Pokemon Presents:

Lances Dragon Adventures

Episode 4:

Skillful Uses

Route 1 - Grass Field

It has been days since the duo has left Pallet Town. Lance has grown as a trainer, learning so much about the Kanto Region. On the outskirts of Viridian City, Lance and Leah train their Pokemon together. Lances Dratini gets faster and faster, improving his speed. Leah helps Lances Dratini improve his defense and attack using her newly evolved Ivysaur and Mankey she just caught. Dratini improves so much, taking hit after hit. It gains a new move with the use of bubblebeam. Lance is blown away with the new move. His Charmander also gains a new move, learning the move Flamethrower in progress. "All right, Dratini has gained a new move! And so has Charmander!" he says, feeling proud of both of his Pokemon. Leah jumps for joy, she is proud to see Lance improve. "Looks like you are ready for the Viridian City Gym!" she says to him.

Leah is Lances new friend and rival, she becomes Lances motivation to get better as a trainer. Ever since their battle at the outskirts of Pallet Town and the missing files stolen from Professor Oaks Lab, they both journey together. Leah looks to see how much he has improved as a Pokemon Trainer. After a long break from her journey, she has gotten back into her mission to gain more gym badges.

Lance is proud of both of his Dratini and Charmander. They have both grown strong since they left Pallet Town. He doesn't know his goals just yet. Leaving Johto and traveling to Kanto has made him open up. He's heard so much about Kanto from his Penpal. Lance hopes to make it to Saffron City to see his Pen Pal while Leah is halfway on her journey to reach the Pokemon League.

Lance asks Leah a question "say Leah, when you took on the Viridian City Gym, what were they like?" he asks her curiously. Leh thinks back for a bit "well, I was a rookie trainer at the time" she remembers something "but I do remember how tough the trainer was. That person did a number on my Bulbasaur. But we came back and finished off the gym." Ivysaur rubs her head on Leah, nuzzling her. Lance is curious "so this gym leader was tough?" he asks her. Leah responds "in my case, yes. But after training with me, you have the preparation" she says to him.

They both walk over to Viridian City. Lance gets nervous about his first gym challenge. He left the Johto Region just to see a whole new world, he's never even explored Johto. The only time he has ever explored outside of Blackthorn City was the Ice Path and it was due to a training method by the dragon clan to face the fear that dragons are scared of, ice types. Lance feels like he is in the ice path, frozen in fear. They walk under the sign that says 'Welcome to Viridian City.'

Viridian City - Pokemon Center

Leah suggests Lance to go to the Pokemon Center to heal up their Pokemon. She wants Lance to feel fully prepared to battle the gym. While their pokemon gets healed up. Lance talks on the phone, he goes over to chat with his family.

Lance speaks into the phone, the picture loads up on the screen. It is his mother. Lances Mother is so surprised. She gathers the entire family. They all say their 'hellos' to him. Lance is proud to see his family. He even sees his baby cousin. Lance comments about his newly born cousin "so this is baby Clair. Guess Cyle is disappointed about his new sibling" he says with a laugh. The room on the other line goes silent. Lance taps the monitor to see if he has a bad connection. His Uncle Sam explains to him "Cyle hasn't been home lately. He left." Lance drops his jaw "w-what?" he asks his uncle "where did he go? And why?" he asks him. Uncle Sam has no response "he straight up left. Right when your Aunt Carol was about to give birth, I called for Cyle to help. He was nowhere in sight. Your Cousin Liam has to drive us using his pet Tauros." Lance is angry at his cousin Cyle, he knew he could be a prick. But abandoning the family is worse. "Cyle abandoned you guys?" he asks them. His Aunt Carol tries not to say anything "I understand why, but he was sheltered too much. I don't blame him" she says, sighing in disappointment. His Uncle Sam hangs his head, he goes over to pick up Clair and holds her. He says to his daughter "Clair, I will not shelter you. I will make sure you end up like your cousin Lance. He will be successful just like you are!" he says to his baby. Lance overhears this and feels like he has a load on his shoulders. Now he really needs to win the first gym.

After the phone call, he goes to sit on the couch, he lies down thinking about the first gym and his cruel cousin disappearing from the family. Leah notices Lance and sits right by him. She asks him "whats wrong?" Feeling concerned for him. Lance responds "its my idiot cousin. He abandoned the family to go on his own journey. Didn't even help his mother get to the hospital to help give birth to his baby sister" Lance feels bummed out, he adds more "now, I gotta impress my family to win the gym battle. But I am unsure if I can do it or not!" He puts the pillow on his face, wanting to scream into it. Lance fails, not wanting to cause a scene in the Pokémon Center. Leah comforts Lance "i felt the same way. I wasn't sure if I could do it or not. I felt that I was a failure. Even when I lost, I still got myself back together and trained day and night. I wanted to give up, but I felt like I was betraying my commitment and my goals. Bulbasaur and I got together and managed to win the gym battle the second time. Winning the badge!" She says to him. Lance takes the pillow off of his face. He feels a little better "I hope so" he says with semi confidence.

