~|~|~|~|~|~
Viridian City looked great at night, the gleaming lampposts fill the air with a fabulous glow, and spots of light dotted evenly along the street. It was not quite dark yet, but it was very fast approaching. Ethan and Eevee decided that this town was a great place to walk around, and they both set off leisurely around it. The two inhaled the air that surrounded this place; the cool almost frosty air seemed rather soothing. Ethan was surprised to see how large some of the complexes of Viridian actually were, though; his first home of Olivine was quite small in comparison with Pallet being even smaller still.
An hour later, night fell and halted the duo's stroll. They knew that there was a curfew soon, and decided to find the Pokémon Centre. Ethan and Eevee came across the Viridian Gym partway through their trek. At this time of evening, Ethan knew the Gym would be locked and uninhabited, but he wanted to check just to feed their curiosity. Ethan tried the door, which was firmly locked. "No luck with that" He mumbled to Eevee and went to walk away, but then he noticed a small piece of paper tacked up against the windowpane on the inside.
'This Gym is closed until further notice. The Leader is currently away for an undisclosed amount of time. We apologise for the inconvenience.'
"Shoot!" Ethan growled, kicking a stone at the door, "Now I have to travel some more before testing your strength, Eevee. Go figure!"
Soon they came upon the glistening glow of Viridian City PokéCentre, almost five minutes south of the Gym. Eevee and Ethan darted in, closing the large doors behind them. It was not as late as they thought, only around 8pm, but still... it was later than Ethan had ever been out before when darkness fell. Ethan and Eevee walked up to the receptionist, a happy looking Nurse Joy.
"Why, hello there!" Joy welcomed, smile widening warmly, "Can I help you?"
"Well, yes please Nurse Joy." Ethan replied politely, "Can you take a look at Eevee and Pidgey for me?"
"Certainly!" She answered, holding out a ball rack. Ethan looked down at Eevee, holding the ball that came with him. Eevee stared at the ball cautiously, before fiercely shaking his head and flicking it out of Ethan's hand. Stunned, Ethan left his hand open for a moment, but soon understood, picking up the fallen ball and repositioning it within his ball belt.
"Eevee hates his pokéball. Is there any way you can treat them both outside of their pokéballs?" Ethan asked. Nurse Joy nodded, and put the rack away. Ethan called out Pidgey, who perched on his left shoulder. Eevee leapt up onto his right shoulder, and both hopped onto the counter by his request.
"Okay, they will need an hour or so. Please, feel free to enjoy the Centre's facilities." Joy said as she took Pidgey and Eevee out the back. Ethan thanked her and turned around, scanning the area for something to do. Suddenly his eyes fell upon the phones and he remembered two people, Oak and his mom.
*I'll call Oak... mom will be busy right now...* Ethan thought to himself, walking towards the videophone.
~
The phone rang for a long while, each resounding tune making Ethan ever more impatient. However just as Ethan reached over to press the call-ending dial, Professor Oak picked up. “Hello there Ethan, sorry to keep you waiting that long, my stew fell over the floor and I took a rather nasty fall.” He said with a smile, a hand rubbing rather embarrassingly on the side of his swollen head. After hearing Oak’s reason for this delay, Ethan lost all impatience completely and brought his hand down. “No, no. That is fine, Professor. It was probably my fault anyway.” Ethan replied guiltily.
“Well, these things happen don’t they? You didn’t know that I was about to eat, and I am partly to blame for rushing with hot liquid.” He stated comfortingly, making Ethan feel a little better. After a short paused, Oak added, “So, I take it the reason you called was because you arrived in Viridian City?”
“That’s right, Professor. I got here about an hour ago.” Ethan remarked. Oak thought for a moment, “Hmmm, very impressive indeed. You must have jogged for the most part, since it takes the average trainer two afternoons to walk. The only one to get there that quickly has ever been my grandson and Ash… And they had some form of transport.” He sighed, thinking back to the days of when those two started their journey. Ethan gasped. He had not realised that it was a far away place to travel to on foot; he had taken some short cut footpaths that he found as a boy with his father, but never did he realise that the longer way took that long.
