To Be The Very Best
Chapter One
A/N: Yes, I know I am starting a new fic when when I already have the winds of change to work on but this is for NaNo, and to get me into the swing of writing again.
Alright, enough babbling now. On to the story. Read and Review, people =D
"Welcome to another episode of Great Places and Great People!" a cheery voice chirps out as the camera pans to take in the sight of famous television host Vivian Logrange.
"Today we are at an amazing site; one that has continued to churn out legends that have affected the entire world. Is it something in the water? Or some sort of genius lode? Join me as we investigate this place together!
Oh wait. Have you guys guessed where we are yet?" the reporter asks the screen as she smiles cheekily.
The camera pans out, revealing the reporter to be standing in front of a laboratory that was unmistakeable to anyone that had not been living under a rock. The reporter throws her arms out wide and lets out a wide grin.
"Yep, you've got it! We're at Pallet Town, the Town of Beginnings, today. Pallet Town is famous for being the hometown of Professor Samuel Oak, the world's leading authority on all things Pokémon, Gym Leader Gary 'Blue' Oak, former Champion and current Viridian Gym Leader and last, but most definitely not least, the person that is arguably the world's strongest trainer, Champion Red!"
- Introduction of 'Great Places and Great People', Episode 3
A tall man with broad shoulders stood before him. The sun was behind him and his facial features were indistinguishable. What was, however, extremely easy to note was the mess of black that just seemed untameable, and the red cap that was nestled in that mess.
He reached out his hands and ruffled the hair of the boy that stood before him.
"I'm gonna be back real soon, and when I do, your pops is gonna be a hero, boy. You're gonna be the son of a great adventurer!" the man proclaimed with a wide grin on his face.
The child, however, did not care for any of that. He did not want his father gone. He did not want to be left at this building where all the children who had no parents were left. He was fine with being the child of an ordinary man, but he could not say that out. Young as he was, the child was able to see the fire burning in the man's eyes; the unquenchable thirst to prove himself.
If he spoke up right now, his father might, just might, reconsider this. However, the child could not do this. It would kill the man, the child knew, to be forced to curb his desires and be rooted to this town without realising his dream.
As such, he simply nodded his head and grinned widely. "Okay, dad."
The man ruffled the child's head once more before he nodded once, as though he was just reminded of something. He took the cap off his head and placed it on his son's head. It was a little too big for the child, so it slid forward and covered most of his face, but that simply caused the man and child to laugh and giggle respectively.
"That there is my super important cap. I'm passing it to you now. You better look after it well, 'cause when I come back, I'm gonna collect it from you. Got that?"
The child nodded fervently and waved his father goodbye until the man could no longer be seen. And then, all the energy seemed to drain out of him as his hand dropped like a puppet's limb with its wires cut.
Sullenly, despondently, the child turned back to face the building that would be his home for, unbeknownst to him, the next seven years.
The first thing that struck him was the sweet smell of the grass. That was why he chose to nap out here, after all. It was wonderful to smell something nice the moment that one woke up.
It also helped a lot that the ground and grass that he was lying on was extremely soft and spongy. It was, in fact, better than his old, beaten mattress in his apartment. Too bad his attempts to cart back lumps of soil and grass back home to use as a mattress were to no avail and simply resulted in him having to spend effort cleaning out his apartment afterwards.
He opened his eyes and immediately regretted it, wincing as the harsh sunlight tried its best to incinerate his eyes. Definitely not the best idea that he had had.
Wait. He normally covered his face with his cap to prevent that exact scenario from happening. Where had his cap gone? His heart rate spiking a little, he groped around blindly around him, getting a little more frantic with every passing second until his hands met the familiar surface of his well-worn cap.
He sighed in relief as he placed the cap over his face and embraced the coolness and darkness that it brought with it, although the affectionate pat on his cap showed that the sigh was not purely from the escape from the sun that the cap provided.
When he was finally ready to stop being so indolent and slothful, he stood up and stretched luxuriously, gangly arms reaching up to the sky. That was the problem with late growth. His body just extending for what seemed like forever, leaving him looking, and feeling, extremely awkward whenever he was not prone.
He placed the cap on his head, his lips quirking slightly at the snug feeling that action brought, instead of slipping and falling about like it had in the past. He could still that small bit of happiness he had felt when he realised that the cap had fit properly on his head for the first time. It was a small little thing but sometimes, one just had to take whatever small blessings that they could find.
He looked at the vast expanse of wilderness from the top of the small hill that he was on, drinking in the indescribable sight that books or television programmes simply could not capture well enough. To others, it might seem daunting, maybe even foreboding. However, to him, it was as though the plains were challenging him, beckoning him, with their myriad of mysteries.
That was why he could never hate his father for leaving for adventure. Hate him for leaving him; yes, but never hate the man for his thirst for adventure. How could he, when he felt the very same way?
