Summary: You know the story. You stand at the edge of Pallet Town, preparing to take that one step when a voice calls out. Professor Oak's voice. It is that one moment that defines the rest of your adventure. It is that one moment that ensures you receive your first Pokémon…. So what if he hadn't been there?
Pokémon
Rabid Red
Red.
The color of blood, rubies and strawberries.
It is dangerous, but beautiful; passionate, yet angry. There are far too many ways to describe that grand and fiery hue.
Fortunately the people of Pallet Town had no such trouble, for within the confines of their – usually – quiet little village, the word 'Red' could only be associated with one thing.
Red.
"Gwuagh!" a young boy cried out, crumpling to the floor upon receiving the mighty fist of vengeance that had descended upon him.
The five children gathered around him stepped back in fear. Their eyes were wide and terrified, and their gazes were locked on a lone boy glaring at them fiercely from beneath his red cap.
"Alright," he said after a moment of silence, his dark red pupils narrowing dangerously, "who's next?"
The group scattered, various cries and shouts fleeing from their lips as they ran.
"HIIIE!"
"He's a monster! Someone save us!"
"Stupid Red! I thought we had him this time!"
"Tsk," the boy spat. A small swat of red fluid flew from his bruised lips at the motion, "Cowards, the lot of them."
He grimaced while examining his wounds. They would take time to heal, but compared to those of his fallen foe, they were nothing. That being said...
'They're getting smarter,' he thought as he ignored the shivers of pain running down his spine. 'They've learned to attack in groups. Can't say that they're strong enough to beat me though.'
His name was Red, and he was the Scourge of Pallet.
It hadn't always been that way, mind you. Once upon a time he'd been just as average and boring as the next kid, but that had been a long, long time ago. Before his father left to teach Karate in Saffron City. Before his friend Blue took a lesson in stupid.
Before Pallet.
Red's legs wobbled momentarily. It seemed that with the battle's end, his body had lost the adrenaline that had kept him going. It knew he was injured, and it appeared that it wasted no time in reminding him of that fact. Even so, Red fought to remain standing. He dug deep into his reserves, knowing that it'd have been pointless to have won the fight, only to collapse on his defeated opponent before he could get home.
When he was certain he wouldn't fall, Red turned his gaze back to his fallen foe and spoke.
"You... You tell your friends that I'm ready for 'em anytime!" he shouted, "I won't lose to the likes of you!"
He kicked the boy, earned a startled "Eep!" in response, and watched as the coward fled with his tail between his legs.
Finally, it was over.
Red sighed, and once the boy was out of sight, he fell onto his back, exhausted.
"I did it…" he mumbled to himself quietly, "…I won."
Now if only he knew how he'd get away with telling his mom…
She was a nice and amicable young woman, but she had the amazing ability to be stern when it suited her. Most of the time however, her time was spent occupied by the television, watching one of the three available channels in Pallet Town.
Those channels were:
The Pokémon Championship Show – a series filled with modern day Elite Four Battles and reruns of previous Championships.
The Teachy TV Series – an education show for children detailing how to capture the wonderful creatures known as Pokémon.
And finally…
The room was dark.
Hushed whispers echoed within its contents, belonging to the thousand members of the audience gathered inside. Each and every one of them were wondering the same thing: How much longer?
As it turned out, not long at all.
No sooner did the whispers begin to grow louder did the many switches in the room turn on, illuminating the auditorium with brilliant light and revealing the podium that stood before them. On it, stood a single, kind old man donned in little more than a scientist's coat.
His hair was white.
"Welcome, to the world of Pokémon!" he greeted cheerfully throughout the room, earning hundreds of cheers from the mere sound of his voice.
He smiled, "Many of you may recognize me, but for those of you who don't, my name is Samuel Oak. People call me the Pokémon Professor."
He paused for effect, waiting for the applause to die down before moving to speak.
"This world is filled with interesting – no, remarkable creatures that live alongside us each and every day. And as you may be aware, these creatures are referred to all over as, quite simply, Pokémon!" he snapped his finger at that, and throughout the room televisions came to life, each and every one of them containing a silhouette of at least one kind of "Pokémon."
Again, the audience cheered, many of them recognizing one or two of the Pokémon silhouettes contained in one of the televisions. Professor Oak smiled at that, before raising his arms to speak once more.