“Anyway…” Oak said, snapping the two out of their respective trances. “I hope you found the time to catch a few pokémon and train with them.” He added. Ethan nodded, “Yes, I caught a Pidgey and fought two pokémon without attempting to catch them.”
“Ah, that is very good. Be sure to catch more, there is nothing better than a great collection of pokémon for you to have.” Oak stated, jubilant to hear of Ethan’s first successful attempt. Suddenly, the old researcher’s divert to the bowl of stew, and a loud grumble of his stomach followed. Ethan laughed, but abruptly stopped as his stomach grumbled almost in response. The pair burst into a fit of laughter, Ethan tried to make a sentence through his laughter, but his words only accompanied the symphony of giggles. Finally, the laughter died down seconds later, “That reminds me that I didn’t eat a thing whilst I was on my way here.” Ethan proclaimed, patting his stomach. “I’ll talk soon professor, until then good luck with your research!”
Oak took a tasty mouthful of stew and waved, mumbling something Ethan could only muster as ‘good luck’ before the video call ended. Ethan stood up, staring at the cafeteria in the far corner of the pokémon centre. He wondered over eyeing the tasty pasta with meatballs, and then stared lovingly at the deliciously inviting chocolate gateaux. Ethan grabbed a tray and a couple of plates, and then proceeded to place a large portion of the two dishes he had been drooling over onto them. Ethan quickly seized a stray meatball from the steel tray, savouring the gorgeous meaty morsel as it danced around in his mouth.
To Ethan’s surprise, he realised that the first meal was free for new trainers, but resisted his vicarious urge to add more to his plates. He had more than enough, but decided to take advantage by getting two small plates of pasta for his Eevee and Pidgey. Once he had finished, he strolled back over to the videophone, placing the food just in front of the screen. Ethan then dialled a familiar number. “Oh this is a surprise, hi Danny.” Clare excitedly answered, waving frantically. “You are in Viridian City already, that’s great. Can I see your pokémon?”
“Not now mom, they are being treated at the moment.” Ethan replied, “Pidgey had a close call, and Eevee just needs a slight check-up. It shouldn’t be long now though…” He added, seeing his mother’s concerned look. Just then, Eevee called out from the front desk. Ethan quickly rushed over and collected his pokémon, who climbed on his shoulders, and hurried back to the phone. “Here they are mom!” He chimed.
“Oh how lovely… so cute they are!” Clare responded with glee. “Have you named them yet?”
Ethan frowned, he never thought of giving his pokémon a nickname. “No.” He answered, looking quizzically at his two companions. “Although…” He added, “I do have a name for Pidgey, now that you mention it. If you like the name, Pidgey, I’ll call you Gale”. Pidgey cooed favourably to the name, rubbing its sleek beak on Ethan’s cheek. His mother smiled proudly, “You have your father’s way with pokémon… Well, I just realised that you should be getting ready to go to bed, and you probably forgot to eat something. I’ll leave you with my love, honey, good night!”
“Good night mom!” he said, just as the screen went blank. Ethan then turned his attention to the food on the tray. He gave the two plates of pasta on the floor, gesturing his partners to eat. Once they had started, Ethan pulled out a fork from his bag and ate his food with pleasure. Completely satisfied, he took the plates over to the cafeteria and paid compliments to the chef, returning to hear Nurse Joy’s curfew announcement.
The lights turned off and the shutters closed at 10pm, and all trainers began to fumble around the darkness, finding a spot to lay their sleeping bags. Ethan also did this, pulling his sleeping bag and pillow out of his backpack, clumsily sending half of his metal pans and camping equipment to the ground with a crash. Ethan recalled Pidgey, and after taking off his shirt, belt and shorts, climbed into his cosy makeshift duvet cover, which he had placed over the long, roomy sofa much like some of the other trainers had around him. There, he and Eevee slept soundly.
