Astro Boy Book One and Two Volume Edition Review

Astro Boy is written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. And published by Kobunsha and Kodansha in Japan. And published in English by Madman Entertainment and Dark Horse Comics.

Astro Boy is a manga series that revolves around a robot built by Dr. Tenma and modeled after his sadly deceased son. At first Tenma is happy with Astro, but for some reason soon comes to despise him. After Tenma kicks him out, and a few other events occur that I won’t mention, Astro goes on fantastic adventures and saves the day on more than one occasion. This volume edition contains several of Tezuka’s original illustrations.

The art was exactly as I expected it to be, amazing. There is a reason why Tezuka’s known as the godfather of manga. However, I did notice a couple of mistakes. For example, sometimes Astro would have his boots, but in the next panel they would disappear. This wasn’t really a problem for me, though, it was just something I noticed.

The storyline was also just as amazing as I expected. There were certain points of the stories that I found particularly creative. For example, there was a torture device in one story that looked like a cube and was filled with balls of polyester. The bad guys would put someone in it and fill the cube with water, thus expanding the balls of polyester and crushing the victim. But, as stated by the bad guys, it’s okay because it’s just a comic strip.

Anyway, I definitely recommend Astro Boy if you haven’t already checked it out. It is really worth the read. And hopefully I’ll get better at reviewing comic books and manga in the future so I’ll have more to say about them.

Later.

Trainer Strawberry: Chapter 18

Before heading back to Rustboro, Pepper and I decided to go back into the cave to make sure all the Pokemon in it were okay. As we entered the cave, I noticed something purple hiding behind a stalagmite. I stood still while I tried to figure out what the purple thing was. When it didn’t hear any movement, it poked its head out from behind the stalagmite. It looked like a chubby, purple rabbit with yellow ear tips.

Cool, a new Pokemon! I’m gonna catch it!

I looked at Pepper, and nodded toward the Pokemon. Pepper must have just been waiting for the command, because as soon as it was given, she charged toward the Pokemon and used “Bite”. The Pokemon was too surprised to move, and the attack became a direct hit. Once the Pokemon had fallen over from the force of the attack, I threw a Pokeball at it, then waited until it stopped shaking. My Pokedex then informed me that the Pokemon was a Whismur.

“Gotcha! Whismur was caught!” I sent the newly caught Pokemon back out. “Okay, the Pokedex says that your cries equal a jet plane in volume. So, how’s about I call you Echo?”

“Whis, Whismur.” The Pokemon quietly replied. I guessed that meant it was okay with that name, but it was hard to tell.

“Umm, well, okay. Let’s return the stolen Devon Goods. Okay, Pepper?” I asked my canine companion as I returned Echo to his Pokeball. Pepper nodded her head in agreement, she also seemed to not be quite sure how to respond to the quiet answer of Echo.

*Later, back at Rustboro*

Pepper and I headed toward the Devon building when we were stopped by a slightly familiar voice yelling at us.

“Hey!,” The Devon Researcher Man called as he waved his hand in the air, trying to get our attention, “Did you get the stolen goods back?”

“Yeah, we have them right here.” I yelled back. The man ran over to make sure the goods were still in good condition.

“This is wonderful! Come on, you simply must come to the Devon Building so we can properly thank you!”

I followed the Devon Researcher Man into the building, he lead me to the third floor. He then pointed to a chair and told me to wait there, the man then disappeared to parts unknown. Pepper jumped into my lap once I had sat down.

“I’m back, thanks for waiting.” The Devon Man said cheerfully when he came back after what had seemed like hours. “Here, take this as a token of my gratitude.” He said as he handed me a Great Ball.

I gave a slight bow as I accepted the item, I had heard that bowing was a polite gesture somewhere-or-another, and it seemed appropriate for the occasion. I then turned to leave when the man stopped me.

“Wait just a second. I have a favor to ask. Do you think you could deliver this package to Capt. Stern at Slateport’s Shipyard? You can? Great!” The man shoved the package into my hands before I could object, it was the same stolen goods I had just recovered, I guess the poor guy didn’t want to risk running into more bad luck and being unable to deliver it. “Also, the president would like to speak to you. Please follow me.” The man then headed toward some stairs, with Pepper and I following close behind.

