Chapter 2: The Journey Begins
Route 1 was a pretty route to start off a journey in.
Any Pokémon trainer who started from Pallet Town had to go through this route to get to Viridian City, home of one of Kanto's eight Pokémon Gyms that had to be conquered in order to win all eight badges and enter the Indigo League. June felt that any trainer who started in Kanto had it lucky for Route 1 was a lovely route to walk through. There were lush green fields, high ledges to climb up or jump off of and tall trees dotted around the fields. The route had been largely untouched by humans with practically no sign of any human dwelling anywhere. If it wasn't for the paths that had been put down through this route to guide trainers through, June would've thought no human had ever set foot in here at all.
The sun beat down on Route 1. Despite it being mid-morning, it was already very warm, much warmer than it would've been back home. Kanto's climate was warmer than Galar's and June was already glad she was dressed in such loose clothing otherwise she'd have melted in this heat. She supposed it's why so many Kanto trainers seemed to wear shorts in this region. The weather was certainly right for it. She and Ray gazed out at their surroundings as they saw the grassy fields swaying gently in the breeze, Rattata creeping around in search of food and Pidgey flying through the sky to find trees to roost in. It was nothing short of magical to just see Pokémon in nature like this in a wild paradise barely touched by humanity.
"Views like this are just so…amazing!" June whispered whimsically.
"Yeah it's sweet I guess but to me, it's just average." Ray murmured, "Nothing too special."
"Well that's cause you're a Pokémon." Jun noted, "You're used to living in places like this. I'm a human. I don't always get to walk through just wild places like this. And this is also my first time in Kanto so I'm literally seeing it for the first time. It's going to be special to me."
"Fair enough." Ray said understandingly, "I believe you said you and your parents were from Galar. What's that like?"
"The best region to live in ever." June said enthusiastically, "I couldn't be happier to have been born and raised there. All our towns and cities are incredible, we have our own Wild Area that's a paradise for Pokémon to live in, we have ten very powerful Gym Leaders to face and Pokémon battles are a spectator sport for us all! Of course, my favourite battles to watch were my mum's battles. She really is incredible and worthy of her Championship title! She's inspired me to be a trainer too and I hope I can be a strong, heroic, fearless Champion like her at the end of my journey."
She sighed a little at the last part.
"I suppose it'll be wishful thinking to ever be at her level but as mum tells me, I shouldn't aim for that. I need to be as strong as I can be and not worry about failing to reach her level of strength." she went on.
"She's right you know." Ray said agreeably, "You maybe Ruby's kid but that doesn't mean you'll be as strong as her. Every human is different after all. It's better if you don't put unrealistic expectations on yourself like that as it'll only hurt you in the long run. Your mom won't want you to get upset because you think you're not good enough for her."
"You're right." June concurred, "Which is why I'll be aiming to see how powerful I can be on my own! I may not become as strong as mum, but I'll make her and dad very proud of me!"
"I bet you will! And with me by your side, you'll be the greatest trainer you can be!" Ray cried optimistically.
June held up a hand for him to give her a high-five with his paw. The newbie trainer beamed from ear-to-ear. Already she could feel the bond growing between her and Ray. Was this how it felt for her parents when they started their journeys? That warm, sensational, happy feeling that one gets when they start growing their friendship with their Pokémon? She imagined they were as excited as she was right now back in their day.
June and Ray kept on walking for another half an hour until finally, they came across something June had been hoping to catch. They heard the sound of rapidly beating wings and ducked down to hide in some tall grass as something flew down from the sky and landed on the path ahead. June's eyes lit up with excitement as she saw the first Pokémon on her list of Pokémon she wanted to catch. It was a Pidgey, a common Normal/Flying type Pokémon that lived almost everywhere in Kanto. Pidgey were small brown and cream coloured bird Pokémon with pink coloured beaks and feet, three tufts of feathers sprouting from the top of their heads and black markings on either side of their eyes. Just about any new trainer in Kanto usually had one of these Pokémon and those that kept them got to evolve them into a very powerful Flying-type Pokémon called Pidgeot. June hoped to own a Pidgeot for how cool they looked and they weren't Pokémon that could be found in Galar so it already gave her a Pokémon that would be unique to her in her family. But first, she would need to catch this Pidgey and evolve it.
"A Pidgey, just what I want." June whispered, "A Normal/Flying type native to many regions around the world. It evolves into Pidgeotto and then again into Pidgeot. It's usually docile and prefers not to fight unless provoked. It's also deceptively fast in spite of its plump appearance."
"Heh, did you swallow a Pokédex or something?" Ray joked.
