~|~|~|~|~|~
After the intense battle they had just endured, Ethan checked his pokémon thoroughly. Weedle and Eevee both had some injuries, but Eevee looked the fresher of the two despite being the one who battled most. It was safe for Ethan to assume that Eevee had grown a lot in such a short time, due to him being able to finish of battles quicker with his inspiring Adaptability trait. However, this still did not save Ethan from feeling quietly amazed about his pokémon.
Deciding upon resting for a while, Ethan relieved himself of his rucksack by laying it next to a tree. He thought it wise to give his pokémon a quick nap under the cover of the trees, to see how their condition looked afterwards, before deciding on using potions. Approximately one hour later, after their quick snooze, Ethan examined his Weedle and Eevee once again. Thankfully, he did not need to worry about using potions just yet, but decided to give Eevee a back seat to allow Weedle to catch up in their training. Off they marched through Viridian Forest, once again.
As they trained until the afternoon, it became clear that the pokémon in this area were somewhat stronger than in previous routes. Soon, Weedle’s training ended after encountering three pokémon. On his way along the path, Ethan noticed a couple of items lying around, not to mention other trainers lurking in the forest for a battle. The prompt of finding a potion reminded him of Weedle, so he used it on the yellow worm.
With Weedle’s wounds on the mend, Ethan called him back for some rest, deciding on training Eevee until Weedle was fit enough to take over. Within twenty minutes, Eevee battled against a Metapod and quickly took down a Caterpie, both of which found as Ethan trekked further into the forest. Just when Eevee had finished its match with the wild Caterpie, a Thundershock took everybody in the group by surprise, narrowly missing Ethan. Upon scanning where the electrifying assault came from, Ethan noticed a rather vigorous Pikachu.
*Ding* Pikachu, the mouse Pokémon… it stores electricity in the red pouches on its cheeks and sometimes discharges static electricity when threatened or enthused. The PokéDex explained as Ethan flicked it open, pointing directly at the yellow rodent. At first he pitted Gale up against it, who seemed all to pleased to be out of her pokéball. But, after realising Gale’s disadvantage and before she could actually settle into a battling mindset, he swiftly switched to Eevee.
“It wants to play rough, Eevee, so don’t get close until its safe.” Ethan said cautiously, noticing Pikachu’s static sparks flashing from cheek to cheek. This pokémon was not as familiar to him as the more common pokémon around these parts, as he had only ever seen a couple of them in his entire life. The aspiring trainer put his thoughts into motion, trying to assess the best course of action as well as what underlying ability it may possess.
However, just before Ethan could make his mind up, Pikachu lashed at Eevee with Thundershock. “Move right!” Ethan yelled impulsively, startling not only his Eevee, but Pikachu as well. Because of this, the bolt strayed even further away from the strafing fox, falling harmlessly into the grass behind. Quickly getting back into the swing of the battle, Ethan took a little time to think. “Static electricity… that could be dangerous for Eevee.” He pondered, debating what strategy he should use. Moments later, he had made up his mind and prepared Eevee for his commands.
“Use Tail Whip to lower its guard, then as it attacks, Tackle it.”
Eevee pounced into action with an enticing flick of his tail. Infuriated, the Pikachu struck out with Thundershock, nailing Eevee with good aim. However, Eevee shrugged it off and charged in as the mouse recharged, scoring a critical hit as it tackled into Pikachu’s stomach. The hit alone was enough to incapacitate the electric pokémon. “…Okay, that was quick.” Ethan muttered, frowning as he did so. Eevee also shared a similar expression, unsure of whether they really achieved a one-hit KO. Nevertheless, they both walked on in search of another route to take in this wild maze. Eevee was starting to feel the effects of battling, walking weirdly as they searched around for a sign of the exit.
After about twenty minutes, Ethan thought it best that Eevee take a potion and settle down, when suddenly a bug catcher walked by. “Oh hi there, you seem a little lost.” The boy said, showing a genuine concern. “Did you come in from the Viridian entrance?” He added curiously. Ethan looked up shortly after tending to Eevee’s wounds with the healing potion.
