~|~|~|~|~|~
With his stock loaded for his journey to the next town, Ethan set off with Eevee, Gale and Weedle back to Route 2. Their aim now was to get some training in before sundown, something that Ethan needed to do in order to win at Pewter City. He wandered around for a while in search of a Pokémon that Weedle could go against, and just then, he spotted a Caterpie scuttling close by. Eevee watched as Ethan pulled Weedle’s pokéball into view, dispersing the critter quickly in front of him. Ethan looked down at Weedle, who looked up at Ethan with noticeable intimidation. Ethan smiled, and patted Weedle’s horn. “Sorry little guy, for catching you like that.” He whispered.
Weedle seemed to feel soothed by Ethan’s calm apology, and wiggled his segmented tail up and down in acceptance. Ethan grinned and returned his attention back to Caterpie. “Right then, Weedle. You see that Caterpie over there?” He asked, pointing so that Weedle knew where to look. “I would like you to battle it. So if you may, use String Shot to immobilise it somewhat. Then move around it and use Poison Sting.”
Weedle scurried into action, snaring Caterpie in the sticky thread and wriggling around to its side and lunged in with its forehead stinger for a great hit. The Caterpie tumbled into the grass, partially concealed by the long grass. Although impressed with Weedle, Ethan did not want to lose focus, and decided to act fast with a different set of commands.
“Good work, but now try to-“
However, before Ethan could make a single order, a String Shot came out from the grass and pinned Weedle down onto its back. Seconds later, Caterpie charged at Weedle, who could not escape the adhesive slop. It looked as though Caterpie would strike its helpless foe, Ethan’s panic faded into a sense of nonchalance. “Use your tail spike to jab Caterpie with Poison Sting!” He called out with a grin. Caterpie was just a stride or two away when Weedle finally reacted, closing its eyes and jolting its tail out with great success, much to its own surprise. The attack not only knocked the bug out, but also stopped its attack cold. “Good work Weedle.” Ethan applauded as he went over to help it, only to see that the battle had strengthened Weedle enough to break free on its own and return to Ethan’s side.
Ethan returned Weedle to his pokéball for the time being, and this time focussed on Gale’s battle experience. First, Ethan pitted Gale against a Rattata, who proved to be tough enough to bounce back and harm the plucky Pidgey as they rushed in at one another, and even anticipate a move to land a second hit. Ultimately, Gale won the match with a well-timed counterattack after Rattata failed to land a decisive third blow. Later on, Ethan found a Weedle whom Gale dispatched easily. With Ethan’s guidance, Gale exploited Weedle’s own string shot to hoist it into the air and deliver a two-hit combo, that last of which being a crippling screw driving tackle into the ground.
After tending to Gale’s wounds with a potion, next to battle was Eevee…
~
Ethan and Eevee searched for a good hour or so with no such luck. They began to wonder if they had scared off the competition, so to speak, and decided to have Gale scan the area from the air. Surely enough the idea proved successful, enabling Ethan to find a pokémon wandering next to a tree just a few hundred yards in front of them. The trio noticed that they were actually very close to the Viridian Forest, evident by the rest house being a mere stone throw away. Unsurprisingly, the pokémon turned out to be a Rattata, Ethan much rather hoping to see a stray Spearow or Nidoran, which usually reside west of Viridian City. Nevertheless, Eevee needed to be ready for facing the Gym in Pewter City.
“Eevee, get its attention with Tail Whip.” Ethan instructed, “Then try to wear Rattata out with some dodges.” Ethan sounded rather confident at this moment; after all, Eevee was as a starter pokémon for a reason. Eevee calmly caught the eye of the Rattata, who attacked to protect itself. Eevee pranced around Rattata’s tackles with a sense of ease, finding evasive action quite exciting. After toying a little longer, however, Rattata managed to land a hit. Ethan quickly changed his instructions to attack. “Now Eevee, I want you to leap into a side roll as it attacks again. It should force it to jump or sweep it off its feet. Use that chance to tackle it from behind.”