"It's a thing with me. I just…absorb information like a sponge when it comes to stuff I'm interested in." June replied, "Dunno how, I just do. Now then, let's see if we can catch this one…"
She reached to her belt and took out a Pokéball from her waist. She took careful aim and then threw the Pokéball. The Pidgey didn't even hear her until the ball bumped it on the head, opened up and absorbed it inside. The ball closed up and shook furiously as Pidgey tried to escape. June watched with baited breath as the ball rocked from side-to-side. Ray stayed on guard in case he would need to fight and protect his trainer should the Pidgey escape and attack. The ball shook many times…and opened up again as its occupant forced its way back out of it. It rematerialized back into solid form and shook itself off, ruffling up its feathers as it did so. June sighed in dismay.
"Aww, it broke free! Looks like we'll have to fight this one if we want to catch it." the silver and purple haired girl muttered, "Good thing for me I have a Pokémon with a type-advantage over Flying-types!"
She commanded Ray into battle with an order to use Thunder Shock. Her Pikachu leapt towards the Pidgey and fired a jolt of electricity at the bird Pokémon. Pidgey swiped at the ground with its wings and sent clouds of sand flying towards Ray's attack. The Thunder Shock hit the sand and stopped dead in its tracks. June frowned.
"Clever of it to use Sand-Attack in that way." she murmured, "That Pidgey's a smart one!"
Undeterred, she ordered Ray to use Growl instead. She hoped the loud noise would distract the Pidgey long enough for her to attack it without it fighting back. Ray let out a loud growling noise that seemed to be scary enough to startle all surrounding Pokémon in the area. June suddenly heard a bunch of other Pidgey fleeing the scene in fright and some Rattata in the fields scurried away furiously to get away from the noise. Who knew this little Pikachu could growl as loudly as this?! Pidgey winced from the noise and its body flashed blue as its Attack dropped. Once Ray stopped growling. June ordered him to use Thunder Shock again. This time, Ray successfully landed a hit. The Pidgey was still reeling from the loud noise to react. It squawked in pain as Ray electrocuted it and it swayed on its feet. It shook off the pain and flapped its wings furiously. June grew worried. Was the Pidgey going to fly away? It started to rise up off the ground…but it continued to fight but swooping towards Ray in a powerful tackle attack. It seemed they'd riled it up enough to make it want to keep on fighting. Pidgey hit Ray but thanks to Growl lowering its attack earlier, it barely managed to hurt him. Ray just shook it off like it was nothing and used Thunder Shock once more. The Pidgey was electrocuted again and it fell down to the ground, grimacing in pain from the electric attack.
"It's got to be weak enough now! Let's catch it!" June yelled, throwing her Pokéball a second time.
The ball bopped Pidgey on the head and absorbed it up inside. The ball shook only a couple of times before pinging to signify a successful capture. The Pidgey hadn't been able to break free this time. June squealed excitedly and punched the air in triumph.
"YES! I caught it, I caught it, I caught it!" she hollered, "I got Pidgey just as I hoped I would!"
"Thanks to yours truly of course." Ray preened, unable to resist gloating about himself.
June rolled her eyes but said nothing as she went over to collect her Pokéball. She found herself tingling with joy all over. Her journey had just started and she already caught her second wild Pokémon! A Pikachu and a Pidgey were a handy start for a new trainer like her. She opened up the ball to let the Pidgey out of it. The bird Pokémon ruffled its feathers and looked up at June with a mixture of respect and admiration.
"You defeated me and caught me fair and square." it said, speaking in a female voice that sounded much deeper than June would've expected from a Pidgey, "I can only congratulate you both on a well fought match."
"Aww, thanks little Pidgey!" June said appreciatively, "I'm pleased with how well I did considering I'm a newbie."
"Showing skill and strength while being a newcomer. Very impressive." the Pidgey cooed with interest.
"I've had some good teachers to prepare me for this." June admitted, "Still, I'm glad you're not sore over your less my new friend. With me, you'll become a very strong Pidgey and I'll evolve you all the way to a Pidgeot, where you'll be even stronger!"
"That's a lofty goal to reach…I accept such a challenge!" the Pidgey declared, puffing her chest out grandly.
"Is that a thing with you, missy? You take everything as a challenge you have to overcome?" Ray asked, sounding a little amused by the Pidgey's attitude.
"Why do you think I chose to fight instead of fleeing?" the bird Pokémon retorted.
"Well you don't need to see everything as a challenge." June said softly, "We're happy to just have you as our new friend and we'd love to have many adventures with you. Now then, let's give you a name."
She considered for a moment. What name would suit a Pidgey? She wanted something that sounded cool and could reference flying in some way. June pondered over some possibilities.