“Completely lost! I’ve never been past Viridian City before, let alone this forest.” He laughed, causing the boy to laugh in response.
“Okay I’ll tell you the way out to Pewter, but at a price.” The bug catcher said eagerly, brandishing a pokéball.
“Ah, it’s that sort of price is it?” Ethan responded, grabbing a pokéball in reply. “I’m game for that.”
This was a perfect opportunity to allow Gale a go at battling. With her typing, she could easily use the air above, despite the overgrown trees effectively cutting her advantage to a minimum. Ethan realised that the bug catcher could also use this to his bug pokémon’s advantage, using the tightly knitted trees and String Shot to good effect.
“Prepare yourself, Caterpie!” The Bug Catcher yelled, tossing out a Caterpie onto the field. “Take the stage, Gale!” Ethan retorted, sending Pidgey out in a flash of light. Gale zipped around for a moment or two, relieved to be able to fight, after being denied that chance earlier. After stretching its wings, the bird pokémon nestled on Ethan’s shoulder and looked down sympathetically at Eevee.
“You ready then?” Ethan asked eager to get Gale started.
“Let’s go!” The enthusiastic bug trainer rejoiced.
~
Both trainers got the battle under way, each ordering their respective partner to use Tackle. Caterpie charged from the ground, while Gale soared low to the ground with a trail of dust kicking up in her wake. As both pokémon collided, it was clear that the Pidgey had an upper hand, knocking Caterpie aside. Yet, Gale had suffered too in that impact, and reeled too.
“Gale, get higher and use Tackle!” Ethan proposed, using what space the Pidgey had in the hopes that it would be enough. However, the bug trainer had other ideas.
“Bring it down with String Shot!” He said urgently.
Caterpie responded with a quick shot of sticky thread and caught hold of Gale’s leg, halting her ascent. Gale tried desperately to kick away the thread with her other feet, to no avail. Suddenly, Gale felt Caterpie tugging her down, and struggled in response. Ethan looked at the situation carefully, thinking of how he could use this to an advantage before the Bug trainer could think of a follow-up.
“Try to fly above Caterpie and then pull really hard!” Ethan yelled, hoping his pokémon would do so quickly.
Gale managed to manoeuvre into the position Ethan instructed, and made a massive effort to break away from the viscous thread. However, the string was just too strong, and Caterpie proceeded to pull her down further. Suddenly, Ethan flicked a grin.
“Now put your effort into flying downward… TACKLE!” He bellowed, so loud that it made the bug catcher jump.
Gale swiftly stopped tugging and allowed the Caterpie, who was still pulling down forcefully, to pull her at an alarming rate. As she fell, Gale pumped her wings to generate further speed, before tucking them in and streamlining her body. The living torpedo crashed into the stranded bug before anyone could make an ample reaction to the situation. As Gale collided, a puff of cloud scattered in a wide radius, and as it settled, she stood overlooking the defeated Caterpie proudly.
Ethan jerked his fist triumphantly, roaring with joy as Gale chirped in kind. With a reluctant smile, the bug catcher returned his Caterpie and uttered his condolences to his sealed pokémon. As he looked up, he switched his pokéball to another, and eagerly tossed it onto the field. Ethan and Gale awaited the release patiently as the beam of red light took shape.
Eventually, the shape became that of a Metapod, albeit a rather lazy looking Metapod at that. Nevertheless, the boy looked confident, and awaited Ethan’s move. “Test it out with Tackle, Gale. Let’s see what it can do.” Ethan said, staring carefully at Gale’s foe. The eager Pidgey flew straight into action, beak pointing ominously at the bug. Just as they were about to connect, the boy shouted, “Harden yourself!” and within seconds, Metapod stiffened its defences, stopping Gale dead in her tracks. Ethan could hardly believe his eyes.
