Chapter Nine
"Mankey Business!"
"Well, what do we have here?" Ericka asked.
Britney snickered in response.
"What do you want, Ericka?" Hoshi asked.
"Why another battle of course! My pokemon is healed and ready for battle!" Ericka exclaimed.
"Fine! You're on!" Hoshi replied.
"Let's go, Grimer!" Ericka exclaimed. She tossed out a pokeball.
Grimer appeared from the pokeball.
"I choose you, Spearow!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Spearow shot out of the pokeball.
"Peck Attack, Spearow!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Spearow pecked at Grimer.
"Pound Attack, Grimer!" Ericka exclaimed.
Grimer pounded Spearow.
"Use your Growl Attack, Spearow!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Spearow growled at Grimer, causing it to back off slightly.
"Use your Disable Attack, Grimer!" Ericka exclaimed.
Grimer used Disable on Spearow.
"Leer Attack, Spearow!" Hoshi called out.
Spearow tried to leer at Grimer, but the attack didn't work.
"Guess I'll have to use a different attack," Hoshi said.
"Pound Attack!" Ericka told Grimer.
Grimer pounded Spearow again but the attack was not as effective as the previous attack.
"Use another Growl Attack!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Spearow growled at the Grimer again.
"Use another Pound Attack, Grimer!" Ericka exclaimed.
Grimer pounded on Spearow again.
"Peck Attack, Spearow!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Spearow gave Grimer one last peck.
Grimer was defeated.
"Great! I lost again! I need a better battle strategy!" Ericka yelled in dismay as she recalled Grimer.
"Let's get out of here!" Britney exclaimed.
Ericka and Britney ran off in defeat.
"That takes care of those two pests for awhile," Hoshi said.
"You are right about that," Andrew replied.
"Return, Spearow!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Spearow was recalled.
They continued on toward their next destination. Hoshi and Andrew were walking around a tree when they heard the branches rustle. They looked up.
A pokemon jumped out of the tree and stood before them.
"Hey, it's a pokemon! I think I'm going to catch it!" Hoshi exclaimed.
"Watch out, that's a Mankey!" Andrew exclaimed.
"Why? What's wrong with a Mankey?" Hoshi asked.
"Whatever you do, don't look it in the eye," Andrew warned.
But he was too late because Hoshi had already looked the Mankey in the eye.
The Mankey let out an angry screech.
"Uh oh, now you've done it," Andrew muttered.
"I don't think I like the sound of that screech," Hoshi replied.
"The Mankey's going to attack! Hurry up and choose a pokemon!" Andrew exclaimed to Hoshi.
"Mankey seems more like the type of pokemon for you," Hoshi said.
"I'm not the one who made the Mankey mad. You did and you are the one who is going to fight it!" Andrew declared.
The Mankey started charging at them.
"Call out a pokemon!" Andrew shouted to Hoshi.
"Go Bulbasaur!" Hoshi exclaimed, quickly throwing out a pokeball.
Bulbasaur appeared from the pokeball, ready for battle.
"Tackle Attack!" Hoshi called out to Bulbasaur.
Bulbasaur ran toward Mankey and tackled it.
The Mankey took a direct hit and screeched in surprise. It then scratched at Bulbasaur.
"Tackle it again, Bulbasaur!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Bulbasaur ran at the Mankey again.
Mankey tried to dodge Bulbasaur's attack and was grazed in the side. Mankey leered at Bulbasaur.
"Use your Leech Seed now, Bulbasaur!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Bulbasaur hesitated a moment, and then used Leech Seed.
Mankey jumped out of the way and the attack missed.
"Oh man!" Hoshi exclaimed when she saw that the attack had missed.
Mankey Scratched at Bulbasaur again.
"Growl Attack, Bulbasaur!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Bulbasaur growled at Mankey.
Mankey used another Scratch Attack, but only grazed Bulbasaur's side.
"Tackle Attack, Bulbasaur!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Bulbasaur ran at Mankey.
Mankey jumped out of the way.
"Growl Attack, Bulbasaur!" Hoshi called out.
Bulbasaur growled at the Mankey.
Mankey used Scratch Attack.
Bulbasaur was looking exhausted from the battle.
