The next morning, Joe decided to let his Pokemon have some fun. They'd earned it, and Joe believed in resting when possible. After completing small tasks like restocking supplies and washing clothes at a laundromat, Joe went to the beach. He wore shorts and a thin white shirt, having no intention of entering the sea himself.
Another reason he wore clothes to the beach was his dozen or so scars. He didn't want to freak anyone out, so he hid them. Scars weren't common on civilians, so revealing so much would likely scare people. Luckily, all of Joe's injuries were in places easily hidden. He had no scars in obvious places like on his face. Although with how reckless he could be, he wouldn't be surprised if it happened eventually.
Joe rented a reclining seat and umbrella and planted himself near water. A benefit of being early was that he was spoiled for choice on where to set up. For now, since less people were around, Joe brought all of his Pokemon out. He sat back and enjoyed the sun, keeping an eye on his children to make sure they didn't cause too much trouble.
Sandshrew was right at home. He burrowed into the sand and let his back soak in the sun as the temperature rose. After he was comfortable enough, Sandshrew started digging holes all over the place. His tunnel system was unstable due to sand collapsing regularly, but that didn't bother him because it was beside the point. Every time Sandshrew burst out of the ground, he reached for the sky, each time managing to push himself an inch higher. He wanted to see how high he could launch himself.
Sprigatito first sat on Joe's lap, but she was soon enticed to play with the others. Encouragement from her Trainer helped. When she landed on the sand, she hopped about, confused by the ground giving way under her. But when she realised it only gave a little, she calmed down. She played with Ralts and Fomantis along the water's edge.
The group of girls had a test of courage whenever strong waves came crashing in. Whoever moved first lost. Ralts also showed better control of her psychic powers, picking up water like she was using an invisible cup. She grabbed two cups of water at the same time, dumping them on Fomantis and Sprigatito. Ralts made sure to involve the shy cat on purpose.
As with any animal, water was much appreciated. They shook from the sensation of water dripping down them, their bodies filtering out the salt. Sprigatito in particular loved it as each strand of her fur was like an ultra-thin leaf, easily allowing her to take in energy from expected sources.
Metapod rolled around normally, enjoying the sensation of the sand. But after a while she used sticky thread to gather sand around herself until she became a wrecking ball, rolling all over the place. Metapod had an uneven body, unsuited for rolling. So she created a ball of sand around herself which evened out her body. Although how she was moving while completely engulfed by sand was a mystery.
After a while, Sandshrew got bored launching himself into the air, which Cyndaquil took advantage of to request a fight. Sandshrew, also being a battle junkie, accepted. They darted about the place, running around Joe and close to the sea. They ran in fear as water sprayed their direction since they were both weak to it.
Nidoran and Hoothoot were simple and reserved like Absol, choosing to lay on their bellies next to the wolf. Something that didn't quite work for Hoothoot as a slight breeze rocked him. And while Hoothoot was actually lazy so of course he was resting, Nidoran wanted to mimic an adult like Absol, so he acted relaxed. But Joe caught Nidoran opening his eyes often, watching the others play. Specifically watching Cyndaquil and Sandshrew battle. He wanted to be strong. It'd been half a week since Nidoran had seen a nurse. He showed no sign of being weakened from the injury anymore. Maybe it was time to let him fight. But not today. Today was time for rest.
After an hour, Joe noticed that Absol had genuinely drifted off to sleep. He grinned. Crouched next to her. Poked her gently. She didn't wake up. That was good.
Nidoran watched as Joe started piling sand onto Absol. At first he was startled by Joe pranking Absol, but he soon decided to join in. Nidoran dug his head into sand. Sometimes he used so much force that the sand flew over Absol's back. Other times he was gentle and moved a pile to Absol's side.
With his friend acting, Hoothoot began scooping up sand with a claw. He hovered above Absol and dropped his payload onto the wolf like a helicopter unleashing a torrent of water onto a forest fire.
Joe took giant scoops of sand and dumped them on Absol while patting down and merging Nidoran's and Hoothoot's efforts into his own.
Half an hour later, Absol was buried. All except her head. Joe sat back and admired his handiwork. He eyed Nidoran sitting next to him. Put a palm by the bunny. Nidoran tilted his head.
"It's to celebrate a job well done." Joe said, slapping his hands together. "It's called a hi-five."
