FicWad

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon or any intellectual properties tied to its name and franchise, but I own Josie Sheridan and miscellaneous characters I make up for her to battle...except gym leaders :D.

A/N in this chapter I decided to put in a training scene (training is important...thanks to IWCT for putting the idea in my head), just to prepare for the gym battle, (thought it was a good idea, you guys tell me) and introduce a character who'll be in it for a couple of chapters. Also character background...fun.

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Josie squinted as the light of the late afternoon sun hit her eyes hard, at least what Lenny said was true, it was only a half hours walk. To be honest she'd expected Viridian Forest to be...bigger somehow. She looked ahead, so there it was, Pewter City, the Granite City. It showed too, geez there were a lot of stone buildings here. Still it was the perfect place for a Rock type gym, she laughed to herself. Charmander looked down at her from his perch, confused.

"Oh just a funny thought Charmander, nothing really," Josie smiled.

"Char..." the Pokemon sighed, if she didn't know better she'd say that was like a Pokemon saying 'whatever'.

"So, first gym battle here Charmander," she said to him. "I hear it's a rock type gym so...hmmm."

It hit her there...she'd always known Charmander wouldn't be much use in Pewter City. Her flying types were out, there was no way she could use her newly caught Caterpie, that wouldn't last a second, and her newly caught Pikachu wouldn't be any use, she doubted she had Ash Ketchum's luck/skill, whatever won him that battle...she'd been to amazed by the fact that an electric type beat a rock type that she completely zoned out the rest of the story. Damn her ditzy nature!

"Char..." Charmander seemed concerned.

"...How are we gonna beat Rock types Charmander?" she asked it. Sitting on the edge of the hill that lead into the city.

The Charmander thought for a while, before coming up with an idea. "Char! Charmander, char!"

Josie looked confused as Charmander jumped off her pack and released her Nidoran from their Poke balls. Charmander, Derek and Diane all conversed as only Pokemon could, Derek and Diane seemingly getting excited at Charmander's idea.

"Ok...guys...mind letting me in here." Josie asked once they'd stopped.

Derek and Diane looked at each other, before both performing double kick at the same time. Josie looked confused for a second, before it clicked. "Hey double kick is..."

Charmander, Derek and Diane cheered happily as she got it. She checked her notebook...fighting type moves beat rock types.

"Aww you guys," she hugged them. "Thanks. Derek, Diane, you ready to battle hard tomorrow?"

"Nidoran!" they both cheered.

"We'd best get to the Pokemon centre and rest up then," she smiled, calling Derek and Diane back to their balls and lifting Charmander back on her pack. "Kudos to you Charmander, and thanks, you really are looking out for me."

"Charmander," it smiled in reply as they set off down the hill. Double kick...heh, her Pokemon were smart, it scared her to think that they were smarter than her in some respects, obviously. Still, a trainer's journey was all about learning, who said she couldn't learn a few things from her own Pokemon? Still she still had to get close enough to use it...guess it'd be a late night for her tonight, strategy mattered after all, and man she'd need one.


As she walked down the hillside that surrounded the city, she saw a fair amount of both working, and abandoned granite quarries. This gave her a small thought; training in the right terrain would help her prepare for the gym battle tomorrow.

"Hey Charmander," she said, as she looked at a particular quarry right next to the city. "What do you say we train a while? Could always use the practise before a battle...I reckon we all could."

Charmander smiled at his trainer from his perch; sure a little training could go a long way as far as tomorrow is concerned. "Char," it agreed.

"Alright then," she said, sliding, not so gracefully, in fact more like falling into, the quarry...ouch. She recovered quickly laughing at her own misfortune, as did her Charmander. "Ok, ok," she said to the Pokemon who graciously stopped. She grabbed the five balls from her belt. "Everyone come on out!"

Pidgey, Rattata, Derek, Diane and Spearow all appeared from their Poke balls obediently in a great flash of light, momentarily stunned by it, Josie scolded herself for not remembering to look away while this happened.

"Ok everyone," she said enthusiastically, still rubbing her eyes a little. "What do you say to a little training session before the big first match tomorrow?"

The various cries of enthusiasm assured her that they were agreeable to the idea as Charmander jumped of his perch to join them.

