Episode 1 - Kick rocks, Ketchum - Part I
Few things beat down on the mind of a young student more than the uncertainty that follows after having taken an exam; and one of them is the score written at the very top. Most students expect to receive a number, represented as either a fraction or a percentage. In some parts of the world, as you may or may not be surprised to discover, students are shown a letter taken from their nation's alphabet which reflects their achievement. And yet in spite of all these established grading norms, on that frightening, fateful day in the merry, merry month of May, Ashton Tryne Ketchum was given neither a number nor a letter; but a rock.
"What? But, Professor Oak, there must be some mistake," he said, his eyes completely fixated on the stone with muscular arms and mean gaze sitting in front of him. "This is just a plain, old Geodude."
"I'm afraid there's no mistake here, Ash," was his reply; and he reached to the table beside him for a sheet of paper. It was a scantron; no questions; just the bubbles for the answers. At the very top: Ash's name and a score of a whopping, enormous, gigantic sixty-five out of a hundred.
"The results speak for themselves, my boy. Honestly, it's a miracle you get this. Had you been off by just a single answer more and you wouldn't be standing here right now."
His heart sank into his shoes. He held the paper in his trembling hands and thought back to before the test. Countless nights he'd spent reading the books forwards and backwards, the stacks of flashcards, the special practice exams he'd bought to prepare himself; and all for nought. When it mattered the most, he couldn't deliver; and in that moment, in that room, there was no more valid proof of that than the stone monster right in front of him.
"Listen, Ash. You don't need to feel so downtrodden. Here, perhaps this will serve to raise your spirits a bit."
The professor reached into his lab coat pocket and produced a Trainer ID card; and, in a mere second, the weight on Ash's shoulder turned to the nascent embers of hope. His eyes were overtaken by the sight of his picture, name, and unique number.
"Keep things in perspective, Ash. Succeeding by the skin of one's teeth is still succeeding. And, in spite of all your hiccups here and there, you still earned this. Remember, there's yet a brave, new world awaiting you past the tall grass of Pallet Town; and, along with it, a myriad of things left to learn. I guess what I'm trying to say is: the first step is always the hardest."
"Thank you, professor."
"Tch. Ha! But if it's that hard then maybe you should consider shredding that piece of plastic to bits and turning back now," interjected a newcomer.
He was at the door dressed in a violet shirt, dark gray jeans, and brown boots. His hair was brown, spiky, and his face was home to a grin no one could hope to evict. He looked at Ash and the Geodude in front of him and shook his head in pity.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
"Why you," responded Ash. "You got something to say, Gary?"
"Ha! What's there left to be said? This sorry sight speaks for itself; and let me tell you, Trash, it speaks volumes!"
"It's Ash!"
"Is it now? I guess that explains the fat, ugly, chunk of coal you got there. You two're a match made in heaven," he answered back; and he wasn't wrong. For some strange reason, this Geodude was not as plain or old as Ash would've thought. Different from all the rest, it was black as coal. In fact, as Gary had just said, it was coal.
"That's quite enough," interjected Prof. Oak. "I assume you're here for your starter as well, Gary."
"You know it, Gramps. And since I got a perfect score on my exam, I get to pick mine from the crème de la crème."
"Very well. Take your pick."
The professor motioned to another table at the far end of the lab where three Pokéballs sat. They were spherical, red on top, white on the bottom, with a single button in the center to release the monster inside. On the leftmost one was a sticker of a green leaf, the center one bore a flame, and the rightmost one had a drop of water. Above them was a screen on the wall showing the three Pokémon side-by-side.
"The Grass-type Bulbasaur is the most advantageous type as it will be paramount for the first three gyms," Prof. Oak began to explain. The screen showed a green, quadrupedal, dinosaur-like creature with a bulb on its back and big, red eyes. "Apart from its inherent typing advantage so early on, it is also fairly easy to raise and evolves quicker than the others."
The screen switched to a bipedal lizard with orange scales and a flame on the tip of its tail.
"Charmander is your next pick. Early on in your journey, it will be at a grave disadvantage against the first two gyms. Add to that, it levels far more slowly. Notwithstanding, if fully evolved, its power is immense and few Pokémon can rival it."