~
The bright morning Sun rose welcomingly, the haze from the rising vapour seemed to linger a little, creating a rather foggy morning. It was a cold night, and as one of the first to wake, Ethan felt rather relieved to have gotten to the shelter of the pokémon centre once he laid eyes on the mist. Nevertheless, he decided that he wanted to wander, keen to do some more exploring instead of staying within the cosy confines of the crowded centre. Not long after Ethan awoke, Eevee too had stirred from his quite eventful slumber, half the night spent kicking out in running motions. Ethan kneeled, petting the fox’s head, before the twosome opened the doors to the PokéCentre. Ethan adorned himself in a rather thick purple sweatshirt, and wore thick socks, knowing that he would need them on until late morning at least.
Navigating through mist proved troublesome, he spent part of the morning walking in complete circles, heading to the route 1 stretch of path before realising his mistake on numerous occasions. “Alright Eevee, I don’t think we’re making much headway in this fog…” Ethan muttered embarrassingly. Eevee just stared up at his partner with a look that plainly exclaimed, We? I’m just following you! Ethan’s face washed to a violet that rivalled the hue of his shirt, “Fine… I don’t think I’m making much headway…” He sighed, Eevee nodding with a short yap of acknowledgment. Before long, the fog had just cleared enough for him to find his way safer, and crucially, much easier to the end of town and into Route 2. “That wasn’t so bad now, was it Eevee?” He joked.
~
It was now mid morning; the fog that lingered an hour and a half ago had completely disappeared, giving the duo better visibility than before. Ethan and Eevee surveyed the surrounding trees, trekking through grass patches that virtually overgrew the little fox by Ethan’s side. A new pokémon, a passing trainer, anything that would give Ethan and his team a new challenge would have been greatly welcomed. Just then, in one of the trees, Ethan laid eyes upon a Weedle. Ethan flicked out his pokédex to get more information on it before he jumped into battle.
*Ding! Weedle… the hairy bug pokémon. This pokémon consumes its own weight in leaves each day, and found usually in grasslands and forests. It has a two-inch stinger on its forehead that can inject poison.*
Ethan thought for a moment, debating whether Pidgey or Eevee should battle. Either way, he had to make sure that they did not become intoxicated. Eevee stood ready and eager to fight, but Ethan shook his head. “Eevee, stand back on this one. I don’t want to risk you walking around in a poisoned state…” He explained, care and concern in his tone. Eevee understood, retreating to Ethan’s side. Ethan whipped Gale’s pokéball from the clip on his belt and enlarged it, throwing the red and white ball high into the air. In a burst of light, Gale emerged, soaring higher as the ball descending into Ethan’s grasp. The young trainer proceeded to instruct is airborne ally.
“Gale, soar down and get Weedle’s attention with Tackle, then fly straight up in the air. You should be okay since it hasn’t spotted you yet.”
Gale screeched ominously towards her target, instinctively adjusting her angle slightly for more speed. Gale refrained from ploughing Weedle with her beak, instead, hurtling the bug from its resting place on the trunk. Startled but angered, Weedle retaliated with Poison Sting, but Gale’s agile ascent left the attack without a target. Weedle then ejected a thin, viscous fibre from its red proboscis, latching around Gale’s foot and bringing her down towards a direct hit upon Weedle’s poisonous barb. Ethan stood dumbfounded, frozen by sheer surprise. “Are you okay Gale?” He bellowed, the only think he could think of at that moment. Gale winced as she rose to her feet, but not giving an answer. Ethan noticed that the fibre still had hold of Gale’s foot, and Weedle’s impending onslaught. Suddenly, he had a plan.
“We need to finish this now, Gale! Fly up and swing Weedle into that tree over there!” He announced frantically, pointing to a tree twenty-two yards ahead. Gale responded quickly, hoisting the Weedle into the air via the stringy substance attached to Gale’s foot. The plucky bird then circled around a few times, before swinging Weedle fervently into the tree. Though not entirely beaten, Ethan saw his chance to finish this battle with a convenient alternative, and by pulling an empty pokéball from his belt, it became clear that he intended on catching it.
As Weedle struggled to shake the pain, Ethan ran close enough to launch the capsule from his fingertips. It swung sweetly onto Weedle’s side and sucked the bug inside. The ball relentlessly wriggled for a good second or two, until...
