60Pokémon – Thunder Yellow
Fanfiction By – Spirit Reader
Pokémon Original Creator – Satoshi Tajiri
Chapter 19: A New Rival
Takashi's Pokémon
Pikachu (Male)
Froakie (Female)
Pidgeotto (Male)
Treecko (Male)
Gym Badges
Boulder Badge (Brock)
"There's nothing like having a cup of green tea on a warm Sunday afternoon. Don't you agree, Pikachu?"
As the electric mouse nodded his head in agreement, both Pikachu and Takashi took a sip of tea as they sat outside of a local tea shop. Together with the rest of their Pokémon friends, the two of them having been traveling across the plains as they continued with their journey. They have made a bit of progress since the battle against Brock, but Takashi knew that they still had a lot of work to do if they wanted to win the Pokémon League. Even so, Takashi believed that he and his Pokémon deserved a bit of a break and he took time out of his travels to stop at the tea shop he found during his travels.
While Pikachu continued drinking his tea, Takashi pulled out his PokéGear and saw that he was right on course to Cerulean City. All he needed to do was continue down the path he was on, making his way through Mt. Moon, and he'll be there. The path seemed straight forward and, as long as they weren't any major detours, he should arrive there soon.
After putting his PokéGear away, Takashi finished the rest of his tea before getting up and stretching his arms. At the same time, Pikachu finished his tea as well and proceeded to climb onto his Trainer's shoulder. Now that both of them were rested and recharged, they both decided to continue with their journey. With that in mind, Takashi got in line so that he could pay for his tea.
While Takashi waited in line, Pikachu curiously examined the interior of the shop and watched as all the people and their Pokémon were enjoying their treats. As the Mouse Pokémon continued to look around, he took notice of a large flyer hanging on the wall. Interested in it, Pikachu hopped off Takashi's shoulder and made his way over to it. Surprised by his Pokémon's actions, Takashi quickly paid for the tea before making his way over to him.
"Pikachu, what are you doing?" He questioned. "We have to go now."
Upon reaching him, Takashi saw that Pikachu was pointing at the flyer. As he lifted him up, the young man got a good look at it and started to read what was written on it.
"Attention…" He read aloud. "Pokémon Contest taking place in Crimson Town. All Coordinators are welcomed to attend."
Once he finished reading the flyer, Takashi took a closer examination of it and saw the images of several Trainers and their Pokémon. However, he noted two things about them. The first thing is that the Trainers were looking rather fashionable, either wearing suits or fancy dresses. The second is that the Pokémon seemed to be executing their moves almost like they were performing on stage. Having never seen anything like that before, Takashi started to understand why this flyer caught Pikachu's attention.
As the two of them continued looking on, an older woman took notice of them and decided to check out what he was looking at. After making her way over to them and seeing the flyer, she immediately understood what was on Takashi's mind.
"I see…" She said, grabbing his attention. "From the way you're looking at this flyer, you seem to be interested in the Pokémon Contest that's being held in Crimson Town. Tell me, young man. Are you a Pokémon Coordinator?"
"Coordinator…?" Takashi questioned, turning to face the woman. "Is that some kind of Pokémon Trainer?"
"Something like that." The woman paused for a moment, trying to come up with the right words to say. "You see, Pokémon Coordinators are people who raise their Pokémon in a visually impressive way. Also, while Pokémon Trainers tend to travel from place to place in order to compete in Gym Battles, Coordinators travel around to compete in Pokémon Contests."
While continuing to listen to the woman's explanation, Takashi glanced back at the flyer and reexamined the images of the Coordinators and their Pokémon. Seeing how they look gave him a better understanding of what Contests are about. Still, from what he could tell, there didn't seem to be any battling involved during these events. Since he's a Trainer who participates in Pokémon Battles, the appeal of Pokémon Contests was started to fade.
"Is there anything else about these Contests, miss?" He asked her. "I mean…what do these Coordinators do in them? And what do they earn if they win?"
"Well, I'm not sure about all the details," the woman continued. "However, I do know that a typical Contest is divided into two rounds: the Performance Stage and the Battle Stage. During the Performance Stage, Coordinators compete by utilizing their Pokémon's moves or attributes to better showcase them. Each performance is judged by a panel of judges and the Coordinators with the most points move onto the Battle Stage. In the Battle Stage, the remaining Coordinators face-off in a Pokémon Battle, during which they once again try to highlight their Pokémon's style and skill. Once that's done, the last Coordinator remaining is declared the winner and is awarded a ribbon as their prize."