“Well, hello there.” A man sitting behind a desk said as we entered the room. He had white, slightly spikey hair, kind but stern eyes, and he wore a white shirt with a bluish-greenish tie underneath a blue suit with some black stripes on it. His desk was surprisingly tidy, and on it sat a white hat with a gray band around it. “I’m Mr. Stone, the President of the Devon Corporation. I’d just got word about you! You saved our staff not just once, but twice! I have a favor to ask of an amazing person like you. I understand that you’re delivering a package to Slateport’s Shipyard. Well, on the way, could you stop off in Dewford Town? I was hoping that you’d deliver a Letter to Steven in Dewford.”

“Umm, yeah, sure.” I replied, I was surprised that Mr. Stone was actually giving me a choice in the matter. So far, it had seemed like everyone I met on my journey didn’t ask if I wanted to help or not, they all just seemed to expect my help, even if I had never met them before. And this guy was actually asking for my help, giving me the option of if I wanted to help him or not. That wasn’t exactly what I was expecting from the president of a company as big as Devon.

“Really? Well, you should know that I am a great President. So, I’d never be so cheap as to ask a favor for nothing in return. That’s why I want you to have this!” He handed me a strange device that I had never seen before.

I assumed that this was a new device that had just come out, but just because I had never seen it before didn’t mean it was new. While I was moving, I got a little behind on technology, so it wouldn’t surprise me if almost every Pokemon Trainer had one of these devices. Not knowing what to say, and not wanting to admit that I had no idea what the device was, I bowed in gratitude, just as I had done when the Devon Researcher Man gave me a Great Ball.

“That device… It’s a Pokémon Navigator, or PokéNav for short. It’s an indispensable tool for any Trainer on an adventure. It has a map of the Hoenn region. You can check the locations of Dewford and Slateport easily!” He explained, seeming to sense my confusion, “By the way, I’ve heard that sinister criminals—Magma and Aqua, I believe—have been making trouble far and wide. I think it would be best if you rested up before you go on your way.”

“I’ve heard of Team Aqua before, they’re the ones who attacked your staff and stole some of your company’s goods. But, I’ve never heard of this Team Magma that you mentioned, who are they?”

“They’re Team Aqua’s arch enemies. You see, while Team Aqua wants to expand the oceans in hopes that it will help restore the Pokemon of the world’s habitats, Team Magma wants to expand the world’s land mass, so life will be easier for humans.”

“How are they going to do that?”

“I’m not sure. All I know is that both of them need to be stopped. If either one of them succeeds, they will disrupt the balance of this world, and who knows what the consequences will be.”

“That just means I’ll have to do everything in my power to stop them!” I said as I turned to leave. “Thanks for the Pokenav, Mr. Stone. I’ll be sure to deliver the letter and the package for you.”

“Well, then, Strawberry, go with caution and care!”

I nodded as I left the room.

Team Aqua and Team Magma. What could they be thinking?!

Pokemon met this chapter: Echo, male, quiet nature

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Whoa, a new chapter of Trainer Strawberry?! What is happening?! Haha, yes, at long last, I have written another chapter of Trainer Strawberry. No, your eyes do not deceive you. Just as a side note, it’s been so long since I wrote a chapter for Trainer Strawberry, that I had no idea what any of my notes meant. Like, seriously, I had to get Dino to help me translate them. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait (but it probably wasn’t).

 

Trainer Strawberry: Chapter 17

Pepper and I stepped into the cave and stood for a few seconds while our eyes adjusted to the dim light. We stepped cautiously, carefully watching for the Team Aqua member who had been seen entering the cave. We had to be extra careful since he had an old man’s Pokemon held hostage.

Wait, did I get that old man’s name? No, no I didn’t. Well, that wasn’t a smart move on my part.

My thoughts were then interrupted by a voice suddenly shouting, “Don’t take another step! One more move, and this little Pokemon gets it!” I quickly looked to where the voice came from. It was the Team Aqua member, and with him was a scared looking Wingull.

