The Fugitive is a story was originally aimed to be turned into a video game, but since that turned out to be difficult at the moment, I decided to submit it as a fan-fiction story, which is also my first ever one.
The story spots the light on Kanto region, the Kanto starters and their different views, the wildlife of Pokémon, the relation between Pokémon and humans and the conflicts between them with a lot of Humans, Pokémon and troubles for our protagonist to face and overcome.
The Fugitive doesn't strictly tie itself with the usual Pokémon settings and themes. It aims to be darker, more mature, touches morale issues, love, grudge, freedom, slavery, revolutions, human misdeeds and abuse, etc... Many elements from the Pokémon anime and different manga will be used, especially regarding bulbasaur. In this story's Pokémon abilities are generally a combination from anime, manga and video games, so everything is going to be accounted in setting up the characters. For references, please watch "bulbasaur Through the Multiverses" video on YouTube for a showcase of its abilities in different canons.
Chapter 1: The Escape
Pallet Town, one of the smallest towns in Kanto region and is where our story starts. Pallet Town is known for being the starting point for many Pokémon trainers since it houses Oak's lab. A laboratory to study Pokémon and where its chief, Professor Oak give his starter Pokémon Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle each year to new trainers to start their adventures off.
The lab has a ranch with green sceneries and small ponds where the starters play and spend their days until they get trainers. The ranch is the only place where the starters get to be free and play around far away from the lab's scientists' work.
It's morning, charmander and squirtle were released from their pokéball by one of the scientists into the ranch where they quickly begun to loaf and mess around by the lake.
charmander, much like of his fire is ambitious, hot-blooded pokémon that always interesting in fights and to prove its strength around. He has a cocky personality but friendly towards squirtle.
squirtle is more childish and immature and he likes to bully charmander and bulbasaur with his silly pranks. He likes to enjoy his time however he can and the one who laughs a lot at anything.
bulbasaur always gets released outside to the ranch late in the day for unknown reasons to charmander and squirtle but they don't care much as they always known bulbasaur to get released late since their coming to the lab, it's became a normal thing to them.
It's that usual time around the afternoon. The ranch doors open, charmander and squirtle turn around to see one of the scientists with a pokéball about to release bulbasaur. bulbasaur got out of its pokéball near the doors, the scientist without saying anything quickly turned around and return to the lab leaving the starters alone in the ranch.
"Hey, it's that time he shows up," charmander saying to squirtle as he's looking at the bulbasaur with degrading eyes.
Bulbasaur strolled up to the duo, dragging his feet behind him. Squirtle waved a paw. "Hello, friend!"
Charmander said, "Friend? Seriously, squirtle."
"Oh c'mon, charmander, give that green ball a break, look at his dead face."
bulbasaur didn't give much attention to them and quickly dragged himself to one of the ranch's corners, lying on the grass floor to sleep. bulbasaur always looked tired and unhappy the moment he gets out of his ball.
bulbasaur was more serious minded pokémon and he neither likes charmander's cocky attitude nor squirtle's childish behavior and as he knows both of them are nothing more than bullies to him, he doesn't like to bother himself with them, though that's not the same case with them.
charmander and squirtle always thought of bulbasaur as a sick and weak pokémon which is why they been making fun of him sometimes.
charmander and squirtle approached bulbasaur in which bulbasaur opens half of one of his eyes asking "What's now? Can't you play far from here?"
"Shut up old man, stop acting so tough and high on us" charmander quickly replying.
charmander knows that bulbasaur has been in the lab for a longer time than either him and squirtle; both thought bulbasaur never got a trainer before and so why's he around here and being the unusually old starter at the lab.
"Seriously bulbasaur how can you be this unfun?" squirtle adding after charmander.
bulbasaur realizing this not going to end well so he closed the half-opened eye and kept ignoring them.
charmander was annoyed by his behavior, as he actually hates bulbasaur for acting like the mature or the adult one on him and squirtle. He didn't like feeling like a young kid to the grass pokémon. Out of sudden, charmander kicked bulbasaur's head with his leg enough to shake all of bulbasaur body.
"Oh my God charmander what's wrong with you?" squirtle shouting out of shock.