Charmander gave way to a small turtle with a squirrel-like tail standing upright.
"And lastly, we have Squirtle. Don't let its simple appearance fool you. Fully evolved, it is a powerhouse; and is only marginally harder to raise than Bulbasaur."
Prof. Oak turned from the screen to his grandson.
"Now then, Gary. I implore you to think this over carefully. A lot more is riding on this than meets the eye."
"Yeah, yeah, I understand," he responded, waving his hand dismissively. "More than just the early type advantages against the gyms, it's about which Pokémon is going to give me the biggest benefits for all my efforts. Sure, I could blindly pick Bulbasaur and have the first three gyms be a cakewalk; but then where would that leave me? Venusaur is more defensive than anything else and, in the long run, will probably just be a wall I throw out to buy time. I could also just take Charmander, put up with the early disadvantages, and get a free pseudodragon; but Charizard's a glass cannon. One wrong move and it's out of commission. No, what I need's a lot more than some overblown defense or some poultry power. What I need's the best of both worlds. That's why the choice is obvious; and I'd already made it before I even walked in."
He stuck out his finger and it fell right on the water drop sticker.
"One aquatic, bipedal reptile to go please. Oh, and let me get a Pokédex and a couple of Pokéballs too. And could you throw in a potion or two, Gramps? I'd really appreciate that."
The professor rolled his eyes and handed Gary a backpack containing all the items requested pre-packaged for him.
"Here's yours, Ash."
But Ash only stayed staring at Gary, oblivious to the professor right beside him.
"Ash!"
"Huh?"
"Here's your backpack with your equipment, Ash. You'll need it for the next phase of your journey."
The professor turned to speak to the both of them.
"As you two should already know by now, the next step can be either one of two. There are two challenges one can undertake: the Pokéleague challenge or the Pokédex challenge. For the Pokédex challenge, you will need to complete the Kanto region's Pokédex. Upon doing so, you can apply for one of the many Pokéinstitutions in our region where you can earn a degree in your specialized field of choice. Might I recommend the University of South Celadon?"
"Gramps, no offense," answered Gary, "but after ten years in the academy, the last thing I'm looking forward to is more school.
"Alright, alright. Let's talk about the Pokéleague challenge. As you know, if you wish to participate in the Pokéleague, there are two options. Ash, in your case, you'll defeat Kanto's eight gym leaders, winning all eight badges and, with them, the right to participate in this year's Indigo League Conference. As for you, Gary, you technically have the right to bypass the gyms entirely. Since you got a perfect score on your final exam, you've been pre-approved to enter this year's regionals. Notwithstanding, something tells me you won't be satisfied with just that."
"Ha! Of course not! You'd have to be a complete and utter braindead moron to just waltz into the Indigo League Conference without any prior battle experience. You always said it, Gramps. Theory and practice're two totally different things. But still, if I'm so good in theory, imagine what I could do in practice; and speaking of practice."
Gary threw his backpack over his shoulder and held out his Pokéball toward Ash.
"You can be my training dummy, Ashy boy. What do you say? Or are you chicken?"
Ash looked Gary in the eye and responded:
"So you're underestimating me that much, huh? Geodude is a Rock and Ground-Type and Squirtle is Water. Normally, Squirtle would win against Geodude and make it look easy; but that's only if it has a Water-Type attack move. And we both know yours doesn't. Not this early on. So, what gives? Maybe it slipped your mind, right? But no. I know exactly what it is. You're looking down on me. You could've picked that Charmander and you'd still beat me with it. That's what you're trying to say, isn't it?"
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Gary burst out laughing; and laughed until his face turned red.
"You really are an idiot sometimes, you know that? What makes you think for a single second that I have anything to prove to you? I don't have to try to say anything. Everything already speaks for itself. I just thought I'd be nice and give you a fair shot. Sure, my Squirtle doesn't have an offensive Water-Type move this early on, you'd beat me no sweat; but then again, if anyone could use a confidence boost, it'd be the poor sap who got a Geodude as his starter. So what do I do? I throw you a bone. And how do you repay me? By looking around for false pretenses to not take it. Ashy, Ashy, Ashy. Ungrateful as ever, I see."
