Chapter 37: We're On The Road To Viridian City~

As the trio departed Pallet Town, they didn't forget to get their readings registered in their Pokedex. Professor Oak did give them a big mission to do, and that was to try and get every Pokedex reading that was out there. The trio didn't have to rush this, though. They'll try to register these entries at every possible chance they come across!

Officially stepping into Route 1, they called out their new Pokemon. Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. Ricky started to register their readings, and began with his Pokemon first, only to continue from there afterward. It didn't take long before they all started to hear Ricky's Pokedex start describing their Pokemon. 

"Charmander, the Lizard Pokemon. The flame on its tail is a sign of how strong its life force is. When a Charmander is healthy, its flame will burn bright with vigor. Even if it rains and gets wet, Charmander's flame will never die out. Only in extreme conditions, it will run the risk of becoming extinguished. It is rumored that when a Charmander's flame dies out, it dies.", The Pokedex said.

Charmander

Normal Variant

Nature: Adamant

Gender: Male

Ability: Blaze

Known Moves: Growl, Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Fire Punch, Dragon Cheer

Seeing this Charmander, Ricky smiled.

"You really outdid yourself, Gramps. Charmander might not be as crazy as the Pokemon we got prior to this, but he has some pretty good egg moves. I haven't come across Dragon Cheer though. What does it do?", Ricky wondered. Just like how the Pokedex presents details of the Trainer's Pokemon, it can also provide details of what a Pokemon's moves can do. After a couple taps, Ricky continued to read what the move did. He was pretty surprised!

"Dragon Cheer, a support-type move. This move releases a draconic cry so that their future attacks will have a heightened chance of landing a critical hit. It applies to ally Pokemon, more frequently used in Double and Triple Battles. If the target Pokemon is a Dragon-type, this effect boosts their critical hit by two stages, instead of one. Current known TM location: Blueberry Academy.", The Pokedex explained, causing the trio to raise their eyebrows.

"Blueberry Academy?", Lillie questioned, unfamiliar with the school.

"I think it's somewhere located in the Paldea Region. I heard it was a pretty secluded academy too, located on a far-away island. You can only get there by boat or helicopter. It isn't big enough for a large runway. I'll have to ask Gramps about the school later.", Ricky said, wondering how Professor Oak managed to acquire such a TM. He was probably familiar with several of the faculty members of the Paldea Region. Blueberry Academy was actually one of three schools one could go to there!

"Hmm. So you would use this move in a double battle, huh? I could see that happening, considering we're journeying as a group. It's a shame Lillie and I don't have any Dragon-type Pokemon to make use of Dragon Cheer. If we did, that'd boost their critical rate by two whole stages!", Serena said with a surprised look.

"Yeah. Landing a critical hit is about a 6% chance. Increasing that by one stage makes it a 13% chance, while two stages makes it 20%. It's like holding two Scope Lens, or using a Scope Lens and a Dire Hit together. Pretty busted if you ask me.", Ricky explained.

"And there are even more ways to boost one's chances to land critical hits right? Abilities and moves.", Lillie questioned.

"You'd be right on that, Lillie. You're pretty knowledgeable when it comes to terminology, huh?", Ricky asked with a smile.

"Hehehe, it's not like I was idle during those five years. I studied quite a bit you know.", Lillie responded with a playful grin. "If a Dragon-type Pokemon is boosted with Dragon Cheer and uses a high critical-hit ratio, that's always guaranteed to land a critical hit, isn't it?", Lillie questioned, sucking in a cold breath of air realizing that possibility.

"It sure is! And guess what happens when you use Pokemon that can abuse that even further? Sniper is a crazy strong ability. You can even get away with just Dragon Cheer and holding a Scope Lens. All we need is three stages to always land a critical hit. We could easily turn the tide of battle, in case we get challenged in double or triple battles. It will be worth it to train our coordination.", Ricky explained.

"I almost forgot there are multiple ways to battle!", Serena happily replied. "You hear that right, you three? We're expecting great things from you!", Serena continued to say, looking at their three new Pokemon.

"Char!"

"Bulba."

"Squirtle."

The three bobbed their heads in a cute manner, responding to Serena's expectations.

"Hahaha! You're expecting a lot right off the bat eh? Well, there are some Dragon-type Pokemon we can acquire in the Kanto Region. I myself want to capture a Dratini. There's also Horsea, which will eventually evolve into a Kingdra. We should try some fishing later!", Ricky suggested.

