Pathfinder

Part 3

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Jason’s first step on that course was perhaps an ironic one: he headed back to Pewter City, where he brought his Pokémon in to the local PokéCenter for a physical workup. Nurse Joy noted that Gyarados was already in peak form, and the others were in good condition. When she emerged from the exam room to return to Jason his Poké Balls, she withheld the tray they were nestled in for a moment and gave him a significant look. “Your Caterpie and Weedle have almost reached the point where they’ll evolve. They’re very close. But it doesn’t look like they’ve battled in a little while. Have you been holding them back?”

“I’ve been trying to protect them from the Pidgeys and Spearows on Route 3,” Jason replied. “Those birds are dominating the place, they’re just gonna look at Weedle and Caterpie like snacks, same way my Pidgey does.”

“If you want them to reach their peak, you should be letting them off that particular leash. Most trained Pokémon don’t like being protected by their trainers. They understand the risks.”

“I know that,” he replied, somewhat defensively. “But I need to be absolutely sure of their abilities. Putting bugs up against birds is a bad idea.”

“Only certain birds. Want some advice?”

Jason shrugged. “Sure.”

“The next time you find wild Pidgeys, put your Caterpie and Weedle to work against them. Spearows know how to peck at things from birth but it’s not a talent Pidgeys have. String Shot can bring them down out of the air... then all you have to do is make sure to battle smart. Have your Pokémon back each other up.”

He couldn’t help but scoff at that suggestion. “Yeah, well, problem is that those two don’t really get along. Like, at all. It’s all I can do to get them not to String Shot each other.”

“Well, you’ll have to figure it out. One of the jobs of a Pokémon trainer is getting them to get along. At least in battle, if nowhere else.”

“I know that, too.” Jason beckoned for the tray.

Nurse Joy passed it forward, allowing him to remove the Poké Balls. “Just give it a try, all right?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Jason emerged from the Pokémon Center chewing his bottom lip. He was open to suggestions, and it was becoming clear to him that all Nurse Joys seemed to share a predisposition to offer unbidden information – but he couldn’t help but feel this one had given him a gentle scolding. Of course I want them to reach their maximum potential, but on my own terms. Just because I prefer to play it safe...

He looked about. The town was smaller and much more spartan than the paradisal Viridian, composed of roads that were hybrids of dirt and gravel instead of concrete. There was a single residential district and there weren’t that many houses in it. Those that did exist were caked with a generous layer of dirt, far from the pristine perfection of the condominiums and apartment complexes in the larger city to the south. The residential area took the southern half of the town, while commerce and industry had the east side. The local Pokémon Gym occupied the northwest sector, straight north of the Pokémon Center itself.

Out of curiosity, Jason made his way to the gym. It, too, appeared to be covered in a layer of dirt, leading Jason to wonder whether there was even an adequate water source nearby – if his schooling had been accurate in its depiction of the training culture, one could count on a gym as being the most well-kept building in a town. After a few moments of ogling the dust-covered siding, he inspected the bronze sign adorning it.

Pewter City Pokémon Gym

Leader: Flint

He snorted. “How appropriate,” he muttered. Both the city and the leader share names with types of stone. The only way this gets any better is if he’s got himself a bunch of Rock-Type Pokémon.

...Not likely. That’s just too contrived.

He gave the sign a final scoff, then continued towards the northern outskirts. But as he moved, something occurred to him. The sign in Viridian didn’t have a name on it. The one just now did. Either Pewter’s unusually open about who runs their gym, or Viridian’s unusually silent on who’s running theirs. And Dad said there wasn’t a name attached to the order the CBC received...

Who’s running the show in Viridian?

But that line of thought became more a matter of trivia to him than important information as he approached the one remaining tourist trap in Pewter he’d yet to inspect – the Pewter Museum of Science. Considered a treasure of the Kanto region, the museum was an open exhibit dedicated to showing visitors the long history and various species of Pokémon that existed millions of years in the past. Indeed, the subject matter was fascinating to virtually anyone who had a general interest in Pokémon and/or history, since Pokémon predated humanity by nearly countless years. Everyone had their own theories about the evolution of various Pokémon species during that time and how their interactions came to include humans and the eventual dominion of humans over most of the baser species... but everyone tended to agree that inspecting the relics of the past, embodied in fossils and carvings and artifacts, was a necessary step in forging a path for future generations. A phrase Jason’s history teacher had uttered many times seemed especially apt: After all, how can anyone claim to know what the future holds if they don’t know the past?