"For some people, Pokémon are pets. Other people may enjoy using them for battle. We find ourselves coexisting with various kinds." At this, the Professor paused, reaching into one of the many folds of his coat and retrieving a small, red and white orb.
Before the audience could even pause to ask what it was, the man threw the sphere upward, an echoing pop bursting from its being and prompting a small creature to take shape in the sky and crash into the man's chest happily.
Oak laughed at the motion, lifting the small, furry little creature up onto his shoulder with a smile.
"This, is an Eevee," he explained to the confused members of the audience, "and he is just one of the many mysteries I wish to solve."
Oak closed his eyes for a brief moment, the smile never leaving his face. In an instant, they were open once more, and he glanced out toward the audience confidently.
"Are you ready to leap in and learn about this Pokémon world?" he asked, earning yet another round of cheers and applause, "I will be your guide for a story of dreams and adventure!" He swooped his arm outward in a sudden motion, and behind him, a large drape began to unfold, "Now, the world of Pokémon awaits! Let's get started-"
The program suddenly flickered as the door to the house opened, and from her place at the kitchen table, Red's mother smiled.
"Oh, Red!" she greeted kindly, turning to address her only child, "You're home already? Oh! Oh my… what happened to you?!"
"Ngh…" Red grumbled quietly, failing to provide any prominent details as to his current condition.
His mother sighed.
"You were out fighting again weren't you…?" she asked, "I suppose I should be expecting another visit from Daisy then?"
"No…" Red said, moving toward the woman with a small frown on his face, "It wasn't Blue I got in a fight with. It was those other kids… from Viridian."
Red's mother frowned.
"Viridian?" she asked, setting a hand on her cheek sadly, "You mean Joey and those rowdy friends of his?"
Red nodded.
"Well, I don't see why you just haven't made up with him already. You two used to be such good friends. I remember he used to run around following you all the time."
"Friends? With Joey?" Red frowned.
Oh how naive his mother was.
The truth of the matter was that he had never been friends with the boy. Certainly, once upon a time Joey had spent all his time following Red around the village whenever he was in town, but that was only because the boy had been planning on stealing Red's rare Charizard card.
Beneath his hat, Red smiled wryly at the reminder. That had marked the start of their little rivalry, if it could be called that. The sweat and tears that had been exchanged that day were truly something to behold, not that Red would ever admit it to another human being.
His attention was drawn back to the present as his mother walked across the room to grab the first aid kit. He must have been in a worse state than he initially realized.
"Well, boys will be boys I suppose," his mom sighed, "oh! And speaking of boys, have you spoken with Blue recently? His grandfather was on the telly just a bit ago, doing another one of his educational documentaries." The woman giggled a bit, before returning to Red and slapping a bandage over a small cut on his cheek, "That man… do you think he'd accept another invitation to come over for tea? It's been quite some time since we last spoke after all."
"Ugh…" Red grumbled, shaking his head in denial, "Stop it mom. I don't wanna hear about you and your crush on the Professor! It's disgusting! He's nearly twice your age!"
"Oh shush," the woman chided lightly, softly swatting Red on the arm, "you'll ask him when you see him tomorrow, won't you? After all, you wouldn't want your dear old mom to lounge around the house with no one to keep her company would you?"
"What are you talking about?" Red frowned, "I'm not seeing Professor Oak tomor-"
He paused, turning toward the refrigerator to glance at the calendar resting on its door.
April 1st, the day before the Professor was giving new trainers their first Pokémon. Red's eyes widened. How could he have forgotten something so important? He'd been waiting for that day to come for years! The day he would finally be able to venture beyond the borders of Pallet, and start his journey to become the one, the only, Pokémon Master!
Pft.
Yeah right.
Certainly, Red had every intention of receiving his starter Pokémon, and venturing forth as a Pokémon Trainer, but not for any outlandish goal that required journeying through region upon region upon region!
No.
He had a far simpler goal in mind. One that still required just as much blood, sweat, and tears as the former.
Simply put, Red intended to become Champion.
A lofty goal indeed. Ever since Lance had taken up the mantle, few if any had ever managed to push past the Elite Four to reach him, much less drive the man into using his dreaded Dragonite. He had been the goal for aspiring trainers for years, and many dreamed of climbing those last, few steps behind him to enter the Hall of Fame…
At least, until last year.
Yes.
Somehow, Lance had been beaten.
Those who witnessed the battle had refused to comment, and the new Champion preferred to stay out of the spotlight. At first, it had been dismissed as an Urban Legend. After all, how could it be believed, with no video, or evidence to prove it?