Even though the relationship between charmander and bulbasaur never been any good, squirtle never seen it to take such a sudden turn.
bulbasaur calmly turns his head towards charmander with angry eyes and soulless face.
charmander noticed that angry face with a big smile: "Did I interrupt your sleep cool guy?"
bulbasaur out of retaliation, instantly slapped charmander with his vines, throwing the later several feet backwards.
Out of shock, squirtle couldn't do anything. In fact, squirtle was always the type of pokémon to have harmless fun around the other two, but he never seen things taking such sudden turn.
squirtle then grabbed bulbasaur by his bulb: "bulbasaur what the hell are you doing?"
bulbasaur kept silent and didn't give any attention to squirtle and quickly pushed him aside with one of his vines. bulbasaur continued to approach the grounded charmander and grabbed charmander by his neck with its vines, dragging him all the way to one of the ponds.
charmander was a far less experienced in battles and never been in a serious fight before, he quickly found himself to be defenseless and helpless against bulbasaur who has been around other starters for a longer period.
bulbasaur lift charmander above the pond's water then slowly lowered him for charmander's tail to be so close to the water.
"Hey wait what are you doing?" charmander screamed out of horror, he knows that his life is attached to the fire on its tail and if it's ever got extinguished, he will die, and bulbasaur knows that well.
bulbasaur didn't bother with the screaming and lowered charmander even closer to the water. charmander grabbed his tail by his hands so it doesn't make contact with a water out of fear as he kept shouting for bulbasaur to stop.
squirtle rushed to bulbasaur and grabbed his vines: "bulbasaur seriously this isn't the time for joking, you are going to kill him! Stop!"
bulbasaur didn't mind squirtle again and returned his eyes on charmander: "What happened? Is the cool vegetable guy scaring you?" reminding charmander of an old comment.
"Do you know your limits now?" bulbasaur slowly continued: "charmander... DONT... bother... me... again..." bulbasaur then waved charmander right and left in the air and threw it to the ground behind him.
squirtle, with a quick sigh of relief rushed to charmander. bulbasaur didn't bother checking on him and moved back to the place where he was sleeping.
charmander slowly helped himself to get up off the ground, embarrassed, turning his head towards bulbasaur.
"Fine, you can go rot alone in your corner to the hell I care. You will rot in this lab in any case"
bulbasaur stopped for a moment after hearing these words from charmander but quickly continued his walk afterwards.
squirtle didn't like these words and noted: "Hey charmander, to be honest you sometimes deserve what you get for being a douche"
"It's the truth squirtle... Look at him, he would make any trainer off with that attitude"
bulbasaur heard that and unusually responded in a calming way: "Well, at least I'm not going to be a battle slave for anyone" and continued: "Not like I'm enjoying the stay in this shit hole, but being with humans is not of my interests in any case."
"Yeah yeah cool guy, we will see about that in few days"
"Few days?" squirtle quickly asked charmander,
"Yes, didn't you hear Oak saying that there are new trainers coming in fews days to pick their starters?"
"Oh, I had no idea about that. Well we are finally going to have some adventures soon!" squirtle replying back with some excitement.
bulbasaur wondered off a bit after knowing that, but then closed his eyes trying to sleep.
Some days later
The fateful day came. The day where the starters get to be introduced to the new trainers to begin their journey with their partners.
charmander and squirtle were at the same place by the pond discussing the many things they want to do after getting out of the lab.
"Oh man I can't wait till I get stronger and evolve to be the strongest around all of Kanto!"
"I wish my trainer will be a chill person so we have a lot of fun times together"
charmander sighed: "What kind of lame wish is that? do you think of anything other than playing?"
"Hey charmander! squirtle! come quick, your trainers are coming!" Oak shouted from the lab's door, calling the starters to be quickly examined before going out with the trainers.
In the lab, charmander and squirtle were standing beside each other on a table, looking both nervous and exciting. They noticed Bubasaur's odd absence and wondered where he is.
"Hey it's strange, we haven't seen bulbasaur today" squirtle asked.
"Who cares? screw him, let's just care about things that actually matter" charmander replied back.
Shortly after, a scientist appeared out from the back door. charmander and squirtle turned back and noticed that the scientist is holding bulbasaur in his arms and coming their way.
