[Pokémon] The Story of a Trainer

[miltankRancher]

The Story of a Trainer: Bug Catcher

Unfortunately, my other fanfic file was deleted accidentally. So I had to rethink of a new idea. I'll give this a shot...

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Chapter 1: Metamorphosis

I am a bug catcher. Yes, I am one of the first trainers you will ever meet and, yes, I only use Bug-type Pokémon. Yes, Caterpies and Weedles are my specialties, and I'm not here to defeat you. Oh, no. You, with your newly acquired Charmender, I cannot defeat you. I'm only here to make your Charmender stronger, and stall time. I'm just here to annoy you, to occasionally poison your Pokémon so you'll come scurrying back to the Pokémon Center in Viridian. I may do that, of course, but I can never defeat you. I am always destined to lose, my money, my Pokémon's life, my pride. That is the way of the Bug catchers.

But is it?

I heard a certain guy named Bugsy from Azalea Town is a gym leader. And he was a bug catcher once, from what I heard from my fellow Bug Catchers. How did he manage to surpass this stage? None of my friends knew. We were all wondering in the dark Viridian forest. He had a Scizor, apparently. It was his prized Pokémon, a Scizor. We all looked at ourselves. We only have a Caterpie and Weedle. It is not enough to even defeat Brock. My companions just shrugged and resumed finding some bugs. I, on the other hand, stood staring at the piece of newspaper containing Bugsy's article. I was thinking why I can't be the same too?

I vowed to escape this state I've realized to be monotonous and stagnant. With my Caterpie and Weedle, I vowed to defeat the next trainer I encounter. So I stood there, motionless, in the middle of the dark Viridian forest. Suddenly, a trainer appeared in the entrance to the forest. I braced myself as he walked with such arrogance of a new trainer. We locked eyes, and then we knew what to do. I sent out my Caterpie, and he sent out a newly-acquired Bulbasaur. Something seems off about the Pokémon. I though its body color is lighter than normal. I dismissed it as a trick of the light, since it's been ages since I last saw Bulbasaur under the dark atmosphere of the Viridian Forest…

After a few minutes, the trainer walked off happily with his newly acquired 40 Pokedollars. I cursed and stamped my foot on the dusty path. My Caterpie and Weedle had fainted again. I failed as a trainer once more. I rushed my poor Pokémon to the nearest Pokémon Center, the Viridian branch. The Nurse Joy there is very kind to trainers like me.

"Another loss?" she asked. I simply nodded. She healed my Pokémon. "Too bad. You need to train more if you want to become an alpha Bug Catcher. Bugsy didn't become a Gym Leader just by standing around in dark forests." Bugsy's name was brought up again. I thanked her. I turned to leave but she called me. "Here is a Rare Candy. They make Pokémon stronger. Use it wisely. It is a rare item." I nodded as I palmed the candy.

I proceeded to the Viridian Forest entrance, but I lingered outside the gate. Beyond the gate is the apathy I was used to, and I wanted out. I considered it for a moment before turning my back from the gate. It is time do serious training. I let my Caterpie and Weedle out. They are about to get stronger.
Caterpie and Weedle evolved one after the other. I had countless battles against Rattatas and Mankeys. I decided to run when the wild Pokémon is Pidgey or Spearow because I am at a disadvantage. My training paid off. Standing before me is a Metapod and a Kakuna. I beamed with my acquisition of new Pokémon. It put me in a higher tier than other Bug Catchers. Metapod and Kakuna will be evolving shortly after a few training, so I decided to spend some more time to get a Butterfree and Beedrill.

"Hey there, Bug catcher!" A voice said. Another new trainer appeared. "Want to battle?" I didn't answer but I sent out my Metapod as my response. Trainers don't need to talk when they want to battle. When you locked eyes with another trainer, it's the start of a battle. It's a problem for us Bug Catchers; people knew we were weak that's why they always want to lock eyes with us.

"Metapod, huh? Let's try my new Pokémon. Go Pidgey!" The Tiny Bird Pokémon appeared. Woah… Trainers with a Pidgey are a Bug Catcher's nightmare. They prevent us from getting strong enough.

"Metapod, Harden!" My Metapod's shell shined like steel. The Pidgey used Tackle which did not quite do a lot of damage. "Now, tackle!" Metapod slammed itself against Pidgey. Now, that did a lot of damage. Pidgey fell to the ground, fainted. Yes! I win the first round!

"No! I'll send out my Pokémon! Charmender!" The Lizard Pokémon went out. Uh-oh. One Ember after, my Metapod reeled over, fainted. The same goes for my Kakuna. Still not strong enough…

"Oh yeah!" I reluctantly gave 25 Pokedollars to my opponent. That's all of my savings. I'm just a simple Bug catcher right now, stuck outside Viridian Forest. I rushed back to Nurse Joy.

"Poor you," she said while healing my Pokémon. "Another trainer?"

"Yeah. With a Charmender, Ms. Joy! Damn, Professor Oak. Always sending new recruits to the world. That is why us bug catcher can't be strong!"

"No!" Nurse Joy said. "That is not the reason! You always blame these trainers. You can train your Pokémon more! You can reach your potential if you train! That is the only way!"