After she finished saying that, the woman took her finger and pointed it at the Coordinator who was in the middle of the flyer. Looking in that direction, Takashi saw the Coordinator was holding a pink and silver ribbon that she apparently won. Upon seeing that, and her more about the Contests, Takashi's waning interest was beginning to increase again.
"That sounds pretty cool," he nodded.
"It gets better than that," the woman continued. "You see, if a Coordinator manages to win at least 5 Contest Ribbons then they'll be able to compete in an annual competition known as the Grand Festival. It's a tournament that's basically on the same level as the Pokémon League. The one who wins that earns not only the Ribbon Cup trophy, but also the prestigious title of Top Coordinator."
Once the woman finished her explanation, she watched as Takashi's eyes started to light up. The thought that the Grand Festival was on the same level as the Pokémon League truly caught his interest when it came to Pokémon Contests. Although he still wasn't sure about Pokémon Coordinators in general, the fact that they journey across the region, competing with each other, was quite intriguing. When the woman saw that, she simply let out a small smile before walking away.
After she left, Takashi once again pulled out his PokéGear and activated its map function. From what he could tell, Crimson Town wasn't that far off from where he is now. With that in mind, he felt that it wouldn't be too big a deal to postpone his travel to Cerulean City for a bit to check out the Contest.
"What do you say, Pikachu?" He asked his partner. "Want to go check out this Contest?"
Looking towards him, Pikachu glanced at the flyer one more time and saw how all the Pokémon seemed to be enjoying themselves as they performed. Upon seeing that, the Mouse Pokémon turned back towards his Trainer and gave him an encouraging nod. Once he said, Takashi let out a smile as he put his PokeGear away.
"Alright then…Next stop, Crimson Town!"
A few hours have passed since Takashi and Pikachu first learned about the Pokémon Contest taking place in Crimson and the two of them have made a bit of progress. Still, since they ended up changing paths at the last minute, the duo were a bit delayed and they noticed that the sun was starting to set. Once he saw that, Takashi stopped and pondered whether he should stop and set up camp. As he continued to think, Pikachu hopped off his shoulder to stretch his legs.
As Pikachu ran around the area, the Mouse Pokémon stopped as he picked up something due to his sensitive hearing. As the noise gradually grew louder, the electric mouse's curiosity got the better of him and he soon started making his way towards the source. By the time decided to stop and make camp, he noticed that Pikachu was already gone. This, much to his annoyance, forced him to grab his things and chase after his Pokémon.
By the time he finally reached Pikachu, Takashi picked up the mouse and was about to say something to him. However, before he could so, Pikachu directed his tiny arms in the direction he was looking at. Looking in the same direction, Takashi saw a crowd gathering in the distance. He also heard several noises, almost like a battle was taking place over there. Realizing that is what caught Pikachu's attention, Takashi placed him back on his shoulder and made his way over there.
Once he reached the crowd and managed to get pass a few of the spectators, Takashi looked on as a battle was taking place. It was a match between a male Trainer with black hair and green eyes, who was commanding a Rattata, going up against a female Trainer with short red hair and blue eyes. The Pokémon she was commanding was one Takashi hasn't seen before, as it resembled a brown fox with big bright eyes. Wanting answers, the young man pulled his PokéDex from his pocket and activated it.
"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon." The device explained. "A Normal-Type. Eevee is a unique Pokémon that can adapt to its environment by changing its form and abilities when evolving."
Following Dexter's explanation, Takashi put the PokéDex back into his pocket before turning his attention back towards the battle. It was clear that Eevee had the upper hand, as it was able to easily avoid all of Rattata's attacks. Even so, Rattata's Trainer refused to back down and gambled everything with one final strike.
"Rattata…Use Hyper Fang!" He commanded.
Nodding its head, Rattata gathered all its remaining strength and transferred it into its large buck teeth. Not only did this cause its teeth to start glowing, but it also caused it to grow and become sharper. Once it finished, Rattata dashed towards Eevee as quickly as it could.
"Dodge it, Eevee!" The female Trainer ordered. "Then use Iron Tail!"
Letting out a small smirk, Eevee acknowledged its Trainer's command and waited for the exact moment to avoid Rattata's attack. Once it got close enough, the Evolution Pokémon quickly jumped over its opponent and started transferring power into its big fluffy tail. Like with Pikachu's Iron Tail, Eevee's Tail started to glow a bright white color. It then slammed it right down on Rattata's head, knocking it out. As soon as everyone saw that, someone from the crowd walked over and crossed his arms. He then raised arm and directed it towards the female Trainer.
