Chapter 11
Although Leaf had won every battle on the S.S. Anne, she didn't quite feel ready to take on the Vermilion Gym. The Vermilion Gym Leader, Lieutenant Daniel Surge, specialized in electric-type Pokemon, giving him the advantage over Psyduck and Spearow. Ivysaur would be more resistant to the electric attacks, but Leaf didn't want to rely on Ivysaur all the time. And truth be told, she wasn't sure Ivysaur could beat the Gym Leader's entire team. There was a noticeable jump in difficulty between the Cerulean and Vermilion Gym. Even getting through the Gym Trainers was a challenge for some people. As a result, Vermilion was considered to be the first true testament of a trainer's skills. If you could conquer the Vermilion Gym, then you were meant to be a trainer. It was at this point where many trainers quit.
Leaf didn't think she would quit if she lost to Lieutenant Surge on her first try, but she didn't want to find out if that was the case. She didn't want any possibility of being told she wasn't cut out for this. Therefore, Leaf decided she would spend the day training.
Leaf finished her breakfast and began to head out the Pokemon Center. Possible training tactics rolled through her head. Maybe Spearow and Psyduck could work on their speed. That way, they could dodge whatever Lieutenant Surge's Pokemon threw at them.
As Leaf passed by the lounge, she heard a reporter on TV say, "President Ken and the Elite Four celebrated the Indigo League's opening here last night on the S.S. Anne."
Leaf stopped and peered inside. There were a few trainers sitting on the couches, watching the news segment with mild interest. At one point, a clip of President Ken talking about the future Champion played. We know that whoever that person is, male or female, old or young, from Kanto or from Johto, they will be like no other.
The segment then cut to a few interviews, showing various opinions on the Indigo League and predictions on who the first Champion will be. Most of the interviewees were from Kanto and they expressed much excitement about the league.
"This is the perfect opportunity for trainers of any background!"
"Now, we'll know for sure who the best is!"
"I'll be watching the battles for sure!"
One interviewee was from Johto. When the reporter came up to him, he rolled his eyes. "Ken talks as if there's an equal chance for Kanto and Johto trainers to become Champion. And yet, not a single member of the Elite Four is from Johto, not a single significant person at that party was from Joh––"
One of the trainers switched the channel. Replacing the Johto man's clipped tone was a much peppier one.
"We received a video of Blue Oak, grandson of the esteemed Professor Oak, losing a battle on the S.S. Anne! Let's take a look."
A video appeared on screen. From the angle it was taken at, Blue and his Wartortle were seen from the front. Though they were small and at the edge of the screen, Leaf could clearly see the Wartortle struggling to stand. Blue, meanwhile, seemed to be quite calm. Even his voice as he commanded his Wartortle sounded confident. But he'd stuck his hands in his pockets, which Leaf remembered was something he often did when he was troubled.
Wartortle's opponent was blocked by its trainer. Only the trainer's back was visible, but Leaf knew instantly that it was Red.
"Pikachu, use Thunder Shock!"
There was a flash of light. Wartortle cried as it was electrocuted. Blue returned his Pokemon and practically shoved the money into Red's hands, walking away with his hands still in his pockets.
The video ended there. "Wow Tom, that was rough! It looks like he won't be challenging the Vermilion Gym anytime soon."
"Believe or not, Brenda, he's already won the Thunder Badge!"
"Really? Then he has experience battling strong electric-type Pokemon. I wonder who his opponent was."
The two reporters continued to banter with each other. Leaf barely heard them. She thought about how she'd bumped into Blue last night after the party. There had been something off about him. Leaf had assumed he was simply upset about losing to Red. That was certainly a part of it, but Leaf was remembering what Blue had said to Red. I bet you enjoyed sticking your nose into other people's business. Did Blue know this report was coming? He'd mentioned hanging out with a girl. Was the girl the intern? Had she been prying into Blue's past in order to find a good story? Was that why Blue had come out onto the deck?
Leaf shoved these questions away. There had been a time when she'd worry herself to exhaustion over Blue. She'd promised herself then she would stop investing her time and energy on him. She intended to keep that promise.