"I never asked you to throw me a bone."
"Tch, whatever. Guess I should've expected as much. You never had the guts to face me anyway, Trash."
"It's Ash!"
"Huh? What was that, Trash? Speak up! I couldn't hear you! Or are you going to go ahead and think up an excuse to not do that either?"
"That's it! Send your Squirtle out right now! We settle this here!"
"Not so fast!" interjected Prof. Oak. "If you two boys want to have a Pokémon battle, that's all well and good; but not in my Pokélab where I keep very delicate books and equipment. Fortunately, I think I know just the place where the two of you can go to settle your dispute. Follow me."
The professor led the two boys through the backdoor of the lab where an open grassy field encircled by a tall fence awaited them. The wind had begun to blow and gray clouds were slowly gathering overhead.
"Oh dear," said Prof. Oak. "Perhaps now isn't the best time to have a battle."
"No," interjected Ash. "It's perfect."
"But, Ash, rain does not favor your Geo-" but the professor stopped short as soon as he turned to look Ash in the eyes. He and his Geodude were now showing the same expression: a gaze as tough and unmoving as stone.
"...very well," conceded Prof. Oak. "Take your places, boys."
Ash and Gary turned to look at one another with cold, freezing glares. Glares they did not break even as they slowly moved to opposite ends of the grass. Dull booms of thunder were starting to bellow in the distance and even the wind had begun to blow just a bit harder.
"Call out your Pokémon."
"Geodude! I choose you!"
"GEODUDE!" roared the black coal from beside its trainer, and it rolled out to take the stage.
"Squirtle! Failure is not an option! Now come on out here!"
Gary threw out his Pokéball onto the grass just a few feet from the living coal. The sphere's red top popped open and a bright, white beam shot out. It warped itself into the silhouette of the creature Ash and Gary had seen on the lab screen just moments before. The light burst into shards and where once stood the bright gestalt was Gary's Pokémon, Squirtle.
"SQUIRTLE!" growled the blue-scaled reptile, taking a battle stance.
"The rules are simple," began Prof. Oak. "Your Pokémon will battle until one of them finds itself unable to continue. If at any moment you call back your Pokémon into its respective Pokéball, you forfeit the match. Any questions?"
"No."
"None."
"Then begin!"
"Squirtle! Withdraw into your shell!"
In a moment, the small turtle jumped into the air and retracted its head, tails, and other extremities into its corporal fortress.
"What?" asked Ash. "Calling me a coward; but here you are telling your Squirtle to hide. Talk about a hypocrite."
"Oh yeah? Then go ahead and attack it if you're so much braver."
"Why, you little. Alright! But you asked for it!"
"But what is he planning?" Ash asked himself. "He's going to try something… Darn it! What do I do?"
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" laughed Gary. "I knew it. You're already choking. We just started and you're already cracking under the pressure. You're asking yourself what I'm planning, aren't you?"
A chill ran down Ash's back. Was he really that much of an open book? No, he was bluffing.
"Shut up! Quit acting like you know everything, darn it!"
"Oh, so I'm acting, am I? Prove it, Trash!"
The cold chill turned to a roaring inferno, the blood rushed to his ears, and his hands turned into fists.
"I…told…you…it's…ASH! GEODUDE! GRAB THAT STUPID TURTLE AND CHUCK IT INTO THE AIR!"
"GEODUDE!"
The rock monster took the Squirtle into its grasp and started to spin around, getting faster and faster. Finally, once it'd reached its top speed, it launched the reptile skyhigh. In the span of a few seconds, Gary soon found his starter floating ten feet in the air with nothing to stop its fall.
"Let's see if your Squirtle's shell's capable of resisting this! Geodude! Before it hits the ground, intercept it with Tackle!"
"Mass times acceleration, huh? Not bad, Newton," replied Gary. "But there's one variable in your formula here you didn't account for. Squirtle! Shoot out your foam straight down to Geodude!"
"What?"