“What impressive defence...” Ethan said in awe, unsure of how to deal with Metapod after seeing that display. Even when Gale showed her interest in another go at striking the bug down, Ethan hesitated, trying to think of a way through this situation. Gale impatiently struck again, but the same result occurred, much to Gale’s despise. Ethan jolted out of his trance after noticing something rather odd. Keen to figure out if his hunch would be disproved or not, Ethan decided to allow Gale one more attack, before moving onto another strategy.
After a third successive repulsion, Ethan made up his mind on Metapod, and decided to act accordingly. “Fly in strong, Gale. Then, as you are about to hit it, use Sand Attack and move to a different location for an attack.” Ethan said, remembering a tactic he deployed with Eevee not so long ago. Gale made her move, darting once again at Metapod, but this time feigning an attack and instead kicking up sand with her trailing talons. The boy, who anticipated another Tackle, called for another Harden, which had been rendered useless due to Ethan’s plan.
“I noticed something just now, kiddo...” Ethan began, “At first, I was too shocked by its impressive defence to see it, but as I snapped out of my daze, I started to realise what was going on. I thought it was strange that you would defend so much, and when Gale retreated, you never followed up with an attack. It drives me to think that your Metapod has no attacks.”
The bug trainer, after hearing the explanation, standing astounded. “It seems that I am right, but just to test this...” Ethan smirked, and turned to his partner to utter his intentions. “Gale, do the same again, but this time use Tackle from any angle you wish, and keep at it.”
Gale sprang into action with a twitter, swooping towards Metapod as it stood motionless awaiting an attack. At first, Gale’s portentous approach forced Metapod to use Harden again. However, shortly after forcing Metapod’s hand, Gale swooped past with Sand Attack and nailed it with a Tackle, that actually managed to make a dent on the seemingly impervious armour. Continuously barraging the Metapod with sand and attacks gave little time to slacken off and recover from the use of Harden. Eventually, after a minute of relentless offence, Metapod found itself defeated after using up too much energy while getting damaged by Gale’s tackle.
“That Pidgey of yours is one tough cookie to beat...” The bug catcher said honestly, but still had determination etched into his face. He called back his Metapod for a deserved rest, and paused. “I’m going to try everything I can think of to beat your Pidgey after seeing that.”
With this in mind, the bug trainer hurled a pokémon out on the field, another Metapod, but something caught Ethan’s eye about this one. It seemed more aggressive looking, more so than the Caterpie that Ethan’s Pidgey had encountered just a few minutes ago, and that was aggressive enough. Ethan gulped.
Gale stood steadfast, she did not seem to care who she was facing, knowing only that she had the capabilities to beat it. Eevee stirred, sleeping through most of the fight after its previous battles and being given a potion before a good earned rest. Even the little fox could tell that Gale wanted to win, confidence beaming from the last two bouts.
The battle began ferociously, as the Bug catcher ordered Metapod to use String Shot. Gale did not have enough time to react as the fast-moving thread, far faster than the Caterpie’s Sting Shot two battles earlier. The shot of viscous string struck at Gale’s feathery chest, sticking firmly as Gale backed away. She flew up into the air to pull Metapod off the ground; a tactic Ethan devised to prevent Metapod from using Tackle. However, that had not worked. While dangling from the thread, the bug catcher grinned, ordering Metapod to use Tackle. Confused, Ethan stood waiting to see what the bug would do, and instantly regretted waiting. Before he could react quickly enough. Metapod began to suck in the sticky thread, moving quickly along the thread while slightly pulling Gale towards it. However Ethan managed to tell Gale to avoid the blow as much as possible, the Pidgey veering away before its foot took the brunt of the impact.
Both pokémon fell to the ground with a crash, and both seemed to have a hard time getting up. Amazingly, it was Gale who managed to get up first, and initiated a Tackle on the still struggling Metapod. Metapod took a strong attack of Gale, and almost took another, if not for its Harden shielding its body on the moment of impact. Metapod’s defence was just as impervious as the last, and Ethan knew there was only so many strategies he could come up with when his Pokémon’s movepool was limited.
