his head, grimacing slightly as now Red and all their Pokémon had their eyes on him. That didn't add any underlying pressure.
'Thanks guys.' Kestis wryly thought to himself at the sight of his Mon patiently awaiting his response.
Letting out a sigh, Cal reached for his belt and unclipped his Masters' Lightsaber.
"This," He held it up for Red to get a better look at it. "Is a Lightsaber. A tool to be used by an order of Peacekeepers known as the Jedi Order. We follow the Will of the Force to maintain peace and order wherever we are needed."
"Whoa~~~~" Red now had stars in his eyes. "Warrior peacekeepers? Really? Huh…"
Cal titled his head at Red's change in demeanor. "What's wrong?"
"No, it's just," Red crossed his arms in thought. "If you come from an Order that's all about protecting and helping people, how come I've never heard of you guys? Or even heard mention of this Jedi thing around Kanto."
"We're not from around here." Cal answered automatically. "We're not from the region of Kanto or even Johto but way further out. Like… really, really far."
"Uh-huh." Red just nodded his head, actually sitting down now with his legs crossed. "What else is there? Like this Force thing you mentioned. What can ya do with it?"
Cal let out a mirthful laugh. "A lot actually. Push, pull, persuasion, Tutaminis-"
"Two taa what now?" Said the Pokémon trainer in bewilderment, getting Cal to chuckle to himself.
"A bit complicated to explain." The Padawan remarked, seeing Red shrug.
"We got time to kill."
Seeing that Red was now invested in hearing about everything he knew, Cal simply shrugged and began telling all he could about the Jedi Order. It was a slightly tough conversation as he constantly reminded Cal he was still a learner and treading around the information of this order being a galactic force for good rather than one isolated onto one planet.
So for the most part, he focused on what basic knowledge he was able to tell him on top of the idea of lightsaber forms.
Hearing that made Red perk up with interest, asking just what was that supposed to be.
For this, Cal stood up and ignited his lightsaber, getting into the starting stance of his preferred fighting style. It was Form IV, Ataru, otherwise known as the Way of the Hawk-Bat.
This of course only further interested the native Pokémon trainer, stars in his eyes as Cal performed a few of the basic motions of this form. He was obviously curious if he could learn and though the Padawan was unsure, he didn't want to discourage.
Honestly, when he thought about it, there might be some way to implement his fighting style when fighting alongside his Pokémon. He figured with the Force sensitivity his Pokémon and all mons have, they may pick up on it fast and he can create something unique to himself.
Cal finished up his little demonstration of the Forms he was most familiar with at this time all while talking about the practices and applications of such abilities. This of course energized Red, the boy asking repeatedly if he were to be able to learn such things and get a saber of his own.
"Sorry Red." The Padawan remarked. "You need a Kyber crystal to get something like this."
The Pokémon trainer slumped comedically, eliciting a laugh from the Jedi.
"Well phooey, you sure know how to dash the hopes and dreams of a friend, Cal." Red grumbled, only making his Jedi companion laugh even harder.
"Sorry." Kestis said again though this time not meaning it as much. "Just saying it how it is."
Red let out a 'harrumph', cheeks puffed out and dramatically turned away from Cal. Before he could laugh some more or make any sort of remark, he heard a small "eep" from behind him.
He and Red turned back to see Loth standing there with a bug-eyed expression and Cal's Magnemite hovering beside the Eevee, somehow looking apologetic and sheepish despite it being a floating ball.
Kaiju was patting the silvery-grey Pokémon and Hopper continued jumping around as he always did. Arc looked on in confusion with Pika, Saur and Poli.
Walking over to his Eevee, he crouched down the little guy who appeared to be on the fritz, being unable to move.
"You alright there, Loth?" Cal asked, reaching forward until he felt some sparks coming off the fur, his hand snapping back slightly.
The Padawan's newly acquired Magnemite buzzed around the two, an apologetic air going off from it.
"Oh, must've had a shock accident." Red surmised, Loth nodding shakily.
"Aw, you alright Loth?" He asked once more, now patting the top of the Eevee's head.
"Looks like he's been paralyzed." Red noted, patting Cal's shoulder a moment later. "Come on, let's head to the Pokémon Center and get him healed up."
Kestis simply nodded, recalling Loth and the rest of his Pokémon, Red copying the gesture and the two headed over to the Vermillion City Pokémon Center.
Once their Mon's had been handed over, the pair opted to simply lounge around in the waiting area, idly chatting to pass the time.