"Hmm…there's an attack called Aerial Ace that most Flying-types can learn…so how about I call you Ace?" June suggested.
"Ace…I like that." Ace said grandly, "I'll take that. I shall be "ace" by name and by nature!" she declared, saluting June with her wing.
"Heh, confident aren't you little lady? You're going to be a lot of fun I can tell!" June giggled, "Hey, you and Ray gather around me for a quick second."
She gathered her Pokémon together and got out her Rotom Phone. It floated in front of the three and June smiled at it. Ray smiled too while Ace just shot a stoic glare at the Rotom-possessed device. The phone snapped a picture and floated back into June's hands.
"Mum and dad will be so excited to see what I've just caught!" the Galarian girl cried excitedly as she sent the photo to her parents.
Ruby and Hop had just finished snuggling together when they received June's text. Their clothes lay in a heap on the floor and they were cuddled together under their bedsheets. Even if it was far too early for bed, the two had been keen to make the most of their private time together now they actually had it. Ruby lay on top of Hop with her hands caressing his strong shoulders while Hop lay underneath with his hands running up and down her back.
"I dunno who's been keener to have this again. Me or you." Ruby joked.
"I'd say we've both been awaiting this for a long time." Hop joked back, "Ready for some more my love?"
"I've got plenty left to give you, gorgeous." Ruby purred impishly.
They'd been about to kiss again when June's picture came in. The two quickly stopped what they were doing to answer their phones. They saw June's text and accompanying photo flicker on their screen. It read:
Hi mum and dad! Look what I caught on my way to Viridian City! I've named her Ace and she's looking to be a tough Pidgey! I can't wait to evolve her into a Pidgeot! I hope you'll get to meet her soon!
Lots of love!
June xxx
The two smiled at the photo of their daughter and her two Pokémon together.
"Aww bless her. Just starting out and she has another new friend already. I sure hope this one didn't greet her with a bite on the bum like my second Pokémon did!" Ruby joked.
"I'm sure that Pidgey is just the first of many new friends she'll make on her journey." Hop said proudly, "I bet she'll train it to be a strong high-flying fighter, much like you with Houdini and Soundwave."
"Oh I'm sure." Ruby agreed, "I also remember that Pidgeot was on her list of Pokémon she hoped to catch. Now she has one, I wonder what's next for her…"
A while later, the two had finished their private time together and were back downstairs with their clothes back on. Ruby decided to sit on the sofa and read for a bit while Hop went out to get some groceries. Pallet Town had a convenience store nearby so he wouldn't be long. Ruby opened her book up and began to read. She was reading a history book about Kanto. She thought learning about the region's history might be interesting. June had read it herself in preparation for their trip here. Ruby managed to get through about four pages until suddenly the door flung open and two men barged their way inside. Ruby looked up from her book, her face blank.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's politer to knock?" she said sarcastically.
The silver-haired woman soon saw these two were no ordinary men. Dressed in black uniforms with silver gloves and boots, black berets and bearing a giant red R logo across their chests, they were very clearly members of Team Rocket. Ruby's only time encountering Team Rocket in the past was when she'd visited Kanto and had a rematch with Ash many years ago. Jessie and James had tried to interrupt them and steal Ash's Pikachu only for her and Ash to send them blasting off again. Now here they were breaking into her holiday house and presumably wanting to steal from her. The Galar Champion stood up from the sofa and put her book down. Despite there being thieves in her house, she was completely relaxed with no sign of fear on her face. The Rocket Grunts smirked at her.
"Hey there pretty girl!" crooned one of the grunts, "You home alone today?"
"What's it to you?" Ruby said smoothly, folding her arms in a gesture of defiance.
"We were just hoping to rob you and your husband is all, but I guess we can come for him later." the other grunt said, "One of our agents said you're tourists from the Galar region! You must have Pokémon that can only be found in Galar, ergo Team Rocket will gladly take them off your hands."
"And what if I refuse?" Ruby said with a voice colder than an Ice Beam.
The Rocket Grunts felt unnerved. Why was this woman refusing to take them seriously and why was she so unafraid of them? Nobody stood up to Team Rocket and acted all brave in their presence! The first grunt strode up to Ruby and grabbed her by the lapels of her coat. He pinned her hard against the wall, making her grunt as she was slammed against it. The man jammed his face close to Ruby's in an attempt to intimidate her. Up close Ruby could see how ugly this man was. He had a five o' clock shadow, disgustingly yellow teeth and small, grey eyes that probably never showed any warmth or kindness in his entire life. Ruby screwed her face up as the man's putrid smelling breath pricked against her nostrils. He was not only ugly, but he stank too!
"Then I'm afraid we're going to have to hurt you…BADLY!" the grunt snarled, "Team Rocket never takes no for an answer!"
