Chapter 3: Forest Skirmish
June couldn't believe her ears. Was this girl out of her mind?! She had the gall to stalk her and harass her in the middle of Viridian Forest and then demand she hand Ray over?! Whatever fear June had been feeling from her current situation transformed into anger as she lashed out and shoved Tricia away. The teenage Rocket Grunt was surprised by the sudden push and she staggered backwards wildly, fighting to keep on her feet. June stood protectively in front of Ray, her red eyes narrowed with fury.
"Ray warned me that Team Rocket was after him! Well I'm not going to let you take him away from me!" June growled, trying to sound as brave as possible, "You're nothing but heartless Pokémon thieves and I won't let you harm Ray or use him for profit!"
"You're feistier than I expected. Good, I was worried this steal would be too easy." Tricia muttered dryly as she readjusted uniform's collar and straightened her shirt back out, "And here I thought you would be as soft as a brush."
"I'm the daughter of Galar's reigning Champion. I'm anything BUT soft, mate!" June snorted.
"Oh I know that already, sweetie." Tricia sneered, "I've been spying on your family ever since you arrived in Kanto. My boss was VERY interested to know who these foreigners coming in to the region were and if they'd have any Pokémon worth stealing, so he put me up to the task of finding out. I can't believe that Ruby Silverlock herself is actually here…and even more gorgeous in real life too!" she added, her voice dropping into a simpering tone of affection for a brief moment.
June screwed her face up in disgust. First this grunt tries to rob her, now she's complimenting how pretty her mother is? Do these Rocket Grunts have ANY standards at all?!
"You're lucky she's not here right now, otherwise you'd be in REAL trouble!" June spat hotly.
"I know, hence why I'm not targeting her. Do you think I'm an idiot?" the purple haired teen scoffed, "No Rocket Grunt's that stupid to think they can handle a Champion by themselves! It's why I've taken up the job of getting your Pikachu while the rest of my squad handle Ruby."
"Too bad, because they got their asses handed to them!" the silver-and-purple hair girl crowed.
"I'm aware. They reported that they'd failed to me moments before I found you." Tricia sighed. Her tone of voice was like that of someone who felt she was surrounded by incompetent idiots, "I'm guessing they'll try a new plan to rob your mother next time and hopefully it'll be a better one than "kick the door in and hope we can handle her". Whereas you my dear little June, you're going to give me that Pikachu or else I'll have to get violent. I may not like hurting people, but I will do so if you don't cooperate."
"Then I guess I'm going to pay the price for what's about to happen, because you're not getting your hands on Ray!" June snarled.
"Yeah! I'm her Pokémon now, not yours!" Ray shouted.
Tricia pursed her lips with interest.
"Ray…you've given it a name. How cute." she said sarcastically, "And it seems he's taken a liking to you already. If it's any consolation Ray, I'll make sure June doesn't get hurt too badly when I seize you."
"You're going back to your boss battered and beaten, and that's a promise!" June declared, "Ray, Ace, both of you are up for this battle!"
Ray and Ace took up their positions and stood in front of June, ready for combat. Tricia shrugged her shoulders. Her face was a bored sneer of disinterest as if to say "Let's just get this over with already". She reached to her belt and whipped out a single Pokéball. With one hand behind her back, she threw the ball, her arm swinging in a neat, casual arch as if this whole exercise wasn't worth expending any energy over.
"I choose Gyarados." she declared.
June froze up with horror as she saw her opponent materialize out of its Pokéball. Looming above her like a terrifying sea dragon of death was the vicious and deadly Gyarados. It was a Water/Flying type Pokémon that was very common in many regions around the world. It was also the only reason people ever caught a Magikarp. It was useless at first, but once it evolved into Gyarados it was an entirely different story. Gyarados had a long serpent like body, blue scales, a gaping mouth with four sharp fangs that it always had open, long whiskers on either side of its face and three fins on its back. Gyarados were powerful Pokémon and never ones to be taken lightly. June began to doubt if she even had a chance in this battle. Sure Gyarados had a double Electric weakness but would that make a difference for her? Ray might not be strong enough to exploit that weakness!
"OK…this will be harder than I thought!" June whimpered.
"I'm one of the highest ranking grunts in Team Rocket." Tricia explained, "Thus the boss allows me to use stronger Pokémon than most other grunts. And my Gyarados has been extremely helpful to me in my many missions."
"I'm sure…" June mumbled feebly.
Being faced with such a fearsome Pokémon made June wonder if she was better off just surrendering the match and running away. But what good would that do? Tricia would just get Gyarados to chase her down and steal Ray. Gyarados were fast fliers and could easily outpace a human. She had no choice but to fight.
"Ray, hit it with Thundershock!" June commanded.
"Get ready to become a living lightning rod, sucker!" Ray yelled bravely.