They noticed bulbasaur looking tired and with sweat all over his face. Even though they knew bulbasaur for a year, but they never knew what happens to bulbasaur in the lab and why he keeps looking sick and late to the ranch.
This time however, it was different; charmander and squirtle noticed there's really something wrong going in the lab regarding bulbasaur.
bulbasaur was been set on the left side of the table, right beside charmander. bulbasaur didn't give any look or any expression to the other starters. He slowly lifted his head towards the lab's main doors with a scared face.
"Hey bulbasaur what's wrong, what happened to you?" squirtle asked bulbasaur out of concern.
bulbasaur didn't reply and kept looking at the lab's door.
bulbasaur sure has his reasons to be very worried in such time. He didn't feel optimistic and right at all.
bulbasaur took a look at his body as if he's analyzing and diagnosing himself, he still didn't feel any better, he knew there's something wrong with him.
Oak came closer and stood near the starters table with a big smile: "My dears, are you excited to be begin a new life with trainers?"
squirtle and charmander happily and quickly nodded their heads as a "Yes".
bulbasaur turned his face to the other way from Oak in an angry face and ignored him
"Oh bulbasaur, you should be excited as well, today's maybe you will begin your own journey with a loving trainer" Oak said to bulbasaur in an encouraging smile.
bulbasuar appeared to not taking that from Oak. bulbasaur must have a past with Oak to not giving him any positive expressions.
Oak approached the scientist and said: "Did you finish all the tests?"
"Yes professor, but we are still unable to reach a result. I guess we should let him go"
"Hmmm..."
This is it... The lab's doors opened at last. The opened doors' sound electrified bulbasaur, while charmander and squirtle never looked happier before as they are gazing at the approaching trainers...
Enter Red and Blue; A rivals since childhood.
Red and Blue always been the opposite to each other.
Red was like any ordinary kid who dreams a lot and wants do what's cool.
Blue was always jealous of Red for having his grandfather, Oak's attention and his Sister's liking.
Blue always wanted to beat Red in everything, his goal was always to be ahead of Red to prove his superiority and worth, while keeping a cocky attitude.
"Ah, Red... Blue... Welcome my boys!" Oak welcomed the new trainers as they stood near the starters.
Ignoring Oak's welcome: "Oh God... these are the starter Pokémon we will get to choose?" Red quickly jumped on excitement when he saw the starters.
"Hey hey now take it easy… sigh.. never mind, knowing you always getting excited over any tiny thing like a little kid hehe" Blue commenting on Red's reaction.
"Oh shut up Blue, just look at these amazing creatures"
"Haha looks like Red is fully ready to begin his journey" Oak noted.
While Red was busy looking at the pokémon, Blue didn't care much about them and instead, he was monitoring Red from behind.
Red got closer to charmander and examined him: "Amazing, this Pokémon's tail is an infinite fire and he looks cute!"
Red then moved to squirtle, "Ah look at this adorable Pokémon, Blue. His tail looks funny but cool"
"Yeah yeah, he looks cool, just pick your Pokémon already" Blue replied.
Red moved and stood in front of bulbasaur. bulbasaur slowly lifted his head to face Red.
Red didn't note the troubled face of bulbasaur and went ahead examining him "Ok this one is strange... It looks like a frog with a bulb on its back... that's really cool!"
Red's face changed though. He noticed something strange about bulbasaur. As he further examining bulbasaur... "Professor, is there's something wrong with this Pokémon? he looks sick".
"he might be just a bit shy around you, bulbasaur is a sturdy and reliable Pokémon and one of most unique ones"
"Hmm... I don't know. but I think I can see that"
Blue finally moved and stood in front of charmander. He raised his hand patting charmander's head; "So Red, did you decide on bulbasaur to be your starter, I see you are interested in it?"
"No Blue, I decided to go with charmander" Red stating as he's leaving the disappointed bulbasaur.
Blue moving back from charmander: "Oh? Really?"
Red raised charmander high and explained "Yes, I think charmander is stronger... bulbasaur looks weird and weak anyway"
bulbasaur instantly turned his head towards Red with dreaded eyes.
"Ok whatever, I think I will go for squirtle then..." Blue telling Red as he is picking squirtle's pokéball and quickly putting him inside it.
"C'mon squirtle, let's go and get stronger... And Red, be sure to be as strong so I don't feel bad crushing you and your charmander haha" Blue telling Red as he's going for the lab's doors.