Eevee took action with his ears flat back and poised to take down his foe. Bolting forward, the little fox shows no sign of backing down, Rattata looking as equally motivated. Just outside of striking distance, Eevee dropped its body and rolled, catching Rattata unprepared. As a result, Eevee tripped Rattata’s forelimbs. The field rat slammed its chin onto the grass, which graced it with mediocre shock absorption. However, the grace was short-lived, interrupted by a painful strike from behind, Eevee’s speed and agility flowing into an impressive display of power. Rattata tumbled clumsily for a good few yards, in stark contrast to the fluidity that Eevee exuded just seconds earlier.
Eevee had yet to beat his foe, however. The Rattata leapt onto its feet, persistent and proud. It became evident that this pokémon was not going to take as simply as the last time they fought one, but Eevee felt confident. “Eevee, don’t get too cocky.” Ethan warned in a stern tone, “If you can find a chance, tackle it, and then run away to one of the trees. Use Tail Whip so that it follows you.”
Eevee glanced and nodded, but as it looked around, Rattata made its move. Eevee dodged, and tried to counter with Tackle, but Rattata saw through the counter and dodged. The two small pokémon danced around one another’s attacks, each vying for a good position. Eevee found his chance first, quickly charging in with his head down, but the tiny fox tripped on a stone. This allowed Rattata the prime opportunity, ramming into Eevee’s side. Rattata rushed again, but Eevee was barely able to roll out of the line of attack.
With a missed opportunity, and a winding as punishment, Eevee ran towards a tree twirling his fluffy tail. As Rattata followed, Eevee gave a worried look, since Ethan did not give a further instruction. “Just a little more…” Ethan mumbled. A second later, Ethan threw out an instructive finger and yelled, “Springboard Tackle, bounce off the tree!”
Relieved, Eevee jumped at the trunk, looking back before lunging at Rattata, the two of them clattering with some force. Fortunately, Eevee came out on top with Rattata lying on the ground, cross-eyed and completely exhausted. Ethan took out a potion and walked over to Eevee, who felt tired and sore. “Good jump Eevee, well done.” Ethan congratulated, spraying Eevee’s wounds and massaging his joints. “After a little break, we’ll do some more training, okay?” Ethan added, his eyes diverting to the clouded sky above. It was mid afternoon.
~
As mid afternoon wore on, Ethan, Eevee, Weedle and Gale relaxed for a while until Eevee felt refreshed enough to continue. It was not long before Eevee nudged Ethan, who had fallen asleep in the shade of a tree, to signify is readiness to continue training. Snorting as he woke, the young trainer recalled his other pokémon, knowing that a group of pokémon would startle off any potential opponents lurking around in the grass. Ethan wanted to enter Viridian Forest, eager to get closer to Pewter City, but he decided that he would spend at least another couple of days training before he set foot into the natural maze between the two cities, let alone the city lying on the other side of it. Luckily, Ethan saw his chance to train Eevee within minutes.
“Look there, it’s a Caterpie.” Ethan pointed, scouting out the worm pokémon in the tree ahead. Just then, he noticed another pokémon just underneath the tree in the shade, and on closer inspection, realised that it was a Pidgey. Deciding to take on the Pidgey first, he engaged its interest in instructing Eevee to use Tail Whip. Without giving Pidgey to time to attack, Ethan had Eevee charge with Tackle, who managed to knock the Pidgey into the grass with a dampened thud. Pidgey retaliated, surging out of the grass aiming to take revenge on Eevee, who ploughed into the weakened bird again to finish the battle.
As Pidgey scurried off in pain, Ethan stood stunned at how easy the match was; even his furry companion had trouble believing it. “Maybe it is just your Adaptability trait kicking in, Eevee…” Ethan remarked, though a little sceptical at his own assumption. Meanwhile, as they were distracted, Caterpie roused from its peace and began to eye up Eevee. It dive bombed, taking the little fox by surprise and scoring a blow to his back. Angered at the ambush, and for allowing his mind to wander, Ethan snarled. “Eevee, wait for it to attack again, and then use your Tail Whip to trip it up.” He decreed, Eevee responding with a nod and flattening his ears.
Caterpie came confidently, but Eevee had two advantages at this point; experience and a trainer to guide him. Eevee strafed left and swished her tail, causing the Caterpie to tumble and roll. Ethan quickly ordered Eevee to hide in the brush and await further orders from there. This little worm’s gonna see a proper ambush… Ethan thought with a sly grin.