No one believed that Lance had been beaten… until the legendary Dragon-user had told them himself.
As expected, the fallback had been tremendous.
Throughout the region of Kanto hundreds of new Trainers leapt at the chance of facing someone more powerful, more deadly than Lance himself. It had been that statement that had sparked Blue's interest in becoming Champion, and for that reason alone, Red knew he had to aim for it as well.
Others may have thought it demeaning or petty, but there was no way in hell that Red was going to just sit by and let Blue become Champion.
And so, with a quick nod to his mother, Red trudged up the stairs to his room, where he would spend the night dreaming of Charmander, one of the three Kanto starters he intended to take with him on his journey….
If only things had gone according to plan.
Chapter One: A Rocky Start
Morning came to Pallet earlier than expected.
As the sun rose from beyond the horizon, the many chirps and cries of the local Pidgey were more than enough to wake the populace.
Red too, was no exception.
"Alright," the boy muttered to himself quietly, digging through the contents of his backpack, "Potions loaded, Running Shoes acquired, I think I'm just about ready to get outta here!"
"Red!" his mother's voice called from below, "Are you up yet?! Don't forget you're meeting with Professor Oak today!"
"Yeah, mom!" Red replied, "I'm already up! I'll be leaving here shortly."
He opened the door to his room before slinging his bag over his back and making his way down the stairs.
"Right," his mom smiled softly upon seeing him appear, "all boys leave home someday. It said so on the TV… Even so, I can't believe it's already that time…. I still remember when you were crawling around on all fours, you grew up so fast…!" She wiped a tear from her eye.
"Oh man…" Red deadpanned, raising his hands in a placating manner. "You're not gonna start crying on me, are you? I don't think I'd be able to take it."
"Oh, Red!" she cried, draping her arms around the boy and pulling him in for a crushing hug.
Subtly, he returned the gesture.
"Oh, do take care of yourself dear!" the woman spoke swiftly, "Make sure you eat a healthy meal three times a day, and don't forget to call or write every once and a while either!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Red laughed slightly, before removing the woman's arms from his person. "I'll let you know when I get to Pewter."
He adjusted his grip on his bag one last time before turning his attention to the movie playing in the kitchen.
Four boys were walking on railroad tracks…
Red sighed, his lips pulling upward into a soft smile before he turned to face the door.
It was time for him to go too.
With one last goodbye to his mother, he opened the door, and stepped out into the new world.
"Right then," he said to himself, walking down the street toward Professor Oak's well-known Lab, "First things first, Pokémon!"
It was common knowledge that every year the Professor presented several new Pokémon for young Trainers to begin their journeys with! That year however, the Pokémon Oak was to be giving away were supposed to be even rarer than usual!
Red grinned at the prospect.
Charmander.
Squirtle.
Bulbasaur.
Ever since he'd found out what the three Pokémon would be, Red had always known which one he would pick.
The creature that fought with a red-hot passion, filled with a desire to surpass its own limits and burn everything to ash!
Yes, the Pokémon that Red had dreamed of having: Charizard!
Of course, he knew full well that meant spending days training it up from a small, cuddly Charmander, but hey, no pain no gain, right?
The boy smiled as he stepped in front of Oak's Lab. It was time to get things started! Slowly, he raised his hand toward the door handle, and made to enter the world filled with mysteries and adventure…!
"Huh…?" Red's eyes squinted in confusion.
The door….
It wasn't… It wasn't budging.
The boy rattled the handle, the door shaking against its hinges as it stood firmly before him, unmoving.
It was locked.
"No…" Red grimaced, trying the other way.
Nothing happened.
"Oh come on, don't do this to me now!" Red frowned, "Not when I'm already here!"
He shook the door three more times before glaring through it toward the empty lab.
"Tch… figures," Red muttered after a moment, "Oak never was good at keeping his appointments."
"Well, well, well!" an obnoxious, snobby voice called out from behind him, earning a glare from the boy, "If it isn't Red?! Fancy seeing you here!"
Red sighed. He knew that voice anywhere. It was the one that haunted his dreams and nightmares, always followed by an air of arrogance that threatened to suffocate everyone who came into contact with it. Slowly, Red turned to face his appraiser, his eyes squinted in an unamused stare.
"Blue."
