Part 9: Taming Tempers
It was a mild afternoon and we had decided to stop in a large clearing in the middle of Route 5. It was spacious and open aired, unlike the looming trees of Viridian Forest. Short wooden stumps were scattered throughout the place, dotted around a shallow lake in the centre.
A couple of days had passed since my gym battle with the Sensational Sisters and I had a lot of things to consider as we slowly made our way to Saffron City. I was not in a rush to get my third badge. The Cascade Badge was well won and showed that my pokemon had the fighting spirit. But I could not help but feel that I lucked out on more than a few occasions.
First of all, Toto had used an ability I did not know he had. To be honest I hardly knew anything about pokemon abilities. This is something that could be of vital importance in the future. Then there was Peeks...
My Pikachu had somehow managed to take down a part ground type using a move that even my pokedex could not analyse. It was almost as if Peeks new surf. But I’m sure that that was impossible, given his electric typing.
After these reflections on my last gym battle, Salvadore and Aly agreed that it would be best if we took a day to train all our pokemon together... after a quick lunch of course!
‘Mmm! These rice balls are delicious!’, exclaimed Aly with her mouth full as she reached out for a fourth helping. She was right. Salvadore sure knew how to cook and his rice balls were accompanied by his own delicious soy and ginger sauce.
‘I’m glad you like it’, he smiled back at her and then proceeded to dish out his special food to our pokemon. Toto, Peeks and Mia shared the same bowl of food while Hope ate from her own personal dish. She was very picky when it came to food but Salvadore always seemed to muster up something that she found particularly tasty. It was all part of his training to become a pokemon breeder to know this stuff.
Salvadore let his pokemon out of their pokeballs too. Clefairy ate contently with my pokemon, although it was obvious that she was still a bit nervous of them. Aerodactyl and Geodude were sprawling beneath the shade of a nearby tree, enjoying the gentle breeze that whistled through the trees. Salvadore had decided to leave his Sudowoodo with his father, back in Pewter City Gym so that Flint could take gym challenges immediately. It was a shame really. That Sudowoodo could have really helped us out in training, but it was for the best.
‘Now don’t eat your food too fast’, Aly warned her Dratini in a soft voice as she gave her pokemon a piece of her rice ball. Dratini really enjoyed Salvadore’s cooking given her happy smile.
I was sitting next to Aly on a wooden stump, a rice ball in my left hand and Lanette’s egg in my right, balancing it on my lap as I ate. I wondered what pokemon was in slumber within the egg. There had been no sounds or movements as of yet. I reflected back on what Lanette had said, her words briefly coming into my thoughts... ‘The trainer does not always chose the pokemon!’ … I looked over at my pokemon, in particular Peeks and Mia who made their own decision to travel with me. Perhaps there was something to what she said.
Multiple thoughts of my adventures to date floated around my head. Thinking back on everything, my journey, my pokemon, my friends; I was the luckiest person on earth. I ate my rice balls contently before we began our training.
* * *
After lunch and an hour to digest the food our intense training session began. We decided that it would be best to integrate our training. Salvadore ordered Aerodactyl to blitz through the air with his wings open. The task was for Hope and Dratini to dodge the attacks, closely watched by the breeder in case the attacks became too intense. Aly minded the pokemon egg and watched over Mia and Clefairy who were practicing their physical moves against Geodude. The rock shaped pokemon blocked and absorbed their attacks, strengthening his defense. I used the shallow loch in the middle of the clearing to my advantage. I ordered Toto to jump in and out of the water, shooting targets that I marked on nearby trees. I was also encouraging Peeks to use that surf attack again... but it wasn’t working.
‘Peeks, can’t you remember how you did that awesome surf attack?’, I asked pleadingly but the peak eared pikachu simply shook his head. His eyes were the regular dark black colour, unlike the ocean blue eyes he had in Cerulean Gym. Perhaps he would only be able to use that attack in a time of great need. Perhaps Peeks would never use that attack again. I was disappointed but it was not his fault. Instead, I suggested that he practiced his speed with Dratini and Hope.
I sat down by the water and thought for a moment. This thought process was short lived by a rustle in the thicket of grass behind me. I jumped up and spun around to see a pokemon’s red glare eyes stare up at me. I knew this pokemon from a previous encounter but it was a lot smaller. There was a familiar scent of fresh berries. It was a bulbasaur!
I remembered my battle with Tammie and her bulbasaur which she had received as her starter pokemon. Her Bulbasaur was a lot bigger than this one but size didn’t matter to me. It was a strong pokemon by nature and bulbasaur were said to be rare in the wild. I had to capture it!
