"Here they are. Your Arcanine was a little beat up, but she is fine now... Her fur was so soft!" Nurse Joy informs me with a squeal as I grin up at her.
"It really is!" I tell her grabbing my Pokemon from the tray. What a day! My badge was now pinned inside my Badge carrier that I had to purchase from the Pokemon Store. No way was I going to Ash Ketchum and just pin them inside my jacket.
"Vicky!" Ivy calls out as she enters the Pokemon center. "You are finally up! Me and Kenta already scheduled our match against Brock! The receptionist told us that Brock is full up the rest of the day! We tried to get you up, but you must have been sleeping like a rock." Ivy grumbles at me as she pokes me a little. The Greenette was followed by Kenta who was smiling a little at me.
"You snooze, you lose Vicky. We will get our matches out of the way first." He smiles which I return, waiting for a few moments to best pop their bubbles.
I opened my mouth, "I alrea-"
"No time! C’mon Vicky we need to get you to Pewter Gym so you can schedule your match for tomorrow! Brocks schedule is super packed you know!"
"Ivy, I alre-" I attempt again only to be pulled along.
"No talking! More running!" She urged me along tugging and pulling.
Laughing to myself I let Ivy pull me along, oh well. If she wasn’t going to listen. So I was once more rushed towards Pewter Gym by my meticulous friend until I was pushed in front of the receptionist.
"Vicky needs to schedule a Gym battle with Brock!"
"Huh? Ms. Ferrous?"
"Hello again." I wave giving it a second before Ivy turned to look at me in confusion.
"Again?"
"Yeah I fought Brock this morning when I got up early. I got lucky and Brock had an opening really early." I tell her with a grin earning a stumped look from Ivy for a moment.
"W-wait! You already had your match! But I wanted to watch!" Kenta moaned, earning a chuckle from me at his groans.
"I wanted to see it too! Vicky!"
"What can I say, I tried to wake you up, but you were sleeping like a rock." I joke. Earning a groan of frustration from Ivy as well.
"Hey no Rock puns in my Gym. It’s a rule!" Brock called out as he suddenly appeared from a side door smiling to his receptionist for a moment.
"No promises." I offer with a smile as he nods to me.
"Vicky, back again? I’m afraid it will be a bit before I can offer you another match."
"That would actually be fun. But no my friends didn’t understand I already had my match. So they dragged me over to schedule one."
"Ughhh!" Ivy gave off a groan of utter embarrassment at what she had done but I started patting her back.
"So these are your friends? Should I be worried for my team?" He asked semi-joking.
"They just have their normal starters." I inform him, earning a chuckle at that.
"Good. Onix is still sulking."
"Why? He totally rolled Arcanine.... Ack!" I jerked back as Brock dope slapped me across the back of my head.
"No puns!"
"Sorry!"
"Well Onix isn’t used to losing."
"Well it was a monster. Honestly. I still can’t believe he took out Arcanine like that. How did you come up with that move? I never expected a Rock type to be able to keep up with Arcanine."
"I had to fight someone who used a Rapidash a few times. They kept trying to outrun my Onix. so I came out with, Rollout Wrangle." He gives me a peace sign which I return.
It was an honestly amazing move. "I’ll have a counter next time. Arcanine won’t lose again." I tell him firmly, that feeling of competitiveness rising up.
All I got was a toothful smile in return.
"W-wait! Arcanine got taken out!? THAT Arcanine?" Kenta asked, looking pale. "B-But It’s so strong!"
"R-right? How is Bulba supposed to defeat an Onix that beat Arcanine!?"
"W-whoa guys relax. I wasn’t fighting Brocks normal team."
"Right. Vicky proved she had been training her Pokemon for long enough that I pulled out my stronger team. You both will be facing my first badge team. Don’t worry it will be a challenge, but it is doable." Brock offered and the fact it was coming from a gym leader seemed to have Ivy relax a little although I could see it struck Kenta bit.
He wasn’t strong enough to face Brocks strong pokemon? Just his baby team? I could practically read the thoughts on his face.
I walked over and slapped him on the back with a grin. "Hey. I had Two years with Milotic. And a Year with Arcanine. They have as much training as you will when you get to reach the League. Stop thinking that you don’t match up to me. Because it’s not just us competing it’s our Pokemon. Think about where Squirtle will be in a year."
Kenta blinked before nodding, his face firming. "I’ll grow strong enough that you won’t have to save me someday. I’ll do the saving."
"I look forward to it!" I tell him with a grin Ivy not having the same issue with Brocks announcement only looked relieved she wouldn’t be facing down a Pokemon that defeated Arcanine.
"I did want to see your match though Vicky! You shouldn’t have raced off on your own!" Ivy came back to herself after a moment once more bossing at me.