The building was majestic, complete with a sloping archway in front. Jason was tempted to enter, but when he saw the sign posted on the front door, he frowned and found himself thinking better of it. Fifty pokéyen for children, a hundred for adults. That’s almost more than I have remaining. I need to hang on to as much cash as possible for food... I shouldn’t be spending a single credit I don’t have to.

He let out a disappointed sigh, then turned to the east. That’s where I need to be going. And I need to be finding trainers there anyway. Time to man up.

Jason progressed through the grass and crushed gravel pathways of Route 3, to a section of the trainer’s path that snaked up and over a series of small dirt hills. Dead ahead was a rail-thin girl with brown hair and clad in a light blouse and blue skirt. Ordinarily, Jason might have thought the girl was quite lost, but he could see around her midsection the unmistakable shape of a capture ball belt, in which there were two Poké Balls.

He chewed his lip, and touched his own belt for reassurance. Okay. We’re talking about a girl who’s barely old enough to have her license. I should have this one.

He made his way toward her, and screwed up his courage to call out to her – but then her eyes locked with his, and she beat him to it. Her face, as small as the rest of her, broke out into a bright smile. “Hi! I see you looking!”

“Uh.” Jason wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Hi.”

“Are you a Pokémon trainer?”

Jason bobbed his head. “Yeah. I am.”

“Good! I am, too!” she declared. “My name’s Janice.”

Something flashed through Jason’s mind – and for an instant, he could see, superimposed over the little girl’s face, the visage of another Janice he’d known who cared deeply for Pokémon. “Jason.”

She adopted a stance. “I saw you looking. You know what that means, right?”

“That I should keep my eyes to myself?” he offered sheepishly.

“No!” she admonished. “When two Pokémon trainers lock eyes, that means they’re gonna battle. And the way you were staring, you definitely want a battle.”

“Well, I definitely do,” Jason answered, and his hand again found his capture ball belt. “So let’s have one.”

“Okay! How much?”

Jason blinked. “Uh... what?”

She tapped her foot impatiently. “How much are you wagering? Don’t tell me you’re broke, either, I’ve heard that one too much to believe it.”

She’s been told by others that they’re broke? He tried to clamp down on himself. “Um... hundred fifty?” he asked.

“Well, I need to keep a few pokéyen to myself. If I lose, Mommy won’t like I lost all of it,” the young Janice answered. “Hundred forty-four?”

Jason shrugged. “Sure, I guess.”

Clearly she was eager to get the match underway; she wasted no time in plucking a ball from her belt and tossing it in the same instant she enlarged it. The energy that spewed from it coalesced into a Pidgey – one with feathers nearly as lustrous as those his own Pidgey possessed. She’s taken good care of this one, and it looks like it’s itching for a fight. Nurse Joy can kiss it, I’m not putting Caterpie or Weedle up against that. This is a job for Pikachu.

He threw Pikachu’s ball high in the air. The electric mouse Pokémon emerged from the light that had given it form and shouted a defiant “Pika!” at its opponent, knowing full well the purpose Jason was calling upon it to perform.

The girl scowled and stomped her foot. “No fair!” she proclaimed.

“Hey, you wanted a battle with me, you’ve got one,” Jason answered, feeling a distinct sense of the shoe being on the other foot. “Gonna give up?”

“No way! Pidgey, Gust attack!”

Jason felt a grim smile twist his features. “Pikachu, Thundershock!”

Violent flaps of Pidgey’s wings created shockwaves of air that buffeted Pikachu, but the rodent Pokémon endured the assault; then sparks erupted from the red pouches on its cheeks and a flare of electricity arced up towards Pidgey from Pikachu’s tail. The bolt found its target promptly and wreathed the bird, which cawed loudly and spasmed in midair. It lost its flight at that moment and collapsed in a painful belly-flop. The dizzied and injured Pidgey did not rise from its position, although it continued to twitch from the aftereffects of the attack.

