Critical Hit: Johto Journey
Prologue
He ran with every ounce of strength he had, knowing that he wouldn't be safe until he reached Pewter City. And even when he arrived in Pewter, he could only stay momentarily before having to move on again. His right hand felt over his jacket pocket, making sure that the three pokéballs in it were there. He had heard that Professor Oak sometimes had rare Pokémon that he gave out to new trainers, and he had broken into the lab and took all three of them. He wasn't going to settle for anything less, and he sure wasn't foolish enough to pass up such an opportunity. He patiently waited until all the scientists—for some reason, Oak wasn't there—had locked up the lab and gone home, which was at nightfall.
The alarms went off when he broke in, but it only took a couple seconds to take the pokéballs on a desk. He could already imagine the great fame, success, and strength he'll have, and these three Pokémon were the ticket there. Soon, everyone will know Silver's name, and he'll be far greater than his father ever was. His eyes looked up to see the path out of Pallet Town, a smirk appearing on his face that he was so easily taking the Pokémon. However, that thought tempted fate, and it came in the form of a Pidgeot landing between him and his way out. A girl jumped off the back of the great bird, holding her hand up in a "stop" gesture. She was wearing a white knit sweater over a blue V-collar shirt with a black undershirt underneath, and light blue shorts with thigh-high black socks and white shoes. She carried a worn out yellow bag, long brown hair under a white hat on her head.
"Hold it right there," she said to him as he ran toward her. "You're going to have to return those Pokémon and—"
He ran right past her, her Pidgeot looking at her with disappointment. If a bird could sigh, he would have been doing that.
"Holy smokes! That kid is fast," she said, watching him run through the tall grass. "But I bet he's not as fast as Terra."
Silver continued running, not sure what was up with that girl. As he ran through another patch of grass, the earth beneath him disappeared, and he fell into a hole. He landed pretty hard at the bottom, but the hole was, fortunately, not very deep. He looked up, seeing a Dugtrio watching him intently.
"Good job, Terra," said a familiar voice. Silver watched as the girl from earlier stood beside the Dugtrio, looking down into the hole.
"I'll get you out, okay," she said, returning the Dugtrio to its pokéball. "But you're going to have to give back those Pokémon you stole. They're for the new trainers coming by the lab tomorrow."
She reached into her bag, taking out a rope and tossing one end of it to Silver. She held on to the rope as he climbed up, until he was safely on the surface.
"The Pokémon, please," she said, her hand outstretched to accept the pokéballs. "I put a lot of work into breeding those—"
Silver swung at her, but she side-stepped and grabbed his arm. Next thing he knew, his body was pulled and slammed down into the ground, landing on his back and knocking the air out of him.
"I'm sorry about that," said the girl, giving him a concerned look. "You were about to hit me, and I acted out of instinct."
"How… Were you able… To do that," asked Silver breathlessly, his head hurting a bit from hitting the ground.
"I took a lot of Judo classes. I didn't want to, but my boyfriend pushed me to signing up for them. Two or three years from now, I think I'll get my black belt, but I'm going to have to work very hard to get it."
She offered her hand to help him up, but Silver sat up on his own, his back aching. He managed to get to his feet, regaining his breath at last. The girl looked at him expectantly, and he knew he had met his match. There was no telling what kind of Pokémon she had, and she could just as easily beat him down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the three pokéballs he'd stolen, begrudgingly handing them to her. She happily took them, putting them away in her bag, and smiled at him.
"Say, you look like you need a place to sleep," she said, bringing a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "Do you want to come with me to Viridian City? I can get you something to eat, too."
Despite how much Silver wanted to decline the offer and leave, his body was saying otherwise. The Pokémon Centers only offered beds and rooms to trainers, and getting decent meals was very difficult. He didn't have a single dollar on him, and the last thing he ate was a candy bar he stole this morning. For now, he'll have to take advantage of what this girl was offering. He gave a small nod, and she grinned at his acceptance.
"Great! Let's get going then," she said, pointing in the direction to Viridian City. "I'm Leaf. What's your name?"
"Silver," he replied as they followed the path to the nearby city.
"Like Mt. Silver?"
"Yes."
"Nice to meet you, Silver. I hope we'll be really good friends someday."