Could that be Peeko? Nah, it couldn’t be. It’s probably just one of his own Pokemon.

Confident that it was just a trick, I took another step forward. The Team Aqua member seemed surprised by this.

“Oh great! Leave it to me to kidnap a useless Pokemon! Well, I guess I’ll just have to fight instead. Go, Poochyena!”

I sent out Zip and the battle began. Zip charged in with a “Headbutt”, but the Poochyena was faster than it looked and easily dodged the attack by jumping off of one of the walls of the cave. The Poochyena then used its momentum to attack with a fast and powerful “Tackle”. Zip dodged with “Quick Attack” and ran along the walls and jumped from stalagmites. The Poochyena chased him around the cave, neither Pokemon losing any of their momentum. Finally, Zip jumped back toward the Poochyena with a “Headbutt”. The attack hit, and the Poochyena was knocked out.

“This can’t be! Okay, if these Devon Goods are so important to you, you can have them!” And with that, the Team Aqua member dropped the stolen goods and ran off.

“Well, that wasn’t too tough,” I said as I picked up the dropped goods. Zip agreed. “So, any chance that you’re Peeko?” I asked the Wingull the Team Aqua member was holding hostage.

“Wingull! Wingull!” Peeko seemed extremely happy to hear her name.

I giggled. “I guess that’s a ‘Yes’.”

*Back outside the cave*

“Oh! Thank you for saving my precious Peeko!” The old man said as he hugged his ‘Precious Peeko’.

“No problem. My name’s Strawberry, by the way. And you are?” I asked the strange man in the hopes that he would let the poor Wingull breathe.

“Oh! Where are my manners? I’m Mr. Briney. I run the ferry from Route 104 to Slateport City. I also stop at Dewford Town. So, if you ever need a ride to either of those towns, you know who to see. And, as thanks for saving my precious Peeko, you can ride for free whenever you want.”

“Really? Thanks Mr. Briney!”

We both waved goodbye as we headed our own directions. It was time for me to return the stolen Devon Goods.

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What’s this?! Another Trainer Strawberry chapter? What sort of magic is this?! Anyway, this chapter isn’t the best one I’ve written, but it will take awhile before I get back in the swing of things.

Trainer Strawberry: Chapter 16

“Help! Someone, please help!” I heard someone shout as Pepper and I made our way to the edge of Rustboro to start heading to the next town.

“I wonder what’s going on? Come on, Pepper, let’s go check it out!” I said as Pepper and I ran in the direction that the shout had come from. It was the Devon Researcher we had met in the forest. “What happened?” I asked as Pepper and I approached.

“That Team Aqua member stole the Devon Goods I was supposed to deliver!” The man wailed.

“Okay, Okay, calm down. Which way did he go?”

“He ran toward Rusturf Tunnel.”

“Alright, don’t worry, we’ll get your stuff back.” Pepper and I raced towards the Tunnel. Or, at least, we raced towards where we thought the tunnel was. It probably would have been a good idea to get directions first, now that I think about it. Oh well, we found it eventually.

“Wait! Don’t go in that cave, Whippersnapper!” A voice suddenly called as Pepper and I were about to enter the tunnel.

“Huh? Why not?” I asked the old man who was the source of the voice.

“Because there’s a bad guy in there. And if you’re not careful he’ll steal your Poochyena like he stole my Peeko!” The old man sobbed as he said the latter part of his sentence.

“Wait, slow down. Who’s Peeko?”

“Peeko is my beloved Wingull. My poor little Peeko, I hope that terrible person isn’t being mean to my precious Peeko…”

“This guy…is he wearing a blue headband?”

“Why, yes. How did you know that? Are the two of you working together?! What have you done with my Peeko?! Answer me!”

“I’m not working with that him! The reason I know he’s wearing a headband is because he stole something from someone else, and I’m trying to catch him so I can return what he stole.”

“Oh. Then in that case… Could you possibly save my precious Peeko for me?” As he made his request his eyes got larger and sparkly-er than I though possible.