Nidoran looked one of its paws over before tapping it against Joe's hand. The Trainer smiled and Nidoran looked its paw over. He was sad his family was gone, but he had made new friends in the process. Joe treated him well. Almost too well, really. Nidoran was ready to fight and earn the right to see his family again, but Joe was taking it slow. Nidoran listened and obeyed, although he was a little discontent. That was until now. They had bonded a bit, causing Nidoran to accept relaxing when his Trainer said so. Nidoran trusted that Joe knew what he was doing.
Absol shifted in her sleep. Felt a weight on her. It was unusual and caused her to open an eye. She saw sand under her, which was expected, but there was also sand at the edges of her vision. She stood up, pushing through the added weight and looked around to see sand practically dripping off her like water. She turned to Joe, a glare etched on her face.
"Er… Good morning?" Joe said. Then he immediately spun around while rushing to stand, and he ran.
Absol growled and barked. She was annoyed. It'd take forever to get all this sand out of her fur. She bolted after Joe. It didn't take long for her to catch up. He twisted his body when he heard hefty paws slamming sand. Absol tackled him. Joe went down on his back as Absol began jabbing him all over with the tips of her claws. He just laughed the entire time, which annoyed her further.
After a while, Absol calmed down and stopped attacking Joe. He stood up as she walked back to her original resting place. Joe dusted himself off and walked over. Sat down beside Absol. She turned to him and growled. If he tried any funny business again, there'd be serious trouble. Joe lay back in his recliner, leaving her alone.
When the sun beat down from directly above, Joe packed up and got lunch. As revenge, Absol poked and prodded Joe randomly as he ate. He started to become paranoid, watching her carefully for the slightest movement. He rushed to eat, but she jabbed his side and he found it so funny he coughed up his food.
After that debacle, Joe cleared out his hotel room and set out North. He walked through plains for a while, and the entire time Absol would randomly strike her Trainer. Sometimes there was no gap between her attacks, other times she waited half an hour or maybe even an hour. Lured Joe into a false sense of security before ruining his perceived safety. Eventually, Joe turned to her and put his hands up, palms flat like a martial artist. She took this as a challenge. She swiped, and he batted her paw away. In the middle of nowhere, with the sun setting, Trainer and Pokemon had a competition to see who was better. Could Absol land more hits than Joe could deflect?
Their pointless match came to an end once they couldn't see well because the sun was behind the mountains.
"Hm. I think that's a draw." Joe said as he moved his shoulder and let his bag drop. Absol jabbed him again. He didn't see it coming. She had the last laugh. Joe shook his head as he grabbed his tent and started building it. "How petty and childish. Fine, you win."
A vein throbbed on Absol's head, but if she struck again, she felt she would lose. Joe could claim some kind of petty maturity over her. She huffed and lay down.
Absol was admittedly getting used to Joe's prankster side. It wasn't so bad now that they were… friends? Absol was certain that was the new emotion she felt whenever she interacted with Joe and his Pokemon. She cared for them the same way they cared for her. Almost like a family.
And beyond that, she felt reinvigorated. She felt stronger now more than ever before. She used to mindlessly and endlessly march forward, but taking a moment to rest, or have some fun prodding an annoying friend, served her well. Enjoying life produced extra energy, like a true extrovert. She was happy.
* * * * *
As Joe slept that night, Boss and Pancham were nearby, just on the other side of a small hill. Boss had witnessed Pancham fight a couple of times against wild opponents that wanted to battle. Pancham no longer fought until he was scarred, but just seeing the small, permanent cuts on Pancham's body made Boss consider options. It settled on trying to teach Pancham a certain move. While Boss didn't know Drain Punch, it had encountered the attack before. It drained energy from the opponent and used it to replenish the user's defences. It would be a good way for Pancham to stay in the fight without getting hurt.
Luckily, Boss knew a move that had a similar technique. Boss and Pancham stood a few feet apart like they were going to fight. Boss shone green as an invisible connection between it and Pancham was formed. Orbs of emerald lit up the field, flying from Pancham to Boss. Pancham felt its energy drain while Boss had its energy restored. Mega Drain. With the move complete, the invisible connection was severed.
Pancham had felt and understood the move. That feeling, paired with its inherent Fighting-type, meant it had a good chance of learning Drain Punch. Pancham practised by using Arm Thrust against Boss, trying to manipulate the energy into a way where it would also absorb. Being a ghost, Boss was immune to the fighting attack, but it remained solid and allowed itself to be a punching bag.
After half a night of failures, Pancham landed a punch and a burst of brown orbs came from Boss. They swiftly travelled to Pancham. The panda immediately felt energised. It cheered at the success, jumping to hi-five Boss.
