Chapter 6

A week had flown by, and now Emmet found himself sitting next to Eevee, both of them sweating and wearing expressions of utter disbelief. What they were witnessing seemed to defy all the rules of Pokemon combat they had ever known.

Shaking his head, Emmet turned to Eevee and said, "You know, this is just bullying at this point, right?" He gestured towards the spectacle unfolding before their eyes.

Still keeping her gaze fixed on the battle, Eevee nodded in agreement, letting out an affirming "Eevee!" The ludicrousness of the scene couldn't be more apparent to both of them.

And what a scene it was. Firefly, their Charmander companion, was making a mockery of four Beedrils. She was using Quick Attack to dart around them—something Charmanders were not known for. This strategic repositioning allowed her to land False Swipes, designed to prolong the fight. She then deployed Smokescreens to cloud the Beedrils' vision. When she wanted to herd them, she'd shoot precise Embers to nudge them in the desired direction. And if they dared to retaliate, she'd skillfully parry their stinging thrusts with Metal Claw. Firefly was in complete control, turning the battle into an orchestrated dance of her own making.

Watching Firefly decide to up the ante by closing her eyes mid-battle, Emmet decided enough was enough. He stood up, dusting off his pants with a look of mild exasperation.

"Alright, Firefly, wrap it up! We've got a strict training schedule to adhere to, and tormenting local wildlife isn't on the agenda!" Emmet shouted, his voice tinged with humor.

Firefly seemed to grumble, a vocalization that sounded suspiciously like "Charrrr," as if asking for just a few more minutes of playtime. Her closed eyes opened in a pleading expression.

"Nope, that's enough. Even these poor Beedrils look like they're praying for mercy," Emmet retorted. As if on cue, the beleaguered Beedrils nodded in fervent agreement, their antennae drooping in relief.

Giving a final grumble, Firefly backed away. As a finishing touch, she unleashed a magnificent Flamethrower into the sky, asserting her dominance and marking her victory.

The Beedrils didn't need further convincing. They hastily took to the sky, eager to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the sadistic lizard, who now sported a victorious and self-satisfied smirk.

Turning his attention back to his Pokemon, Emmet quipped, "Would her Majesty, Queen Firefly of the Viridian Forest, kindly grace her loyal subjects with her attention? We have important royal duties like, you know, actual training." This elicited a round of hearty "Eevee!" laughs from Eevee, who seemed to find the entire situation uproarious.

Firefly strutted ahead, her snout lifted high in an exaggerated display of regality. She even gave a pompous little "Char!" indicating that Emmet and Eevee should hurry up and follow her majesty toward their campsite where her training harness awaited.

Shaking his head in amusement, Emmet began to follow Firefly, who seemed intent on leading them to their tent for the next part of their training schedule.

"Hey you!" A voice called out, interrupting their procession.

Emmet turned to find a young man approaching them. He was dressed in the quintessential bug catcher garb—a net in one hand, a cap perched on his head, and an array of Pokeballs on his belt.

"Hey there!" Emmet greeted, waving at the trainer with a friendly demeanor.

Noticing the stranger, Eevee quickly moved to stand protectively in front of Emmet. Meanwhile, Firefly returned at a leisurely pace but was clearly on high alert. Emmet had always drilled into them the balance between caution and courtesy when dealing with unfamiliar trainers.

Seeing the protective stances of Emmet's Pokemon, the trainer halted his approach. "I saw the flamethrower you guys shot up in the sky. Mind if we have a friendly battle?"

Casting a reproachful glance at Firefly, who looked somewhat abashed, Emmet faced the trainer. "I'm Emmet. I'll take you up on that challenge, but let's keep it one-on-one. I want to keep one of my Pokemon rested."

"Sounds good to me," the trainer replied, introducing himself as Ethan before selecting a Pokeball from his belt.

"Eevee, you're up," Emmet said, looking down at his furry companion. Eevee seemed a little nervous but took her place in front of Emmet, gathering her courage for her first battle against an unknown opponent.

As per Emmet's training throughout the week, Firefly kept a vigilant eye on both the battle and their surroundings. Some might label Emmet as overly cautious, but given what he knew, he felt no amount of caution was too much.

With a flick of his wrist, Ethan released a strong-looking Scyther onto the field. "Scyther!" it roared, brandishing its wickedly sharp blades as it made its entrance. The intimidating sight made Eevee take a step back, momentarily shaken but refusing to flee.