"That sounds fun. We can get some fishing spot info once we reach the Pokemon Center in Viridian City and test our luck!", Serena responded with a nod.

"That does sound like fun. We can do that once we get there.. We still need to go over Squirtle and Bulbasaur.", Lillie reminded the two.

"Yeah. Let's do that now.", Ricky said, proceeding to tap Squirtle's information, then Bulbasaur's information. Each one brought him a surprise too!

"Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon. It is said that once a Squirtle is born, its shell is soft to the touch. It quickly hardens and turns so resilient that even punching it with a fist will deflect it. Squirtle often retreats back inside its shell whenever it feels threatened. When Squirtle readies an attack, it will swiftly pop out of its shell again, and spray water on their targets.", The Pokedex said.

Squirtle

Normal Variant

Nature: Modests

Gender: Female

Ability: Rain Dish

Known moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Withdraw, Rapid Spin, Life Dew, Aura Sphere, Flip Turn.

"Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. The seed on its back is a sign of how old a Bulbasaur is. As Bulbasaur ages, so does the seed. Once it reaches a certain point, it is said to evolve. The seed is also where it stores its nutrients. Bulbasaur likes to soak in the sun's rays to further develop the seed on its back.", The Pokedex said.

Bulbasaur

Normal Variant

Nature: Naive

Gender: Male

Ability: Chlorophyll

Known moves: Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Growth, Leech Seed, Toxic, Grassy Terrain, Terrain Pulse, Grassy Glide.

"Wow. Squirtle can get a move like Aura Sphere?", Serena questioned, not believing what she presently saw.

"Sure can. You'd be surprised to see what moves Pokemon can learn. There's quite a variety of moves nowadays. It isn't so simple anymore. Our Pokemon will eventually gain the ability to Mega Evolve too, if we're lucky to find their Mega Stones. Mega Blastoise in particular powers up its pulse and aura moves. So consider yourself lucky.", Ricky explained.

"Uh-huh. And this Bulbasaur is also pretty interesting. It seems it has enough energy in its seed to immediately start using Grassy Terrain, and subsequently, Terrain Pulse. Its typing changes on what type of terrain is currently active. I'm very interested to see how this will get used!", Lillie happily added in.

"Shall we test that out right now? You were wanting to battle a Pidgey, right?", Ricky questioned.

"Yeah. I became interested in battling one after you suggested. Is it alright if I attack with Bulbasaur, though? Its type is at a disadvantage. But then again, it can power up its grass moves...", Lillie began to trail off, trying to imagine the battle inside her head.

"Only one way to find out. Do you want to give me some pointers, or would you like to give it a try yourself?", Ricky asked.

Hearing that, Lillie concluded her thoughts, and nodded her head.

"Yes. I'll give it a try. There's still some scattered houses further down this hill. We probably should start finding wild Pokemon beyond that, right?", Lillie questioned.

"Yeah. There's a lot of farmland before us, but once we reach the foot of these rolling hills, we'll come across lots of Pokemon. Viridian City is just beyond that.", Ricky responded.

"Then let's go!", Lillie said, happily grabbing Ricky's hand, and tugging him along. Serena simply shrugged her shoulders, and watched Lillie's vigor from the sidelines. Ricky just did what Lillie wanted, and started to run down the hills.

Charmander and Bulbasaur quickly scurried off after them, while Serena just stared down at her Squirtle.

"Squirtle?", Squirtle asked, clearly confused as the other two were quickly vanishing from sight.

"Hehehe, we better hurry after them so we don't fall behind. You're interested in battling too, right, Squirtle?", Serena asked, giggling.

"Squirtle!", Squirtle happily responded back at Serena.

Just like how Lillie reacted, a look of determination appeared in Serena's eyes. To make sure the two didn't wander off too far without her, she started to chase after Ricky and Lillie. Squirtle happily trotted along beside her, and she was quick to pass through the rolling hills. Every so often she would pass by a large home, which connected to a farm. A very earthy and cozy smell reached her nostrils as Serena enjoyed the wind passing by her face. It was a really nice day out today.

Eventually, Serena caught up with Ricky and Lillie, only to spot the duo off to the side beyond the homes, where the wild grass was much more prevalent. Meanwhile, as Ricky was running alongside Lillie to find some wild Pidgey to try and battle, a single song appeared inside Ricky's head, causing him to hum it.

We're on the road to Viridian City~