I grabbed a spare pokeball from my belt but then remembered that I needed to weaken it. I turned to recruit one of my pokemon for the battle but the bulbasaur most have noticed my intentions and began to run back into the trees. Without much thought I beckoned Toto to retire early from his training and follow me.
‘Watch over my pokemon!’, I yelled over at a confused Aly and ran after the wild Bulbasaur. I didn’t even give the dragon trainer a chance to respond. It was extremely inconsiderate of me to abandon my friends like that but I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity. I needed to catch as much pokemon as I could to make my team stronger.
The chase didn’t last for long. It was only a couple of minutes before the wild Bulbasaur began to tire. It backed up against an aged tree, frightened yet willing to battle.
-Bulba!-
Bulbasaur yelled out a battle cry with a slight tremble of fear in its voice. It was willing to challenge us and test me as a trainer.
‘Lets go, Toto! I know you can do this!’, I encouraged my Totodile. He hopped on the spot, readying himself for battle. ‘Use bite!’ On my command Toto sprung forward and bit hard on Bulbasaur’s seed. Bulbasaur squealed in pain but responded with a vine whip attack, striking my Totodile with a super effective attack on the cheek. Toto released the wild Bulbasaur and stumbled back in pain.
The seed pokemon rebelled and used a razor leaf attack. Toto danced around the leaves, managing to avoid them all. He looked tired, but so did the inexperienced Bulbasaur. All of Toto’s training must have worn his stamina. This was going to be a close finish.
‘Great job, Toto! Just a little more. Finish this off with ice fang!’, I encouraged my pokemon to give it his all. Toto’s teeth elongated and turned an icy blue colour. He then sprang towards the Bulbasaur and made contact, sinking his frozen fangs into the grass pokemon’s side. Bulbasaur cried out even louder than the last. Now was the perfect time.
I pressed the middle button on my free pokeball, preparing it. ‘Go! Pokeball!’, I yelled as I threw it towards the helpless Bulbasaur.
My pokeball landed beside Bulbasaur and a red beam of light and sucked the pokemon inside. I watched on nervously as the pokeball shook on the spot. The pokeball twitched a third time and echoed a beep. I stared in silence for a moment and then bent over and claimed my pokemon.
I caught a Bulbasaur!
‘Well Toto, what do ya think?’, I asked my pokemon as I held up my pokeball for a closer inspection. Toto danced happily on the spot.
I stood and pondered for a moment of what I would call the pokemon. I liked to personally name all my pokemon as a sign of our friendship and adventures together. As I searched my thoughts a strong fruity aroma drifted from the pokeball, enchanting my sense of smell. A name came to mind but I decided to summon my bulbasaur first and try to bond with it a bit.
Bulbasaur looked up at me with her soft, yet tired eyes.
‘Sorry for going rough on you’, I apologise to my new pokemon, ‘But I’m glad you're a part of the team now! Also, would it be ok if I called you Beri? Even your pokeball smells like berries.’
Beri nodded contently and then wiggled the seed on her back. A swirl of fruity pollen drifted from the bulb and freshened the air. I guess she liked the name?
‘That’s great, Beri!’, I exclaimed, ‘Welcome to the team! Here, take a long deserved rest.’ I held out her pokeball and withdrew her inside. I was overcome with a feeling of accomplishment. I now had five pokemon at my side, another small step towards becoming a pokemon master.
I knelt down a gently picked up Toto. ‘Thanks for sticking with me, buddy. I would have never made it this far without you!’. Toto nuzzled my shoulder as I hugged my oldest pokemon. I meant every word of what I said.
Our moment was quickly interrupted by a loud bang. Possibly an explosion. It came definingly from the direction where Aly, Salvadore and our pokemon had been training. Maybe they were in trouble or under attack? Without delay I recalled Toto and sprinted back in the direction from where I came. I was now concerned, anxious. What happened? After a couple of minutes I could soon see rays of light beaming through the clearing ahead.
I ran out of the trees and into the clearing, frantically observing the area. Aly, Salvadore and my pokemon were all there, unharmed. I then noticed another person facing Aly, a girl around our age with a pokemon that I did not recognised. As I walked closer I saw Dratini hovering weakly in front of Aly, panting heavily. Salvadore was standing between them, but closer to the lakes edge. The pokemon egg lay at his feat. It all made sense now. Aly and the other girl were having a battle!