Once Pancham calmed down, Boss took it into a nearby grove to find a foe. It was time to put this new move to the test. Pancham faced off against a particularly strong and aggressive Mankey, a monkey that looked like a fuzz ball had grown limbs.
* * * * *
Joe spent the next couple of days making his way to Viridian. One of the largest cities in Kanto. Millions of residents. It was a peaceful walk. No trouble. It granted Joe time to think, which he considered a great benefit.
As Joe walked through a thin forest, he exclusively thought about battle. He ran through all of his Pokemon's battles. He thought about what he could've done differently. What his opponent could've done differently. How he'd counter them. He threw in Pokemon he knew of but hadn't battled too, like the Azumarill that Jasmine fought the day he left Olivine, or the Houndoom he'd seen his mother use at the Gym. Joe repeated fights in his mind over and over, all day for multiple days.
While putting plans into action was the best way to learn, it was useful to be contemplative. To think and understand how a result came to be, and what could be done differently to ensure a victory next time. Thorough examination of past failures was a good way to learn how to avoid making the same mistake twice. Fool me once.
After seeing Absol once again shaking sand from her fur, he spoke up. "Want me to give you a good clean?"
Absol considered it. She knew Joe would pull some stupid stunt, so she refused. But he was right. She wanted a deep cleansing. Pokemon could, of course, tend to their own cleanliness. Absol disappeared at some point to soak in a river for ten minutes. She returned perfectly dry, somehow. Shot Joe an annoyed look because she'd watched a pile of sand slowly drift downstream. It was his fault.
Before he knew it, Joe had exited a forest and arrived at the outskirts of Viridian. It wasn't an immediate jump from nothing to massive skyscrapers. There were small roads and regular houses on the outskirts, but in the distance he could see towering structures.
A bus passed by. It would speed things up, but Joe refused. He liked walking and he wanted to enjoy himself before the inevitable annoyance. He even took the time to slow down and eat at a small restaurant tucked away into a back alley.
Joe walked for an hour until he reached an overly busy location. Definitely the town center. It was packed, people crammed in shoulder to shoulder as they walked. The worst part of coming back to civilisation after enjoying nature. Cities were overcrowded. Joe didn't know how he managed to live in cities his entire life so far.
Joe looked at a map. Saw a great convenience and decided to take full advantage of it. He stopped by a hotel to dump his bag for the rest of the day. He visited a park just a street away from the hotel. Watched a boy fall out of a tree and cut his knee. The boy's mother plastered him up calmly and without complaint, like she knew this was going to happen because it had happened countless times before.
Joe smirked. Boys will be boys. He remembered the urge to climb random trees when he was younger.
After Joe had taken in his fill of nature, he rose. The Gym was just another street over. That was the convenience. A hotel, next to a park, next to the Pokemon Gym. Joe took one step in that direction when a man called out to him. Joe turned to see a guy with wild, spiky brunette hair. He wore a smug grin, dark blue shirt, and baggy cargo trousers.
"You there, with the shiny Absol!" He said. Once he was close enough, he continued. "With a strong Pokemon like that, you better be heading to the Gym."
"That's the plan."
"Great. How many Badges do you have?"
Joe had a weird feeling. Was this Gary, the man that Erika mentioned? The Gym Leader of Viridian? Joe couldn't come up with another reason for this stranger to ask such questions. If Joe was right, then he found it amusing that Gary was on the prowl for a fight.
"This is my first Gym battle."
Gary instantly made a face. A scowl he aimed at Joe, although it wasn't meant for the big man. Gary's annoyance was more so for the rules that stopped him from going wild in Gym battles. He wanted a good fight but Joe wasn't going to give him one because the amount of Badges someone had decided what tier of Pokemon a Gym Leader could use. Gary had to use the weakest of the weak against someone with no Badges, which he felt was an uninteresting battle.
Gary had set out on his Pokemon Journey some years ago, leaving Pallet and battling his way through the ranks until he earned the right to be a Gym Leader. He was proud of his efforts and wanted to keep flexing his strength. He knew a powerful Pokemon when he saw one, so it being with a beginner poured water on the flame of Gary's spirit.
Maybe he'd learn why these two were together in battle. Gary had to remind himself that not everyone took the Gym Challenge. Joe may have been a Trainer for a while beforehand and earned the favour of Absol through other means.
As with many Gym Leaders, Gary currently lived and worked in a settlement that was not his hometown. Jasmine just got lucky with Olivine's previous Gym Leader retiring around the time she entered the League.
"Well whatever, let's get this over with then. Come on." Gary moved past Joe and Joe followed. "How much do you know? I don't really feel like going through the rules again."