"So Gramps called you over too huh?" the spiky-haired boy asked with a nonchalant wave of his hand, "I don't see why. There's no way you could make it as a Pokémon Trainer!"
"Is that what you think?" Red asked, "Well Blue, just because you're related to the Professor doesn't mean you'll be any good at this thing either."
"Ha, please!" Blue laughed, "I've been training for this day for years! There's no way I'll fail! Heh, I bet you don't even have a Pokéball on you yet, do you?!"
Red frowned.
"You have Pokéballs?"
"Of course!" Blue smirked, reaching onto his belt and grabbing one of the shining red and white orbs before holding it up expectantly, "Specially ordered from Indigo Plateau itself! By the time I reach Viridian City, I'll already have a complete team of Pokémon just waiting to grasp victory! Well, I don't see any Pokéballs on your belt, Red."
"….." Red mumbled quietly.
"What was that Red? I didn't quite hear you."
"I said I don't have any." Red grumbled.
"Oh really? What a surprise Red! It looks like you weren't ready for this Pokémon Trainer thing after all! Lucky for you, I'm feeling a little charitable today!"
He tossed the Pokéball he was holding toward Red's head, only for the boy to catch it with a firm scowl on his face.
"Blue…" Red warned.
"Anyway," Blue continued, paying no mind to the look on Red's face, "It looks like Gramps hasn't shown up yet! Guess I woke up early for nothing… I guess I'll just head back home and take another look at that Town Map my sis had! And don't you go getting any ideas about taking it either!" Blue snapped suddenly, glaring at Red, "I've seen the way you look at her! You stay away from Daisy! Smell ya later, loser!"
He shoved past Red and left the scene, no doubt heading back to his house to do whatever it was he said he was going to. Red blinked as he watched the boy leave, trying to comprehend what all had just happened.
Had Blue really just accused him of staring at Daisy in some obscure, obscene fashion? Red shook his head in disbelief. He barely even spoke with the girl, much less saw her around town!
He glanced back at the empty lab one more time before shaking his head in annoyance. Blue or no Blue, the boy was right. If Oak wasn't around there was no point in staying there any longer. He'd have to check back later, preferably before Blue got his own pick of starter Pokémon! Until then, Red figured he might as well take a firm look at the path he'd be taking to Viridian.
To the common folk, it was called Route One. Fitting, considering that it was the first path many of Pallet Town's youth took on their quest to complete the Gym Challenge. Filled to the brim with low-level Pokémon, it was perfect for being used as a Training Ground for aspiring Trainers!
Rattata and Pidgey filled its forests and trees, though Spearow, and the evolved monsters Fearow and Raticate, were known to occasionally make an appearance as well!
Contrary to how he was acting, Red was familiar with Route One. It was the path he'd been forced to take several years prior every day on his way to the Pokémon Academy after all. It was a short and sturdy path, easier to traverse when coming than going, but the boy knew that that was often the case with many of Kanto's paths.
As he stood on the edge of its borders, Red sighed. He had hoped that by this time he'd be on his way to Pewter City, but it seemed that was not to be the case.
"Well," he thought, "at least the next time I come up through here this way it'll be with a Charmander!"
Oh how he wanted that Charmander.
As he prepared to take that first step into the tall grass, a sudden breeze pushed him back. Caught off guard, the boy stumbled slightly, but he did not fall.
"What…?" he asked, placing a hand on top of his head to prevent his hat from being blown away in the breeze, "It's rare for Pallet to have such weather…."
Unbeknownst to Red, the moment of destiny was at hand! At any moment, Professor Oak was bound to make a surprise appearance, whisking the boy away to his lab to finally take hold of that Pokémon he so wanted…!
At any moment….
Any moment….
Red frowned, scratching the back of his head as the breeze finally began to die down.
"Sheesh, talk about weird," he said.
He waited on its edge for several more seconds, as if waiting for something unexpected to happen.
Nothing did.
"I guess it was… my imagination."
"You guess what was your imagination?!" the snobby young voice of an irritable youngster called out before him.
"Ngh, Joey." Red acknowledged, glaring at the smirking boy beneath his cap.
"That's right, it's me, Youngster Joey!" the blue-cap wearing child smirked, "And this time, you're gonna be the one left lying in the dirt, Red!"
"What? You wanna fight again?" Red asked. "After I already beat you down yesterday?"
"That's right, because things are gonna be different this time!" Joey smirked, revealing a small Pokéball in his hands, "I have a Pokémon!"