He tensed his body up and fired a jolt of electricity straight at Gyarados. He scored a direct hit but just as June feared; it barely even slowed it down. The Gyarados winced in pain but effortlessly shook it off and roared loudly. June gulped. All Ray had done was make it mad! Ray backed away anxiously with his ears flat against his head.
"Oh boy, we're screwed!" he squeaked.
"Hyper Beam!" Tricia commanded.
Gyarados opened its mouth and blasted Ray with a huge beam of energy from deep in the back of its throat. Ray barely even had time to cry out as he was blasted. June turned away for it was too intense to watch. The brightness of the Hyper Beam was so much that the whole forest seemed to light up. All the Pokémon living nearby ran for cover, terrified at the exploding sound and bright energy that had lit up their homes. Ray lay on his side in a smoking crater where Hyper Beam had hit him. He'd been knocked out instantly. June put her hands to her face in horror.
"RAY!" she shrieked.
"You'll pay for that vile creature!" Ace screeched angrily.
She flew straight up towards Gyarados and smacked it in the face with Wing Attack. Much like with Ray, all she succeeded in doing was ticking it off even more. Fortunately, Gyarados currently couldn't move because of the side-effect of Hyper Beam. So as a result, Ace was able to keep smacking it with Wing Attack repeatedly. Her wings walloped Gyarados over and over, aiming for the eyes and the mouth. Gyarados cried out, sounding more annoyed than hurt with this persistent attack. Eventually, Gyarados was able to move again and it put an end to Ace's attacks by using Liquidation. It swiped its large tail and sent missiles of water whooshing straight into the little Pidgey. Ace was knocked flying backwards the moment one of them made contact with her. She was out cold before she even hit the ground. June ran over to Ace and picked her up, stroking her feathers softly.
"Oh Ace, you brave little bird! You had no chance out there but you stood up for us anyway! Thank you so much…" June said softly.
She returned Ace to her Pokéball. She then went over to Ray and scooped him up. The poor Pikachu lay limp in her arms. He would need a Pokémon Centre and fast. Tricia stood forward and held her hand out.
"I won the battle. Now hand over that Pikachu." she demanded, "Don't make me have to hurt you as well. You're too cute for that."
June clutched Ray tighter to her chest and stood her ground. She knew it was completely foolish of her to stand up to this girl when she had a Gyarados by her side but she was in no mood to give Ray away.
"No! He's mine!" June cried defiantly, "I'll never let Team Rocket get their hands on him again!"
"Please June, don't make this any harder than it needs to be." Tricia pleaded. From her tone of voice, she wasn't demanding June hand Ray over. She was genuinely begging for her to do so, making it clear she was completely sincere in not wanting to hurt June.
"I'm showing enough mercy as it is, now give me your Pikachu or else the less merciful grunts will come after you! They'll not be as lenient as I am!" she insisted.
"For the last time, NO! You can get that Gyarados to blast me with Hyper Beam all you want! I'm NOT giving you Ray!" June screamed at the top of her voice.
Tricia cricked her neck and cracked her knuckles.
"Fine…I tried to be as nice as I can and you're just being stubborn. So I'll just pry that thing out of your hands myself." the purple haired teen said coldly.
June backed away anxiously. What was Tricia going to do to her? She had all sorts of nasty images swimming around in her head of Tricia doing horrible things to her. Was she going to strangle her or punch her or kick her or most horrible of all, break her arms?! June clutched Ray tighter to herself, knowing full well his life depended on her. Tricia advanced on her, her hands reaching out to grab Ray.
"Oy! You there! Stay away from my daughter!"
Tricia thought her heart was going to stop. June looked up and her face lit up with a mixture of relief and joy upon seeing who it was. Ruby and Hop had caught up to her. They'd been searching through Viridian City for any signs of Team Rocket at the time and Gyarados's Hyper Beam had been so loud it had caught their attention and they instantly assumed the worst so they'd quickly flown over to the forest to see what was happening. The two parents stood side-by-side with Doomsday looming behind them and ready for action. It looked just as angry as its trainer to see June was being threatened like this.
"MUM! DAD!" June shrieked with glee, "Thank goodness you got here!"
"And thank goodness you're alright!" Ruby gasped, "Looks like I managed to stop this Rocket scum from doing goodness knows what to you!" she snarled, glaring at Tricia.
"She brought this on herself!" Tricia protested, "I wanted to resolve this peacefully but your daughter wouldn't cooperate! Trust me, I really don't want to hurt her in order to complete my mission! I only want her to give me her Pikachu, that's it!"
"And you didn't think that stealing my daughter's Pokémon wouldn't hurt her?" Ruby retorted, "You can hurt people in more ways than getting physical. Taking her first ever Pokémon away from her would've caused her more pain than any punch you could've thrown at her!"