"What? Blue you did pick squirtle just to beat my charmander right?"
"Smell ya later, Red..."
Red was surprised by Blue's action, but that didn't make any less discouraged about choosing the disadvantageous starter.
Oak patted Red's shoulder: "Oh boy Blue never changes, he cares about winning more than anything" Oak continued "He didn't even give any love for squirtle like what you did with charmander".
"So Red, are you ready to begin your journey with charmander and becomes a Pokémon champion at the Indigo League?"
"Yes professor, I will do my best to become the best Pokémon trainer in the world!"
Red excitingly rushing towards the lab's exit just about to start his own adventure.
Oak turns around to bulbasaur... bulbasaur was been motionless the whole time as he kept staring at Red ever since he heard Red's words. The words struck bulbasaur so hard that he didn't lift his eyes on him.
"Well bulbasaur, I'm sorry to say that you will have to be here for a longer time... looks like we will have to continue our sessions until the fortune smiles at you one day" Oak grabbed bulbasaur to his arms and moved towards the door in the back where he came from earlier. bulbasaur didn't pay any attention to what Oak said and kept staring at lab's doors, where Red went out from as he is being moved to the back room.
The basement, is where the back door leads to.
Deeper in the lab, a basement which is off-limits to visitors and only Oak and the other scientists can be here.
One of these rooms is where bulbasaur gets to be before going out to the ranch.
The room is full of screens, chemical tools, tubes and other medical tool and drugs.
Oak enters and firmly puts bulbasaur on a table just at the center of the room. He tied bulbasaur's arms and legs on that table.
"So we shall continue testing on him?" one of the scientist asking Oak.
"Since he didn't get a trainer, I don't' see any other option but taking this opportunity to do more research" Oak replied.
bulbasaur during that time was dead motionless. This scenario isn't new to him. In fact, he's been coming here for a year as Oak kept doing some experimentations on bulbasaur's body.
bulbasaur was one of the most unique Pokémon in Kanto. Nobody knows what bulbasaur is.
Is it an animal? is it a plant? Nobody seems to know as bulbasaur has the characteristics of both which gave the scientists so much interests to study bulbasaur. It's the human pursuit of knowledge after all.
bulbasaur being a domesticated Pokémon since birth, they are very behaved and timid around humans, and bulbasaur himself knows that they are taking advantage of his toxic body which makes him immune to poisonous and toxic drugs, and by his nature, he peacefully submitted to his fate.
In this room, a lot of experiments were done on bulbasaur, some of them was about splitting the animal body from the Bulb, some of them were about studying how the Bulb is taking control of the animal host, some were even about trying to control the mutation of bulbasaur's bulb; but even though his body allowed them to use dangerous chemicals, but at the same time it gave them harder times as it's also immune to them, which explains why it took them a long time experimenting.
The scientists were planning to use a fresh new bulbasaur than this one if either Red or Blue took this bulbasaur. A new, weaker bulbasaur might be less resistant to the drugs. But since he was left in the lab, he will have to see more days in this room.
Oak approaches bulbasaur with a syringe and inject it in bulbasaur's rear. Even though bulbasaur is already familiar to them, the stings hurt bulbasaur every time and they make his body instantly sweat with effects of dizziness. bulbasaur is slowly faded out on the table as he heard Oak's last words: "I'm sorry bulbasaur..."
"Weak and weird... weak and weird... weak and weird... weak and weird... we-"
Red's words never left bulbasaur's mind even in his sleeps. They became the worst things that he ever heard in his life.
He didn't feel like it was fair... He was really sick and didn't get a proper examination before Red and Blue came to the lab. He was introduced to new trainers in the worst possible way... Oak never cared... Oak always treated bulbasaur as a research subject, not as a living creature that might go with people as a partner.
In his sleep, bulbasaur had the events of the last year coming to him.
bulbasaur at that time didn't get to meet the trainers at all. He wasn't even together with the last year's charmander and squirtle as a choice.
In an experiment that was aimed to alter the toxic behavior in bulbasaur's body to be more accepting of outside chemical agents, the bulb's vines which wrap and connect with bulbasaur's inside organs were affected in the process.
