In the Pokémon Centre, James and Jen looked over their map of Johto as they planned the next leg of their journey. Jen had left her Pokéballs with Nurse Joy, and Quilava sat next to James' chair, dozing quietly.
“There's only one way we can travel right now,” James said, indicating a route extending west from Ecruteak. “The eastern route goes to Mahogany Town, but we'd have to go through Mt. Mortar, which I hear is really tough.” Jen studied the map and nodded.
“Plus, we'd have to go back for the Olivine and Cianwood Gym badges if we went all the way to Mahogany. I don't think we should make that kind of trip twice. The run-up to Mahogany will probably have stronger Pokémon than we can handle, too.”
“So we'll head down Route 38 tomorrow. It's kind of long, and so's Route 39 to the southwest. It's going to take a long time to get down to Olivine.”
“Let's hope there's some interesting stuff on the way, then. It wouldn't be much fun just trudging down the road.”
“There's only one real landmark, though. The MooMoo farm is right where the routes connect, almost like a midway point. Once we spot that, we'll know we're getting close.”
“I'd like to see that. It'll be interesting to see how Miltank behave when they're not rolling toward you at high speed.”
“Maybe.” James glanced at his PokéGear. “It's getting late, we should wrap up and get some sleep before we head out.” Jen stifled a yawn as she nodded.
“Okay. I'll see if Nurse Joy is done taking care of my Pokémon.”
“Sure. I'll see you at our room.” James folded the map, poked Quilava awake, and started down the hall to their room.
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The next morning, James and Jen packed up their things and headed west out of the city. Once through the gatehouse, the two youngsters saw how vast Route 38 actually was. As was normal, the main road was fairly wide, but lines of trees and fences stretched farther than they anticipated. Streams ran here and there, and vast fields of grass swept along the side of the road. James looked down at Quilava, then at Jen, who was smiling.
“You ready to tackle this route?” she asked. James nodded.
“Let's do this thing.”
At first, the route seemed easy. The road was smooth enough, and few wild Pokémon jumped out at them. Clear areas at the side of the road provided spots to train and set up camp at night, and the weather remained calm for the first few days.
As they moved on, however, the weather warmed considerably. Most of their traveling became restricted to the morning and early evening, to avoid the worst heat of the day. They used the midday hours to train and develop their Pokémon whenever they could find shade, occasionally venturing into the wilder areas to find opponents. James focused on Gastly in particular, since the Gas Pokémon had had few opportunities to battle before now. Jen spent time working with Pichu and Togepi, doing her best to raise them to the level of her other team members. Her Elekid looked on warily, but didn't object.
As the weeks on the road passed, the training paid off well. Gastly learned several new techniques, including how to use the Shadow Ball attack, which James knew would help him in the next couple of Gyms. Quilava and the others continued to grow, particularly Zubat, whose already prodigious speed had increased to an even higher level. Both Elekid had learned some stronger Electric-type techniques, and Pichu had managed to strengthen her own electric blasts, nearly knocking Pidgeotto out of the air with a stray Thunder Shock. After Jen stopped laughing, she made sure she told the Tiny Mouse to be more careful in future. To cap the first half of the trip, Togepi surprised everyone twice, first by evolving during a sparring round with Graveler, then blasting the multi-armed boulder with a flurry of multicoloured leaves.
“What was that?” Jen asked as she fished for her Pokédex. James shrugged as he tended to his Rock-type.
“I have no idea. It looked pretty strange to me.”
“She didn't show any signs of knowing a new move before now. If...here we go.” She trained her device on Togetic to see what was going on.
“Togetic, the Happiness Pokémon. It thrives among kind-hearted people, and it is capable of remaining airborne without extensive use of its wings.” After a few whirring sounds, the device spoke again. “One of Togetic's latent moves is Magical Leaf. This Grass-type attack will never miss when launched.”
“Asked and answered, then?” James murmured as Jen stowed the Pokédex. Jen nodded quietly, and then she smiled.
“At least Togetic can help out more in battle now. I loved her just as much as a Togepi, but Metronome's not the best move to rely on.” Togetic floated by, and Jen giggled. “She'll be just fine.”
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A few days after they passed the MooMoo farm intersection, it started raining. The line of trees at the edge of the road had thinned considerably, annoying Quilava and soaking everyone caught outside. To keep their pace going, James suggested stretching a tarp over himself, Jen and Quilava as they walked, but they gave up after it nearly blew away for the fourth time. Signs for Olivine began appearing as they trudged down the route, mud flying up with every step. By the time the city hove into view, the three of them looked like they'd taken a dive into the mud.
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“At least the city's close,” Jen said as they retreated to their tent that night. “It could be worse.”
“Yeah,” James answered, gulped some water. “We could be covered in mud and still be miles away.”
“You had to say that, didn't you?” Jen took their map out of her bag and started looking at it. “That weird sign next to Olivine, what does that mean?”
“Which one?” James asked. Jen pointed out a small grey circlet with an odd triangular symbol inside. “I don't know. Maybe it has to do with the type of Gym in town?”
“Could be. What type does the Olivine Gym Leader use?”
“I think she's a Steel-type user. Tough to break down, but the right matchup could do it.”
“That's pretty cool. I haven't seen many Steel-types before.”
“Well, like I said, they're tough to break down. It won't be easy for either of us.”
“No, but isn't that the idea? If it were that easy, we'd be in Silver Town for the Conference by now.”
“Maybe.” James dove inside his sleeping bag, and Jen folded the map before going to sleep herself.
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The final run to Olivine saw the rain stop, and the journey was quiet and easy from that point. The air felt cool as they entered the bustling port city, and the road was packed with people. After patiently working their way through the crowd, they ran towards the imposing Olivine Gym, its sloped sides giving it the look of a metallic bunker. As they entered, a man walked past them, looking annoyed.