"Return, Bulbasaur!" Hoshi exclaimed, holding out a pokeball.
Bulbasaur was recalled.
"It's your turn now, Nidoran!" Hoshi exclaimed as she tossed out another pokeball.
Nidoran appeared from the pokeball.
"Scratch Attack now, Nidoran!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Nidoran scratched at the Mankey.
Mankey howled in pain as Nidoran scratched it.
Mankey leered at Nidoran.
Nidoran's defense went down.
"Tackle Attack, Nidoran!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Nidoran charged at Mankey and bowled it over.
Mankey leapt up and furiously scratched Nidoran.
"Scratch Attack!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Nidoran used its Scratch Attack on the Mankey.
Mankey Leered at Nidoran.
Nidoran was startled by Mankey's attack.
"Tackle Attack!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Nidoran charged toward the Mankey but the Mankey leapt out of the way and the attack missed.
"Hey, what's that over there?" Andrew asked, interrupting the battle.
Hoshi looked in the direction that Andrew was pointing at.
Hoshi and Andrew saw a pokemon that looked tired.
The Mankey saw this as its opportunity to escape while Hoshi's attention was diverted and took advantage of it.
Hoshi suddenly remembered the Mankey and turned back toward it.
The Mankey was climbing up a tree.
"Oh well, there's always another time to catch a Mankey," Hoshi sighed as she watched the Mankey disappear into a tree.
"That Mankey sure put up a good fight," Andrew commented.
Hoshi recalled her Nidoran.
They went over to the other pokemon.
The pokemon looked at them curiously.
"I wonder what kind of pokemon this is?" Hoshi asked.
"It looks like an Efui," Andrew replied.
"Good idea," Hoshi said as she took out her PokeDex and pointed it at the pokemon.
"Efui - Fairy - 2' - 17lb - It's magical and cute appeal has many admirers. It is rare and found only in certain areas," the PokeDex said.
"What's a Efui doing out here?" Hoshi asked, a little puzzled.
"I don't know. Are you going to catch it?" Andrew asked.
"No. As cute as I think it is, I'm not going to catch it. It's probably better off being free after it has a chance to eat and rest," Hoshi replied.
"Poor thing looks hungry," Andrew said.
Hoshi took some pokemon food out of her backpack and offered it to the pokemon.
The pokemon hesitated, then grabbed the food out of Hoshi's hands and begun eating it.
"I guess it was hungry," Andrew said.
The pokemon finished eating the food Hoshi gave it and looked around for more.
Hoshi gave it another piece of food.
The pokemon ate that, too.
Hoshi leaned over to pick up the Efui.
The Efui started fidgeting like it didn't want to be picked up.
"Relax, Efui. I'm not going to hurt you," Hoshi replied.
The Efui stopped squirming.
"Let's get going!" Andrew exclaimed.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Hoshi asked.
"Because my family used to live here before we moved to Vermillion City when I was seven. I can't wait to see my favorite spots again," Andrew replied as they reached Cerulean City.
"You really used to live here?" Hoshi asked in amazement.
"Sure did. My uncle still lives here," Andrew replied.
"Your uncle? I can't wait to meet him!" Hoshi exclaimed.
"Now just a minute!" Andrew exclaimed.
"What's wrong?" Hoshi exclaimed.
"It's been seven years since I have seen my uncle and I really don't want to badge in on him unexpectedly with a guest," Andrew replied.
"Seven years? Why didn't you visit each other more often?" Hoshi asked.
"Because we could never seem to pick a time when one of us wasn't busy with stuff to visit each other," Andrew replied.
"That's too bad," Hoshi said.
"Can you find something else to do for awhile and give me some time alone with him to catch up on the news?" Andrew said.
"Sure," Hoshi agreed.
Andrew turned to leave.
"Wait a minute!" Hoshi exclaimed.
"What is it?" Andrew asked impatiently.
"The address. I don't know where your uncle lives unless you give me the address," Hoshi reminded Andrew.
"You're right. I forgot about that!" Andrew exclaimed as he wrote down his uncle's address and gave it to Hoshi.
"Thanks," Hoshi replied.
Andrew left to go visit his uncle.