Silver resisted the overwhelming urge to scoff at the idea. Really, being friends with someone like her wasn't going to make him any stronger. It didn't take very long for him to regret coming along with her. They eventually arrived in Viridian City, and Silver did his best to not reminisce of his past. Viridian was just one of many cities in Kanto he stayed in to try to support himself. He looked down, staring at the back of Leaf's shoes as she walked ahead of him. She came to stop, forcing Silver to look up. To his surprise, they were standing in front of Viridian Gym, feelings of anger flooding into Silver. Was this girl trying to taunt him or something?
The sliding glass doors of the gym opened, and Leaf walked inside, beckoning Silver to come inside. He hesitantly stepped in, seeing the remodeled interior.
"Blue," called out Leaf, waving her hand up in the air to the gym leader at the other side of the room. Silver watched as he flipped the switches on the wall near him, the colored arrows in the tiles on the floor fading to black. Leaf walked eagerly to the gym leader, who met her halfway. She almost threw herself at him, her arms around his neck as she smiled up at him. Blue, who was much taller than her, looked a little uncomfortable but hugged her back.
"Blue, are you ready to go home? It's really late already," said Leaf, pulling away from him a little.
"Heh, the night's only beginning, especially for what I have planned for you once we get back," he said, pulling her close by the waist.
"Actually, Blue, there's someone I want you to meet."
Leaf pulled away from Blue's embrace, looking back at Silver and waving him over. Silver reluctantly walked over, discontent with the situation he was in. He really didn't want to be anywhere near Viridian's gym leader. It wasn't against Blue himself, but the title of gym leader. It just brought too many unpleasant memories for Silver.
"Who's this," asked Blue, his eyes sizing up the younger boy.
"Blue," began Leaf, putting her hand on his upper arm. "You're the father."
"Bullshit."
Leaf laughed, Silver looking away with annoyance. Now he was really regretting taking up on her offer a couple minutes ago.
"This is Silver," said Leaf, introducing him. "He's going to stay with us tonight. You don't mind, right?"
"It's all right, I guess," replied Blue, giving a small shrug. "Just as long as he doesn't interrupt us."
Leaf sighed, looking at Silver with an apologetic look.
"Don't mind him," she explained. "Blue can be an idiot sometimes."
"It takes an idiot to know an idiot," retorted Blue, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Good job insulting yourself."
It took Blue a few seconds to realize what she meant.
"Ugh, I can't believe I walked in on that," he said, covering his forehead with his hand.
"You know that I'm only teasing," laughed Leaf, her playful tone annoying Silver.
"Can we go already," asked Silver, doing all he could to keep his voice even. Leaf nodded, and the three of them walked out of the gym. Blue locked up the building once they were outside. Silver followed them to wherever they were taking him, which was an apartment complex. Silver recognized the building, knowing that the apartments were the largest—they were practically suites—and the most expensive in the city. He wasn't all too surprised that Blue would live here. Or did Leaf live with him, too? From the way they looked at each other and interacted, it was safe to assume they were together. Or maybe they were just very friendly and flirty with the other. Either way, they were both annoying to him.
They entered the building and took the elevator to the top floor, where Blue's apartment was. Leaf dug through her bag and took out some keys, unlocking the door. That confirmed that she lived with Blue. Then again, he could have just given her a spare key to visit him anytime. Silver sighed inaudibly, wondering why he was thinking about something so moronic. What did it matter if she lived with him or not?
"Do you want me to take your jacket," asked Leaf to Silver as they entered the complex.
"Yeah, here you go," said Blue, unzipping his own jacket and handing it to her.
"Not you! I was talking to Silver," she said, throwing his jacket back at him. "Now go in the kitchen and find something to eat for our guest."
Blue gave an annoyed look but went to the kitchen, grumbling about something as he put his black jacket back on. An Eevee, who was sleeping on the couch, jumped off from her sleeping place to greet her owner, following Blue into the kitchen. Leaf looked at Silver, her question still unanswered. Silver shook his head in response.
"Leaf, we have to go grocery shopping," said Blue from the kitchen, prompting Leaf to join him. "All we have is ramen."