Janice grumbled, then held out her Poké Ball. “Pidgey, return!”

As her ball tractored Pidgey back into its recesses, Jason took a moment to consider. That was way too easy. Even more so, considering I have a type advantage. Maybe I’ve been waiting too long in doing these?

She brushed her thumb across her next ball, then hurled it into the space between them. “Let’s go, Pidgey!”

Jason was taken aback as her second and final Pokémon took the field. “Another one?” he remarked aloud.

“Oh, like you don’t have two of the same Pokémon!” she snapped.

“Well... no, actually, I don’t,” he answered. “Is that common?”

“People do it all the time!” she declared. “And I can’t give up on this battle, I have to see it to the end.”

“Knowing you’re gonna lose?” Jason shook his head. “Doesn’t seem like good sense to me.”

“It’s how trainers battle! Pidgey, Sand Attack!”

The teen frowned as he directed Pikachu, “Thundershock!”

But this Pidgey was just as fast as its predecessor, and the gust produced by the beating of its wings was directed at the ground rather than at Pikachu. A cloud of dirt and sand was blown into Pikachu’s face just as it readied itself to deliver another bolt of electricity to its enemy – and it cried out “Pika-CHU!” at the same instant it flinched. The bolt went wildly astray and arced into the grass instead, turning it yellow and black.

“Again, Pidgey!” the young Janice crowed. “And follow it with Gust!”

Jason saw where this was headed, but he wasn’t willing to retreat Pikachu just yet. “Pikachu, try another Thundershock, just take your time for it!”

But try as it might, Pikachu was thrown off once again by a rude spray of sand in its eyes, and it became evident that its accuracy was not going to get any better as long as it battled this Pidgey. Moreover, the Gust attack that followed Pidgey’s sand blasts was enough to knock Pikachu to the ground; it quickly rose to its feet, but now faced in the wrong direction and was aimed at Jason.

This isn’t getting us anywhere. Jason brought up Pikachu’s Poké Ball. “Pikachu, return!” he declared, and the ball opened up to draw the blinded mouse back inside.

Janice smirked, apparently pleased with the results she’d obtained. “Give up?” she asked cutely.

“Not nearly.” She said battle smart. Let’s see where that’ll get me. “Let’s go, Weedle!”

The girl’s eyes widened as Weedle arrived on the field. “You’re sending a Bug-Type Pokémon against my Pidgey?”

“Hey, it’s how trainers battle, right?” he returned. “Weedle, String Shot!”

“Pidgey, Gust!”

Jason resisted the urge to flinch. Weedle’s gonna get creamed if this doesn’t work...

To its credit, Weedle performed as ordered immediately, and let fly with a spray of silk that tangled itself in the hovering Pidgey’s wings, snarling it in mid-flight and forcing it to alight on the ground. Because it was bound in the rapidly-hardening strands, Pidgey fumbled its attack and the end result was considerably dulled – so although it was enough to knock Weedle over, the insect almost instantly righted itself and leveled a determined glare at its opponent.

Jason smirked again. “Now we’ve got ‘em, Weedle. Show me a Poison Sting attack!”

“No!” Janice cried. “Pidgey, get out of there and hit it with another Gust!”

But it was too late. Weedle was already firing the pin missile seated in the top of its head, a dart that glistened with a purplish sheen. It was a hue that was instantly recognizable as having originated from a poisonous source, and that barb found its mark in the center of Pidgey’s chest. The bird squawked in obvious surprise and pain, but squirmed and fought its way out of the bonds that held it and spread its wings wide to create another vicious spear of air.

This time Weedle was bowled backward, past Jason entirely and into the kept grass behind him. Jason twisted around, hoping against hope that the attack hadn’t injured Weedle beyond its ability to remain conscious. Just get up and let me know you’re all right back there...