Click! The pokéball stopped rustling, the sign that Weedle had been capture successfully. “Brilliant work, Gale,” Ethan joyously cried in praise, walking over to the ball and holding an arm out for his Pidgey to rest on. Gale propped herself down, affectionately stroking the side of her beak around Ethan’s cheek. Ethan picked up the ball and scanned it with his pokédex, then returned Gale to her ball and scanned her condition inside, remembering the risk of poisoning. Thankfully, Gale did not receive any dose of Weedle’s toxins during the fight, but before lunchtime, Ethan decided to head back to Viridian to buy supplies.
~
Now that Ethan was back in Viridian City, the only thing he could think about was obtaining items for his quest. His father had once told him that if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. The novice explorer counted his blessings this time. He stopped off at the Pokémon Centre first, “Back again are we?” was the reply as Nurse Joy laid eyes on Ethan and his cute fox. “Yes, only this might be the last time you see me of a while…” He responded, glancing out of the window to the PokéMart.
“So I am guessing you’ll want me to heal your pokémon while you buy your essentials…” Joy pulled out a dimpled tray, “They will be ready for when you return.”
“Thanks, here are the pokéballs of Pidgey and my new Weedle; Eevee did not battle while we were out, so he doesn’t need to be seen to.” Ethan stated, handing Joy his fatigued pokémon. He waved goodbye and headed out to the PokéMart. It was only a short walk, a minute or two at least, so he leisurely strolled along. It was much clearer than before, and the warmth of the Sun heightened his spirits.
Ethan quickly acquired some items from the store clerk, who promptly brought back six potions and three antidotes. Ethan gave him the necessary funds and packed them into his backpack, held open by Eevee. Just as the two arrived back to the Pokémon Centre, Gale and Weedle had rested up completely. “Wow, fast work Nurse Joy!” Ethan gasped, before noticing that he was slightly longer than first thought. Joy laughed sweetly, returning the pokémon to Ethan’s pokéballs, and then waved as he left.
~|~|~|~|~|~
Viridian City looked great at night, the gleaming lampposts fill the air with a fabulous glow, and spots of light dotted evenly along the street. It was not quite dark yet, but it was very fast approaching. Ethan and Eevee decided that this town was a great place to walk around, and they both set off leisurely around it. The two inhaled the air that surrounded this place; the cool almost frosty air seemed rather soothing. Ethan was surprised to see how large some of the complexes of Viridian actually were, though; his first home of Olivine was quite small in comparison with Pallet being even smaller still.
An hour later, night fell and halted the duo's stroll. They knew that there was a curfew soon, and decided to find the Pokémon Centre. Ethan and Eevee came across the Viridian Gym partway through their trek. At this time of evening, Ethan knew the Gym would be locked and uninhabited, but he wanted to check just to feed their curiosity. Ethan tried the door, which was firmly locked. "No luck with that" He mumbled to Eevee and went to walk away, but then he noticed a small piece of paper tacked up against the windowpane on the inside.
'This Gym is closed until further notice. The Leader is currently away for an undisclosed amount of time. We apologise for the inconvenience.'
"Shoot!" Ethan growled, kicking a stone at the door, "Now I have to travel some more before testing your strength, Eevee. Go figure!"
Soon they came upon the glistening glow of Viridian City PokéCentre, almost five minutes south of the Gym. Eevee and Ethan darted in, closing the large doors behind them. It was not as late as they thought, only around 8pm, but still... it was later than Ethan had ever been out before when darkness fell. Ethan and Eevee walked up to the receptionist, a happy looking Nurse Joy.
"Why, hello there!" Joy welcomed, smile widening warmly, "Can I help you?"
"Well, yes please Nurse Joy." Ethan replied politely, "Can you take a look at Eevee and Pidgey for me?"
"Certainly!" She answered, holding out a ball rack. Ethan looked down at Eevee, holding the ball that came with him. Eevee stared at the ball cautiously, before fiercely shaking his head and flicking it out of Ethan's hand. Stunned, Ethan left his hand open for a moment, but soon understood, picking up the fallen ball and repositioning it within his ball belt.