He then grabbed Ruby by the face and shot a dirty grin at her.
"Given you're such a hot babe and all, I might go easy on you. I'd hate to rough up that pretty face of yours." he purred, "Just hand over your Pokémon and I won't hurt you. There's no need to make this hard on yourself, sweetheart." he crooned, lowering his face so close that he was just inches away from kissing her.
"Nice grip. Now let me show you mine…" Ruby replied, her tone as hard as stone.
The grunt had no idea what happened next. One moment he had Ruby pinned to the wall and at his mercy. The next minute, he was suddenly flipped over onto his back with both his wrists in total agony. This woman was much stronger than she looked! The other grunt was outraged and he threw himself at Ruby, snarling like a rabid Growlithe. Ruby simply lashed out with a flat-palmed strike to the face that sent him reeling backwards with blood pouring from his nose. In the years that had passed since Ruby's transition from teenager to adult, she'd trained herself to be able to fight with her bare hands so she wasn't just reliant on her Pokémon to protect herself or her family all the time. The grunt clutched his face in anguish. The blood from his nose stained his gloves with blotches of crimson. The first grunt picked himself up and whipped out a Pokéball. He'd teach this cretin to mess with Team Rocket! Ruby saw what he was doing and lashed out, moving impossibly fast for a human. The grunt felt his arm go numb as Ruby jabbed him in the shoulder, forcing him to drop his Pokéball as a result. Then Ruby brought him down with a powerful knee to the groin. The second grunt was brought down shortly after with the same manoeuvre. Both grunts lay on the floor clutching their tenders. Tears of pain streamed down their faces. Ruby dusted her hands off. Despite that work out, she wasn't even out of breath. She flipped her hair to one side and sighed heavily, glad that was over with. Or so she thought.
A third Rocket Grunt came into the house. He'd been outside on standby to keep watch and make sure nobody noticed what was going on. He'd heard all the commotion and had come inside to help. He saw his colleagues lying on the floor in pain and deduced that this woman was much tougher than expected. If he tried to fight, he'd likely end up like they did.
"I don't suppose you want your ass kicking too, sir?" Ruby sneered.
"Nuts to this! We're outta here!" the third grunt exclaimed, "Weezing, use Smokescreen!"
His Pokémon came into the house and belched out a thick cloud of smoke that filled the living room. Ruby coughed and spluttered as the smoke drifted over her. She couldn't see anything. She braced herself, expecting the Rocket Grunts to ambush her from somewhere in the smokescreen. She whipped out a Pokéball and brought out Soundwave the Noivern. She commanded her Pokémon to blow the smoke away. Soundwave flapped his wings furiously to fan away the smoke. Soon the smoke was all gone and the house was clear. Ruby could see again…and she didn't like what she saw. The Rocket Grunts had vanished. They'd made quick their escape while the smokescreen had left Ruby blind. The Champion swore furiously. She'd been hoping to interrogate the grunts but they'd managed to slip away! Next time they wouldn't be so lucky. Ruby patted Soundwave on the head and thanked him for getting rid of the smoke before returning him to his Pokéball. She sighed and ran a hand over her forehead.
"I didn't think Team Rocket would be stupid enough to try robbing me but here we are." the Champion huffed, "Just wait until I get my hands on whoever was spying on us and blabbing about us to the team!"
A horrible thought suddenly crept into her mind. Her blood ran cold as she realized something terrible about all this. If they were attacking her because she was from Galar and had been spying on her and her family, then that meant…
"JUNE!" she shrieked, "Oh god, please don't tell me Team Rocket's after her too!"
She quickly took out her Rotom Phone and frantically dialled June's number. To her relief, her daughter answered the call.
"Hello?" June asked.
"June! Oh my baby, are you alright?" Ruby asked, her voice on the edge of hysteria.
"I'm fine mum! What's the matter? You sound frightened. Did something terrible happen to you?" June asked. Her face wobbled on Ruby's phone screen as her own phone trembled in her shaking hands.
Ruby quickly explained what had happened to her and that Team Rocket were aware they weren't locals. June's face went pale as she listened to her mum's warnings. Ray was equally as shocked. He began to wonder if it was because of him that Team Rocket had attacked Ruby. He asked if that was the case but Ruby confirmed that they weren't looking for him, they just wanted to rob her and Hop. June was glad that it wasn't about Ray, but she was still scared to hear her mother had been attacked.
"They didn't hurt you did they?" June asked with worry.
"Oh no, not at all. In fact, I think I hurt them instead." Ruby said with a chuckle, "Nevertheless, I'm worried they'll target you too. You're from Galar as well so they might think you have a rare Pokémon they can profit off of. Please my girl, whatever you do, be careful and keep a sharp eye out for them! I don't know what I'd do if they got their hands on you!"
