Update Five: Thorn in the Side
The sight of the other side of Route 4 was breathtaking compared to the awful memories of Mt. Moon. There didn't seem to be any Trainers nearby, so I decided to find a nice spot to let the team relax. We'd spend the rest of the day enjoying the scenery and training before we made our way to Cerulean City.
After a bit of walking, we found a small lake with a big tree nearby. Caesar and Ray collapsed under the shade of the tree while I walked over to the lake shore and got out Bepis' Poke Ball. I threw the Ball in the lake, letting out the big lug.
The Magikarp seemed ecstatic to be out of the Ball and into some fresh water. The lake we had chosen was beautiful and clear, a gesture that surely was appreciated by Bepis.
"Ah!" he sighed happily. "Nice to be out and about again." Upon seeing me, he seemed a bit nervous, but regained his composure the best he could. "Oh, h-hi there, M-M-Marshal! How's it g-g-g-g-"
"Easy, buddy," I said, trying to keep the poor little fish from having an aneurysm. Clearly, regaining his composure the best he could meant having a panic attack. "You can relax. We're just here to take a break before heading into the next town, and I thought I'd let you out for a little swim."
After a few seconds, it seemed like Bepis' heart rate had slowed down to levels that could maybe be considered normal. "Oh," he said, exhaling sharply. "That's kind of you. Thank you." He took off slowly into the lake, probably still trying to calm down. That would take some getting used to. What kind of opponent would be intimidated by a Gyarados who had a panic attack at the very sight of another person?
With that out of the way, I made my way over to the tree, where Caesar and Ray were resting up for the journey ahead. Training could wait for a bit later. For now, the team and I had earned a short rest.
***
Bepis later told me this next bit. Sometime while Caesar and I were sleeping, Raymundo got up and took a lap around the lakeside until he caught up with Bepis. "Hey, 'Karp!" he shouted.
That, of course, did wonders for my poor fish's anxiety. I knew I had heard something resembling a yelp while I was sleeping, but I was so tired that I ignored it. "W-w-w-w-what?" he stammered. The fact that he had even managed to get that word out was a feat in and of itself.
"Sorry," Ray sighed, not his usual bro-y self. "Bepis was your name, right?"
"Th-that's right," Bepis stated, a little more clearly.
"I just wanted to come and apologize for the way I acted around you last night," the Nidorino muttered. "We got off on the wrong foot, and that's my bad. I just figured that since-"
"Hey, I get it," Bepis interrupted, not needing Ray to finish his unintentionally racist statement. "In fact, I don't even think that you're that far off the mark. I am just a Magikarp, after all. As it stands, I'm not doing much for this team."
"Yeah, but it won't always be that way," Raymundo reminded him. "Everyone seems to forget the crazy potential Pokemon like you have."
Bepis blushed. "You're being awfully nice," he noted. "What's bringing this on?"
Raymundo sighed. "I won't lie to you, kiddo," he said flatly. "We had another loss in the cave today. Poor bastard didn't even last on the team more than ten minutes. Seeing him die made me realize that any of us could be taken out at any time, and holding grudges and being petty wasn't going to help anyone." The shift in his tone was enough to scare Bepis, but Ray continued on. "That's why I'm asking if we can start over again, but as friends this time. Is that alright?"
Bepis told me that he was happier in that moment than he had ever been before. "Of course, bro," he said, winking to Ray. "From now on, we're friends!"
Ray looked relieved. He didn't really say much else after that.
***
A little while later, I woke up to find my three Pokemon next to the shore training. Caesar had managed to extend the range of his Vine Whip a few inches, and Ray's tackling prowess looked to be constantly improving. Even Bepis was out of the water, flopping around! I was a little concerned at first, but figured that he was passionate about getting stronger and evolving. Seeing his two teammates evolve like they had probably lit a fire under his fins that burned hotter than ever.
"Hey, guys," I muttered groggily. "You could've let me know that you had started!"
"We didn't want to disturb your beauty rest," Raymundo smirked. "You always look like you need more of it!"
Did Ray just...sass me? I couldn't help but laugh. He seemed to be in a lot better mood recently, especially considering the last few days of our journey had been extremely rough.
"Well, I appreciate the thought, guys," I chuckled. "What do you say we get moving?" They all nodded in unison, so I returned Bepis to his Poke Ball and we continued our march towards Cerulean City.
***
As it turned out, the makeshift campsite we had stopped at was on the outskirts of the city, so we made pretty good time. It was still the middle of the afternoon when we arrived at the Pokemon Center. I reserved a room and had the nurse do a quick check on the team before heading back out into the city.