"I know that and believe me, I'm NOT proud of that fact!" Tricia yelled, an edge of shame in her words, "I've broken so many hearts working for Team Rocket and stealing Pokémon from them so they can use them for profit and I hate that I have to do this. But I have no other choice in the matter. Unlike you people, I don't have that luxury…"
"You don't? Why?" Hop asked.
June was equally as interested in what Tricia had said. She actually HATED working for Team Rocket?! What kind of crazy twist was this? If she hated working for Team Rocket, why was she part of the organization? Tricia shook her head and glared back at the two. She was in no mood to divulge further.
"Never mind. I didn't mean to get so personal there." she muttered, "I know I have no chance against a Champion like you, Ruby, but I have a mission and I must complete it. So if I have to fight you, I will."
"Suits me just fine. Maybe once I've beaten you, I can squeeze Team Rocket's location out of you…" Ruby said darkly.
Hop shivered. He knew Ruby had a bit of a dark side but it was still a little scary when she acted like that. Ruby and Tricia stared each other down. Doomsday and Gyarados loomed over their shoulders, waiting to make the first move. Before anyone could make a move, Tricia suddenly reached down to her belt and held something up. Ruby and Hop gasped in amazement at what they saw. She was holding a small orb in her fingers. The orb was shiny and yellow with a blue and red evolution symbol in the centre. It looked like a pretty piece of jewellery at first, but Ruby knew that it was no ordinary orb…
"A Gyaradosite!" she exclaimed.
"Oh yes. It's my little back-up plan in case I'm against particularly tough opponents…" Tricia said grimly, "Now Gyarados, let us unleash our true power! MEGA EVOLVE!"
She held the gem up high and it glowed a bright yellow light that shone from between her fingers. June watched, utterly spellbound by what was happening. She knew what Mega Evolution was and had seen it before so this was nothing new to her. She never would've guessed that a mere Rocket Grunt like Tricia would possess a Mega Stone! The light engulfed Gyarados and it bellowed a thunderous roar as it began to Mega Evolve. Its body grew in size and began to change shape. In a matter of seconds, Mega Gyarados had finished its transformation and now it faced Doomsday, looking plenty strong enough to fight against it. Mega Gyarados were much larger than regular Gyarados with two enormous fins protruding from their backs, making them look almost like they had wings. Their whiskers were longer, the tri-horn structure on their heads were bigger and now coloured black, their underbellies were black and they had a long red stripe down the sides of their bodies. They had several red scales along their backs too. Mega Gyarados also changed types upon Mega Evolving. No longer were they Water/Flying types, but now they were Water/Dark types. June felt her heart racing as she stared at Mega Gyarados. Lucky for her that Tricia hadn't used it on HER! Ruby's composure didn't change. She may have been thrown by the sight of a Gyaradosite in Tricia's hand but she didn't seem worried about having to fight it.
"I'll admit…you threw me off with that." she murmured, "But I'm the kind of Champion that laughs in the face of Mega Evolution. Even Alain's Mega Charizard couldn't stop me. You think a Mega Evolved Gyarados will make things easier for you?"
"Why don't we find out?" Tricia said daringly, "Use Hyper Beam now!"
Mega Gyarados opened up its mouth and blasted at Doomsday. Ruby ordered Doomsday to use Dynamax Cannon at the same time. Both Pokémon's attacks collided and a huge explosion of energy whooshed over the forest. Several trees were ripped up from their roots by the powerful shockwave. They were flung aside like toys and sent crashing down in a chaotic mess of breaking wood and scattering leaves. Ruby and Tricia looked away while Hop held on tight. June was blown off her feet and she crashed down onto her back. Ray's unconscious body fell out of her hands. June winced in pain and picked herself up. Thankfully she hadn't broken anything. She saw Ray's body and she rushed over to him and scooped him up. She looked back at Doomsday and Mega Gyarados as they prepared to battle again. She felt very scared. It was too dangerous to be here when two obscenely powerful Pokémon were duking it out together. She was going to get killed if she didn't run for it!
"I've got to get out of here! I've got to get out of here!" June babbled frantically.
She took to her heels and fled for her life. Hop saw her running away.
"JUNE! Come back!" he cried.
"Go after her! I'll hold this Rocket scum off!" Ruby ordered.
Hop obeyed and tore off through the forest after June. Ruby turned to Tricia.
"At least now she's out of harm's way, I won't have to worry about her getting caught in the crossfire." she muttered, "Doomsday, use Sludge Bomb!"
Doomsday opened its mouth and bombarded Mega Gyarados with a volley of exploding mud balls. Mega Gyarados winced and roared in pain as the shower of Sludge Bombs crashed down on it. It was like being caught in the middle of an air strike with bombs raining down from the sky on top of it. Then as Mega Gyarados was trying to shake off the pain, Doomsday flew towards it and slammed straight into the Mega Evolved Pokémon with a powerful head butt. Mega Gyarados cried out as the wind was knocked straight out of it and it crashed into some trees nearby. The trees were knocked over instantly by Mega Gyarados's huge body. Tricia could already see that even with Mega Evolution, she was hopelessly outmatched. This was why she'd taken up the job of getting Ray back! She could handle a helpless little kid but not an experienced Pokémon Champion! Ruby hesitated for a moment as she saw how dangerous this battle was getting. Doomsday and Mega Gyarados were too big to be fighting in a place like Viridian Forest! They were going to destroy the whole place if they didn't end it now!
