Pokemon: Nuzlocke
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Chapter 5: Am I ready for this?
I woke up an hour before my alarm went off, and kinda trudged along. After sleeping in bushes for a week, getting to sleep in a bed made me not want to wake up at all. However, after eating a quick breakfast, and feeding Odin and Prophet, I headed back out, waving to Nurse Joy on my way. After a small distraction to collect an Ether someone had dropped, I was making my way towards southwest Celadon city. After climbing over a row of bushes, I found myself on a small path that led to my destination for the day, the sign atop the building visible even from here.
Celedon Gym
I wasn't sure if I was ready for this yet, but I figured worst-case scenario I'd lose, heal my Pokemon, and get back to training. Best case scenario I'd defeat a few of the lower level trainers, and maybe try my hand at the gym leader. If I somehow win, I can see how that affects the game. The sign next to the door said that the gym would open at 8 am, so I had a bit of a wait ahead of me. I settled down on a bench nearby, pulling out my C-Gear to pass the time.
I'll admit I got a bit distracted watching one of the most recent finalists battle it out in Victory Road, but I didn't realize I was so deeply entranced.
"Hey!" I hear, jerking my attention away.
"Oh, sorry!" I reply, closing the video, looking up at the person that had gotten my attention.
He was around my age, a bit taller and thicker than me. He looked weirdly wiry, as though he spent a lot of time training his body.
"I said hey like five times." He said, staring at me. "What are you doing out here?"
"Oh, uh. Sorry! I was watching the most recent Victory Road battles." I reply, trying to explain my distraction. "I'm here to fight at the gym I guess…"
"Hmmph. You've been a trainer for like what, three weeks?" He asks. "How many pokemon do you have?"
"Almost a month, and I have two. Why?" I ask.
"You won't stand a chance here. Go train some more and come back in a few months." He replied, turning to enter the gym.
"E-excuse me?" I splutter. "You're the same age as me! Don't act all high and mighty."
He paused, before turning around on his heels. "You're right, my apology. What does it matter that I've been training for over a year? But fine. If you can beat my Bella, I'll admit that I was wrong about you."
Battle Start!
"One V One, so pick carefully." He explained, pulling a shrunken ball from his belt, expanding into a green and black ball I didn't recognize.
I reach down and grab Odin's Pokeball, throwing it into the air.
"Go, Odin!" I cried.
The red light exploded from the ball, coalescing into his quadrupedal form on the ground.
"Go, Bella!" The kid yelled, smirking, a repeat performance of my own, but a Bellsprout appearing at the end.
"Bella" Bellesprout
Lvl 9
HP - 18 - 39 - 30
ATK - ? - ? - ?
DEF - ? - ? - ?
SATK - ? - ? - ?
SDEF - ? - ? - ?
SPD - ? - ? - ?
Seeing his level I immediately send Odin on the offensive. "Odin! Poison Sting!"
"Dodge Bella hit it with Vine whip!" The other kid orders.
Odin launches forward, spike first, but the thin Bellsprout manages to wiggle out of the way of his first thrust. It's leaf tentacle-like arms snap out, slapping across Odin's side and back, knocking him back a bit as he tries to turn around.
Poison Point Activate!
Odin's ability kicks in as the Bellsprout made physical contact, thankfully poisoning it anyway.
"Again Odin!" I order.
"Wrap!" The kid orders.
Odin jumps forward, slamming into the Bellsprout, but his horn misses its thin body. It's tentacles slide out, wrapping around Odin's body, lifting him in the air. Odin tries to struggle his way out, but the tentacles only wrap tighter.
"Slam it into the ground, Bella, then hit it with Hidden Power!" He orders.
I watch in horror as Odin is slammed hard into the ground, bouncing twice before landing in a crumpled mess. The Bellsprout glows for a second, before a beam of bright white light shoots from its mouth, slamming into Odin, knocking his HP into the red, coating him in a thin layer of ice.
"Odin!" I cried out, grabbing his Pokeball and returning him.
"Return Bella." He orders, before walking over to me.
"Your Nidoran is strong, but you're inexperienced." He tells me. "Don't try and face a gym so quickly. Your journey just started! There isn't a rush."
"Yeah...I-I guess I'm not ready yet," I reply, pulling out my C-Gear. "What's your ID?"
"Keep your money. Go heal your Nidoran, and come back in a few weeks. Face a few trainers in town or a few of the other kids that just started. They are all around town still. Very few leave their starter city without a badge first." He replies, turning to head into the gym.
