Pokémon Ultra: Spark yellow

Alright... Today’s the day, where I’m finally gonna do it... I’m gonna win my 3rd gym badge! Yeah!! With all of the training I did on the S.S. Anne, I know I’m ready now... I even looked through all my TMs this morning, that I had collected throughout my adventure, and... I taught some to some of my Pokémon, including one that I think will especially help me with this fight... Yeah, I’ve got this...

Anyways, I made my way to the gym, almost getting knocked over by another trainer who ran past me, holding a badly hurt Rattata. “You’re gonna be ok buddy, don’t worry!” The trainer said, before he was quickly out of sight. Geez, this gym leader must be powerful...

...Well, I made my way inside, giving my name as I was escorted to the battlefield, a more simple looking, clean slate battlefield, that had a couple of generators lined on the walls.

“HEY, KID!!” The gym leader on the other side yells, quickly catching my attention as he smirks at me. “The names Lt. Surge. You must be the challenger Sam, correct?” He asks.

“Yeah, that’s me! And I’m ready to defeat you!” I say boldly, Lt. Surge staring at me for a silent moment, before he burst out laughing.

“HAHAHA!! A puny little kid like you, really thinks you can defeat me?!” Lt. Surge cackled. “You’ve got guts kid, but that won’t be enough to take out my electrifying Pokémon!”

“...Well just have to see about that.”

“Then let the battle between gym leader Lt. Surge, and the challenger Sam... BEGIN!!”

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Sam: “I choose you, Charmeleon!”

Lt. Surge: “Let’s shock em to their core, Magnemite!”

Alright, let’s hope this new move works well...

Lt. Surge: “Use Thundershock, Magnemite!”

Sam: “Use Dig, Charmeleon!”

Charmeleon dug a hole, Magnemite and Lt. Surge looking around in confusion on what to do...

Lt. Surge: “Magnemite, use Sonic Boom! Get Charmeleon out of there!”

Magnemite’s attack did nothing, as Charmeleon burst out of the ground, attacking Magnemite with great force, the attacking nearly fainting him.

Sam: “Yeah! Now use Ember to finish em off!”

Lt. Surge: “Use Thundershock, Magnemite!”

Before Magnemite could attack, Charmeleon quickly striked... Knocking him out.

Sam: “Yeah! Great job, Charmeleon!”

Lt. Surge: “Heh, don’t get so cocky just yet, kid... I’m only getting started!”

Hey, Lt. Surge only had one more Pokémon, and I took out his first one like it was nothing... His next Pokémon can’t be that hard to defeat... Right?

Lt. Surge: “Let’s shock em, Raichu!”

Sam: “Quick Charmeleon, use Dig!”

Lt. Surge: “Use Mega Kick!!”

Raichu’s attack barely misses, as Charmeleon digs under again, Raichu looking down at the ground, trying to listen for Charmeleon... As he quickly pops out of the ground...

Lt. Surge: “Grab Charmeleon! And use Thunderbolt!”

In the blink of an eye, Raichu grabs and stops Charmeleon midair, unleashing a direct, powerful attack... That immediately faints Charmeleon.

Sam: “Aw geez... Go, Jigglypuff!”

Lt. Surge: “Raichu, give em a Mega Punch!”

Two can play that game...

Sam: “Jigglypuff, you use Mega Punch too!!”

Both attacked, but clearly Raichu’s attack did much more damage, sending Jigglypuff flying as she struggled to stand up.

Sam: “Jigglypuff, get up... You’ve got this!”

Lt. Surge: “Finish that Jigglypuff off with a Thunderbolt!”

Before Jigglypuff could even stand up... Raichu’s attack quickly knocked her out.

Sam: “Go, Nidorino! Use Double Kick!”

Lt. Surge: “Dodge it, Raichu! And use Thunderbolt!”

Raichu dodged gracefully, his attack nearly knocking out Nidorino, as a current of electricity ran through his body... Geez, he must be paralyzed now...

Sam: “Hang in there, Nidorino! Use Horn Attack!”