“Uh, sure…” I replied, trying to hide the fact that I had been slightly creeped out by his sudden change in behaviour.

“Oh, thank you!” He exclaimed as he hugged me.

“You’re welcome. Just, please, let me go.”

“Oops! Sorry about that, sometimes I get a little carried away.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be sure to return your Peeko as soon as I can.”

I waved goodbye as the old man thanked me again and Pepper and I headed into the tunnel.

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Sorry that this chapter is late. I could make an excuse as to why I didn’t get it posted last week, but I really don’t have one. I guess writing is just one of those things that’s hard get into the habit of, and easy to get out of the habit of. Again, I’m really sorry that this is late. I hope you awesome readers enjoyed it, though!

Trainer Strawberry: Chapter 15

“Alright, guys. As a special reward for all of your hard work at the Gym, you may all pick out one thing from this store that you want, and I’ll buy it for you,” I told my Pokemon as we stood at the entrance to a gift shop in Rustboro City. We had decided that it wouldn’t hurt to stay a few more days in the city before we moved on. After all, all work and no play isn’t fun for anyone. I told my Pokemon to meet me at the entrance in an hour; they agreed and set off to pick out what they wanted.

*Zip’s point of view*

Alright! Now’s my chance to get something cool. What should I get? A collar? An armband? A cape?! There’s so many cool things in here! How can I choose just one? Maybe I should ask Caso for some advice. He probably knows what the coolest thing in this store is! After all, he’d have to be pretty cool to already be a Marshtomp!

I rushed through the aisles looking for anything I thought was cool and trying to find Caso. While I was running around, I spotted something that made me stop in my tracks. There, sitting near the door, was a Plusle that appeared to have gotten into a fight that it couldn’t win. It had bruises all over it, and it looked sad. Another thing I noticed right off was that it was alone. Usually, Plusles hang out with Minuns, and the two Pokemon are never apart.

Maybe I should go ask what’s wrong, but, then I might not have enough time to pick something out. Well, if I was that Plusle, I’d want someone to ask me what was wrong.

I then ran over to see what had happened. The Plusle told me that it was attacked by a pack of Mightyenas, and that while it had escaped, its best friend wasn’t so lucky. I felt really sorry for the poor Pokemon. Suddenly, I knew exactly what I was going to get in the store.

*Scar’s point of view*

I didn’t really want anything from the store, so I just flew around, practicing my flying maneuvers. Then I spotted Zip running around the place like crazy. I figured he was probably trying to figure out what he wanted, so I didn’t pay much attention. Or at least, I didn’t pay much attention until Zip stopped suddenly. That was really unlike him. Things got even stranger when he bolted for the door. I decided to see what was going on, so I flew over to check it out.

When I reached the door, I saw what Zip had been so concerned about. It was a Plusle. The red-eared Pokemon was telling Zip something, but I couldn’t catch what it said.

But, you know, maybe I will get something at this store after all…

*Aqua’s point of view*

I walked through the aisles looking at all of the colorful things they had. Well, I wasn’t really looking, I was actually acting like I was looking while I was really thinking about ham sammiches. That’s when Zip ran by and nearly knocked me over. Which snapped me out of my train of thought.

Aw man. I was just thinking about this awesome ham sammich that was bigger than a skyscraper! Why did Zip have to snap me out of that? Suddenly I noticed Zip head for the door. I wonder what he’s doing? It isn’t time for Strawberry to pick us up yet. Next I saw Scar fly over to the door too. Alright, now I know something’s going on.

I headed over to see what was going on for myself. And after I did, I knew what I was going to get in the store.

*Later, when Strawberry came to pick the Pokemon up*

“Alright guys, did you all find something you like?” I asked my Pokemon as they gathered at the door to show me what they had picked out. Pepper had picked out a metal armband, Caso had picked out a collar with small spikes on it, Zip had picked out a small Minun plushie, Scar had picked out a basket of Oran berries, and Aqua had picked a basket of macarons.

After I had paid for the items my Pokemon had gotten, we left the store. Suddenly Zip, Scar, and Aqua stopped at the door.