"So how many Pokémon have you seen so far?" Cal asked, Red tilting his head whilst he went into his pocket to fish out his Pokedex.
Opening it up, he was quick to see his number.
"Only seen around forty-two so far." Red said. "Caught thirteen. What about you?"
Cal took out his own Pokedex, turning it on to see- "I've seen thirty-seven and caught five."
"Only five?" Red's surprise was apparent. "Really?"
The redhead looked at the ravenette quizzically. "What's wrong with just five?"
His friend only shrugged in response. "Nothin', it's just I thought you would have caught more at least by now."
"Don't you only use three?"
"Huh… good point."
Cal chortled at that, shaking his head, looking over to the main counter to see the Nurse Joy of this center diligently working behind it.
"Hey Red."
"Hmmm?"
"You've noticed the Nurses at every Center, right?"
Red raised a brow at that. "Huh? What are ya talkin' about?"
"The Nurses." Cal emphasized. "You know, all the Joy's that look exactly the same?"
"Uh…" Red turned his gaze over to the topic of discussion, giving her a scrutinizing look. "I guess?"
The Padawan had a look of disbelief. "You guess? Come on Red, how can you not see that they're all literal carbon copies of each other?"
"Really?" The Pallet Town native displayed a bewildered look. "I can't really say. This one's shorter than the one I saw back in Cerulean."
Cal felt a few wires snap in his mind, an electrical current that sparked about everywhere to the point that they were visible around his head.
"You alright there, Cal?" Red inquired, looking at the Jedi with an odd and concerned look.
He got an uncertain nod in response. "Y-Yeah, I… I'm… good… I think."
His friend was clearly unconvinced. "Right~~"
They fell into a moment of silence when a familiar voice spoke from behind Cal.
"Oh ho~~ Look at what we have here! The heroes of this town."
The two boys turned to see the familiar sight of the president of the Pokémon fan club.
"Mr. Chairman." Red greeted cordially, the suited man walking over to them jovially. "What are you doing here? Picking up your own Pokémon?"
The Chairman of the Pokémon Fanclub rapidly nodded his head. "Apart from my Alakazam," He momentarily wilted at the mention of his evolved Pokémon, making the boys sweat drop. "I have a Ponyta as well that got a bit too excited on her recent trot and hurt her leg. She should be all better soon."
"That's cool."
The Chairman hummed aloud. "Cool indeed, my young sir. But if I may ask, you two seem to be troubled."
"Not troubled really." Cal earnestly said. "We're just figuring out what to do next, I suppose. Maybe go on over to the next town."
"Oh-ho, are you now?" There was a gleam from the shades the Chairman wore, reaching into his suit. "Then how's about you go in adventurous style?"
He pulled out what appeared to be a poster that had a bicycle on it with a Poke ball behind it.
"Pokémon triathlon obstacle course?" Red read aloud, scratching his head.
"That's right." The Chairman said with exuberance. "While I don't approve of it, I understand that the pair of you young lads are trainers first and foremost and wish to grow alongside your Pokémon. So I believe this is the best course of action for the two of you. A race to get your youthful blood pumping and time to bond with your Pokémon."
Cal wordlessly took the poster out from the Chairman's hand, reading over the text on it whilst Red rubbed his chin in thought.
"Hmmm, it says here, we need to have bikes of our own to participate." Kestis noted, reading the requirements at the bottom of the poster. There was also a necessity for at least two or more Pokémon but he and Red already had that covered.
"Ohohoho~ that, my dear young man, is where I have that covered." The Chairman jovially said, inclining his cane towards the exit of the Pokémon center. "If you would both follow me."
Curious, the pair of Pokedex holders followed after the Chairman, walking out of the center to be greeted with the sight of half a dozen other members of the Pokémon fan club. In between them were two new gleaming bikes, one red and one blue.
"I had some of my most trusted members and friends make a quick run up to Cerulean City to get a proper reward for the boys who rescued our Pokémon." The Chairman declared, pointing his cane at the bikes. "May they serve you well in the race and in your journey!"
Cal was stunned by the display of kindness whilst Red had stars in his eyes.
"Are you serious grandpa?" Red excitedly asked. "These are ours now?"
"But of course." The Chairman shook his head in a self-admonishing manner. "Nothing but the best for the heroes of this town."
"I… don't know what to say." Cal admitted, walking over to the blue bike, a small smile creeping on his face.