East of Vermilion City was Route 11, a meadow that was speckled with patches of tall grass and surrounded by trees. It was a popular area for trainers: Leaf was unable to count how many were in her sight. Some battled with each other while others trained on their own. Leaf watched as a boy made a trail on the ground with short wooden pegs. His male Nidoran ran between them. Its large ears barely brushed against the pegs.
Inspired, Leaf headed towards the trees and scouted for long sticks. She found six and jabbed each one into the ground, spacing them apart far enough that her Pokemon could fit between them.
Leaf sent everyone out. Her Pokemon eyed the sticks curiously. "We're doing another training session," Leaf announced. "We'll work on speed and agility right now. Ivysaur and Psyduck, I want you to zigzag between the sticks without hitting them. Spearow, I want you to do the same but with the trees. Let's start with ten laps."
Ivysaur and Spearow nodded with determination and sped off. Psyduck tripped over his feet as he turned to follow them.
Leaf laughed. "Seems like this exercise will be good for you!"
The exercise panned out as expected. Spearow seemed to have no problem weaving through the trees. Ivysaur was able to avoid knocking into any of the sticks, but he was a bit slow. Psyduck was neither swift nor agile. He lumbered clumsily after Ivysaur, hitting the sticks and falling down several times as he turned. Leaf thought of how quick Psyduck had been when he was battling Isabelle's Pikachu. Was Psyduck only competent when stakes were high? When he felt as if his life was in danger? It was better than nothing, but Leaf didn't want him to act only in extreme situations. Leaf needed to be able to rely on him whenever. But how would she help Psyduck arrive at that point? Was doing drills enough? Leaf had her Pokemon do another ten laps to give her some time to think.
When they finished, Leaf still didn't have a solid plan. The wind began to pick up, so Leaf told Spearow to fly against it. While Spearow worked, Leaf put her hands on her hips and studied her other two Pokemon.
Due to the way Ivysaur was built––short legs carrying his large head and the bud on his back––he would never be a particularly fast Pokemon. Speed drills would help keep him from being too slow, but Leaf should never expect him to win any races. His bulkier build meant he could take more hits than the average Pokemon, though. He was a good attacker as well. So far, his most powerful move seemed to be Razor Leaf.
Leaf smiled as an idea came to her. She knelt down in front of her starter. "We'll work on your accuracy. I want you to pick targets, could be branches or bushes, just as long as they're far away, and hit them with your Razor Leaf. Try to keep the leaves in a tight path instead of letting them fly everywhere."
Ivysaur nodded and began to scan the area for a suitable target. He must've found something because suddenly, he tensed and his red eyes narrowed in concentration. Leaf watched as he fired a barrage of leaves at a tree in the distance.
"What was your target?" Leaf asked.
Ivysaur pointed at one of the middle branches with a vine. He had hit his branch, but also a few others and even the tree trunk.
"Good start. Just keep going at it now!" Leaf said encouragingly. Ivysaur chirped and went back to practicing.
Leaf turned to Psyduck. Psyduck was watching the clouds, his eyes vacant as always. Leaf waved a hand in his face. He didn't blink. Leaf poked his head. He didn't stir.
Leaf sighed. She didn't want to do this, but it didn't seem as if she had another option.
"Psyduck!" She screamed and shoved the duck. Psyduck jumped and quacked in surprise. He gaped at Leaf, who sighed again. "Sorry, but you were really out of it. Can you promise that you'll be focused from now on?"
Psyduck cocked his head to the side and clutched it. Leaf couldn't tell if Psyduck understood her just now, if he understood her in general. Maybe she needed to figure that out first.
Leaf pointed to a nearby bush. "Run over there and back."
Psyduck briefly glanced at the bush but didn't move. Did he not understand? Or did he just not want to? It was clear he understood what pointing meant, though.
Leaf opened up her satchel and pulled out a Pokemon treat. Psyduck immediately quacked and bounded towards her.
Leaf held the treat away. Psyduck stretched his short arms towards it and wailed when he was unable to reach it.
"I'll give it to you if you run to that bush and back."
Psyduck grumbled but hastily followed Leaf's instruction. When he returned, Leaf handed the treat to him and he gobbled it down.
Leaf smirked. "So you do understand what I'm saying. You just need some motivation. I'll tell you what. If you work hard today, I'll get you more treats."
Psyduck cocked his head. Leaf took that as an agreement. "Now, show me your Water Gun."
