Kaiden sighed, relaxing in a long shaft on sunshine shooting through the green canopy above. Trees extended in all directions, but he knew the exit was right around the corner of 'that certain gnarly old tree that kakunas like hanging from.' Singing a catchy Johto song, he strummed his guitar, the chords ringing throughout the forest. He could see several pokemon looking at him, a mix of curiosity and natural fear in their eyes. He wasn't bothered by them though. He remembered his first time here.
'Wind and rain whipped down from the darkest clouds above. The small figure stumbled through the long grass, falling, mud splattering upon himself. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning arced across the sky, illuminating his surroundings. A spearow crowed from the branch above and he screamed, getting up and running blind through the grass of the Viridian forest. More lightning, booming forth from the heavens, like an angry, celestial Electabuzz punching the clouds below its feet. The spearow cawed as it chased him, flying from his branch and dashing towards him. Its beak was glistening with rain water, and flashed like a lightning bolt itself as it grew closer and closer. He cried out, diving to the floor as it swept over him. He cawed again as it reached him, landing on its talons. The beak flashed out, slicing his arm. He cried out in pain, sweeping an arm at the bird before running again, a yellow brick building along his path. Lightning flashed as his feet pounded.'
He sighed, subconsciously touching his arm. He flicked his hair away from his eyes as he finished singing. The red streak laid across his right left eye, and dangled as he packed up his guitar. Taking out his water, he sipped, then offered it to the gleaming white next to him.
'Cu!' he cried, causing Kaiden to laugh as the Pokemon's two stubby arms wrapped around the bottle and it suckled away at it.
'Bone!' he finished, eyes tight in joy. Kaiden was sure that he was smiling under the skull. The cubone handed back his bottle, happy to finish dining on a section of apple they had found in the forest.
'Come on Cubone, I guess we should get moving huh?' he asked, smirking and stroking the smooth skull upon his cubone's head, certain that inside it could feel him doing it. The pair stood, and in one smooth motion the guitar was on his back and they were away.
'Cu-bone!' Cubone suddenly cried, grabbing Kaiden's leg.
'Oh, close call buddy!' he said, turning picking up the long, hard bone. Cubone grabbed it from him, and clutched it to himself as the pair walked around the bend.
A girl was dominating a younger kid, The blue turtle slamming into the kakuna, beating it into the ground. He winced for the younger girl as the Pokemon fainted and the other teen girl cuddled her Pokemon. He flicked out his 'Dex at the blue thing.
'Squirtle. Tiny turtle Pokemon. After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. Powerfully sprays foam from its mouth.'
'Now thats cool.' Kaiden laughed, walking past the younger girl, who was now on her knees. He patted her head as cubone walked past with him. They swung open the glass doors of the entry hall. Pewter City lay ahead.
Inside were a few trainers, as well as that girl from before. She as cute, he had to admit.
'Hey you!' he said from across the room, 'I saw your battle, that was some really fancy work from your squirtle. Im Kaiden. Gotta rush, I'll guess I'll see you round cutey.' he smirked, running off with cubone hot on his heels.
'Cu...boone!' he whined, Kaiden laughing as he swept the small brown Pokemon into his arms and blew on his chest, the rippling sound causing the cubone to giggle. Its bone flicked around wildly as he flapped his stubby arms. The skull rattled slightly as he continued giggling. Kaiden put him down and they continued out of a similar pair of doors. Sunlight streamed onto their faces, illuminating everything around them and showing dust in the air. A small Beedrill buzzed past, causing cubone to hide behind his owner's legs.
'Hey its ok buddy, its just a little one, you could take him any day.' he said. It was far too high anyway, simply a speck on the bright blue skyline. A puff of leaves showed it entering the canopy of Viridian forest.
'I think its time for another song my friend.' he laughed, swinging the guitar over his shoulder, having taken it from its case inside the small building between the forest and this small path to Pewter city. He strummed out a chord, fiddling with a few of the pegs, until it was just right, and began strumming fast. Cubone let out a shrill in glee and hopped along in a small cubone-jig. Kaiden burst into laughter as his small companion found a hollow log, and, beating his bone against it, accompanied the guitars mellow strings. He saw two small bug catchers walk next to them, their nets empty. They sat down, chatting merrily and swaying in time. The boy pulled out a camera, snapping a shot of him and cubone.
He walked on with his guitar, still strumming as they passed the sign for Pewter city. Cubone was lightly tapping his bone to the skull on his head. He smoothly changed his tune, singing a few lines.
' I'm gonna master all kinds of kung fu, I'm gonna live inside a tiny zoo, I'm gonna grow my self a giant afro...' he sang, cubone let out a long happy cry, sounding as if he didn't believe Kaiden's lyrics.
'Come on chum, lets go get something from the Mart, and then lets go see if Brock is all he is worth.' Cubone happily agreed. The grey stone buildings of Pewter were bring tin the sunlight, and the red roof of the pokecentre, as well as the blue of the pokemart, were dazzling in the bright light. He smiled, seeing the orange roof of the gym near some small trees, and the large ornate architecture of the museum in the background. They went for the bright ocean blue of the mart.
'Welcome to Pokemart, how can I help you today?' the man asked from behind his counter, waving happily.
'I'll have a err... two potions please.' he said, looking down nervously, stroking cubone's shell as the small pokemon clutched his jeans.
'Here you go. I must say, I have never seen a cubone in the flesh before.' he said, smiling as he leaned over, having placed the brown bag on the table. Cubone hid itself further behind Kaiden, pinching his skin as he gripped tighter.
'He's a little shy. Hey big guy, come on, he won't hurt you.' he smiled, talking to cubone as the small pokemon, looking at him, before wrapping the stubby arms around his neck and allowing himself to be lifted onto his counter.