“What’s the matter guys?” I asked as I approached my Pokemon. When I came closer, I noticed a Plusle sitting there. As I stared, not knowing what to think, Zip, Scar, and Aqua gave the items they had gotten to the poor thing. When the Plusle saw the items, its face brightened up immediately. Then it began to jump up and down in joy. I don’t think I had ever seen a Pokemon that was so happy. After thanking Zip, Scar, and Aqua for the gifts, the little electric Pokemon ran off. Words could not describe how proud I was of my Pokemon, and I told them that. Then we headed to the Pokemon Center to rest up for our journey the next day.

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What’s this?! A new chapter of Trainer Strawberry?! Is this a dream? No, no it isn’t. This is really happening. And I have plans for that Plusle. Mwa ha ha.

Trainer Strawberry: Chapter 14

We re-entered the Rustboro Pokemon Gym. Finally, we were going to take on the Gym Leader, Roxanne. As we walked to the back of the Gym, Aqua appeared from within her Pokeball.

“Marril, Marril! Marril, Marr, Marril?” Aqua seemed to be asking me something.

“What’s that, Aqua? You want to fight Roxanne?” I asked the blue, round Pokemon. Aqua nodded her head. “Okay, but you have to let Caso fight at least one Pokemon; he’s been looking forward to this, too.”

When we reached the back of the Gym, Roxanne and I greeted each other, then got ready to battle. Roxanne’s first Pokemon was a Geodude. Since Aqua was already out, I decided to let her have this one. When the referee gave the signal, we both ordered our Pokemon to attack, Roxanne having Geodude use “Tackle”, and me having Aqua use “Water Gun”. The Geodude realized it was heading into the attack, but it was too late. Aqua’s attack hit it straight on, knocking it out and winning us the first round.

Roxanne’s next Pokemon was another Geodude. I switched to Caso. Once again the signal was given, and our two Pokemon charged at one another. This Geodude was faster than the other, and managed to dodge Caso’s “Water Gun”. After dodging, the Geodude turned around and hit Caso with a “Tackle”. When Caso landed, we decided it was time for a new approach. Caso used “Water Gun” on the ground to make it more slippery, then began to bounce off of the rocks sticking out of the ground everywhere on the battle field and slide around at high speeds in order to confuse the Geodude. It worked. The Geodude became dizzy while watching Caso, and slowly drifted to the ground. Caso then used “Mud Shot” to make sure the Geodude didn’t move. After that, he used “Water Gun” for a KO.

Roxanne was down to one Pokemon: Nosepass. I switched back to Aqua, then the battle began. Aqua fired a “Water Gun”, but it failed to connect. The Nosepass then charged at Aqua faster than either of us had anticipated and hit her with its “Tackle” attack. Aqua then began to use “Rollout” to use the rocks to her advantage. Unfortunately, the Nosepass quickly caught on and used “Tackle” to destroy the rocks.

Well, that didn’t work.

The Nosepass then used “Block” so I couldn’t switch out to Caso. Since switching was out of the question, Aqua began firing “Water Gun” as rapidly as she could. She hit the Nosepass a few times, but it didn’t seem to do much. The Nosepass charged through the blasts to hit Aqua with another “Tackle”. Aqua was getting tired-I didn’t need to be an expert to know that she was on her last limbs.

Why did I have to send out Aqua? I know that’s what she wanted, but why did I have to listen to her? I should’ve just refused, and let Caso fight instead. He has more power than Aqua does. No. I can’t second guess myself now. Aqua needs me.

“Come on, Aqua! I know you can do it!” I shouted encouragingly while Pepper barked. Aqua got back up with a determined look. She wasn’t about to give up, and neither was I. We both gave it all we had, “Water Gun” after “Water Gun”, “Tackle” after “Tackle”. The battle was long and hard, and I thought that I might lose Aqua. But, in the end, we pulled out on top.

“Nosepass is unable to battle, Marril wins!” The referee announced.

“Aqua, you did it!” I exclaimed happily as I threw Aqua into the air and Pepper barked her congratulations.