"Eevee hates his pokéball. Is there any way you can treat them both outside of their pokéballs?" Ethan asked. Nurse Joy nodded, and put the rack away. Ethan called out Pidgey, who perched on his left shoulder. Eevee leapt up onto his right shoulder, and both hopped onto the counter by his request.
"Okay, they will need an hour or so. Please, feel free to enjoy the Centre's facilities." Joy said as she took Pidgey and Eevee out the back. Ethan thanked her and turned around, scanning the area for something to do. Suddenly his eyes fell upon the phones and he remembered two people, Oak and his mom.
*I'll call Oak... mom will be busy right now...* Ethan thought to himself, walking towards the videophone.
~
The phone rang for a long while, each resounding tune making Ethan ever more impatient. However just as Ethan reached over to press the call-ending dial, Professor Oak picked up. “Hello there Ethan, sorry to keep you waiting that long, my stew fell over the floor and I took a rather nasty fall.” He said with a smile, a hand rubbing rather embarrassingly on the side of his swollen head. After hearing Oak’s reason for this delay, Ethan lost all impatience completely and brought his hand down. “No, no. That is fine, Professor. It was probably my fault anyway.” Ethan replied guiltily.
“Well, these things happen don’t they? You didn’t know that I was about to eat, and I am partly to blame for rushing with hot liquid.” He stated comfortingly, making Ethan feel a little better. After a short paused, Oak added, “So, I take it the reason you called was because you arrived in Viridian City?”
“That’s right, Professor. I got here about an hour ago.” Ethan remarked. Oak thought for a moment, “Hmmm, very impressive indeed. You must have jogged for the most part, since it takes the average trainer two afternoons to walk. The only one to get there that quickly has ever been my grandson and Ash… And they had some form of transport.” He sighed, thinking back to the days of when those two started their journey. Ethan gasped. He had not realised that it was a far away place to travel to on foot; he had taken some short cut footpaths that he found as a boy with his father, but never did he realise that the longer way took that long.
“Anyway…” Oak said, snapping the two out of their respective trances. “I hope you found the time to catch a few pokémon and train with them.” He added. Ethan nodded, “Yes, I caught a Pidgey and fought two pokémon without attempting to catch them.”
“Ah, that is very good. Be sure to catch more, there is nothing better than a great collection of pokémon for you to have.” Oak stated, jubilant to hear of Ethan’s first successful attempt. Suddenly, the old researcher’s divert to the bowl of stew, and a loud grumble of his stomach followed. Ethan laughed, but abruptly stopped as his stomach grumbled almost in response. The pair burst into a fit of laughter, Ethan tried to make a sentence through his laughter, but his words only accompanied the symphony of giggles. Finally, the laughter died down seconds later, “That reminds me that I didn’t eat a thing whilst I was on my way here.” Ethan proclaimed, patting his stomach. “I’ll talk soon professor, until then good luck with your research!”
Oak took a tasty mouthful of stew and waved, mumbling something Ethan could only muster as ‘good luck’ before the video call ended. Ethan stood up, staring at the cafeteria in the far corner of the pokémon centre. He wondered over eyeing the tasty pasta with meatballs, and then stared lovingly at the deliciously inviting chocolate gateaux. Ethan grabbed a tray and a couple of plates, and then proceeded to place a large portion of the two dishes he had been drooling over onto them. Ethan quickly seized a stray meatball from the steel tray, savouring the gorgeous meaty morsel as it danced around in his mouth.
To Ethan’s surprise, he realised that the first meal was free for new trainers, but resisted his vicarious urge to add more to his plates. He had more than enough, but decided to take advantage by getting two small plates of pasta for his Eevee and Pidgey. Once he had finished, he strolled back over to the videophone, placing the food just in front of the screen. Ethan then dialled a familiar number. “Oh this is a surprise, hi Danny.” Clare excitedly answered, waving frantically. “You are in Viridian City already, that’s great. Can I see your pokémon?”
