Morning was breaking. The sunlight filtered down onto the road, illuminating a boy walking with a Pikachu perched on his shoulder, and a girl walking beside him.
This road led straight toward Violet City, where my first Gym Badge awaited me.
"Ash, according to this map, if we keep walking at this pace, we'll reach Violet City on foot within two days," Risa said, holding the map.
Pikachu and Eevee were walking ahead of us. Suddenly, Pikachu stopped and looked off to the side.
"What happened, Pikachu? What's over there?" I asked him.
"Ash, look over there," Risa said, pointing in the same direction.
I looked and saw a ten-year-old girl with purple hair. She was wearing a white baseball cap with black stripes and a yellow lightning bolt on the front, along with a yellow jacket featuring black stripes.
Beside her was a Pokémon with a large leaf on its head. Seeing it, I immediately recalled the Pokémon's name—Chikorita—and the trainer's name was Casey.
In the original story, Ash battled this girl. He had used his Charizard against her, which clearly implied that Ash used a powerhouse against a weak opponent.
The plot had made it clear that Casey was a new trainer who had only started her journey a few days prior.
However, I didn't think Ash did anything wrong. All of Ash's Pokémon were powerful, so sending out Charizard wasn't necessarily a mistake.
Coming out of my thoughts, I saw a wild Rattata emerge from the bushes near Casey.
"Chikorita, we have won nine matches, and including this one, it's going to be ten! So get ready, Chikorita!" Casey shouted, holding her small yellow baseball bat upside down like a microphone.
"Chi! Chikorita!" Determination shone in Chikorita's eyes, and the leaf on its head fluttered continuously. It was ready to win this match for its trainer.
Risa and I watched the match with great interest.
"System, show me Chikorita's status panel," I commanded mentally.A transparent blue panel appeared before my eyes:
[ Pokémon: Chikorita ]
[ Trainer: Casey ]
[ Type: Grass ]
[ Ability: Overgrow, Leaf Guard (Hidden) ]
[ Level: 10 ]
[ Skills: Tackle, Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, Sweet Scent, Quick Attack ]
[ Held Item: None ]
Oh, the status has updated. Now it shows the Level, Ability, and even the Hidden Ability, I thought.
After noting this, I turned my attention back to Casey's battle.
"Chikorita, use Tackle attack and win the match with a home run!" Casey thrust her baseball bat forward, commentating like an announcer.
"Chiko! Rita!" Chikorita charged forward. Seeing it coming, the Rattata dodged out of fear, causing Chikorita's attack to miss.
"The Rattata gave us the slip! But don't give up, Chikorita! Use Tackle attack again!" Casey yelled into her bat-microphone.
"Ash, why is Chikorita wearing a scarf on its head?" Risa asked.
"It makes the bond between Trainer and Pokémon stronger, or so they say," I replied.
When Chikorita reached the Rattata this time, it slammed into it. Due to the impact of the attack, the Rattata fainted.
Casey threw a Poké Ball and successfully caught the Rattata. Immediately after, she began singing a song.
It was the anthem of the Electabuzz baseball team, of which Casey was a huge fan.
When she finished singing, she noticed the two of us and came running toward us.
I already had a hunch about what was going to happen.
I placed Pikachu down on the ground and stepped slightly to the side. Casey came rushing in and grabbed Pikachu. "This is such a cute Pokémon!"
"Pika! Pika!" Shocked by the sudden grab, Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt on Casey.
I stood there whistling, pretending to be completely unaware of the situation. In the original story,
Ash had taken the Thunderbolt
unnecessarily because of her. Later, under the shade of a tree, Risa, Casey, and I sat on a rock, eating lunch.
"Hello, my name is Casey. I come from New Bark Town, and I started my journey just a few days ago," Casey introduced herself.
"I'm Risa. I'm out on a journey just like you," Risa said.
"My name is Ash. It's been over a year since I started my journey, so when it comes to traveling, I'm your senior," I said, introducing myself.
"Please forgive me for grabbing your Pokémon like that. I just love yellow Pokémon, especially the ones with stripes," Casey said, looking at Pikachu with sparkling eyes.
"By the way, why do you like those kinds of Pokémon so much?" Risa asked while eating fruit.
"I want to build an Electabuzz team. I'm a huge fan of the Electabuzz baseball team," Casey replied.
"Ash, can we have a three-on-three Pokémon match? I want to see how strong my Pokémon are," Casey challenged me.