The PA calls out to Lance, letting him know that his Pokémon are all healed up. Lance gets up and goes to the counter. He accidentally bumps into a little kid. The kid says to him "watch it mister!" He says rudely. The kid snatches his pokeballs and leaves the center. Lance looks at him, thinking about how his bad attitude reminds him of Cyle. The Nurse calls for Lances attention. Lance is embarrassed, but takes his Pokémon. He is ready to head over to the viridian city gym.

Viridian City Gym

Lance and Leah stand outside, he gazes at the building, but he zones back into reality. Leah says to Lance "be careful, the Leader is pretty tough." Lance nods, he goes into the gym.

Viridian City Gym - Battlefield

Lance walks into the gym. It is dark, the floor is shining bright, the walls are covered in white concrete.

Lance looks around, wondering why this gym looks so plain. He hears a familiar voice "so, you're all healed up?" Lance turns to hear the sound of a little kid. He looks to see that it is the same kid from the Pokémon Center. He has scruffy hair, wearing a yellow t-shirt with purple shorts. He smirks at his next challenger. "My name is Michael. And I am the Gym Leader here at Viridian City!"

NOTE: This is the OriginalGym Leader of Pokémon Red and Green. I decided to use the Prototype Gym Leader before he was replaced by Giovanni. Since this is an origin story for Lance. I decided to change the gym leaders of the Kanto Region. So there will be some different gym leaders before the Red and Green Series.

Michael smirks at Lance "ready to battle!" He says to him. Lance is surprised by this. He wasn't expecting a pipsqueak to be the first gym leader. Lance feels less imitated by the leader. Leah sits on the stands, watching the whole thing. Michael looks at Leah "hm, guess you told him about me!" He says to her. Michael faces Lance "I won't go easy on your new friend!" He says to Leah. Lance steps forward "I'll stand my ground and take you on!" He says to him.

Michael instructs Lance that this will be a 2 on 2 Battle. There will be substitutions that can be made by the challenger and not the leader. Lance knows that he only has two Pokemon on hand. He made that right call capturing Charmander. Leah knows that this will be a tough one for Lance. Michael is the Normal Type Gym Leader, he stretches his legs to get ready for the battle.

Both Trainers throw out their Pokémon. Lance sends out Dratini while Michael sends out Rattata. Lance has seen a Rattata before, he knows they are completely weak. Michael smirks at Lance. Michaels Rattata moves at quick speed, Lance and Dratini are blown away by its speed. Michael commands his Rattata to charge at the dragon using 'Take Down'. Rattata charges at full speed, it hits Dratini hard. Lance realizes that this is no ordinary Rattata. Michael smirks at Lance "lots of hard work to train this type!" he says to him. Lance tries to get his Dratini to use 'Wrap' to catch the rat, but Rattata is too quick, avoiding each and every move Dratini tries to make. Both Lance and Dratini nod to each other, he says to the Gym Leader "if you're gonna use speed, then so will I" he commands Dratini to use 'Extremespeed'. Michael is surprised that Lances Dratini knows that move. Michael commands his Rattata to use 'Quick Attack' to match-up against Lances Dratini. Both Pokemon attack each other, matching speed against speed. They both tackle each other, each taking the hit. Lance sees an open opportunity, he commands Dratini to use 'Thunder Wave' to slow down the Rat. Michael tries to get his Rattata to dodge, but it is too late. Rattata is paralyzed, it may be unable to move. Lance then commands Dratini to use 'Bubblebeam' to take out the rat. Rattata is unable to move, taking the hit. Rattata is knocked out cold. Michael smiles at Lance, feeling pretty impressed with Dratini. "That's a strong Pokemon, pretty rare for you to have such a move like extremespeed" Michael says to Lance. He puts his Rattata back into his pokeball while saying this. Lance feels proud of himself, taking down Rattata. Michael smirks "but this will be all over soon!" he says, as he is about to take out his final pokemon. Out comes his ace for this battle, it is 'Wigglytuff'.

Lance sees the pink imitating Pokemon, it gazes over Dratini. Wigglytuff uses his 'Body Slam' to crush the small dragon. Dratini dodges it using his 'Extremespeed'. Wigglytuff slams onto the floor, leaving a huge mark on the ground. Dratini tries to use his 'Thunder wave' to paralyze Wigglytuff, but the Balloon inflates himself to float up in the air, dodging the attack. Michael commands his Wigglytuff to use 'Ice Beam' to take down Dratini. Dratini is hit, but stays tough. Lance gets concerned for his Pokemon, asking him if it is okay? Dratini nods, even though his tail is frozen, he can still fight. Wigglytuff flies towards Dratini, using his 'Mega Punch' to hit the Dragon. Dratini tries to dodge, but he is too slow due to having a frozen tail. Dratini is hit, he is knocked out. Wigglytuff wins the battle.