“So… I lost… it seems I have much to learn…I understand. Take the Stone Badge,” Roxanne said as she walked up to me with the Stone Badge in her hand.

“Oh, wow, thanks!” I said happily as I took the Stone Badge. I sent out all of my Pokemon so they could see it too.

“And, here. Take TM39 with you as well. It contains a move called Rock Tomb. I hope you are as successful during the rest of your journey has you were today.”

“Yeesh. Where’d you get that line? A fortune cookie? Thanks anyway, though. I hope we’re as successful as we were today, too.”

We left the Gym, happy but tired. What challenges will we face next?

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Info. Finally, we are past the first Pokemon Gym! So, I have some questions concerning Trainer Strawberry for you awesome readers. What is your favorite moment in the story so far? Which moment do you think is the funniest? Also, I have tried to have some motivational lines in the story at times. Which line do you think is the most motivational, or is there even any motivational lines? And lastly, are there any lines that you think could become quotes?

Info #12

I think this will be the last “Info” post I make. I don’t really think they’re necessary, the chapters are pretty self explanatory. Unless you awesome readers want me to keep doing these “Info” posts. Then I will gladly continue. Anyway, in this chapter, Strawberry and company finally take on the Rustboro Gym Leader, Roxanne.

Later.

Trainer Strawberry: Chapter 12

This is it. We’re finally gonna take on a Gym.

Pepper and I stood outside the Gym doors, full of confidence that we would win the Gym Badge. After looking at the building for a few seconds, we entered through the sliding, automatic doors. The inside contained rocks that lined the walls all the way up to the ceiling.

“Welcome, Future Champ!” The referee called as I entered. “Are you ready to take on the Rustboro Gym Leader, Roxanne, Rock-Type Extraordinaire? Rock-Types are weak against Water, Ground, and Grass-Type attacks. So, make sure you have plenty of Pokemon of one of those types on your team!”

“You bet I’m ready!” I answered enthusiastically.

So, Roxanne has Rock-Type Pokemon, huh? Well, I don’t have any Grass-Type Pokemon, but Caso and Aqua are both Water-Types. So, we should be fine.

“Great enthusiasm! That will take you to great places!” The referee said happily. He clearly loved his job, either that, or he was the best actor in history. “But, before you can challenge the Gym Leader, you have to get to her. The only way to do that is to make your way through the Gym Trainers.”

“Gym Trainers?” That was another term I had never heard of before.

“Gym Trainers are Pokemon Trainers that are stronger than the average Trainers you find hanging out on Routes. If you can get past them and make it to the Gym Leader, then you get to challenge Roxanne!”

I thanked the Referee for his help, then Pepper and I started walking to the back of the Gym. As we walked, I made sure that I had Caso and Aqua’s Pokeballs handy.

“Well, lookee here. We got us a challenger,” An unfamiliar voice said.

“Are you one of the Gym Trainers?” I asked the source of the voice, it was a boy who appeared to be a Pokemon Trainer.

“Sure am. You ready for a battle?” He asked as he prepared to throw one of his Pokeballs. I nodded my head I prepared to throw Aqua’s Pokeball.

“Let’s go, Geodude!”

“Come on out, Aqua!”

“Geodude!” A Pokemon that looked like a rock with arms, hands, and a face called has it emerged from its Pokeball.

“Marill, Marill!” Aqua called has she emerged from her Pokeball.

“Aqua use ‘Water Gun’!” I shouted. Aqua shot a steady flow of water at the Geodude.

“Humph. Geodude, dodge it.” He ordered his Pokemon like he had no interest in this battle at all. Geodude moved to the side faster than I thought it could. “Now use ‘Tackle’.” Geodude charged at Aqua.

“Aqua, look out!” I called. Aqua tried to dodge it, but the attack still slightly hit her. “Good job, Aqua! Now use ‘Tackle’ as well!”

“Ha. That won’t work. Geodude’s a Rock-Type; Normal-Type attacks just feel like a poke to him.”

“Who said we were using ‘Tackle’ to attack?” By this time Aqua had gotten to point-blank range. It no longer mattered how fast the Geodude was – it wouldn’t be able to dodge Aqua’s next attack. “Now, use ‘Water Gun’!”