As Eevee hid, Caterpie looked around cautiously, noticing Ethan moving directly opposite where his companion had resided himself. Ethan had aligned himself with the two battling pokémon, shouting to Eevee who listened intently. “Ears back, head down and… Tackle where my voice is coming from!” He bellowed.
Coming out of hiding with considerable speed, the fox drummed into Caterpie, who had become directly between the two. Caterpie took a critical hit, and rolled to a stop next to the tree it initially attacked from; utterly defeated by a single attack. “Wow…” Ethan gasped; once again, Eevee had disposed of another wild pokémon in one hit, making his trainer start to wonder if Ethan overlooked Eevee's Adaptability until now, or maybe they were more coordinated and reacting quicker to one another's actions. By now, the day had dragged into the early evening, and with Eevee feeling empowered by his experiences, he decided to train one last pokémon until dusk had fully emerged. The question was… Whom would he choose?
~
The young trainer contemplated his current situation. He needed to choose whom he trained very carefully, because he had an idea based on how his father stressed the importance of preparation. “Now then, Pewter Gym…” Ethan muttered, sitting down by his ever-affectionate Eevee. He decided to throw off his bag and pulled a thick, leather notebook from one of the side pockets. Slipping the pen from the coil, he began to jot down a mind map of sorts. “So, at the Pewter Gym there are… Let me think… yes, rock types!” He thought aloud, his brain seemed to work more efficiently in this manner.
“Now, given my current pokémon, I can look to win by…” He added, this time halting his sentence to take notes. Ethan stayed somewhat silent throughout, albeit the occasional sigh and grunt breaking the silence. Eevee meanwhile, looked on perplexed. He brought his head to the side of the page, tilting his head from one side to another, utterly confused at what he could see, until finally Ethan slapped at the page with his pen. “Oooo-kay!” Ethan exhaled, “You listening,? Here’s what we’re going to do!”
Eevee looked on expectantly. Suddenly, they heard a weak growl.
“Get some food!”
CLANG!
Eevee dropped onto her face in disbelief; the growl was Ethan’s stomach rumbling.
Ethan laughed awkwardly, “I think we ought to get back anyway, it’ll be dark soon.” He proposed, zipping up his bag. He still had his notepad in his hand, and still had his thoughts on how he would train for his Gym Battle in Pewter City. As they walked, it grew colder as the evening drew in. Eevee sat snugly on his master’s shoulders, pressing his soft fur against Ethan’s cheek. Ethan responded by twiddling his fingers on Eevee’s other cheek, even whilst he stared methodically at his notes. Finding the task of thinking properly problematic, due to his stomach’s constant whining for food, he shoved the notepad into his back pocket. He just wanted to get back to the PokéCentre, rest up his pokémon and eat.
~
Some time passed, and with a full stomach, Ethan decided to mull over his thoughts once more. Much like his first arrival into Viridian, the lights dimly lit the city, gradually getting brighter as the night grew deeper. It had been at least an hour since Ethan got back from Route 2, and he noticed that the automated lights at the front entrance had flickered for quite some time now. His bag laid half-open on the glass table, showing his scarf and jumper, both of which he wore this morning. He shoes were propped neatly beside the long red chair he sat in, and his ball belt drooped over the headrest next to him.
With a coffee in hand, he sipped and brought out his pokédex hoping that he could find some answers. “Right…” He began thinking, careful not to wake his little fox pokémon, who dozed off from all the battling and walking.
“I know that having a grass or water type would make facing Brock easier, but I don’t have that luxury right now. The option I am left with is to train hard, but training all three equally will mean that if Eevee, who stands the best chance of winning, can’t take down either of his Rock Types, we’re done for. If I can train Weedle enough, eventually it will learn Bug Bite. My pokédex tells me that bug attacks are neutral on rock pokémon, but it also tells me that rock attacks are strong against bugs.”
Ethan gulped the last of his coffee and sighed, lying down, placing Eevee on his lap. He placed his arms behind his head, letting them dangle loosely over the armrest. Looking at his peaceful-sounding Eevee, he breathed another sigh. Somehow, he felt more confused than when he began.
“Flapping around pieces of paper and thinking of battle plans so early on is outlandish! I just have to take one day at a time. Yes… I’ll do that for now…” He finished, actually saying his thoughts aloud this time. Soon, he found himself drifting gently off to sleep.