“Not now mom, they are being treated at the moment.” Ethan replied, “Pidgey had a close call, and Eevee just needs a slight check-up. It shouldn’t be long now though…” He added, seeing his mother’s concerned look. Just then, Eevee called out from the front desk. Ethan quickly rushed over and collected his pokémon, who climbed on his shoulders, and hurried back to the phone. “Here they are mom!” He chimed.
“Oh how lovely… so cute they are!” Clare responded with glee. “Have you named them yet?”
Ethan frowned, he never thought of giving his pokémon a nickname. “No.” He answered, looking quizzically at his two companions. “Although…” He added, “I do have a name for Pidgey, now that you mention it. If you like the name, Pidgey, I’ll call you Gale”. Pidgey cooed favourably to the name, rubbing its sleek beak on Ethan’s cheek. His mother smiled proudly, “You have your father’s way with pokémon… Well, I just realised that you should be getting ready to go to bed, and you probably forgot to eat something. I’ll leave you with my love, honey, good night!”
“Good night mom!” he said, just as the screen went blank. Ethan then turned his attention to the food on the tray. He gave the two plates of pasta on the floor, gesturing his partners to eat. Once they had started, Ethan pulled out a fork from his bag and ate his food with pleasure. Completely satisfied, he took the plates over to the cafeteria and paid compliments to the chef, returning to hear Nurse Joy’s curfew announcement.
The lights turned off and the shutters closed at 10pm, and all trainers began to fumble around the darkness, finding a spot to lay their sleeping bags. Ethan also did this, pulling his sleeping bag and pillow out of his backpack, clumsily sending half of his metal pans and camping equipment to the ground with a crash. Ethan recalled Pidgey, and after taking off his shirt, belt and shorts, climbed into his cosy makeshift duvet cover, which he had placed over the long, roomy sofa much like some of the other trainers had around him. There, he and Eevee slept soundly.
~
The bright morning Sun rose welcomingly, the haze from the rising vapour seemed to linger a little, creating a rather foggy morning. It was a cold night, and as one of the first to wake, Ethan felt rather relieved to have gotten to the shelter of the pokémon centre once he laid eyes on the mist. Nevertheless, he decided that he wanted to wander, keen to do some more exploring instead of staying within the cosy confines of the crowded centre. Not long after Ethan awoke, Eevee too had stirred from his quite eventful slumber, half the night spent kicking out in running motions. Ethan kneeled, petting the fox’s head, before the twosome opened the doors to the PokéCentre. Ethan adorned himself in a rather thick purple sweatshirt, and wore thick socks, knowing that he would need them on until late morning at least.
Navigating through mist proved troublesome, he spent part of the morning walking in complete circles, heading to the route 1 stretch of path before realising his mistake on numerous occasions. “Alright Eevee, I don’t think we’re making much headway in this fog…” Ethan muttered embarrassingly. Eevee just stared up at his partner with a look that plainly exclaimed, We? I’m just following you! Ethan’s face washed to a violet that rivalled the hue of his shirt, “Fine… I don’t think I’m making much headway…” He sighed, Eevee nodding with a short yap of acknowledgment. Before long, the fog had just cleared enough for him to find his way safer, and crucially, much easier to the end of town and into Route 2. “That wasn’t so bad now, was it Eevee?” He joked.
~
It was now mid morning; the fog that lingered an hour and a half ago had completely disappeared, giving the duo better visibility than before. Ethan and Eevee surveyed the surrounding trees, trekking through grass patches that virtually overgrew the little fox by Ethan’s side. A new pokémon, a passing trainer, anything that would give Ethan and his team a new challenge would have been greatly welcomed. Just then, in one of the trees, Ethan laid eyes upon a Weedle. Ethan flicked out his pokédex to get more information on it before he jumped into battle.