“Oh no, Geodude!” The Gym Trainer yelled as Aqua’s attack hit the Geodude full force.

“Geodude is unable to battle, Marill wins!” The Referee called as the Trainer returned his Pokemon.

“No big deal, that was the weaker of my Geodude anyway.” He said while trying to act like this was exactly what he wanted. He threw another Pokeball that contained a Geodude.

“Aqua, return! Show ’em what you got, Caso!” I said as I threw Caso’s Pokeball.

“Mud, Mudkip!” Caso called as he emerged from his Pokeball. He then turned around and used “Mud Slap” to hit me in the face.

“Ugh, Caso! Now is not the time to do that!”

“Haha. Looks like your Pokemon doesn’t like you!” My opponent called arrogantly.

“Grr. Caso use ‘Mud Slap’!” I shouted. Caso began firing spheres of mud at the Geodude. The Geodude dodged the attack easily. It was like Caso wasn’t even aiming at the Geodude.

“You call that an attack? Geodude show ’em what a real ‘Mud Slap’ looks like!” The Geodude began attacking with spheres of mud of its own.

“You know what to do, Caso!” I shouted encouragingly. It had taken me a minute, but I had picked up on Caso’s strategy. Geodude’s attack hit Caso, causing mud to splatter everywhere. When it stopped raining mud, Caso was nowhere to be seen.

“What’s this?! Where’d that Mudkip of yours disappear to?” He asked as both him and his Geodude looked around frantically, trying to figure out where Caso was.

“They don’t call Mudkip the Mudfish Pokemon for nothing!”

“Huh?”

“When Caso used ‘Mud Slap’ earlier, he wasn’t aiming for Geodude. He was using it to get the battlefield nice and muddy, so he could dive into it. Now, Caso reappear and use ‘Water Gun’!” Caso leaped out of the mud directly behind the Geodude, and shot out a steady current of water from his mouth. The Geodude was down for the count.

“Geodude is unable to battle, Mudkip wins!” The Referee shouted as we both returned our Pokemon while complementing them on how great they were. Afterward, we both shook hands and agreed to battle again sometime. Pepper barked happily and wagged her tail, she was happy that we won too.

I decided to wait a while before we challenged Roxanne. Because, even though we won, the battle against the Gym Trainer hadn’t been easy. And I knew Roxanne would be even harder to defeat. So, Pepper and I headed to just outside of Rustboro to do some training. And once we’re stronger, we’ll come back to challenge Roxanne!

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Info. We finally made it to the Gym. Whew, it took awhile, but we made it. I should have the battle against the Gym Leader in the next chapter. But, there is a possibility I won’t with how I’ve been writing this.

Info #10

We’re finally going to the Pokemon Gym. At long last! I’ve almost caught up to my in-game file. In order to help me keep motivated in my writing, I decided that I would stop playing after I finished a Gym, and not start back until I had caught up to my in-game file in my story. Anyway, the actual Gym Leader fight is not in this chapter, but the battle against the Gym Trainer is. I hope you like it!

Trainer Strawberry: Chapter 11

After a close call with Pepper, and a good night’s rest, my Pokemon and I walked out of the Pokemon Center and into Rustboro City. I had returned all of my Pokemon, except Pepper, to their Pokeballs after breakfast. It was great to see Pepper feeling like her old self again. She seemed just as excited as I was when we walked out the front doors of the Pokemon Center. Rustboro was the biggest city I had seen so far on my journey.

“Oh, wow! Look at all the buildings!” I exclaimed in awe as I looked around. Pepper barked in agreement, I guessed that she had never been in a city this big before. Okay, so Rustboro wasn’t really all that big, but for a little Poochyena, these buildings were big enough to keep giants away. “Where do you suppose the Pokemon Gym is?” I asked my little companion. Pepper gave me a look that said ‘How am I supposed to know?’. “Haha. Well, I guess we’ll just have to walk around until we find it.”