"Nothing needed to be said, my young friend." The Chairman cheerfully stated, patting the Padawan on his back. "These are our gifts to you. A small price to pay for the ones who saved our Pokémon from those hooligans and criminals that call themselves Team Rocket."
At the mention of the criminal organization, a frown marred Cal's face as he thought back to what he and Red found and encountered on the SS Anne. He still didn't understand how or when they got their hands on droid blasters but he needed to find out as soon as possible and above all else, get those weapons out of the hands of these criminals.
"Cal? Hey Cal! Are you alright there?"
The sound of Red's voice broke the Padawan out of his thoughts, turning to look at a confused Red and Chairman who were staring at him.
"Huh? What? Sorry, did you say something Red?" Cal apologetically asked.
"Yeah, I wanted to know if you wanna try out this race but then ya spaced out there." Red stated. "Everything ok with ya?"
Kestis shook his head, nodding in appreciation at the Pokémon Fanclub members that were waiting for him to take his new bike.
"Yeah, sorry about that Red. Just had some thoughts drift into my mind from yesterday." Cal said, grasping the handles of his new bike and moving it back and forth.
For the Jedi, it was an interesting sight to see with a bike that wasn't a speeder bike that didn't levitate off the ground.
Shaking his head, he looked back at Red.
"What were you asking again?"
Red rolled his eyes, an exasperated smile now on his face.
"The bicycle, Tri-whatever is going on tomorrow." Red emphasized. "Are ya up for it? It's a Pokémon race so we can use our Pokémon, help train them up a bit more."
Thinking it over, the idea of an on the go training was something his master believed in and promoted during the war. He believed in stationary training to be the baseline of all Jedi but trial by fire is where true Jedi are forged.
Making up his mind, Cal nodded at Red. "Yeah, sounds like a good idea."
Red's expression brightened, looking at the Chairman again. "Hey, thanks again for these bikes, grandpa. Getting around will be a heck of a lot easier now."
The Chairman tutted, lightly tapping Red on the forehead with his cane.
"As I said, young man, no need to thank me or us for anything. We are just glad to properly repay you lads even if it's minuscule at best."
"Far from it." Cal countered, an appreciative smile on his face. "Thank you."
"Grah, enough with the gratitude." The Chairman waved his hand around dramatically, now blushing up a storm from their words.
The boys shared a laugh, getting on their bikes, riding away whilst waving back at the Pokémon Fanclub that waved back at them.
-The Next Day-
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Vermillion Triathlon race!"
Cal and Red were side by side within the crowd of other bikers who had joined in this race.
There were dozens of other participants with their own bikes, all lined up at the starting line to the racecourse.
The whole event was relatively straightforward. Travel eastward into Route 11 before heading up north on route 12 and reach the end to win the grand prize.
Simple as that.
On paper, at least.
Since coming to this world, Cal has learned very quickly how things are not how they seem and that this race is likely to have more challenges than just a few sharp turns and bumpy roads. A sentiment shared with Red as he pointed out several individuals within the race having brought their Pokémon along with them.
Sure, it was advertised for people to do so but it seemed that either some didn't know about this prerequisite or outright ignored or forgot all about it.
Regardless they were here and-
*BANG*
The shot in the air was sent out, signaling the start of the race.
Everyone began peddling at full speed with Cal and Red in the middle of the whole group.
"How are we supposed to get ahead of all this?" The latter asked, swerving slightly as he nearly bumped into another racer.
"Just go with the flow and try not to think about it too much." Cal instructed, angling himself as they went for their first turn.
This went on with the race being relatively straightforward.
That was until they reached their first obstacle.
Up ahead, the pair saw the bikers up front were stopping and forming a large, unmoving group.
"What's going on?" Red asked aloud, the two slowing to a stop once reaching the crowd. They managed to weave around the other participants and reached the front to see a narrow bridge over a ravine.
The bridge only had one person riding over it at a time and it was rickety, to say the least.
"Hey, why's everyone just goin' over the bridge?" The Pallet Town native inquired to the other racers. "Can't you guys just swim across?"
A man to his right shook his head and pointed down. "Not so easy. Take a look."
Both boys peaked over the edge with Red being the first to react.
"Ack! Tentacruels!" He said in alarm, the multi-tentacled Pokémon hovering just beneath the surface of the water.
"Tentacruel." Cal murmured, pulling out his Pokedex for an identification of this new Mon.