Hoshi was walking down the street enjoying herself and looking around in Cerulean City.
"Hey, you with the Efui!" a voice called out to Hoshi.
She turned around and saw a boy and a girl headed her way.
"Yes? Who are you and what do you want?" Hoshi asked them.
"My name is Elizabeth and this is my brother Brandon," the girl said.
"Nice to meet you," she said.
"Are you a pokemon trainer?" Brandon asked.
"Yes I am. Why do you ask?" Hoshi replied.
"I want to challenge you to a pokemon battle," Brandon replied.
"Yeah, let's see how good you are!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"You're on!" Hoshi exclaimed to Brandon. She set the Efui down on a rock some distance from the battle site and then went over to where Elizabeth and Brandon were waiting.
The Efui was watching the battle from its place on the rock.
"I'm Hoshi," she said.
"Go Squirtle!" Brandon exclaimed as he tossed out a pokeball.
The pokeball opened to reveal a Squirtle.
"I choose you, Pidgey!" Hoshi exclaimed, throwing out her pokeball.
Pidgey flew out of its pokeball and prepared for another battle.
"Bubble Attack, Squirtle!" Brandon exclaimed.
Squirtle blew a stream of bubbles at Pidgey.
"Use your Gust Attack and blow those bubbles away!" Hoshi exclaimed to her Pidgey.
Pidgey blew the bubbles away with its Gust Attack but not before getting soaked by some of the bubbles.
"Tackle Attack, Squirtle!" Brandon called out.
Squirtle ran at Pidgey.
Pidgey had no time to re-act before the Squirtle tackled it. Pidgey let out a surprised squawk.
"Sand Attack now, Pidgey!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Pidgey blew a cloud of sand at Squirtle.
The sand cloud hit Squirtle and made it hard for the Squirtle to see its opponent.
"Bubble Attack, Squirtle!" Brandon called out.
Squirtle blew a large stream of Bubbles around the battle site.
The Bubbles scored a direct hit on Pidgey and some of them flew past Pidgey and toward Hoshi, who was standing behind Pidgey.
"Hey! You're going to get me wet! I didn't say to attack me!" Hoshi exclaimed in surprise, trying to dodge the Bubbles.
Elizabeth chuckled in amusement at Hoshi's surprised exclamation.
Brandon grinned at Hoshi's words.
"Use your Quick Attack, Pidgey!" Hoshi shouted.
Tackle Attack now, Squirtle!" Brandon exclaimed at the same time.
Squirtle ran at Pidgey but Pidgey's Quick Attack gave it the advantage and it attacked first.
Squirtle was knocked over and landed on its back.
"Counter Attack with your tail Whip, Squirtle!" Brandon exclaimed.
Squirtle got to its feet, turned around, and slapped Pidgey with its tail.
Pidgey was stunned with surprise.
"Gust Attack, Pidgey!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Pidgey flapped its wings and sent a gust of wind at Squirtle.
Squirtle stood its ground against the wind at first, but the wind eventually blew it over.
"I guess Squirtle's Tail Whip decreased Pidgey's attack power," Hoshi commented.
"Tackle Attack, Squirtle!" Brandon exclaimed.
Squirtle ran and leapt at the Pidgey, who was hovering in the air several feet above the ground.
Pidgey flew off to the side and Squirtle's attack missed.
"Use your Sand Attack, Pidgey!" Hoshi called out.
Pidgey squawked and swiftly flew toward Squirtle.
Squirtle had no time to defend itself before the sand cloud reached it. Squirtle was stunned by the blast of sand and tried to fight it. It stood there, tiredly.
"Use your Bubble Attack!" Brandon called out to it.
Squirtle straightened up and took a few deep breaths. Then it launched its Bubble Attack at Pidgey.
Pidgey tried to avoid the attack but got soaked by all the bubbles in the air. The water on its feathers made it hard to fly and it hovered exhausted just inches away from the ground.
"Come on, Squirtle! I know you're tired but you can win this battle!" Brandon exclaimed.
One more hit would finish Pidgey off.
"Use your Tackle Attack!" Brandon exclaimed.
"Quick Attack now, Pidgey!" Hoshi exclaimed at the same time.
