Pokémon : The Journey of Travis Tedford

Chapter 3: Sibling Rivalry

As we neared closer to Pewter City, Anna thought it was about time for her to catch her second Pokémon. Right when we were about to exit the route and enter Pewter City, a wild Ponyta appeared. "Alright, Bulbasaur, I choose you!" she shouted as she threw its Pokéball and emerged. Ponyta could tell what was happening and quickly charged at Bulbasaur with a tackle attack. Bulbasaur was sent flying in the air, which Anna decided to use to her advantage. "Quick, use Stun Spore!" she called out to Bulbasaur. Ponyta was hit by the Stun Spore and was then paralyzed. "Wrap it up with Tackle!" she called out. Bulbasaur tackled into Ponyta at full power, which knocked it to the ground. "Go, Pokéball!" called out Anna as she threw it at the Ponyta. After 3 shakes, the Pokémon was caught. "We did it, Bulbasaur!" she said with excitement. "Wow, you beat a fire type with a grass type. You sure have come a long way within these past 3 days," I said. Anna couldn't help but blush from hearing my words of encouragement. The moment we entered Pewter City, we went to the Pokémon Center so Nurse Joy could take a look at our Pokémon. In the meantime, Anna and I went to have lunch. "Is that you, little sister?!" called out a familiar voice. Anna turned around and was annoyed to see her older sister Jessica. Jessica was 5 years older than Anna, and to make things worse, she was always horrible towards Anna when they were growing up together. She left home at 10, and then at age 13, became a Top Coordinator. "Hey Jessica, it's been a while," said Anna with an annoyed tone. "I'm surprised Mom and Dad really let you go out and travel on your own. You always babied you the whole time we were growing up, and to be honest, I thought you'd never leave the nest," said Jessica. Anna grew angry. "That's not true! I've grown to become my own person, and part of the reason why I'm traveling on my own is to become independent!" Jessica rolled her eyes and then glanced at me. "You're independent? Then why are you bringing your boyfriend along with you?" she asked. Anna grew red in the face. "H-he's not my boyfriend! He's just my friend, and he's helped me more than you have the entire time we've been sisters!" I couldn't help but smile at the remark. Jessica then grew even more angry. "Alright, you want to prove that you're all grown up now? Try having a Pokémon battle with me out on the field in the back!" said Jessica. "You're on!" shouted Anna as she followed Jessica to the back.

"I'll be the referee for this match," I said as I stood in the referee spot. "Whatever, how does 2 on 2 sound to you?" asked Jessica. "That's fine with me!" called out Anna as she grabbed her first Pokéball. I lifted my hand into the air and signaled for them to begin. "Alright, Ponyta, it's time for your debut!" called out Anna Marie as Ponyta emerged from its Pokéball. "Alright, I choose you, Kirlia!" called out Jessica as she released her Kirlia from its Pokéball. "Alright, Ponyta, let's start off with Ember now!" called out Anna. Ponyta shot multiple flame projectiles from its mouth toward Kirlia. "Oh please, Kirlia, use Psychic!" called out Jessica. Kirlia used Psychic, which stopped the embers from moving and then sent them right back at Ponyta. "Ponyta, no! Quick, use Flame Charge!" she called out. Ponyta charged at Kirlia with its body cloaked in flames. Jessica yawned. "Use Hypnosis," she said. The attack hit the moment before Kirlia was about to hit Kirlia, and Ponyta then fell to the ground asleep. "Ponyta! Wake up!" called out Anna. "Finish it with Psychic!" called out Jessica. Kirlia used its psychic powers to lift Ponyta into the air and then slammed it hard onto the ground, which knocked it out completely. "Ponyta is unable to battle; Kirlia wins!" I called out, trying to hide my disappointment. "Ponyta, you were great! Take a nice long rest," said Anna as she recalled it back to its Pokéball. She then pulled out Bulbasaur's Pokéball and called it out onto the field. "So you chose Bulbasaur as your first Pokémon? It's cute, but let me show you my first partner! Glaceon, I choose you!" called out Jessica. Anna frowned; she knew that Bulbasaur was at a disadvantage but she didn't want to give up hope just yet. "Bulbasaur, quick, use Stun Spore!" called out Anna. Bulbasaur released the spore from its bulb and directed it towards Glaceon. "Such a rookie move, Glaceon, blow that Stun Spore away with Icy Wind!" called out Jessica. Glaceon shot a powerful icy wind from its mouth that not only blew away the stun spore but landed a direct hit on Bulbasaur. "Bulbasaur, quick, use Razor Leaf!" called out Anna. "I've had enough of this, wrap this up with Ice Beam, Glaceon!" called out Jessica. Glaceon shot out a powerful ice beam that froze Bulbasaur's Razor Leaves and then froze Bulbasaur itself. When the ice shattered, Bulbasaur fainted. "Bulbasaur is unable to battle, which means Jessica is the winner!" I called out. Anna returned Bulbasaur into its Pokéball and then dropped down to her knees and sobbed her heart out. She was so disappointed in herself that she wasn't able to hold back her tears anymore.