The click of the door closing is like a slap to the face. Losing is painful...To have lost to someone the same age as my body, with a Pokemon four levels below my own was painful. With a sad shake of my head, I headed back to the Pokemon Center.
"Billy!" Nurse Joy calls out, grabbing my attention.
I quickly make my way back to the front desk where I receive the Pokeball containing Odin. After thanking her, and being told to be more careful, I pull out my C-Gear and study my map. From my first time out in the woods, I remembered seeing something shoot fire in the distance. I'd stayed away as that was obviously a good idea, but the fact was that a fire Pokemon would be a huge deal in defeating the grass gym. I did a few searches, trying to see if I could find out what Pokemon were in this area, but wasn't able to track anything concrete down. Unable to figure anything out, I did what I always did. Wandered out into the wilderness to wing it.
12 Hours Later
Really, you'd think I would have learned by now. Here I was, being chased through the woods by a wild pokemon, my ass scorched from a well-placed ember, my fingers clutched around the Premier ball I'd grabbed from my bag in a panic.
"Gaaah!" I yelled, jumping across a small chasm that I swear wasn't there when I came this way the first time.
"Pix! Pix! Vul! Pix!" I hear from behind me, like a small mob preparing to deal justice to a lawbreaker.
"Fuck me!"
20 Minutes Earlier
Okay, so I'll admit I was getting a little frustrated. I'd been out here searching for over half a day, it was near midnight, and I still hadn't found a single fire Pokemon. I had managed to level both Odin and Prophet again each, but that didn't help me with my current plan. I was near eight miles from Celedon at this point, right near the edge of the map, where it transitions to the Saffron City SouthEast forest, and decided to head back a bit and get some sleep. I'd have to sleep in the bush again, but I was getting pretty used to it. After about 10 minutes of walking, I found a nice space to settle down and set about putting up my sleeping bag. Which of course is the exact moment the game started fucking with me.
NEW EVENT!
'Fox Den'
The alert popping up nearly caused me to piss myself, but I had thankfully used the bathroom about half an hour ago so there was nothing to ruin my pants with. After my heart rate dropped back down, I tapped on the event icon, which added a small marker to my C-Gears map. Since I enjoy getting experience, and my last even involved a large amount of Doduo, I decided I may as well take a peek. A quick walk, five minutes or so, and I was looking down on an adorable scene.
Five tiny Vulpix, all level five, were playing together in a small hollowed-out tree. I could see the broken shards of eggs, which told me that these were practically newborns. The tree had clearly been hollowed out with fire, the charred edges make that obvious. I consider for a moment if I really should try to capture one. There is no telling where the mom or dad is, or when they may return. This could be one of my few chances to grab an easy fire pokemon.
'You're an idiot Billy, just do it!' I thought, before stepping out of the brush.
The tiniest noise, of course, alerts them to me being there, and all four sets of eyes land on me.
"Hi, guys… I…" Was all I got out before all hell broke loose.
I had of course forgotten that Vulpix learns Ember at level 1, so when four tiny mouths shot fire at me, I'll admit I didn't move instantly. In a panic I jumped to the right, landing hard on my hands and knees, but thankfully not taking an Ember to the face. I jumped to my feet again, barely dodging the three tiny blasts of fire that hit the ground where I had just been. A small blast of fire slams into my backpack, which knocks me over, but doesn't light it on fire. Apparently, my mom had the forethought to buy me a fire retardant backpack.
What it did do was knock a few items loose, which I knew I didn't have a chance to collect. Thankfully it was all items I had found using my ItemFinder ability, so I wasn't terribly worried about it. I grab Odin's Pokeball, preparing to release him to start a beat down on these tiny, not quite defenseless fox Pokemon, when a small head slams into my midsection, knocking his ball from my hand, sending me to my ass gasping for breath.
I reach out blindly, trying to get my breath back, grabbing Odin's ball.
"Go, Odin!" I yell, throwing his ball in their direction.
There is a small tink sound as the WHITE ball hits one of the Vulpix square in the face like a baseball before it opens wide and sucks it inside. The Premier ball's button flashes red once, and I immediately grab Odin's ball, which was to my left, not my right, shrinking it and clipping it in place. The three remaining Vulpix are watching the ball intently, so I use the distraction to run in, grab the still shaking ball, and take off into the woods.