Psyduck turned away from Leaf. A stream of water shot out of his mouth, stopping about twenty feet ahead.
"Try to shoot further."
The water still only reached twenty feet.
Leaf thought for a moment. "I'm not really sure how it works, but maybe take a deep breath first and then just let it all out."
Psyduck hesitated, then breathed in deeply, puffing his chest out. It reminded Leaf of "The Three Little Pigs." And I'll huff and I'll puff…
Psyduck spat out water with such force that he nearly stumbled backwards. The Water Gun stretched out to nearly forty feet, narrowly missing a trainer and his Rattata. The trainer glared at Leaf, who smiled apologetically.
"That was great, Psyduck!" Leaf exclaimed. Psyduck collapsed on the ground, panting. "You can take a little break for now."
Leaf's attention shifted back to Ivysaur. Her starter had improved a bit. Although he was still hitting things other than his target, his Razor Leaf didn't spread as wildly. Ivysaur seemed to know that because he looked up at Leaf with a smile.
Spearow fluttered towards Leaf. The wind had calmed down. Her bird needed another exercise to do. Leaf couldn't come up with anything new, so she asked Spearow to fly through the trees again.
"As an extra challenge, you could spin as you fly." Spearow chirped and took off.
Leaf turned to Psyduck. "Alright, break time is over. I want you to hold your Water Gun. Don't worry about the strength too much. Let's just see how long you can last."
Psyduck fired a Water Gun. Leaf timed it. Psyduck began to falter at the thirty-second mark and stopped once he reached forty. He wheezed as if he was suffering from an asthma attack.
"Not bad," Leaf said. "I think you're good for now." Once Psyduck caught his breath, she continued, "Let's work on that Confusion move."
Leaf looked around for a target. She pointed to the sticks she stuck into the ground. "Try to knock those down."
Psyduck faced the sticks and stared hard at them. Leaf waited for something to happen. A minute passed and nothing happened. Then another minute. And another. She was about to ask Psyduck if he was trying when suddenly, he clutched his head and groaned.
"Are you alright?" Leaf asked, stretching her arms out to catch Psyduck if he fell. Sweat was rolling down the side of his head.
Leaf sighed. Confusion was Psyduck's strongest attack. If Psyduck could control it, if he didn't need to take a hit to use it, he would be a much better fighter. But she didn't want to push him if it was only going to hurt him.
Leaf pulled out a treat from her satchel and handed it to Psyduck. "Here, hopefully this will help with your headache."
As Psyduck weakly nibbled his treat, Leaf checked in on Ivysaur again. Ivysaur was really in the groove of his exercise. His transition between targets was so seamless, as if he was on autopilot. His accuracy was still not perfect, of course, but Leaf could see the improvement and was thrilled.
"I think we can stop with this exercise for now," Leaf said. "How about we work on your Razor Leaf's strength? See if you can actually break a branch with it."
Ivysaur nodded dutifully and settled his gaze on a thick branch. He unleashed a barrage of leaves at it. Each leaf ricocheted off the branch.
Leaf called Spearow back to her. The small bird returned quickly, feathers ruffled from flying around so much.
"I thought of another exercise for you. Remember when you were battling Misty, you nearly fell into the water a couple of times but caught yourself at the last second?" Spearow chirped. "Well, I was really impressed by it. I think that's a potentially great technique to hone. Let's do a diving exercise. Fly up high and then shoot down fast but don't let yourself hit the ground."
Spearow took off. Leaf tried to follow with her eyes, but the sun made it difficult to see. She held her arm over her face, watching Spearow's dark form grow smaller and smaller.
Then suddenly, she was coming straight down, so fast that Leaf was beginning to regret the exercise. What if Spearow couldn't catch herself in time? What if she cracked her skull? Before Leaf could yell stop, Spearow's body turned when she was only a couple of feet away from the ground. She flew into Leaf's arms, cooing with pride.
Leaf burst out laughing. "That was good, Spearow! I was actually worried about you."
As soon as the words came out of her mouth, there was a crack and then a crash. Leaf turned and saw that a thick branch had fallen. Ivysaur trotted towards her, head high and smiling.
They trained all day. By the time they were finished, the moon had taken the sun's position in the sky and the other trainers had long gone. After praising her Pokemon for a job well done, Leaf returned them and headed back to Vermilion City.