"Rattata is unable to battle and Eevee wins!" He declared. "The victor is Kairi from Celadon City!"
Once Kairi and Eevee were announced as the winners, the crowd suddenly erupted into cheers. As her opponent sadly returned his Rattata back into its PokéBall, the young woman knelt down and gently petted the top of her partner's head. Eevee let out a big smile when Kairi did that before jumping up and landing on her shoulder. The two of them then walked over towards Kairi's opponent, where the young woman extended her hand out to him.
"Thanks for the battle," She said with a smile.
"…Sure." The Trainer said, obviously upset. "You're welcome."
Although disappointed, the Trainer accept his defeat with grace and shook Kairi's hand. He then walked off, wanting to head to a Pokémon Center so that he could get his Rattata some treatment. Once he was gone, Kairi and Eevee then took a few moments to soak in the crowd's applause before grabbing their attention.
"So…Who's next?! Does anyone think they're strong enough to take on me and my Pokémon?!"
Upon hearing her challenge, most of the crowd looked at one another as they wondered if they were skilled enough to take her on. As she watched them, Kairi took the time to check each of them out. From what she could tell, most the people in the crowd were either just spectators or average Trainers who wouldn't offer much of a challenge. For a moment, she believed that no one would have the guts to face her. However, that soon changed when someone finally stepped forward.
"We'll face you!"
Turning her head, Kairi saw that the person who just accepted her challenge was none other than Takashi. Right away, the young woman could feel the intensity coming from both him and his Pikachu. She then turned towards her Eevee and saw that it had a determined look in its eyes. The Evolution Pokémon seemed psyched for this next battle, which ended up exciting her as well. As a result, Kairi turned back towards Takashi and gave him a confident grin.
"Alright then…I accept," she said. "My name is Kairi Kaminashi and I hail from Celadon City. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The feeling's mutual." Takashi replied. "I'm Takashi Nakamura of Pallet Town."
Following their introductions, Takashi and Kairi took the places as the crowd looked on in anticipation. Once everything was in place, the spectator who refereed the previous battle soon stepped up and got everyone's attention.
"This Battle between Takashi of Pallet Town and Kairi of Celadon City is about to begin!" He stated. "Each Trainer will use 2 Pokémon and the battle will be over once both of either Trainer's Pokémon are deemed unable to continue. Are these rules acceptable?"
Without saying a word, both Kairi and Takashi nodded their head in agreement. Once he saw that, the referee nodded his head as well and proceeded to lift both of hands up into the air.
"Then…Let the Battle begin!"
With the match official underway, the crowd suddenly erupted into a passionate roar as they waited to see which Pokémon the Trainers will choose to bring out first. Since Eevee just finished up a match, Kairi decided to let it have a bit of a break for now. To that end, she pulled out a PokéBall that she had on her person and proceeded to throw it onto the battlefield.
"Alright…Come on out, Piplup!"
After Kairi threw the PokéBall, everyone watched as it opened and released a powerful blast of light energy. As the energy hit the ground and started taking shape, they watched as it turned into a small light-blue penguin Pokémon with big eyes, yellow feet, and a small beak. Having never seen a Pokémon like this one before, Takashi pulled Dexter back out and immediately looked it up.
"Piplup, the Penguin Pokémon." The PokéDex stated. "A Water-Type. A poor walker, Piplup often falls down. However, its strong pride makes it puff up its chest without a care."
Following Dexter's explanation, Takashi looked on at Piplup and saw that it seemed quite eager for battle. However, in its attempt to act tough, the tiny penguin ended up stumbling and fell face first onto the ground. Still, just like the PokéDex said, this act didn't affect its pride as Piplup simply got back on its feet and continue to boast.
Once he put his PokéDex back into his pocket, Takashi took a moment to ponder which of his Pokémon should he bring out to battle Piplup. Since it was a Water-Type, Pikachu was the obvious choice as he was an Electric-Type. Still, the Mouse Pokémon wasn't the only one on his team who held a distinct advantage of Water-Types. With that in mind, Takashi pulled out a PokéBall and threw it onto the battlefield.
"Treecko, I choose you!" He shouted.
As the PokéBall opened, everyone looked on as blast of energy shot from it and quickly transformed itself into Treecko. After landing on the ground, the Wood Gecko Pokémon took a moment to examine his surroundings and was immediately caught off guard by the huge crowd of people. However, he was able to quickly refocus himself when he saw Piplup taunting him.