It was afternoon, so logic dictated that Gary had already fought Trainers today. Perhaps none of them had been fights worth enjoying.
"I know the rules. You don't have to explain anything to me."
"Oh yeah?" Gary questioned, his mood lightening a little. When he heard Joe's explanation of being the friend and child of Gym Leaders, Gary nodded. "Good. Maybe you'll also know how to fight."
"That's actually something I wanted to talk to you about. If you want, we can have a friendly battle afterwards where I'll use Absol."
Gary grinned up at the big man. Rubbed his chin. Stood up a bit straighter. "Now we're talking."
As they walked, Joe went over the rules in his head. They each used one Pokemon at a time, unless the gimmick changed it. A format called singles, like the Amethyst tournament.
The amount of Badges someone had decided how many Pokemon each side used. Since Joe had no Badges, both sides had access to two Pokemon. By the time a Trainer was fighting to earn their eighth Badge, the Gym Leader and challenger used a full roster of six Pokemon.
Because the Gym Challenge was a system linked to the League, they used the same rule for moves. Each Pokemon was allowed four moves. So if Joe were to use Cyndaquil, who had five moves, Joe would have to strategically cut one.
Then there was the Gym's gimmick. They varied drastically, so Joe had no idea what to expect, but the point of a gimmick was to test a Trainer and teach them a valuable lesson. For Jasmine's steel cutting competition, it was a test of strength. Jasmine had explained that some gimmicks were direct effects in battle. She had used Pryce's Ice-type Gym as an example. The arena's ground was made of ice, which caused many Pokemon to be unstable on the surface. It forced a Trainer to adapt to a new environment.
As if he'd read Joe's mind, Gary spoke on the topic. "You know about my Gym's gimmick? Since it's a Ground-type Gym, they put in machines that create tremors in the arena. You'll have to learn how to fight while staying stable."
Joe could imagine the unstable ground throwing attacks astray or outright causing a Pokemon to stumble and fall. He liked that, if he had a Pokemon that could fly, he could counter this particular gimmick easily.
They arrived at the Gym and headed straight into the arena. It was a plain dirt battlefield. If a gimmick didn't change the battlefield itself, then they were always the same dirt arena. An unobstructed, even playing field that was easy for fans to see.
Joe and Gary entered from the center, so Joe walked one way and Gary walked the other. Joe took his place and saw Gary going over a shelving unit, tapping Pokeballs before deciding not to take it. He was figuring out which team to use to challenge Joe.
Each Gym's shelving unit was themed to the Gym. Gary's was surrounded by massive pillars not unlike Absol's Stone Edge. The shelves themselves were chunks of dirt with craters that held Pokeballs.
Pokemon that worked at the Gym fought the Trainer that claimed to be the new Gym Leader. Just because the company recognised the new Trainer's strength, didn't mean the workers did. The Pokemon understood it was a job and they all had to work together but, naturally, the new employee had to prove their strength. Especially to animals. The Pokemon agreed to be here because they liked battle and got to live a comfortable life because of it, meaning they favoured strength above almost anything else. These Pokemon liked a hierarchy of strength.
Joe looked around, seeing people were sitting on comfortable benches. Joe had an in-person audience again. A group of women huddled around smartphones until one noticed Gary was back with a challenger. Some boys of school age were excited to see their local Gym Leader battle. The women thought Gary was handsome and liked seeing her work while the boys looked up to Gary as a cool adult.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Gary said as he took his spot at the other side of the arena, throwing and catching a Pokeball repeatedly, other hand in his pocket. Gary pushed aside his annoyance knowing he would battle Absol afterwards. His fans liked his attitude, but Gary knew it was unproductive to be nasty towards challengers.
Joe nodded and reached back for a ball as Gary sent his Pokemon out. It was a light brown, short, bipedal mammal wearing a white skull. It wielded a bone like a club in its right hand. Cubone.
Joe tossed out his own Pokeball, blue energy dissipating to reveal Fomantis. He figured he might as well go with a type advantage.
Observation was key for a Trainer. Recognising and understanding a Pokemon even though it was the first time seeing it was the mark of someone that could become a great Trainer. Joe instantly used common sense and logic to understand Cubone would be swinging that club the way Fomantis swung her arms like swords. It was another reason to use Fomantis. An even, similar fighting style meant they were on fair fighting ground.
Giant 'BATTLE' text appeared on the screens bolted to the walls. Heads turned to the arena and notifications went out to those that couldn't visit in person. An office worker sneaking a look at work, under his desk. A kid eating lunch at the table, leaning around to try and look at the TV just out of sight.