Weedle struggled to right itself, and then – amazingly – began inching its way back towards the battlefield. But before it could step back in front of Jason, Jason stood in its way and help up his hand to stop it. “Hang on there, Weedle, I think you’ve done enough for this battle.” He knelt down and offered the battered insect his left arm. “C’mon up here, you can watch the rest of it.”

Janice, meantime, had her arms crossed and she was tapping her foot in impatience. “If you’re not gonna send your Weedle back in...”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty others.” Jason enlarged another Poké Ball and let it fly. “Think you can do some cleanup here, Caterpie?”

Janice glowered at Jason as his other silkworm Pokémon arrived on the field. “You’re just making fun of me now,” she accused.

“Far from it,” he assured her. “I’m challenging you, your Pidgey, and my own Pokémon, all at the same time. We all think it should be so easy for a bird to beat a bug ‘cause they eat ‘em. But what if the bug decides she doesn’t wanna run and hide when she’s attacked?” He gestured to Caterpie for emphasis.

True to his description, Caterpie was standing firm and directing a penetrating stare at Pidgey. The bird Pokémon, for its own part, did not appear the least bit intimidated by its new opponent, and opened its beak to caw at Caterpie as if to prove its fearlessness. But the noise that emerged from its throat was not the one Jason was accustomed to hearing from a Pidgey – instead of being mid-ranged and strong, it was hoarse and bleating, a sure sign that the battle had taken an unexpected toll on it.

An instant later, Jason saw why: the barb that Weedle had fired at it was buried amidst its feathers, and presumably had penetrated its skin, introducing into its bloodstream the purple poisons that most Pokémon knew to avoid. It’s poisoned, he realized, so if she keeps battling, she’s going to lose, no matter what. But she doesn’t sound like she’s gonna stop – so I can’t, either.

Jason turned his gaze upon Caterpie and considered the enemy it would be facing in only another second or so. I need to at least slow it down to give Caterpie its best chance for survival until Pidgey drops. “Caterpie, String Shot!”

“Pidgey, Gust!”

The results of the two attacks were similar to those Jason had already observed during Weedle’s segment of the battle – Caterpie had been the first to strike and wrapped Pidgey in bonds of rapidly-hardening silk strands, but Pidgey was still able to muster enough strength to knock Caterpie over with the force of its wings. But Caterpie was able to recover from the strike even more quickly than Weedle, and it was already poised to strike only a moment later... a moment during which Pidgey was still struggling to untangle itself from the silk.

Jason saw his opportunity. “Caterpie, Tackle!”

“Pidgey, Gust again!” Janice implored.

But Caterpie took advantage of Pidgey’s slowed condition even more fully this time, and charged forward at surprising speed, ramming headlong into the squirming bird. The top of its head struck precisely where the poisoned dart was still sticking out, driving it deeper into Pidgey’s flesh. The avian cried out in obvious pain and toppled onto its side; it frantically flapped its wings in an attempt to right itself, but Jason could see that it was on its last legs for the match. It was now shuddering on the ground and evidently unable to get back to its feet, which in Jason’s mind proved the existence of poison in Pidgey’s system and was the only criteria he felt was required to call the match off.

“You don’t have any other Pokémon,” he said, “and if we keep this up, you won’t have anything to protect you on your way back to Pewter City.”

“You tryin’ to give up?” she demanded.

“No, actually, I’m saying I think you should. I’ll keep battling if I have to, but it’s cruel to make your Pidgey battle when it obviously can’t anymore.”

“But... that’s how trainers are supposed to do it!” she argued, now with a fair degree of uncertainty in her voice.

“Stupid trainers, maybe,” Jason shot back. “Aren’t trainers also supposed to know when they’re in over their heads? Aren’t we supposed to know when it’s time to stop?”

The little girl pouted at his across the expanse for a long moment, then heaved a loud and exasperated sigh while hefting her second Poké Ball. “Pidgey, return,” she moped.

Jason let his shoulders slump in relief while the red beam of energy ensnared her Pokémon and recalled it, leaving Caterpie as the last one standing. The grub Pokémon turned its head almost 180 degrees to look at Jason in curiosity; it wasn’t accustomed to seeing its foe vanish quite so suddenly from view.