Present
Of course, a moment later I had gotten an ember to the ass, and three Vulpix were now chasing me through the woods. The Premier ball stopped shaking, signaling a successful capture, which freed my hands as I was able to clip it to my belt. Now instead of getting repeatedly slapped in the face by branches, I could at least try to move them. I was doing my best to make sudden turns, but I knew the Vulpix was catching up to me from how close some of the Embers were getting to me. I glanced back and found them practically right on my heels.
"Pix! Pix! Vul! Pix! Vulpix!" It was like a chant at this point, seemingly spelling my demise.
Of course, what little luck I had failed me right then, as I found no ground beneath my feet any longer, and turning back showed that I may well be about to die.
"Fuuuuuuuuuu!" I yelled as fell before I slammed into the surface of a river that I didn't remember being there.
I was thankfully only under for a few moments before I was able to kick my way to the surface and swim to the side. I caught my breath for a moment before I looked back towards the other side to see what I had just survived.
'That could have been bad.' I think, looking at the drop.
While the fall had seemed to last forever, it could only have been a second or two as the drop was about 20 feet at best. However, at my current height, that was almost five times taller than I was. What it did do, though, was stop the Vulpix from catching me, as they were watching me solemnly from the top of the dirt wall. As I watched them, however, a lithe white figure slinked out of the forest, stopping at the edge next to its children. The Vulpix all yipped at it for a moment, before it looked down at me. A moment passes, before it turns, heading back into the forest, taking the three remaining Vuplix with it. I release the breath I didn't realize I was holding, before dragging myself out of the mud.
As it turns out, C-Gear is waterproof, of which I am quite thankful for. It only takes a moment to see that I'm closer to Celedon than I was before the chase, so I set out on my way back. I try not to think of the damage my ass took, or the bruising forming on my stomach, and instead push through to make it to the Pokemon Center as soon as I can.
Four hours later
The trek back wasn't quite so easy, especially with the damage I had taken, but I made it back to Celedon before the sun could rise. After turning in my new Vulpix, and an explanation on what happened, I was directed down the road to the real hospital to get my own wounds treated. Apparently, Trainers get injured constantly, so the nurse there didn't even bat an eye when I explained what happened. After having the melted and charred pants cut off, I was treated and given a bed to sleep it all off.
I woke up just a few short hours later, already feeling much better. Thankfully a mild burn and some bruised ribs were easy to heal compared to broken ribs, so I knew I wasn't going to be here for long. While only five hours of sleep wasn't much, it was enough to get me up and out of here. After being checked over by the nurse once more, my stuff was returned to me, and I was rushed out of the hospital to make room for those more in need. Of which there were many, from what I could see as I left through the lobby. I am quite thankful that my mom had packed me several sets of pants and shorts, as my previous pair were ruined beyond repair.
As quick walk had me back at the Pokemon Center, where I collected my Pokemon. Vulpix was in perfect health and now registered to me, but was still in need of a name. I left the center, and wandered the town a bit, collecting a few more items that had been lost by others, to replace what I myself had lost to the raving horde or Vulpix. As I walked I considered my next options, before I finally found myself at one of the many parks that litter the city.
I place the ball holding Vulpix against my C-Gear, bringing up her information, and quickly type in the name I had just thought of. As a precautionary option, I release Odin and quickly explain what happened. He nods in understanding, so I click the button to release Vulpix into the grass. The red energy quickly forms into the small Vulpix, which looks around sheepishly, wide eyes blinking before it finally looks to me.
"Vul?" It seems to ask.
"I caught you. Accidentally, but I caught you." I explain. "I would like to be friends so I can train you, and help you become strong."
The Vulpix looks at me for a moment before walking over to me and rubbing its cheeks on my leg. I reach down, and lightly pat its head, which she seems to like very much. A few moments after that, and I've picked her up and am holding her in my arms.
"Thank you, Vulpix," I say, giving more pets, before finally setting her down.
"Nido!" Odin says, looking at me crossly.
"Right, sorry buddy. This is Odin, he was my first Pokemon." I explain.
"Vul?" It asks.
I try to puzzle out what it said before it dawns on me. "Oh, his name?" I ask.
The Vulpix nods enthusiastically, so I explain, "That's just what I call him. He's a Nidoran."
"Vulpix!" It exclaims, looking between us.
Thankfully I'm wising up, and immediately figure out what it wants.