I fell silent. I knew Nurse Joy was right. I thank here and went out. It is time to get serious. I got the Rare Candy Nurse Joy gave me. I was mulling over if I should use it or what. I let out my Metapod and Kakuna. They looked eager to battle, though it's hard to tell because they lack distinguishable facial features. I decided it was not yet time. I want to train them the hard way first. I grinded in Route 1, the easiest route for beginners like me, defeating Rattatas left and right. I avoided the stare of some new trainers of which I'm sure is staring at me very mockingly. Just because I wasn't offered the chance to choose doesn't mean I cannot get strong.

My training paid off. In front of me is a Butterfree, capable of taking some hits with its Confusions, and a Beedrill, an attacker with its Fury Atack. I decided to show Nurse Joy my Pokémon, and she sure was glad.

"This is better. You took the first step in becoming a class A trainer," she smiled. "Here am I wishing you luck on your journey!" I bid farewell to Nurse Joy. For the first time that day, I grinned.

~

 

[miltankRancher]

i will have a class starting tomorrow, so I apologize if I cannot find some time to write a few paragraphs at the very least.

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Chapter Two: Dreams and Pacts

I walked down Viridian Forest again, feeling very confident with my Pokémon. This put me a notch higher than the other Bug Catchers in the area. I decided to go back to my turf first, wait for a trainer and try once more. In a few moments, another trainer, this time a girl locked eyes with mine. I waited for her to send out a Pokémon. She sent out a Squirtle. So, this is the last of Oak's recruits. I sent out my Butterfree. I saw the girl's shocked face. She wasn't clearly expecting a Butterfree this early in her adventure. Expect the worst, little missy. The Gym Leaders are stronger than me. I let her attack first. Her Squirtle threw a Bubble towards my Butterfree but it didn't do a lot of damage. In fact, it looks like Buttergree shrugged off the attack easily. Well, I must not get my confidence high because it is just a Bubble but, seeing my Pokémon get stronger, I really feel so proud. I ordered my Butterfree to use Confusion on Squirtle. My Butterfree brought the Pokémon down. I jumped in joy. The trainer looked surprised to see a mere bug catcher defeat her prized Pokémon. I won the battle for the first time. I was pretty surprised too.

"You are pretty good for a Bug Catcher," my opponent said. She was smiling, caressing her fainted Pokémon. I suddenly felt sorry for her. "That's pretty surprising, since two of my rivals called me and told me that the Viridian Forest was a breeze."

"Was it two guys with a Bulbasaur and Charmender?" I remembered my two previous opponents.

"Yes! One got a shiny Bulbasaur!"

"Well, they did battle me. And I was defeated," I shyly said. "They kind of trashed my team. I only had a Caterpie and Weedle then. I somewhat trained myself up to this point."

"I see. Well, it was nice talking to you. I still need to go back to the Viridian City. Squirtle needs help. See you" She started walking away. I suddenly felt guilty over my win.

"I'll accompany you back!" I volunteered. "There are still wild Pokémon back. You need someone to at least watch your back." She smiled.

"I guess I could use the help. Anyway, I'm White," she held out her hand. I considered for a moment.

"I'm Black. Nice meeting you," I shook her hand. "Shall we go?" I lead her out the forest, my Beedrill serving as a scout. Along the way, I learned that White was a native of the Johto region but moved to Pallet Town when her father got the job as Professor Oak's PA. I also learned that she really wanted to start off with Squirtle because she loves Water-types in general. She was dreaming of becoming, not the Pokémon Master, but of being a Pokémon Professor She said that wanting to become a Pokémon Master will make an individual focus on strength and not on knowledge. That is why she doesn't want that.

"But I will mount the Pokémon Challenge if I can. I'd probably consider it as a chance to test if my knowledge is enough to be a Professor."

"I see," I simply said.

"How about you? You haven't tell me much about yourself. Except for the fact that your name is Black," she said. We entered the doors of the Pokémon Center. I didn't quite notice that we were there already because it was surprisingly fun talking with White. "Thank you, Nurse Joy." Nurse Joy got her Pokémon healed up in a pinch. "There, I'm ready to go!"

"Good!" I clapped my hands. "So, I better get going then." I started to walk away. I was planning to mount the Trainer Path challenge, one that would lead me to my dream of becoming an Alpha Bug Catcher. But first, I need to defeat Brock, the gym leader at Pewtwer City.

"Hey, Black! Wait up!" White caught up with me. "What do you mean you'll be going?"

"I'll be starting my journey today. I need to hasten up. I'm lagging behind those two of your rivals." White looked at me.

"So, you are also aiming to be a Master," she said.

"No. I'm just like you. I have other dreams to fulfill. Becoming Master is only one step to its realization," I explained. "I am aiming to be the top Trainer in regards to Bug-type Pokémon."

"I see…" she said. Then she fell silent. I assumed she was thinking of something. "Alright then. I have decided."

"Woah, wait. Decided what?"

"I will accompany you! Together, we will see our dreams to its end!" she dramatically said while waving her hands over the air. "You and I, we will be a perfect team!" I couldn't believe her naivety.

"Are you sure, you want to do that?" I asked her. "I mean, we just met."

"Yup, and we are both beginning trainers. So, technically, we need someone to watch each other's back." She smiled. I thought for a moment and realized that she is right. Groups can be hard to manage but pairs are perfect for beginners.

"I guess I'm in, White," I held out a hand. "Partners."

She beamed and shook my hand. "Partners."

~