The scientist didn't realize bulbasaur works as two creatures at once, a plant and an animal which both work together inside a single body, you don't know what exactly to use for that. What you use for plants isn't the same for animals. This outcome made bulbasaur nearing death and if it wasn't for the plant regeneration characteristics, bulbasaur could have died. Instead, in that day bulbasaur got into a coma for several days, missing the day to be presented for the trainers and thus his first time to see the potential trainers went horribly wrong and it was something he might never forgive, which is why he was worried about this year's trainers as he knows he wasn't well too.
"Weak and weird... weak and weird... we-"
weak and weird...
weak and weird...
"I'm sorry bulbasaur..."
"STTTTOOOOOOOPPP!" bulbasaur screamed out of his sleep and his vines spread out and attacked his head as if they want him to stop thinking about the past.
The four scientists in the room were horrified by the scene, two of them tried to get close to bulbasaur but without them doing anything yet, the vines reacted and attacked both of them in the face, knocking them out in the ground.
The other two scientists got scared, one of them grabbed a syringe, similar to the one Oak used earlier to calm bulbasaur down. The scientist tried to get close but out of sudden, bulbasaur released Poison Powder from its bulb for everyone to breath in the room.
Such thing was never expected by anyone, the scientists were not ready for toxic gases in the room and they had no gas masks. They helplessly suffered and so long after... they all died.
bulbasaur finally opened his eyes and didn't bother to look at the scientists' status. He calmly used his vines to cut the binds that tied his arms and legs to the table. As soon as he tried to get up, his whole body fell.
bulbasaur noticed that he can't move his legs, they were numb as if almost paralyzed from that syringe he took earlier.
"Oak you bastard... I will never forgive you" - bulbasaur muttered to himself as he still hopelessly trying to shake his semi-dead legs.
He looked around the room to find a solution until his eyes stumbled upon a ventilation window.
Without much thinking, he used his vines to break the vent's bars and attached both of them, lifting himself to enter the vent passageway, leaving the room with the scientists' corpses behind him.
"You will pay for everything Oak, I swear I will make you suffer for everything you have done to me" bulbasaur made a promise as he begun crawling his way through the vent.
Soon after, a scientist entered the room of the dead and shouted out of shock
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE!? OAK!"
bulbasaur heard the scream and realized it's not a good sign, since this will make things harder for him now to move inside the lab.
Oak and the other scientists hurried to the room to check on the scream, they were horrified by the view of the dead bodies.
"Oh my God... bulbasaur… where is he?" Oak silently talked to himself shortly before noticing one of the scientists talking to the phone...
"...Yes, yes a Pokémon killed four people in our lab please hurry he is dangerous for us or for anyone if he escaped..."
Oak realized his co-worker already called the police since he heard Officer Jenny's voice over the phone.
Since everybody were in shock condition, nobody bothered to ask if that was necessary or not
Oak snapped them back and told them to look for bulbasaur before Jenny arrives.
"Go and find bulbasaur quickly, we need to get hold of him as soon as possible"
Meanwhile, bulbasaur is still crawling through the vent and thinking if he can still make it or not. Even though he never been in such place and he doesn't even know where the vent leads but nothing made him stop going forward for any possible way to get out.
"I have to get out of here by any mea-" bulbasaur couldn't even complete his sentence as the vent broke down on him to the below room's floor.
The loud sound was spread across the lab and bulbasaur didn't think twice to hide quickly before someone find him.
He crawled in hast to one of the tables near him and hid himself below it. Two scientists rushed into the room to check on the sound of the broken vent, they noticed the crash and knew it was bulbasaur.
Though luckily, they didn't think of the chance he is still be in the same room.
The scientists begun planning and each one went to a different path from different doors.
bulbasaur noticed the numbness in his legs were gone and took this chance and went out from under the table and headed to the stairs at the end of the room. bulbasaur knows best where these stairs lead to, of course he's been going through them twice every day for a year.
The lab's main hall, where every starter is destined to be at one point and where they are set to take off in their journeys.
bulbasaur took a glimpse of the table which reminded him of Red... he gazed at it for a while, recalling back every conversation of the trainers and Oak he heard.
