After a brief period of rest, they continued on the road. This time, Chimchar and Piplup walked alongside their new Trainers but with significantly less energy than expected. The two seemed to be moping after their overwhelming loss to a Magikarp of all Pokemon.

  “Chim-chaaaar”, the monkey said with its head hung low as it continued to drag its feet reluctantly forward.

  “Pip-luuuup”, the penguin agreed as it refused to look up from the ground.

  Christine and Gavin continually glanced back at the two as they slowly trudged forward.

  At the forefront was Harrison who was absolutely unaffected not out of malice or apathy but because he believed that it was a problem that should be solved by their own Trainers. They were ultimately not his Pokemon so he shouldn’t interfere too often or too severely as it could affect the development of the Starters along with the development of the two children as Trainers. And in the end, poignant hardships were necessary for defining the path they would decide as people.

  He then stopped to glance towards the forest. From the bushes, a rustling sound could be heard and a peculiar bone white color could be seen amongst the dense foliage.

  He then watched as a Cubone popped out of the bush and stared at the group for a bit. Taking a step forward, he slightly startled the Cubone but the Pokemon didn’t run.

  But before Harrison could approach with a berry, a Pineco fell from the tree and directly struck Cubone on its skull. The Cubone then scurried off in a panic and Harrison just waved goodbye as he watched it run. He then stared at the Pineco which blinked back. It then leisurely rolled away and went on with its day.

  Those were oddly rare finds, he thought. He then turned towards his group to find them occupied.

  “Ummm… I’m sorry, Chimchar”, Christine said to the moping monkey.

  “Char?”

  “I shouldn’t have expected you to listen when we barely knew each other. I guess I got too caught up in wanting to show off my new Pokemon that I forgot to get to know you first”, she continued.

  “I’m Christine and I’m a new trainer. I’m very new to this battling thing and if Gavin’s Piplup listened to him, we probably would have lost even faster. Even though we’re all new Trainers, they’re both way better than me with Pokemon”

  “Chim-Chim Char?”, the monkey asked with its head tilted.

  “Yeah, so I’m just like you. New to all of it … but even I know that Fire is weak to Water”, she joked.

  “Chim Char!!”, the monkey said, having been riled up and its fiery tail increased in size.

  “That doesn’t mean you’ll never beat a Water Pokemon but we’ll need to put in way more effort before it can be possible. We both just started so don’t get too hung up over losing. Knowing Harrison, his Magikarp is probably already close to evolving. He’s kind of crazy with how ahead he always is in everything”

  From the side, he then heard Gavin speaking to his Piplup.

  “We’ll work on it so don’t get too upset by Magikarp. Whatever Harrison trains will be a monster so it’s natural to lose. If you see the rest of his team, you’d understand”

  “Plup plup”, the penguin nodded.

  It seemed the two newcomers’ bonds with their Starters had strengthened at the expense of Harrison’s reputation.

  Meanwhile at the Jubilife side of Route 203, the rookies who didn’t leave early finally started heading towards Oreburgh and initiated their first battles. A few used the popular Sinnoh starters but most used the Pokemon which they already had before today with the most common ones being Bidoof and Starly.

  Unsurprisingly, nobody focused on those battles and instead watched as the two already established Trainers duked it out with their exotic Pokemon.

  The fierce and vicious looking Houndoom rushed in with a Fire Fang. Its opponent elegantly sidestepped the hound and then counterattacked with several powerful Slashes directly onto the hound’s side. The already battered hound yelped in pain but pushed through. The Houndoom inhaled deeply as it built up a breath of gaseous Smog but then failed to execute its move as the mantis like Pokemon executed a Grassy Slide and struck first with priority. A flurry of sharp petals then beat the dog down, only relenting once the Houndoom fully fainted.

  The observers then applauded as they had not expected such an effortless victory from the tiny bug.

  Hovering over the fainted Houndoom, his Trainer had a face filled with indignation and disappointment.

  “Your Pokemon may look strong but if we are to judge by looks then my Pokemon can’t be beat”, Cinnamon stated with her Lurantis by her side.

  “Because you use your looks to make everyone underestimate you. Without those tricks, you would never stand a chance against those at your level”, the brooding Trainer named Ford, sharply stated with a proper scowl.

  “Well, Pokemon that look cool or strong have an inherent advantage which my Pokemon have overcome. You’re just a second-rate Trainer if all you’re doing is letting a feral beast loose”, she retorted with a cold smile.

  Sparks seemed to form as the two glared at one another with great intensity. A third party with a mischievous smile then interjected.

  “You two seem quite spirited. Why don’t you join me on my journey?”, he boldly stated which prompted the two to stare back at him incredulously.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  As the day continued, the trio had finally arrived before Oreburgh Gate. It was late afternoon but they still hurried as they wanted enough time to check out at least some of Oreburgh City.

  Entering the cave, they found a large rocky tunnel with a direct path from the entrance to the exit albeit with a single branching path. From the entrance, they could already see the buildings of Oreburgh in the distance as no boulders or rocks directly obscured the way forward.

  “Oh… it’s right there”, Christine said, slightly disappointed as she expected a bit more of a challenge for her first day but so far, it hadn’t been too eventful.

  “At least, we won’t be sleeping in any caves”, Gavin said as he looked around. The rocky terrain was uneven with a bunch of boulders and pebbles scattered around and some stalagmites but no stalactites hanging from the cavern roof or anything that seemed unstable. It seemed the main path of Oreburgh Gate was maintained with anything dangerous having been removed to keep the path accessible for beginners and casual travellers.

  They then continued along the straightforward path, passing a few sleeping Geodudes. And right when they were about to cross the branching path, they encountered a Hiker.