With his stock loaded for his journey to the next town, Ethan set off with Eevee, Gale and Weedle back to Route 2. Their aim now was to get some training in before sundown, something that Ethan needed to do in order to win at Pewter City. He wandered around for a while in search of a Pokémon that Weedle could go against, and just then, he spotted a Caterpie scuttling close by. Eevee watched as Ethan pulled Weedle’s pokéball into view, dispersing the critter quickly in front of him. Ethan looked down at Weedle, who looked up at Ethan with noticeable intimidation. Ethan smiled, and patted Weedle’s horn. “Sorry little guy, for catching you like that.” He whispered.
Weedle seemed to feel soothed by Ethan’s calm apology, and wiggled his segmented tail up and down in acceptance. Ethan grinned and returned his attention back to Caterpie. “Right then, Weedle. You see that Caterpie over there?” He asked, pointing so that Weedle knew where to look. “I would like you to battle it. So if you may, use String Shot to immobilise it somewhat. Then move around it and use Poison Sting.”
Weedle scurried into action, snaring Caterpie in the sticky thread and wriggling around to its side and lunged in with its forehead stinger for a great hit. The Caterpie tumbled into the grass, partially concealed by the long grass. Although impressed with Weedle, Ethan did not want to lose focus, and decided to act fast with a different set of commands.
“Good work, but now try to-“
However, before Ethan could make a single order, a String Shot came out from the grass and pinned Weedle down onto its back. Seconds later, Caterpie charged at Weedle, who could not escape the adhesive slop. It looked as though Caterpie would strike its helpless foe, Ethan’s panic faded into a sense of nonchalance. “Use your tail spike to jab Caterpie with Poison Sting!” He called out with a grin. Caterpie was just a stride or two away when Weedle finally reacted, closing its eyes and jolting its tail out with great success, much to its own surprise. The attack not only knocked the bug out, but also stopped its attack cold. “Good work Weedle.” Ethan applauded as he went over to help it, only to see that the battle had strengthened Weedle enough to break free on its own and return to Ethan’s side.
Ethan returned Weedle to his pokéball for the time being, and this time focussed on Gale’s battle experience. First, Ethan pitted Gale against a Rattata, who proved to be tough enough to bounce back and harm the plucky Pidgey as they rushed in at one another, and even anticipate a move to land a second hit. Ultimately, Gale won the match with a well-timed counterattack after Rattata failed to land a decisive third blow. Later on, Ethan found a Weedle whom Gale dispatched easily. With Ethan’s guidance, Gale exploited Weedle’s own string shot to hoist it into the air and deliver a two-hit combo, that last of which being a crippling screw driving tackle into the ground.
After tending to Gale’s wounds with a potion, next to battle was Eevee…
~
Ethan and Eevee searched for a good hour or so with no such luck. They began to wonder if they had scared off the competition, so to speak, and decided to have Gale scan the area from the air. Surely enough the idea proved successful, enabling Ethan to find a pokémon wandering next to a tree just a few hundred yards in front of them. The trio noticed that they were actually very close to the Viridian Forest, evident by the rest house being a mere stone throw away. Unsurprisingly, the pokémon turned out to be a Rattata, Ethan much rather hoping to see a stray Spearow or Nidoran, which usually reside west of Viridian City. Nevertheless, Eevee needed to be ready for facing the Gym in Pewter City.
“Eevee, get its attention with Tail Whip.” Ethan instructed, “Then try to wear Rattata out with some dodges.” Ethan sounded rather confident at this moment; after all, Eevee was as a starter pokémon for a reason. Eevee calmly caught the eye of the Rattata, who attacked to protect itself. Eevee pranced around Rattata’s tackles with a sense of ease, finding evasive action quite exciting. After toying a little longer, however, Rattata managed to land a hit. Ethan quickly changed his instructions to attack. “Now Eevee, I want you to leap into a side roll as it attacks again. It should force it to jump or sweep it off its feet. Use that chance to tackle it from behind.”