What?
Well, that was unexpected.
"You have a Pokémon? Must not be very good." Red noted, much to Joey's indignation.
"Hey! You take that back! I worked hard to get this Rattata! So come on, you got a Pokémon today too didn't you? We'll have a Pokémon Battle!"
Red smiled wryly at the thought of facing Joey in a Pokémon Battle, before remembering his current circumstances.
"Sorry," the boy apologized sarcastically, "but I didn't get my Pokémon yet, and even if I had one, I wouldn't waste its energy by contending with the likes of you."
"Eh? You don't have a Pokémon yet?" Joey asked in surprise, before a deadly grin made its way onto his face, "So you came all the way out to Route One without any protection huh…? You must think you're pretty hot stuff."
"What…?" Red deadpanned.
"Looks like you screwed up Red!" Joey shouted, throwing his Pokéball to the sky, "You should have known better than to come out here without any protection! Go, Rattata!"
A shining light erupted from the Pokéball as he spoke, and in a burst of blue energy, a small purple rat appeared in the space between Joey and Red, snarling at the surrounding area rabidly.
"Attacking passerby with your Pokémon now? Looks like you've stooped to a new low, Joey." Red scolded, raising his arms cautiously.
"S-Shut up!" the boy snapped angrily, "I'm just paying you back for all those times you've made a fool out of me! Go Rattata, Tackle!"
The purple rodent narrowed its eyes at the command, but did not disobey. In a surprising display of speed, it lunged forward at Red, attempting to smash into the boy's chest with all it was worth.
With a startled yelp at actually being attacked, Red moved to the side, allowing the Rattata to pass by him harmlessly and skid around in the soft grass.
"Hey! What's the big idea?! Try that again and I'll really get angry, Joey-!"
"Quick Rattata!" Joey continued, "Throw him off balance with a Tail Whip!"
The Rattata growled in acknowledgment, before leaping forward to catch Red from behind. The boy had only managed to turn around halfway when the rodent appeared between his legs, whipping its long, purple tail into his left ankle.
Despite its small size, the motion was more than enough to knock Red's leg out from under him, and the boy let out a startled cry in response as he fell.
"No way-!"
Joey grinned, curling his cap around for a finishing move.
"Now Rattata, while he's down! Get him good with a Hyper Fang!"
"!" Red's eyes went wide. Did Joey even know what that move was? And if so, did he really intend to use it on a human?
Rattata too glanced back at his Trainer questionably, but upon seeing the steely gaze of the young boy, he knew there was no mistake. Swiftly, it turned back toward Red, its front two fangs beginning to glow with unearthly power.
"Darn… Gotta move…!" Red thought, climbing up to one knee.
"Ratta, Ratta, Ratta, Ratta, Ratta, Ratta, Rattata!" the rodent hissed, charging into Red with as much speed as it could muster.
As its front fangs connected with the boy's skin, the glowing teeth shone brighter, before resulting in a loud, over-the-top explosion that covered the landscape. Joey hissed in annoyance as he was pushed back by the resulting shock wave, his eyes squinted tight to see through the debris.
"Did we get him…?" he asked.
Yes.
"Gwuuuaugh!" Red cried, his body and clothes covered in bruises as he was sent soaring backward into a conveniently located river.
He crashed down with a loud splash, his hat and lone Pokéball flying from his grasp into the water beside him.
From his location on the bank, Joey smiled.
"Yeah, we did it!" he cheered, "That'll teach him to mess with me…"
He turned back to the river, expecting to see Red rise up at any moment.
He didn't.
After several minutes had passed, a worried look crossed Joey's face.
"Uh oh… we didn't… we didn't kill him did we?" he asked worriedly, earning a confused shrug from his Rattata. "Oh man, I really hope not. I just wanted to teach him a lesson! Sis is gonna kill me when she finds out I used you like this though!"
He turned back to the river one last time, before shaking his head.
"Grrrr…! He deserved it anyway! Come on Rattata, let's go find a Pidgey!"
Ignoring the Rattata's concerned cries, he recalled it back into the Pokéball, and left for a different part of Route One.
As far as he was concerned, Red was dead.