The bright sunlight that had fallen on him dimmed as the sun slowly set. It seemed like he had napped for longer than he had expected. Oh well, he knew his way back well enough that he could afford to watch the sunset anyway. What difference did a few more minutes make when he was free for the day? He rarely had a day off so he might as well enjoy today and take it easy.
The setting sun dyed the plains madder red; Red like his cap; Red like his eyes. Red, like his name was. Well technically it was more of a nickname that the other children had cruelly given to him when he was young to set him further apart from them, but he had adopted that as his name and even introduced himself as Red to anyone that he met.
It made poetic justice to him. They had tried to dehumanise him by depriving him of a name, tried to set him apart and demean him. However, he would take that nickname that they had given him and turn it into a legend. He would rise above all of the naysayers and petty taunting and one day, the name of Champion Red would resound throughout Kanto. That was the dream- no, goal that he had set for himself.
But, for now, he had to deal with more practical problems like getting home before all the light bled out of the world. Route 1 was generally safe, with only a few weak Ratata and Pidgeys scattered thereabouts, thanks to the efforts of Professor Oak's aides and the Viridian Gym trainers. They regularly swept the route to ensure that the Pokémon did not get too out of hand, culling the stronger ones either by killing or capturing them and leaving the rest to maintain a stable ecosystem.
That way, budding trainers no longer died a gruesome death just a day after beginning their journey, and the main roads that vehicles travelled through were almost never attacked anymore, boosting the trade between Pallet Town and Viridian City.
All of that was good and all, but what mattered to Red was that it was safe for a savvy youth to escape from the judgemental looks of the townspeople, and a great way to save on some expenses by catching his meals out here in the wild.
However, day and night were very different times out in the wild. The diurnal species of Pokémon tended to be a little more docile in these human-manned areas as they were afraid that acting out too much might draw unwanted attention to themselves and bring about an end to their trouble-making. Permanently.
The nocturnal species, however, were much more feral and daring. After all, humans rarely patrolled in the wild at night and the nocturnal species thus had free reign over their territory. Any human, and that included Red, caught unawares by a pack of hungry Ratata would have their bones picked cleaned within minutes.
With that in mind, Red turned around and slid down the slope of the hill rather than slowly climb down to make haste and full use of the dwindling sunlight.
As a result of the great speed that he was sliding down, Red was only able to catch a glimpse of a flash of yellow before his foot stepped on something that was distinctly not grass. He only had time to think 'What's it doing here?' before his body started to spasm from the currents of electricity flowing through his body.
It ended after a short while, thankfully, although Red swore that he had blacked out for at least a few seconds during that attack. Although he did not have full control of his body at the moment, he retained enough muscle control for him to roll away from the electric rodent, coughing harshly as he did so.
A metallic, coppery taste filled his mouth as he coughed, telling him that the electric shock had harmed his internal organs, although he had no idea what was injured. His heart hammered in his chest as he struggled to get up to his feet, partly from his near death encounter and partly from the massive seizure that his heart had likely gone through.
He saw a brief of flash and sound of low growling and had the presence of mind to throw himself to the side, colliding painfully with the ground just as a bolt of high voltage electricity impacted against the ground where he had been earlier.
What the hell was a Pikachu doing so far from Viridian Forest?! In order to get to Route 1, it would have to exit Viridian Forest, travel down Route 2 and then get through Viridian City. What kind of insane migration pattern was that? And then, to add on to the mystery, there was the Pikachu's ridiculously powerful electric attack; well, for its strength level, anyway.
Over the centuries since humans had landed on Kanto from their boats and waged war against the eldritch creatures roaming the land, humans had had to adapt to the harsh environments that they found themselves in. Skin became thicker and bodies became tougher. What was once lethal for the first migrants were now simply extremely painful for the current humans.
Based on the diminutive size of the Pikachu and the fact that they were in bloody Route 1, the Pikachu that he had accidentally antagonised should be of a relatively low level, with the only electric move in its arsenal being Thundershock. However, a Thundershock does not nearly kill a fit youth in one attack. It might have been a possibility against small children or the frail elderly but definitely not him.
Things just did not add up!
He could fix this though. Having worked in Professor Oak's lab for almost four years now, he knew how to deal with the occasional feral and aggressive Pokémon. He could fix this. Probably. Hopefully.
He slowly raised his hands in a non-threatening manner to show that he had no weapons concealed in his hands as he slowly backed away, muscles intentionally relaxed to display that he had no intention of attacking.
"Right, I'm sorry for stepping on your tail but it was an accident. I don't want any trouble so how about we just let bygones be bygones, yeah?" Red spoke in as level a tone as he could manage, considering the situation that he was in.
The Pikachu probably did not understand him at all but that did not matter. What did matter was speaking in a calm and level tone so that the Electric-Type understood his intentions.