“What's with him?” James asked as they walked towards the reception desk.
“I don't know. Maybe he lost his match.” They approached the counter, and James stepped back to let Jen talk to the receptionist, a young, blonde-haired woman. “Hi, we're here to challenge the Gym Leader.”
“I'm afraid the Gym Leader is not here.” the receptionist answered. “She is currently on holiday, and will not be back for at least a week.”
“What? Is that even allowed?”
“Of course. Gym Leaders are allowed their leisure time just as much as anyone else.” The woman keyed in some numbers on a computer, then turned back to Jen. “If you are looking for a Gym challenge, may I suggest the Cianwood Gym across the water to the southwest? After you finish up there, Jasmine should be available to take your challenge when you return.”
“Erm, okay. Thank you.” Jen nodded, and the pair exited the building. “So now what?”
“Guess we have to find a way across to Cianwood.”
“How? We don't have any Water-type Pokémon, and it would take us a long time to get there even if we did.”
“Why don't we just take a ferry across? This is a port, after all, there's bound to be one.” Jen thought for a moment, then she smiled.
“That would make sense. Let's head over to the docks and see if there's one we can catch.”
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A sailor met them at the entrance to the dock as they arrived.
“You kids looking to go to Cianwood?” James nodded, and the sailor gave them a sheepish smile. “I'm sorry to tell you this, but the ferry left ten minutes ago. Next one won't be for at least an hour.”
“That's okay.” Jen said. “We'll find a way to pass the time before the next ferry.” The sailor waved them off, and they walked towards the shoreline.
“Well, what do you want to do?” James asked as they approached the water. “Maybe we can train a little, or just read a map...Jen, don't touch that!” Jen, her hand inches from a small blue mass with red blobs on either side.
“What? Why?” Jen stepped back as she withdrew her hand. “Is it dangerous or something?”
“If that's what I think it is, yes.” James took out his Pokédex, and trained it on the blob.
“Tentacool, the Jellyfish Pokémon.” the device announced. “This aquatic creature refracts sunlight within its body to release beam attacks, and its tentacles secrete a powerful acid.”
“Well, that's useful to know.” As Jen turned away from the shore, a huge splash of water swamped the dehydrated Tentacool and swept it back into the sea. The cause of the splash became apparent almost instantly: another blue jellyfish, much larger than Tentacool and with dozens of tentacles protruding from its body. Its eyes looked permanently narrowed, and the jewels on its body glowed with a faint light.
“What is that thing?” Jen reached for a Pokéball as James prepared to scan the creature.
“Tentacruel, the Jellyfish Pokémon, and the evolved form of Tentacool. It normally keeps most of its tentacles hidden from view, and extends them to stun and trap its prey.” Jen's eyes widened as the creature stared her down, then she threw the Pokéball that she'd grabbed.
“Are you going to drive it back into the sea?” James asked.
“No,” Jen replied as Zubat emerged. “I'm going to catch it.”
“Are you crazy? Can Zubat stand up to this thing?”
“Only one way to find out!” Jen looked to either side of Tentacruel, then pointed. “Zubat, hit it on its left with Air Cutter!” Zubat flapped its wings and fired the bladed air current at the jellyfish, who simply shrugged it off. “Okay, now try Supersonic!” Zubat flew towards Tentacruel, loosing its high-pitched shriek, but Tentacruel extended a pair of tentacles and wrapped them around the Bat Pokémon.
“Jen, Zubat's in trouble!”
“Tell me something I don't know! Zubat, Bite attack!” Zubat tried to work free and bite down on a tentacle, but Tentacruel simply slammed it down on the sand. “Zubat!” Tentacruel continued to pound Zubat against the soft surface, sending a spray of seawater and sand everywhere. After a few slams, it released Zubat and waited for its opponent's next move.
“Z-Zubat?” Jen said, her voice shaking. Zubat chittered weakly, then its body began to glow. “You're kidding!”
“I guess that attack pushed Zubat over the edge.” James said. “It's starting to evolve.” Zubat's body expanded, and its wings grew wider. Two short legs grew underneath its body, and a pair of eyes appeared below small ears. As Jen admired the newly-evolved bat, James scanned it.
“Golbat, the Bat Pokémon, and the evolved form of Zubat. It primarily attacks its victims on dark, moonless nights, and it will drain the victim's energy until it becomes too heavy to fly.”
“That sounds kinda freaky, but I'll take it, I guess.” Jen grinned as Golbat flew back into the air. “Okay, Golbat, let's keep this up! Air Cutter!” The bladed wind was stronger now, and Tentacruel shied visibly as the attack hit home. “Now Bite!” Golbat's jaws closed on one of the jewels on Tentacruel's head, and it fired a beam of light to try and shake it off. The effort caused it to slump forward, and Jen seized her chance. “You're mine!” The Pokéball she threw struck one of the jewels, and Tentacruel was sucked inside. It shook once...then broke open, releasing the jellyfish. “Oh, boy. This won't be so easy.”
“Just throw another Pokéball before it gets away!” Tentacruel was already turning clumsily, trying to escape.
“Oh, no, you don't!” Jen threw another Pokéball and the process repeated. The ball shook once...twice...three times...then the ball pinged. “Yes! We've done it!” Golbat flitted above the ball as Jen retrieved it, and she recalled it with a smile. “Well done, Golbat. We've got a new teammate to work with.” James checked his PokéGear as Jen shrank the two Pokéballs and put them away.
“Jen, have you seen the time?” Jen shook her head. “Well, we should get back to the dock. The ferry will leave without us if we don't hurry.” With Quilava at his heels, James ran for the docks, and Jen sprinted after them.