Pidgey hovered in mid-air until Squirtle was just inches away. Then it managed to dodge the attack with some difficulty.
Squirtle ran past Pidgey and stopped.
Pidgey flew around and faced Squirtle again. Then it swiftly attacked Squirtle again.
Squirtle fell to the ground and lay there.
"Return, Squirtle!" Brandon exclaimed as he recalled his fainted pokemon.
"Good job, Pidgey! Now return!" Hoshi exclaimed, recalling a very tired Pidgey.
"You surprised me. I guess you're a good trainer," Brandon admitted.
"Thanks. You're not too bad yourself," Hoshi replied.
"If you have some time, maybe you can join us for a snack and talk about pokemon," Elizabeth offered.
"I'd like that," Hoshi replied, picking up the Efui again.
The three of them headed off to the Pokemon Center. When they reached the Center, they went inside and up to the counter to drop off their pokemon.
"It will be awhile before our pokemon are healed so we might as well get something to eat to pass the time by," Elizabeth said.
"I am kind of thirsty," Hoshi replied.
They bought some juice for themselves, a blueberry muffin for Efui, and sat down at a table.
Efui was sitting at the table in a chair eating the muffin and enjoying itself.
"Your Squirtle put up a good fight. You nearly had us there," Hoshi said to Brandon.
"Yeah, I know. That was an awesome fight. Both pokemon seemed to be pretty evenly matched. I guess you won this battle through determination," Brandon replied.
"It's a good thing the battle didn't last any longer then that. I only had two pokemon left who could fight after Pidgey," Hoshi informed them.
"How many pokemon do you have?" Brandon asked Hoshi.
"I have six pokemon. Why do you ask?" Hoshi said.
"Including that Efui?" Elizabeth asked.
"No," Hoshi replied.
"Do you have any pokemon in storage?" Brandon asked.
"No, I don't," Hoshi replied.
"So you have seven pokemon altogether. Why isn't that Efui in a pokeball or stored away? You can only carry six pokemon with you at a time!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"Because Efui isn't mine. I found it resting in the middle of the path to Cerulean City," Hoshi replied.
"Oh, I see," Elizabeth replied.
"I have a few other pokemon, but Squirtle was the only one that I had out at the moment," Brandon told Hoshi.
"I do have a Bulbasaur and I would have used it to battle you with but I had already use it in a previous match. Bulbasaur wasn't in any shape to handle another battle without a rest," Hoshi explained.
"I'm glad that you didn't use it because I rather enjoyed our match today," Brandon replied.
They finished their juice and Efui had eaten its muffin as well.
"I'm getting stiff sitting here. Who wants to join me for a walk?" Elizabeth asked.
"That sounds like a great idea!" Hoshi exclaimed in reply to Elizabeth.
They got up from the table, stopped at the counter to collect their pokemon, and went outside.
Efui jumped off the chair and followed the group outside.
"It's such a gorgeous day out! It makes me feel like sitting under a tree and watching the clouds go by!" Hoshi burst out.
Brandon was surprised by Hoshi's outburst and looked at her.
"Hehe," Hoshi replied nervously when she saw Brandon look in her direction. She leaned down to pet Efui.
"Don't be nervous about that. Sometimes I feel the same way," Elizabeth told Hoshi.
Efui started squirming like it wanted to be on its way. It jumped out of Hoshi's arms and took off running.
Hoshi, Brandon, and Elizabeth watched as Efui scampered down the path and disappeared from sight.
"There goes a happy Efui," Elizabeth commented.
"Yeah," Hoshi replied.
The three of them were walking along the street when they heard a commotion up ahead.
People ran out of the Pokemon Mart screaming.
Just then there was a loud crash as something hit the store window from the inside and shattered the glass.
Glass flew from the broken window and landed on the sidewalk.
A crowd started gathering in front of the store.
"Watch out for that broken glass on the sidewalk!" they heard a woman exclaim.
They could not see the woman who said it because there were too many people in front of the store gawking at the broken window.
A loud screeching was coming from inside the store.
"Uh oh," Elizabeth said.
"That sounds like trouble," Brandon replied.
"You said it, Brandon!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
To Be Continued