Chapter : 6 : I Caught A Caterpie :
Location : Celadon City : Main Gate Entrance :
" What's your name ? "
"My name is David Roy . "
" Show me your documents . "
" Here you go sir . "
At this moment David was standing in front of the Celadon City Main Gate going through a checking process by the guard .
After looking at his documents the guard whose face till now only showed boredom suddenly lit up .
" Oh ! So you are a Pokemon trainer who passed the trainer aptitude exam . "
" Not only that you also have a letter of recommendation from the local Pokemon league branch . "
" Haha ! haha ! Why didn't you say that before? "
After seeing the documents, especially the recommendation letter, the guard burst out in laughter .
He had not expected someone like David who would actually have a letter of recommendation from a local Pokemon league branch to come here today .
Anyone who is recognised by the Pokemon league and gets such a recommendation letter is obviously a very talented young man .
Their future as Pokemon trainers would be boundless and certainly better than most trainers out there .
And since the boy is from Celadon City that means in future his rise to fame would also make the city more famous .
This made the guard who was a resident of the city very happy .
David on the other hand felt that getting this recommendation letter was really helpful .
' I mean no matter the world no one wants to stand in a long line . '
So after some quick work the guard was allowed to leave the city gates .
After leaving Celadon City David walked into the forest nearby .
After walking some hours , he spotted a river and decided to make a small camp so that he could revise his journey plan once again .
And after setting up a basic camp by the river he sat down .
" Alright Pidgy come out . "
With that he opened the pokeball containing his newest companion and let the bird Pokemon out .
" Prr - ree !! "
As soon as the bird Pokemon came out it quickly took its position on David's shoulders .
" Alright now let's look into our future plans . "
" Prr - ree ! Prr - ree ! "
With that David took out a map from his backpack and laid it before both of them.
" The kento league tournament will start in 14 months .... that is only a little over a year . "
" So that means we must follow a dedicated plan to make the best of this time . "
After looking at the limited timeline David quickly started to recall all the plans he had prepared beforehand .
There are three ways by which a Pokemon trainer can enter the kento league .
The first would be the standard path : earning 8 gym batches from official Pokemon league gyms .
" This is the path taken by most of the people including the original main character of the story Ash Ketchum and his friends . "
In this process a trainer must earn 8 certified gym batches to enter the kento league - specifically the championship tournament known as Indigo Plateau Conference .
One thing that one must remember here however is that all the 8 badges must be from certified Pokemon gyms recognised by the Pokemon league .
There are many Pokemon gyms out there in the region
And only a small number of them are actually certified Pokemon gyms .
And only they have earned the permission from the Pokemon league to host battles related to the championship .
" If a Pokemon trainer wants they can also earn badges from the uncertified Pokemon gym however those batches will have no official value in the league except for some ceremonial and prestige reasons . "
" The second method of entering the Indigo Plateau Conference is by passing the Pokemon league admission exam . "
This is a big testing route which allows for older trainers who cannot effort to travel for various reasons to bypass the gym circuit by proving their academic and adaptive mastery of Pokemon .
" This exam consists mainly of two phases - the written phase and the battle phase . "
The written part of this exam is known for being notoriously hard and tricky .
It includes various kinds of questions and highly specific true and false trivia .
" At the same time it also consists of a very famous silhouette identification face which had in my previous life created one of the most famous internet memes . "
Cough .... Cough .... Well let's come back to the topic .
" The third method is to graduate from a Pokemon technical institute . "
Anyone who can graduate from the hard exams and schedule of such a place doesn't have to follow the first two methods .
However this method is not opted by the majority of the trainers because most people choose the first or the second option as they belive them to be the better way to become the Pokemon trainer.
And also because only rich kids can afford to go to such a place due to extremely high fees .
" So for us my friend we will take the first method . "
" Prr - ree . "
The second method of clearing the Pokemon league admission exam is more suitable for those who cannot travel around for various reasons.
But he has no such problem so there is no need to take that route .
" And as about graduating from a Pokemon technical institute. Well, I simply don't have that much money nor do I wish to take that option . "
Well to be more precise with his recommendation letter he would get a heavy discount in such institutes .
But even then the remaining cost is something that he simply cannot afford .
So it's cheaper , easier and more beneficial to travel and earn Pokemon gym badges by himself .
Moreover both of these methods lack something very important .
" It lacks adventure . "
David, who had learned about the Pokemon world from the adventures of Ash Ketchum and other trainers in his previous life, the very meaning of of a Pokemon journey was the adventure itself .
" Going from one place to another . "
" Meeting different kinds of Pokemons , people and making friends while doing gym battles . "
" Sometimes losing, sometimes winning, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing, and sometimes just sitting around and enjoying the clouds above or just looking at the rain . "
" Now that's what a true Pokemon adventure is about . "
" Isn't that right my friend . "
" Prr - ree . "
Listening to its trainer the small flying type Pokemon also let out happy and energetic sounds in agreement .