Eevee took action with his ears flat back and poised to take down his foe. Bolting forward, the little fox shows no sign of backing down, Rattata looking as equally motivated. Just outside of striking distance, Eevee dropped its body and rolled, catching Rattata unprepared. As a result, Eevee tripped Rattata’s forelimbs. The field rat slammed its chin onto the grass, which graced it with mediocre shock absorption. However, the grace was short-lived, interrupted by a painful strike from behind, Eevee’s speed and agility flowing into an impressive display of power. Rattata tumbled clumsily for a good few yards, in stark contrast to the fluidity that Eevee exuded just seconds earlier.
Eevee had yet to beat his foe, however. The Rattata leapt onto its feet, persistent and proud. It became evident that this pokémon was not going to take as simply as the last time they fought one, but Eevee felt confident. “Eevee, don’t get too cocky.” Ethan warned in a stern tone, “If you can find a chance, tackle it, and then run away to one of the trees. Use Tail Whip so that it follows you.”
Eevee glanced and nodded, but as it looked around, Rattata made its move. Eevee dodged, and tried to counter with Tackle, but Rattata saw through the counter and dodged. The two small pokémon danced around one another’s attacks, each vying for a good position. Eevee found his chance first, quickly charging in with his head down, but the tiny fox tripped on a stone. This allowed Rattata the prime opportunity, ramming into Eevee’s side. Rattata rushed again, but Eevee was barely able to roll out of the line of attack.
With a missed opportunity, and a winding as punishment, Eevee ran towards a tree twirling his fluffy tail. As Rattata followed, Eevee gave a worried look, since Ethan did not give a further instruction. “Just a little more…” Ethan mumbled. A second later, Ethan threw out an instructive finger and yelled, “Springboard Tackle, bounce off the tree!”
Relieved, Eevee jumped at the trunk, looking back before lunging at Rattata, the two of them clattering with some force. Fortunately, Eevee came out on top with Rattata lying on the ground, cross-eyed and completely exhausted. Ethan took out a potion and walked over to Eevee, who felt tired and sore. “Good jump Eevee, well done.” Ethan congratulated, spraying Eevee’s wounds and massaging his joints. “After a little break, we’ll do some more training, okay?” Ethan added, his eyes diverting to the clouded sky above. It was mid afternoon.
~
As mid afternoon wore on, Ethan, Eevee, Weedle and Gale relaxed for a while until Eevee felt refreshed enough to continue. It was not long before Eevee nudged Ethan, who had fallen asleep in the shade of a tree, to signify is readiness to continue training. Snorting as he woke, the young trainer recalled his other pokémon, knowing that a group of pokémon would startle off any potential opponents lurking around in the grass. Ethan wanted to enter Viridian Forest, eager to get closer to Pewter City, but he decided that he would spend at least another couple of days training before he set foot into the natural maze between the two cities, let alone the city lying on the other side of it. Luckily, Ethan saw his chance to train Eevee within minutes.
“Look there, it’s a Caterpie.” Ethan pointed, scouting out the worm pokémon in the tree ahead. Just then, he noticed another pokémon just underneath the tree in the shade, and on closer inspection, realised that it was a Pidgey. Deciding to take on the Pidgey first, he engaged its interest in instructing Eevee to use Tail Whip. Without giving Pidgey to time to attack, Ethan had Eevee charge with Tackle, who managed to knock the Pidgey into the grass with a dampened thud. Pidgey retaliated, surging out of the grass aiming to take revenge on Eevee, who ploughed into the weakened bird again to finish the battle.
As Pidgey scurried off in pain, Ethan stood stunned at how easy the match was; even his furry companion had trouble believing it. “Maybe it is just your Adaptability trait kicking in, Eevee…” Ethan remarked, though a little sceptical at his own assumption. Meanwhile, as they were distracted, Caterpie roused from its peace and began to eye up Eevee. It dive bombed, taking the little fox by surprise and scoring a blow to his back. Angered at the ambush, and for allowing his mind to wander, Ethan snarled. “Eevee, wait for it to attack again, and then use your Tail Whip to trip it up.” He decreed, Eevee responding with a nod and flattening his ears.
Caterpie came confidently, but Eevee had two advantages at this point; experience and a trainer to guide him. Eevee strafed left and swished her tail, causing the Caterpie to tumble and roll. Ethan quickly ordered Eevee to hide in the brush and await further orders from there. This little worm’s gonna see a proper ambush… Ethan thought with a sly grin.