"Alright Treecko..." Takashi said to his newest partner. "This is our first battle as a team. Let's start off strong and get ourselves a win!"
After taking a minute to look back at him, Treecko nodded his head in agreement and prepared himself mentally for battle. Right away, Kairi could tell that Treecko would be a strong opponent, but she wasn't worried. Although Piplup was at a disadvantage based on Type, the young woman knew that it took more than that to win a battle. Because of that, she was eager to start off strong and proceeded to make the first move.
"Let's go, Piplup!" She said eagerly. "Use Bubble beam!"
Nodding its head, Piplup took a deep breath before shooting out a barrage of high concentrated water bubbles from its mouth. The barrage looked similar to how Froakie uses her Bubble attack, but Takashi noticed that these bubbles were a lot stronger and faster. Still, Treecko was able to sidestep out of the way quite easily. Undaunted, Piplup simply turned its head and unleashed another barrage of bubbles onto its foe.
"Dodge Treecko!" Takashi instructed. "Then use Pound!"
Acknowledging Takashi's instruction, Treecko once again avoided Piplup's Bubble Beam before dashing towards the Penguin Pokémon as quickly as he could. Once he got close enough, Treecko proceeded to slam its large tail directly into Piplup's face, knocking it down. However, despite taking that attack head on, Piplup quickly got back on its feet. It then turned its attention back towards Treecko, who was surprised that Water Pokémon that able to get up so fast.
"Now Piplup, use Peck!" Kairi declared.
Right away, Piplup dashed towards Treecko as he pushed its head forward. As it did, its beak started to glow slightly as it focused its power into it. Although Treecko managed to dodge the initial strike, the Penguin Pokémon refused to give up and continued chasing after its foe. Eventually, both Treecko and Takashi quickly grew tired of this and decided to do something about Piplup's constant attacks.
"Treecko…use Bullet Seed!" Takashi shouted.
"I don't think so!" Kairi countered. "Piplup, use Drill Peck!"
After avoiding another one of Piplup's attacks, Treecko jumped back and fired off a barrage of energy bullets against his foe. However, having already received Kairi's instructions, Piplup focused even more power into its beak, causing it to grow longer and sharper. It then started spinning its body like a drill. By doing this, the Penguin Pokémon was not only able to increase the power of its attack, but also deflect Treecko's Bullet Seeds. It then rammed its beak directly into Treecko's body, dealing the Grass-Type a significant amount of damage.
As the force of Piplup's attack sent Treecko flying, a worried Takashi looked on as his Pokémon landed hard onto the ground. Since Drill Peck is a Flying-Type move, the attack was devastating to a Grass-Type Treecko. Still, despite the obvious pain that he was feeling, Treecko refused to back down and struggled to get back on his feet. Right away, Kairi was impressed by Treecko's determination.
"Looks like your Pokémon has some moxie," she said. "Still, moxie isn't enough to defeat us. Piplup, use Drill Peck one more time!"
Complying with Kairi's request, Piplup took a few steps back before launching itself straight towards Treecko. Once again, the Penguin Pokémon started spinning as its beak grew larger. Knowing that Treecko was to exhausted to dodge and that his Bullet Seed attack wasn't strong enough to break through that attack, Takashi opted to use the attack that Treecko has spent countless hours trying to master.
"Treecko…use Energy Ball!"
Upon hearing Takashi say that, Treecko quickly gathered up all of his strength and focused it into the center of his being. Then, just as Piplup was about to strike him, the Grass-Type fired off a ball of green energy from his mouth. The ball struck Piplup, disrupting its attack and sending it flying backwards. Right away, Kairi was stunned as she didn't think that Treecko had the strength to unleash such a powerful move.
After landing on the ground, Piplup struggled to get back on its feet. Despite its endurance and determination, Treecko's Energy Ball took its toll as the Penguin Pokémon was weak to Grass-Type moves. At the same time, Treecko wasn't fairing much better as using Energy Ball in his weakened state tiring. Both of their Trainers knew that they couldn't take any damage and so they decided to end it with their next attack.
"Piplup…use Ice Beam!" Kairi declared.
Letting out a tiny cry, Piplup finally got back on its feet and started building up power. Once it stored up enough, the Water-Type unleashed a frozen beam of energy from its mouth and directed it towards Treecko. Despite the oncoming blast however, both Takashi and Treecko managed to keep their cool.
"Dodge with Quick Attack, Treecko!" Takashi shouted.