It was to no avail though, as the Pikachu simply growled once more while its tail shot up straight, pointing at Red. The first thing that Red caught was how long and big it was, and then numerous dirty and inappropriate jokes ran through his typical teenager mind before he forcefully shoved those thoughts away and desperately threw himself to the side, avoiding death by electrocution by a hair.
"Bloody hell!" Red snarled as he plunged his hand into his jacket and drew the knife that he kept hidden within an inner pocket that he had sewn himself. The Pikachu seemed to be out for blood but Red was not going to simply roll over and die. If it wanted a piece of him, it was going to have to work for it.
His eyes darted to the long tail waving in the air. Well at least now he knew why the Pikachu's Thundershock had been so strong. Studies had shown that the intensity of a Pikachu or Raichu's attacks were positively correlated to the length of their tails. The one before him was probably formed from a genetic defect, considering how small the Pikachu was. From head to toe, it was probably 25 centimetres, just a little over half the size of a full-grown Pikachu, while its tail was almost twice its body length.
He had always believed that the one with the initiative has the advantage.
Red sprinted at the Pikachu, knife out and ready to carve the damned rodent into pieces when he noticed the Pikachu looking at the knife in his hands with its beady eyes, before it let out a wicked grin. The teenager cursed and flung the knife ahead of him at the ground, just in time for it to attract another Thundershock from the Pikachu.
That damned pipsqueak actually recognised what a knife was and what properties it held that it could make use of! This thing wasn't wild. It had obviously spent quite some time around human settlements; probably Viridian City, and had learnt all that it needed to in order to survive.
He continued to rush towards the Pikachu, intending to make full use of the downtime between a Pokémon's attacks to close as much distance as he could. He picked up his knife as he passed it, a guttural groan of pain coming from his throat as his hands closed around the superheated handle but he held on to it anyway.
He bent down low and slashed at the Pikachu, attempting to carve a deep gash across its body. However, the Pikachu's small frame came into use as it jumped back nimbly, dodging his strike. Unfortunately for it, Red had more than the instincts that a Pokémon worked with. He had the intelligence and foresight of a human.
Having already planned a course of action should his attack miss, Red followed up on his failed strike smoothly, pushing off with his right foot and stepping in with his left, before his right leg lashed out and caught the Pikachu in the ribs mid-jump, sending it hurtling through the air like a soccer ball.
That had to have hurt.
Red surged forward once more, intending to press his advantage and end this fight once and for all. The moment there was even a hint of a yellow glow, Red threw his knife forward once more, using it once again as a shield against the Pikachu's Thundershocks. This time, however, the attack came faster than he had expected it and struck the knife mid-air, blasting it a distance away and probably destroying it in the process.
The loss of a knife hurt; they weren't cheap, after all, but at least the fight was his. He managed to get into melee range while the Pikachu was recharging and launched another kick at it.
The Pikachu jumped- not away, but at his leg, grunting at the pain but desperately holding onto Red's leg with its paws and teeth. The hair on Red's leg started to stand as a faint yellow glow started to build around the Electric-Type.
Red cursed as he saw what the Pikachu was attempting to do and he slammed both hands down in a hammer blow but it was to no avail. The Pikachu refused to budge. His heart started to beat erratically as he frantically landed blow after blow, trying to get the electric rat off him.
He did not make it in time.
Red screamed in agony as the Thundershock lanced through his body. He toppled down onto the ground, convulsing wildly as pain wracked his entire being. His hand swept across a rock in the middle of his spasms and he latched on to it, bringing it down on the Pikachu's head in a last-ditch attempt fuelled by desperate and the primal instinct to survive.
He heard a loud squeak and the electrical assault finally ended.
His eyes shifted and he saw the Pikachu lying a distance away; his blow had apparently been strong enough to knock it away for a small distance, stunned, but still conscious.
He was in no state to move now but thankfully, neither was the Pikachu. For the moment. Red was not about to bet his life on the faint hope that he could just lie there and be safe. He had always been the competitive sort anyway and he was not losing this fight.
He grunted and groaned as he forced his abused body to move, scrabbling at the ground to shift his body into a better position. He managed to flip his body over so that he was facing the ground and then his strength gave out and his face crashed into the ground painfully. His nose was hurting incredibly; probably broken and his mouth tasted of soil.
He spat it out as he struggled up again. He was not going to give up. He was never going to give up, no matter what it was. He could not give up. He would win. He would win!
Red let out a triumphant roar as he finally made it to his feet and stared down at the Pikachu. He probably looked like a sorry sight, with blood all over his feet and his clothes torn and tattered, while dirt was smeared on almost every inch of his exposed skin. But that did not matter. What mattered was that he had won.
He did not have the strength to finish the Pikachu off so he simply stared it in the eyes, smirked, and then hobbled to his apartment where he could finally rest.