Fortunately however, this was not the case. While Red was definitely injured from the assault, a single Hyper Fang from a trained Rattata was not quite enough to do the boy in. If Joey had stayed behind another minute, he would have noticed an unconscious body rise from the water down the stream, along with a curious click from what could have only been a Pokéball…
-Red-
Dragged along with the current, Red's unconscious form was swept downstream, stopping only when the current too had calmed, leaving him to drift silently onto the edge of a damp shore. The boy laid there for several minutes, his body slowly recovering from the assault it had garnered from Rattata's attack.
Suddenly, Red coughed, a torrent of river water flying from his lips as he rolled onto his side.
"Ugh… Ugh…!" he spat, gripping the ground beneath him to try and get his bearings. "Where… Where am I?"
He glanced around, shaking the lightheaded sensation from his mind as he gazed on his surroundings.
It didn't take him long to remember what had happened, and realize that he was still somewhere along Route One.
To think Joey would attack him that way… it was unexpected. Still, Red realized that he should have seen it coming. Joey always had done anything it took to get ahead, and now that they were both qualified to become Pokémon Trainers, that just meant that the boy had that many more means of getting his revenge.
That didn't mean that Red couldn't do the same however.
Groaning as he crawled to his feet, Red coughed twice more, ensuring he got the last of the river's fluids out of his lungs. He'd need every bit of air he could muster if he was gonna track the twerp down and wreak holy vengeance upon him. First things first however, he'd need a Pokémon. Despite his own size much larger than that of the boy's Rattata, he realized that as a Pokémon, the purple rodent had a one-up on any humans it came into contact with. If Red was gonna get in a fight with one, he'd need to even the score somehow.
Luckily, Blue had given him the means of doing so.
Red reached down into his pockets, searching for the small sphere that Blue had given him earlier that day. To think he'd ever thank the boy for being a condescending smart-alack…
"Mmmm…?" Red frowned, unable to find the Pokéball within his things.
Worriedly, he pulled his bag out from behind him, opening the zipper to search its contents as well.
Potions, spare clothes, but no Pokéball.
Had it fallen off of him when he had gotten thrown into the river? And speaking of, the boy realized that he was missing his hat as well! That didn't bode well…
He turned back behind him, intending to scour the area he'd washed up to see, if by some luck, his missing items washed up beside him.
Lucky for him, they had.
"Thank goodness!" he exhaled in relief, running over to the drenched red hat resting atop the small, soaked orb. "I don't know what I would've done if I lost it…"
Smiling softly, Red reached for his hat, twirling it on his fingertips lightly before setting it firmly down atop his head. He shivered upon feeling its cold, wet, fabric settle inside his hair. Regardless, he needed to wear it. It was the only thing hiding his strange red eyes from the world after all.
"And now… the Pokéball…" he continued, reaching back down to grab the shiny red sphere.
As he lifted the orb into his hands, he couldn't help but frown. It felt heavier than before, not by much mind you, but still, different. He shrugged the sensation off, chalking it up to the presence of water. He just hoped that it hadn't broken the system.
"My hat and Pokéball…" he thought to himself, "With these, I'll catch a Pokémon and show Joey what's what!"
He didn't have to wait long for a chance for arrive. No sooner did he finish that thought did the shrieking caw of a Fearow alert him to a brilliant opportunity.
Red glanced upward, watching the great shadow of the Beak Pokémon cast itself down upon him. His eyes went wide in surprise.
"A Fearow…? Here?!" he asked excitedly, only to step back as the winds from its flapping wings tore down beside him. "Guh…! It's the same kind as earlier…! Is it the reason…? In that case… Chance!"
"Row!" the bird chirped, its slanted eyes searching for any sign of its prey.
"Only have one shot at this…!" Red mumbled, glancing at his Pokéball confidently, "Here we go! Let's catch… Fearow!"
He tossed the Pokéball up swiftly, the shining orb popping as it nailed the giant monstrosity on the side of the head and popped. The Fearow crowed angrily upon impact, before realizing that something was now floating in the air alongside it.
"Eh…?" Red murmured, taking a step forward upon seeing what was just released from his Pokéball. "It's…"
Giant beady eyes glanced around the scene in confusion. Its yellow spikes bobbed up and down as it became aware that it was no longer in water.
"It's…"
The Fearow's eyes gleamed happily as it spotted ideal prey.
"Karp Karp!"
"MAGIKARP?!" Red shrieked in disbelief, the Pokéball he'd thrown flying back into his hands.
"KARP!"
And not just any Magikarp. A shiny Magikarp.
Fearow scooped the useless fish Pokémon into its beak, before glaring at the human who'd nailed it with the Pokéball.