He shook his head and continued walking towards the doors that parts him from his unknown journey.
bulbasaur always dreamed of getting out of these doors, he knows that outside there's a whole new world but he never got a chance to see that world. He used to stare at them some days, waiting for someone to open them and takes him, like what happened to the last year's charmander and squirtle.
Now things have turned around, bulbasaur doesn't want a trainer to pick him up, he's set to look for a trainer himself... Red. but of course, not with good intentions.
bulbasaur reached the electronic floor at last that open the doors, the sun light struck his face which made him feel dizzy instantly. The new world welcomed bulbasaur with nothing but an annoying flash of light through his eyes as bulbasaur's head and body is still weak from the drugs he took earlier and the sun attack wasn't friendly with him.
Shortly after, he heard some footsteps coming his way, as these were human's footsteps, he quickly turned his head towards the sounds in worry.
"What are you doing outside here?"
bulbasaur took a step back as he's listening cautiously to Blue's words.
Blue returned to his grandfather's lab to deliver some items from Viridian City on Oak's request.
"Does gramps know you are here?"
bulbasaur took another step backward.
"I see... you are trying to escape from the lab... hmph you have some courage I can tell ya"
Blue grabbed a pokéball from his belt and threw it to the sky.
The ball opened and released out a blue light energy in front of bulbasaur in which in few seconds it was shaped into an old friend.
"..."
"Wha- bulbasaur? What are you doing here?" squirtle was surprised for seeing bulbasaur in front of him. The last time he saw bulbasaur was when he left him standing alone in the lab's table and he didn't expect to see him again.
bulbasaur wasn't thrilled by this surprise, he was corned by Blue and his Pokémon and neither were an aim or an interest for bulbasaur.
bulbasaur silently and calmly ignoring them and took a side step from them, trying to get away.
"Woah hold on, you are running away already?" Blue was serious about beating down bulbasaur before returning him to the lab, mainly to test out his new pokemon, squirtle against of what he thinks a strong pokemon, at least stronger than the Rattata and Caterpie he already been defeating for a while.
squirtle took an attack position - "I never thought we would fight so soon bulbasaur, though I still don't see your trainer too... what's going on?"
bulbasaur realized he can't get away now and turned his body towards squirtle - "squirtle don't waste my time, you are at disadvantage here and you know it"
"squirtle, use Rapid Spin!" Blue shouted from behind ordering for an attack.
"Sorry bulbasaur, perhaps fate has not been kind to you, but even if you are friend, I will do everything I can for my trainer" squirtle immediately jumped and retracted himself to his shell and span rapidly towards bulbasaur.
bulbasaur jumped aside to avoid being hit, he knows the damage from squirtle's shell won't be so light for his body to handle.
squirtle continued spinning around and circling trying to hit bulbasaur who kept jumping around.
Gary wasn't happy seeing his pokemon doing no progress - "You idiot, stop fooling around already!"
bulbasaur got tired of jumping around and stood firmly on his ground as he shot his vines towards the spinning squirtle. The vines couldn't stop squirtle, but it did make it stray off from its original path and hit the lab's walls in result.
squirtle got out of his shell in pain from the impact for and bulbasaur quickly took the chance. bulbasaur used his vine whips again to grab squirtle by his legs and threw it with all his might against Blue.
Blue couldn't catch squirtle safely because of the power of the throw and hurted his chest as a result, knocking him back to the ground.
"Hehe he he.. who needs trainers anyway... " bulbasaur modestly laughing to himself as he watching the two struggling on the ground.
He then turned his head and stared back at the lab's doors - "I'm still not ready for you Oak, but I will come back and I will destroy you like how you destroyed my life, but now it's not your time, I will find that boy and crush every bit of his dreams with my own... weak... hands... just wait"
bulbasaur left squirtle and Blue lying in the grounds and rushed to get out of the area towards Route 1... Leaving Pallet Town and his old life behind him, setting a usual goal in his mind, pursuing the boy who made an impact in his life that he will never forget.
And thus, the grass starter sat out alone on his journey throughout Kanto region that he never expected or desired... unknowingly approaching the waves of enemies and troubles he's about to face in his adventure.
To be continued on the next chapter:
- Chapter 2: VS Pidgeotto - Viridian Forest Siege
Well, here's the first chapter of many.
I appreciate and looking forward for any feedback and reviews.
Thank you all for reading :)