"Tentacruel, the Jellyfish Pokémon, and the evolved form of Tentacool. Tentacruel uses its tentacles to capture prey and holds it until weakened from poison. It is known as the "gangster of the Sea" by travelers." Came the automated voice of his Dex.
'Gangster of the sea?' Cal internally parroted. 'Well, they don't look friendly, that's for sure.'
"What's the hold-up everyone?" Said a loud, boisterous voice, startling Red slightly.
The duo turned their heads to see a man likely in his early twenties wearing nothing but his participant number, goggles, swim cap and a speedo with a belt around his shoulders. All in all, it was easy to surmise that this man was a swimmer. He had looked over the edge, seeing the group of Tentacruel below and laughed in response.
"Oh come on people, have you all forgotten what this is?" The swimmer rhetorically asked, pulling out a Poke ball. "It's a Poke Triathlon! That means ya gotta use your Pokémon for these sorts of situations."
Without another word, he tossed his Poke ball down into the water, jumping after it a second later. The Poke ball popped open and out came a particularly large Slowpoke which ferried the man across the ravine.
"Oh~~~" Red mused aloud, reaching for his Pokémon. "Well, in that case, go Poli!"
Red peddled forward, dropping down into the ravine whilst his Poliwrath appeared.
"Ice Beam!" Red commanded, a path of ice appearing in front of him and Poli. Once reaching the end, his Pokémon grabbed him and jumped up to the other side, clearing the area.
"Come on, Cal." He called out to him.
The Padawan looked down at the ravine then at Red, a small smirk appearing on his face. With the Force, he sent his bicycle over to the other side. Many looked at the Jedi in confusion as he took several steps back.
Some went a bit bug-eyed upon realizing what he was about to do but were too late to stop him.
With a Force enhanced jump, Cal Kestis flipped over the ravine with the greatest of ease.
His landing needed a bit more work but what's a stumble to a perfect flip?
"Whoa~~~" Red had stars in his eyes. "That was awesome."
Now, an important lesson very early on in Cal's life as a Jedi was that they were supposed to have humility and a humble attitude in that order.
So to hear such praise, the Padawan couldn't help but grin slightly at the way he had been praised just now.
"Come on." He said to the Pallet Town trainer. "We gotta make up for lost time."
The pair soon made their way towards the forest section of the race, seeing a bug catcher stretching himself in preparation.
Red and Cal skid to a halt, looking up at the forest curiously.
"This is part of the course?" Cal asked, looking at Red who shrugged.
"It's one of the courses." The bug catcher in front of them spoke up, having finished limbering up. Beside him was a Scyther and the boy pulled out a can of some kind, spraying out its contents around him.
"What's that supposed to be?" Red asked, scratching his head beneath his cap.
"It's Repel." The Bug Catcher revealed. "It's how ya keep wild Pokémon away so they don't attack ya at random."
"Really?" The Jedi said in surprise. "Do you have any spares?"
The bug catcher haughtily laughed at him, shrugging slightly. "In case you forgot, this here is a race. Can't be giving out any advantages to the competition."
Cal couldn't help but reel back a bit from the dismissal thrown out him whilst Red simply deadpanned in obvious annoyance, watching the kid go on ahead of them. Of the two, the more level-headed glanced back and saw other bikers veering in the long path around the forest rather than going through it.
Whilst this was a path on the course, it was an alternative and far riskier one that many appeared not to take.
Bug Pokémon, as Cal has come to learn, while not always the strongest always had numbers on their side.
"So now what do we do?" He asked Red who was slightly irritated still until he shook it off.
"I'll tell ya what we do." The cap-wearing preteen declared, reaching for his belt and pulling out one of his Poke balls. "We do things our own way."
His Poke ball popped open and out came Pika, landing atop Red's head.
Humming in intrigue and agreement, Cal reached for a Poke ball, rotating it slightly in his hand.
"Alright Zee, let's try this out." And out came his newly capture Magnemite, the circular Pokémon buzzing in anticipation, floating around its new trainer.
"Let's go." Red proclaimed, the duo peddling into the forest, their electric Pokémon ready for anything to come their way.
And come it did, bug Pokémon being met with bolts of lightning from the pair of the electric mouse and floating magnet ball.
"Aw man, this is too easy." Red cockily said, feeling proud of his idea, seeing such immediate success. "This race is in the bag."
Cal said nothing, opting not to agree to such a statement as in his brief but chaotic life, he had learned that nothing was over until it was over.
