Chapter 26

Road Block…Again?

Vermillion City-

Red and Blue headed from the Vermillion Pokémon Center around eleven in the morning. Their Pokémon were fully healed according to the nurse, and as they walked east through the city Red released them from their Poke-balls to walk alongside them. Pidgey flew through the sky with a lot of spunk, and Pikachu trotted merrily along. Wartortle, however, seemed very bummed from its loss still. It walked with its head down with a woe-is-me attitude.

Eventually, the buildings and shipyards of Vermillion City lay behind them. As they continued walking they came across a trainer brushing the fur of a beautiful fox Pokémon. Its fur was maroon, and it had six tails. Red checked his Pokedex and learned that it was Vulpix, and it was a fire-type Pokémon.

"You did a great job taking care of that Pokémon," said Blue. "Its fur is so shiny." The other trainer allowed her to pet it. "Oh! It's warm!"

"That's because its inner flame is healthy!" laughed the trainer. "It's not just a pretty Pokémon though! Wait till you see what it can do in battle! My name's Darian who wants to battle?"

Red felt it was the perfect time for Wartortle to get its confidence back by easily handling a Fire-type Pokémon. "I'll battle you! Come on, Wartortle!" Wartortle shook its head and sat down, looking very depressed. "Fine then, but you're gonna wish you were in on the fun once it starts! How about you Pidgey? Ready to go?" Pidgey cooed in earnest and Pikachu bounced over to Blue to watch the battle.

Darian had trained his Vulpix exceedingly well, and it could run just as fast as Pidgey could fly. Red ordered a Gust attack to keep Vulpix away, but Darian was an experienced trainer and was prepared.

"Vulpix, use Fire Spin!" Vulpix breathed twisting flame at Pidgey, and the surrounding winds caught fire. Soon, Pidgey was enveloped in a flaming tornado.

"Come on, Pidgey," Red yelled. "Blow those flames away!" Then, Pidgey hurtled out of the tornado and landed on the ground with a thud. Wartortle looked up and began to take interest. It ran over to take Pidgey's place but it was stopped…by Pidgey.

It cooed at Wartortle saying in its Pokémon Speech "I don't need your help!" However, Pidgey was blackened and some of its feathers were singed. Suddenly, it got a determined look in its eye. It ran along the ground and then lifted itself in the air.

"Vulpix, get ready for another Fire Spin!" commanded Darian, but something happened that he wasn't prepared for. While Pidgey was flying towards Vulpix, it began to glow. It more than tripled in size, and it grew a crest of red feathers on its head. Pidgey had evolved. The new evolved Pokémon flew with a speed that Red had never seen before, and it took Vulpix by surprise as it swooped low and knocked Vulpix into the air.

Red didn't know what to call his evolved Pidgey yet, so he just said, "Now finish it with Quick Attack!" The evolved Pokémon became a blur as it dive-bombed Vulpix, and knocked it out.

Wartortle was cheering at this time, and ran over to greet its new evolved buddy. Red checked his Pokedex. Pidgey's name was replaced with "Pidgeotto."

"Wow what a cool Pokémon!" said Blue as Pidgeotto jumped up on Red's shoulder to roost.

"An excellent battle," said Darian. "I never expected that! You obviously have great skill as a trainer!"

And with that they continued along their journey. Soon, they came across a man blocking the road.

"No one can pass!" he said.

"Yes we can," said Blue.

"No literally," the man said. "The road to Lavender Town is blocked, you can't pass."

"We'll see! Go Nidoran!" The man sighed.

"No one understands… Oh well, I wouldn't mind a battle. Go Magnemite!" Out of his ball came a round metallic Pokémon with a single eye. On either side of its head were two magnets, Blue checked her Pokedex and realized that it was a dual Electric/Steel type Pokémon.

"I know that Steel-types are known for their hard skin, but my little Nidoran knows Fighting-type moves that can shatter anything! Use double-kick!" Blue pointed at the floating Magnet Pokémon and Nidoran ran and leapt into the air before the other trainer could order a Thunder-shock. Nidoran's feet clanged as they sent Magnemite twirling and spinning through the air to land on the ground by the other man's feet. It seemed to Red that its magnets were bend and twisted.