Caesar looked around. "I haven't seen the Gym yet," he observed. "Do you think anyone here would give us directions?"
"Let's just keep looking," I said stubbornly. "I'm not in any rush to run into another Gym Battle like the other day. We'll challenge Misty's Gym tomorrow."
Caesar seemed to be lost in thought. Eventually, we found the giant building that housed the Cerulean Gym, but I could hardly look at it as we silently passed by. I was not looking forward to going back into another one of those death traps. The stakes were much higher now. We still had only three members of the team, and I was really getting attached to all of them at this point. I couldn't afford another loss here.
Instead, I decided to go exploring on the Route north of the city. The world-famous Nugget Bridge was just up ahead, but with it came a very unpleasant familiar face.
"Marshal!" squeaked Colin Oak. "You're still struggling along back here?"
I groaned as the grandson of the great professor strutted down the bridge towards me and the team. I thought I had been rid of him after he sprinted out of the lab after getting his starter, but it seemed that fate had other plans. Also, fate was a dick.
"I'm doing just fine, thanks," I said, exasperation dripping in my tone. I didn't expect the ten-year-old to notice or care.
"I'm doing great!" he shouted obnoxiously, even though I didn't ask. "I've caught a lot of strong and smart Pokemon! Let's see how you're doing!"
Crap. I didn't really want to do any more battling today, but if I didn't accept his challenge I could be reported to the League and banned from participating. "Fine," I muttered. "But we'll do three on three. I've only got these three Pokemon."
"Sounds good to me!" he agreed. "I'll still stomp you flat!" He chucked a Poke Ball, revealing a Pidgeotto, the creature that Orwell would've evolved to had he still been around. It stung a bit, seeing how majestic our bird friend could've been.
I looked over at Caesar. "You're up," I said, motioning for him to enter the battlefield.
"Are you crazy?" he shrieked. "I can't go up against a Flying type! I'll get murdered!"
"I'm pretty sure he doesn't know any Flying type moves," I reminded him. "While I was reading up what Orwell's attacks were, I found out that his evolution line doesn't really learn any Flying type attacks until much later. You'll be fine!"
Caesar took a second to consider, then nodded. "You're right. This will be easy!" He jumped straight out there as Colin gave me a weird look.
"Were you just talking to your Pokemon?" he asked, a dopey look on his face.
I realized in that moment that it wasn't that common of an occurrence, and I freaked out for a moment. "N-no!" I stammered.
"Whatever, weirdo," Colin grumbled. "Let's just fight, already."
That was all the prompting Caesar needed to tackle his way straight into the Pidgeotto. The fight was kind of uninspiring, with the two combatants just chucking basic moves at each other, but it ended quickly. Caesar had dispatched the opponent, but he was looking a little worse for wear. As Colin returned his Pidgeotto to its Poke Ball, I called Caesar back as well.
"That was luck!" Colin shouted angrily. "Let's see how you deal with this one!" Another Poke Ball opened to reveal a Rattata. They weren't very threatening Pokemon, so I sent out Raymundo to dispose of it easily.
This fight was even shorter than the last one! It seemed that Colin was more concerned with collecting Pokemon at this point than raising them properly. He probably had some way to bypass the single capture law, since he was the professor's grandson. He had quite a collection of filled Poke Balls in his open Bag, but he probably hadn't taken the time to train or bond with any of them. A well-placed Horn Attack from Raymundo sent Rattata reeling back to Colin's feet.
"Tch," the little twerp scoffed. "Useless!"
"He'd be stronger if you cared more for him," I lectured. "I may not have as many Pokemon as you, but at least I know how to raise them properly."
Colin looked angry. "That's it!" he screeched. "No mercy! Come on out, Abra!" I was initially terrified when he made the announcement that he was sending out a Psychic type, but couldn't keep a straight face when I figured out the truth. The Abra Colin had caught was fast asleep!
"Abra have a sleep schedule of around 18 hours a day," Caesar recited. "It might teleport around a bit reflexively to avoid attacks, but other than that it's completely defenseless!"
Hearing that gave me a great idea. I was going to embarrass this kid so badly he'd maybe leave me alone for a little while. I took out Bepis' Poke Ball and let him loose on top of the bridge.
After the initial flash of light, the Magikarp flopped around on the bridge in a panic. "W-where's the water?" he asked nervously.
"Sorry, bud," I said empathetically. Some Water types could survive out of water for a while, but I felt bad for Bepis. "I just need you to test your new move on that Abra over there."