He gave a thumbs-up and a grin to Caterpie. “Get over here. You just won.”

Caterpie squealed and skittered back towards Jason; Weedle, meantime, was making an odd squishing noise, which Jason had understood to be its own way of cheering. Caterpie crawled up Jason’s side and arrived on his opposite shoulder, where it made happy squeaks in counterpoint to Weedle’s strange squishing. Letting his smile stay on his face was perhaps the easiest thing he’d ever done in his life – it was a long way from the two attacking each other. Now they’re cheering each other on.

Janice, on the other hand, was nothing if not displeased, and she continued to mope by sitting on the ground and crossing her arms and legs. Jason approached her and knelt down, supporting himself on one fist while seeking out her gaze. “Hey. You’re a good trainer. I bet you’re gonna get better at it, too.”

“Cause I’m not good enough?” she sulked.

“No, not that. I mean you’re gonna keep getting better at it. Just keep doing what you’re doing,” he said, trying to give his voice a reassuring cast.

“This is the only time I quit before the end. The other boys will make fun of me if I keep doing it.”

“Well... I guess, just do it the way you want to. Nobody can really make you do it their way,” he offered. “Not even me. All I can do is point out you owe me some money now.”

“Yeah, I know.” She pulled out her PokéDex and began programming it; he did the same, and the transaction was completed within a matter of seconds. She glanced at her device just as Jason got to his feet, then offered him a quizzical look. “Your last name is ‘Crate’?”

He let out a chuckle. “Is that what it says?”

“Yeah. ‘Jason Crate’.”

“Then I guess it is.”

“You ‘guess’ it is?” she asked, giving him an odd look.

He shrugged. “If that’s what it says, then that’s what it’s gotta be.”

“You’re weird.”

He turned and began to head further along the path. “Don’t I know it.”

—

Long after the sun had descended beyond the horizon, Jason found a fresh pond where he felt comfortable setting up camp. He released all six of his Pokémon and prepared appropriate foods for the smaller ones – Gyarados, as usual, made sport of hunting its own. Jason paid special attention to Caterpie and Weedle, who for the first time were content to eat side-by-side. To them, he offered slightly more food than usual and stroked each of their backs while offering sincere praise and accolades for their performance... not just during their first trainer battle, but also for the subsequent ones.

He’d encountered any number of others on the route beyond the young Janice – trainers with names like Colton, Ben, Greg, Sally, Calvin... all of them younger than he, and most of them evidently more enamored of the Pokémon on that route than he was. He’d only seen three deviations from the most prevalent Pokémon one could find in the local grasses: an Ekans, a Nidoran, and a Jigglypuff. The first two had required significant intervention from Weedle in order to minimize exposure to poison, since Weedle was immune; Jigglypuff, meantime, had been able to charm Rattata, Weedle, and Pikachu into recalcitrance, forcing Jason to rely on Pidgey and Caterpie. Not only that, but it had been strong enough to match Pidgey for strength.

After the meal, Jason let his Pokémon remain outside their balls. He told them that they all deserved a night of sleeping out in the open with him... but the truth was, in the back of his mind, he was hoping that Caterpie and Weedle would take the opportunity to forge the cocoons that signaled their evolution.

When the morning came, Jason awoke before the sun had begun to rise, and he immediately looked to where his Pokémon were resting. His suspicions and hopes were confirmed and realized in the form of the two Pokémon that were now situated between Pidgey and Pikachu – lying next to each other, no less. The creature that had been Caterpie was now housed entirely in a rigid green shell that looked like it could take a hail of gunfire; and what was once Weedle was something else again, wrapped in a golden-yellow exoskeleton that bore two spindly arms ending in sharp, needle-like protrusions.

Metapod and Kakuna. Jason crossed his arms beneath his chin and watched their sleeping forms for several moments. Some forget that they were able to attack, and can only use the Harden move. But these two won’t forget. Should be interesting to see Metapod tackling things... and Kakuna’s Poison Sting ought to carry more of a bite to it.

He would put them back in their balls, soon enough... but only after the others were awake, and saw what they were capable of achieving.

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© Matt Morwell, 2011