“Eevee, be on standby here, little guy...” Ethan said with slight agitation. “Unless I can come up with something that’ll move this battle into our favour.”
Ethan pondered as the battling lulled, it looked like the bug trainer was running out of ideas too. He took his time thinking about what he would try, although he frequently came back to the attack patterns that he had already taken. However, he did have one idea he had not tried yet. With a smile, Ethan summoned Gale’s attention once again.
“On my mark, fly into the trees.” He said, his low tone and reduced volume made it hard for even his own pokémon to hear, let alone a person roughly thirty yards away. With a nod, Gale awaited further instruction, although her eager nature made her shake with excitement. Ethan took a moment to visualise the way this would pan out, and with a lasting exhale of breath, he attacked.
“Fly behind it and use Tackle!” Ethan said clearly, with Gale responding in expectation. She joyfully sprang into action with a squawk, flying at high speed around the trunk of a tree to evade a String Shot that the bug trainer had ordered his Metapod to counter with. Ethan was impressed, Gale’s display of heightened intuition gave her a sense of her own, instead of being dependent upon Ethan’s perception alone. Gale rounded the tree, darting around Metapod and striking it where Ethan intended, but Metapod had hardened before impact, nulling the damage somewhat.
“Okay, Sand Attack and then fly to where I told you!” Ethan snapped, seeing the chance he wanted.
Gale kicked up a pile of sand from the dusty floor once more, and launched herself into the cover of the trees as quickly as she could. As the dust settled again, the bug trainer and Metapod looked around the surrounding area, knowing that Gale had retreated to the trees. The thought seemed to unnerve them, Metapod’s eyes drooped and the bug trainer’s expression reflected worry. All was silent, save for the wisping wind that broke through the branches and the bushes around the forest. Ethan had tracked Gale’s movements, and saw his chance to attack.
“Tackle! Don’t let up!”
Suddenly, everyobdy heard the resounding rustle of leaves erupt from the trees, as Gale homed in on Metapod. Without much time to react, Metapod was forced into the ground with a thud as the plucky Pidgey divebombed her target. As Metapod rolled rather gawkily onto its side, Ethan had Gale attack again, and again, making sure that Metapod did not have a chance to defend effectively, or even to attack for that matter. Despite Metapod managing to dodge half of the attempts, the forces of Gale swooping down or past it knocked the pokémon off balance. Eventually, Metapod managed to get a chance to use String Shot, which attached itself to Gale’s wing and brought her down with a crash. By this time, however, Metapod had taken a knockout blow.
As both pokémon lay exhausted and injured on the floor, their trainers called them back for a well-deserved rest. The bug boy, thought a little dejected, thought kindly of his pokémon’s efforts. As Ethan recalled Gale to her capsule, he knelt down beside Eevee and sighed with relief. “Rest well, my dear... you worked hard out there.” Ethan warmly grinned, as Eevee licked the pokéball with a yap. He stared at the child he fought, who made his way over to him, and put out his other hand.
“Intense wasn’t the word there. Good job in raising your pokémon.” Ethan said honestly, not one for gloating or arrogance after a victory with a worthwhile trainer.
Instead of a handshake, the bug trainer handed Ethan a pouch of money, and more strangely, a Potion. Ethan looked at the potion in bewilderment. “Don’t you need it?” Ethan remarked.
“My pokémon need more than just a regular potion to sort them out, and besides, I found it while we were battling.” The young boy explained.
Ethan thanked the boy, and as he turned to leave the scene, the bug catcher gave Ethan information on how to navigate through the Viridian Forest. Ethan had forgotten about that, and was glad that at least one of them remembered. With the two of them pleased with their encounter of one another, they parted ways, with Ethan noticing that he would have to hurry along if he wanted to make it to Pewter before dark.