They made their way through this forest shortcut with relative ease, Red calling out his Bulbasaur at one point to help with the trees, shrubbery and vines.
But just as they were about to reach the end of the Forest, they jostled one of the trees they moved on by. And something from said tree fell on top of them.
Or more specifically, on Red's Bulbasaur.
"What the…?" Saur's trainer looked down at him and noticed he had gained a new accessory.
Cal took a look at the odd item on the Bulbasaur's head, tilting his own as he tried identifying it.
"What is that?" The Padawan asked.
"It's… a beehive…" Red's eyes then widened and his expression paled considerably. "A Beedrill hive! And that means-"
*BZZZ*
*BZZZ*
*BZZZ*
"GYAAAAAA!" Red screeched, immediately peddling his bicycle at full speed, Cal joining him as both the buzzing of the Beedrill's and buzzing of the Force was enough of a warning for him to hightail it out of here.
The buzzing of the oncoming Beedrill's somehow made the two peddle faster.
"Zee, try to keep them off us." Cal cried out in desperation, ducking one that tried divebombing him.
"Second that, Pika!" Red stated, narrowly swerving around a tree.
Their two electric Pokémon began zapping Beedrill left, right, behind, front and above though to no avail as the ones that were zapped out of the sky were replaced by other neighboring Beedrill.
"What is this nightmare?!" The Jedi Padawan screamed in utter terror now, his legs becoming practically blurred, face morphing into that of comical horror.
"Just keep going!" Red let out a shriek of pain as one Beedrill managed a divebomb sting right on his bum.
This went on for a few more minutes until at long last, both boys successfully managing to escape the forest death trap. Though not without their share of injuries.
Primarily that of the many lumps of Beedrill stings they now sported.
"Urgh." Red bemoaned, rubbing his stung up face. "I don't know if the prize for this race is worth it now."
Cal only grumbled in agreement, nursing his own cheek. "Why do they have to be so aggressive like that?"
"Just how they are." His friend dejectedly answered, shaking his head a moment later. "Come on, we've still got a race to win."
"But didn't you just say-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know but it's better to win than lose and with the added sting of that Beedrill swarm." Red cut him off. "So let's not make our pain meaningless."
Opting not to argue with such logic, Cal and Red resumed peddling as fast they were able to… which slowed almost immediately as they winced and twitched about on their bikes.
Taking a moment longer to recover, both exhaled forcefully, steeling themselves and returned back to the race.
Despite their pain and hold up, their shortcut through the forest had paid off and they were now well ahead of a majority of the competition.
There may be several racers ahead of them but if they can pick up the pace, the duo can catch up.
Or so they assumed…
Getting out onto the fishing pier of route 12, the Pokedex pair saw the swimmer and bug catcher they had individually encountered from earlier standing before a large mound of some kind that was blocking their path.
"Hey, what gives?" Red said aloud, announcing his and Cal's arrival as they stopped next to their fellow racers. "How'd this boulder get on the track?"
Kestis was uncertain of this being a rock of some kind, squinting his eyes because he swore this large mound was moving. The swimmer turned to them both with a shake of his head.
"This ain't a boulder, kid." He revealed. "It's a Pokémon."
"A deep sleeper at that." The Bug Catcher added with a grimace.
"A Pokémon?" Red murmured, reflexively whipping out his Pokedex.
"Snorlax, the sleeping Pokémon. Snorlax can eat to over 800 pounds of every day. As it begins to eat, it falls asleep and it sleeps while it eats."
"It can eat while it sleeps?" Cal questioned in bewilderment. "How?"
"The better question is how in the world are we supposed to get around something like this big guy?" Red questioned, looking around on all sides.
The quartet of racers gazed up at the unmoving Pokémon, all bobbing their heads from side to side in an attempt to figure out just how to move this behemoth. Whilst going around it via the water on the pier was a viable option, Cal was quick to point out that an added entry in the Pokedex spoke of Snorlax being able to sleep for days, weeks even. If they were to just leave the Snorlax, they would win but all the other racers would be stuck here since most apparently forgot to bring their own Pokémon.
On top of that, other individuals would encounter this immovable creature long after the races conclusion, leading to more problems.
So they needed to fix this here and now…. Question was how?
Wondering if the Force could provide for an answer, the Jedi of the group stepped forward.
Cal approached the Snorlax, placing his hand on it and closing his eyes, reaching out with the Force.
