Route 29 was fairly quiet. James and Jen practiced by the roadside in the early hours of the day, and did the bulk of their walking in the late afternoon and evening. Pidgey, whom the Pokédex had identified as a female, spent most of her time in the trees when they weren't training, and appeared to have a huffy, superior disposition. James tried to get her to interact with Cyndaquil, but she was having none of it, and often refused to look at either of them in company.
Jen, meanwhile, spent her training hours trying to get Togepi up to speed. Magby's Ember attack was the only offensive move either of her Pokémon had, and they'd need to develop some attacking ability before they reached the Violet City Gym. None of the Pokémon along the route appealed much to her, either, even though James kept pointing out that most Gym battles involved three Pokémon per side.
“That's fine, but I'm not keen on anything here,” Jen argued. “I'll find the right fit eventually, just not now.” She looked at Pidgey, who was resting above their heads, and Cyndaquil, who was napping nearby. “And you'd better start thinking about your next catch too. You're not interested in anything else here either.”
“I haven't even thought about what to catch next,” James answered. “Sentret and Rattata don't fit the way I want to battle.”
“You already have a way you want to battle?” Jen asked, surprised.
“Of course I do. I want to go on the attack, and not let up. The best defense is a strong offense, as my dad might put it.” Jen considered.
“Huh. I'd better start thinking about the way I want to battle too, then.”
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After a fortnight or so, Cherrygrove City hove into view. The evening air cooled off considerably as James, Jen and Cyndaquil entered. The small town was quiet, and the wind rustled the trees, giving Cherrygrove a peaceful air. James turned to Jen, being careful not to wake Cyndaquil, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder.
"Where should we head first?" he asked her, adjusting the strap on his pack.
"Well, let's see. Where would someone go to register for the Johto League?" Jen asked, looking around. She spotted a large building with a huge red "P" on its domed roof and pointed. "There, the Pokémon Centre! We can rest our Pokémon there, and then register for the League."
"Sounds good to me," James said, and they hurried through the sliding doors into the lobby. Nurse Joy, one of the countless identical nurses that ran Pokémon Centres around the world, greeted them warmly.
"Good evening, and welcome to the Pokémon Centre!" she said cheerfully, bowing to them. "How may I help you today?"
"We're here to rest our Pokémon and register for the Johto League." Jen told her, as James looked distractedly at a poster advertising the competition. Each of them put their Pokéballs on a tray, and a recently-awoken Cyndaquil hopped onto James' tray and sat next to Pidgey's ball, still refusing to go back into his own. Joy gave the trays to a Chansey standing nearby, and the Happiness Pokémon carried them away.
"Now, you said you were registering for the Johto League?" Joy asked them, and when they nodded she punched a few buttons on her computer and called up the registration program. Two slots opened on the reception desk. "All you need to do is insert your Pokédex into the slot, and it will automatically scan your information and enter you into the League's database. You will also receive your trainer card, which is one of your forms of ID, the other being your Pokédex." James and Jen placed their Pokédex units in the slots, and after a few seconds a chime sounded, followed by a pair of small cards appearing in a small receptacle below the slots. "There we go, you're all set!" Joy said. The two youngsters thanked her and headed for the waiting area.
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"So, are you excited for everyone else to see your first Pokémon, James?" Jen asked as they collected their Pokémon five minutes later and headed for the battlefield, where they would do some training before heading out. James nodded emphatically.
"Absolutely. My main goal is to show my dad and my brothers that I'm just as good as they are," he said, grinning at Cyndaquil, who was poking around the trees and jumping back every time anything moved. "Hey, Cyndaquil, what do you say we get some more training in before we turn in?" Cyndaquil turned away from the bush he was examining and nodded vigorously, rushing towards the field. James let Pidgey out of her ball, and she looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"Well, Pidgey, it's time to start training for the Violet Gym. We may have a ways to go before we get home, but we have to train hard to battle at a Gym Leader's level." James told her, and she nodded slowly before rocketing after Cyndaquil. "Hey, what're you doing? I didn't tell you to do anything yet!" Pidgey ignored him, slamming into Cyndaquil before the Fire-type could react. Cyndaquil squeaked in annoyance and surprise before loosing a flurry of fire bolts at Pidgey, who dodged all of them. James looked at Jen, wide-eyed, and she shrugged.
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"She's fast," she said simply, taking out her own Pokéballs. "That's all I've got." Jen released Magby and Togepi, while James shook his head and ran towards Pidgey and Cyndaquil.
"Hey, you two, cut it out! I haven't told either of you to do anything yet, so knock it off right now!"
"Looks like someone needs to get control of his Pokémon," said another voice. A boy about James' age stepped out onto the field, looking amused at the bird and echidna. He had short, rust-brown hair and coal-black eyes, which bore into James' icy blue ones. He wore a dark grey t-shirt and dark jeans, and his cobalt blue backpack hung loosely off one shoulder.
"What's that supposed to mean?" James shouted back, trying in vain to wrestle Cyndaquil away from Pidgey.
"Exactly what I said. You've got no control of your Pokémon," the other boy said, taking out a Pokéball. "Wheras I have a very well-behaved Pokémon. Let's move!" He threw the ball, and upon snapping open it revealed a bluish, quadripedal creature with a large green bulb on its back. Its large red eyes examined James and Cyndaquil calmly. James' eyes widened again, and he took out his Pokédex to scan it.
"Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. Bulbasaur is a Grass-type Pokémon native to the Kanto region. The bulb on its back makes it difficult to determine whether Bulbasaur is primarily a plant or an animal."
"Wait, if you've got a Kanto Pokémon..." Jen said, walking over to see what was happening, "then you're not from Johto, are you?"
"You've got a mind like a steel trap, sister," the boy said with a smirk. "The name's Hunter Scott, and I'm from Fuchsia City in Kanto. My goal is to become a defensive specialist and win the Pokémon League." Jen gave Hunter Scott a friendly smile.
"I'm Jennifer Richards, but you can call me Jen. And this is my friend James Enfield."
"Hi," James said shortly, still trying to contain his annoyance at Hunter's comments. "You want to be a defensive specialist?" he asked incredulously. "Everyone knows that defense is a simple way of saying 'sit back and watch your Pokémon get pummelled!'"
"That's not true!" Hunter shot back, his black eyes narrowed. "Defense is what you build a battle strategy on. If you can't take any punishment, what good is anything else?"
"It's better than letting your Pokémon get hurt!" James answered, his own eyes becoming stormy. "And I'll prove it to you right now! Let's have a battle! Your Bulbasaur against my Cyndaquil!"
"Fine," Hunter said, relaxing a little. "But don't think you'll win just because you have an advantage. A good defense always makes type matchups irrelevant."
"Says you!" James shouted, and they headed for the battlefield.
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Jen offered to referee the match, and both James and Hunter agreed to the arrangement. Hunter had recalled Bulbasaur for the time being, and Cyndaquil sat on James' shoulder, ready to fight. Jen called out the rules for the match: one Pokémon each, no substitutes, and the first Pokémon to knock out the other would be declared the winner.
"That's fine with me! Cyndaquil, let's go!" James shouted, and Cyndaquil hopped off his shoulder onto the field, his back ablaze. Hunter tossed out his own ball, and out came Bulbasaur, roaring an obvious challenge to the Fire-type.
"Go!" Jen called, and both trainers jumped into action.
"Cyndaquil, Tackle attack!" Cyndaquil raced at Bulbasaur, but as he rushed onwards, he picked up speed, and a white trail of light followed him as he charged the Grass-type. "Whoa! What's going on?" James asked, not knowing what was happening.
"Your Cyndaquil appears to have learned a new move," Hunter said offhandedly from across the field. "That move happens to be Quick Attack. Not that it matters. Bulbasaur, stand firm and use Vine Whip!" Two vines sprang from underneath the bulb on the Seed Pokémon's back, and shot at Cyndaquil with tremendous force. The vines caught Cyndaquil before he could make contact, and Bulbasaur lifted the Fire Mouse off the ground.
"Get out of there, Cyndaquil! Ember!" Cyndaquil launched another flurry of fire bolts at the Seed Pokémon, whose grip loosened as the super-effective attack hit its mark. Cyndaquil leaped away as soon as the vines slackened, and dashed away to a safe distance.
"Not bad, James," Hunter said quietly, watching the Fire-type escape. "But that won't help you! Bulbasaur, hold your ground! Use Vine Whip if it gets close!"
"If he's just gonna sit there, then we'll take him down from long range!" James called to Cyndaquil. "Use Ember!" Bulbasaur shrank back a little from the Fire-type move, but stood firm. "Now, Quick Attack!" Cyndaquil dashed at Bulbasaur, trying to take advantage of its opponent's distraction.
"Bulbasaur, Tackle! Take it out!" Hunter called. Bulbasaur and Cyndaquil slammed into one another, and each flew backward. The adversaries struggled to their feet, neither wanting to fall first. James and Hunter glared at each other, the tension building. Eventually, Bulbasaur's legs shook, and it fell forward, its eyes glazed over. Jen looked over and nodded before confirming the Grass-type's defeat.
"Bulbasaur is unable to continue! The winners are James and Cyndaquil!"
"We did it, Cyndaquil!" James shouted, running to his Pokémon. Cyndaquil leaped into James' arms and James hugged him tightly, overjoyed at his victory. He looked over to where Hunter was kneeling next to Bulbasaur, and his smile faded a little.
"Bulbasaur, are you alright?" Hunter asked, concern on his face. Bulbasaur nodded weakly, disappointed at its loss. "No worries, you stood firm like I told you; those Fire attacks made the difference. We'll get them next time, so return and take a rest." Hunter recalled his Grass-type and turned to James. "Looks like you won this one."
"Looks like," James said, nodding. His grin returned to his face. "I'll tell ya, the way Bulbasaur was able to handle all those hits was pretty impressive. I was wrong to say all that stuff earlier. I'm sorry I was such a jerk."
"I'm sorry, too. We both acted like idiots." Hunter replied, a sheepish look crossing his face. "You know what you're doing, at least. Bygones?"
"Bygones." James said, and the two shook hands. Jen smiled at the pair, and stood next to James as Hunter bid them farewell.
"Looks like you've got yourself a rival, James." Jen said, grinning at him.
"I know we'll meet again," James answered, watching his new rival disappear. "And I know he's never gonna make it easy on me. Just more incentive to improve, huh?"
"Yeah," Jen said, and they headed back into the Pokémon Centre to heal their Pokémon and prepare for the next leg of their journey.