After the intense battle they had just endured, Ethan checked his pokémon thoroughly. Weedle and Eevee both had some injuries, but Eevee looked the fresher of the two despite being the one who battled most. It was safe for Ethan to assume that Eevee had grown a lot in such a short time, due to him being able to finish of battles quicker with his inspiring Adaptability trait. However, this still did not save Ethan from feeling quietly amazed about his pokémon.
Deciding upon resting for a while, Ethan relieved himself of his rucksack by laying it next to a tree. He thought it wise to give his pokémon a quick nap under the cover of the trees, to see how their condition looked afterwards, before deciding on using potions. Approximately one hour later, after their quick snooze, Ethan examined his Weedle and Eevee once again. Thankfully, he did not need to worry about using potions just yet, but decided to give Eevee a back seat to allow Weedle to catch up in their training. Off they marched through Viridian Forest, once again.
As they trained until the afternoon, it became clear that the pokémon in this area were somewhat stronger than in previous routes. Soon, Weedle’s training ended after encountering three pokémon. On his way along the path, Ethan noticed a couple of items lying around, not to mention other trainers lurking in the forest for a battle. The prompt of finding a potion reminded him of Weedle, so he used it on the yellow worm.
With Weedle’s wounds on the mend, Ethan called him back for some rest, deciding on training Eevee until Weedle was fit enough to take over. Within twenty minutes, Eevee battled against a Metapod and quickly took down a Caterpie, both of which found as Ethan trekked further into the forest. Just when Eevee had finished its match with the wild Caterpie, a Thundershock took everybody in the group by surprise, narrowly missing Ethan. Upon scanning where the electrifying assault came from, Ethan noticed a rather vigorous Pikachu.
*Ding* Pikachu, the mouse Pokémon… it stores electricity in the red pouches on its cheeks and sometimes discharges static electricity when threatened or enthused. The PokéDex explained as Ethan flicked it open, pointing directly at the yellow rodent. At first he pitted Gale up against it, who seemed all to pleased to be out of her pokéball. But, after realising Gale’s disadvantage and before she could actually settle into a battling mindset, he swiftly switched to Eevee.
“It wants to play rough, Eevee, so don’t get close until its safe.” Ethan said cautiously, noticing Pikachu’s static sparks flashing from cheek to cheek. This pokémon was not as familiar to him as the more common pokémon around these parts, as he had only ever seen a couple of them in his entire life. The aspiring trainer put his thoughts into motion, trying to assess the best course of action as well as what underlying ability it may possess.
However, just before Ethan could make his mind up, Pikachu lashed at Eevee with Thundershock. “Move right!” Ethan yelled impulsively, startling not only his Eevee, but Pikachu as well. Because of this, the bolt strayed even further away from the strafing fox, falling harmlessly into the grass behind. Quickly getting back into the swing of the battle, Ethan took a little time to think. “Static electricity… that could be dangerous for Eevee.” He pondered, debating what strategy he should use. Moments later, he had made up his mind and prepared Eevee for his commands.
“Use Tail Whip to lower its guard, then as it attacks, Tackle it.”
Eevee pounced into action with an enticing flick of his tail. Infuriated, the Pikachu struck out with Thundershock, nailing Eevee with good aim. However, Eevee shrugged it off and charged in as the mouse recharged, scoring a critical hit as it tackled into Pikachu’s stomach. The hit alone was enough to incapacitate the electric pokémon. “…Okay, that was quick.” Ethan muttered, frowning as he did so. Eevee also shared a similar expression, unsure of whether they really achieved a one-hit KO. Nevertheless, they both walked on in search of another route to take in this wild maze. Eevee was starting to feel the effects of battling, walking weirdly as they searched around for a sign of the exit.
After about twenty minutes, Ethan thought it best that Eevee take a potion and settle down, when suddenly a bug catcher walked by. “Oh hi there, you seem a little lost.” The boy said, showing a genuine concern. “Did you come in from the Viridian entrance?” He added curiously. Ethan looked up shortly after tending to Eevee’s wounds with the healing potion.