"I promise I'll watch out for them mum! I won't let them get me." June insisted, "If they do, I can show them I have no Pokémon from Galar they can steal and with any luck, they'll not bother with me. If they do, I can just get Ray and Ace to fight them off!"
"I'm sure, but I'd rather you didn't tangle with them period." Ruby insisted, "If Team Rocket comes for you, let me know straight away. That's an order! Promise?"
"Promise! I'll be safe and you and dad be safe too." June replied kindly, "I don't want them to hurt you."
"Oh we'll be fine sweetheart. They should be worried about US." Ruby crowed, "Me and your father will get to the bottom of this and put Team Rocket out of commission for good. You just focus on winning those Gym Badges for now, but remember to watch out for them in case they come for you. Stay safe my angel."
She blew a kiss into the phone and hung up. She felt a little better knowing that June was safe and no Rocket Grunts had come for her yet. Maybe they knew she wouldn't have anything worth stealing because she was a starting trainer and thus wouldn't have much to offer. That would hopefully tempt them to leave her alone. Shortly after she hung up, Hop arrived home. He was carrying bags of groceries in his arms. He put the bags down on the table and looked to his wife. He saw straight away that something was wrong. He could tell from the way the door had been kicked open and how worried Ruby looked that it hadn't been pleasant.
"Ruby! What happened? Did someone attack you while I was out?!" Hop asked, his voice full of concern.
Ruby filled him in on everything that had happened. Hop took it all in with a mixture of shock and laughter. He was of course horrified to hear his wife had been attacked but he was amused that Team Rocket thought they'd actually get away with robbing Galar's current Champion. He pulled Ruby into a comforting hug.
"I wish I'd been there to help at the time. I probably could've stopped them from getting away." he lamented.
"We don't know that, honey." Ruby dismissed, "They probably would've escaped even if you were here. Still, they've kicked the Beedrill's nest and now they're about to get stung…I'm going after Team Rocket and I'm going to shut them down for good! Are you with me?" she asked.
"As if you needed to ask, baby." Hop scoffed, "We're in this together. I may have retired from battling, but I've still got the strength I need to help out!"
Ruby beamed with pleasure at her husband. Could she have married a sweeter, more supporting guy in the world than Hop?
"Then let's make a start." Ruby declared, "We'll need to find out where Team Rocket's hideout is. We should go through each city and town in Kanto and ask if anyone knows any useful information about Team Rocket. If we're lucky, we might even catch a grunt and get them to tell us."
"Excellent idea! Viridian City's the closest to us so let's go there first." Hop suggested, "Funny enough, that's where June's heading so we might get to say hi to her."
"I just hope she won't get caught up in this." Ruby said uneasily, "Our girl's not suited for these kinds of situations. You know how panicky she can be when things get…tense."
Hop didn't need a reminder. He knew as well as Ruby what June was like in stressful situations. At least with them looking for Team Rocket, they could keep an eye on her at the same time. The two walked outside and Ruby threw a Pokéball into the air. She'd called out Doomsday the Eternatus. It may seem like overkill to bring a Legendary Pokémon with them but Ruby always felt it was wiser to just take Doomsday with her for they never knew what kind of situations they'd end up in that might require the power of a Legendary Pokémon to deal with. Doomsday would make flying around much quicker for the duo. Ruby and Hop jumped onto Doomsday's back and the Poison/Dragon Pokémon flew up into the sky. It soared away from Pallet Town and headed straight to Viridian City…
…and at just that moment, June was leaving it.
She'd arrived at Viridian City during Team Rocket's attack and just as Ruby had finished her phone call, June wandered through the city in search of the first Pokémon Gym. Viridian City was a small metropolis that was easy to navigate and was home to not only one of Kanto's eight Pokémon Gyms, but also a Pokémon academy, a Pokémon centre and much more. June was used to the sight of skyscrapers and bustling crowds of a city thanks to spending time in the ones back in Galar, though she would always prefer the quiet of a forest and small town to a city. She'd been walking around for twenty minutes until she finally found Viridian Gym. It was a large building with an antiquated appearance thanks to its Roman style architecture, stately pillars and old mural. It had a mostly brownish colour to it, an appropriate choice considering this Gym specialized in Ground types. June knew that she was pretty ill-equipped for this Gym considering she only had a Pikachu and a Pidgey and while Ground attacks didn't work on Pidgey, Ray would be unable to do anything except Growl at the Pokémon until its attack went to zero. Electric attacks didn't work on Ground-types. But June supposed this Gym would be the easiest one considering it was the first one trainers from Pallet Town came to and given she was a newcomer with no Gym Badges, the Gym Leader wouldn't be allowed to use his or her strongest Pokémon against her. They'd have to go easy on her, which meant she might have a chance to win.