Thankfully, and miraculously, Red managed to get back to his apartment without meeting a single soul. It would have been extremely difficult and awkward to try to explain to anyone he met as to why he was so battered and dirty. Of course, that fact that he used the back alleys that he knew better than the back of his hand probably contributed a lot to his success.
He entered his apartment, closed the door behind him and promptly sank down to the ground in sheer exhaustion. There wasn't anywhere of his body that did not ache. In fact, he was sure that he was hurting in places that he did not know existed or could hurt. His limbs were twitching slightly, probably from the overexposure to electricity, and felt heavier than lead at the same time. His vision was swimming and he felt an incredible urge to just collapse onto his bed that looked so tempting now despite being so ratty. It was just...so...far...away...
Red stretched out his arm in an imploring fashion, beseeching the bed to come towards him while he wore the most anguished expression on his face possible, before he could not take it any longer and collapsed in a fit of giggles. it had become habit by now to entertain himself like this by doing silly things when he was by himself; the by-product of being a social pariah when he was a child.
Feeling much better now after his giggle fit, Red slapped his cheeks lightly and got to his feet. As much as he wanted to just rest and sleep at the moment, it would be far more prudent to clean himself up first and then dress any open wounds that he had. If he crashed on his bed now with how filthy he was, he would have to throw his bed out the next day because the filth would have set it and be impossible to remove, which would be a waste as the bed might be ratty but it was still clean and serviceable.
And so, Red trudged into the small bathroom and turned the shower on, hissing because of the sudden cold and also because of the pain of having the water come into contact with his open wounds. As always, Red endured it, scrubbing himself clean as quickly as he could so that he could get out of the freezing cold shower.
With that done, Red dried himself off and took out his first aid kit, disinfecting his wounds and then bandaging him before he crashed onto his bed, falling asleep before his head had even hit the pillow.
He opened his eyes to the familiar sight of his apartment's ugly ceiling, noting that the paint seemed to have peeled even more in the last few days when he was not home. Oh well. He would hopefully be out of Pallet Town in two to three months anyway. There was no need to think too much about some peeling paint when he had more pressing matters to attend to, like breakfast.
He sprung out of bed like he usually did, ready to greet the new day with enthusiasm and promptly regretted it when his body reminded him that he had suffered grievous wounds the day before and was in no shape to be jumping around.
"Agh." Red moaned as he doubled over in pain before he slowly hobbled over his food cupboard and took out a strip of dried Ratata that he had hunted and dried by himself. The taste was far from being appealing and the meat was incredibly tough but at least it came free and he could keep food for some period of time even though he did not have a refrigerator.
The alarm clock sounded, causing Red to perk up as he was reminded that it was five minutes to ten on a Saturday morning; the one thing that he looked forward to every week. He bounded (as well as he could in his current state) over to the television and turned it on, almost vibrating with excitement and impatience as he waited for the commercials to end.
This television was another reason why he was extremely grateful to Professor Oak and held the researcher in such high esteem. Back when he was twelve and had just moved into the apartment after obtaining a job as the Professor's assistant, the Professor had learnt of his situation and, knowing of Red's fierce pride and independent streak, passed the television to Red by claiming that it was an old set that had been sitting around in his home and was going to be replaced by a newer model soon.
Still rather young and in awe of a legendary figure because he was not used to the Professor yet, Red had accepted the man's words at face value and happily accepted the 'toss-away'. Of course, he learnt the truth of the matter later on and while he could not simply return the television, he made sure to reject the Professor when the grandfatherly old man had tried to foist a refrigerator off on him.
The opening lyrics of what was hands-down his favourite song played on the television and Red halted his reminiscing and instead focused intently on the cartoon, singing along with the theme song happily.
"I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was~" Red belted out heartily, smiling from ear to ear. He might already be sixteen this year and the plot of the cartoon might be pretty bad right now but Red would always hold this cartoon dearly in his heart, which was why he caught every episode right when it was broadcasted without fail.
'Pokémon Adventures' was a Saturday morning cartoon that focused on the journey and travels of the protagonist Ash Ketchum whose aim was to be become a Pokémon Master( although it was never defined what a Pokémon Master actually was), and travelled around the world catching Pokémon and challenging Gym Leaders. The Gym Leaders had all consented to 'being' in the show and the entirety of Kanto had had a great laugh when Gym Leader Brock had appeared on the cartoon with slits of eyes; an exaggeration of his small eyes. Professor Oak had appeared in the television programme as well, along with that douche of a grandson, Gary Oak, snidely called 'Blue' by Red and only Red.
Now, the question was, why would esteemed figures like Gym Leaders, Professor Oak and even the Elite Four consent to being portrayed in a cartoon and losing to a ten year old that did not even know the difference between his ass and his hands?
The answer was actually pretty simple, if one bothered to look past the surface and was willing to think a little. First of all, what was the one thing that all of these famous people had to account to? What was the one organisation that gave these trainers and researcher their authority? Why, the Pokémon League, of course.