" Alright now let's come back to our earlier discussion . "
" First we need to decide which Pokemon gym we are going to tackle first . "
Every Pokemon gym has their own unique way of training and fighting .
And all of it depends entirely on the speciality of the gym leader .
" For example Erica the Celadon City gym trainer is known for her grass type Pokemon speciality whereas Cerulian city gym is known for their water type speciality . "
So it is very important that a Pokemon trainer chooses their Pokemon lineup very carefully .
" Because things like type advantages may not necessarily decide the winner of the battle but it does give advantages . "
" And in a Pokemon fight a single bit of advantage or disadvantage can be the difference between winning and losing . "
At this moment many might ask why not just challenge Erica first .
After all she is from the same city as him so there is no need for him to travel .
Well while the thought is simple there are many problems .
" The biggest problem for me to challenge any gym trainer is very obvious . "
" I don't have many Pokemons . "
Currently he only had Pidgey as his first Pokemon .
" First I will need to catch more pokemons and build a strong team . "
" And then I will try and challenge the Cerulean city gym or the Pewter city gym . "
According to the timeline the journey of Ash ketchum should be starting very soon, around a week or two .
" Till now Brock should still be the gym leader of Pewter city gym . "
" And the Cerulean city gym must be led by the elder sisters of Misty . "
And for now these two gyms are the best for him to start his journey with .
Because he is not quite strong enough yet to face others much stronger gym leaders like Sabrina .
" And I am certainly not lucky enough to make her laugh and ultimately win . "
" And as for challenging Erica well that will come after I have at least four pokemons . "
After a few minutes of revising his plans and going through the map David decided to finally start moving again towards his first destination Pallet town to meet the legendary professor Samual Oak .
" Rustle ! Rustle ! "
However, just as David was about to leave, a sudden noise attracted his attention.
" Hmmm ! It seems the noise is coming from behind the bushes . "
With that he cautiously moved towards the area .
After all, various kinds of wild Pokemon, especially Beedrill can be very dangerous in such situations .
" These types of pokemons are not too difficult to deal with if you're fighting them individually . "
But that's the problem .
" Because such Pokemons, especially wild Beedrill, often live in groups and provoking one would mean the entire hive would be coming towards you . "
These pokemons are very territorial and naturally aggressive .
They would even attack Pokemon or people far stronger than them if they feel that they are a threat to their territory .
And at that point the huge number alone becomes a psychological burden .
So it's always better to avoid any kind of confrontation with such naturally aggressive Pokemon especially in their home habitat .
With that thought he slowly made his way towards the bushes .
" Wait.... Isn't that a Caterpie . "
After he cleared through the bushes what came in front of him was not the aggressive Beedrill .
But it was a healthy Caterpie moving through the bushes going towards the water source nearby .
Looking at this scene David gave a quiet sigh of relief .
But then suddenly an idea formed in his head .
" Come to think of it, the caterpie is one of the most frequently caught Pokemon by most beginners . "
It is one of the most favourite Pokemon for any beginner starting their Pokemon trainer journey .
With a high encounter rate and much less difficulty to capture it's the perfect testing for a young Pokemon trainer .
" Well done, I guess I should also start the same way . "
And unlike a certain water type specialist Pokemon trainer with orange hair David did not have any dislike for bug type pokemons .
So there was no reason for him not to get this one as a companion .
" Alright Pidgey it's time for action . "
" Prr - ree ! "
With that the Pidgey quickly jumped from his shoulder and lept into the sky .
At this moment the wild Pokemon also saw David and understanding what was going on quickly tried to escape .
Looking at this David ordered Pidgey immediately.
" Pidgey use gusts quickly, don't let it escape . "
Under his command Pidgey quickly used its strong wings to create a gust of wind which directly slammed into the escaping bug Pokemon .
And just as David thought this attack alone caused a huge amount of damage .
' Afterall if a wild caterpie was so strong then most beginner Pokemon trainers wouldn't be able to catch them . '
After getting hit the Pokemon tried to get up and escape .
" Pidgey use gusts once again . "
Before the caterpie could get its feet stable another strong guest of wind hit it's body sending it flying to the air and then crashed onto a tree.
Looking at the results David quickly took out a pokeball .
" Here we go . "
With that he released the pokeball like an experienced pitcher and a few seconds later it hit the intended target .
After making contact the caterpie was quickly captured by the pokeball and it started to make very iconic movements .
Then with a distinct clicking sound the entire area fell into silence .
" Phew ! That was easier than expected . "
Getting close David took up the pokeball in his hand looking at it with varied emotions .
While the battle has been quite easy it also put a lot of pressure on him .
Because this was after all his first time catching a wild Pokemon by himself .
And with this successful catch he could say that now he had become a Pokemon trainer .
" Well then there is only one thing remaining to do . "
Taking a step forward and upper body slightly backward emphasizing upward reach David gave a victory pose and said out loud .
" I Caught A Caterpie !!!! "
To Be Continued .