"We can play, but I've only caught one Pokémon in Johto. My other two Pokémon are from the previous region. do you really want to battle?" I reminded her.
"No problem! I'm confident I can win the match," Casey said with confidence.
"Alright then."
I nodded. "Let's find an open field where the Pokémon can battle properly."
After a short while, we arrived at a clearing.
"Come out, my Pokémon, Pidgey!"
Casey threw her Poké Ball first, and with a flash of white light, a Pidgey appeared in the air.
"So your Pokémon is Pidgey? Then I choose you, Shiny Bellsprout." I threw my Poké Ball.
A Shiny Bellsprout appeared on the field, its two leaves glowing with a golden color.
"I want a Pokémon like that too! It's so cute, and it's yellow!" Casey looked at me with jealous eyes.
I shrugged. "This is a Shiny Pokémon; they are very rare. If you want one, you'll have to find one for yourself."
Hearing my answer, Casey decided she would definitely find a Shiny Pokémon, but for now, she had to focus on the match.
"Pidgey, use Quick Attack!" Casey ordered.
"Bellsprout, use Sleep Powder," I commanded.
"Pidgey! Pidgey!" The Pidgey flew toward the Shiny Bellsprout at high speed.
"Bellsprout! Bellsprout!" Shiny Bellsprout bent its body backward by 90 degrees, dodging the attack completely, and began releasing a powder from its mouth into the air.
The Pidgey, flying through the air, inhaled the scent. It immediately grew drowsy, fell to the ground, and fell asleep.
"Return, Pidgey! Go, Rattata!"
Casey gritted her teeth, recalled Pidgey, and sent out her next Pokémon, Rattata.
"Ratata! Ratata!" Rattata entered the field, eyed its opponent, and got into a battle stance.
"Rattata, use Tackle attack!" Casey ordered.
Rattata began running toward Shiny Bellsprout.
"Bellsprout, use Slam attack," I said.
"Bellsprout!" Bellsprout nodded and waited for Rattata to get close. When Rattata came within range,
Bellsprout grabbed it with its vine-like hands and began slamming it back and forth against the ground.
Having already been tired from its wild battle earlier, and now facing the powerful attack of the Shiny Bellsprout, the Rattata fainted.
"Rattata, you did well. Return to the Poké Ball," Casey said, recalling it.
"Now come out, my most powerful Pokémon, Chikorita! Cause an uproar on the battlefield!"
Casey sent her Chikorita onto the field.
"Chikorita, use Razor Leaf!"
"Chikorita! Chikorita!" Chikorita spun the leaf on its head, launching a flurry of sharp leaves toward Shiny Bellsprout.
"Shiny Bellsprout, it's time for our main attack. Use your shiny move: Acid Bullet," I commanded, adjusting my cap backward.
"Bellsprout! Bellsprout!" Bellsprout used its leaf-like hands to fire Acid Bullets
continuously at the incoming leaves. It didn't stop until all the Razor Leaves were destroyed.
One stray Acid Bullet slipped through and hit the leaf on Chikorita's head. The leaf was slightly burned, and Chikorita fell unconscious.
"Chikorita, are you okay?!" Casey ran to Chikorita, asking worriedly.
I quickly walked over to Chikorita, took a healing spray from my bag, and sprayed it on Chikorita's leaf.
"Casey, you don't need to worry. I've applied healing spray to Chikorita's leaf; she will be fine in a few minutes."
When I told this to Casey, she thanked me.
"Return, Chikorita. Rest in your Poké Ball." Casey recalled Chikorita back into its ball.
She looked at me, her face filled with sadness. "I lost my very first Pokémon battle. My parents put so much trust in me, and I have broken that trust."
After saying this, Casey began to cry.
Seeing her in tears, I tried to offer her some encouragement. "Don't lose heart like this. So what if this was your first Pokémon battle? Is this going to be your last battle ever? Is that why you are crying?"
Hearing my words, Casey lifted her bowed head and looked at me. Slowly, she stopped crying.
Seeing that she had stopped weeping, I breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "There are many Pokémon battles waiting for you ahead. You will win some, and you will lose some. That is why you cannot simply lose your spirit."
"You're right, Ash," Casey said. "If I lose my confidence after just the first battle, how will I be able to face my parents and my Pokémon? Thank you for the advice."
Then she added, "I'm heading out now. When we meet again, I will have become much stronger. I'll battle you again, and I will defeat you, Ash!"
"Bye-bye, Casey. Take care of yourself," Risa said.
I also bade Casey farewell.
To be continued...