Before Ash could properly react, Squirtle popped its head out and a cascade of soapy foam burst downward from its mouth, rushing in a furious cascade to completely lather Geodude.
"Ah! Geodude! Block it with your arms!"
The stone creature brought its arms over its head as fast as it could; but to no avail. Before it could completely shield itself, it found itself completely bathed in foam.
"Squirtle! Bounce off of Geodude with your shell and retake your battle stance!"
Taking advantage of Geodude's stunned state, the turtle withdrew its head back into its shell, rebounded off of its opponent's stunned body, and landed gracefully in front of its trainer.
"Impossible," Ash said. "Squirtle isn't supposed to know a Water attack move so early on."
"And it doesn't. At least not a formal one; but I did my homework before coming here and learned something curious about Squirtle. Check your Pokédex. I don't feel like explaining it."
Ash pulled out his Pokédex and looked up Squirtle's information.
"Squirtle. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon," it said with a robotic voice. "Its shell is soft at first but begins to harden as soon as it is born. When in danger, Squirtle will withdraw into its shell and shoot foam to protect itself."
"No way," responded Ash. "But that foam isn't even an attack."
"That's right. Squirtle's foam technically isn't considered a formal attack move by academic standards; but why should that stop me from using it in battle? After all, a little thinking outside the box never hurt anybody. And besides, you certainly weren't expecting it."
"That was a dirty trick, Gary!"
"Ha! You wish! Just because you didn't know about it doesn't mean it's against the rules, bozo. Or what do you say, gramps?"
The two boys looked to Prof. Oak who responded thusly:
"The foam produced by Squirtle is a natural defensive response of the Pokémon. The only difference between it and a formal move like Bubble or Water Gun is that Bubble and Water Gun have official nomenclature. Besides that, it's no different from any other technique. I understand you feel this is unfair, Ash; but such an arbitrary detail is no grounds to reprimand Gary, I'm afraid. Gary incurs no consequence for his actions and the battle continues."
"Or in other words: cry about it, loser!"
"I should've known you'd pull something, Gary. You're shameless!"
"Oof. Ah. Oh. Your words. Oh, how they sting me. Ha! Get real, dweeb! This isn't kiddie time in the classroom anymore, Ashy boy! This is the real deal! The big time! It's survival of the fittest out here and I'm taking every advantage I can get; and if you're going to start bellyaching about it, go ahead! It's no skin off my nose! Either way, I'm winning this battle and that's all that matters!"
"YOU! I OUGHT TO-"
BOOM!
Lightning flashed, thunder cracked, the wind picked up speed, and rain began to pour down furiously.
"Rain?" asked Ash. "Ah! Geodude!"
Geodude was completely helpless as the water fell on it in droves. It held its arms out to protect itself; but it was no use. The rain had completely compromised it.
"And that's our cue," said Gary. "Squirtle! Tackle Geodude! But pick up speed and slide into it while withdrawn into your shell!"
"SQUIRTLE!" it replied in confirmation. The young turtle charged at Geodude who found itself completely unable to respond in the rain. Once it'd gained enough speed, it jumped forward, retreated back into its shell, and slid along the slippery grass.
"GEODUDE!" Ash yelled out; but it was no use. It was too busy protecting itself from the rain to notice what was going on. Squirtle picked up speed thanks to the wind at its back, slid under Geodude's arms, and struck it right on its chin. The black monster flew back from the force of the uppercut and landed on its back, the rain falling on it head-on now.
"Now we finish this!" announced Gary. "Squirtle, get on top of Geodude and spray it with your foam!"
Geodude was completely immobilized now. The rain pelting down on it combined with the blow from Squirtle had left it absolutely disoriented. Without wasting a single moment, the Squirtle climbed onto Geodude and stood on its face. Its stomach stretched outward and its cheeks filled with foam.
"Geodude! No! Return!"
Ash took Geodude's Pokéball from his belt and held it out. A red laser sprung from the ball's center which engulfed his starter Pokémon and transferred it back into its container.
"Ash forfeits the match!" announced Prof. Oak. "The winner is Gary Oak!"
TO BE CONTINUED…