Leaf's stomach grumbled. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, but was so caught up in training that she didn't feel her hunger until now. Leaf's legs were beginning to ache from standing all day as well. She didn't regret training so hard, though. Her Pokemon had made enough strides that she felt confident about challenging Lieutenant Surge. Her only real concern was Psyduck's Confusion. Psyduck tried using that attack a few more times and each attempt ended with him getting an intense migraine. Leaf decided that she would call Professor Oak and see if he had any insight.
A pleasant breeze rustled the grass and trees. Fireflies blinked in the darkness. Leaf looked up at the wide sky. The moon was full and bright and there were so many stars out. It was such a beautiful night. Leaf wasn't superstitious or anything, but she felt this had to be a good sign.
Eventually, she passed by Diglett's Cave. Diglett's Cave was a long tunnel that connected Route 11 to Route 2. It received its name from being dug by wild Diglett and its evolution, Dugtrio. Leaf stopped as she thought about the Diglett she rescued. Then, for reasons Leaf couldn't explain, she turned and headed towards the tunnel.
It was so dark inside. Leaf was barely able to make out the ladder that led into the true tunnel. She peered down and was surprised to see a light bouncing around.
Leaf was about to climb down when she heard a deep voice. "Do you see any Diglett?"
"No." The other voice sounded more feminine. "Maybe if you stop waving that flashlight everywhere, they'll come out."
"How else are we supposed to see them? Unless you can come up with a better plan, shut up and let me look."
"We've been here for hours. Ugh, why did Doug have to get caught? How did he even lose to a kid?"
Leaf's blood froze. No way. There was no way she'd stumbled onto Team Rocket again, right? But it sure sounded like they were referring to the abducted Diglett. And they were going to try abducting more.
Heart racing, Leaf climbed down the ladder, hopping off when she was a few steps away from the ground. The two people turned at the sound of her landing. They were a man and a woman, and they wore black uniforms with a red R on the chests.
The man aimed his flashlight at Leaf. "Who are you?"
Leaf clenched her fists. "I heard you guys. You're going to steal some Diglett from here."
The woman crossed her arms. "Why do you use the word steal? We're here to capture some Diglett just like any other trainer."
"You're going to hurt them," Leaf blurted out. "I know you're from Team Rocket. I don't know what Team Rocket's goal is, but I know it's not good."
The two Team Rocket members looked at each other in amusement. "You know who we are?" The man asked. "I'm flattered."
"She doesn't know what we want, though." The woman glanced back at Leaf. "It's simple, really. We just want to be strong. You're a trainer, right? You should understand."
"We're nothing alike," Leaf spat. "Get out of here or––"
"Or what? You'll crush us?"
"Yes." Leaf took a step forward. "Just like I crushed your friend Doug."
The grins vanished from their faces. "That was you?" The man asked in disbelief.
Leaf straightened herself, wishing she was taller. "Didn't you watch the news? There's a clip of me returning the Diglett to that couple."
"Ah yes, I remember now," the woman said icily. "That was you." She pulled out a PokeBall. "You're going to pay for interfering."
Leaf was reaching for Ivysaur's PokeBall when there was a rumble and the ground began to shake. As she grabbed onto the ladder for balance, the wall near the Team Rocket members exploded and a mob of Diglett rushed through. The Team Rocket members screamed as they were knocked around by the mole Pokemon. Eventually, they were able to scramble out of the mob and fled. The Diglett burrowed into the ground and the tunnel was still and silent. If not for the gaping hole in the wall, Leaf wouldn't have suspected anything to have happened.
Letting out a breath she'd been holding, Leaf climbed out of the tunnel. Outside, Route 11 was as tranquil as it was before. It was both funny and disturbing how bad things could happen––or in this case, almost happen––and the world could keep moving on as if nothing was wrong.
I was super busy last week, so took me a little longer than usual to update but here's the chapter! As you can tell, I went for an in-depth training session. It was one of the toughest scenes for me to write so far, hope it was interesting!
Some nice news: my fic got added to the "Master Ball List" community! Was really excited about that. Go check the community out- there are great stories of every genre in it.
Anyways, thanks for your patience and thanks for reviewing/following!