"O-Oi!" Red shouted, "Hold on! You can't keep that Magikarp! It's mine!"
The Fearow crowed angrily, flapping its wings before turning toward the human who dared address it so casually. Did it not know what it was? It was a Fearow! Lord of the Skies!
"Fearow! Give me back my Magikarp!" Red shouted.
Of course, it wasn't as if he wanted the thing. But it was shiny! Besides, as long as it was already out in the open like that he wouldn't be able to release it properly, which meant that the Pokéball in his hands, wouldn't be able to capture another Pokémon!
Fearow didn't care about of that though. It just wanted a meal, and payback on the human who'd hit it atop the head. It wasn't the evolution of the angry Spearow for nothing after all!
With a loud caw, it spread its wings angrily and swooped down toward the boy, intending to make a meal out of him as well!
Red cried out at the motion, but stood his ground. He needed to get that Magikarp back, no matter what!
"Tch, you Fearow…!" Red shouted, "I said give it here!"
The Fearow swept past the boy swiftly, and taking advantage of the moment, Red spread his arms out and caught the Fearow around the neck.
"KARP!"
All three of them lifted into the sky before Red realized what was happening.
"G-Guah! Ngh…" Red grimaced, attempting to ignore the strange sensation of flying to climb properly onto Fearow's back.
Once he was settled in what he could presume to be a safe position, he raised his Pokéball cautiously and aimed for the gold fish flopping around in Fearow's beak.
"Grrr, Magikarp return!" he shouted, a small beam of energy capturing the fish and returning it to the safety of the sphere.
Red swiftly attached the orb to his belt, as he should have done prior to leaving Pallet Town, he realized.
Fearow glared at him, understanding that he was to blame for its lack of a meal.
"Row…!" it snapped dangerously, spreading its wings out in preparation for a dive.
"As for you, Fearow!" Red shouted, "Put me down now!"
The Fearow declined, and with a flap of its wings, dove down into the trees.
Red cried out in surprise, holding on to Fearow's neck for dear life. The bird curled and swept through the trees at intense speed, intending not to put Red down, but to have him fall off. The boy wasn't having any of it though! He was going to hold on until he was safe, no matter what!
"G-Grugah….! Fearow… How about this then?!" Red shouted, lifting his right hand up dangerously to take hold of the bird's wings. He pulled it up slightly, immediately changing the direction they flew in.
Fearow squawked in surprise as it curled into a barrel roll, narrowly avoiding crashing face-first into a tree. It glared at Red from the corner of its eye.
"Don't blame me!" the boy snapped back, "You're the one who won't put me down!"
Fearow cawed, curling its neck around to squawk at the boy properly, and in that one moment, everything changed.
"H-Hey! Look out!"
"Fearow!"
The bird only just managed to turn its head back around when they crashed into an assortment of trees. Ordinarily Fearow would have just "drilled" right through them, but due to its lack of attention, it only managed to dent a piece of the bark.
"FEAROW!" it squawked, its eyes rolling back as it felt the brunt of the collision. It flapped its wings twice more, before falling some fifty feet into the ground below.
"A-Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The second they hit the forest floor, a wave of dirt and debris rose from the ground. With a pained grunt, Red rolled off the back of the unconscious creature, allowing his back to fall on the soft grass quietly.
"U-Ugh… talk about a rough landing…." he murmured aloud.
"Row…." The bird unconsciously agreed with him.
He didn't know how long they'd stayed there. It couldn't have been that long though, as the sun had barely moved from its earlier position when a soft cry rang out toward them.
"Fearow?! Fearow!" a voice called out, "Come on! I know I saw you fly over here! We need to get going!"
Red's ears twitched. They were searching for Fearow…? That meant, it belonged to somebody?!
Well, no wonder it had gotten so upset that a Pokéball had been thrown at it. It was already owned by another Trainer.
"Fearow! Fear-oh, there you are!" a young girl's voice called out to the pair, "I've been looking all over for you- Fearow! What happened to you?!"
"Row….?" The bird asked, its eyes still swirling unconsciously.
"You… got in a fight?" the girl seemed to understand, turning to face the boy lying beside it, "With a human?" she finished in a deadpan tone.
"Er… hi there," Red greeted softly, feeling the girl's deep glare pierce through his very soul, "I take it this is your Fearow then?"
One thing was certain, his Pokémon Journey sure was off to a rocky start.
Chapter One
END