June walked up to the Gym, feeling nervous but also excited to have her first Gym Battle. But those feelings slipped away into dismay as she saw a sign on the door that read:
CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
"Aww bugger, the Gym's closed!" June complained, "What, has the Gym Leader gone out to lunch or something?"
"Who knows?" Ray said with a shrug, "I remember that sign being there when I was hiding from Team Rocket in this city. So I guess the Gym's been closed for a while now."
"You think? That is a shame." June said solemnly, "Still, it's probably for the best anyway. I was kind of getting ahead of myself. I can just move onto Pewter City where the next Gym is and train up some more!"
"You'll need more than that, missy." Ray warned, "Pewter City's Gym specializes in Rock-types. You've only got me and Ace to fight for you and we ain't exactly well suited for Rock-types."
"I know, hence why I have a back-up plan." June declared, "Upon researching in preparation for my Pokémon journey, I'm aware that Mankey live in a forest near Pewter City. So if I catch one, I'll have a Fighting-type which should help me out against those Rock-types. They ARE weak to Fighting-types after all."
"Look at you being Little Miss Brainy!" Ray complimented, "Thinking that far ahead before you even started this journey? That's impressive."
"Heh, thank you." June said modestly, "Of course, just because I have a plan, doesn't mean it'll work. I could still lose even with a Mankey on my team. Still, some hard training should serve us well."
And that was when she'd set off out of Viridian City and headed on through Viridian Forest. Viridian Forest was a deep and sprawling woodland that reached Pewter City. Its trees had grown so thick and dense that light had trouble getting through, making the forest seem dark and gloomy as a result. As June entered the forest, streaks of sunlight shone through as if trying to make an opening through the leaves to let the sun shine through. The forest had many winding paths, making it a natural maze and some people had a habit of getting lost in it if they weren't careful. A variety of Bug-type Pokémon lived in this forest for it was the perfect habitat for them. It was also here where wild Pikachu could be found. June could already see herself battling one with Ray to show who was the strongest Pikachu around. She gasped as a huge bird like Pokémon flew past her and settled down to roost in a tree. Wild Pidgeotto lived here too. June stared at it for a long while before moving on. Soon Ace would become a Pidgeotto just like that one, and she would be a powerful one too!
Seeing there was no other Pokémon she wanted to catch, June took this opportunity to train for the Pewter City Gym. She knew she couldn't just go in like this without putting in the effort and that Ray and Ace would need to learn how to battle for real. She also wanted to try teaching her Pokémon new moves. Ray would need more attacks to use than just Thunder Shock if he had any chance of winning any Gym battles that weren't against Water-types and Ace so far didn't know any Flying moves. She only knew Tackle and Sand Attack. So Viridian Forest was the perfect place to start learning some new moves. She started with Ace first. This forest was an absolute gift-wrapped opportunity for Ace for the many Bug-types meant she had no real trouble fighting against them. June sent Ace out to fight any Bug-type Pokémon she saw. The bird-like Pokémon went up against Caterpie, Weedle, Metapod and Kakuna. She beat every single one of them with ease, tackling them over and over into submission while they were barely able to fight back. Some tried but it was no use for them. A Bug-type facing a Flying-type was never a good match-up, even if Ace didn't currently know any Flying attacks.
June was glad to see Ace winning battle after battle, but she knew that just tackling the opponent and throwing sand in their faces didn't make for optimal battle strategies. Ace needed to learn a new move if she was going to be a real opponent. But what moves could she try teaching Ace? The Galarian teen pondered for a moment. There were certain moves that Pidgey could only learn when they got stronger or after they evolved so she could try anything too advanced. The most basic moves Pidgey could learn included Gust or Wing Attack. June thought she'd try teaching Ace one of those moves. Then when that was done, she'd teach Ray a new move.
"Right Ace, we need to teach you a Flying-type attack to use." June declared, "See if you can use Gust for me!"
As she didn't know that move, Ace thought for a moment on how to execute such a move. The Flying-type Pokémon remembered seeing other Pidgey use Gust when fighting each other. They would flap their wings to create a tornado of winder to blow the opponent away. Maybe she could do it as well? Ace flapped her wings furiously but nothing happened. She was creating a small wind, but nothing that would possibly blow away any Pokémon. June watched her in action and mused over Ace's lack of success in executing the move. Maybe her wings weren't strong enough to create a big enough gust of wind? She ordered Ace to try flapping even harder. Ace flapped her wings harder than before. That seemed to have more of an effect for the winds were blowing harder, so hard in fact that June had to grab onto her hat to keep it from blowing off. But it still wasn't enough to use as an attack. Ace tried for a good half an hour before June called for her to have a break. The poor Pidgey had worn herself ragged trying to learn Gust and needed to rest her wings.