After that, one took into the context in which the cartoon was created. Ten years ago, which was just a scant decade after the brutal Kanto-Johto war. Not a battle, but a war, which was only stopped after Champion Samuel Oak and the then Elite Four had stepped in and crushed everyone that was fighting, regardless of which side the victims were on. People and Pokémon on both sides were massacred so badly that in the end, peace was called for simply because both nations no longer had any troops to fight with.
That war was when legends had been created that would probably be remembered for over a century. Samuel Oak, all around nice-guy researcher, eldritch battle machine and bogeyman of Kanto and Johto. Lance Blackthorn, heir of the Blackthorn clan, member of the Elite Four and undisputed master of Dragons at the age of 13. There mere mention of these two names to any veteran soldiers who had fought the war and survived (few as they were) would leave hardened soldiers trembling in their boots.
However, after the treaty had been signed and the dust had settled, the Pokémon League realised that the war had cost the nation thousands of experienced trainers. A new problem, but an old threat, had resurfaced; wild Pokémon.
In order to preserve the ecosystem and out of superstition (though mainly because of the ecosystem because seriously. Who believed in that Legendaries nonsense?), humans had deliberately curtailed the expansion of their settlements and left areas unclaimed where wild Pokémon roamed free. This resulted in a delicate balance that had to be managed very carefully. Too little wild Pokémon and the entire environment went haywire; Too many wild Pokémon, and one would have start having wild Pokémon swarms attacking travellers and even towns and cities.
Lavender Tower would forever remain a reminder of the threat that wild Pokémon posed. Without a Gym of their town and with almost no League Trainers in the town, the residents of Lavender Town had been caught flat-footed when a massive horde of Nidokings and Nidoqueens charged out of Route 10 and into Lavender Town, levelling over three quarters of the town before League Trainers before arrived and subdued the wild Pokémon. The casualty toll had been so high that they had to build a tower- Lavender Tower, to hold not the graves, but the tablets of the deceased. Lavender Tower would then later become the 'national' gravesite.
Back to the topic at hand, in order to deal with the problem of wild Pokémon, the League needed more trainers. Unfortunately, most of the adults that could have been trainers had already been killed in the war and all that were left were children. Therefore, the League used the children.
Of course, the League could not simply conscript the children to be trainers; not in those times, at least. What they did was a lot more indirect. They lowered the age and skill requirements to be a Trainer. As long as one was ten and passed basic tests, children were given a starter Pokémon and sent out to the wilds. Of course, lowering the standards was just one prong. They had to generate interest as well. The League's propaganda machine started churning.
Trainers were glamorised and the wilds were portrayed as less dangerous than they actually were. Everything started to revolve around Pokémon and there was a huge boom in anything Pokémon-related. The 'Pokémon Adventures' Cartoon that Red was currently watching was one such product of the League's propaganda.
Naturally, this did not last long when young trainers that were inexperienced started dying in the boatloads out in the wilds. The League would not have cared as long as the trainers settled at least ten wild Pokémon before they died but eventually the civilians that were worried kicked up too much of a fuss and the age limits were raised and the requirements made stricter.
However, Red knew nothing of this when he first laid eyes on the cartoon. Truth be told, even if he knew the truth behind it, he would not have cared. For a lonely child that had been as good as abandoned by his father, the opening lyrics of the theme song were extremely to him and struck a chord in his heart.
To be the very best, like no one ever was.
Red had looked around him and saw people admiring and fearing the Pokémon Trainers that strutted around. He saw Trainers receiving the recognition that he craved so much and the lyrics had resounded in his head. If normal trainers were so respected, then someone who has the best of the best, the strongest trainer ever, then wouldn't he be recognised by everyone?
The need for recognition had dimmed over the years but his goal still remained the same; to be the very best. As a result, Red was extremely sentimental towards the cartoon that had inspired him and every time he heard the lyrics, he was reminded of what he strove to be.
The episode ended after thirty minutes and Red was left with an entire Saturday left to himself. Today was another off day, probably because the Professor needed to get the starter Pokémon ready for the new trainers in a month and that was delicate work that he handled himself. It would, after all, be nightmarish if a new trainer's starter Pokémon turned on its trainer and killed the trainer before the trainer's journey had even begun.
So, what should he do? Read a book again? Red's eyes drifted to the bookshelf that was filled with second-hand books that he had reread countless times; books that told the tale of a lonely boy seeking solace in wondrous tales of other worlds. Alternatively, he could start preparing for his own test that Professor Oak would administer in two months by using the computer...
Red's eyes flicked over to the old but usable computer that he had bought with his own money as he wondered if he was feeling hardworking enough to do some studying and ignore the temptation to play if he was on the computer. Speaking of playing...Red's eyes could not help but be drawn to his pride and joy; the rack sitting right beside the computer that was filled with Technical Machines that he had won as prizes from online simulated battling.