The two of us started walking around, looking for anything that resembled a Pokemon Gym. Suddenly we heard the laughter of children, along with shouts of “Hey, that’s mine!”, “Catch me if you can!”, “It’s my turn!”, and “Ready or not, here I come!”.

“Huh, there must be a playground nearby. Sounds like those kids are having a lot of fun.”

“Hey, look! It’s a Poochyena!” A little girl shouted as she pointed at Pepper. Soon she and a few other children had ran up to admire Pepper. Poor Pepper had no idea how to react at first, but she got used to the sudden attention pretty quickly and even seemed to enjoy it. “Is this your Poochyena, Miss?” The little girl asked sweetly.

“Yep. You can pet her if you want to. She doesn’t bite.”

The little girl gave a happy gasp as she reached out her hand to pet Pepper. Pepper jutted her nose forward to meet the hand. She obviously loved kids. It wasn’t long before all of the kids that had came over were crowding around Pepper to pet her.

When they started to be crowded too closely to the Poochyena, I decided it was time for Pepper and I to move on. “Okay, it’s time for us to go. Come on, Pepper.”

“Excuse me, Miss? Do you think you could bring Pepper over to the Pokemon Trainer School sometime? I’m sure all of the other students would love to meet her.” One of the older kids asked. By older, I mean that he was seven at the most.

“Pokemon Trainer School?” I looked at the boy questionably. I had never heard of a Pokemon Trainer School before.

“Yeah. It’s the building over there,” He pointed at the building right next to the playground. “It’s where young Pokemon Trainers go to learn all of the basics of being a Pokemon Trainer. Didn’t you know that?”

“To be honest, I had never heard of it before,” I replied as I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. “It sounds pretty cool, though. What do you say, Pepper? Do you want to go check it out?” Pepper barked happily, then she began to pant excitedly. “I guess that’s a yes, then. Do you kids think you could show us around?”

All of the children replied with a happy “Yes”, and “Come on, follow me!”. They giggled excitedly the whole way there.

*Later: After most of the tour around the school*

“And this is Mister I. R. Cheesi’s class room. This is where the final year students study,” The boy informed me as we walked into the biggest room in the building.

“Mister I. R. Cheesi must be brilliant Pokemon Teacher if he has a class this big.” I said as I looked around in awe.

“Actually, he tends to be a little cheesy sometimes. But, all in all, he is a great teacher.”

“He’s a little cheesy sometimes? Really?” I asked even though his name should’ve given that one away. Suddenly, Pepper started barking at something. “What’s the matter, girl?” I asked as I turned to see what she was barking at. Leaning against the wall was that weird guy we met as we were leaving Oldale. “Hey, it’s you! Let’s see, what was your name again? Wasn’t it something like ‘Spot’ or something?”

The guy fell over when I asked if his name was “Spot”, then he quickly got up and angrily corrected me, “My name is ‘Scott’, not ‘Spot’!”

“Oops, sorry. Anyway, Scott, what brings you here?”

“Oh, me? I’m here looking for Pokemon Trainers with potential. What are you doing here?”

“Pepper and I were just taking a look around. By the way, you wouldn’t happen to know where the Pokemon Gym here is, would you?”

“Why, of course! It’s just down the road. If you head toward the Pokemon Center, you’ll see it on your left.”

“Thanks, Scott. Well, we should probably get going. Come on, Pepper.” I then turned to the kid that had shown us around, “Thanks for the tour of your school. It was really impressive.”

“Anytime, Miss. Good luck at the Gym.”

“Thanks, we’ll do our best. Right Pepper?” Pepper barked in agreement. “Well, later guys.”

As we left the Pokemon Trainer School, there was only one thing I could think about.

I can’t believe we walked right past the Pokemon Gym, and we didn’t even notice!

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Info. I have a question for all of you awesome readers, do you think I should be more to the point in my writing? Or do you like the way I’m writing now? If I was more to the point, I’d probably get to the end of Trainer Strawberry quicker. But I probably wouldn’t have as much storyline as I do now. Also, I’m still taking requests for what I should play next, so if there’s a game you want me to play, leave a comment with the name of the game. The game you request could be the next one I play! The only restriction is that I do not play FPS games.