"I think we've done enough damage here. Let's end this…" Ruby declared.
Doomsday roared loudly at Mega Gyarados, giving it a clear warning that if it didn't stand down now, it would be put down. Mega Gyarados refused to back down and Tricia understood instantly. If they surrendered, Ruby would just capture them and likely force them to give away all of Team Rocket's secrets. They needed to flee this battle but slow Ruby down at the same time.
"I agree. This mission has gone horribly wrong so it's time I cut my losses." Tricia muttered, "Use Hyper Beam!"
Mega Gyarados opened its mouth and blasted Doomsday with Hyper Beam. Doomsday moved to one side, but not fast enough and the Hyper Beam ended up blasting into one of its wings as a result. The skeletal dragon creature bellowed a thunderous roar of pain. Even for a Pokémon as powerful as itself, a Hyper Beam from Mega Gyarados was still very painful. But they Hyper Beam didn't stop there. After hitting Doomsday's wing, it kept going until it hit another tree just off to Ruby's right hand side. The tree was obliterated at the base of its trunk and it began to tumble over. Ruby screamed in horror and threw herself out the way before the tree could crash down on top of her. Tricia hopped onto Mega Gyarados's back and quickly fled the scene with her Pokémon flying up out of the forest and into the sky. Doomsday tried to follow but the damage had been done. Mega Gyarados's Hyper Beam had injured its wing too badly so now it couldn't fly anymore. Ruby cursed in annoyance as she watched Tricia slip away from her grasp.
"Those blasted Rockets! They really know how to make a quick getaway…" she sighed.
She looked to Doomsday and patted it softly on the head. The Eternatus nuzzled against her palm affectionately.
"You were brilliant Doomsday. We just got unlucky, is all." Ruby said kindly, "At least we stopped that girl from stealing from June. Speaking of which, we best catch up with Hop. I hope he's managed to catch up to her."
She returned Doomsday to its Pokéball for a rest and sprinted off further into the forest to find her husband and daughter.
Meanwhile, Hop was still searching for June. He ran around wildly, searching through bushes and around trees for any sign of his daughter. He called to her numerous times, hoping she'd respond.
"JUNE! JUNE! WHERE ARE YOU? PLEASE ANSWER ME!" Hop shouted.
Eventually, he managed to find her. He saw a flash of yellow in the corner of his eye and looked to his left to see what it was. It was June. The young trainer was sitting in a heap against the trunk of a tree with Ray beside her. And she was in the terrible grip of a panic attack. She was hyperventilating uncontrollably. Her hands gripped her chest and her heart was racing. She felt very light-headed, as if she was about to faint. She couldn't control herself. All she could do was breathe in and out repeatedly without pause. Hop felt his blood run cold as he saw this. He was worried that this would happen. How long had she been panicking like this? He had to stop this before June died of fright! He charged over to June and knelt down by her side.
"June! June, it's OK now! I'm here for you! You need to calm down!" Hop called to her.
June couldn't hear him. His voice sounded faint to her and all she could hear was the sound of her own terror. Hop refused to give in and called to her again.
"June, look at me! Look at me!" he cried.
That had more of an effect for June turned to face her dad. She was still panicking but otherwise looked relieved to see him here.
"Dad! Oh my god, help me!" she whimpered.
"It's OK my baby girl. Your father's here now. I'm not going to leave you." Hop insisted, "Take my hand. We'll get through this together, just like we've practiced."
June gave her hand to Hop and he took it. His fingers curled gently around the teenager's hand and he stroked it softly. Just feeling her father's hand around her own made June feel safer than before.
"Now breathe in time with me, just like before." Hop said softly, "Breathe in…and breathe out."
He inhaled and exhaled slowly to give June a rhythm to follow. June copied her father's breathing and eventually, after a few repeated cycles of slow breathing together, June's panic attack faded away and she was back in control of herself. She felt a rush of relief wash over her like an ocean wave. She gave one last contented sigh and lay back against the tree. It was all over and she was safe at last. June looked to her dad and smiled appreciatively. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him graciously.
"Thank you dad. I really needed that." she said quietly.
"Anything to keep you safe my angel." Hop replied warmly, "Your mother and I will always be here to help you in times like this."
The two just sat in silence hugging each other for a couple of minutes before June let go of Hop and picked Ray up. The poor Pikachu was still unconscious from earlier. She stroked his head tenderly.
"We need to get Ray to a Pokémon Centre." June declared, "He's in real bad shape after that girl's Gyarados used Hyper Beam on him."