Once Ace had rested up, June tried something else. Maybe she'd have an easier time learning how to use Wing Attack? She ordered Ace to fly up into the sky and then hit Ray with one of her wings. Ray stood his ground and waited for Ace to come to him. She flew up into the air, banked to the left and circled around back towards Ray. She dive-bombed down from the sky and held out her wings. Then she struck out and walloped Ray across the cheek with her wing. Ray was more surprised than hurt by this. This was Ace's first time trying to use such a move and it seemed she'd mastered it on the first try! He lay down on his back and rubbed his cheek better. Luckily Electric-types weren't effected much by Flying attacks otherwise that would've been REALLY painful! Ace looked at her wings as if they'd magically transformed into deadly weapons. She was impressed even with herself at that.
"Well done Ace! You learned Wing Attack very quickly!" June praised, "You're such a clever little Pidgey!"
"Challenge completed! I now know a new move!" Ace cried happily, "I wonder why I had an easier time learning that than Gust?"
"Not all Pokémon are the same." Ray noted, "Some Pokémon learn certain moves easier than others. And for you, I guess Wing Attack was easier than Gust."
"Possibly." June agreed, "Still, Ace can use a Flying move now! It's your turn Ray. Let's see if we can teach you Quick Attack. I know Ash's Pikachu can use that move so maybe you can learn it too."
"I'll try at least." Ray said, "Not sure how I'll do it but I'll try…"
And so the next hour was spent on trying to teach Ray how to use Quick Attack. June knew that Quick Attack was essentially just Tackle, but much speedier, so for the start she had Ray essentially copy a tackle attack and work on making it faster. Ray spent a lot of time running around furiously as a result of trying to learn Quick Attack but no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't spring much quicker than his top running speed. He just seemed to use Tackle over and over as he tried. Ace watched him grimly, wondering if he'd ever master the move. Eventually, June called for Ray to have a rest. All that running around was going to run him ragged and he'd be too tired to train any more. Panting heavily, Ray flopped onto the ground in relief. He was glad he could finally have a rest. June rubbed his back gently to help him relax and cool down after the hard work out. Ray sighed contently as June's soft, gentle fingers brushed delicately down his furry back. He couldn't help but smile lovingly at his trainer. Who knew humans could be so kind and gentle like this girl was? Before Team Rocket, he'd never known anyone like this.
"I hope I didn't work you too hard there, sweetie." June said softly.
"Nah, it was fine. Pity it didn't work out in the end but we tried." Ray said with a shrug.
"Don't give up too quickly, fellow comrade." Ace said firmly, "A Pokémon won't always master a new move in a snap. I just got lucky with that Wing Attack. Keep at it and you'll succeed eventually."
"That's the whole point of practicing after all!" June said optimistically, "You'll master Quick Attack if we keep practicing and practicing until we learn it."
"Of course." Ray agreed, "I ain't gonna learn anything by quitting. You mind if we get anything to eat first? I'm starved!" he added.
Right on cue, his stomach growled desperately at him in demand for food. June saw this as the perfect opportunity for them to rest and recuperate so she sat down by a tree and unpacked her backpack. She had her own packed lunch to eat and some Pokémon food for Ray and Ace. Luckily she'd brought some extra supplies while in Viridian City as she only had enough for one Pokémon originally. The next few minutes were spent enjoying a quiet and peaceful lunch together. The only sound either of them made was just the munching of food. But as they were eating, a Weedle crawled down from a nearby tree and slithered its way towards the picnicking friends. Weedle were orange worm-like Pokémon with a single horn on their heads, a large purple nose and little purple feet. The Weedle had smelled their picnic and fancied its chances at stealing from them. It crept up on June with its wicked horn pointed at her. Ray saw this and cried out in alarm.
"June, look out!" he shrieked.
Then before he knew it, he'd suddenly rushed straight into Weedle and knocked it flying backwards! A streak of white energy trailed behind him after he charged. June was so surprised by the sudden movement that she dropped the last remaining crust of her sandwich on the grass. Ace squawked in astonishment. Even Ray was blinking heavily as if wondering what had just happened. The Weedle had been knocked out instantly by the blow. Everyone stared at Ray in amazement.
"Ray! Did…did you just use Quick Attack?!" June exclaimed.
"Uh…I think so?" Ray murmured, looking himself all over as if searching for an answer, "I just…moved and here I am!"
