Author's Note: I am going to have a hectic week so wont get time to upload , will see how many chapters possible this week anyway here is one to start the week at least.
Grey's POV
After waking up in the morning, I went through my usual routine. I brushed my teeth, took a bath, got dressed, and prepared for another day in Cerulean. I still had a few days before my gym battle, so there was no reason to rush things. Training would continue as always, but I also wanted to explore more of the city while I had the chance.
Today, I decided to visit the famous Nugget Bridge and, if time allowed, stop by Bill's place afterward.
With that plan in mind, I left the Pokémon Center and headed north toward Route 24.
It didn't take long before the bridge came into view.
At the entrance stood a large information board explaining the history of the place. Apparently, the bridge had originally been built simply to connect Cerulean City with Routes 24 and 25. Over time, however, it had developed into a local tradition. Trainers would challenge a series of opponents stationed along the bridge, and if they defeated them all, they would earn a prize.
The board also explained a few other interesting details.
Many of the trainers volunteered every year, with the Cerulean mayor's office sponsoring the event and providing various incentives. Some participants were even youngsters who had not officially begun their Pokémon journeys yet. Through a special city program, children below the usual trainer age could own weaker companion Pokémon and train them within designated areas. They were restricted in what Pokémon they could catch and where they could battle, but by the time they officially started their journeys, they already possessed some experience as trainers.
Honestly, it sounded like a pretty decent initiative.
Still, all of that was secondary to the real reason I was here.
I wanted the free Nugget.
Without wasting any more time, I walked up to the attendant managing the challenge.
According to the information board, the number of opponents varied depending on the trainer attempting the bridge. Most challengers were one or two-badge trainers, which was the level the event was designed around. Stronger trainers usually didn't bother since the challenge offered little difficulty.
Normally, I probably shouldn't have been here either.
But again...
Free Nugget.
I wasn't exactly sure whether there would be a Team Rocket recruiter waiting at the end like in the games, but if there was, I wasn't particularly worried. Exeggutor was walking beside me carrying my backpack, and if anyone tried anything suspicious, they would quickly discover why that was a bad idea.
The attendant took one look at Exeggutor and looked ready to wave me through immediately.
"I'll be using my weaker Pokémon," I assured him.
That seemed to ease his concerns somewhat, and after a brief conversation, he allowed me to start the challenge.
The first opponent was a Bug Catcher named Timmy.
His team consisted of a Butterfree and a Beedrill.
For a trainer participating in a challenge aimed at newer trainers, they were actually fairly well trained.
Butterfree immediately tried to create distance, likely planning to use Sleep Powder or Stun Spore. Charmander responded by filling the battlefield with Smokescreen, disrupting its aim before following up with a Flamethrower that knocked it out.
Beedrill proved more troublesome.
It was fast, aggressive, and clearly experienced in aerial combat. Its Poison-type attacks forced Charmander onto the defensive several times.
Still, Charmander adapted quickly.
She intercepted one charging attack with Dragon Claw before creating enough space to launch another Flamethrower, bringing the battle to an end.
One win down.
Six to go.
As I continued across the bridge, I noticed another sign listing the challenge rules.
One rule immediately caught my attention.
No healing between battles.
The challenge was meant to test endurance as much as battling skill. Trainers had to rely on the condition of their Pokémon throughout the entire run.
Interesting.
The second trainer was a Youngster named Timmy.
Apparently, Cerulean had an unusual number of Timmys.
His team consisted of a Rattata and a Pidgey.
The battle was straightforward. Charmander used Dragon Pulse to force Pidgey out of the air before finishing it with Flamethrower. Rattata put up a surprisingly stubborn fight, using Quick Attack repeatedly to pressure Charmander, but eventually fell after a combination of Dragon Claw and Ember.
As he returned his Pokémon, the youngster puffed out his chest proudly.
"You should battle my cousin Joey someday," he declared.
I immediately became suspicious.
"Why?"
"He has a top one-percent Rattata."
I stared at him for several seconds.
The kid looked completely serious.
"I'll... keep that in mind."
Satisfied with my answer, he stepped aside and allowed me to continue.
The third opponent was a Hiker.
Why there was a Hiker standing in the middle of a bridge challenge, I had absolutely no idea.
His team consisted of a Geodude and a Sandshrew.
Normally, Rock-types would be a difficult matchup for a Fire-type.
Fortunately, Lance apparently believed in overpreparing Pokémon.
Charmander used Dragon Claw and Metal Claw extensively throughout the battle, carefully avoiding direct confrontations with Geodude's Rock Throw attacks. Sandshrew proved more troublesome due to its speed, but eventually fell after a prolonged exchange.
By the end of the battle, Charmander was still standing strong.
However, I could already notice the signs of fatigue.
Her breathing was slightly heavier than before, and her movements lacked a little of the sharpness they had displayed during the first battle.
The opponents so far hadn't been particularly powerful, but that wasn't the point of Nugget Bridge.
The challenge wasn't about defeating one strong trainer.