At the last second, Treecko quickly moved out of the way and the crowd watched as Piplup's Ice Beam struck the ground and created a tiny glacier. The Wood Gecko Pokémon then dashed towards Piplup at an incredible speed. Although it tried firing off several more Ice Beams in order to stop it, Piplup's attack were simply too slow and the Water-Type was promptly tackled into the ground.
Like before, Piplup was determined not to give up and struggled to get back to feet. However, the damaged it sustained throughout the battle was simply too much and soon fell back down. The referee then looked over the Penguin Pokémon and saw that it was knocked out, prompting him to raise his hand towards Takashi.
"Piplup is unable to battle!" He announced. "Treecko wins!"
For a moment, the crowd was stunned that Kairi's Piplup lost the battle, but their silence was soon replaced with cheers for both Takashi and his Treecko. As he took a moment to revel in his victory, Takashi watched as his exhausted Pokémon fell to one knee, struggling to catch its breath. Making his way towards him, he gently placed his hand on Treecko's tiny shoulder and smiled at him. Their first battle together ended in their victory and Takashi couldn't be prouder of Treecko.
As for Kairi, the young woman took a moment to reflect on her defeat before grabbing Piplup's PokéBall and pointing it at the fallen Water-Type. She then watched as the ball shot out a red beam, converting Piplup back into light energy before being sucked back inside. Once her Pokémon was back inside its ball, Kairi looked at it once more before letting out a small smile.
"Good effort, Piplup…" She spoke. "We'll do better next time."
After shrinking her PokéBall back into its smaller form and placing it on her belt, Kairi looked on and watched as Takashi was still congratulating his Treecko. Although she could tell that he was strong, Takashi's strength exceeded her expectations. Even so, Kairi wasn't too worried as she that this battle is far from over.
"You're pretty good," She said to him. "I haven't had battle this tough since my match at the Cerulean Gym."
"The Cerulean Gym…?" Takashi questioned, looking back at her. "You're taking on the Gym Challenge."
"That's right," Kairi reached down into her pocket and pulled out a Badge Case, revealing two Gym Badges. "I defeated the Cerulean City Gym Leader not that long ago and won this Cascade Badge for my efforts."
Getting a better look, Takashi examined Kairi's Gym Badges and saw that the Cascade Badge resembled light blue raindrop. In addition, he noticed that second Badge she won was none other than the Pewter Gym's Boulder Badge. Upon seeing it, he immediately rushed down and pulled out his Badge Case, revealing his own Boulder Badge.
"I'm taking on the Gym Challenge too," He revealed. "It took some work, but I managed to defeat Brock to win the Boulder Badge. I'm actually planning to head to the Cerulean Gym next."
"Is that so…" Kairi replied, intrigued by what she was seeing. "Well, in order to prepare you for your upcoming battle…allow me to show you what I'm really capable of."
Turning her head, Kairi stared at her Eevee and watched as the Evolution Pokémon responded with a confident grin. She then looked on as Eevee made its way onto the battlefield. Upon seeing it, Takashi looked down towards his Treecko and watched as the Wood Gecko Pokémon slowly got back to its feet. It was clear that he was on his last legs, but Treecko was still determined to battle. With that in mind, Takashi decided to try and end things quickly.
"Treecko, use Bullet Seed!" He declared.
Responding to his Trainer's command, Treecko gathered what strength he had left and fired off another barrage of energy bullets at Eevee. However, despite the oncoming assault, neither Kairi nor Eevee seemed worried about it.
"Use Double Team!" Kairi commanded.
At the last second, Eevee quickly avoided Treecko's attack and disappeared. However, the Normal-Type soon reappeared as several after images suddenly circled around Treecko. Unsure which of them was the real Eevee, Treecko quickly became flustered and fired random Bullet Seeds at the clones. Unfortunately, each of the attacks simply passed through each of the Eeeves, much to Treecko's frustration.
"Now use Shadow Ball!"
Nodding their heads in agreement, each of the Eevee clones quickly built-up power from within their bodies. As they did so, Takashi watched as several dark spheres started to form just outside their mouths. Knowing right away that Treecko couldn't afford to take any damage he tried to figure out which Eevee was the real one. However, he quickly ran out of time and watched as the Eevees unleashed their attacks.
With no more time, Treecko did the only thing he could and jumped high into the air. As he did, the Grass-Type watched as the multiple Shadow Balls crashed into onto another, creating a small explosion. As Treecko tried to find Eevee though, Takashi looked up and saw that the real one was already high above the Grass-Type.
"Treecko…Above you!" He cried.
"Too late!" Kairi stated. "Eevee, use Iron Tail!"