“Completely lost! I’ve never been past Viridian City before, let alone this forest.” He laughed, causing the boy to laugh in response.
“Okay I’ll tell you the way out to Pewter, but at a price.” The bug catcher said eagerly, brandishing a pokéball.
“Ah, it’s that sort of price is it?” Ethan responded, grabbing a pokéball in reply. “I’m game for that.”
This was a perfect opportunity to allow Gale a go at battling. With her typing, she could easily use the air above, despite the overgrown trees effectively cutting her advantage to a minimum. Ethan realised that the bug catcher could also use this to his bug pokémon’s advantage, using the tightly knitted trees and String Shot to good effect.
“Prepare yourself, Caterpie!” The Bug Catcher yelled, tossing out a Caterpie onto the field. “Take the stage, Gale!” Ethan retorted, sending Pidgey out in a flash of light. Gale zipped around for a moment or two, relieved to be able to fight, after being denied that chance earlier. After stretching its wings, the bird pokémon nestled on Ethan’s shoulder and looked down sympathetically at Eevee.
“You ready then?” Ethan asked eager to get Gale started.
“Let’s go!” The enthusiastic bug trainer rejoiced.
~
Both trainers got the battle under way, each ordering their respective partner to use Tackle. Caterpie charged from the ground, while Gale soared low to the ground with a trail of dust kicking up in her wake. As both pokémon collided, it was clear that the Pidgey had an upper hand, knocking Caterpie aside. Yet, Gale had suffered too in that impact, and reeled too.
“Gale, get higher and use Tackle!” Ethan proposed, using what space the Pidgey had in the hopes that it would be enough. However, the bug trainer had other ideas.
“Bring it down with String Shot!” He said urgently.
Caterpie responded with a quick shot of sticky thread and caught hold of Gale’s leg, halting her ascent. Gale tried desperately to kick away the thread with her other feet, to no avail. Suddenly, Gale felt Caterpie tugging her down, and struggled in response. Ethan looked at the situation carefully, thinking of how he could use this to an advantage before the Bug trainer could think of a follow-up.
“Try to fly above Caterpie and then pull really hard!” Ethan yelled, hoping his pokémon would do so quickly.
Gale managed to manoeuvre into the position Ethan instructed, and made a massive effort to break away from the viscous thread. However, the string was just too strong, and Caterpie proceeded to pull her down further. Suddenly, Ethan flicked a grin.
“Now put your effort into flying downward… TACKLE!” He bellowed, so loud that it made the bug catcher jump.
Gale swiftly stopped tugging and allowed the Caterpie, who was still pulling down forcefully, to pull her at an alarming rate. As she fell, Gale pumped her wings to generate further speed, before tucking them in and streamlining her body. The living torpedo crashed into the stranded bug before anyone could make an ample reaction to the situation. As Gale collided, a puff of cloud scattered in a wide radius, and as it settled, she stood overlooking the defeated Caterpie proudly.
Ethan jerked his fist triumphantly, roaring with joy as Gale chirped in kind. With a reluctant smile, the bug catcher returned his Caterpie and uttered his condolences to his sealed pokémon. As he looked up, he switched his pokéball to another, and eagerly tossed it onto the field. Ethan and Gale awaited the release patiently as the beam of red light took shape.
Eventually, the shape became that of a Metapod, albeit a rather lazy looking Metapod at that. Nevertheless, the boy looked confident, and awaited Ethan’s move. “Test it out with Tackle, Gale. Let’s see what it can do.” Ethan said, staring carefully at Gale’s foe. The eager Pidgey flew straight into action, beak pointing ominously at the bug. Just as they were about to connect, the boy shouted, “Harden yourself!” and within seconds, Metapod stiffened its defences, stopping Gale dead in her tracks. Ethan could hardly believe his eyes.