In the end, Red decided to try to spend the entire day studying. If he happened to get distracted and ended up playing, well, he had two months anyway. No hurry, right?
Life returned to normal.
He went back to working at the Professor's lab, obtained a new knife and put the incident with the Pikachu behind him. He was unlikely to meet it again considering he had just shown it that the area around Route 1 was dangerous and wild Pokémon tended to be all about self-preservation. Even the attacks on settlements were generally because their habitat had run out of food and they were looking for a new food source or something similar.
As a result, when Red wandered off to Route 1 after work on a Monday afternoon, he honestly did not expect to be ambushed by the same Pikachu that he had defeated. The only thing that saved him from being fried was the slight smell of ozone in the air and his quick reflexes.
The moment he heard something that sounded different from the normal wildlife sounds in Route 1, he dropped down and rolled to the side without hesitation, drawing his new knife as he did so. The sound of a Thundershock hitting the ground reached his ears and Red scowled. He looked up and saw the very same Pikachu charging at him with blinding speed.
"Wha-" was all that Red managed to get out when the Pikachu dodged his kick nimbly and latched onto his shirt. It had apparently discovered the best way to shock its prey senseless. A strangled cry emerged from Red's throat as he was once again assaulted with pain beyond belief. He was not going to just suffer like this though. He had broken through it once. He would do it again.
Red pushed through the pain and stabbed downwards with his knife, intending to end the Pikachu that had menaced him for one too many times. However, it had probably learnt from the lesson and jumped off his chest the moment it sensed movement and Red was just barely able to prevent himself from stabbing himself in the chest and committing suicide.
Close range was no longer as safe an option as the previous encounter. Red looked around himself, trying to spot any rocks or small objects that he could use as projectiles but was unable to find any. The sneaky rodent had chosen a very good spot for an ambush.
The Electric-Type was not going to give Red any time for respite or to come up with a plan. Spears of electricity lanced through the sky, all with the express intent of taking Red down. The teenager, on the other hand, could only focus on defending himself and keeping himself alive. He was caught between a Geodude and a hard place. Staying at range meant trying to outlast Pikachu, where his only hope of winning was to dodge every single Thundershock until the Pikachu ran out of stamina, where a single mistake was fatal. Alternatively, he could close in, where the damned rat could try that contact Thundershock again.
In the end, Red chose what he felt was the safer option; attempt to outlast the Pikachu. Getting in close range was simply too dangerous now that his enemy could read his movements, especially since he had limited angles to attack the Pikachu from due to its small size and speed. On the other hand, if he was simply dodging an attack that he knew was coming, the possibilities expanded widely.
The young male did extremely well for himself but in the end, it was to no avail. He had come out to relax after a tiring day of work. His body, although sturdy, was not as sturdy as a Pokémon's that was practically made for battle and would have undoubtedly healed much more quickly and was therefore more damaged than the Pikachu.
In the end, he made a mistake. Just one mistake, but one mistake was all that the Pikachu needed. He miscalculated the timing of an incoming Thundershock and fell to the ground, body paralysed and twitching from the pain. The Pikachu pressed its advantage ruthlessly, raining Thundershocks down on the prone human until the Pokémon was absolutely certain that its target was incapable of a single motion.
It then slowly made its way to the human and Red could see that the Pikachu was panting and gasping heavily. He had apparently the Pikachu close to its limits. If he had just lasted for a little longer, the fight would have been his. As it was now, he would die here, killed by a random wild Pokémon before he had even started on accomplishing his goal.
Red clenched his teeth as a few tears of frustration escaped from his eyes. It just wasn't fair! Why did he always have to get the short stick? Why could he never have a break? He wanted to scream his torment to the skies but his vocal cords could not even work. Well, even if he was going to die, he was going to die staring death right in the face.
Red kept his eyes open defiantly, staring at his executioner with utmost loathing and hatred. The unnaturally long tail rose up into the air like an executioner's axe and then it dropped down swiftly. Red never closed his eyes despite the fear coursing through him, which was why he was able to catch the sight of the tail stopping right before it would have cut through his throat and instead tapped his throat lightly.
The Pikachu then flashed what was unmistakeably a smirk at him and then sauntered off into the night, as smug as a possible as a Pikachu could be while Red could do nothing but wait until he regained control of his body.
After his defeat by Pikachu, Red returned to Route 1 to hunt the Pikachu down as revenge for his defeat. Having planned his course of action properly, Red was able to take the Pikachu down without too much difficulty. Once again, instead of killing the Pokémon, Red left the rodent alive even though he had the physical capacity to kill it this time.
The Pikachu was the one that initiated the battle the next time and this time, it was the Pikachu's win. Once again, the loser was left alive and the winner left the battlefield having gained nothing except for personal satisfaction.