"I'm guessing your primal urge to protect June caused you to react incredibly quickly, and that's what caused you to use Quick Attack." Ace theorized, "All that practicing earlier likely helped."
"Aww, you big sweetheart! You learned a new move just to protect me from that nasty Weedle? I really don't know what to say…" June said with awe.
"Aw shucks, I just wanted to keep you safe is all." Ray said bashfully.
June scooped him up and hugged him graciously.
"Regardless, you now know a new move. It'll make battling much easier now you're not stuck with one attack." the newbie trainer said proudly, "We'll become a strong team yet at this rate!"
Ray only beamed with pleasure. June put Ray back down so he could continue eating. She was about to sit down as well. But then something shot out and clamped around her mouth. June didn't know what was happening. The next thing she knew, she was pinned against the tree she'd been sitting at with someone's hand clasped tightly around her face and their other hand pressing against her stomach to keep her from moving. Ray and Ace jumped back in fright. June whimpered, her voice muffled behind the hand that gagged her. Her heart pounded with worry. She was being pinned to the tree by a Rocket Grunt. This one was female, but curiously looked much younger than June would've expected. This girl looked to be about 16, which was unusual as Team Rocket was full of adults. The girl had mid-length purple hair with two long strands down either side of her face. She had green eyes, pink lipstick and emerald studded earrings in her lobes. She was dressed in the usual female black Rocket uniform with her's leaving her stomach exposed. Her miniskirt came halfway down her thighs and her boots came halfway up her legs, leaving only part of her legs on show. Her silver gloves came up to her elbows. June thought the girl looked very pretty, but also very mean at the same time. And yet something looked oddly familiar about her. Something about the shape of her eyes reminded her of someone. But who?
Tricia put a finger to her lips and quietly shushed June. She'd almost managed to lose her after she went into Viridian City and it was only luck that she'd managed to pick up on her trail again. Now she had her where she wanted her and the unlucky trainer had no chance of getting away!
"Don't panic. Don't scream. I promise, I'm not going to hurt you little girl." she declared, "Unlike most Rocket Grunts, I'm not too keen on hurting people. I only ask that you cooperate with me and that way, we can avoid any needless confrontation."
Is she having a laugh?! June scoffed in her mind, She's the one starting needless conflict by restraining me like this!
"Mmmhat mmmo mmmou mmmant mmmith mmme?" June mumbled behind the girl's hand.
"Only one thing." Tricia said, her voice low but gentle as if to show she meant no harm, "Your Pikachu is the property of Team Rocket. And the boss has demanded it back, so I'd very much appreciate it if you hand him over…"
Pokémon obtained: Ace the Pidgey
June has her second Pokémon now. With a Pidgey and a Pikachu, she's starting off well I'd say. ^^ But Tricia's caught up to her and now she wants Ray back for Team Rocket! What will happen next? Find out as we get caught up in a "Forest Skirmish"...
Trivia: No doubt many of you are getting flashbacks to the very first episode of the anime where June's first encounter is a Pidgey and she has a Pikachu by her side. She really is living the life of her idol Ash Ketchum! XD At least she was successful in this case where Ash was not. Hell, her Pikachu obeys her instantly so that's another plus. XD
And also June's comment about "absorbing information when it comes to stuff she likes" will no doubt have you diagnosing her as somewhere on the autism spectrum. This is COMPLETELY intentional on my part. I already left a few hints last time what with her having very specific likes and interests (in this case Pokémon and Pikachu), being socially awkward and having a tendency to rattle off facts and information from time-to-time. You'll even see in later chapters that she doesn't handle stressful situations that well like many of us autistic folk don't. While I'm not going to outright state she's autistic in the story, I do intend for her to come off this way so if you get those vibes from her, that's perfectly fine. :) If you don't see her that way, that's also fine. ^^
So why am I making June autistic? To make her different from Ruby and give her a unique character separate from her, Emerald and Sapphire and also I was kinda inspired by how Liko's written in Pokémon Horizons. Many fans often interpret her as autistic or at least somewhere on the spectrum too. Also she's kinda based on me in that respect as I too have autism and share some of June's traits that I've given her.
Oh and that bit I mentioned of Ruby meeting Jessie and James and having a rematch with Ash? That's going to be a Plot-Scorbunny in the future so I put that in there as a little tease of future Plot-Scorbunnies to come when this is over so you'll see how it went. ;)
This chapter also had to be rewritten because originally, Ruby and Hop successfully interrogated the two Rocket Grunts and flew off to Celadon City on Doomsday the Eternatus to raid the Rocket hideout. This had to be changed otherwise it created too many plotting issues and ruined the pacing so the grunts got away instead.