  “Oh good golly! You’re the first group I’ve seen today. On your way to get your first gym badge?”, the Hiker asked.

  “Yup, we’re headed to Oreburgh early so we can get a challenge in before everybody else rushes in”, Christine chirped.

  “You’re still gonna be in for a wait then. Leader Roark is busy challenging all the stronger challengers that didn’t need to wait for a Starter”, the Hiker stated.

  Harrison then turned to Christine and said, “You two should be training your Pokemon instead of being in a rush to challenge the Gym Leader. Your Pokemon don’t stand a chance even if it’s the first badge”

  “Now, now. Rock types are tough but it is the first badge and everybody gets the first badge even if it takes more than one try”, the Hiker stated, assuming that Harrison was dampening the spirits of his friends.

  Before the Hiker could continue, a cacophony of chirping and high frequency cries resonated from the branching path behind him.

  He then sighed, muttering, “Another one”

  “What was that?”, Gavin asked, slightly curious.

  “Sounds like Zubats”, Harrison stated as he noticed there were no Zubats in the tunnel which was odd as they were very prominent and practically swarmed most cave systems.

  “Yeah, another dang swarm of Zubats. That’s what I’m here to take care of. The city wants to keep the Gate safe today so we’re stopping the Zubats from swarming in here and pestering all the rookies and newcomers”, the Hiker stated slightly exasperated.

  The Hiker then seemed to get an idea.

  “Could you guys help me out with the swarm? My Pokemon are all Rock types so they can deal with the Zubats but I don’t want to hurt them badly. In exchange, I’ll teach you all something about Rocks and how to get through caves”, the Hiker requested.

  “Oh, a quest! I’m down!”, Christine exclaimed.

  “Sure, you and Gavin can get some practice in. I’ll pitch in if it starts to seem troublesome”, Harrison stated from the side.

  Christine let out Chimchar while Gavin let out Piplup as expected.

  They then waited as the sounds and echoes of Zubat cries grew louder and louder.

  “So, what’s down that path?”, Christine asked.

  “The actual Oreburgh Gate. This passage is just a way to get to Oreburgh City but the actual Oreburgh Gate is a sizable cave with actual dangers”, the Hiker stated.

  When Christine seemed to have her interest piqued, the Hiker started dissuading her.

  “Ah but don’t go this path if all you have is a Chimchar. You’re gonna need the Coal Badge and approval from someone who maintains the cave like me. Too many people underestimate how dangerous caves can be and treat it the same way they do walking through the forest. But caves are filled with not just dangerous Pokemon but the cave itself can collapse if enough damage is done along with all the falling rocks. That and you can get lost in all the darkness and winding paths”

  “Then I’ll be heading here before I leave for Eterna”, Harrison stated. As expected, he could sense it here in the depths of Oreburgh Gate.

  The Hiker looked at Harrison but before he could chastise the young Trainer for thinking of danger as a challenge, the screeches increased to an irritating volume. A dozen Zubats then emerged from the path and launched waves of Supersonic at the children.

  “Chimchar, interrupt them with your Taunt!”, Christine shouted as loud as she could amidst the noisy screeches of Zubats.

  The monkey started shouting something that was probably offensive and jeered at the bats which got their attention. The dozen Zubats then stopped emitting sound waves and charged at the Chimchar which briefly froze from the prospects of a 12 v 1.

  “Water Gun, Piplup!”, Gavin shouted.

  The penguin then blasted a stream of water which struck 3 of them and got the attention of half of the swarm.

  “Fight them off with Ember”, Christine commanded as 5 Zubats surrounded her Starter.

  The monkey jumped and belched out fire around itself to stop the onslaught of the bats. It seemed to be a weaker and incomplete version of Fire Spin.

  The Hiker and Harrison just watched from the side as Chimchar burned and scratched at the bats while Piplup shot forth streams of water. When enough damage was sustained, the bats retreated but even more sounds then emitted from deep within the cave tunnel.

  The Hiker’s eyes then widened as he recognized some of the more peculiar sounds, “Oh good golly! A Golbat”

  He then went for his Pokeball but Harrison already sent out Nova.

  “The usual”, Harrison stated.

  A potent Thunder Shock then erupted from the little lion and split into numerous branches which chased every bat and effortlessly struck. The second swarm of 20 Zubats and a single Golbat screeched in pain. The Zubats immediately retreated deeper into the cave while the Golbat glared at Luxio but backed down from Intimidate.

  “Lux!”, Nova scoffed as if taunting the Golbat.

  The Hiker then clapped as he hadn’t expected such a swift and immediate end to a swarm led by a Golbat.

  “That was quite impressive. I guess you weren’t kidding when you said you wanted to check out the rest of this cave. You’re certainly capable!”, the Hiker stated as he evaluated the Luxio which didn’t show any signs of exhaustion despite using such an extensive move.

  To the side, Chimchar and Piplup were celebrating their hard fought battle.

  “You did good!”, Christine said to her Starter with a thumbs up.

  “Char!”

  The Hiker then moved to a specific boulder and began imparting his knowledge on Rock Smash and caving in general.

  “Big rocks with already formed fractures are the best targets… Unless absolutely necessary, you shouldn’t create random holes in cave walls… You can tell a rock Pokemon is hiding inside the rock if it isn’t fully uniform… Dig is great but you should be wary of paths filled with cave water… Brick Break works as well but it doesn’t break the rock in one go… Never try to squeeze into cracks in the wall and passages you can barely fit in. We have Pokemon that are used to them and won’t get stuck. Yeah this part seems unnecessary but some people are absolutely crazy about it and try crawling through the most narrow places. They must have the literal opposite of claustrophobia”