Red won the next two fights, and then the Pikachu won several, with the victory tally rapidly see-sawing between the human and the Pokémon. Throughout the entire 'war' between the two individuals, lethal attacks were constantly exchanged, but somehow, the loser always managed to escape alive whether by divine providence or by mortal intentions.
Unbeknownst to both parties, because it was hard to sense changes within oneself, and because the other party was growing at an equally rapid rate, the two enemies were growing at an inconceivable rate.
In the case of Red, he became able to spot ambushes coming from a mile. He was constantly alert, taking in the terrain around him and noting where possible ambushers could be, and then taking active steps to prevent himself from being ambushed. At the same time, he was learning how to ambush an enemy via trial-and-error. If it worked against the Pikachu, he would keep the method in mind. If he failed, he would analyse the reasons behind the failure and then attempt to improve on them.
His reaction speed to attacks, sudden or not, improved as well due to the amount of attacks that he was forced to dodge. Naturally, he was never able to dodge all of the attacks, especially on the occasion when he lost. Those were times when he took a lot of hits and a lot of damage. As a result, Red's pain threshold increased drastically. It was hard not to get inured to pain when one was continuously electrocuted, bitten and clawed for almost a month. Because of all the times that he was forced to think on his speed and improvise when something unexpected happened or one of his plans went awry, Red's cognitive speed improved as well, allowing him to think faster and sometimes, better.
Finally, the most obvious changes were in his physique. While Red had been no slouch previously, having kept himself fit through exercise and work as he knew that a trainer needed to be fit, the fast-paced, hellishly strenuous fights that he got into with the Pikachu pushed his body to its limits and beyond every time and there were marked improvements in his speed, strength and balance.
The Pikachu obtained roughly the same benefits from the fights. It became much more cunning when it realised that direct, upfront attacks were far more likely to fail than attacks that came from an unexpected angle. It was forced to work its brain like it had never before. Continuous use of its ability to generate electricity made its Thundershocks far more potent and scarier than they had ever been before, though there was still a way to go before they reached the level of being called Thunderbolts.
All in all, it was a win-win relationship, even if it was a very strange one and things would have likely continued in the same vein if not for an event that acted as a catalyst to cement what their future relationship would be like.
Red walked out onto the plains, hands raised and an apple in hand.
"Come in peace, I do, with offerings in hand." Red stated as he neared what was likely to be an ambush position. He paused in his movements and waited patiently. Sure enough, the tall grass started rustling after some time and a long yellow tail poked out of the grass, followed by a frowning face which soon transformed into a look of glee at the apple in Red's hand. Its tail lowered and the Pikachu deigned to walk at Red's side as he made his way to his favourite spot.
Red sighed in relief when the wild Pokémon accepted his tribute. Although fighting and battling was exhilarating and a great way to train himself, the reason why he had come out to Route 1 in the first place was to relax and one could hardly relax when one was constantly on the lookout for an ambush.
As a result, Red had taken to trying to bribe the Pikachu whenever life got too tiring for him and he just wanted to relax and not have to fight for his life for once. Apples had proved to be a goldmine as it seemed like the Electric-Type simply adored them and was willing to do almost anything as long it had an apple as payment.
"The official trainer licenses will be given out next week. Naturally, Blue will get his then and have one hell of a head start on me." Red said as he stared up at the sky while the Pikachu munched contentedly on the apple that was its tribute.
Red did this sometimes; simply talk to the Pikachu in one of their rare truce sessions. He doubted the Pikachu understood anything of what he said, but he did it despite the fact. Or perhaps it was because the Pikachu could not understand that he did this; to allow himself to vent while not being subjected to any judgement at all.
He chuckled self-deprecatingly and darkly at the thought. By the gods, he was pathetic, wasn't he? He sighed again. He had gotten away from Pallet Town because the hubbub over the Trainer licenses had been too much for him to take. It was not the fault of the townspeople but it grated on him that he was held back and unable to become an official trainer simply because he was an orphan and did not have enough money to pay for the Trainer courses.
He had already been angry about that fact, and the excitement in Pallet Town just made it seem like the town itself was celebrating his misfortune. Of course he knew that that wasn't true and it was just him being too sensitive, which in turn made him angry at himself for being so overly emotional and non-rational.
Oh to hell with it all. The sun was shining, the weather was cool and perfect, and the grass was so darn comfy. He was going to relax and take a nap and hopefully feel much better when he woke up.
"I'm going to take a nap." Red informed the Pikachu as he placed his cap over his face. Sometimes the wild Pokémon stayed near him for reasons that only the Pikachu itself could fathom while other times it left to do its own thing. Red did not care too much. After all, in the daytime and at this specific spot, the only Pokémon that attacked him was the Pikachu so he was most probably safe.
"See you later, maybe." Red mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.
Red woke up to the unfamiliar sounds of howling. He pulled his cap off his face and paled when it realised that it was absolutely dark. Night had fallen while he was sleeping. Had he truly been so exhausted that he had slept for six hours in a go?