Bepis seemed really worried at first, but quickly picked up on the situation. "I-I'll do my best!"
Colin, not understanding the situation, just laughed. "A Magikarp? Man, I knew you were dumb, but this is just ridiculous! What is that thing going to do to my powerful Pokemon?"
"Plenty," I retorted. "Bepis, use Tackle! Hit it 'til it dies!"
Bepis quite literally sprang into action. With a jumping ability that I had never seen before, the fish out of water barreled through the air and straight into Colin's Abra with a mighty thud. It seemed to actually do more damage than I had anticipated! Of course, the Abra teleported away after being hit, but it couldn't get far. Even if it had managed to get off the bridge, we were still surrounded by water. Bepis was at a huge advantage here. He quickly pinpointed the new location and leaped through the air, slamming his huge body into the Psychic type.
Everyone watching was amazed. Caesar and Ray were nearly bug-eyed, and their reactions didn't even compare to Colin's, who must have been so upset that he was about to lose to a Magikarp. As the final Tackle hit, Abra crashed into the ground after Bepis intercepted him accidentally mid-Teleport.
The silence spoke volumes. Bepis ceased flopping, looking back at us. "Did...I win?"
"Yeah, you did!" I said, trying to hold back my laughter. It wasn't anything against Bepis, he had worked hard for that victory! I just couldn't get enough of the fact that Colin had lost to a Magikarp!
"This is ridiculous!" he cried. "Someone told me Abra is one of the most powerful Pokemon out there! How could I lose to something so...so weak?"
"Because you didn't do your research," I reminded him. "That's the difference between you and me, Colin. You've gotten by so far on sheer dumb luck. I've clawed my way to where I am thus far, and my team and I are going to keep clawing all the way to the top."
"Whatever," he scoffed. "You're just jealous of all my natural talent! Smell ya later, dork!" Just like that, Colin Oak left in a huff. I felt bad for the things that kid was going to do to the Oak family name. While he was running into town, though, I noticed some sort of rock fall out of his Bag. I went over and picked it up curiously. I figured Colin wouldn't miss it. It looked pretty useful, though!
"What now?" Caesar asked me quietly. "The day is still fairly young. I heard the Pokemaniac Bill lives up on the cape. We could go pay him a visit and learn some things from him if you wanted."
"That sounds like a good idea to me," I agreed. "Onward, team!" I returned Bepis to his Poke Ball and let the others walk alongside me as we walked along the Nugget Bridge.
After a bit of walking, we found a small lake with a big tree nearby. Caesar and Ray collapsed under the shade of the tree while I walked over to the lake shore and got out Bepis' Poke Ball. I threw the Ball in the lake, letting out the big lug.
The Magikarp seemed ecstatic to be out of the Ball and into some fresh water. The lake we had chosen was beautiful and clear, a gesture that surely was appreciated by Bepis.
"Ah!" he sighed happily. "Nice to be out and about again." Upon seeing me, he seemed a bit nervous, but regained his composure the best he could. "Oh, h-hi there, M-M-Marshal! How's it g-g-g-g-"
"Easy, buddy," I said, trying to keep the poor little fish from having an aneurysm. Clearly, regaining his composure the best he could meant having a panic attack. "You can relax. We're just here to take a break before heading into the next town, and I thought I'd let you out for a little swim."
After a few seconds, it seemed like Bepis' heart rate had slowed down to levels that could maybe be considered normal. "Oh," he said, exhaling sharply. "That's kind of you. Thank you." He took off slowly into the lake, probably still trying to calm down. That would take some getting used to. What kind of opponent would be intimidated by a Gyarados who had a panic attack at the very sight of another person?
With that out of the way, I made my way over to the tree, where Caesar and Ray were resting up for the journey ahead. Training could wait for a bit later. For now, the team and I had earned a short rest.
***
Bepis later told me this next bit. Sometime while Caesar and I were sleeping, Raymundo got up and took a lap around the lakeside until he caught up with Bepis. "Hey, 'Karp!" he shouted.
That, of course, did wonders for my poor fish's anxiety. I knew I had heard something resembling a yelp while I was sleeping, but I was so tired that I ignored it. "W-w-w-w-what?" he stammered. The fact that he had even managed to get that word out was a feat in and of itself.
"Sorry," Ray sighed, not his usual bro-y self. "Bepis was your name, right?"
"Th-that's right," Bepis stated, a little more clearly.
