A Bonding Experiment

Alex braced herself as Pidgeotto began to beat his powerful wings. Arms crossed in front of her face, she placed one foot forward. Still, the powerful winds managed to cause her to slide back a couple inches. This bird wasn't playing around! Alex only hoped Rotom's Double Team had done its job. Surely enough, the flying whirlwind of debris cut through two illusions, The real Rotom then being revealed.

It seemed to snicker at the bird's inability to target properly. That was just how Rotom was, though. Alex quickly regained her composure, pointing to the feathered foe. "Quickly now, Discharge!" the command was quick and precise. She hoped their training would pay off in these moments to come.

Rotom's body buzzed with energy, crackling as it powered up. In one great burst, Rotom released the pent up energy. Blue and yellow bursts of energy crackled as the electricity went flying around the arena. It really was a move made to hit everything in the field, and was a rather powerful move on top of that.

The Pidgeotto tried to dodge the volts of electricity, but it was no use. There were simply too many to escape from. The Pidgeotto dropped a little, but apparently it was still concious. Unfortunately, the Pidgeotto found it hard to maintain flight, and found itself on its feet. Surprised, Falkner shouted. "Pidgeotto! Hurry! Use your Sand Attack!" He wanted at least to throw off the Rotom's Accuracy to help save the Pidgeotto.

But it was no use. When the bird Pokémon lifted its wings to flap, there was a visible static about the Pidgeotto. It was paralyzed!

Alex figured Pidgeotto would manage to hang on. After all, it looked like one tough customer! However, she became mildly bemused when Pidgeotto landed. Was he unable to stay in flight? Falkner's next command gave her the answers she had been seeking. Paralysis, Alex grinned believing the battle to be won now.

"Alright, we've got him now!" Alex beamed, standing tall as she gave what she hoped would be the final command. With an authoritative stance, she pointed to the paralyzed bird, brimming with confidence as she did so. "One more time, Rotom! Thundershock, now!"

Rotom was getting tired of this being ordered about business, but it did feel good to torture opponents like this. Figuring it was the best it was going to get as far as pranks went for now, the ghost began to crackle. Loosing the electricity, a yellow beam arced from Rotom, aiming for the Pidgeotto!

The Thundershock was a definite hit on the immobilised Pokémon. For a moment, it was completely still, and then the Pidgeotto simply fell over. Falkner sighed. It was a pretty good battle, even if it was a losing battle from the start.

The Proctor waved his flags, with a bit more vigour, concluding this would be the last time for now. "The Pidgeotto is unable to battle! Rotom has won the round! The victory goes to Miss Alexis Printz of Cherrygrove!"

ROTOM HAS EARNED 18 EXPERIENCE!
ROTOM HAS GROWN TO LV19!
9 experience left over.

Alex has earned  3600円 from this battle!

Falkner returned the Pidgeotto to its Pokéball. After which, he stepped across the battlefield. "You did well, Alex Printz," he said, taking out a badge case. It held this city's Gym badge! "You've earned it. Go ahead, take it!" He opened it for her to grab. Afterwards, he pulled out a disk. "Here, you should take this, too. It is the TM Roost. If you have a flying type Pokémon, you should teach this to them. It will allow them to recover during battle."

Returning Rotom to his pokéball, Alex clipped it back in its place with a sense of pride. Though it was stubborn, Rotom proved it could at least be somewhat trusted in battle. Probably not around large sources of electrical power, though. Still, she had just won her first Gym Battle! She strode halfway across the field to meet Falkner at the center of the ring, heart fluttering wildly.

Brimming with excitement, it was hard to contain and was shown by the smile on her face. She took a soft breath, exhaling gently to gain composure as she was presented with the Zephyr Badge as well as a TM. She added the diskette to the designated case, then carefully pinned the badge inside a small tin lined with velvet. Thanking Falkner for the winnings, as well as the opportunity to battle, Alex made her way back down and out of the gym.