Nidorino was about to attack, but quickly froze from the paralysis... Oh no...

Lt. Surge: “Yeah! Finish em with another Thunderbolt!”

Of course, Thunderbolt quickly fainted Nidorino... Oh no... Stay calm Sam, you’ve still got this... I hope...

Sam: “Go, Ivysaur! Quick, use Leech Seed!”

Lt. Surge: “Use Mega Kick!!”

Raichu must’ve landed a critical hit, because it almost knocked out Ivysaur...

Sam: “Hang in there, Ivysaur! Use Vine Whip!”

Lt. Surge: “Finish Ivysaur off, Raichu! Use a Mega Punch!” 

Raichu immediately fainted Ivysaur, quickly dissipating the effects of Leech Seed as well, before it could barely do anything... Oh Arceus, how’d the tables get turned on me so quickly?! I only have two Pokémon left, and they’re both weak against Raichu... Have I not been training as well as I thought...?

Sam: “Go, Squirtle!”

Lt. Surge: “Knock em out with a Thunderbolt!”

Sam: “Squirtle, dodge it and run away!”

Squirtle did dodge it gracefully, but instead of running away, he hit Raichu with a Tackle, that didn’t do much... Geez Squirtle, don’t do this to me right now...

Lt. Surge: “Heh, that Squirtle’s a gutsy little one, isn’t he? That’s not gonna be enough though... Raichu, grab Squirtle and use Thunderbolt!”

Raichu quickly grabbed Squirtle by the neck, letting his attack of course fainting Squirtle... No no, this can’t be happening... Am I gonna lose here?! I looked down at Pikachu, who, despite noticing how nervous I was, nodding and smiled at me, with determination... You know what? If Pikachu hasn’t given up yet, then neither will I!

Sam: “It’s all up to you now, Pikachu! Quickly, use Slam!”

Lt. Surge: “Use Mega Punch, Raichu!”

Both attacks did an equal amount of damage, and I could tell both Pokémon were giving it their all now...

Sam: “Use Thunder Wave, Pikachu!”

Lt. Surge: “Heh, that ain’t gonna work against another electric type, kid! Now Raichu, finish em off with a Thunderbolt!”

Sam: “Pikachu, get out of there!”

Pikachu tried running away, but failed, getting hit with the powerful attack... But then something weird happened. It looked like the electricity started... Getting absorbed into Pikachu’s body instead, not getting hurt at all, as Pikachu’s tail suddenly stood up, stiff and straight... The electricity had currents now running through Pikachu’s fur and cheeks, who only smirked at Raichu and Lt. Surge, who gasped with shock.

Lt. Surge: “Wh-What the heck?! Oh no...”

Sam: “Pikachu, hit em with a Thundershock!”

Pikachu let out a powerful electric shock, doing a surprising amount of damage... The Thundershock at this point looked super charged, looking more like a Thunderbolt now...

Lt. Surge: “Raichu quick, use Mega Punch!”

Sam: “Slam, Pikachu!”

Even Pikachu’s Slam attack looked like it did more damage now, and I could tell Raichu was getting weaker... 

Lt. Surge: “Urgh, get rid of that Pikachu now, Raichu! Use Mega Kick!!”

Sam: “Dodge it, Pikachu! Then finish em off with a Thundershock!!”

Pikachu gracefully dodged, letting out a powerful Thundershock attack... That fainted Raichu.

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“YEAH!! You did amazing, Pikachu!”

“Pika pi!” Pikachu happily ran up to me, hopping into my embrace as we both hugged, the electricity still running off of Pikachu’s fur giving me a tiny zap.

“Dang, kid...” Lt. Surge walked up to me, with a smile. “Guess you’re the one that shocked me, instead! You’re the real deal, kid... And your Pikachu, with his Lightning rod ability!”

“Lightning... Rod?” I gave Lt. Surge a confused look. “What’s that?”