"I just wanted to come and apologize for the way I acted around you last night," the Nidorino muttered. "We got off on the wrong foot, and that's my bad. I just figured that since-"
"Hey, I get it," Bepis interrupted, not needing Ray to finish his unintentionally racist statement. "In fact, I don't even think that you're that far off the mark. I am just a Magikarp, after all. As it stands, I'm not doing much for this team."
"Yeah, but it won't always be that way," Raymundo reminded him. "Everyone seems to forget the crazy potential Pokemon like you have."
Bepis blushed. "You're being awfully nice," he noted. "What's bringing this on?"
Raymundo sighed. "I won't lie to you, kiddo," he said flatly. "We had another loss in the cave today. Poor bastard didn't even last on the team more than ten minutes. Seeing him die made me realize that any of us could be taken out at any time, and holding grudges and being petty wasn't going to help anyone." The shift in his tone was enough to scare Bepis, but Ray continued on. "That's why I'm asking if we can start over again, but as friends this time. Is that alright?"
Bepis told me that he was happier in that moment than he had ever been before. "Of course, bro," he said, winking to Ray. "From now on, we're friends!"
Ray looked relieved. He didn't really say much else after that.
***
A little while later, I woke up to find my three Pokemon next to the shore training. Caesar had managed to extend the range of his Vine Whip a few inches, and Ray's tackling prowess looked to be constantly improving. Even Bepis was out of the water, flopping around! I was a little concerned at first, but figured that he was passionate about getting stronger and evolving. Seeing his two teammates evolve like they had probably lit a fire under his fins that burned hotter than ever.
"Hey, guys," I muttered groggily. "You could've let me know that you had started!"
"We didn't want to disturb your beauty rest," Raymundo smirked. "You always look like you need more of it!"
Did Ray just...sass me? I couldn't help but laugh. He seemed to be in a lot better mood recently, especially considering the last few days of our journey had been extremely rough.
"Well, I appreciate the thought, guys," I chuckled. "What do you say we get moving?" They all nodded in unison, so I returned Bepis to his Poke Ball and we continued our march towards Cerulean City.
***
As it turned out, the makeshift campsite we had stopped at was on the outskirts of the city, so we made pretty good time. It was still the middle of the afternoon when we arrived at the Pokemon Center. I reserved a room and had the nurse do a quick check on the team before heading back out into the city.
Caesar looked around. "I haven't seen the Gym yet," he observed. "Do you think anyone here would give us directions?"
"Let's just keep looking," I said stubbornly. "I'm not in any rush to run into another Gym Battle like the other day. We'll challenge Misty's Gym tomorrow."
Caesar seemed to be lost in thought. Eventually, we found the giant building that housed the Cerulean Gym, but I could hardly look at it as we silently passed by. I was not looking forward to going back into another one of those death traps. The stakes were much higher now. We still had only three members of the team, and I was really getting attached to all of them at this point. I couldn't afford another loss here.
Instead, I decided to go exploring on the Route north of the city. The world-famous Nugget Bridge was just up ahead, but with it came a very unpleasant familiar face.
"Marshal!" squeaked Colin Oak. "You're still struggling along back here?"
I groaned as the grandson of the great professor strutted down the bridge towards me and the team. I thought I had been rid of him after he sprinted out of the lab after getting his starter, but it seemed that fate had other plans. Also, fate was a dick.
"I'm doing just fine, thanks," I said, exasperation dripping in my tone. I didn't expect the ten-year-old to notice or care.
"I'm doing great!" he shouted obnoxiously, even though I didn't ask. "I've caught a lot of strong and smart Pokemon! Let's see how you're doing!"
Crap. I didn't really want to do any more battling today, but if I didn't accept his challenge I could be reported to the League and banned from participating. "Fine," I muttered. "But we'll do three on three. I've only got these three Pokemon."
"Sounds good to me!" he agreed. "I'll still stomp you flat!" He chucked a Poke Ball, revealing a Pidgeotto, the creature that Orwell would've evolved to had he still been around. It stung a bit, seeing how majestic our bird friend could've been.
I looked over at Caesar. "You're up," I said, motioning for him to enter the battlefield.
"Are you crazy?" he shrieked. "I can't go up against a Flying type! I'll get murdered!"
"I'm pretty sure he doesn't know any Flying type moves," I reminded him. "While I was reading up what Orwell's attacks were, I found out that his evolution line doesn't really learn any Flying type attacks until much later. You'll be fine!"
Caesar took a second to consider, then nodded. "You're right. This will be easy!" He jumped straight out there as Colin gave me a weird look.
"Were you just talking to your Pokemon?" he asked, a dopey look on his face.
I realized in that moment that it wasn't that common of an occurrence, and I freaked out for a moment. "N-no!" I stammered.