A gasp came from Leaf, piquing Silver's curiosity as to what it was that made her do so. He walked over to the kitchen, seeing a pile of dishes in the sink, crumbs on the floor, and many stains on the table and counters.
"Blue! Don't you clean up when I'm gone," asked Leaf, looking as if a murder had been committed. Her face slowly grew red from embarrassment at the mess.
"Hey, when I get home, I'm really tired, so don't get on my case about cleaning. Besides, why should I clean when I have you to do that," explained Blue, earning a glare from Leaf.
"Keep it up, Blue. You're really close to making me lock you out of the room and have you sleep on the couch."
"I was just kidding! I didn't know you were coming over today. I would have cleaned up if I knew."
"I'm sorry, Silver," said Leaf, turning to look at Silver. "Apparently, I live with a hobo who loves to roll around in his own filth. But I hope ramen is okay for today."
"A hobo wouldn't be able to afford a place like this," countered Blue, obviously annoyed by the insult.
"So you admit to rolling around in your own filth?"
"I don't do that!"
Leaf shrugged a little, grabbing a roll of paper towels and using a sheet to quickly clean up the table. She gestured Silver to sit down, which he did. Leaf walked over to the stove, which also had its own stains, and picked up the tea kettle, filling it up with water from the sink. The dishes got in the way a bit, forcing her to move them out of the way so she could fill the kettle with water. She set the flame on the stove, placing the kettle over it, and gave Blue a displeased stare.
"Blue, start doing the dishes," she said, pointing at the sink.
"Why do I have to do the dishes? Can't I just clean the counters or something?"
"Stop complaining and do the dishes already!"
"Then you have to do some sweeping!"
"I was about to do that! Unlike you, I don't like being in a dirty place."
"I've been really busy lately, damn it!"
"Excuses."
Silver suppressed a sigh, already planning to go to sleep right after he was done eating. These two were too much for him. They were loud and argued a lot. Almost every conversation he's heard between them was some kind of argument. Just being in their presence took a lot of energy out of him. He was beginning to regret stealing those Pokémon from Oak's lab. If he'd known it would lead to this, he would have gone somewhere else. He made sure to leave right after he got some sleep. He couldn't stand being around them any longer.
Silver watched as Blue began to run the water in the sink and clean the dishes, Leaf grabbing a broom and dustpan from the pantry to start sweeping. She set them to the side, grabbing an old rag that was by the sink instead. She stood by Blue, wetting the rag and adding some soap to it. She started to properly clean the light-colored wooden table of the stains. She then set the rag by the sink and lifted the chairs around the table, except the one Silver was sitting on, on the table. The kettle then went off, and Leaf shut the flame off, pouring the boiling water into the ramen container. She set the bowl of ramen, along with some chopsticks, in front of Silver, and then looked under the sink, taking out a new sponge. With the new sponge, Leaf helped Blue wash the dishes.
Silver found it odd that, after all the fighting he's seen from them, they could actually get along fairly well. Not that it concerned him. He patiently waited for the noodles to soften from the hot water, his stomach growling eagerly to have some nutrition. The next three minutes were probably the longest three minutes in his life. Although, technically, they're still three minutes, it merely felt longer than that. When the three minutes were up, Silver grabbed the chopsticks and hungrily devoured the noodles. He heard a giggle from Leaf, his gray eyes glancing over at her. She was looking up at Blue, elbowing him lightly in the arm. Blue turned his head a bit, looking away from her.
"Say something, Blue," she said softly, probably trying to keep this conversation only to themselves.
"Something," replied Blue, scrubbing furiously at a pan with burnt food encrusted on it.
"You know that I didn't mean what I said."
"If you didn't mean it, then why did you say it in the first place?"
"'Cause it's fun to pick on you sometimes," she said playfully, causing Blue to finally look at her.
"That's really messed up, you know that?"
"Like you don't do the same to me."
"That's different. I'm only joking when I pick on you."
"And I am, too. It's the same."
Blue looked away, his pride keeping him from admitting that she was right. Leaf tugged at his jacket sleeve, her hand dripping with water. He ignored her, rinsing the pan with water. She grabbed at the collar of his jacket, pulling him close and placing a kiss on his cheek.
"I still love you," she said, letting go of his jacket.