"All right everyone," she said. "This is the type of terrain we can expect from here roughly through to the next city, so we'd better familiarise ourselves with it. Derek, Diane...I want you to get used to this especially for tomorrow so investigate the terrain, run around, get used to the ground and practise your double kicks on some of the left over rocks, don't over do it though ok? Rest a bit if you get tired."

"Nido!" they nodded running off together to investigate the area.

"Pidgey, Spearow, I want you guys to practise flying low, but more importantly, your gust based attacks, try moving small rocks with them, if you can manage small ones, move on to larger ones, but don't tire yourself too much, rest if need be."

The two Pokemon cooed, flying off to begin their workout.

"Now, Charmander, Rattata, you two currently have no moves that are strong against Rock types, BUT," she added that quickly, before the Pokemon became disheartened. "I reckon we can get round that."

The Pokemon, listened, what was her idea?

Josie walked over to the edge of the quarry, where she had oh so graciously entered just five minutes ago. " I slipped and fell here, the ground is loose because there's no granite left to support it." She got out her notebook. "Ground type moves are strong against rock," she quoted from her chart. "So, I want you guys to practise digging. Not only is dig a ground type move, but once you both get good at it, it'll get us out of trouble in a pinch..." she stopped and looked at them. "What do you think?"

Both Pokemon looked at each other, before smiling and nodding. Charmander's claws would help it and Rattata were natural burrowers.

"I'm so glad you think it's a good idea," she smiled. "Start from up top and dig down though, digging into the side may cause a cave in."

The Pokemon nodded both bounding to the top of the quarry and beginning their task ardently, and doing quite well too.

"Great guys," she shouted. "You keep it up while I go check on the others ok?"


The Pokemon replied in the affirmative, as Josie looked in on her other Pokemon. She had to admit that she wanted to swap one for her newly caught Pikachu. This training session would help determine who would serve her best in the coming journey to Cerulean through Mount Moon. She sighed, she wished she could carry all her Pokemon with her, she didn't want to have to choose, they were all great in their own way, and each had their strengths, but there was no doubt in her mind that she wanted Pikachu with her at Cerulean. She'd heard tales of Cerulean being an easy gym till recently, apparently the younger of the sisters who ran the gym was now its sole leader and was one tough young lady; she'd heard rumours that it was Ash Ketchum's former travelling friend Misty. She'd met Misty once, strange how she'd met her and yet never Ash. She seemed real nice, despite Josie preferring fire types to her water types. She hoped it was her; she'd like to battle her and prove herself, just like she'd have too with all the gym leaders.


She watched her other Pokemon with interest, Derek was having no problem obliterating rocks with his double kick, or his horn...was that rock smash? Diane, however weaker was having a much easier time moving around the terrain, bounding with comparative ease next to Derek. She wrote this down immediately, it may become a factor in tomorrows match. Looking in on Pidgey and Spearow, it was obvious to her that Spearow was having the easier time out of the two when it came to moving rocks around with their gust and whirlwind attacks. Turning back to face Charmander and Rattata she found they had already been to the bottom once, and were starting at the top again, Rattata slightly faster than Charmander, but then Rattata were better suited to digging.

"Geez guys, you work fast!" she laughed.

"Char!" Charmander agreed, he was filthy, as was Rattata, but they seemed to be having fun. Taking note of their good digging ability, she smiled. A back up plan was always good, she didn't know whether the gym leader here was going to do a two on two, or a three on three. This was good, her Pokemon seemed to be progressing great. Charmander and Rattata could now dig, Derek seemed to have got the hang of smashing rocks, Diane seemed a lot faster, almost like agility she noted, than she was when first caught, Spearow's flying attacks were only getting stronger...but that left Pidgey. She sighed, her decision made, she'd make the swap at the Pokemon centre later. Pidgey had battled the least amount of Caterpie in Viridian Forest, she felt bad that it would be Pidgey who would have to go so she could take Pikachu, but she wanted an advantage...not just in Cerulean, but in case she saw that Kendo guy again too, she was sure he'd keep his promise about trying to beat her.

"Ok everyone, let's break it off and have something to eat before heading to the centre," she called. Every Pokemon took their serving from her with relish. Josie didn't actually feel like eating herself, but sat and watched her Pokemon do so, she'd eat at the centre she reasoned with herself, and her Charmander looking her way gave her a 'you'd better had missy' kind of motherly like stare. She smiled and nodded but was honestly beginning to wonder if he was psychic or something. She chuckled in her head assuring herself that he was only keeping his promise to her father, and as a friend and partner too.