'Oh wow, he's cute.' the store clerk said smiling as he stroked the ridges on cubone's back.
'Cu! Cu!' he shrilled, clutching Kaiden's chest, bone in hand.
'He's a tad shy.' his owner said, placing him back on the floor, 'I better go, Brock and me got a date with destiny.' he said, laughing as cubone waddled after him quickly.
The sun was bright in their eyes after the relative darkness of the shop. They wandered lazily along the dirt path as it swirled around their feet, settling with little breeze in the town. They rounded a bend, where a tight band of trees were a natural edge on the town. They stopped and peered in, seeing a group of rattata running past. Pidgey called from above and Kaiden smiled as cubone walked by with him. They reached the door of Brock's gym.
'Lets do this Cubone, you ready pal?' he said, crouching and looking his pokemon in the eyes. Cubone nodded holding his bone and thrusting it upwards in a display of bravery. They walked forwards, the turquoise glass door sliding outwards with a pneumatic hiss. It was dark inside, the drab stone walls a reflection of the gym leader's taste in pokemon. The floor near him were planks, but dominating most of the space was an arena, the floor rocky, boulders dotted around as well as a few outcroppings of rock. They stepped forwards onto the dirt floor arena togethor.
'Hey kid, you up for it?' came a voice from the other side. A young man with spiky brown hair was opposite them, wearing a brown and orange jumper.
'Im Brock,' he continued, 'Leader of the gym here. I specialize in rock pokemon. That all you got?'
'You bet it is Brock. Im Kaiden, and this is cubone. We gonna rock your world, and then I will right a song about it.' he said, in a fighting stance as Cubone thrust his bone forward, walking forwards to the circle in the center. A brilliant white and red flash signalled Brock's beginning.
'Go, Geodude!' he shouted, the rock pokemon appearing. A small boulder like pokemon.
'Alright Cubone, try a tail whip!' he shouted, cubone running at the rock at spinning, flicking his tail out. Geodude dodged however, jumping over the tail and hammering into Cubone, sending him sprawling. Cubone's bone bounced out of his hand and he scrabbled to retrieve it.
'Tackle again Geodude!' Brock shouted, the pokemon jumping high on its rocky fists before falling fast towards cubone.
'Bone Club now cubone, you can do it!' Kaiden said.
'Cu, Cubone!' cubone roared, spinning as Brock's pokemon descended, the bone connecting with its side, as if in slow motion, before time sped up again, and the geodude flew across the arena, the critical hit sending it smashing into a natural stone piller, dust flying. Kaiden's pokedex piped up.
'Cubone, a ground pokemon. Ground pokemon are more effective against Fire, electric, poison, rock and steel pokemon.'
'Alright, so you have the advantage.' Brock said unhappily, taking the fainted Geodude back into its pokeball.
'But you can't beat Onix!' he roared, the giant rock snake appearing from its pokeball.
'ONIXXX!' it screamed, before leaping at cubone. Eyes wide, he ran back, and the larger pokemon slammed into the floor, dust falling from the ceiling as it plowed into a wall.
'Quickly cubone, bone club its head!' Kaiden shouted, tasting victory at the onix's unfortunate miss. Cubone shouted as it leapt onto onix, running across its back like a crazed Doduo, before leaping, the bone clacking onto the stone skull of the onix.
'Onix.' it whined to Brock, rising up.
'Now wrap it onix!' Brock shouted, glaring at Kaiden, who glared back. The large stone snake sounded an affirmative as it coiled its stony body around cubone's form. Cubone whined in pain and Kaiden winced, feeling it as well. It didn't deter him however.
'Growl now Cubone buddy!' he shouted across the arena. Cubone let out a loud growl, coupled with the rattle of the skull upon its head. Onix didn't relax, but its wrap was a little looser. After one more painful squeeze, Cubone repeated its attack, the Onix letting go more. Cubone wriggled free, leaping onto the stone body of the onix, still coiled. It was like a spiral ramp.
'Yes cubone, get him now!' Kaiden shouted, leaping into the air and thrusting his fist up.
'No, Onix quickly!' Brock shouted. It was too little too late however, as the onix couldn't hit the small cubone upon its body. It shook, but cubone's goal was in sight. He jumped high, the bone in both hands above its head. Both trainers looked up, the bright lights of the room blinding them, the silhouette of cubone outlined against the halogen bulbs. Onix's mighty roar filled the room as a solid crack rang through the room, and something heavy hit the floor, dust flying from the smashed rock. As it cleared, both trainers were silent. Cubone breathed heavily as he hopped off the onix's body.
'Alright, I guess you win Kaiden. Your cubone is quite amazing, though you did have the type advantage.' he said, withdrawing Onix as he walked forwards.
'No problem Brock, it was fun, huh Cubone?' he asked, stroking it as cubone let out a cry of victory.
'This is the boulder badge. It shows trainers everywhere you have beaten the first gym of Kanto. And this is TM39. It contains Rock Tomb. Its a powerful rock move, which reduces foes speed as well.' he said, shaking Kaiden's hand as the young man turned to leave.
'Well Cubone, lets rest up, and its off to Mt. Moon!' he said, laughing, putting his fist out to the pokemon. Cubone pushed his own fist up to Kaiden's.
'Respect brother!' he laughed as Cubone giggled and they walked back out of the door. The sunlight was bright on their skin, and they walked, a slightly nackered cubone and his trainer, to the Pokecentre. Kaiden flicked his guitar round and strummed several chords.
'I gotta tale, of cubone and Brock. One brave as can be, Brock's geodude as slow as a snail.' he sang, laughing with cubone.
