Pokémon: Generation By Generation

CHAPTER 5: [First Step into the Indigo League!]

-

A/N: This chapter was initially going to come along with the Gym Battles, but the word count spiked to 7K , still counting BTW, so I decided to split this chapter into two. 

-

I miscalculated. The Bug Catcher Trainers didn't just give 50 Pokédollars on average after being defeated. They gave an average of nearly 90 Pokédollars as the prize money upon defeating them.

452 Pokédollars. That was how much I had total after going through the Viridian Forest in just a day. All of a sudden, my bank account increased by 400-plus Pokédollars.

Mind-blowing.

Not only that, I managed to level up Bolt to level 10 with her learning a new move that's essential in her kit, Thunder Wave, and I even raised Monkey to level 11. More stats are welcome.

For this Gym, Monkey will definitely be the MVP, with Zardon close behind him once he reaches level 13 and learns the move, Metal Claw. Some might say that leveling Bolt instead of Zardon is foolish since she wouldn't be able to do much against Brock's Rock-Types, but think of it as an investment for the future against the second Gym leader, Misty, and her Water-Types, and Blue's Pidgeotto.

Especially Misty. Her Starmie is just...

Ugh, it was a pain.

So, the earlier I level up Bolt, the easier it will be to handle that monster of a starfish. Seriously, that thing was monstrously fast due to being a second-evolution Pokémon; that base stat on Speed is just disgusting.

For now, I had to beat Brock, but that is for tomorrow Joseph, though. The drain on my mind and body when doing the interactive simulations of Pokémon Battles is very high; I've only gone against a few Trainers, and I'm this tired.

I'll grind some more tomorrow to get everyone up to level 13 to 15 before I try to tackle Brock's Gym, which by then Monkey and Zardon should wipe the floor with their Super Effective moves.

=

=

=

"You look different. Anything happen recently?"

My mother’s question caught me off guard as she placed lunch on the table. Her tone was casual, but I could sense the curiosity behind it. Thinking of a good answer, I decided to be upfront about it.

"I, uh, made some good money recently."

I left out the Arc and others temporarily. Until I get a good solid base of funds for at least a year’s worth of Trainer School, I'll keep the magical Gameboy out of conversations. Who knows if the Arc and its contents would disappear all of a sudden—no need to give false hope to my family.

"From that book stuff that you write online? I thought you stopped a while back, saying that it’s a waste of time."

Huh, so this world’s Joseph also did the same as what I did back home. A lightbulb suddenly lit in my head as I made a mental note to check what he was cooking up before I took over. Writing... That would make a very good cover for how I keep generating so much money. Like money laundering, but on a smaller scale.

"Y-Yeah. From writing some chapters."

"Very good. You’ve always bragged about your language comprehension and essay writing skills. I’m glad that you’re using them for something worthwhile."

As she walked back to the kitchen to grab another plate of food, I took a moment to appreciate her support. It felt good to have a believable explanation for the extra money I’d be earning through the Pokémon Battles.

Returning with a steaming plate of rice and vegetables, she set it down and looked at me expectantly.

"So, how much did you make?"

Here it goes.

"400 dollars." I said, trying to keep my voice nonchalant, but it failed as I grinned, recalling the happiness when I made so much money in just a night. My mother’s eyes widened in shock.

"400 Pokédollars? That's a lot! And people pay so much to read these chapters?"

"Something like that. It’s more of a monthly subscription where you join the membership and are able to read the chapters that I post."

I explained, hoping that it is exactly how it works in this world. She smiled, her expression a mix of surprise and amazement.

"That’s incredible, Joseph. Just make sure to save some of that money instead of spending it on useless things. It could be really useful in the future."

Nodding, my mind wanders to the cost to join the Pokémon Academy.

Each semester costed an average of 15,000 Pokédollars depending on how long each semester lasted, with a total of 3 semesters a year.

Adding that I had to give a deposit of 10,000 for the admission test to apply for the school, which was just a test for the general subjects like English, Mathematics, Science, Pokémon Trivia, etc.

Pay 5000 Pokédollars for the Pokémon License with an additional 500 a month, with a record of owning a Pokémon for at least 3 months prior to being eligible...

That means I had to find nearly... 30,000 Pokédollars for the first semester alone.

Right now, it was just before the month of June, with the admission test being set for early August. That gave me about two months to come up with a significant chunk of the funds required to pay for the Pokémon License at the bare minimum due to the three-month criteria.

"Yeah, I'll definitely save most of it."

I reassured her as I picked up my cutlery, feeling a path now clearer in my mind before I dug in.

I am definitely saving most of it.

It'll be a surprise, that's for sure.

=

=

=

It took the whole afternoon of walking through the patches of tall grass, defeating the Wild Pokémon encounters, and gaining slivers of experience for a level up, but it was worth the few hours as everyone in the team was now at a much higher level, with Monkey and Zardon at level 15 while Bolt was at level 14.

---------------- Current Team Summary ----------------

---------------- 1st POKÉMON SLOT ----------------

[Nickname: Monkey]

[Species: Mankey (♂)]

[Level: 15]

[Nature: Quirky]

[Ability: Vital Spirit (Prevents the Pokémon from entering Sleep status.)]

