Pokemon: Kanto Elite

Into the Rush

He left the center with his pokemon safely tucked away in its ball, a note attached to it:

Status report: Health level at 1%, paralyzed, suffering from electric shock and convulsions.

Treatment: Full restore, rest, electric convertor for skin electricity removal.

After which: pokemon at 100%, ready for trainer

Notes for trainer: Please take better care of your pokemon.

Better care? How on Gemini was he supposed to take better care of it if he couldn't command it to do anything?

He slumped forward over his food tray. He wasn't even hungry as he stared at his pokeball, rolling it around gently with his index finger. It had only been his first day, yet the teenage nurse didn't let him forget that. She had never seen a trainer come in so fast for injuries to their pokemon. She didn't even mention the injuries to the trainers, though. That seemed to be glossed over.

As he heard the bell ring, he noticed a massive rush towards the door, as if the trainers needed to go somewhere. He decided to ask a girl with fiery red hair what was going on. She beckoned him to follow her, as she was walking double time to the exit.

"It's called the Tauros Rush. All of the younger trainers want to leave so they don't get challenged by the higher level trainers that wait at the door. Easiest way to get battles while the Pokemon are generally very healthy and the trainers are still in a relaxed state."

"Oh."

"Speaking of which, we just passed through the exit. I challenge you, newbie!"

It took a second for those words to sink in. He was through the exit as she said that. She tricked him! Now he had to battle... with a stubborn snorlax.

Suddenly he heard another trainer call to him. He looked much bigger than either of them, with a towel around his neck like he just went on a run.

"Hey kid! I challenge you to a battle!"

The girl turned back to the other trainer with a stern look and a deep fire in her eyes.

"Back off, Anthony! He's mine, you jock!"

"Fine! I hope you lose to him, Delia! Can't wait to hear about that."

She rolled her eyes at the jock as she motioned Red to the nearest battlefield, which was a good five minutes away.

As they walked, they introduced each other.

"Red Tajiri. From Celadon City. Wanted to be a trainer for as long as I can remember."

"Delia Hirota. From Pallet Town. Wanted to be a trainer for longer than you. Why's your name Red?"

"Because it's the highest level of trainerhood and I want to reach it. Why's your name Delia?"

"It was my grandmother's"

That was it, until they reached the battlefield. It was a rocky terrain with large boulders peaking out from random places on the field.

"Good luck Red! I hope you have what it takes."

"You too Delia..."

She didn't waste any more time. This was to train her little pokemon to face anything it could. She tiled the rim of her hat behind her head, pulled out her pokeball and launched it towards the center of the battlefield. It burst open upon impact with the ground and the tiny ball of white energy folded and grew into a plant pokemon that reached Red's knees; a Bellsprout.

That?! This trainer's best pokemon is a BELLSPROUT? Even if I can't command my Snorlax, it should easily overtake that little bell plant with vines for limbs.

He relaxed a bit as he gripped the ball in his hand. Yet he still was hesitant to throw the ball. After all, this was still his first ever pokemon match. His snorlax's white energy seemed to ooze out of the ball as it lay on it's back, oblivious to what was happening.

"Bellsprout, vine whip!"

As soon as she instructed it, it tilted it's head back and blasted out a barrage of vines at snorlax. He didn't even notice that they were smacking him across his body.

"Snorlax, get rid of the vines!"

No response.

"Bellsprout, try to tackle it like I taught you!"

The little plant rammed the beast head-on, pissing it off. It ricocheted right off of its tough skin as Snorlax immediately stood up and rushed Bellsprout!

"Oh shoot! Dodge it, Bellsprout! Red, what's happening?!"

"I HAVE NO IDEA! Snorlax, snap out of it!"

Nothing stopped it from lunging at the thing that disturbed his slumber.

But Delia knew what to do. She had taught it what to do in a situation like this. It was popular for newbies with large, inexperienced pokemon to try to rush the other side every time.

"Bellsprout, that's enough dodging! Vine whip that monster up!"

The little pokemon turned from a little sprout into a twirling chaos of vines, whipping up and smacking snorlax all over the place, eventually bringing it down in a tangle of vines, wrapping it up in a painful mess.

As the poor monster struggled against the growing mass of vines, Bellsprout stood on top of it with a look in its eyes that awed Red.

"Now, Bellsprout! Finish it!"

It nodded at it's trainer as its vines tightened even further

"WRAP ATTACK!"

Red stared in helplessness as his snorlax struggled against the vines until it was too exhausted to fight against it. It fainted in the cluster of vines while Bellsprout stood on top of it, the puny pokemon triumphantly checking to make sure the behemoth didn't fake it.

He lost...

He actually lost...

The second time in one day, the first battle he ever had.

For a split second, he felt the guilt and shame that comes with any loss, with any step backwards, with any attempt at doing something right backfiring in his face. That was, until he saw a bigger figure tower over his crouching body.

"Nice match, Red. You have a lot of work to do. Want to be friends?"

He looked up at her with watery eyes as he saw her hand stretched towards him. She wants to be friends... with me?

He didn't let that opportunity pass on. He shook it as she surprisingly pulled him up.

"Good. My friends never give up, ever. Now go to the pokemon center and get back to training. Bellsprout, return!"

Her pokemon disappeared in a blast of red energy into the pokeball as she ran off to challenge another with the vigor of a champion.