It was about defeating many trainers in succession without getting a chance to recover.
And with four battles still remaining, Charmander's real test was only beginning.
————————————
Grey's POV
The next two battles weren't particularly difficult either. They were against Lass Campbell and Trainer Hughie, but both lost fairly quickly as they relied mostly on Nidoran and Pidgey line Pokémon. Even so, the consecutive victories were starting to take their toll on Charmander. By the time the fifth battle ended, she was breathing heavily and her movements had become noticeably slower.
That fatigue finally became a real problem during the sixth battle.
The sixth trainer on the Nugget Bridge was Fisherman Rody, and unlike the previous opponents, he used a Poliwhirl and a Goldeen. Against a fresh Charmander, that might not have been a huge issue. Against a tired one, however, it became a genuine challenge.
The battle pushed Charmander harder than any of the previous matches. She was forced on the defensive almost immediately, constantly pressured by water attacks while her stamina continued to drop.
Then, in desperation, something clicked.
A faint glow spread across the battlefield as Charmander finally managed to use Sunny Day.
The sunlight wasn't nearly as intense as when Exeggutor used it, but it was enough.
The strengthened sunlight weakened the power of the incoming Water-type attacks and boosted Charmander's own Fire-type moves. Suddenly the battle became manageable again. Since she no longer had the stamina to continuously dodge, Charmander instead stood her ground and fought back.
Flamethrowers empowered by the sunlight blasted through Goldeen's attacks while Dragon Claw and Dragon Pulse helped deal with Poliwhirl without relying solely on Fire-type moves.
It was a hard-fought victory, but eventually both of Rody's Pokémon went down.
Charmander won.
Barely.
The little lizard was swaying on her feet by the end of it, exhausted and only a step away from fainting. I immediately recalled her before she could stubbornly argue otherwise.
She definitely wanted to continue.
I definitely wasn't letting her.
Besides, the whole point of Nugget Bridge was to gradually wear down a trainer's team through consecutive battles. I was the crazy one attempting to clear most of it using a single Pokémon.
Honestly, if I had challenged the normal five-trainer version designed for one or two badge trainers, Charmander probably could have cleared the entire thing by herself.
The seventh and final battle was against a trainer calling himself Captain Armbreak.
The guy was dressed in what looked like a superhero costume.
Was he some kind of otaku?
Whatever the answer was, his Pokémon weren't a joke.
He sent out a Machoke and a Hitmonlee, a noticeable jump in difficulty compared to the previous trainers. It felt like the bridge organizers had saved their strongest participant for last.
Since Charmander had already done more than enough, I decided to send out Axew.
The battle ended up being surprisingly one-sided.
Axew charged forward with a confidence he simply hadn't possessed a few months ago. Strength and Dragon Claw were enough to overwhelm both opponents. More importantly, I noticed how much his fundamentals had improved. He was faster, tougher, and far better at taking hits before returning even stronger ones.
Watching him defeat both Pokémon made me pause for a moment.
A few months ago, against Brook's Machop, Axew had only managed a draw.
Now he was beating a Machoke and a Hitmonlee.
We had really come a long way.
Of course, that wasn't entirely a fair comparison. Brook himself was much stronger than this trainer, and if anything he had probably continued improving as well.
Maybe I should contact him sometime and see what he was up to.
The last time we spoke through PokéNet back in Vermilion, he had already earned enough badges to begin traveling outside Kanto. He told me he was heading to Hoenn because he wanted to catch Pokémon like the Meditite and Shroomish lines.
I had even suggested he look into getting a Torchic somehow. A Blaziken would fit his fighting style surprisingly well, I told him he could contact a proffessor and make a case to grant him that torchic or at least get the location from where the pokemon was bred.
Knowing Brook, he had probably already caught some pokemon by now.
After defeating Captain Armbreak, I crossed the bridge and looked around.
Something felt off.
There was supposed to be a guy at the end handing out Nuggets.
I searched around for a few minutes but couldn't find anyone.
Confused, I went back and asked some of the bridge trainers about it.
The moment I mentioned the mysterious Nugget guy, several of them exchanged uncomfortable looks.
Eventually one of them explained.
Apparently, after the SS Anne incident, the police and League authorities had launched a massive crackdown on suspicious activity throughout Kanto. During the investigation they had discovered that the Nugget Bridge recruiter was actually a Team Rocket operative.
The guy had been arrested last week .
According to the trainer, it had become a huge scandal in Cerulean. Most of the bridge participants hadn't even known the recruiter was affiliated with Team Rocket.
I stood there silently for a few seconds.
On one hand, it was genuinely good news. Team Rocket losing members was always a positive thing.
On the other hand...
There went my free Nugget.
I sighed.
Of course the criminal member had to get arrested right before I arrived.
Deciding not to dwell on my terrible luck, I left the bridge behind and continued north toward Route 25 and Bill's house.
Author's Note : As we can see the ss anne has started having its ramifications now with team rocket grunts including the nugget bridge guy.