"Hmph," was all Blue said, focusing on the dishes.
Silver quickly finished up the ramen, growing more uncomfortable being around Leaf and Blue. He threw away the plastic container of his food and the chopsticks in the closest trash can, which was already quite full.
"Oh, are you done eating, Silver," asked Leaf, looking over her shoulder at him. "I'll show you to your room so you can get some rest."
She grabbed a paper towel, quickly drying her hands as she led him through the living room and into the hallway. She opened the closest door to the right, revealing a bedroom within. A twin-sized bed with blue sheets and covers was in the left corner of the furthest wall, a nightstand with a digital clock right next to it. A small closet was across from the bed, a small table with a TV on it a few feet away. There wasn't much in this room, but it could be because it was a guest bedroom since Leaf implied that she and Blue shared a room.
"You can sleep here," said Leaf, stepping to the side to let him in. "I sometimes sleep in this room when I get tired of sharing a bed with Blue. Are you going to sleep now?"
"Yes," replied Silver, closing the door on her as soon as he was inside. He held the doorknob, seeing as there was no lock on this door, to keep her out should she try opening the door.
"Um, sleep well," he heard her say, footsteps heading away from the door. Silver slowly let go of the doorknob and walked over to the bed. He unzipped his jacket, hanging it on the bed post, and took off his shoes. He was too tired to care that he was going to sleep in his pants and shirt. Well, he wouldn't have cared either way. He was just about to go to sleep until a very annoying ringing snapped him back awake. It was coming from outside. He angrily got up from the bed, not at all appreciating the interruption. He opened the door only a few inches when it stopped.
"Hi, Gramps," said Leaf from the living room, causing Silver to close the door but keep it barely open to hear. "How is it in Johto? Mmhmm. It's really nice, isn't it? I really liked being over there when I was exploring it a long time ago."
"Who is she talking to," asked Silver in his mind. He thought for moment, and then realized that maybe she was talking on a Pokégear. He's heard about those things that serve as phones. Though, he could never afford to buy something like that, not when survival was his highest priority.
"How am I doing," asked Leaf after a brief silence. "I'm doing fine! Why? Oh… You heard about that? No, no. I handled everything so you don't have to worry. The new trainers will definitely get their Pokémon tomorrow."
Silver waited for what else she'd say, wondering if she'll say something about him. It was pretty obvious that whoever she was talking to knew about the break-in at the lab earlier.
"What will you be doing tomorrow," he heard Leaf ask. "I was hoping that you, Blue, Daisy, and I had dinner tomorrow… Oh, okay. No, it's fine. If you want to visit him, go ahead. I don't want to get in the way or anything. Oh, that reminds me! Professor Elm called for you earlier today. He wanted me to tell you that he got hold of some rare Pokémon. He said that he's thinking of giving them out to new trainers just like you do."
Silver's eyes widened at that. So, there was another professor who had rare Pokémon… He doubted the chances that more experienced trainers would reside in wherever this professor lived in. Still, it was likely as his run-in with Leaf clearly showed.
"All right. Blue and I hope to see you back home soon. But, have fun in Johto, okay? You really need the time off," said Leaf with a laugh. "Okay… Bye."
Silver closed the door, quietly walking back to the bed. He laid on it, carefully planning what he had to do tomorrow. He'd have to get up early so no one would know where he went. He also needs to find out where Professor Elm lived. He fell asleep in the middle of his thoughts, his exhaustion finally getting the better of him.
He woke up with a small jump, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar room. It took a couple seconds to remember he was staying in the apartment of Leaf and Blue. He looked over at the clock on the night stand, which read 6:03. He got up and put his shoes on, knowing that now was the time to leave. He grabbed his jacket, putting it on as he quietly walked to the door. He carefully opened it, hoping that it wouldn't creak or make any noise. He opened it enough to slip through, his ears straining for the smallest noises. There was only silence. Silver stepped into the living room, his eyes quickly glancing at the now spotless kitchen. He opened the door of the apartment and went out, knowing that he probably won't see Leaf or Blue again. And that was a great relief to him.