[Moves: Leer, Scratch, Low Kick, Karate Chop]

[Held Item: None]

---------------- 2nd POKÉMON SLOT ----------------

[Nickname: Zardon]

[Species: Charmander (♂)]

[Level: 15]

[Nature: Lonely]

[Ability: Blaze (Boosts the power of Fire-Type moves when HP is below 1/3rds)]

[Moves: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Metal Claw]

[Held Item: None]

---------------- 3rd POKÉMON SLOT ----------------

[Nickname: Bolt]

[Species: Pikachu (♀)]

[Level: 14]

[Nature: Timid]

[Ability: Static (1/3 chance of applying Paralysis status on opponent when damaged with a physical attack.)]

[Moves: Thundershock, Growl, Tail Whip, Thunderwave, Quick Attack]

[Held Item: None]

---------------- Current Team Summary ----------------

Bolt had learned an extra move; in the game she was required to forget a move to replace Quick Attack, but in reality it was much different.

In-game, I replaced Growl with Quick Attack, but when I released her into the real world and questioned her about it, she had no problems using the move.

That meant that in-game, as in the turn-based aspect of the game, the move Growl is forgotten, but in reality, the move is still there, though it was quite useless.

So, a Pokémon could still remember its old moves even if it exceeds the four-move threshold. That was good to know this early on, as I feared that my Pokémon could only use four moves at a time since they were from a game that only allowed four moves to remain for each Pokémon.

I made sure to lock the door to my room before I walked to the Pewter City Gym after healing my Pokémon to full health. Speaking about Pewter City, the city had a major overhaul.

Instead of the Generation 3 layout that one would expect, it looked more similar to its Generation 4 version, with the city being built at the side of the mountain with cliffs surrounding the area.

And due to the place being built at the side of the mountain, some landmarks are slightly elevated by the natural formation of the earth. The garden in the middle of the city, some houses, and even the Pewter Museum of Science were built on the elevated areas of the city.

The Gym especially was built on a highly elevated plot of land, with stairs being a necessity for those who wish to enter the Gym from the road leading to the Gym.

Before entering the Gym, I retrieved and released the team of Pokémon into my room to strategize.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Today, we will be tackling the first Gym."

I said with a deeper tone as I paced around the room. Zardon and Bolt were listening carefully on my bed while Monkey was playing with a rubber stress ball that was on my table.

Clearing my throat to bring back Monkey's attention, I continued once Monkey gave out a cry to tell that he was listening.

"So! What is a Gym? Gyms are places where aspiring Pokémon Trainers, like myself, will test their mettle against a Pokémon Gym Leader for a chance at the position of Pokémon Champion in a specific league! We will have to go through 8 Gym Leaders and the Elite Four to be able to challenge the Pokémon Champion; that's the Indigo League's Circuit. Is everyone following me so far?"

The nods from my Pokémon showed that they understood; that's good!

"If we prove ourselves against the Gym Leader, then we will get a badge as evidence that we passed the Gym, which allows us to continue on with our next Gym in the circuit. So this is a very important day for us, understood?"

"Man, mankey! [( • o • ｡)?]"

Monkey asked, gesturing to who they were up against.

"Good question, Monkey! We're going up against the Gym Leader of Pewter City, Brock! He is a Rock-Type Specialist who specializes in fighting with Rock-Type Pokémon."

"Pika, pika pika? [('^' ?)]"

Bolt tilts her head in confusion as she releases a jolt of harmless electricity, pointing at the red spots of her cheeks. I nodded, ready for this question.

"Exactly, you're an Electric-type, so you'll be sitting this out, Bolt."

"Pika pi... [(> _ <)"]"

Sad at not being able to help up, Bolt apologized for being an Electric-Type, something that Zardon quickly comforted her about by patting her on the back, with Monkey giving her close-eyed thumbs up.

"Char, der der! [( ･▿･)ﾉ]"

"Man, mankey! [ദ്ദി ˉ꒳ˉ)]"

"Exactly, you don't have to apologize. You might not be able to fight this time, but your time will come, and we’ll make sure you get your chance to shine."

"P-Pika pi! [(⁀ᗢ⁀)]"

With Bolt happy again, I clapped my hands together as I brought out a sheet of paper that I prepared earlier.

"Right! Now we'll go with the battle strategies!"

Monkey and Zardon, upon hearing the sentence, focused with a sudden shift of attitude as they looked with an intensity that I noticed happens quite often to my Pokémon when anything related to Battling is mentioned.

Bolt ran up my arm and stood on my shoulder as I showed the document to the two Pokémon that will be Battling in a minute.

"So, Brock should have two Pokémon, a Geodude and an Onix. With your levels, you two should easily win the fight, especially since you both have Super Effective moves against his team, but I still would like to explain the game plan."

I started it off with Monkey and then moved to Zardon.

"Monkey, you're the heavy hitter in this Gym. With your Fighting-Type moves, you can easily knock out the Rock-Types of the Gym. The Geodude will be no problem at all, but that Onix is fast and has Rock Tomb. You're agile, so use your smaller size and speed to get close for a Low Kick!"

"Mankey!"

"Zardon, you'll have the same game plan as Monkey. Use your size and speed to your advantage, but make sure to keep your distance and dodge the Rock Tombs since it's Super Effective against you! Mainly use your Ember and Metal Claw moves; they will do the most out of your move pool."

"Charmander!"

"Good that everyone understands the strategy. Now, plans are bound to fail upon contact, so I'll be there to command any needed adjustments. If no one has any other input to add, then I will call this meeting adjourned. Huzzah!"

"Char char!"

"Mankey!"

"Pika pika!"