"If we carry on ahead, Pewter City is on the other side of this forest." Hop informed, "We can take him there."
He took out his Rotom phone and quickly called Ruby.
"Babe? I've got June. She's perfectly fine. We're going on ahead to get Ray to a Pokémon Centre. Meet us at Pewter City."
"Got it. Don't wait for me, I'll catch up. Ray needs to get there pronto!" Ruby replied.
Hop hung up and got back to his feet. He and June walked together to make their way out of Viridian Forest and to Pewter City. June looked over her shoulder to make sure Tricia wasn't still following them. She saw nothing and sighed with relief. Hopefully that girl wouldn't come back for her now she saw her parents were protecting her…
Minutes later, June and Hop arrived at Pewter City and had rushed to the nearest Pokémon Centre to get Ray and Ace some urgent treatment. Pewter City was home to one of the eight Pokémon Gyms trainers had to beat with this one specializing in Rock types. Other noticeable features of the city included the usual Pokémon Centre, PokéMart and most famously, the Pewter Museum of Science. The museum was a popular attraction in the city for many people to visit and was home to a variety of museum pieces and artefacts, including fossils of Kabutops and Areodactyl, a space shuttle and a huge Moon Stone. The city centre was full of many tall buildings and was even home to its own Contest Hall. June would take a tour of the city some other time. For now, she only had her Pokémon's health on her mind.
After arriving at the Pokémon Centre, June gave Nurse Joy Ray and Ace and the kind medic went to work on healing them straight away. Luckily their conditions weren't serious and they'd recover by tomorrow morning. They just needed a long rest and some potions to perk them back up. Visitors could stay in a Pokémon Centre if they wished and June decided she'd do so. She didn't want to travel anywhere without her Pokémon beside her and felt she'd be a lot safer staying in for the rest of the day. She and Hop were sitting in the centre's cafeteria together and enjoying a much needed drink after the tension from their encounter with Tricia. June had chosen hot chocolate and Hop had chosen a tea. Hop had offered to treat June to some cake but she'd politely declined for she wasn't ready for any food yet. Just the hot chocolate would do for now. She brought the mug to her lips and allowed the delicious, warm, sweet brew to trickle down her throat. It felt like a godsend to her after what had happened earlier. For now she felt warm, content and cared for and that was all she needed for now. Hop sipped his own tea. He was glad June was feeling more at ease now her Pokémon were being cared for and Tricia was no longer a problem. But he could tell that she was still troubled about something. June's face was blank but her eyes told him everything: she was still worried. He put a hand over her's for comfort.
"It's alright darling. Your Pokémon will recover and they'll be right as rain by tomorrow. You don't need to be worried." Hop insisted.
"Hmm? Oh no dad, it's not that at all." June said glumly, "I'm actually worried about how cross mum will be with me. I bet she's going to scream my ears off after all that."
"Don't be ridiculous, you know your mother would never do that." Hop dismissed, "I know what she's like when her loved ones are in trouble: she's too relieved to be mad at them over anything. You remember that story we told you about when we helped Gloria catch her Salamence and Garchomp? Gloria thought Ruby was going to be mad at her but Ruby was too relieved she had survived to be mad at her. When she gets here, she'll only care that you're safe and that's it."
"But I panicked and ran away during the battle. I shouldn't have done that and mum's always worrying whenever I run off like that. She might think that this journey is too dangerous for me and…and...force me to give it up just as it started." June whimpered, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Now June, you're just being silly." Hop said firmly, "Your mother won't do that to you. She knows better than most how dangerous Pokémon journeys can be. She was a newbie trainer once too, you know. A lot of things happened to her on her travels but nobody ever forced her to give it up. Her parents never got in the way of her dreams. Ruby may worry for you, but she wouldn't dream of making you pack it up."
Just as he finished talking, someone walked into the Pokémon Centre and approached their table. Hop smiled as he saw his beloved wife coming to him. It had taken a while but Ruby had finally caught up to them. Her face lit up with relief as she saw her husband and child sitting together with a drink as if this was another day at the café for them. June got to her feet and look up at Ruby. Her face was a mask of shame and guilt.
"M-m-mum, I just want to…" she began.
But she didn't get any further as Ruby pulled her into a tight, loving hug. June returned the hug. Feeling her mother's warm embrace was just the final thing she needed to wash away the stress from earlier. She'd expected her to be mad but as her father had promised, she was too relieved for that.
"Thank goodness you're safe my baby girl!" Ruby cried, sounding on the verge of tears, "I knew your dad would take good care of you while I caught up. How are you June? You're not hurt are you?"