“Huh? You really don’t know about your Pikachu’s ability?!” Lt. Surge gave a surprised expression, before chuckling a bit. “Heh, you’re a weird one, kid... That Lightning rod ability is super rare in Pikachus, and it’s the reason you’re Pikachu absorbed Raichu’s Thunderbolt and won!” 

“Whoa... Pikachu, I had no idea you knew a rare ability... That’s awesome!” I patted Pikachu on the head, as Lt. Surge handed me a TM, and a badge.

“The Thunder badge is yours, kid. Take it!” Lt. Surge smiles, as I admire my new badge...

“The Thunder badge... AWESOME!!”

Sometime later...

I quickly went back to the Pokémon center, healing my team and promptly leaving... Hey, I was happy to win my 3rd badge, but... What was I supposed to do now? There’s supposed to be a route that leads to another city, but I found a sign that says that it’s blocked off by a sleeping Pokemon... What the heck?! Geez, where am I supposed to get my 4th badge then?! Wait a minute...

...As I was walking, I noticed a small tunnel entrance, with a sign in front, that read: Diglett’s cave. How did I not see this before?! Ooh, maybe this cave will lead to the nest town... I could even catch a new Pokémon in here too! I haven’t caught much in a while...

...I walked into the cave, looking around at what appeared to be a more narrow tunnel. I didn’t see any people or Pokémon though, so I kept walking down the tunnel for a while...

“Dig!” As a Pokémon popped out of the dirt. A Diglett.

“Whoa... Awesome!” I quickly pulled out an empty Pokeball, ready to chuck it, but Diglett quickly went underground, burrowing away from me. “Pikachu, let’s go catch that Diglett! We can’t let it get away!” We both ran down the tunnel, chasing the Diglett, but along the way I accidentally tripped on a rock, falling to a ground, as the Diglett got away. “Oww!! Ugh...”

“Pika! Pika pi!” Pikachu suddenly started nudging and pulling at my clothes in a panic, pointing at something. When I stood up, I noticed that we were now surrounded by multiple Digletts, who all glared at me with complete anger...

“Aw geez... RUN!!” I quickly scooped up Pikachu, hopping over the Diglett as I dashed away as fast as I possibly could, the Digletts chasing after me... I must’ve been a lot faster then the Diglett though, because by the time I made it to the end of the tunnel, they were all already gone...

“DIGLETT!!”

“AAAHHH!!” Except for one, which suddenly squeaked loudly at me, catching me off guard as it caused me to drop the empty Pokeball. Diglett then approached the Pokeball, touching the button with its nose, as it went inside...

...1 shake...

...2 shakes...

...3 shakes...

...Click!

“Huh... That was easier then I thought...” I picked up Diglett’s Pokeball, putting it away, as I made my way out of the tunnel, now out in the open again, where I could see a city in the distance...

“Yeah! Um... Wait a minute...” When I carefully looked at the city, I realized something...

“...THIS IS PEWTER CITY!! I JUST WENT BACKWARDS?! WHAT THE HECK!!” Ugh, you’ve gotta be kidding me... Hmm... I guess I can still look around here, just in case there’s something important here...

Sometime later...

Well, I spent some time looking around the area, didn’t find much besides a few items... I also went back to Pewter City for a bit, and still didn’t find much, besides this man who gave me something called an Old Amber, said it could revive an extinct Pokémon... Sounds pretty cool, but I can’t exactly do much with it right now... Especially when I can’t even find the next city! Ugh... Well, I didn’t find much, until I walked into a smaller building, seeing a man in a lab coat, who’s eyes widened with surprise, as he quickly approached me. “Hey, you’re Sam, aren’t you?” The man asked.

“Yeah, um... How do you know me?” I asked.

“Oh, apologies for not introducing myself, but I’m one of Professor Oak’s aides!” The man says, with a smile. “The Professor wanted me to look for you, and check up on the process of your Pokédex... He even said he had a gift for you if you’d caught at least 10 types of Pokémon!”

“Ooh, alright! Um, here you go...” I promptly dug into my pocket, handing the man my Pokédex, as he opened it up.