"You've got this, Eevee," Emmet reassured her, locking eyes with his Pokemon. "You've trained hard, and you're more than capable of taking that Scyther down. Show them what you're made of."

Eevee's posture relaxed somewhat at Emmet's encouragement, but a lingering tension remained in her stance, a slight hunching of her shoulders and a wary glance toward her opponent signaling her residual nervousness.

Both Scyther and Ethan couldn't help but laugh and grin, respectively, at Emmet's confident proclamation that Eevee could defeat the formidable bug Pokemon.

Emmet and Firefly caught their derisive reaction. Although they both felt a flare of indignation, their expressions remained composed, revealing nothing of their internal irritation.

"Scyther, Quick Attack!" Ethan commanded. Almost instantly, Emmet yelled, "Eevee, dodge and use Tail Whip!" Eevee artfully dodged Scyther's speedy advance and struck it with her tail. "Now, Baby-Doll Eyes!" Emmet called out. Eevee's eyes glowed, casting an effect on Scyther that visibly lessened its battle drive. Ethan appeared puzzled by the unfamiliar move but shook it off. "Fury Cutter, Scyther!"

"Quick Attack, Eevee! Move away!" Emmet ordered, and Eevee zipped out of Scyther's reach using the Quick Attack huge boost to her speed. "Now, Hyper Voice!" he added. Emmet and Firefly hastily covered their ears as Eevee let out an earsplitting Hyper Voice. The powerful sound wave struck Scyther with significant impact, leaving it reeling. Even Ethan winced, momentarily disoriented by the intensity of the sound.

"Quick Attack, Sand Attack, and finish with Bite, Eevee!" Emmet instructed. Eevee charged at Scyther, too fast for Ethan to counter-command. Still disoriented from the Hyper Voice, Scyther failed to dodge, getting pummeled by Eevee's Quick Attack and having sand flung into its eyes, further disorienting it. Eevee finished with a strong bite, causing Scyther to fall over, fainted.

Ethan stood in disbelief, eyes wide and mouth agape. His mighty Scyther had been decisively beaten by the small, seemingly inexperienced Eevee before him. The moment seemed to stretch on as he grappled with the reality of his defeat.

Coughing lightly to break the awkward silence, Emmet watched as Ethan fumbled with Scyther's Pokeball to return his fallen companion. "Thanks for the battle," Ethan muttered, his voice tinged with embarrassment. He quickly retreated into the woods, his cheeks flushed red from shame.

As soon as Ethan was out of sight, Emmet and Firefly rushed to Eevee, who had begun jumping excitedly and shouting her own name. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears of happiness as both Emmet and Firefly lavished her with praise and affection for her outstanding performance.

After allowing a moment for Eevee's exuberance to subside, Emmet spoke up. "Let's pack up and change our camp location, just in case Ethan talks about this battle to anyone else. Better to stay cautious."

Just as Emmet finished packing up the last remnants of their camp, another trainer approached. Firefly immediately moved to stand in front of Emmet, her posture defensive but alert.

Recognition dawned on Emmet's face as he took in the approaching trainer's attire—a samurai helmet, a cloak, and traditional sandals. This was the Samurai from the popular TV show, known for his Pinsir and Metapod.

Using his Aura, Emmet sent a subtle, comforting nudge to Firefly and Eevee, signaling that the approaching trainer was not a threat. Both Pokemon seemed to relax, albeit reluctantly.

"Hello there! I'm Emmet Grant from Pallet Town," Emmet greeted, extending a friendly hand toward the Samurai.

The Samurai grinned and shook Emmet's hand firmly. "Ah, a fellow from Pallet! I am known simply as Samurai, from Viridian Forest. I've battled two other trainers from Pallet recently. One had a Squirtle, the other a Bulbasaur. I lost to both, though the battle with the Bulbasaur was exceptionally close."

"You must've met Gary and Leaf," Emmet remarked. "Leaf and I are friends from Pallet. How was she doing? I haven't seen her since the day before we set out on our respective journeys."

"She seemed somewhat vexed by the forest, but otherwise, she was fine," Samurai responded. "She did ask me if I had encountered another trainer from Pallet with a Charmander. Until now, I had not."

That was good, Leaf was a good friend of him and he hoped she was enjoying her journey, maybe he would try to contact her later to see if she wanted to journey together for a little while.

Emmet looked over to Samurai and raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to try your hand against the 'royal' fire-type starter from Kanto?" he asked, motioning toward Firefly, who was looking increasingly eager for a fight.