"Whatever, weirdo," Colin grumbled. "Let's just fight, already."
That was all the prompting Caesar needed to tackle his way straight into the Pidgeotto. The fight was kind of uninspiring, with the two combatants just chucking basic moves at each other, but it ended quickly. Caesar had dispatched the opponent, but he was looking a little worse for wear. As Colin returned his Pidgeotto to its Poke Ball, I called Caesar back as well.
"That was luck!" Colin shouted angrily. "Let's see how you deal with this one!" Another Poke Ball opened to reveal a Rattata. They weren't very threatening Pokemon, so I sent out Raymundo to dispose of it easily.
This fight was even shorter than the last one! It seemed that Colin was more concerned with collecting Pokemon at this point than raising them properly. He probably had some way to bypass the single capture law, since he was the professor's grandson. He had quite a collection of filled Poke Balls in his open Bag, but he probably hadn't taken the time to train or bond with any of them. A well-placed Horn Attack from Raymundo sent Rattata reeling back to Colin's feet.
"Tch," the little twerp scoffed. "Useless!"
"He'd be stronger if you cared more for him," I lectured. "I may not have as many Pokemon as you, but at least I know how to raise them properly."
Colin looked angry. "That's it!" he screeched. "No mercy! Come on out, Abra!" I was initially terrified when he made the announcement that he was sending out a Psychic type, but couldn't keep a straight face when I figured out the truth. The Abra Colin had caught was fast asleep!
"Abra have a sleep schedule of around 18 hours a day," Caesar recited. "It might teleport around a bit reflexively to avoid attacks, but other than that it's completely defenseless!"
Hearing that gave me a great idea. I was going to embarrass this kid so badly he'd maybe leave me alone for a little while. I took out Bepis' Poke Ball and let him loose on top of the bridge.
After the initial flash of light, the Magikarp flopped around on the bridge in a panic. "W-where's the water?" he asked nervously.
"Sorry, bud," I said empathetically. Some Water types could survive out of water for a while, but I felt bad for Bepis. "I just need you to test your new move on that Abra over there."
Bepis seemed really worried at first, but quickly picked up on the situation. "I-I'll do my best!"
Colin, not understanding the situation, just laughed. "A Magikarp? Man, I knew you were dumb, but this is just ridiculous! What is that thing going to do to my powerful Pokemon?"
"Plenty," I retorted. "Bepis, use Tackle! Hit it 'til it dies!"
Bepis quite literally sprang into action. With a jumping ability that I had never seen before, the fish out of water barreled through the air and straight into Colin's Abra with a mighty thud. It seemed to actually do more damage than I had anticipated! Of course, the Abra teleported away after being hit, but it couldn't get far. Even if it had managed to get off the bridge, we were still surrounded by water. Bepis was at a huge advantage here. He quickly pinpointed the new location and leaped through the air, slamming his huge body into the Psychic type.
Everyone watching was amazed. Caesar and Ray were nearly bug-eyed, and their reactions didn't even compare to Colin's, who must have been so upset that he was about to lose to a Magikarp. As the final Tackle hit, Abra crashed into the ground after Bepis intercepted him accidentally mid-Teleport.
The silence spoke volumes. Bepis ceased flopping, looking back at us. "Did...I win?"
"Yeah, you did!" I said, trying to hold back my laughter. It wasn't anything against Bepis, he had worked hard for that victory! I just couldn't get enough of the fact that Colin had lost to a Magikarp!
"This is ridiculous!" he cried. "Someone told me Abra is one of the most powerful Pokemon out there! How could I lose to something so...so weak?"
"Because you didn't do your research," I reminded him. "That's the difference between you and me, Colin. You've gotten by so far on sheer dumb luck. I've clawed my way to where I am thus far, and my team and I are going to keep clawing all the way to the top."
"Whatever," he scoffed. "You're just jealous of all my natural talent! Smell ya later, dork!" Just like that, Colin Oak left in a huff. I felt bad for the things that kid was going to do to the Oak family name. While he was running into town, though, I noticed some sort of rock fall out of his Bag. I went over and picked it up curiously. I figured Colin wouldn't miss it. It looked pretty useful, though!
"What now?" Caesar asked me quietly. "The day is still fairly young. I heard the Pokemaniac Bill lives up on the cape. We could go pay him a visit and learn some things from him if you wanted."
"That sounds like a good idea to me," I agreed. "Onward, team!" I returned Bepis to his Poke Ball and let the others walk alongside me as we walked along the Nugget Bridge.
[close]