"N-no mum, I-I'm not hurt. Well, n-not physically at least." June mumbled, barely holding her emotions back as her voice wobbled, "I'm so s-sorry th-that I ran off back there. I-I was j-just so scared at b-being attacked by that Rocket girl a-and when Doomsday and th-that Mega Gyarados were fighting, I w-was scared th-that I was going to get k-killed so I ran away. I know i-it was d-dangerous of me to run off l-like that, especially with no Pokémon to protect m-me b-but I was panicking! I d-didn't know w-what I was doing. I just ran w-without th-thinking. Please don't be mad!" she whimpered.
"Oh my angel, how can I possibly be mad when I'm too busy feeling relieved that you're OK!" Ruby exclaimed, "What kind of mother would I be if I thought getting angry at you for running off was the right idea in this scenario? I'd only make you feel worse and then we'd all be feeling worse as a result! I don't fault you at all for what you did, June. I still get scared too and I can make impulsive decisions when I'm afraid. Please don't worry anymore sweetheart. I'm not going to shout at you or get mad. I'm just glad you're not in danger anymore."
She allowed June to wrap her arms around her waist and cry into her shirt. She could sense her daughter just needed this moment to let all her emotions out and she'd provide her someone to cry on if it meant helping her out. Hop joined in the embrace, feeling that a warm hug from both parents at once would be what June needed. June sobbed for a couple of minutes. Despite her tears, she wasn't sad or scared anymore. She was just glad to be with her parents at this very moment with neither of them upset with her. She felt content and loved and it made her feel much better. She soon stopped crying and wiped her eyes.
"There we go my girl. It's all done with." Ruby said warmly, "Once we've all had a good rest here in the Pokémon Centre, we can carry on our way again."
"Am I allowed to stay on my journey?" June asked.
"Of course June." Ruby replied, "I'm not going to make you stop just because a Rocket Grunt attacked you. If my mother was OK letting me continue despite the hardships I endured, then I don't see why I shouldn't trust my own daughter to be able to take care of herself."
"We won't always be here to help you June and if we stop you going on your journey, we're only denying you the chance to grow stronger, more independent and more confident in yourself." Hop added, "That's one of the important things about a Pokémon journey: growth. Our journeys helped me and your mother grow into very strong, capable adults. We want the same for you."
June beamed with appreciation.
"Aww! You two are the best! Thank you so much!" she said happily.
"Anytime June." Ruby said kindly, "While you carry on with your journey, your father and I will be hunting down Team Rocket. We're going to find their hideout and put a stop to their operations for good."
"You sure will!" June said excitedly, "I remember that story you told me about how you, dad and my aunts stopped Team Royal! You'll stop Team Rocket as well!"
"You bet we will." Hop said with a confident smile, "The two of us will be an unstoppable duo against those criminals!"
June agreed. Team Rocket had rocks for brains if they thought they'd be a match for her parents! She'd feel much safer going about her journey knowing that her parents were taking care of Team Rocket. They might even arrest the purple-haired girl and stop her coming for Ray! She'd be able to just focus on training and catching Pokémon and preparing herself for the Pokémon Gyms. Speaking of which, she knew just what to do first thing tomorrow morning before challenging the Pewter City Gym…
Meanwhile, Tricia had been resting herself. She'd set up a camp deep within Viridian Forest and had tended to her Gyarados. It was injured pretty badly by the battle with Doomsday and had used up a lot of energy with its Hyper Beam attacks. It needed a good rest before she could continue her mission. Tricia started a fire and sat in front of it to keep herself warm. Night was approaching and it was already starting to cool down as the warmth of the day evaporated. The darkness of the forest started to grow like spilled ink around her. The glow of the fire was her only light source for there was no moon out tonight. Tricia lamented on the day's events.
"Team Rocket are in a bit of a pickle. My comrades screwed up so now the freaking Champion of Galar is hunting us down and I fail to do a job as simple as snatch June's Pikachu!" she groaned, "I'll be amazed if the boss doesn't fire our asses after all that! At least he's confident Team Rocket will still prosper, especially when he finally gets his hands on Mewtwo. He's dead sure that Pokémon will make him invincible…"
She gazed into the fire as if wondering if it could answer any questions she might have.
"As much as I hate my job, in a cruel sense of irony…I kinda hope he does find Mewtwo and can stop Ruby." Tricia muttered, "I'd happily let that woman take Team Rocket down, but then what would that leave me? My family would be back where they started: poor and starving. Team Rocket's all I have to keep them well fed and cared for! If I lose this, then it's all over for us…"
She took out her Rotom phone and looked at a family photo she had on it. The photo was of herself, her mother and her younger brother. There was no father. He'd been dead before this photo had been taken. Tricia ran her hands over the photo, gazing tenderly at the smiling, kind faces of her mother and brother. It was the last remaining relic she had of a life gone by: a life before Team Rocket had changed everything for her.
"I won't let you go poor again. I promise. I wish I didn't have to be a criminal to help you both, but it's better than letting the family go homeless. I'm sure you'll both understand some day…if I eventually tell you." she murmured.