Just as Treecko lifted his head, Eevee concentrated all its power into its tail and slammed down right on its opponent's head. The force of the blow sent Treecko crashing into the ground, resulting in a small crater upon impact. As Eevee gracefully landed back on the ground, the referee looked over Treecko and saw that he was knocked out cold, prompting him to raise his hand towards Kairi.
"Treecko is unable to battle!" He declared. "Eevee wins!"
The crowd erupted into cheers following Eevee's decisive victory. Once again, the Evolution Pokémon proved its strength by defeating its opponent with only one hit. However, Kairi knew that the only reason Eevee won so quickly is because Treecko was exhausted from battling Piplup. Because of that, the young woman silently prepared herself as she knew the final battle would be the toughest yet.
As for Takashi, the young woman solemnly pulled out Treecko's PokéBall and proceeded to return his unconscious Pokémon back inside of it. Once Treecko was inside, he took a moment to stare at the PokéBall from gently nodding his head.
"Great job, Treecko." He said quietly. "Take a nice long rest."
Pressing the button on the middle of the PokéBall, Takashi shrunk it and proceeded to place it back on his belt buckle. He then took a deep breath before looking over at Eevee. Although Treecko was at a disadvantage, the fact remained that Eevee's Iron Tail was still quite impressive. Even so, Takashi wasn't about to let that deter him. Instead, the prospect of this challenge ended up exciting him.
"Alright…" Taking another deep breath, Takashi let out a smirk before looking down towards Pikachu. "You're up, buddy. Show them what you got!"
Looking back at him, Pikachu returned Takashi's smirk with one of his own. He then raced onto the battlefield, his cheeks sparking with electricity. When Eevee saw that, the Evolution Pokémon could feel its opponent's determination and let out a small growl as it firmly planted its feet. This was it. The final battle was about to begin and both Pokémon were determined to give it their all.
As the crowd looked on in anticipation, Takashi and Kairi stood quietly as the waited for the other to make the first move. The few seconds that passed by felt like minutes to them, but they didn't want to rush. Eventually though, Takashi realized that standing around wasn't going to get him anywhere and opted to attack first.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
Responding to his commanded, Pikachu built up energy from within his body before unleashing a powerful electric blast towards its opponent. Like before, Eevee kept its cool and waited for Kairi's command.
"Use Double Team!" She ordered.
Mere seconds before Pikachu's Thunderbolt struck it, Eevee once again vanished from sight before suddenly surrounding the Mouse Pokémon with a group of after images. As with Treecko, Pikachu couldn't determine which of the clones was the real Eevee. He then watched as each of the clones slowly opened their mouths.
"Shadow Ball!"
Having already anticipated her next command, Eevee once again built-up power and started to form another sphere of dark energy. Realizing that if he had Pikachu dodge the barrage, it would leave him vulnerable to aerial attack, Takashi tried coming up with a plan. However, knowing that he didn't have time to think up anything complicated, he opted to be straight forward.
"Pikachu!" He called out too. "Use Thunderbolt…only this time aim at every Eevee!"
Nodding his head, Pikachu quickly summoned up his strength and unleashed another electrical blast. This time however, the Mouse Pokémon had the electricity scatter in several directions. The electricity then struck each of the Eevee clones, causing them to vanish one by one. However, one of the clones suddenly moved back before it could be struck. When he saw that, Takashi knew that was the real Eevee and immediately pointed towards it.
"Quick Pikachu…" he alerted. "There it is. Use Quick Attack before it has a chance to get away!"
Turning around, Pikachu noticed the real Eevee and immediately dashed towards it an incredible speed. Right away, Kairi was caught off guard by the Mouse Pokémon's speed as she could barely keep track of it. She then watched as Pikachu rammed its body directly into Eevee, causing the later to skid across the ground. Although Eevee managed to recover from the blow rather easily, Pikachu wasn't about to let up and charged towards it again.
"Eevee, intercept it with your Quick Attack!" Kairi told it.
Let out another tiny growl, Eevee lunged itself forward as fast as it could and collided with Pikachu. The two Pokémon attempted to overpower the others, but was simply too evenly matched. Still, they weren't about to let up. After backing away from each other, Pikachu and Eevee dashed across the battlefield, crashing into each at every opportunity. Their movements were so fast and unpredictable that the crowd was having a hard time keeping up with all the action.