“Great, thank you! Just... Give me a second...” I watched silently for a few minutes, as he clicked around on my Pokédex... Hmm... 10 types of Pokémon? Does Pokémon evolutions count for that number too...?

“Whoa... Great! Looks like you’ve caught 16 types of Pokémon...” The aide hands my Pokédex back to me, reaching into his pocket, as he handed me an HM. “Here, it’s the HM for Flash! This’ll really help you with any caves that are too dark to normally go through...”

“Whoa... Awesome! Thanks so much, sir!” I happily thank the man, waving goodbye as I exit the building, making my way back to Diglett’s tunnel again... Let’s just hope those Diglett don’t chase me again, heh...

Sometime later...

Ok, so after I made my way back to Vermilion City, I looked around, making sure I didn’t miss anything... Well, during this time, I met a man who gave me an old fishing rod, and another man from the Pokémon fan club, who kept blabbing about his Rapidash or something, I don’t know... Anyways, after I was done talking to him, he gave me a Bike Voucher, told me I could get a free bike at Cerulean City with it, which sounded pretty cool, actually! Wait a minute... Saffron City is still right next to me, and I still haven’t been there yet... Maybe the other guard here will let me through? Well, that’s what I thought would happen, until he gave me an excuse that was just as dumb...

“Sorry kid. Gates closed until I get something to drink.” The guard says.

“What?! Are you serious?! Are all the guards here just... Constantly thirsty or something?!” I snapped at the guard.

“Yeah, learn to deal with it, kid.” The guard responds sternly.

“What?! B-but I need to get to the next city... How else am I supposed to get my next gym badge?!”

“Whoa, chill out, kid!” The guard quickly cuts me off. “Look, there’s another way to get to the next town... If you go through the Rock Tunnel, connected to Cerulean City, you can reach Lavender Town... Lavender Town then has an underground tunnel, which will lead you to Celadon City... Where you can then obtain your 4th gym badge.”

Huh... It’s weird, but these guards were somehow... Helpful, but not helpful at the same time...

“There’s... Just one important thing.” The guard says.

“Yeah?”

“There’s been a bunch of reports of wild Pokémon aggressively rampaging through that tunnel, and some of the walls in there have crumbling... So you gotta be extremely careful if you go through that tunnel, got it?” The guard says, as I nod to him, with a serious expression.

“Yes, I understand... Thank you.”

Sometime later...

I made my way back to Cerulean City, finding the route that lead to the Rocky Tunnel... Before I made my way down there, though, I headed back to the Bike Shop, exchanging my Bike Voucher for a beautiful, shiny bike! It was a shiny, crimson colored one, that was even able to fold itself, so it could fit perfectly into my backpack... Man, it was awesome! I rode my way down the route on it, Pikachu sitting on my lap, as we fought a few more trainers along the way... Eventually, we reached the end of the route, finding the entrance to the Rocky Tunnel... However, it was starting to get dark outside, so I decided that I’d head through the tunnel tomorrow, instead... Luckily there was a Pokémon center right outside of the entrance, so I rented a room in there, ready to rest my head for the night... Pikachu looked pretty distracted by something out the window of our room, though, staring deeply at something...

“Hey Pikachu, what’s up?”

“Pika.” Pikachu pointed at something out the window, as I walked over to look... Outside there was a large, flowing river, with some land on the other side, where I could see two men having a conversation. I cracked open the window a bit, allowing myself to now hear what they were saying...

“YEAH!! We get to capture a legendary Pokémon!!”

“Dude, will you keep your freaking voice down?! For Arceus sake, we don’t even know if Zapdos will be around here or not...”

“I mean, that’s what all the rumors say, right? The boss said it too, that Zapdos will be in this very power plant!”

“Whatever, let’s just hope so... Come on, let’s go inside before you wake up the whole region...”

And with that, both the men walked away, out of sight. Was there supposed to be... A power plant back there? The rocks surrounding the area were pretty high up, so if there was one back there, I sure couldn’t see it... Oh well, can’t do much about it for now, I guess.

“Man... That was weird.”