As Eevee hid, Caterpie looked around cautiously, noticing Ethan moving directly opposite where his companion had resided himself. Ethan had aligned himself with the two battling pokémon, shouting to Eevee who listened intently. “Ears back, head down and… Tackle where my voice is coming from!” He bellowed.
Coming out of hiding with considerable speed, the fox drummed into Caterpie, who had become directly between the two. Caterpie took a critical hit, and rolled to a stop next to the tree it initially attacked from; utterly defeated by a single attack. “Wow…” Ethan gasped; once again, Eevee had disposed of another wild pokémon in one hit, making his trainer start to wonder if Ethan overlooked Eevee's Adaptability until now, or maybe they were more coordinated and reacting quicker to one another's actions. By now, the day had dragged into the early evening, and with Eevee feeling empowered by his experiences, he decided to train one last pokémon until dusk had fully emerged. The question was… Whom would he choose?
~
The young trainer contemplated his current situation. He needed to choose whom he trained very carefully, because he had an idea based on how his father stressed the importance of preparation. “Now then, Pewter Gym…” Ethan muttered, sitting down by his ever-affectionate Eevee. He decided to throw off his bag and pulled a thick, leather notebook from one of the side pockets. Slipping the pen from the coil, he began to jot down a mind map of sorts. “So, at the Pewter Gym there are… Let me think… yes, rock types!” He thought aloud, his brain seemed to work more efficiently in this manner.
“Now, given my current pokémon, I can look to win by…” He added, this time halting his sentence to take notes. Ethan stayed somewhat silent throughout, albeit the occasional sigh and grunt breaking the silence. Eevee meanwhile, looked on perplexed. He brought his head to the side of the page, tilting his head from one side to another, utterly confused at what he could see, until finally Ethan slapped at the page with his pen. “Oooo-kay!” Ethan exhaled, “You listening,? Here’s what we’re going to do!”
Eevee looked on expectantly. Suddenly, they heard a weak growl.
“Get some food!”
CLANG!
Eevee dropped onto her face in disbelief; the growl was Ethan’s stomach rumbling.
Ethan laughed awkwardly, “I think we ought to get back anyway, it’ll be dark soon.” He proposed, zipping up his bag. He still had his notepad in his hand, and still had his thoughts on how he would train for his Gym Battle in Pewter City. As they walked, it grew colder as the evening drew in. Eevee sat snugly on his master’s shoulders, pressing his soft fur against Ethan’s cheek. Ethan responded by twiddling his fingers on Eevee’s other cheek, even whilst he stared methodically at his notes. Finding the task of thinking properly problematic, due to his stomach’s constant whining for food, he shoved the notepad into his back pocket. He just wanted to get back to the PokéCentre, rest up his pokémon and eat.
~
Some time passed, and with a full stomach, Ethan decided to mull over his thoughts once more. Much like his first arrival into Viridian, the lights dimly lit the city, gradually getting brighter as the night grew deeper. It had been at least an hour since Ethan got back from Route 2, and he noticed that the automated lights at the front entrance had flickered for quite some time now. His bag laid half-open on the glass table, showing his scarf and jumper, both of which he wore this morning. He shoes were propped neatly beside the long red chair he sat in, and his ball belt drooped over the headrest next to him.
With a coffee in hand, he sipped and brought out his pokédex hoping that he could find some answers. “Right…” He began thinking, careful not to wake his little fox pokémon, who dozed off from all the battling and walking.
“I know that having a grass or water type would make facing Brock easier, but I don’t have that luxury right now. The option I am left with is to train hard, but training all three equally will mean that if Eevee, who stands the best chance of winning, can’t take down either of his Rock Types, we’re done for. If I can train Weedle enough, eventually it will learn Bug Bite. My pokédex tells me that bug attacks are neutral on rock pokémon, but it also tells me that rock attacks are strong against bugs.”
Ethan gulped the last of his coffee and sighed, lying down, placing Eevee on his lap. He placed his arms behind his head, letting them dangle loosely over the armrest. Looking at his peaceful-sounding Eevee, he breathed another sigh. Somehow, he felt more confused than when he began.
“Flapping around pieces of paper and thinking of battle plans so early on is outlandish! I just have to take one day at a time. Yes… I’ll do that for now…” He finished, actually saying his thoughts aloud this time. Soon, he found himself drifting gently off to sleep.