Eventually, after watching the Pokémon tackle each other one more time, Takashi realized that Pikachu and Eevee were in a stalemate. He needed to do something to tip the scale in his partner's favor. After a bit of thought, an idea popped into his head.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
Nodding his head, Pikachu rushed towards Eevee again as he started gathering energy into his tail. As he did that, the Mouse Pokémon's tail started glowing a bright white color. Upon seeing that, Kairi decided to respond to Takashi's next move with one of her own.
"Eevee, counter with your Iron Tail!" She commanded.
While Pikachu prepared himself to strike, Eevee reacted quickly and also transferred its energy into its tail. Just like its opponent, the Evolution Pokémon's tail started glowing brightly as it proceeded to rush towards Pikachu. Once they were close enough, Pikachu and Eevee swung their tail against each other, the resulting clash between them created a powerful shockwave.
As the crowd looked on in anticipation, Kairi watched as Eevee and Pikachu attempted to overpower the other with their respective attacks. From the look of things, it seemed like Eevee had a slight advantage over its foe. However, as she glanced over towards Takashi, the young woman noticed a small grin appear on his face. When she saw that, she realized right away that this was a trap and was about to tell Eevee to back away. Unfortunately, she was too late.
"Pikachu…use Electro Ball!" Takashi shouted.
With a big smile, Pikachu proceeded to gather his electrical power into his tail while continuing to clash with Eevee. Eventually a large Electro Ball appeared and, combined with the power of his Iron Tail, Pikachu was able to completely overpower Eevee and send it crashing into the ground. Everyone then watched as Eevee struggled to get back on its feet, that last clash obviously taking a massive toll on its body.
With their opponent on the ropes, both Takashi and Pikachu that opportunity for victory was at hand. All they needed was to land one more direct attack. To that end, Pikachu didn't waste anytime as it started charging towards Eevee again.
"Let's finish this, Pikachu!" Takashi told him. "Use Electro Ball one more time!"
Nodding his head once more, Pikachu quickly gathered up another ball of electrical energy and proceeded to toss it towards Eevee. By the time the Evolution Pokémon finally got back to its feet, Pikachu's attack was just about to strike it. Despite that though, Kairi managed to keep calm and simply shouted out her next command.
"Eevee…use Dig!"
Upon hearing its Trainer's instruction, Eevee quickly burrowed underground, completely avoiding Pikachu's Electro Ball in the process. Stunned that it managed to get away, both Takashi and Pikachu looked around the battlefield as they attempted to determine where Eevee was hiding. Soon, Pikachu noticed that the rocks to his right were beginning to jiggle around and quickly jumped back. However, just as he did that, Eevee suddenly burst from the ground behind him.
"Now use Shadow Ball!"
Not wasting anytime, Eevee fired off a sphere of dark energy from its mouth that struck Pikachu directly in its back. As the blast exploded upon contact, Takashi looked on in horror as Pikachu was sent flying until finally crashing onto the ground. Despite its injuries, Pikachu attempted to get back up and stay in the battle. Although impressed by his tenacity, Kairi decided to put an end this battle and gave out her final command.
"Eevee!" She called out too. "Finish this with Quick Attack!"
After hearing Kairi give her instruction, Eevee let out a powerful growl before dashing towards Pikachu as quickly as it could. By the time the Mouse Pokémon finally got back up, Eevee was already lunging itself towards him. In a last-ditch effort, Pikachu tried blocking the strike with his own Quick Attack. Unfortunately, Pikachu couldn't get enough speed to effectively use the move and thus his attack was overpowered by Eevee's and was promptly knocked back down.
Like before, Pikachu struggled to get back up while everyone else looked on in anticipation. For a moment, the electric mouse managed to get to his feet, much to Kairi's surprise. Sadly, Pikachu soon fell back down as fatigued finally caught up with him. The referee then examined the Mouse Pokémon saw that he was knocked out and unable to keep battling. This prompted to him to raise his hand, for the final time, towards Kairi.
"Pikachu is unable to battle!" He declared. "Eevee wins…and the victor is Kairi from Celadon City!"
As soon as Kairi was declared the winner of the battle, the crowd erupted into cheers and congratulated her on her victory. However, while pleased that she won, the young woman was more concerned about Eevee as she watched the Evolution Pokémon stagger as it made its way up to her. The battle clearly took its toll and Eevee was barely able to stay upright. By the time it finally reached her, Kairi picked up Eevee and gently held it in her arms.
"Excellent job, Eevee." She said with a smile. "You were great."
