Chapter - 13

"Well, you caught a Venonat" Michael told her. "They aren't much to

look at, but I guess that's what makes them such a good trick

Pokémon to use in battles. If you raise it well, it'll become a powerful

moth with powerful moves at it's disposal."

"Nice!" Addison celebrated, not even needing to call on her own

Eevee. She walked back over to the twins, who each gave her a

high-five to congratulate her.

Michael nodded. "Well done to the three of you. But catching

Pokémon isn't all that people do with them. There is one part of

being a Pokémon Trainer that is usually unavoidable for those who

hope to one day become the Champion."

"I've been looking forward to this" Matthew said, rubbing his hands

together.

"Battles between Pokémon and their trainers are the backbone of

the Pokémon League" Michael explained. "Not only that, but it was

essentially how the Arcana Region came to be over a thousand

years ago. But more on that, some other time. For now, let's give you

guys a taste of how battling works."

"Would it be alright if I sat this one out?" Addison asked Michael.

"Sure. You can watch alongside me. Matt and Ryan are going to

show us just what all those Pokemon Games and simulations they

did as kids will show off in a real battle." As he watched the boys

exchange intense glances and expressions with one another, he

chose to call out to them. "Remember, guys. This is a battle with no

stakes attached to it. Your Pokemon barely know any real moves to

begin with."

"I'm gonna win, Ryan" Matthew boasted.

"We'll see about that" Ryan countered.

"There's nothing to see, Ry. I have Pokémon who aren't afraid of

their own shadows, like that Eevee of yours is!"

Ryan gulped nervously, recalling how his Eevee had ducked and

hidden from the first chance of battle it was exposed to.

Nevertheless, he knew Matthew would never let him live it down if he

backed down from this challenge. "I'm not afraid, and neither are my

Pokémon!"

"Just to keep this fight at as minimal stakes as possible, let's keep it

to a 1v1 match" Michael called out to his cousins. "Pick which of your

Pokémon will battle and send them out."

Matthew grinned. "Seeing as how I know you don't have the guts to

send your Eevee out against mine, I'll send out my newly caught

Tyrogue. Go!" Matthew pulled his Tyrogue's Poké Ball from his

hands and hurled it out onto the grass, where the Tyrogue emerged.

"Let's see how tough your little Eevee and Pidgey are!"

Ryan looked to the Eevee in his arms, who still shrunk away from the

sight of another Pokémon. Sighing, he took his newly caught Pidgey

out and threw it out onto the field of battle. The Pidgey let out a caw

before it glared at the opposing Pokémon.

"Go Tyrogue" Matthew shouted. "Use Super Punch!" He expected

his Tyrogue to charge into battle, but it stayed still and looked back

at his trainer, cocking his head to the side. "What are you waiting

for?"

"I don't think 'Super Punch' is a move" Addison warned him.

"Your Pokémon can only use moves it knows" Michael explained.

"You could sit here and tell it to use any move and it wouldn't do a

thing because it doesn't know how to use those moves."

"What does it know?" Matthew asked his cousin.

Michael paused for a moment. "I think Tyrogues usually only know a

move like Tackle."

"Works for me!" Matthew exclaimed. "Tyrogue, use Tackle!" This

time, the Pokemon responded and charged at the Pidgey. Before it's

attack could land, however, the Pidgey took off into the air. The

Tyrogue looked up in surprise. Matthew shared his Pokémon's

confusion.

"This is a perfect opportunity" Michael stepped in, "to teach you kids

about Pokémon Types. Each Pokémon has their own unique type.

Tyrogue, for example, is a Fighting Type and Pidgey is a Flying

Type. A Pokémon that is landlocked like Tyrogue will have a hard

time hitting a Pokémon that can fly."

"That's not good" Matthew replied, worriedly.

"It get's worse" Michael continued. "You see, just as every Pokémon

has a type itself, it is also strong and weak against other types. A

Fire Type is weak against a Water Type, for example. Or, in this

case, a Flying Type is strong against a Fighting Type. However,

those advantages only work if the trainer knows how to use them."

He looked to Ryan. "Ryan? You're up. You need to take advantage

of this."

"Wait" Matthew called. "Can I bring my Eevee in instead?"