Leah, sitting up in the stands, still remembers battling that same Wigglytuff. She only had one Pokemon at the time, not knowing what or how to use her Pokemon to battle. She was only a rookie trainer who just got her starter from Professor Oak, not knowing too much about battles. That is why she helped Lance to prepare for the gym, knowing that Michaels Pokemon are going to be tough for him.

Lance sends out his Charmander. Charmander roars with excitement. Michael smiles at Charmander "Charmander eh. That's my favorite kind of Pokemon. But, it will have to end" he says to Lance. Michael commands his Wigglytuff to use teleport. Lance is caught off guard, he didn't think that Pokemon could use such a move like that. Wigglytuff teleports, it is gone. He then appears right behind Charmander, Charmander turns around, Wigglytuff uses his 'Mega Punch' to hit Charmander right in the face. Charmander goes flying right towards the edge of the battlefield. Lance calls out to his Charmander, "are you okay Charmander?" Charmander struggles to get up, he is about to fall, but stays up. Michael shakes his head "you really oughta learn to give up" he says to him. Lance growls at Michael. Charmander also sees this and stands up, Wigglytuff is about to charge, using his 'Mega Punch' but Charmander uses 'Leer' to slow down the balloon. Wigglytuff is imitated by the leer. Lance tells Charmander to use this opportunity. Charmander uses his new move 'Flamethrower', Charmander uses the move, burning Wigglytuff in the process. Michael sees that his Wigglytuff is infected by the burn. Wigglytuff uses 'teleport' to take Charmander out of the ring. Lance tells his Charmander to keep his guard up. Wigglytuff teleports behind Charmander, getting ready to use his 'Mega Punch' Charmander sees this and counters it using his newly learned 'seismic toss'. Charmander grabs Wigglytuff by the fist, he lifts the pink balloon up in the air. Charmander spins around and around while holding on to the normal type. Michael tries to get Wigglytuff to use 'Ice Beam' to release himself from the grip. WIgglytuff tries, but ice flows all over the area, almost hitting Leah, Lance, and Michael. Wigglytuff flies out of the ring, he flies at 100mph, hitting the wall in the process. The wall leaves a huge hole revealing a living room. Wigglytuff is knocked out. Lance falls to his knees, having a hard time believing that he has won. Michael returns his ace back into his pokeball, telling him that he did a great job.

Michael is impressed with Lance, only taking him down at the first try. Usually other trainers would come back to try and take him down for the second, third, or fourth time. Leah remembers having to come back and beat him for the third time, she comments "Your Wigglytuff has gotten better. He never used ice beam when I took you on" she says to him. Michael chuckles "I've worked with my Pokemon to get tougher and tougher. I can't always give them the same moves" he says to her. Both his Rattata and Wigglytuff both smile at their trainer. Michael presents Lance with the 'Skills Badge'. The badge is shaped like a brain, with plain white and silver on it. Lance smiles at Michael, thanking him for the tough battle. Michael nods "I am always open for an open battle if you ever wanna have a rematch" he says to him. Lance smiles "I'll take up on that offer" he says to him.

NOTE: Yep, even the Badges will be different from the ones in the main series. They will be original and thought out by me. Why I came up with the 'skills badge' would have to do with how Michael uses his skills as a normal type gym leader to take out other types of pokemon using his skills. They all learn these types of moves using TMs or HM moves to encounter their challengers, making it tough for them to win the challenge.

Route 2 - Outskirts

Lance and Leah leave Viridian City. They are on the outskirts of Viridian City. Leah points over to a sign, "this is where you need to go to Saffron City" she says to Lance. The sign says "Digletts Cave" she guides him over to the rest area to rest up for a bit.

Route 2 - Rest Area

Lance writes an Email to his Penpal. He tells him about his adventures so far here in Kanto. Describing his first pokemon, his first capture, and his first gym badge. He even tells him about Leah and how she helped him win the first gym challenge.

Leah also writes in her own personal journal, she describes her first time back on her journey after her four month break from her gym challenge. Of course Mido Oak swept her in a Pokemon battle, but she did end up learning about how to get better, despite being frustrated in her battles. She's learned a lot as a trainer and a tutor for Lance. She looks at Lance, writing to his penpal in saffron, she looks back at her screen. She keeps writing about how Lance has gotten better and better and might end up being on her level. Leah is on her way to get her fifth badge. And wants to stay ahead of Lance who is aiming for his second.

Both Trainers finish up what they are doing. Leah writes in her journal, while Lance sends his email towards his penpal in Saffron. They feel proud of their journey so far and hope to make it to the next level.

Saffron City

A boy walks all over town, heading to the Pokemon Center. He goes over to heal up his Pokemon after a long day of training.

Saffron City - Pokemon Center

The boy waits for his pokemon to heal up. While waiting, he goes over to the computer to kill some time. He logs into his email account, he opens it up. There is a letter that is waiting to be open, he opens up the letter, to see that it is from Lance. He reads the email and sees that his long-time penpal has started his journey. He smiles at it, "oh Lance, I can't wait to see you in person."

TO BE CONTINUED….