The first thing Shelby noticed about Route A was that it was surprisingly short. As she walked along simply looking at the map, she paused as the realized she was on the edge of town. When she looked out to see Route A, her jaw dropped and her eyes went slightly wider than they normally were. There was a seemingly giant forest that was made almost wholly of grass directly in front of her. The grass towered over her, and she wasn't even able to see over it if she jumped. Shelby looked down and saw a thin path, and she could only hope that she wouldn't get lost in this thick grove of…well…plants.
I can do this, Shelby thought as she walked carefully on the trail. She walked slowly, making sure that she was taking the right path before even taking another step. Shelby knew this would probably slow her progress, but she really didn't care to be reckless and go tramping off into the grass and get lost on the very first route. Soon it grew hot in the close-together grass, so Shelby found a large boulder to sit down on. She sat down and brought out a bottle of water that was in her bag. She noticed Cyndaquil's pokeball, so she grabbed it and called the Pokémon out.
"Cynda, Cyndaquil!" the small Pokémon cried, looking around excitedly. Shelby held out her hand, but when she did so the flame's on Cyndaquil's back flared up. Shelby snatched back her hand, blinking at the small Pokémon. "Cynda!" Cyndaquil called, giving her the happy eyes. Shelby blinked slowly, wondering whether or not it would be alright to touch Cyndaquil. She seems very…fiery, Shelby thought, after trying to find the perfect word to describe it.
Suddenly there was a rustling from above them. Shelby and Cyndaquil looked up. Shelby thought she saw something glimmer in the light, but the moment she did it was gone. She frowned and then shrugged, taking another sip from her water bottle. Meanwhile, Cyndaquil had begun walking around, getting more of a feel for her surroundings. Shelby noticed that small embers began to form on the stalks of grass, so she called out to Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil blinked and turned, looking at her in confusion. Then Shelby noticed that when she had turned around, the stalk had lit on fire.
"Oh crap!" Shelby said, jogging over to the grass and splashing water on it. The small fire immediately died out, and Shelby let out a breath of relief. She looked down at Cyndaquil, and noticed that Cyndaquil had her head cocked to the side curiously. Well, this will definitely be a very interesting journey, Shelby thought, plopping back down on the rock. As soon as she had sat down, however, there was a rustling in the grass. Shelby looked over, and Cyndaquil turned and backed up towards Shelby as the grass slowly parted. "What the…?" Shelby murmured.
Moments later a sheep-like Pokémon appeared out of the grass. Shelby quickly brought out her Pokedex and observed that the Pokémon was something called a Mareep. It was also an electric type. This might be a good Pokémon to try to catch! Shelby thought, getting excited at the prospect. She quickly scanned Cyndaquil's moves. Alright, so she knows tackle and leer…Shelby thought, quickly forming a strategy to battle the Mareep with. Mareep looked fairly annoyed at having been disturbed, and then Shelby realized it had probably smelt the small plume of smoke from the miniature fire.
"Oh well…I suppose that was a good thing," Shelby said, more to herself than the Pokémon. "Alright Cyndaquil, ready to battle?" Shelby asked, clenching her fist in front of her chest. Cyndaquil yawned and sat down, the flames on her back extinguishing. Mareep simply looked on with disinterest. Shelby began to fear that the Pokémon would run away. "C'mon Cyndaquil, let's go!" Shelby called, poking the Pokémon with her finger. Suddenly the flames on Cyndaquil's back sparked to life. Shelby squeaked and fell backwards, smacking her back on the boulder in the process. Well that was just fine and dandy, Shelby thought, pushing herself up.
"Cynda, Cyndaquil!" Cyndaquil called, looking much more prepared to battle this time. Shelby grinned and stood.
"Ok, how about we use a leer attack!" Shelby said to Cyndaquil. She wanted to try this move out especially, because she had no idea what it did. After Cyndaquil did nothing for a moment, Shelby blinked. "Huh?" she mumbled, checking her Pokedex. When she looked back up, she noticed that Cyndaquil was practically staring down the wild Mareep. That counts as a move? Shelby wondered silently. She dismissed the thought, and then said, "Let's go with tackle!"
This time, Cyndaquil did something indeed. She ran at Mareep with seemingly full power, smacking into the large Pokémon and sending her sprawling into the grass. Alright! Shelby thought excitedly. "Now get it with another tackle!" she called, watching the two Pokémon.
Just as Cyndaquil was about to go in for another tackle attack, Mareep stood and retaliated, smacking into Cyndaquil and sending the little Pokémon rolling in the dirt. Shelby asked if Cyndaquil was alright, and when Cyndaquil nodded she ordered another tackle. Cyndaquil charged, but this time acted like she was going right. When Mareep went to counter, Cyndaquil dodged and smacked into Mareep's left side, surprising the fuzzy Pokémon.
"Good job, Cyndaquil!" Shelby said enthusiastically. "How about another leer?" Shelby questioned. Cyndaquil nodded and leered at Mareep. Mareep rubbed its foot into the dust, and then charged at Cyndaquil. "Meet it with your own tackle attack!" Shelby called, pointing at Mareep. Cyndaquil nodded once more and then ran at Mareep. The two Pokémon slammed into each other, each getting flown back slightly against the grass. "Cyndaquil!" Shelby cried out.
"Cynda," Cyndaquil said with slightly less spunk. The flames on her back were out now. Shelby swallowed heavily and looked over at Mareep.
Mareep looked like she could go again. Oh man…Shelby thought. She shook it off and then looked at Cyndaquil. "Let's give it our all! How about a full power tackle!" Shelby called. Cyndaquil nodded, and suddenly the flames on her back burst to life again, burning brightly. Shelby grinned, yes! Show that Mareep who's boss, Cyndaquil! Cyndaquil charged at Mareep. Mareep stood its ground this time, simply waiting for the attack to come.
When Cyndaquil hit Mareep this time, Mareep cried out and fell to the ground. Shelby blinked and then quickly grabbed a spare Pokeball, unsure of whether or not it was the time to throw it. When Mareep slowly got up, Shelby decided against it but kept the Pokeball out. She ordered another leer and tackle combination, which Cyndaquil pulled off. Just as Shelby was sure Mareep was out, it got up and charged at Cyndaquil in an almost all out powerhouse attack. Oh no! Shelby thought.
"Cyndaquil, hurry and dodge it!" Shelby called. It was just a few seconds too late, however. Mareep banged into Cyndaquil with a large amount of force, sending the little Pokémon tumbling back into the grass. Cyndaquil soon got up again, ready to keep battling but looking considerably more tired than previously. "Alright Cyndaquil, let's try one last tackle attack!" Shelby called, noting that Mareep seemed fairly tired and exhausted as well.
Shelby watched as Cyndaquil mustered up as much energy as she could. Then Cyndaquil charged at Mareep, who stood its ground. The two Pokémon collided again, but this time Mareep went down and didn't get up. Shelby tossed the Pokeball, and bit her lip anxiously as it shook on the dirty ground.