"Wow, what great looking Pokemon!" she heard a voice exclaim from behind her. She winced slightly...not again! She swore at the rate this was going she was going to end up having a heart attack or something!

She turned to face a boy, older than her, maybe Ash's age? He was wearing a red and black striped shirt, shorts, but more curiously, a camera around his neck. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he smiled apologetically. "The name's Snap, I work as a freelance photographer, I was just watching your training session and I just had to get some pictures."

"Ok...but you know you really should ask first." Josie said. "Name's Josie from Pallet Town," she said as Snap slid into the quarry to join her. She shook the hand he gave.

"Yeah sorry about that," he smiled. "I tend to get carried away easy and forget my manners, see I figured you were a new trainer and I'm doing an article on this seasons new trainers for Pokemon Monthly and well seems as you're her training with a Charmander I figured you for one. Training for your gym battle?"

"Yeah," she had to be slightly amazed for his perceptive skills. "If it's for Pokemon monthly, I guess its cool, right guys?" she turned to her Pokemon seeking approval, which she got. Heh not camera shy then.

"Thanks," he smiled at Josie and her Pokemon. "Guess I'll need a team shot then...you don't mind?"

Josie blushed, her Pokemon might not be camera shy but she was! Too late though as her Pokemon gathered round her. Spearow and Pidgey perching on her shoulders, Charmander jumping into her arms, Derek, Diane and Rattata posing in front of her. "But, my hair...I'm not ready I ah..."

"Aww you look great," Snap reassured. "Now smile."

She did so nervously, as he took the picture. "Great, now it was Josie from Pallet Town right?"

"Yep," she smiled, still nervous as her Pokemon returned to their food.

"You know Ash then?" he enquired. "I travelled with him and his friends a good couple of years back now."

"Well I know of Ash, but I always missed him when he was home," she sighed.

"He's a pretty good trainer," Snap noted. "I hope to catch up with him one day, want to interview him about him winning the Orange League, not too many people beat Drake and his Dragonite."

"I know," she smiled. "My mother's from the Orange Islands, she wants me to try that challenge when I'm more prepared, she used to manage the gym on Trovita Island but gave up when she met, and beat, my father. They moved to Pallet and opened a store there and had me. I hear my cousin runs it nowadays, apparently I met him when I was younger, can't say I remember him though."

"You must mean Rudy," Snap said. "Wow, that'll be good to put in the story about you."

Aww man, she really hoped Rudy didn't read Pokemon monthly now! "Can't you just say that my parents are general store owners, I mean I don't want it getting around about me being the daughter of a former gym leader and Pokemon trainer, talk about pressure as it is."

Snap considered this. "But you're confident aren't you?"

"Yeah but...well ok then, but not too much about it ok?"

"Deal," he smiled, making a note. "So you're hoping to go to Pewter Gym then on to Cerulean right?"

"Yeah," she said. "Through Mount Moon."

"I'm gonna head that way too, wanna see if I can get a scoop on the suspicious activity going on up there. Mind if I tag along to Cerulean?"

"What do you think guys?" she asked her Pokemon again. Her Pokemon seemed happy with the idea. "Ok Snap, you've got yourself a travelling partner."

"Cool," he smiled. "Mount Moon is an imposing place to go through alone, especially for a non trainer like me. Thanks guys." All her Pokemon cheered.

"Ok guys, off to Pewter City it is, return!"

All her Pokemon returned to the balls she held out, except Charmander, who has usual stayed out, and jumped atop her pack.

"You and Charmander must be good friends," Snap smiled, taking a picture before Josie could protest. "That's good."

"Charmander," the Pokemon agreed.

"Well let's go," Josie said. "I can already taste my first badge!"

Snap laughed. "All you Pallet Towner's are enthusiastic, must be something in the water."

Josie laughed too...maybe there was. You never know, she thought silently as she, Charmander and Snap headed into Pewter City, and the Pokemon centre.

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Whew, next chapter. Gym battle! I hope you guys liked the idea of the training session, and my character's background. Too much you think? Review and let me know.