Samurai chuckled at Emmet's phrasing. "Ah, the so-called 'royal' starters of Kanto. That's always made me laugh, but I can't argue with the tradition. I'm well aware that my Bug-types are at a disadvantage against Firefly here, but I trust my Pokemon to rise to the challenge," Samurai responded confidently.

A slight grimace crossed Emmet's face as he tried to choose his words carefully. "You should know that Firefly is...quite above average for a Charmander."

Samurai grinned knowingly. "Every trainer believes their Pokemon is special. It's a part of the bond we share with them."

Emmet sighed, recognizing the skepticism in Samurai's tone. "Well, you'll understand what I mean in a moment," he assured him.

Samurai took Emmet's words in stride, showing no signs of apprehension. "Alright, are you ready then?" he called across the field.

Emmet shrugged casually as he signaled for Firefly to take her position. "Firefly, stand ready!"

Backing away to allow space between their Pokemon, Samurai reached for a Pokeball on his belt. "Go, Pinsir!" he shouted, hurling the spherical device into the air.

The Pokeball opened to reveal a formidable-looking Pinsir. It landed on the ground and bellowed its own name, "Pinsir!" as it brandished its large pincers menacingly.

Curious, Emmet pulled out his Pokedex and aimed it at Pinsir. The device beeped before stating, "Pinsir, the Stag Beetle Pokemon. A Bug Type. It grips prey with its pincers until the prey is torn in half. Extremely strong, it can lift objects 50 times its own weight. Its large pincers can apply incredible pressure, powerful enough to shatter thick logs."

"Firefly, start with Flamethrower!" Emmet commanded, his eyes focused on the battle ahead.

Drawing a deep breath, Firefly unleashed a torrential Flamethrower. Pinsir, caught off guard, leapt sideways in what seemed more like an act of desperation than a calculated dodge. The ground where it had stood a moment ago was scorched, smoky tendrils rising.

Samurai shook off his initial shock. "Pinsir, focus! Use Tackle!"

"Quick Attack into Metal Claw, Firefly!" Emmet grimaced as he watched Pinsir barrel forward, its body glowing with the light of the Tackle.

Like a missile, Firefly shot forward using Quick Attack and, bathed in her own speed-boosted glow, met the oncoming Pinsir. As they collided, she swung an uppercut. Her claw, surrounded by a shimmering aura of Steel-type energy, sent Pinsir rocketing meters into the air. "Now!"

Samurai stood speechless, unable to issue a command, and missed Emmet's next shout. "Firefly, finish it with Flamethrower!"

Firefly wasted no time. She could have dialed back the Flamethrower, but she wasn't one to go easy when not toying with her opponent. With a burst of fiery breath, she directed a torrent of flames skyward, enveloping the airborne Pinsir. The bug Pokemon fell back to Earth, smoldering and unconscious.

"Hey Samurai, I did try to warn you that Firefly here is not your run-of-the-mill Charmander," Emmet said, wearing a sheepish grin as he tried to break the ice.

Jolted out of his stunned silence, Samurai chuckled and returned his Pinsir to the pokeball, "That's putting it mildly. She's so 'above average,' it's not even funny. You're wasting time in Viridian Forest, kid. Rush to get your first badge; you're more than ready. Then head straight for Mt. Moon."

"Mt. Moon? Isn't it risky to camp in there? All the guides say it's a bad idea," Emmet questioned, curious but cautious.

Samurai leaned in, "For average trainers with average Pokemon, sure. But you and Firefly, and I bet Eevee too, are different. In Mt. Moon, you can work on Firefly's weaknesses against Rock and Ground types. The dim lighting will also heighten your whole team's awareness."

Emmet considered the advice, noting Firefly's keen interest in Samurai's suggestion. He hadn't checked with Eevee, but he figured she'd be up for the challenge as well.

"Thanks for the tip, Samurai. Would you like to come with us to Pewter City? You know, to check up on Pinsir," Emmet offered.

Samurai shook his head, smiling, "I appreciate it, but I have a cabin nearby with plenty of supplies. Thanks for the battle, though. It was enlightening to face a Charmander that's 'just a little above average.'"

Firefly puffed out her chest at the compliment, clearly pleased. Emmet chuckled softly, "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Samurai. Take care of yourself."

Once Samurai had disappeared into the foliage, Emmet called over his Pokemon. "Eevee, Firefly, listen up. We're taking Samurai's advice. Let's rush to Pewter, snag that Boulder Badge, and head to Mt. Moon for some serious training."