She shut her phone off and put it away. She would sleep for the night and hopefully get another chance at stealing Ray. Tricia thought back to the girl who now owned him. She hated the way she'd had to act towards June. That girl seemed so nice and sweet and friendly from the times she'd watched her when spying on the Silverlocks. She was also quite cute too with her big smile and dual-coloured hair done up in that adorable ponytail and the Pikachu-themed clothes and…
Tricia balked at the thoughts. Holy Arceus, was she CRUSHING on her?! She blushed at such a thought. Don't be ridiculous Tricia, she's in possession of your target! She's not a girlfriend to chase down! But she supposed if she did have a girlfriend, she'd want her to be like June. Maybe if she wasn't forced to be a criminal working for Team Rocket for her family's sake, she and June could've been friends in another lifetime. But this wasn't to be. They were enemies and she had to accept that.
Tricia lay down on her side beside her Gyarados. Tomorrow would hopefully be a more successful day for Team Rocket…
June felt as if yesterday had never happened.
She woke up feeling refreshed and ready to face the day once more. She and her parents had slept at the Pokémon Centre for the night and June was given some good news to wake up to as Nurse Joy presented her with a fully recovered Ray and Ace. The two Pokémon leapt into her arms and nuzzled her affectionately.
"Good morning to you both! I'm glad you're all better now!" June said happily.
"I feel a lot better! That nurse really knows her stuff." Ray said brightly.
"We're sorry we failed to defeat that Rocket Grunt's Gyarados." Ace apologized, "It was a challenge neither of us were up to."
"No you two, it was my fault. I put you into that situation when I was clearly not ready for it." June insisted, "I got too ahead of myself and you ended up suffering the consequences of my stupidity. I'm sorry you both got hurt like that."
"Hey, don't sweat it. You're a trainer who'll do anything to protect her Pokémon. We understand." Ray said kindly, "Don't think we're mad at you or anything like that."
June beamed, glad her Pokémon understood her intentions yesterday.
"At least it's all over with and now my parents are going to take care of Team Rocket, we won't have to worry about them anymore." June said optimistically, "For now, let's train up ready for the Pewter City Gym! And we can see if we can find a Mankey while we're at it."
After breakfast, June set off out of the city and headed towards Route 3 for that was where Mankey were found. Ruby and Hop waved her off as she left. They couldn't go yet for Doomsday's wing was still badly hurt from Mega Gyarados's Hyper Beam yesterday. Until Doomsday recovered, they couldn't fly anywhere to look for Team Rocket. But they were still able to investigate Pewter City while June was busy. If they could find any Rocket hideouts in the city, it'd be a place to start for the two.
Twenty minutes of walking later, June entered Route 3. This route led to Mt. Moon and Route 4. Travelling through these routes and Mt. Moon would eventually lead to Cerulean City, home of the Water-type Gym. June looked forward to that Gym for that was where she hoped to meet Ash. He'd been living in Cerulean City ever since he'd married the Gym's leader, a beautiful redhead named Misty. Not only did June have a crush on Ash, but she also had a crush on Misty too. Seeing them both together would be quite a treat. But first, she needed to conquer Pewter City's Gym before moving on to Cerulean City. Route 3 had long pathways that led to further destinations ahead, lots of patches of tall grass and more trees dotted around the place. June kept a watchful eye out for any signs of Pokémon living in them. She saw some Pokémon that didn't live in the previous routes she'd travelled through. There were flocks of Spearow flying overhead, Sandshrew digging through the ground and Ekans slithering through the grasses. June saw one Ekans chasing after a Rattata. She could already imagine what would happen if it got caught. She looked away and carried on. She walked for about five minutes until she saw something up ahead.
June and Ray could see a small Pokémon practicing its kicks against a rock. To June's delight, it was a Mankey, just as she was looking for. Mankey were bipedal Pokémon with round bodies, pointy ears, muscular arms and legs and a long tail with a hooked tip. They had two-toed feet, a small pig-like nose and white fur with their hands, feet, tail tip and the insides of their ears being brown. Mankey were notorious for being highly-aggressive, short-tempered Pokémon that would sooner punch someone's face in than say hello to them. But some Mankey were more even-tempered than others. This one wasn't up for starting any fights for now. It was busy training, possibly preparing itself for an upcoming battle. The Mankey kicked at the rock repeatedly, lashing out with precise strikes until the rock eventually shattered to pieces. Ray watched the Mankey in action, his small black eyes wide with admiration.
"Those are some damn good legs! I'd love it if I could use kicking moves like that…" he thought aloud.
"Maybe once we catch this Mankey, it can teach you." June suggested.