"Sorry sorry!" I offer with a laugh as I wave my hands at her pointing finger.
"Oh? Well we do record all matches. They play on a loop on the TVs there in the corner. If you want to watch it. Maddy? Can you play Victoria’s match this morning?" Brock offered earning starry eyes from my friends as the Receptionist nodded easily.
"Well I have to run. I look forward to facing you both later." Brock offered Ivy and Kenta earning a happy smile and a fierce look respectively.
Leaving them to watch as the Match began with Arcanine Vs Golem. It looks like they cut out the Geodude part.
I sighed, settling in to let the match play out. Maybe a second viewing would give me some ideas for better training.
I would not let Arcanine fall so easily next time even if rock types are some of the strongest Pokemon for Arcanine to face. Being type advantage and strong defenses making her physical moves weaker.
Arcanine was still The Legendary Pokemon. I wasn’t about to give her a bad name.
—-
Not long after hearing all about how amazing my match was from Ivy and Kenta. I once more split off from my friends. They needed to prepare for their matches later today, and I needed to do some more training.
I wandered up into the hills around Pewter before I found a quiet spot.
"Come on out everybody!" And my three Pokemon burst into being around me. Instantly Arcanine wandered away. It was obvious she was unhappy. Grumpy was a good word for it.
I pat Milotic on his head and hug Chansey, before following after Arcanine who had wandered a bit away and was grumping to herself. Letting out a huff as she sat down.
I settled in next to her, despite her head turning away from me.
"I think it’s very mature of you Kenta." I cut in, interrupting Ivy’s response. As she turned to me in surprise.
"What, we can’t split up Vicky!"
"Actually. I think it’s a good idea." I turned to Ivy as she was the one this would most effect now. "Ivy I like traveling with you, but this isn’t our journey together. It’s your journey. I think it’s great that we all got together through the forest. I was honestly gonna be pretty lonely on my own for so long. But I had my friends and that was great... But if Kenta wants to stay. I think I’ll head off as well. There is a Pokemon I want to hunt down."
"B-But! Vicky! You can’t leave me all alone!"
"I’m not." I tell her, smiling gently as I lean in and poke her forehead. "You have your team. Your Pokemon. Your friends!" I pointed to her belt that had her Pokemon strapped there. Although it was only two pokeballs right now.
"But what if we get attacked!?"
"Then you rely on your Pokemon to help, or you run. Journeys are usually pretty safe, you know?"
"But but!"
"Ivy. It’s not forever. Not even for super long. I still need to go to Cerulean right? So we might even meet there. If not, maybe Vermillion. I will probably be around there on my hunt. You know Nurse Joy will let us leave messages for each other. We won’t be apart. Just not standing side by side."
Ivy was biting her lip and looking scared but she needed this, the Journey was meant to give kids time to sort of take on responsibility. She couldn’t do that if I followed her everywhere. She needed a chance to make decisions on her own. With her team. To build trust with her Pokemon.
Ivy was looking pretty sad so I pulled her into a hug much to her shock as she finally relaxed. "I wouldn’t say this if I thought you couldn’t do it Ivy. You’re really strong you know? You just haven’t had a chance to realize it yourself yet.
"But I only have Bulbasaur and Caterpie!"
"Then use this as a chance to catch some Pokemon! I hear Clefairy live in Mt. Moon. But you can also find Geodude. After Brock you should realize how strong they can be. Onix can live there too. Zubat."
"Ugh don’t bring up Zubat. They swarm like Beedrill." Kenta mutters shivering which I restrain myself from laughing at.
"It will be fun. Remember, not forever. Just until Cerulean or so. Who knows? Maybe Kenta will meet up with you before I get there as well."
"I’ll try." He adds with a smile and Ivy nodded.
"Fine." She said that, but her face showed anything but.
—--
"Okay Arcanine. You ready?"
"Arc!"
I grinned. I had bought an actual saddle for her for long distance running. It had cost a pretty penny, but Prism Scales still made me a ton of Poke Dollars.
I spent a good half hour making sure it fit and testing everything, letting Arcanine get a feel for it as she walked in circles behind the Pokemon Center. But it was time. Everything was ready.
"Okay Arcanine! We are going East! Then south. We need to hit Vermillion! Ready!?" I ask as I pull myself into the saddle and get comfortable.
"Whuff!"
"I know you are. But really Arcanine. If you get tired or thirsty tell me! This isn’t an endurance run. Just a faster trip than me walking."
She grumbled a bit at that. Arcanine really liked anything to do with training. But I patted her head. "Okay! Let’s go!" And with that Arcanine burst into a run and instantly I was sighing with relief.