“What impressive defence...” Ethan said in awe, unsure of how to deal with Metapod after seeing that display. Even when Gale showed her interest in another go at striking the bug down, Ethan hesitated, trying to think of a way through this situation. Gale impatiently struck again, but the same result occurred, much to Gale’s despise. Ethan jolted out of his trance after noticing something rather odd. Keen to figure out if his hunch would be disproved or not, Ethan decided to allow Gale one more attack, before moving onto another strategy.
After a third successive repulsion, Ethan made up his mind on Metapod, and decided to act accordingly. “Fly in strong, Gale. Then, as you are about to hit it, use Sand Attack and move to a different location for an attack.” Ethan said, remembering a tactic he deployed with Eevee not so long ago. Gale made her move, darting once again at Metapod, but this time feigning an attack and instead kicking up sand with her trailing talons. The boy, who anticipated another Tackle, called for another Harden, which had been rendered useless due to Ethan’s plan.
“I noticed something just now, kiddo...” Ethan began, “At first, I was too shocked by its impressive defence to see it, but as I snapped out of my daze, I started to realise what was going on. I thought it was strange that you would defend so much, and when Gale retreated, you never followed up with an attack. It drives me to think that your Metapod has no attacks.”
The bug trainer, after hearing the explanation, standing astounded. “It seems that I am right, but just to test this...” Ethan smirked, and turned to his partner to utter his intentions. “Gale, do the same again, but this time use Tackle from any angle you wish, and keep at it.”
Gale sprang into action with a twitter, swooping towards Metapod as it stood motionless awaiting an attack. At first, Gale’s portentous approach forced Metapod to use Harden again. However, shortly after forcing Metapod’s hand, Gale swooped past with Sand Attack and nailed it with a Tackle, that actually managed to make a dent on the seemingly impervious armour. Continuously barraging the Metapod with sand and attacks gave little time to slacken off and recover from the use of Harden. Eventually, after a minute of relentless offence, Metapod found itself defeated after using up too much energy while getting damaged by Gale’s tackle.
“That Pidgey of yours is one tough cookie to beat...” The bug catcher said honestly, but still had determination etched into his face. He called back his Metapod for a deserved rest, and paused. “I’m going to try everything I can think of to beat your Pidgey after seeing that.”
With this in mind, the bug trainer hurled a pokémon out on the field, another Metapod, but something caught Ethan’s eye about this one. It seemed more aggressive looking, more so than the Caterpie that Ethan’s Pidgey had encountered just a few minutes ago, and that was aggressive enough. Ethan gulped.
Gale stood steadfast, she did not seem to care who she was facing, knowing only that she had the capabilities to beat it. Eevee stirred, sleeping through most of the fight after its previous battles and being given a potion before a good earned rest. Even the little fox could tell that Gale wanted to win, confidence beaming from the last two bouts.
The battle began ferociously, as the Bug catcher ordered Metapod to use String Shot. Gale did not have enough time to react as the fast-moving thread, far faster than the Caterpie’s Sting Shot two battles earlier. The shot of viscous string struck at Gale’s feathery chest, sticking firmly as Gale backed away. She flew up into the air to pull Metapod off the ground; a tactic Ethan devised to prevent Metapod from using Tackle. However, that had not worked. While dangling from the thread, the bug catcher grinned, ordering Metapod to use Tackle. Confused, Ethan stood waiting to see what the bug would do, and instantly regretted waiting. Before he could react quickly enough. Metapod began to suck in the sticky thread, moving quickly along the thread while slightly pulling Gale towards it. However Ethan managed to tell Gale to avoid the blow as much as possible, the Pidgey veering away before its foot took the brunt of the impact.
Both pokémon fell to the ground with a crash, and both seemed to have a hard time getting up. Amazingly, it was Gale who managed to get up first, and initiated a Tackle on the still struggling Metapod. Metapod took a strong attack of Gale, and almost took another, if not for its Harden shielding its body on the moment of impact. Metapod’s defence was just as impervious as the last, and Ethan knew there was only so many strategies he could come up with when his Pokémon’s movepool was limited.
