I DO NOT OWN THE MAIN PLOT! I just wrote this story, the plot is just a rumor I heard about on the internet. I've heard several Lavender Town myths and this one is by far my favourite. I couldn't get it out of my head, so I just had to write a fanfic of it.

The Raticate

Blue ran as fast as he could through the crowded hallways of the SS Anne. Who would have thought this massive luxury cruise ship built for trainers didn't have a Pokemon Center? How convenient that he desperately needed one, too!

He stared desperately at the pokeball in his hand. It held one of his first friends, Raticate who had been gravely wounded in a battle against Blue's rival, Red not long ago. All of Blue's other Pokemon were fine, but Blue noticed just minutes after the fight that his Pokemon was having trouble breathing and it had several deep cuts. He'd immediately scoured the entire ship for a Pokemon Center, but his efforts were in vain.

Blue shoved a middle aged man out of his way who immediately started grumbling about how rude young people were these days. Would he be saying the same if he knew that Blue's Raticate's life was at stake?

After much pushing and shoving, Blue finally reached the door to the ship and sprinted out of it and through the harbor. He'd broken into a cold sweat from the stress of it all and he forced himself to look where he was going instead of at the dying Pokemon in his hand. It seemed to take years to finally reach the Pokemon Center. Did it have to be positioned so far from Vermillion Harbor, on the other side of the city?

Throwing open the door, Blue made a beeline for the nurse's counter and roughly pushed a Bug Catcher out of the way, "Raticate." He wheezed, practically dropping the pokeball onto the counter and doubling over, panting. "Help him... Please!"

Fortunately, the nurse heard the desperation in Blue's voice and called over two other nurses to look after Raticate, "Why don't you take a seat over there?" The nurse behind the counter suggested, waving her hand at a couch in the corner of the Center, "Your Raticate will be just fine."

Blue collapsed onto the couch. He'll be fine. He thought. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Raticate will be alright. I haven't failed... Probably it was the long run to the Pokemon Center or all the stress he had been relieved of, but in a few minutes, Blue had drifted off to sleep.

Blue and his sister, Daisy had been in Professor Oak's care ever since their parents died when Blue was six. But the Professor had always been to busy with his scientific research to give his grandchildren much attention. When Oak called Blue to his lab to receive a Pokemon, Blue had never been more excited in his life. Not only was he going to receive a new friend and companion, but Blue also saw it as an opportunity to make his grandfather proud. He had big dreams, there was no way Oak could ignore his grandson if he was the Indigo League champion!

Blue was so disappointed when he saw that Oak had brought his lifelong rival, Red along to choose a Pokemon, too. When Red chose Charmander, Blue chose the Pokemon that was powerful against it and challenged his rival to a battle, only to lose in front of the grandfather he was trying so hard to impress. But Blue didn't mind so much. It only motivated him to try harder to get his grandfather's attention, the Pokedex was the perfect opportunity to do so. Blue's goal was simple: Completed Pokedex = Grandfather's love.

But training Pokemon wasn't easy. At first, none of Blue's Pokemon would listen to him, resulting in him losing yet again the Red. Blue's Squirtle was unused to being trained by someone who wasn't Professor Oak and his Pidgey kept trying to run off. But there was one Pokemon that listened. One Pokemon that would do what it was told. And that was a Rattata.

On any other occasion, Blue would have been humiliated to rely so heavily on a simple normal type, but he owed Rattata so much. The Rattata got Blue's Pokemon to listen to him and became a big part of his Pokemon team. Heck, it even helped him catch an Abra, which is almost impossible as they keep teleporting away before you can even thrown the Pokeball.

"Excuse me? Sir?" The sound of the nurse's voice jerked him awake. She was standing a few meters away from him, looking slightly uneasy.

"What is it?" Blue asked, glancing at the clock on the wall. He'd slept all night at the Pokemon Center, he realized.

The nurse glanced down at the ground, took a deep breath, looked Blue right in the eye and said, "I'm afraid your Pokemon died."

"WHAT?" Blue screamed, flinging himself at the nurse and shaking her madly, "You're not serious! You know, it's not funny to joke about that sort of stuff!"

The nurse pulled away, looking extremely scared, "I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, "There was nothing I could do to save it, one of it's vital arteries had been cut open, it was already half dead when you arrived!"

Blue then said a bad word that should never be said by a child his age and stormed out without a backward glance.

Two weeks later, Blue stood in Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town in front of the grave of his Raticate.

"I'm sorry." He said, expecting no answer, "I shouldn't have let us lose. It should have been Red's Pokemon that died, not you." He clenched his fists. Of course, this was all Red's fault. Red was the one that stole his grandfather's love. Red was the one who stopped him from reaching victory. Red was the one who killed Blue's closest friend. "I will make Red pay." He spat, "Forget about the Pokedex, I never cared about Grandpa's stupid invention anyway. I'll become the strongest trainer ever. I will force my grandfather to be proud of me! I will beat Red over and over and kill each and every one of his Pokemon!" He stopped and took shaky breath, "I will avenge you."

Then, Blue might have imagined it, but he swore that a pale wisp came from behind the tombstone, but it was gone in a second. He turned around to see none other than Red standing right behind him.

Not now, not today. Blue thought, But someday, I will beat you and you'll be the one having to bury your closest friends.

"Hi, Red." He said coolly, "Your Pokemon don't look dead to me." His rival stayed silent as usual, having no idea of the meaning behind Blue's words. "I can make them faint, though."

Today they will faint. Blue thought to himself as the battle started, But one day, they will all die.