Since proceeding out of his hometown, Dennis' optimistic nature had been waned a tad amount. Without the hustle and bustle of Sandstone City, he felt a bit out of place, as if the silence of Crossroad Forest was shunning his very presence. Having been merely following the dirt road out of the city and into the forest, hopefully being then shown the way to Quartz Town, the trainer and his Pokemon continued forward, despite everything else. For a short second, Dennis actually missed the large amount of people in Sandstone City, and also remembered that he had failed to say goodbye to his father before he left. He would have to contact him as soon as he was able.
Gorb didn't seem to mind the silence, however. He didn't have much on his mind at the present. Gazing around with his wide eyes as he oozed along the path keeping stride with his human, the Grimer was just happy to be seeing new things. The streets of Sandstone City had become quite familiar to him, and the more organic nature of the forest made him dart his eyes excitedly in numerous directions, wanting to take it all in.
The pair said nothing as they continued along the path, no sounds piercing the air other than the chirps and quirps of Pokemon deeper in the forest, off the beaten path. Surrounded by trees on both sides, Dennis and Gorb had little knowledge that they were being followed, above them in the canopy. The gentle swaying of tree branches and snapping of loose twigs were something that could be easily misinterpreted as common noises of the forest, and right now, that was just what their mysterious observer wanted. With a flash of yellow, this creature watched from the branches as it followed the both of them, preparing to strike and reveal itself.
That time was approaching fast.
~~~
After a few moments, Dennis and Gorb merely following the trail without any map or guidance whatsoever, Gorb began to tire. The both of them had been traveling nonstop for hours since they left Sandstone City, and while the poison blob loved the new sights to see, he was still a Pokemon, and still tired like any other. Slowing down his pace so he was maybe 3 strides behind Dennis, Gorb began to breathe shallow. Stopping only for a moment, Dennis continuing along, Gorb rested.
This was all the cue their little stalker needed, perched high above in the branches. Launching itself at high speed, crying loudly in it's own way, sparks flaring from it's small cheeks, a
Pichu streaked straight for Gorb, charging a powerful-for-it's-size
Thundershock attack. Colliding straight-on with Gorb's goopy backside, the Pichu screamed loudly as it launched the surprise and cheap attack on the peaceful poison pedestrian.
Pichu: "[small]chuuuuuuuuuuuu[/small]
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!"
Gorb: "GRI!!!"
"
WHAT THE?!?"
Dennis immediately spun around to see his friend Gorb and the half-submerged Pichu sticking out of his backside crying out in pain and exploding with electricity as small chunks of his gelatinous form expelling outward splatting against rocks and trees. The trainer couldn't believe what he was seeing. He had taken his eyes off of his partner for five seconds and out of nowhere there this Pokemon was, pulling a cheap shot attack like that.
Stopping in his tracks and rushing forward, Dennis went to pull the Pichu out of Gorb's back when he stopped. What was he thinking? Electricity flew from the small Pokemon's body; no way he should touch it. Having never actually trained Gorb against another Pokemon, only training dummies, Dennis slightly panicked as he cracked his voice into a command. He had never spoken to Gorb like this before, and he worried just what was going to happen. Cursing himself for not preparing for this possibility beforehand, the reality of their situation hit Dennis like a truck: Sandstone City wasn't going to protect them anymore, and it was time to start acting like a Pokemon trainer and team.
Emotions flared as Dennis barked.
"Don't just sit there, Gorb!! Fight back! Now's our chance to show the world what we can do! Go ahead,
pound that sneaky little Pichu!!"
Gorb, having gotten over the surprise of what was happening and halted his crying out for the moment, listened to what his trainer was telling him. Twisting his otherwise blissful face into contorted snarl, the Grimer shot his arms back into his body as he rotated his head 180 degrees, now looking head-on at the Pichu. The small creature had slightly burned itself out in the attack, and now looked upward at Gorb with fearful eyes.
He didn't think he would get this far.
~~~
Quickly launching both arms forward, Gorb slammed both his purple fists into the Pichu's rather small torso, sending it flying into a nearby tree. Already a bit exhausted from the attack, the Pichu shook it's head slightly as it fought the fatigue. It had attacked the Grimer to finally prove to itself it wouldn't be pushed around, being as it was rather small compared to some of the other creatures in the forest. Possessing little other fighting skill than the
Thundershock it had started with, the Pichu lept forward onto four then two legs, a small amount of sparks leaping from it's cheeks.
As Gorb flexed his body to reform his arms in their proper position again, Dennis could only watch the battle occur. Gorb looked ready to go as ever, but the trainer could see that the Pichu had bit off more than it could chew. Knowing a little bit about Pokemon physiology, Pichu were often prone to harming themselves in their electric attacks, due to the underdevelopment of the sacks in their cheeks. Calling out to his friend once more, Dennis already knew they had this battle in the bag. Fishing in his pocket for one of his spare Pokeballs, Dennis prepared to add this feisty Pichu to his team.