The mysterious girl stood out in a black leather jacket and jeans. She wore a red neckerchief in a similar style to Aly’s. She looked focused yet confident, contrasting Aly’s flustered expression.
As I approached the two girls stopped their battle and stared at my curious observations.
‘Hey! Can’t you see we’re in the middle of something!?’, yelled the newcomer. I backed away slowly, not sure how to respond.
‘Back off, Leigh! This is between you and me!’, barked Aly. The two girls glared at each other, gritting their teeth.
‘Fine! Lets finish this, Bagon!’, Leigh commanded her pokemon. Her pokemon roared in confidence, still looking strong.
A Bagon? I had never heard of this pokemon before so I decided to check my Dex:
Bagon, the rock head pokemon. This dragon type pokemon fights with its rock-hard head until it develops wings through evolution.
Woah! A dragon type? I knew dragon types were rare and powerful pokemon. This battle would be interesting!
‘Bagon, use dragon breathe!’, ordered Leigh. The Bagon took a deep breath and exhaled a blast of blue flames. Aly pleaded the weary Dratini to avoid it but she was too weakened to move fast enough. Dratini squealed in pain as she was engulfed by the dancing blue flames. As the attack left its final mark on the helpless dragon Dratini dropped to the floor, fainted.
‘Dratini is unable to battle. This match goes to Bagon!’, announced an indifferent Salvadore as he refereed the match fairly.
‘Dratini!’, Aly cried out as she ran over to cradle her injured pokemon, ‘I’m so sorry. Here, take a good rest’, she held out her pokeball and withdrew Dratini inside.
‘Good job, Bagon!’, Leigh congratulated her dragon. She then looked over at Aly who was slowly raising herself off the ground, ‘I must admit that you take good care of your Dratini, but if you ever want to become a dragon master like my brother then you’ll have to do a lot better than that!’
Aly scowled at her words and clenched her fist. I had seen her get angry on occasions but nothing compared to how she was now.
‘So, want to make this the best of three or are you gonna admit defeat?’, beckoned Leigh.
Aly stared at the ground. Her face was red and flustered and her eyes seemed on the brink of tears. She bit her lip for a moment and thought hard. She then looked up at Leigh and exhaled deeply, ‘We’re never going to give up!’, she said sternly and then bent down to her backpack and began to search frantically through it. She pulled out a pokeball and stood up once more. I thought Dratini was her only pokemon. We watched curiously to see what pokemon was inside.
‘You still wanna battle? Fine! But at least make this worth my while!’, said Leigh with a bored expression.
Aly gritted her teeth and then stared at her pokeball. ‘Look, I know we haven’t got on in the past but I’m begging you, please help me just this once!’
I was confused at her pep talk but I was not prepared for what she was about to summon.
Aly threw her pokemon with conviction and from the pokeball came a pokemon that looked fierce and somewhat familiar. It was like a red scaled lizard with razor sharp claws and a bright red flame, burning at the end of its tail. I decided to check my Dex:
Charmeleon, the flame pokemon and the evolved form of Charmander. Charmeleon is hot headed by nature and only calms down after it has defeated its opponent.
I knew it seemed familiar. I remembered reading up on the starter pokemon given to trainers for their journey. Charmander was one of these pokemon, but this Charmeleon looked a lot tougher and stronger than the baby faced fire starter.
‘Charmeleon, we have to win this one!’, Aly tried to yell words of motivation but the Charmeleon seemed uninterested. It blew a snobbing flame through its nostrils and crossed its arms in ignorance. Aly gasped at her pokemon’s behaviour.
‘Using a pokemon that won’t even listen to you? This will be a sinch. Go, Bagon! Headbutt!’, jeered Leigh as Bagon soared towards Charmeleon with its head tucked in.
Charmeleon wasn’t even paying attention to the small dragon until it struck the obnoxious lizard in the stomach, sending it tumbling backwards.
Leigh and her Bagon punched the air in celebration but their victory was short lived. Charmeleon picked itself up from the ground, its eyes burning a bright as the flame on its tail, burning for revenge.
‘Ready to fight now?’, Aly grunted at her pokemon.
-Chaaaaaar-
It hissed and tensed its muscles.
‘Finally!’, exasperated Aly, ‘Ok, lets try an ember-’. Aly did not get a chance to finish her command. Charmeleon charged recklessly at the surprised Bagon. The fire lizard swang its arms violently, hacking away at Bagon. The baby dragon tried to dodge the relentless attack but Charmeleon was too fast and too strong. I had slight admiration for Charmeleon’s strength but this pokemon was way out of line. Suddenly, Charmeleon spun around and whipped the Bagon with its flaming tail, knocking Bagon off its feet and flat out onto its back, fainted.