*Ding! Weedle… the hairy bug pokémon. This pokémon consumes its own weight in leaves each day, and found usually in grasslands and forests. It has a two-inch stinger on its forehead that can inject poison.*
Ethan thought for a moment, debating whether Pidgey or Eevee should battle. Either way, he had to make sure that they did not become intoxicated. Eevee stood ready and eager to fight, but Ethan shook his head. “Eevee, stand back on this one. I don’t want to risk you walking around in a poisoned state…” He explained, care and concern in his tone. Eevee understood, retreating to Ethan’s side. Ethan whipped Gale’s pokéball from the clip on his belt and enlarged it, throwing the red and white ball high into the air. In a burst of light, Gale emerged, soaring higher as the ball descending into Ethan’s grasp. The young trainer proceeded to instruct is airborne ally.
“Gale, soar down and get Weedle’s attention with Tackle, then fly straight up in the air. You should be okay since it hasn’t spotted you yet.”
Gale screeched ominously towards her target, instinctively adjusting her angle slightly for more speed. Gale refrained from ploughing Weedle with her beak, instead, hurtling the bug from its resting place on the trunk. Startled but angered, Weedle retaliated with Poison Sting, but Gale’s agile ascent left the attack without a target. Weedle then ejected a thin, viscous fibre from its red proboscis, latching around Gale’s foot and bringing her down towards a direct hit upon Weedle’s poisonous barb. Ethan stood dumbfounded, frozen by sheer surprise. “Are you okay Gale?” He bellowed, the only think he could think of at that moment. Gale winced as she rose to her feet, but not giving an answer. Ethan noticed that the fibre still had hold of Gale’s foot, and Weedle’s impending onslaught. Suddenly, he had a plan.
“We need to finish this now, Gale! Fly up and swing Weedle into that tree over there!” He announced frantically, pointing to a tree twenty-two yards ahead. Gale responded quickly, hoisting the Weedle into the air via the stringy substance attached to Gale’s foot. The plucky bird then circled around a few times, before swinging Weedle fervently into the tree. Though not entirely beaten, Ethan saw his chance to finish this battle with a convenient alternative, and by pulling an empty pokéball from his belt, it became clear that he intended on catching it.
As Weedle struggled to shake the pain, Ethan ran close enough to launch the capsule from his fingertips. It swung sweetly onto Weedle’s side and sucked the bug inside. The ball relentlessly wriggled for a good second or two, until...
Click! The pokéball stopped rustling, the sign that Weedle had been capture successfully. “Brilliant work, Gale,” Ethan joyously cried in praise, walking over to the ball and holding an arm out for his Pidgey to rest on. Gale propped herself down, affectionately stroking the side of her beak around Ethan’s cheek. Ethan picked up the ball and scanned it with his pokédex, then returned Gale to her ball and scanned her condition inside, remembering the risk of poisoning. Thankfully, Gale did not receive any dose of Weedle’s toxins during the fight, but before lunchtime, Ethan decided to head back to Viridian to buy supplies.
~
Now that Ethan was back in Viridian City, the only thing he could think about was obtaining items for his quest. His father had once told him that if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. The novice explorer counted his blessings this time. He stopped off at the Pokémon Centre first, “Back again are we?” was the reply as Nurse Joy laid eyes on Ethan and his cute fox. “Yes, only this might be the last time you see me of a while…” He responded, glancing out of the window to the PokéMart.
“So I am guessing you’ll want me to heal your pokémon while you buy your essentials…” Joy pulled out a dimpled tray, “They will be ready for when you return.”
“Thanks, here are the pokéballs of Pidgey and my new Weedle; Eevee did not battle while we were out, so he doesn’t need to be seen to.” Ethan stated, handing Joy his fatigued pokémon. He waved goodbye and headed out to the PokéMart. It was only a short walk, a minute or two at least, so he leisurely strolled along. It was much clearer than before, and the warmth of the Sun heightened his spirits.
Ethan quickly acquired some items from the store clerk, who promptly brought back six potions and three antidotes. Ethan gave him the necessary funds and packed them into his backpack, held open by Eevee. Just as the two arrived back to the Pokémon Centre, Gale and Weedle had rested up completely. “Wow, fast work Nurse Joy!” Ethan gasped, before noticing that he was slightly longer than first thought. Joy laughed sweetly, returning the pokémon to Ethan’s pokéballs, and then waved as he left.
~|~|~|~|~|~