"Now there's an idea." Ray approved, "Let's hope this one's friendlier than the usual species…"
June nodded. She did want to catch a Mankey but that didn't make her feel any less nervous approaching one. If it got riled up at all, it would attack and likely break every bone in her body! June walked slowly towards the Mankey as it continued to train. It was kicking at another rock. This one was larger than the first and the simian Pokémon wanted to see if it could destroy this one. It kicked at the rock repeatedly, leaving giant cracks in it. It was about to land a finishing blow when June called out to it.
"Um…h-hi there little Mankey." she said anxiously.
The Mankey stopped its training and turned to face June. June recoiled. She was sure that this Mankey was about to attack her now! But strangely enough, it didn't seem particularly mad at her. Its expression was friendly and welcoming.
"Oh, hello there. Just passing by, I assume?" it asked, speaking in a soft, female voice.
June was surprised at this response. A polite and calm Mankey? What Bizarro World had she stumbled into today?!
"Um…y-yes I am." June stammered, still unsure how to react, "I'm a new trainer you see and I came here to catch a Mankey."
"Ah, so you'll want me no doubt." the Mankey said jovially, "That's fine with me. I'm not going to get any stronger just practicing against rocks and wild Pokémon after all so I was hoping a Pokémon trainer would offer me that chance to better myself."
"You're all about keeping in shape and testing your abilities, aren't ya?" Ray noted.
"That's what Mankey are all about." the Mankey replied, "In my case, I usually do it because it's good stress relief. Unlike most others of my kind, I don't like getting all angry and stressed out all the time. I find practicing my fighting abilities is very therapeutic."
June nodded with interest. It was nice this Mankey was finding a more constructive use of its abilities than just flying into a blind rage like most others of its kind. It was unnerving to see a friendly Mankey for a change but she wasn't going to complain about that!
"In that case, would you like to come with me?" June offered, "We're about to take on the Pewter City Gym but…well, we're not well-equipped for Rock-types. We could use a Fighting-type like you to give us a hand. And I'd like to be your friend on top of that. What do you say?"
"Anything to allow myself to be pushed further than before!" the Mankey cheered, punching the air excitedly, "I'll join your crew! And I'm sure I can help you win that Gym battle!"
"That's sweet! Thanks very much!" June cried gratefully.
She picked the Mankey up and cuddled her. She could already feel the strong muscles in this Pokémon just from holding her, but she also felt how surprisingly soft her fur was. It seemed Mankey were Pokémon with a soft exterior that hid a strong interior. June felt the Mankey's fur. Who knew a Fighting-type could feel so cuddly?
"I'm sure we'll be great friends, all of us." June said kindly, "Now then, let's give you a name. I want it to be something cute given you're not as aggressive as Mankey usually are. Hmm…"
She mulled over a few names before eventually deciding on one.
"How about I call you Paige? I think that'd suit you a lot." the Galarian girl decided.
"Paige…sounds nice. I'll have it." the Mankey said brightly, "Paige I shall be."
"Very nice. Now we have our secret weapon to use in the Rock-Gym." Ray said optimistically, "We may have a chance to win that badge after all."
"Of course, but let's not rush in just yet." June noted, "We could do a quick training session to prepare ourselves first, and I can also learn what moves Paige knows. And you did want Paige to teach you any kicking moves so we can do that too."
"Oh really?" Paige said with interest, "I'm not sure if Pikachu can learn any kicking moves but there's a first time for anything. I'll see what I can do."
So the next couple of hours were spent getting in shape for their upcoming Gym Battle. June had Ray, Ace and Paige all train together battling against wild Pokémon that came their way and even against each other. June was confident that this team could guide her to victory against the Rock-Gym. And hopefully if Tricia ever decided to attack again, she'd fare better against her too…
Pokémon obtained: Paige the Mankey
June has escaped Team Rocket's grasp for now and has a third Pokemon on her team. She'll need it too for she's going to take on her first Gym Battle. It'll be a battle that'll rock her world as she challenges the Pewter City gym for the Boulder Badge. Can she beat Brock and claim her first badge? Fine out in "The First Gym"...
Trivia: June's panic attack was inspired by two things: my personal life and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Back in the 2010's, due to changes in my life and body I wasn't prepared for, I would frequently experience panic attacks and it left me in a horrible state emotionally to the point I once considered ending my life. It was awful! X( Thankfully I don't really get panic attacks anymore as I'm not as overly anxious on things as I once was. :) And given how much I enjoyed Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, I had to reference it in some way and thus here we are. ^^
And don't ask about June calling the Mankey "Paige". There's no real reason for it. I just randomly called one "Paige" in a playthrough once so it stuck with me. Although I guess it might've been a reference to the WWE wrestler Saraya Davis, whom goes by the ring-name "Paige" when I thought of it. I mean Mankey's a Fighting-type so why not name her after a wrestler? ;)
For those who have played Let's Go Pikachu, you may remember that the partner Pikachu is able to learn Double Kick, a move regular Pikachu can't learn so I'm referencing that with Ray getting an idea on Paige teaching him to use a kicking move. Let's see if he learns it next time...