Aly and Leigh stood there in shock.
After a moment Salvadore spoke out, slightly hesitant, ‘Ehh... Bagon is unable to battle. Charmeleon wins!’
Normally, a trainer would be happy with their victory and complement their pokemon on their battle. But Aly was looking on at her Charmeleon, embarrassed... ashamed. Charmeleon was exhaling bouts of flames into the sky boasting its victory.
Leigh thanked her Bagon for giving its best in battle and returned the dragon to its pokeball.
‘This match stands at one win for each trainer’, stated Salvadore, ‘The next fight will determine who will-’
‘Forget it’, interrupted Leigh abruptly, ‘Let’s call this match a draw. There’s no point in us battling when you can’t even control your own pokemon!’
Aly hung her head and sniffed, hit hard by Leigh’s cold words.
‘Anyways, I’m off!’, Leigh stated, ‘Seems we still have a bit of training to do. We’ll battle again sometime, Aly. When you control that... thing... Thank you for adjudicating our match, Salvadore. And see you around...whoever you are?’, Leigh shot me a strange look.
‘Eeh... Robin...’, I trailled, but she had began to walk out of the clearing and eventually out of sight.
I walked over to Aly who was still staring at the ground, disappointed with herself.
‘Hey, are you ok?’, I asked softly.
She raised her head, biting her lip.
‘Who was that?’ I did not want to upset her any further but I was very curious. I could tell there was some history there.
‘That was Leigh’, Aly whispered, ‘She’s my cousin and Lance’s younger sister. She’s also training to become a dragon master, following in his footsteps. We have been competitive at everything since we were babies’.
I knew how competitive people could be, especially when it came to a pokemon rivalry. Kiwi and I were always trying to outdo the other at everything, but nothing compared to a rivalry of this intensity.
‘Just keep giving it your all!’, encouraged Salvadore with a soft smile.
Aly smiled weakly at his words.
‘And what happened to you that you had to run off in a rush?’, the breeder questioned me.
‘Oh yeah!’, I exclaimed remembering my recent capture. I took out Beri’s pokeball and called her out to greet everyone, ‘Everybody, meet my new pokemon and friend, Beri! She can get nervous sometimes but I think we’ll all get along just fine.’
Aly instantly perked up at the site of my bulbasaur who emitted a soft aroma of berries.
‘Oh my God! She’s adorable!’, she said in awe and bent down to pet her.For a moment Beri backed away nervously but then saw that Aly meant no harm and gladly accepted her gentle hand.
All our other pokemon came over to greet our new friend. Hope landed on my shoulder and I patted her on the head. Peeks seemed really enthusiastic about making a new friend. It was nice to see that they all got along. The peace and harmony was cut short, however, by Charmeleon’s roars. It didn’t like the way Beri was getting all the attention and angrily stormed over.
Beri looked up at the fire lizard and with a kind smile, offered an extended vine as a greeting. Charmeleon looked grumpily at the welcoming vine before snorting out a quick flame from its nostrils. Beri withdrew her vine, frightened and started to cry.
Peeks jumped in front of Beri, defending his new friend. Threatening sparks crackled across his red cheeks.
‘What do you think you are doing!’, Aly snapped at her Charmeleon, ‘You could have really hurt poor, Beri. Get back in your pokeball right now!’
Charmeleon gave another grunt before reluctantly returning to its pokeball.
‘I’m sorry’, Aly apologised to my Bulbasaur. I picked up Beri and cradled her in my arms. She rested her head along my reassuring arms. The smell of berries was not as intense as it had previously been.
I decided that since all of my pokemon were out of their pokeballs, that now would be a good a time as ever to give them a small pep talk. ‘Ok, listen up guys. It was great that we were able to get in some training today, but we should be facing the gym leader of Saffron City within the next few days. I want you to give it your all and I promise I will do my best as a trainer, no matter what the circumstances. Are all of you ready to give it your best shot!?’
All my pokemon cheered in agreement. Even Aerodactyl, Clefairy and Geodude let out their own battle cries, spurring us on.
‘My pokemon and I are behind you all the way, Robin!’, said Salvadore smiling cooly.
‘And I guess I’ll have to keep an eye on you both!’, joked Aly with a wink.
The three of us laughed, knowing that we’d inevitably face difficult circumstances in the future. That’s what life is all about. But knowing that we would face these challenges together reassured us that we would take on whatever life threw at us!