"Really? You're gonna cry after all that big talk a little while ago? What a shame," said Jessica. I then walked over and stood in front of Jessica. "Dude, she's your sister, and you're going to make fun of her for crying after she gave it her all out there on the battlefield? No offense, but you're such a bitch!" I said in anger. Anna and Jessica both looked at me in surprise. "Oh yeah? Do you think you can do any better?" asked Jessica. "Well, only one way to find out! I challenge you to a one-on-one Pokémon battle! If I win, then you must apologize to Anna for disrespecting her as a trainer!" I said in anger. "Alright, fine, but if I win, then you have to stop traveling with her altogether," said Jessica. Her terms made me even angrier, but I agreed anyways. "Travis, no! There's no way you can beat her! She's already been on her journey for 5 years while you're a beginner just like me!" cried Anna. I then turned around and gave Anna a very reassuring smile. "I may be a rookie at all of this, but when it comes to fighting for my friends, I have the heart of a champion!" I said. Anna looked at my face and then she smiled and wiped away her tears. "Alright, let's get this started. For my Pokémon, I'll use my beautiful Butterfree!" said Jessica as she threw its Pokéball out onto the field. I looked at Pichu and gave him a nod. Pichu then hopped onto the field. "You're going to use a baby Pokémon like that against my fully evolved Butterfree? Pathetic! Alright, Butterfree, let's start this off with Tackle!" said Jessica. Butterfree came charging in fast at Pichu. "Pichu, counter with Swift!" I called out. Pichu nodded but wasn't quick enough to launch its attack before getting hit by Butterfree. Pichu was knocked back. "Pichu, are you alright?!" I asked worriedly. Pichu looked back at me and smiled. I then noticed that there was static surrounding Butterfree. "What's this?! Pichu didn't even attack you!" said Jessica surprised. That's when I then realized that it must be due to Pichu's ability, Static. Butterfree making direct physical contact with Pichu triggered it. "This is perfect! Now, Pichu, hit it with Thundershock!" I shouted. Pichu charged up electricity from its body and fired it at Butterfree. It was a critical hit but not enough to knock Butterfree out. "Butterfree, quick, use Silverwind!" said Jessica. It began to flap its wings very violently, and a powerful silver wind fired from its wings and hit Pichu. Pichu let out a loud cry and then fell to the ground. "Pichu, no! You can't give up! You can do it!" I called out encouragingly. Pichu slowly got up at the sound of my encouraging words and let out a loud cry, and that's when its body started to glow. After a few moments, it stopped glowing only to reveal that it was no longer a Pichu but now a Pikachu. I quickly pulled out my Pokédex and saw Pikachu also knew new moves. "It's so great that you evolved, Pikachu! Let's show them your new power! Electro Ball, let's go!" I called out. Pikachu focused all of its electricity into its tail and then fired it at Butterfree which knocked Butterfree unconscious. "We did it, Pikachu!" I shouted as I ran to the field to pick it up and hug it in my arms. Jessica frowned as she called her Pokémon back. I walked over to Anna, who was crying tears of joy. "Oh, Travis, thank you," she said. She then gave Pikachu a pat on its head. "And thank you too, Pikachu! I heard Pichu evolve when they're really happy with their trainer. You must love Travis very much!" she said. "Pika Pika!" said Pikachu, agreeing. Jessica then walked over to us. "Can't believe I got bested by a rookie. Oh well, I'm a girl of her word so I'm sorry, Anna. Even though you lost to me I must admit the old Anna would have dared never to battle me. You've shown a little bit of growth but don't get too ahead of yourself. It's gonna take more than a few days away from home for you to change completely. Anyways, the only reason I came back to Kanto is because I intend to compete in the Pokémon league. I've already collected 3 badges so far. Maybe our paths will cross again. Anyways, see ya," she said before walking off. After Jessica left, Anna asked to be alone for a while so I respected her wishes. I decided to have dinner with my Pokémon and then a few hours later fell asleep in the room I had rented at the Pokémon center. When morning came, I went looking for Anna and found her outside of the Pokémon center. "Hey Anna, are you feeling okay now?" I asked. "Yes. I've done a lot of thinking and I've decided that I'm going to enter the Pokémon league too! I'm going to prove to my sister that I can become independent and become an even better trainer than she is," said Anna. "That's great! I guess that would make us rivals going forward," I said, happy for my friend. "Yes, which means I won't be able to travel with you after all. If I'm going to take on the Kanto league then I need to start collecting badges and catching more Pokémon. If we're going to be rivals, I can't have you knowing my every move," said Anna. Even though I was a bit sad, I knew how important this journey was for Anna. "I understand. I'm sure we'll bump into each other from time to time and when we do, let's have a rematch!" I said, holding out my hand. Anna took my hand in hers and shook it. "You bet! Take care of yourself, Travis. I'll see you around!" said Anna as she turned around and left. "Welp, looks like it's just us again. Let's start training for a bit before we go and challenge Brock," I said to Pikachu.