"Not in a 1v1 Match" Addison warned him.

"If you break the rules of a Match Rule, you automatically forfeit the

match" Michael added.

Matthew turned towards his brother. "Fine. Go on, Ryan."

Ryan thought for a moment about what his Pidgey might know that

could hit the Tyrogue. "Go Pidgey! Use GUST!" The Flying Pokémon

began to flap it's wings more and more until it created a force of wind

the Tyrogue could not withstand. The Tyrogue was caught up in the

wind storm until it was flung out of it and onto the hard ground below.

It fainted on impact.

"Looks like Tyrogue is down" Michael said. "Ryan is the winner!"

"YAHOO!" Ryan cheered.

Matthew came over to his Tyrogue's side and picked it up. "Now we

know you can't do much against a Flying Type, eh?"

"Here" Michael called to his cousin, handing him a small flask of

liquid. "That there is a special homemade brew. If your Pokémon

takes it, it will recover to full health in no time. That's all I have on

me, but it will be enough to heal your Tyrogue."

Matthew gave the medicine to his Tyrogue, who jumped up out of his

trainer's arms, eager for another battle. Matthew then returned it to

its Poké Ball.

"In case you three ever run into any trouble with keeping your

Pokémon healthy" Michael told them as he corralled them together,

"there is usually a Pokémon Center in every town in Arcana apart

from Parlor Town. They can heal your Pokémon back to full health

for no charge. Plus, there is usually a shop inside the Centers to buy

Potions and other items you can use not to lose a battle." With that,

Michael shrugged. "That's all I really have to teach you guys, for

now."

"But Mike" Ryan looked to the Champion, "we have so many

questions still."

"A lot of things" Michael explained, "are better to learn by doing

instead of learning. But before you guys run off, I have a gift for each

of you." He pulled out his Poké Gear and tapped it's screen a few

dozen times, before lowering it. All three of the young trainers

Pokémon Gears soon buzzed with an update, prompting all three to

pull their devices out to check. "Not only have I given you three my

Poké Gear number in case you need to talk to me, but I've also sent

you three a link to a great app I want you to download. It will give you

all important facts and knowledge about the region and the Pokémon

you encounter. It's the latest craze in the Kanto Region."

Addison downloaded it immediately, while both Ryan and Matthew

gushed about having the Champion's number in their Poké Gears.

When she was finished, she looked up to Michael. "What should we

do first, Michael?"

Michael pointed past them to the road beyond Parlor Town. "Down

the road is Pocus Town. That's where the registration for the

Pokémon League is taking place, tomorrow. Pocus Town is a bit

bigger than Parlor Town is, so there's a lot of roads to take and

places to see. I would head there next, if I were you three."

"Is there anything about the Pokémon Contests taking place there?"

she asked.

"The registration for the Pokémon Contests is in the Craft Terrace"

he answered, "which you can get to by taking the Western Road

from Pocus Town to. So, I suppose that the next big step on your

journey, no matter what is-"

"MIKE!" a voice shouted nearby. Michael turned to see Amanda

running towards the group. "Something's happened. Professor Pines

needs you to come back to the Research Facility, right away. It's

about Cassius Sinclair."

Michael sighed. "Figures." He turned towards his cousins and

Addison. "With that, I'm afraid I have to leave you guys to

yourselves. Continue to catch and learn as much about Pokémon as

you can. Tomorrow, after the commencement of the Pokémon

League season, I'll meet you three in Parlor Town."

"What's going on?" Matthew asked his cousin, somewhat concerned.

"Champion business" Michael flatly told him. "Let me worry about

this. You guys go on and have fun." With that, Michael and Amanda

headed off back to Parlor Town.

"Guess we're on our own, then" Ryan responded, sadly.

"It's no big deal, you guys" Addison said cheerily. "We can head for

Pocus Town on foot and we'll be there by the morning. Let's start

looking for more Pokémon." With that, Addison ran down the path.

Ryan looked to his brother. "What do you think, Matt?"

Matthew thought for a moment, before cracking a smile. "Mike's

right. We should go off and have fun. Besides, catching more

Pokémon should only increase our chances of getting stronger."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Let's go, Ry!"

'Right!" The two then ran after Addison to continue on their first true

adventure.