She stopped back by the Pokémon Center to rest up her Pokémon, but didn't want to dawdle around for too long. She swung by the market place afterward, stocking up on some provisions as well as some pokéballs. One in particular caught her eye, a red shiny capsule. The clerk said it was a Cherish ball, and it had a hefty price tag. Even though it didn't come with any perks, Alex splurged a bit to get it. It seemed special, and she would use it on a special Pokémon!

After a bit of exploring, Alex found that there was little else to do in Violet City. It appeared that the Professor had gone ahead without her, she only hoped he would make it to Goldenrod safely. He probably took the shortcut through National Park, so he would likely beat her there this time. With Cyndaquil released from his ball, Alex made her way down route 32 toward Union Cave and the Ruins of Alph.

Not far down a road, there seemed to be a small stand set up at the side. An old man, hair grey, and wearing glasses that covered from his eyebrows, reaching his wrinkled cheeks, was tending to the stand. Before Alex could make the decision whether or not to interact with the man, however, he abruptly saw her, and called for her. "Oi, young trainer! I have an offer for you that you simply cannot ignore! My favourite Pokémon is Eevee. Capture an Eevee, and show it to me. I will reward you very kindly."

Headed down the way, Alex stretched her arms across her torso. It had been a trek, and the day was fading quickly. She wanted to get somewhere safe to camp before it was too late. Checking her map details in her pokégear, she saw that a Pokémon Center was just south at the end of the route. She figured that would be a good place to stay, assuming she could get a room.

"Well Cyndaquil, it looks like we can stay at the Pokémon Center up ahead. If not we'll set up camp outside of Union Cave," Alex prosed, hating extended silence. Since her travel companion could not only understand her, but also respond in a known language it seemed silly for the journey to be void of conversation.

"Sounds good to me!" Cyndaquil piped up, traveling at a moderate pace at Alex's feet. However, he halted quickly when a voice called out to them. Alex halted a moment later, turning to face the strange old man. It seemed like some sort of stand where someone would be selling items, but the man seemed to have a different proposition for her.

"An Eevee?" she asked, approaching the stand. Cyndaquil hesitated at first, but was soon by her side. "There aren't any Eevee around here anyway, most Eevee are bred in captivity these days," she said, spouting off her knowledge. While it was true for Johto that most Eevee were bred in captivity, there were places in the world where they were still common in the wild. Either way, those places weren't here and she doubted the man's sanity.

"So if I somehow manage to come across an Eevee, how will I find you again to show you?" She may have been skeptical, but she wasn't about to pass up an opportunity. Prizes intrigued her, and if she had to add an Eevee to her arsenal to get it...well, she wasn't going to complain. Eevee were adorable, after all! Not to mention their extreme versatility!

"Ooooh... I'll just be here. Sadly, my travelling days are long over... but don't worry. When the time comes, you'll be able to find me." He bowed to the trainer and sat down at a chair to the stand. It seemed a bit awkward to leave this old man, apparently retired from travel, simply sitting at the stand, but there seemed to be little Alex could do about it.

Alex found the man's words somewhat odd, but shrugged them off. Plenty of people were odd to her, after all. "Fine then. If I find an Eevee, I'll be sure to catch it and bring it back to show you," she said, hoping she would even be able to find such an elusive creature. With a wave, she went on her way, not wanting to linger any further.

Cyndaquil bounded after his trainer, stopping once to turn back and eye the strange man warily. Something about him just didn't feel right, but he couldn't quite place it. They made their way to the Pokémon Center with relative ease, resting up for the night. She changed her clothes, washing up the ones she had used over the past few days before storing them away again.

After a hearty meal, Alex again was outside. The sun was bright, and the day was young. Looking down to Cyndaquil by her side she smiled softly. They still had a long way to go, but she was already feeling like a true Pokémon Trainer! With a deep breath of fresh air, Alex set her eyes on Union Cave. She needed to traverse it to get to Azalea Town, her next destination!