Pleased that it was able to make her proud, Eevee let out a small smile as it snuggled against Kairi. In response, Kairi gently petted the top of its head before looking over and watching Takashi make his way towards Pikachu. Upon seeing him examine his fallen Pokémon, Kairi reached into her pocket and pulled out a yellow berry. She then broke it apart, giving one half to Eevee before walking over towards Takashi.
"Here," she said, holding out the berry. "Give Pikachu this. It'll help it recover."
After taking a moment to examine the berry, Takashi looked up towards Kairi and saw that she had a sincere look on her face. Upon seeing that, the young man gently nodded his head and took the other half of the berry. He gave it to Pikachu, watching as the Mouse Pokémon struggled to bite it. Once it did and he swallowed the berry, Pikachu immediately felt reenergized before quickly biting into the remainder of the fruit. As he saw that, Takashi's eyes lit up with joy.
"Awesome," he said with a smile. "You're feeling better already, Pikachu."
"Naturally," Kairi pointed out. "That's what happens when you eat a Sitrus Berry. It helps a Pokémon recover when it's weak."
Just as Kairi finished her explanation, Pikachu ate the last of the Sitrus Berry and was already feeling much better. The electric mouse then licked Takashi's cheek, informing him of his current state. Upon seeing how much better he was, Takashi's smile grew much bigger as he gently petted the top of his partner's head. He then watched as Pikachu happily got on top of his shoulder.
At the same that was happening, Eevee had just finished eating its portion of the Sitrus and, like Pikachu, felt energized upon devouring it. Once it felt better, the Evolution Pokémon climbed up Kairi's body until it nestled comfortably on her head. After happily petting her partner one more time, Kairi looked towards Takashi for a second before extending her hand out to him. When he saw her gesture, Takashi nodded his head before taking her hand and shaking it.
"Congratulations," he said. "You're really strong, Kairi."
"Thank you." Kairi replied. "You're not to bad yourself, Takashi. I can see how you earned yourself a Gym Badge."
As the two of them shook hands, the crowd took noticed and proceeded to congratulate them both for having such an entertaining battle. After a while, the crowd gradually parted ways and proceeded onward towards their own destinations. Eventually, Kairi and Takashi were the only two left, but they soon gathered their things and got ready to leave as well.
"So…where are you headed off to?" Takashi asked as he put on his backpack. "Off towards another Gym Battle?"
"Actually…I just plan of traveling around the area for a bit." Kairi answered. "I want to take the time to travel and train with my Pokémon before challenging for my next badge. As you'll soon find out, Gym Battle get progressively harder the more badges you earn. You won't get far if you just travel from Gym to Gym without taking the time to sharpen your skills."
"I see…That makes sense."
Glancing over towards Pikachu, Takashi thought about their recent defeat and realized that the two of them would need to get much stronger if they wanted to win at the Cerulean Gym. To that end, he decided to make the most of his detour to Crimson Town, hoping that observing the Pokémon Contest there will give him some insight on how to improve his skills.
Soon, as the moon started to rise over the horizon, Kairi decided that its time head on out and continue her journey. To that end, the young woman held her hand again and Takashi proceeded to shake it. Following that, the two Trainers gave each other a warm smile before walking off in the opposite direction.
"Until we meet again." She said as she waved towards him. "Bye Takashi Nakamura."
"Same here." Takashi replied. "Goodbye Kairi Kaminashi."
As the Trainers parted, Takashi looked up towards the sky and reflected on the battle he had with Kairi. Although a part of him was upset that he lost, another part of him was satisfied with how he and his Pokémon performed. He then let out a small smirk as he pulled out a PokéBall and raised it high into the air.
"Looks like I found my next rival!"
Chapter Preview
Upon arriving in Crimson Town, Takashi is eager to watch the Pokémon Contest taking place there. However, just as he's getting settled, a thief ends up stealing the Pokémon Egg that he's caring for. As he attempts to get back his egg, he's helped by a young woman who plans on competing in the Contest.
Next Time, Chapter 20: The Tomboyish Coordinator
Announcements
Hey guys, it's Spirit Reader. It's been a long time, but I'm happy to say that Pokémon: Thunder Yellow is officially back from hiatus. I know it's been a long time coming, but given the circumstances involving 2020, I hope you can forgive me for the delay. In any case, I hope you enjoy as Takashi and his Pokémon continue their journey to become the very best like no one ever was.
In addition, please take the opportunity to check out my latest story, Power Rangers: Dino Strike. I'm working very hard on it and quite pleased with how things are turning out. New chapters are released every Friday so look forward to them.
Well, that's it for now. Until next time, this is Spirit Reader signing off.