Cubone moved first, using Bone Rush. The club in its right hand glowed, and in its left appeared a mimic weapon made entirely of energy. It rushed at Fomantis, her arms glowing white as she initiated Slash. Swords met clubs. Sparks flew. While Fomantis was on the backfoot due to her smaller size, she kept up with Cubone's speed, not taking a direct hit as she parried all strikes and searched for an opening to land a hit.
Fomantis jumped back, unleashing Bullet Seed as she did so. Cubone wasn't ready for a switch like that, it thought the neutral clash would last longer, so it took four hits across the body. It took a step forward and tumbled as Fomantis used Grass Knot. She was going to take advantage of the downed enemy, but the arena shook like an earthquake had hit it, causing Fomantis to fall too.
Cubone ran to her side, Bone Rush still active. It dug its club through dirt to strike Fomantis, but she managed to use Slash and block the hit with an arm. She was sent flying, digging her arms into the ground to stop herself from skidding too far.
Joe wanted to use Grass Knot when it was least expected, so for now he left it alone. This was too obvious a time. Instead, Fomantis used Bullet Seed as Cubone moved to close the distance.
Expecting the ranged attack this time, Cubone struck the seeds away with Bone Rush. When it was close enough, it jumped surprisingly high. Its feet lit up with energy as it used Double Kick, bringing one foot down slightly sooner than the other in an attempt to land two separate attacks.
Fomantis scurried under Cubone just before it landed. She turned to face her foe as it landed and kicked up dust. Cubone spun to meet Fomantis. They were just one foot apart. The ground trembled and knocked them both off balance, creating an awkward moment where their opponent was right in front of them but they couldn't do anything.
Cubone had the home advantage. It was used to these localised earthquakes, so recovered first. It stepped forward and lashed out with a club shaded grey. Aerial Ace. A good lesson for beginner Trainers. Even if a Pokemon's inherent type was weak to their foe's, the Pokemon could wield a move that was effective in return.
Fomantis took the hit to her side and bounced along the ground. She managed to get up, but a super effective attack dealt serious damage to her energy shield. She needed to take advantage of the fact that she was small and nimble, like how she jumped up Aipom.
A Pokemon battle was as much about the Pokemon's thoughts as it was the Trainer's. More often than not, a Trainer didn't have time to formulate a plan and give detailed instructions. They had to just call out a move and hope their Pokemon used it the way the Trainer wanted. The Pokemon needed to understand both themself and their Trainer.
Cubone ran at Fomantis with Aerial Ace active on its club, but it showed some amount of trepidation. It watched the ground more than its enemy, expectant of Grass Knot. Nothing came. Timed correctly, this gave Fomantis a free hit with Bullet Seed.
Cubone brushed off the ranged attack as best it could and closed the final bit of distance. It swung its club when it was within range, only for Fomantis to jump up as the swing started. She bounced off Aerial Ace by striking the top of it with Slash. Cubone had once again not seen this coming. It was struck in the face by Slash, two blades dragging across its head.
Some good luck, the tremors occurred while Fomantis was falling behind Cubone, so she was unaffected by the gimmick while Cubone went down to a knee to stabilise itself.
Fomantis landed, spun on a foot, and jammed Slash into Cubone's back. Cubone stumbled forward while instinctively arching its club back, hitting Fomantis with Aerial Ace before the Grass-type was out of range. Fomantis stumbled a few steps and fell. She felt herself falling into unconsciousness. She'd failed. She felt shame at falling without taking a foe out, her rut of depression taking over her mind and being the last thing she thought about before she fainted.
Joe returned Fomantis. He thought about who to use next. He was out of type advantages, technically. Absol had Ice Beam, but obviously he wasn't going to use her. He was engaging with the Gym Challenge to train his team so they were strong enough to match Absol. He would use Absol if and when necessary, but purposely increasing the gap by making Absol stronger wasn't on his to-do list.
Joe settled on a Pokemon. Tossed out a member of his team he had yet to use, but he seemed like he'd be a powerhouse if given time to grow.
Sandshrew entered the battle. Sandshrew looked around, unsure about the setting. People in seats watched him and there were cameras pointed at him. He could see himself on a massive screen. He realised. This was a Gym battle. He'd seen them on TV before. Sat in front of it past his bedtime and watched the cool fights, as many boys would. He had hoped to be just like those Pokemon, and now here he was.
Sandshrew let out a squeak and punched his fists together. He was ready to show the world what he could do.