The first he had to do was find out where Professor Elm lived. Then he'll have to figure out a way to get there. He put his hands in his jacket pockets, preparing for the long day ahead of him. He felt a bundle of paper in his right pocket, and he was sure that wasn't there before. He pulled it out, seeing that it was actually money. He began to count it, coming to a total of $3000. How did…? It must have been Leaf. Only she'd be dumb enough to care about a total stranger. Though she was very annoying to be with, Silver was glad that he took advantage of her offer, and the money she gave him was a big bonus. Maybe he should use her again sometime in the future.
"Kris! When are we going to get our Pokégears," asked an impatient Ethan. He was wearing blue pants with a black shirt, a baseball cap, which was backwards, on his head. It was midday, the sun's rays were at its strongest. Lyra, who was wearing a light blue skirt and white shirt, fanned herself with her own hand. Kris wore red shorts with a sky blue shirt, her dark hair up in a ponytail to keep her hair off her neck. The three friends were by the bay, dipping their feet in the water to cool themselves.
"You'll have them by tomorrow," replied Kris, watching Marill swim around close by. "My dad is just doing some final tune-ups."
"Of course," began Lyra, her brown eyes glancing at Ethan. "We wouldn't need to have our Pokégears fixed if somebody didn't push me into the water."
"You started it first," said Ethan, pointing at the girl next to him. "You started poking me, and I poked you back. But you got all mad and started pushing me. I pushed you back, and you fell in the water. And you oh-so conveniently pulled me in when you were falling."
"I didn't want to be the only one with a ruined Pokégear," stated Lyra, kicking water with her legs. "But I'm sure Kris's dad will have them fixed before we get our Pokémon tomorrow. Professor Elm sure is really nice to give us our first Pokémon!"
"Second," corrected Kris, referring to herself.
"Yeah, but I can't believe it's just for a freaking errand," said Ethan, staring at the water further out. "Eh, but at least we'll be able to see Cherrygrove and stuff."
"I wonder what the Pokémon will look like," mused Lyra, lifting one leg out of the water and staring at her foot. "I want the cutest one there!"
"Actually, I've already seen the Pokémon," said Kris, earning surprised looks from Ethan and Lyra.
"What? Really? What do they look like? Tell me, tell me! Please?"
"Let's see… One is light green with a huge leaf on its head. I think that one is the cutest of the three. Cute for Lyra, that is. Another one is dark blue and cream with flames on its back. It's pretty cute, too, with its squinty eyes. The last one is blue with sharp teeth. That one is cute in a weird way to me."
"Oh! Oh! I want the green one! I want it so bad! It sounds so adorable!"
"Sounds like a total chick magnet," said Ethan, a crafty smirk on his face. "If I have that Pokémon, the girls will be all over me."
"You better not, Ethan! I already called it!"
"So? That Pokémon doesn't have your name on it!"
"I'm going to wake up extra early to get it first! You can count on it!"
"Kris, which one are you getting?"
"It doesn't really matter to me," said Kris, looking up at the clouds. "I mean, you're getting a chance to make a new friend. And I think that's what matters most."
"Wow, Kris," said Lyra, obviously impressed. "That's really deep."
"Yeah," agreed Ethan, peering over to see Kris chuckle. "See, Lyra? It shouldn't matter what the Pokémon you pick looks like because it's going to be your friend either way."
"But, I still want the cute one. Then I can dress it up in little costumes so we can cosplay together. Besides, a cute girl like me deserves a cute Pokémon."
Kris laughed as her Marill jumped into her lap, splashing water on everyone. Ethan looked at his reflection in the water, impatient for tomorrow. At last, he can go beyond New Bark Town, even if it was just an errand, which will probably be over within an hour at most. He'll be sure to make the most of that one hour.
A/N: Here it is! The next installment of "Critical Hit!" Oh, Silver, you little thief~ My little brother has this game called "Super Scribblenauts," which is a puzzle game where you write solutions to the problems. The words you type in manifest themselves in the game. An example would be that you type in "dog" and a dog appears in the game. Okay, so, one day, I was looking through the avatars you can purchase in the game in case I wanted to play as someone else besides the main character. I eventually got to one named "Thief" and I was shocked at what I saw. He looked like Silver. That's one hell of a coincidence, isn't it? Now it's a joke my brother and I sometimes mention.