“Eevee, be on standby here, little guy...” Ethan said with slight agitation. “Unless I can come up with something that’ll move this battle into our favour.”
Ethan pondered as the battling lulled, it looked like the bug trainer was running out of ideas too. He took his time thinking about what he would try, although he frequently came back to the attack patterns that he had already taken. However, he did have one idea he had not tried yet. With a smile, Ethan summoned Gale’s attention once again.
“On my mark, fly into the trees.” He said, his low tone and reduced volume made it hard for even his own pokémon to hear, let alone a person roughly thirty yards away. With a nod, Gale awaited further instruction, although her eager nature made her shake with excitement. Ethan took a moment to visualise the way this would pan out, and with a lasting exhale of breath, he attacked.
“Fly behind it and use Tackle!” Ethan said clearly, with Gale responding in expectation. She joyfully sprang into action with a squawk, flying at high speed around the trunk of a tree to evade a String Shot that the bug trainer had ordered his Metapod to counter with. Ethan was impressed, Gale’s display of heightened intuition gave her a sense of her own, instead of being dependent upon Ethan’s perception alone. Gale rounded the tree, darting around Metapod and striking it where Ethan intended, but Metapod had hardened before impact, nulling the damage somewhat.
“Okay, Sand Attack and then fly to where I told you!” Ethan snapped, seeing the chance he wanted.
Gale kicked up a pile of sand from the dusty floor once more, and launched herself into the cover of the trees as quickly as she could. As the dust settled again, the bug trainer and Metapod looked around the surrounding area, knowing that Gale had retreated to the trees. The thought seemed to unnerve them, Metapod’s eyes drooped and the bug trainer’s expression reflected worry. All was silent, save for the wisping wind that broke through the branches and the bushes around the forest. Ethan had tracked Gale’s movements, and saw his chance to attack.
“Tackle! Don’t let up!”
Suddenly, everyobdy heard the resounding rustle of leaves erupt from the trees, as Gale homed in on Metapod. Without much time to react, Metapod was forced into the ground with a thud as the plucky Pidgey divebombed her target. As Metapod rolled rather gawkily onto its side, Ethan had Gale attack again, and again, making sure that Metapod did not have a chance to defend effectively, or even to attack for that matter. Despite Metapod managing to dodge half of the attempts, the forces of Gale swooping down or past it knocked the pokémon off balance. Eventually, Metapod managed to get a chance to use String Shot, which attached itself to Gale’s wing and brought her down with a crash. By this time, however, Metapod had taken a knockout blow.
As both pokémon lay exhausted and injured on the floor, their trainers called them back for a well-deserved rest. The bug boy, thought a little dejected, thought kindly of his pokémon’s efforts. As Ethan recalled Gale to her capsule, he knelt down beside Eevee and sighed with relief. “Rest well, my dear... you worked hard out there.” Ethan warmly grinned, as Eevee licked the pokéball with a yap. He stared at the child he fought, who made his way over to him, and put out his other hand.
“Intense wasn’t the word there. Good job in raising your pokémon.” Ethan said honestly, not one for gloating or arrogance after a victory with a worthwhile trainer.
Instead of a handshake, the bug trainer handed Ethan a pouch of money, and more strangely, a Potion. Ethan looked at the potion in bewilderment. “Don’t you need it?” Ethan remarked.
“My pokémon need more than just a regular potion to sort them out, and besides, I found it while we were battling.” The young boy explained.
Ethan thanked the boy, and as he turned to leave the scene, the bug catcher gave Ethan information on how to navigate through the Viridian Forest. Ethan had forgotten about that, and was glad that at least one of them remembered. With the two of them pleased with their encounter of one another, they parted ways, with Ethan noticing that he would have to hurry along if he wanted to make it to Pewter before dark.