"What's he doin?" The Bug Catcher questioned, confused by the Padawan's actions.
"Er…" Red scratched his head beneath his hat, wracking his brain in wonder. "I… think I have an idea but not really sure."
"What is it?" The Swimmer asked, the Pokedex holder about to answer when he heard his Pikachu let out a happy sound.
Looking down at his two Pokémon, Red blinked upon realizing that Saur still had Beedrill honey all of his head and bulb with Pika taking some of it off for himself.
Momentarily distracted in amusement at his Pokémon's interactions with each other, it was then that an idea came into his mind. Looking intently at his Bulbasaur followed by the snoozing Snorlax, an idea quickly formed in the Pallet Town trainers head.
With a snap of his fingers, Red rushed over to pick up Saur, his actions breaking Cal out of his concentration.
Seeing his friend approaching Snorlax with Saur in his arms, the Padawan raised a brow at this.
"Red?" He said, the unspoken question of what he was doing being asked.
Instead of responding to Cal, Red simply held his Bulbasaur closer to him with an apologetic face.
"Just trust me on this buddy." Was all he said, and nervous as he was, Saur just nodded at his trainers plea. Red then turned to Kestis. "Hey Cal, can ya bring out Arc and having him whip up some wind towards the Snorlax from behind me?"
It took him a moment but Cal soon began to piece together what Red's plan was. He looked a bit unsure, a silent expression asking Red if he was certain about this with his friend nodding in response.
"Ok." Cal pulled out his Poke ball containing Arc and let the Starly loose, telling it to do as Red had asked in whipping up some wind.
Arc let out a chirp, flying behind him and flapped its wings rapidly.
The sweet smell of the Beedrill honey wafter upwards and assailed the Snorlax's nostrils. There were some audible sniffs followed by jerking motion until the snoozing Pokémon rose up to its full height, still clearly sleepy.
"Hey, Snooooor,~~~Laaax~~~" Red egged on in a sing song voice. "Bet a late night snack will do ya some good."
"It's three in the afternoon, Red."
The correction was ignored with the Pokémon trainer holding Saur up a bit more, garnering Snorlax's attention.
"How bout a nice helping of fresh Beedrill honey to fill ya up?"
That seemed to do the trick as the Snorlax was now drooling and staring intently at Saur and Red with a wide smile.
"Right then, time to go!" Red declared, hopping on his bike and peddling away.
Snorlax immediately gave chase, proving to be deceptively faster than his size gave him credit for.
Cal realized he had been left behind and hurriedly moved to catch up.
"Hey wait!" He called out to them in vain, leaving a thoroughly astonished and bewildered swimmer and bug catcher.
What followed was a comedic scene of a Jedi Padawan pursuing a Snorlax who was pursuing Red with Saur on the front of his bike in a basket covered in honey.
All in an effort to win a race that had been forgotten for the time being as Red was focused on keeping ahead of the Snorlax and Cal wanting to catch up to his friend. Somehow, Cal managed to get around the Snorlax thanks in no small part with his Force ability and cycled alongside Red who looked like he was starting to regret his plan of action.
Luckily, the pair made it past the finish line which also tripped up Snorlax and had him fall face first.
Rather than get up and be enraged by this obstacle, it appeared only mildly confused, seemingly snapping out of its hunger daze.
Red and Cal were declared the winner, earning a special prize of an item called a Hidden Machine that would teach a very special move for their Pokémon to use.
Of course, there was also a hefty prize money that would serve them both well that was split between them both.
Unfortunately for Red, he had to use the entirety of his winnings on food due to the Snorlax following him around and pestering him for food.
Thankfully, the Pallet Town native had his good friend Cal to promise to give him some of his winnings after seeing how miserable his friend was at spending all his money.
On top of that, it appeared the Snorlax enjoyed Red's presence and stared at the trainer intently until he got the hint.
"Oh! Wait, you wanna join up with us?" Red asked, the Snorlax happily nodding his head, patting his belly. "Ah… well… ya know what, I could use a powerhouse like you. Welcome aboard, Snor."
And like that, Red captured Snorlax, ending on a high note for a hectic and unusual racing day.
"Well… today happened." Red sheepishly said, rubbing the back of his head. "Guess that was… something."
"Yeah," Cal nodded in agreement. "It was."
"I guess we "trained" our Pokémon like I promised." Red remarked. "But uh… yeah, feels like I owe you big time, Saur."
