Chapter 4: Tyson's Talent

The following morning, Tyson quickly finished his breakfast and left the Pokemon Center with Larvitar, eager for their first Pokemon battle in this new world. He dashed to the local battlefield and upon arrival, noticed a battle in progress between two children. To the left, a young girl with blonde pigtails dressed in a yellow blouse and blue shorts was commanding a small, pink-furred dog resembling a bulldog from Tyson's former world. 'A Snubbull, interesting,' Tyson mused as he shifted his attention to her adversary.

The adversary was a young boy with short blond hair, blue eyes, donning a blue shirt and black shorts. His Pokémon, a small purple rat with sharp teeth and large ears, faced off against them. "Rattata, huh? Pretty common," Tyson mused. "Ratte, use Bite!" the boy commanded, and the Rattata charged forward. "Tina, counter with Growl, then Headbutt!" the girl countered. As Rattata neared, the small dog issued a loud growl, halting the rat's advance. 'That's odd, Growl usually just lowers the attack,' Tyson observed, watching the Snubbull's intimidating glare at Rattata. 'Ah, that's it! Snubbull's ability, Intimidate, reduces the attack, which, along with Growl, caused Rattata to hesitate,' Tyson realized internally.

Immediately after, Snubbull charged, its head colliding with Rattata and sending the rat flying back three feet before it landed on its back. "Oh no, are you okay, Ratte?" the boy cried out. The small rat responded by hopping to its feet, albeit looking somewhat disoriented. "Don't let them recover, use Bite!" the girl called out as Snubbull charged again, trying to finish what it started. As Snubbull neared, the boy yelled, "Ratte, use Tail Whip on its legs!" Rattata dodged to the side and swept Snubbull's right leg with its long tail, causing Snubbull to lose balance and slide onto its face. "Now, use Quick Attack to aim for its side!" the boy commanded. Rattata, enveloped in white light, dashed forward and collided with Snubbull, who had not yet recovered from the fall. With a loud thud, Snubbull was flung to the side and landed on its back, motionless. "Oh no, Tina," the girl exclaimed, rushing over to check on the fallen dog. "Good job, buddy," the boy said, petting Rattata and praising it for its hard work before walking over to check on the girl.

"Looks like I win again, Amelia," the boy said, looking down at the girl. "You just got lucky, Tony. Next time we'll be the winners," the girl retorted, taking out a small spray bottle colored white and purple to treat Snubbull's bruises. 'A potion, I should consider the cost of medicine as well,' Tyson thought as he approached the two youngsters. "Hello, my name is Tyson, and this is my partner Larvitar," Tyson introduced, with Larvitar adding a soft "Lar." The two pre-teens glanced at Tyson, and the boy named Tony responded, "Nice to meet you, my name's Tony, and this is my sister Amelia." "The pleasure's mine," Tyson smiled, continuing, "We're looking for a sparring partner for a battle. My Larvitar hasn't had much exercise in the past two days, aside from walking, so—" Before Tyson could finish, Tony interjected, "Sure thing! I'd love to battle you. Hehe, Ratte, we get to battle a Larvitar. Are you excited?" Tony said, to which the small rat grinned, emitting a loud "Rattata."

In a brief moment, Tyson and Tony found themselves on opposing ends of the battlefield, with Larvitar positioned before Tyson and Rattata before Tony. Tyson's memories of his predecessor began to resurface, bringing with them knowledge of Larvitar's moves. "Larvitar, use Ancient Power!" Tyson ordered. The small dinosaur roared, its body glowing purple as it summoned stones as large as beach balls from the ground, launching them at Rattata. Tony, caught off guard, shouted, "Ratte, dodge it!" Rattata swiftly moved to the field's left side, narrowly evading the attack. "Quick Attack, now!" Tony commanded. Rattata accelerated, closing the gap and striking Larvitar's chest with force.

Despite a slight grimace, Larvitar remained unmoved, catching both Rattata and Tony by surprise. Tyson recalled from their school practice matches that Larvitar often withstood moves like Tackle and Quick Attack, learning to anchor itself to resist being knocked off balance. Its rock typing also meant that moves like Quick Attack were minimally effective. Additionally, Larvitar's species and upbringing played a role; as a Pokémon destined to evolve into a pseudo-legendary, it possessed a certain pride. Throughout the encounter, Tyson kept his gaze fixed on Rattata, as if analyzing every nuance of its movement. 

"Bite," Tyson commanded, and Larvitar lunged, sinking its teeth into Rattata's side. The small rodent let out a sharp cry, a sign of its distress. "Ratte!" Tony cried out in alarm. Tyson then spoke "Rattata as a species are known for their speed, let's fix that" before issuing another command: "Throw it into the sky!" Larvitar complied, lifting Rattata and tossing it ten feet upwards. Tyson had noted Rattata's exceptional speed in its previous battle, a testament to its training. He surmised that it was limited to short-range attacks, common for its kind. By launching Rattata into the air, he intended to limit its ability to move. "Hit it with Ancient Power again," Tyson directed. Larvitar roared affirmatively, "Lar!" and summoned two more colossal stones, propelling them at Rattata.

With a loud bang, the attacks hit Rattata, creating a small dust cloud and sending it plummeting to the ground. As Rattata hit the earth, Tony rushed over to the unmoving rat. "Are you okay, buddy?" Tony asked, to which the rat weakly replied, "Ra." Tyson came over and inquired, "Will it be, okay?" Tony nodded in response. This wasn't Rattata's first tough battle. "We're going to the Pokémon Center to get Rattata checked," said Tony, his face etched with concern, as Amelia joined them. "Looks like you lost this time, Tony," she said with a slight grin, secretly relieved she wasn't the only one who had lost a battle that day.

Tony had always been the superior battler, often challenging trainers passing through their town towards Goldenrod City. Thus, witnessing her brother's unexpected defeat was a shock. "Guess I'll join you," Tyson declared, having achieved his aim of exercising his partner. Eager to complete the last part of his book and start on "The History of Sinnoh," he suggested they head back. The trio agreed and set off towards the Pokémon Center, oblivious to the watchful eyes hidden in a nearby bush.

En route to the Pokémon Center, the group became acquainted with one another. Tyson's account of his experiences and how he ended up in Azalea Town took the others by surprise. "That's terrible, I'm sorry about your parents," Amelia said. "Yeah, that really sucks, but what's your plan?" Tony inquired. "My grandma is coming to get me; she's usually tied up with work, just like my grandpa," Tyson responded. "At least you have someone to depend on," Tony remarked, to which Amelia added, "Definitely, that's a certainty."

Upon arriving at the Pokémon Center, the group walked in to see the familiar hustle and bustle. They approached the front desk leisurely. Tyson greeted, "Nurse Joy, I'm back," to which she warmly responded, "Oh, Tyson, welcome back! And who might your friends be?" After swiftly introducing Tony and Amelia, the trio entrusted their Pokémon to Nurse Joy's capable hands before heading to the adjacent lounge area for a conversation.

Pokémon Team:

Team Rank: 1

Larvitar

Gender: Male

Type: Rock/Ground

Abilities: Guts, Sand Veil [Undeveloped]

Held Item: None

Moves: Rock Throw, Bite, Payback, Leer, Scary Face, Dragon Dance [Inherited], Ancient Power [Inherited]