A pair of goggles around my eyes and a strap for my hat to make sure it wouldn’t go flying meant it was a much more comfortable trip than last time. I could actually see where we were going.
We raced up the hilly terrain of Mt. Moon although we didn’t go inside the mountain, instead Arcanine simply ran up the paths until they cut off before jumping, uncaring about things like falls, or heights. She practically ran up the mountain on the outside, howling all the while when she felt like it letting everyone know she was here.
Multiple times we ran through batches of Pokemon scattering them in a flurry at our sudden passage. A few times like when a Geodude yelled at us for jumping on his head. His voice disappearing almost instantly far behind us.
But on we ran. It honestly hadn’t been that hard to find what I was looking for. Sure the maps in my Sorta-Pokegear weren’t like Google maps. There were massive empty spaces on the map. But there were plenty of books, and the internet still existed in a rather anemic form.
Searching for storms out in the ocean, especially ones that never end, hadn’t taken me long to find. Especially since I already knew it was off the coast of Kanto. And since the way Kanto was shaped, that really only meant one area it could be.
If it was near the Orange islands to the south, or the Sevii islands then they would have said that. Instead in the Anime that I remember it had been off the coast of Kanto. Ash took a boat to get to a small island covered in Dewgong. Which was then close enough to take a captured Dewgong to the island.
So I was heading to Vermillion city to buy some equipment and then hit the ocean.
In the anime Goh had figured out the area of Dragonite Island by finding rescue reports of them saving people. Me though? I had just tracked down some old sailors talking about the ’eternal’ storm off the coast that you really didn’t want to take your boat into, but was safe to go around.
Well that was all I needed!
"C’mon Arcanine! I’m feeling so excited!"
"Wooooo!" She howled as we came to a stop on the other side of Mt. Moon for a moment before racing off. Leaving a trail of frantic Pokemon in our wake.
—--
"Here you are dear. Be careful if you are heading underwater. Never know what Pokemon you might run into." The old lady that sold me a diving suit and a rebreather tells me sternly as I nodded.
"No worries! I have a strong Water Pokemon!" I grin as I pile it all into my bag. The rebreather alone had cost a pretty penny, but it was basically super tech, using the storage tech from the bags to let someone breathe underwater with just a small face rebreather for hours. Honestly I wanted one for more than just this hunt.
Drowning was scary. I still remember that one Pokemon movie with Ash drowning.
Yikes!
So I bought this, it would stay in my bag for whenever I needed it.
It had only taken a few hours to get to Vermillion most of which was spent figuring out how to get to it. The trails were weird, some of them literally crossing mountains for no reason. I guess Ash and his group getting lost while following main roads wasn’t as unexplainable after all.
Arcanine was taking a well deserved rest, not that she wanted one and I was gathering the equipment I might need for the trip. Including a stop for more Pokeballs... I wanted some more Premier balls, just in case!
After all, the goal was to catch a Dragonite. Or one of its family. I like Dratini just as much! I wouldn’t mind training a Dratini from scratch as well.
Then came the annoying part. I needed to get to an island off the east coast of Kanto, it was a weird little pit stop that was mostly just a little village of people that lived there. Also Dewgong. Lots of Dewgong.
But it was so small, it wasn’t like they had a consistent ferry. The people that live on the island just have their own boats usually. Or Dewgong.
Which is where Milotic came in. I went out of the city a ways till I was in the rough beaches around Vermillion city and summoned my boy.
"Miiii!"
"Hey buddy. You ready for a long swim? We need to get out of the Vermillion bay and then head east. It’s gonna be a bit of a swim."
"Mii! Miii!" Milotic instantly cried out and wiggled around me. We had of course gone swimming before, but it wasn’t like with Arcanine where I could ride her for long distances. We had mostly just swam in our pond river. Or in the rivers around Viridian.
"Good. Let me get changed into my suit. It’ll keep me warm. I don’t want to spend six hours or more in the ocean without something to keep my body warm." I tell him as I quickly pull out the suit. It was a wetsuit, the same sort of thing I might have bought back in my other life. It wasn’t anything special, just a suit meant to keep you warm in the ocean.
Pulling off my normal clothes I stuffed them into my bag besides my goggles. They were both diving and riding goggles. Then I took a few minutes grunting as I forced myself into the wetsuit. It wasn’t easy but the lady I bought it from had explained how to use it well enough. Once I was done, and zipped up. Milotic helped finish the zipper. I was ready. "You ready Milotic!"
"Milotic!"
With a wide grin I slipped onto Milotics’ back. And in a surge we were in the water. Racing through the ocean. For this bit I didn’t even need a rebreather, although my bag was in reach if I ever needed it. We simply enjoyed racing through the water, jumping in and out together. My compass guided us on our way.