"Yes, I have a name for you. I've decided to name you Kurama." I explain. "Kurama was a nine-tailed fox of legend where I come from. It's kinda cliche, but I'll be the first to admit I don't know much about foxes in general."
Vulpix seemed content with that, and after a quick introduction to Prophet, we moved to the real reason we'd stopped at this park. On the far side of the park was a small arena, in which several groups of people were battling. The kid who thrashed me before had mentioned I needed more experience and I couldn't agree more. I made my way over to the small arena, watching the battle currently taking place with rapt attention. Currently, a boy with two Rattata was fighting against another kid with a Pikachu. The Pikachu was level 11, while the two Rattata were level 5. The Pikachu was faster, able to hit both with its electrical attacks, which made it clear this battle would be over soon.
Of course, no sooner had I thought that when the kid had his Pikachu use Swift to knock one out, and a follow up Quick Attack to take down the other. After a quick exchange of money, the Pikachu kid used a potion on his Pokemon, before turning to survey the crowd.
"Anyone else wants a chance to take down Sparky?" He called out.
I looked around to see if anyone else was going to hop in, and when no one reacted I stepped forward myself.
"I'm willing to try," I announce.
"Ah, a new challenger!" He says, smile rather friendly. "Come on into the arena. Is this your first arena battle?"
I nod, moving to take my place on the other side.
"Alright, cool. So, first, we decide how we want to do this. I'm suggesting a 1v1 unless you have two weaker Pokemon you'd like to double up with. On top of that, no Full Heal during the battle." He offers.
"That's fine by me. I'll be using one Pokemon." I reply.
"Interesting. Alright, let's get this done. Go Sparky!" He announces, his Pikachu running from his side into the field.
"Odin, let's go!" I call out, tossing his Pokeball out.
He forms near the center of the Arena, looking around at the new location.
'Come to think of it, it's probably mildly disorienting for Pokemon to pop in and out of locations like that.' I thought, before shaking the thought away.
"Open up with Poison Sting!" I called out, sending Odin into motion.
He jumps forward, horn glinting in the bright sunlight, but misses at the last second as the Pikachu hops out of the way. A burst of electricity slams into Odin, but doesn't chip away too much of his HP. A quickly ordered Double Kick and Odin manages to make his first contact of the battle, both hits knocking a good 10th of the mouse Pokemons HP away.
"Quick Attack Sparky!" The other kid orders.
Odin tries to dodge but the mouse is too fast, slamming it's little head into Odin's side, knocking him to the ground. Odin gets back to his feet and gives off a slight glow showing he is using Focus Energy all on his own.
"Double Kick!" I order again, Odin quickly following suit.
The first kick lands, taking a huge chunk of HP away, the second knocking the Pikachu down to less than thirty percent.
Critical Hit!
"Stop!" The other kid calls out, halting the battle. "I forfeit. That last hit did a lot of damage."
A few of the onlookers applaud as he makes his way over to me, and collects my Trainer ID, transferring a whopping $2000 to me.
"I thought it was only 5% of the total for a sanctioned loss?" I ask, confused by the amount.
"5% is correct. I caught a shiny Voltorb of all things a few months back, and it sold well in the market. I'm running a bit low now, but I've got enough for what I need." He explained. "I'm jake by the way. Your Nidoran is strong. He's probably going to evolve soon."
"Thanks! I'm Billy. Yeah, he's getting strong now. Probably another week or two of training…" I say, closing my C-Gear.
"You'll want to get your first badge before that happens. Some Pokemon that get too strong too quickly will lose faith in their trainer if he or she isn't making progress." Jake says. "Well, I'm off to the center. Thanks for the battle!"
I nod as he runs off, before turning back to the crowd of people.
"So...anyone up for a battle?"
A/N: Third story updated in two weeks? Why yes, yes it is! I'm not saying other authors need to get on my level, but, get on my level! I'm kidding. I go months without updates sometimes. No post shaming!
If you're not paying attention, Dragonball: RPG X has been posted! I am now writing three stories concurrently. Nothing is to be abandoned, nothing should slow down too terribly. This should let me fight writer's block by switching between them, never feeling like I'm oversaturated in one universe.
Review! Join the discord! Buy a T-shirt!(I still don't actually have T-Shirts).
Billy is making some progress but is also held back by a lack of experience. Can he move forward, and prove to himself that he can belong? Or will he fail and end up in Rancher school? Only one way to find out!
Until next time, this is Klldarkness, and this is Pokemon: Nuzlocke!