That kind of hotheadedness was just what Dennis was looking for, as Gorb was rather timid (No offense to him, though).
"Good job, buddy! Hit him with some of your...eurgh...poison gas! That should weaken him up and teach him what happens when you commit cheap shot attacks like that!!"
Nodding curtly, Gorb inhaled a large breath, his body slightly bulging from the air intake. The Pichu doubled back a little bit, clearly worried. After ten painstaking seconds, Gorb looked ready to burst with air as he sealed his open maw. Suddenly and explosively however, Gorb opened his mouth and lurched forward, propelling his toxic fumes directly at the Pichu. Purple-blackish smoke poured from Gorb's mouth as it enveloped the Pichu and the surrounding vegetation instantly killing the latter but only brushing past the former.
Quickly expelling all the gas he had, Gorb burped slightly as he grinned a dopey grin at the Pichu, taking in what he had done. The Pichu looked visibly ill at this point, having obviously inhaled the fumes and become light-headed, perhaps even poisoned himself. As the Pichu held it's small abdomen, retching a small bit, it slightly rethought it's position in this encounter.
Perhaps attacking the Grimer the way it did was not the smartest thing to do. The Pichu felt like it was going to be sick.
Dennis noticed this and grinned almost as wide as his partner, brandishing the standard Pokeball and enlarging it in his grasp, pressing the small button slightly. Drawing back and throwing the Pokeball with all his might at the Pichu, Dennis kept his eye on the Pokemon as the ball impacted it's target in the head, hard. Before the Pichu could even react though, the ball opened up and enveloped the small creature in a soft, pale, bright red light. Sealing the Pichu inside and falling to the scorched dead grass below, the Pokeball bounced slightly and shook a few times.
Dennis glared at the Pokeball, daring it to spring back open. If that happened, he knew Gorb would be ready for more. The Pichu looked to have been quite spent from the foolish attack, and somehow Dennis had a feeling that the Pichu would be reluctant to resist.
*boop*
*boop*
*boop*
*click*
Dennis let out a verbal cheer upon seeing the small light fade from the center of the Pokeball, causing Gorb to turn and smile his ever-vacant smile. Obviously, he had done something to please his trainer, and this fact made him happy as well. As Dennis walked over to him for congratulations and to retrieve the Pokeball containing the Pichu, Gorb gurgled and burped to himself. He hadn't done anything like that before, and was rather happy with his own performance as well.
After patting his friend on the head, Dennis picked up the Pokeball near the tree. Thinking for a moment, Dennis considered why and how the Pichu had attacked. It had been reckless, borderline foolish and stupid to attack. Gorb had merely been defending himself, but the Pichu showed a willingness to put itself in danger to prove...something to itself. Incredible. It was just the kind of attitude his team needed, and now, with the Pichu in his grasp, he actually had a team.
Considering the mentality the Pichu must possess, Dennis decided to call the Pichu "Maverick," based upon his rebellious and headstrong behavior. It was a fitting name, and one both he and Gorb would learn to appreciate. Deciding to not remove the sick Pichu from his Pokeball, due to the poison, Dennis turned back around to face Gorb, only to find his partner at his side once more, looking up at him. Slipping the Pokeball into his jeans pocket, feeling it vibrate every few seconds to remind him of the ailment Maverick now had, Dennis spoke aloud.
They had encountered their first Pokemon battle and simultaneously acquired a new addition to their little team, albeit in a rather unorthodox manner, upon seeing the aftermath of Gorb's breath on the plant life. Regardless, they had been successful, and that was what mattered right now. Looking down the road as he spoke, Dennis felt his enthusiasm returning upon adapting to such a sporadic battle.
They had done it.
"Well, you did it Gorb. Not only did you beat this guy, but we captured him as well. I'm proud of you. What do you say we get to Quartz Town, to their Pokemon Center, and get this guy fixed up? Who knows, maybe we'll meet some other along the way? You may stink, but you're my friend. I'm sure they'll grow to like you as I have."
Gorb: "Grimer!!"
With that single phrase of agreement and acceptance, Dennis turned back down the trail towards the gates of Quartz Town, having successfully captured his first Pokemon as well as gained some important battle experience with Gorb. Wanting to compare his tactics with others, to actually be with others at this point, Dennis and Gorb kept pace with one another, the Pokeball in Dennis' pocket vibrating at every step to remind him of the obvious. Through the many twists and turns, the path eventually cleared to reveal the entrance to Quartz Town, still some distance away.
With a smile on both their faces, Dennis and Gorb continued forward, a new purpose in both their minds.