His Bulbasaur looked up at his trainer with a closed eye smile, conveying he held nothing against Red's earlier actions. Something the boy greatly appreciated.
"Aw thanks bud, you're the best." Red praised, rubbing the top of Bulbasaur's head.
Smiling down at the interaction, Kestis found himself frowning a moment later as there was a shift in the air. He felt something off, the boy looking around as a feeling of unease settled over him.
It appeared that his Pokémon detected the disturbance, or really, their trainer sensing it.
They gathered around him in concern, something that caught Red's attention, the cap wearing boy looking up at his friend now.
"Uh Cal…?" Red now stood up, walking over to him. He had already seen him like this back in Vermillion City. "Is everything alright?"
He didn't get a response at first, the Padawan appearing in a daze that he couldn't break out of until his eyes locked on with Red's.
"Do you… do you feel anything Red?" Cal abruptly asked, startling the black-haired boy.
"What?" Red blinked at the question. "What are you… talking… about…?"
He grew quiet a few seconds later when a sensation he had never felt before… wait… no… this feeling… what was this feeling?
Red had felt something like this before… he was certain of it…
Was it his imagination?
What was this sensation?
"Red?" Cal's voice broke him out of his own thoughts. "Are you all right?"
The Pokedex holder could only shake his head at the question he had asked just a few short seconds ago.
"Ok." Red placed his hands on his hips. "What even was that just now?"
"What?"
"That." Red stressed out, though he felt uncertain about how to describe it. "I just felt really, really weird just now like… like… I don't know, it just felt weird. Like a tingle or my body was having a heartbeat all over."
Realization quickly dawned on Cal as it was rather easy for him to discern just what it was that Red experienced.
"The Force." Cal answered in amazement. "It was the Force. You felt it just now!"
"Yeah… how?"
"Well, you're Force Sensitive." The Jedi said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, which in all fairness, to him, it was… kinda.
"Uh-huh…" Was Red's uncertain response. "But… why exactly did I feel it just now?"
"I did too." Cal said. "We both did just now."
"Ok… so where did it come from? Cause… I don't even know how to feel about this." Red squirmed for a moment. "It didn't feel all that good, honestly."
Cal silently nodded, turning away from his friend to the path ahead of them. He wore a contemplative expression, dwelling on the feeling he and his friend just shared, making him mull over what it could possibly mean.
This feeling was one of caution and foreboding, warning him and his comrade of something malicious ahead of them.
"Red." He didn't need to look to his friend to know he had his attention. "Do you know what town is ahead of us?"
Rather than questioning why he asked such a thing, Red wordlessly pulled out his Pokedex and activated its map feature.
It took him a moment but he soon spotted the next settlement they were moving towards.
"Lavender Town."
Yeah, sorry it took so long everyone but it wasn't easy finding the driving force to keep writing this. Not that I don't want to but motivation is a fickle mistress.
So, thank you all who have been patiently waiting for this chapter after so long.
This one is a bit of a special occasion cause I recently moved into my new place so this is the first chapter in my new home.
God, feels weird to be in a new place but hey, that's life.
Wisdom, experience and perspective doesn't come with stagnation.
First of all, I had a special art piece commissioned for this story that shows Cal with his first six Pokémon that you can check out on my DeviantArt account.
It was done by this artist named Mark331 who is wickedly talented for nailing the feel of Pokémon. So do please take the time to check him out.
Second, if yer all still willing, please continue to leave reviews about your favorite Pokémon. Doesn't always has to be one, can be several.
Third, this story, while planned to a degree, does have some open ended stuff that will need fill in the blanks. So, while I will not be taking on ideas directly unless they gel well with the type of story I am telling, feel free to leave idea suggestions and such that might be reworked into the story itself depending on whether or not it fits.
Once again, thank you all for your patience.
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).
Eevee(Loth): Normal
Moves: Tackle(Normal), Covet(Normal), Helping Hand(Normal), Quick Attack(Normal), Tail Whip(Normal), Sand-Attack(Normal), Swift(Normal).
Magnemite(Zee): Electric/Steel
Moves: Tackle(Normal), Thundershock(Electric), Supersonic(Tackle), Thunder Wave(Electric), Electro Ball(Electric), Gyro Ball(Steel), Spark(Electric).
Pokémon Trainer Red Roster
Bulbasaur(Saur): Grass/Poison
Poliwrath(Poli): Water/Fighting
Pikachu(Pika): Electric
Snorlax(Snor): Normal
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.