//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 - Youngster 
// Story: Pokémon Red and Purple 
// by Universal Librarian 
//------------------------------//

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Elaine asked.

Trace shook his head. "Nah, I'm gonna go and check out the gym. I know I can't challenge the leader yet, but if he's there, I might at least be able to get a look inside."

"Alright, well, good luck," Elaine replied.

"And you, see you all later!' Trace waved enthusiastically as he headed back into town. "Good luck, Twilight!"

Twilight waved back half-heartedly. "Don't you want to go and see the gym as well?" She asked, glancing at Elaine.

Elaine shook her head. "Nah, that gym leader is hardly ever there. He only accepts challenges from trainers who've managed to get all of the other gym badges, and even then you have to book a challenge and his aides let you know when he's back." She gestured to the path ahead. "Come on, we'd better get going if we want to get through Viridian Forest by sundown."

As one, the group turned and followed the path out of town. Most of the Pokémon had returned to their Poké-balls, with only Sunset and Pikachu actually wanting to walk under their own power.

The way ahead was very similar to Route 1. A simple path wound its way between swathes of long grass, with thickly clustered trees lining either side of the Route. The occasional Trainer could be seen wandering around, either searching for Pokémon in the grass, or simply chatting casually with each other.

"This should take us right up to Viridian Forest," Elaine explained. "It should extend right the way up to Pewter City on the other side, then."

"Is it dangerous?" Twilight asked.

"It can be," Elaine replied. "There's a lot of poison types in there, and a fair few of them are pretty territorial."

Twilight grimaced, glad that she at least had a bunch of antidotes. "How far is it to Pewter City?"

"A fair distance," Elaine admitted. "Add in the wild Pokémon and a couple of Trainer battles, and it might be a push to make it before sundown."

That didn't sound particularly appealing to Twilight, but she supposed that she didn't have much choice other than to trust Elaine's judgement. "Do Trainers regularly battle each other out in public?" She asked, wondering how other people dealt with such disruption.

"Not so much in towns or cities, but the Routes between them are usually fair game," Elaine replied. "Trainer battles in built-up areas are generally restricted to official Gyms or authorised venues."

"Oh, that's not so bad," Twilight said with relief. With her main concerns allayed, or at least put off for the moment, Twilight tried to focus on the peaceful scenery around her. Several Pidgeys and other bird Pokémon were flying around between the trees, and the grass rustled as other Pokémon went about their daily lives within.

Glancing down, Twilight was glad to see that Sunset was looking around with interest as well. She had feared that her friend would be despondent after everything that had happened to her, and the way people were treating her, but it seemed that she was doing fine. Either that, or Sunset was just very good at hiding her feelings.

"Heya, are you two Trainers?" A high-pitched voice called out. Twilight looked around to see a young boy, no older than eight or nine, holding out a Poké-ball proudly. "Want a match?"

"Sure thing, kid!" Elaine grinned and held out an arm. "Let's go, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu leapt from Elaine's arm and landed in an aggressive pose, sparks flying from her cheeks.

The youngster grimaced and took a step back. "No way, not against a Pikachu! I've only got a Pidgey, he's weak against Electric types, it's not a fair match! What about that Ponyta?"

"Shim?" Sunset said in a curious tone.

"She's not a Ponyta," Elaine told him. "This little one's a unique Pokémon!"

"Whoa!" The kid grinned widely up at Twilight. "Can I have a match against her? Can I, can I?!"

Twilight glanced warily down at Sunset, who looked like she had just bitten down on a fresh lemon. "I'm not sure that she-"

"Shim," Sunset said firmly. She took a deep breath, then strode purposefully towards the kid. "Shim, shimmy."

"You want to fight?" Twilight asked in surprise. Sunset just nodded. "Um, okay? I guess you know what you're doing."

The boy whooped and opened his Poké-ball, releasing a Pidgey into the sky. The bird Pokémon soared around until it came to rest on the ground in front of the boy, spreading its wings to make itself look bigger and more impressive. "Pidgey!"

Sunset just sighed and brushed a stray lock of her mane out of her face, then took up an aggressive pose. "Shimmy."

The two Pokémon stared each other down silently, neither making a move. After a few seconds, the boy suddenly shouted, "Go, Pidgey! Sand Attack!"

With a loud cry, the Pidgey flapped its wings hard and kicked up a cloud of dust, making Sunset cover her eyes with a hoof. "Now, Quick Attack!"

"Look out!" Twilight yelled. Her warning came too late. The Pidgey hurtled forward at incredible speed and slammed into Sunset's side before she could react, knocking her off her feet and making Twilight wince.

"Get her again, same move!" The youngster exclaimed excitedly. Twilight cringed as the Pidgey attacked again. A split-second before impact Sunset disappeared in a flash of light, avoiding the attack by a hair’s breadth. “Whoa, she can use Teleport?! Be careful, Pidgey!” 

The Pidgey hovered in place, looking around in an attempt to find Sunset. All of a sudden, the boy let out a loud yelp as Sunset charged out from behind him. “Over here, Pidgey!”

To its credit, the Pidgey swooped around and gained altitude as it turned, making itself a harder target than if it had just turned on the spot. Sunset skidded to a halt and teleported just as the bird Pokémon let loose another Sand Attack. Twilight and the Pidgey both looked around for her again, but the youngster shouted out, “There! In the dust!” Twilight’s stomach dropped as she spotted the distinctive glow of Sunset’s horn in the middle of the dust cloud. “Get her, Pidgey, Quick Attack!”

The Pidgey rocketed into the cloud at a horrendous speed, only to suddenly be launched back out of it with a loud wham and crash to the ground in a heap. When the dust cleared, Sunset was standing in a typical bucking pose, a triumphant look on her face.

“Whoa! Pidgey, retaliate with Gust!” The boy raised a clenched fist as he waited for his Pokémon to attack, only to look around in confusion as it didn’t. “Huh? Pidgey?” The unfortunate bird Pokémon was sitting on the ground where it had landed with its feathers ruffled, looking a little worse for wear. “Oh, no way! A one-hit wonder?! Alright, Pidgey, return!” The boy held out his Pokéball and the Pidgey was sucked inside in a flash of red light. “Aw, shoot. I guess I’d better get back to the Pokémon Centre. Your Pokémon is really strong, Miss!”

“Right, uh, thanks?” Twilight replied, a little shocked at how casually the kid was taking his Pokémon’s defeat. He grinned and waved as he walked back to Viridian City, prompting her to wave back weakly. 

Elaine chuckled and patted her on the back. “Don’t worry, a quick trip to the Pokémon Centre and that Pidgey will be fine. Come on, Viridian Forest isn’t far.”