"Magnemite return!" the man wasn't a very skilled battler and his Pokémon was relatively weak. However, if trained, Magnemite can be a handful. "You still don't understand! You physically can't pass! Here, follow me!"

Red followed (he had recalled all his Pokémon except for Pidgeotto who he was still getting used too. I hope he doesn't poop on me…That'd be one mess I definitely wouldn't want to clean up. He thought.

Blue turned to follow also, but turned to recall Nidoran when she noticed Nidoran as she had known it wasn't there anymore. In her place stood Nidorina, the evolved form. She stood now on two legs and was significantly larger. Her face was now more reptilian than rabbit like, but she retained her large ears.

"Hey, Red, look!" she called. "It's a Pokémon Evolution Bargain sale! One right after the other! Come here, girl!" Nidorina ran and jumped into her arms. She was much heavier, and would no longer fit in her bag. She hurried along after them. With Nidorina tottering along with her.

She caught up with Red and the man who warned her that the road was blocked at a place where the road turned into a bridge. Blocking the bridge, was a gigantic sleeping Pokémon. Red had his Pokedex out and identified it as a Snorlax.

"Big deal," said Red, "I'm sure we can swim around it."

"Think again," said the Magnemite trainer. He threw a piece of nearby wood into the water below the bridge, and it was swept away surprisingly fast and shattered into bits on a rock in the river. "These waters are too fast to swim in, and only the strongest Water-type Pokémon swimmers can stand it!"

"Well I've got a Water Pokémon! Go Wartortle!" Wartortle appeared from its ball renewed in spirit in his Captain Morgan pose. "Jump in the water, buddy!" Wartortle shook his head, and motioned that the water was too fast."

"If Wartortle can't do it," said Blue. "Then there's no way Poliwag, my Water-Pokémon could ever dream of swimming that. Hey! Let's walk over Snorlax!"

"Bad idea," the man said. He picked up a rock and gently tossed it onto the Pokémon's belly, and it sprung away into the raging rapids like it was a trampoline.

"I bet I could have Pidgeotto lift me over!" said Red. Pidgeotto appeared startled and shook his head as if to say "no way could I lift you over that!" "Oh who am I kidding?" he said at last.

"How about we stop being idiots!" screamed Blue in frustration. "Let's wake it up and move it!"

"That's impossible," said the man. "The only way to wake up a Snorlax is to use a Poke-flute. That flute can wake up any Pokémon with the frequency it emits! But even if you do wake it up, it will be very, very angry."

There was no way that they could pass. The man was right. They couldn't swim around it, for the river was too fast. Pidgeotto wasn't strong enough to lift them over it. And they couldn't wake it up without a Poke-flute.

"Well," said Red. "I guess we'll just have to go the long way around."

Epilogue

Somewhere Underground-

The Boss picked up the phone and called another of the Gym Leaders that was working for him. Surge had proved faithless, but the Boss would take care of this Phantom his way, and he already had a plan to do it. He dialed the number.

"Yes, sir?" the female voice answered on the other end.

"I trust that there is no way in or out of Saffron City?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. I have blocked all roads into it. The chairman of Silph Corporation is our little unknowing prisoner. The citizens think I'm keeping Team Rocket out, but I'm really keeping them in."

The Boss smiled. "Yes, and of the Elite Four member Bruno?"

The lady laughed. "He thinks he's got a nice clingy girlfriend worrywart!"

"Excellent," said the Boss. "These rumors of the special Poke-ball that will catch any Pokémon without fail, what have you heard?"

"I have probed the corporation and they tell me that the rumors are true, but only the Chairman knows where it is." She answered.

"So they finished it?" the lady on the other end could feel the excitement rising in his voice.

"Yes, but the only way to find it now is to force it out of the Chairman. We don't have enough strength yet to launch a full-scale assault of the Silph Tower, we must be patient."

The Boss smiled and answered: "I always liked you, Sabrina. You have never failed me. My scientists let my experiment escape, my Captain was thwarted by some kids and that Lance, and Surge has left us now. But you, my dear, you are doing an excellent job. When the time comes, you will be rewarded greater than all of my followers."

"Thank you sir," answered Sabrina, the Saffron City Gym Leader.

To be continued in

A Pokémon Tale

Part II

The Rise of Team Rocket