The howling started up again, closer and Red's heartbeat spiked as he cursed under his breath. That was most likely a pack of wild Pokémon out hunting. The problem with that, however, was there was not supposed to be any canine Pokémon that were native to Route 1. There was something strange going on here. First there was the Pikachu that had appeared here and-
Red paused at the thought of the Pikachu. He looked around and spotted the wild Pokémon sleeping as well on its back, spread-eagled in the most ridiculous position possible and mumbling something in its sleep. The teenager would have called the sight impossibly adorable if he didn't know of the terrifying killing machine that the Pikachu was.
Now he had the problem of waking the Pikachu without touching it or being too close to it. After all, with how trigger-happy the Pikachu was with its electricity, Red was willing to bet his dream that if he tried to wake the Pikachu up by shaking it awake, he would be the one going to sleep; probably for eternity.
Red took his jacket off and twisted it into a whip as he started grinning mischievously. He was so going to enjoy this. With a wave to an imaginary audience, Red snapped his wrist forward, flicking his makeshift whip forwards and backwards in an instant, whipping the Pikachu awake and allowing him to retreat to a safe distance in an instant.
The result of the whipping was glorious. The Pikachu leapt into the air, squealing in pain as it lashed out with its Thundershock at an enemy that wasn't there. It looked around wide-eyed the moment it landed and then it spotted the giggling teenager with the incriminating weapon in his hand. The rodent glowered at the human, its eyes promising painful retribution until Red sobered up abruptly and motioned for it to be quiet.
Confused, the Pikachu held back from shocking the teenager into oblivion and twitched its ears even as it glared at Red warily. The sounds of howling reached its ears and the wild Pokémon stiffened as it realised what was going on. Its eyes darted towards Red and he nodded grimly as he pointed back in the direction of Pallet Town, indicating that they should take shelter there until it was safe to venture into Route 1 again.
The Pikachu mulled over the suggestion for a moment before it nodded sharply and took off in the direction that Red had pointed, with the teenager catching up soon after and taking the lead.
At least they were safe for the moment, as the canine Pokémon that were howling were out looking for prey in general and not hunting the two of them specifically. As long as other Pokémon caught their attention before the duo did, they were fine. The chances of the duo escaping without too much trouble was thus high as they were downwind from the hunting Pokémon and- and the wind abruptly changed direction, causing the hunting Pokémon to be the ones downwind now.
A series of excited yips and barks immediately resounded throughout the eerily silent Route as the Pokémon caught the scent of their prey. Red could only pray that some other unfortunate being had caught their attention but knowing his luck, he doubted that. The only thing he could do now was sprint with all his might and hope that he reached the safety of Pallet Town before they managed to catch him out in the open.
The howling drew closer with every second. The hunting Pokémon had probably gotten excited from the scent of their prey and double their effort.
At the rate that he was running, Red knew that he would be run down before he could reach Pallet Town. If that was the case, then it was pure stupidity to remain on this futile course of action.
"Continue towards Pallet!" Red shouted out. No point in having the both of them die when one could be saved.
He abruptly changed directions, veering towards a copse nearby where he prepared to stand his ground. Being out in the open where the Pokémon could simply surround him and then attack him together was foolish. He stood a better chance amongst trees where the speed of the Pokémon would be curtailed and the trees would act as obstacles to disrupt their teamwork.
To his utter amazement, instead of continuing towards Pallet, the Pikachu changed course as well and followed him to the copse where it proceeded to ignore Red's incredulous glance and readied itself by letting sparks of electricity. It intended to make the hunters be the hunted the moment that they appeared.
Red drew the new knife that he had just purchased, lips quirking at the thought of taking on a horde of wild Pokémon with nothing but a knife in hand. This was the stuff of novels and campfire bragging. He never thought that he would be attempting the same thing himself. He gripped his sole weapon tightly, his hands clammy with cold perspiration as he stared anxiously into the distance.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, acting as a herald for the arrival of the hunting Pokémon; Poochyena; a species known for being extremely tenacious and not native to Kanto, let alone Route 1. However, he did not have the time or capacity to worry about how they were here. His heart sank at the mass of grey fur that dominated his view; more than he could count in a glance and definitely more than he could take on in a fight.
The Poochyena caught sight of the prey that they had been hunting and let out a ferocious howl as they charged as one at Red and the Pikachu. The duo had a moment to take in the sight and ready themselves before they were swarmed by a mass of fur and snarling teeth as the Poochyena tried their absolute best to rip the two apart into shreds.
Thankfully, the trees served their purpose of obstacles well. The rushing horde was forced to flow around the trees, slowing them down while preventing all of them from attacking en masse. Red and Pikachu still had a tough time fighting off the horde but it was no longer unmanageable. Red was thankful for this small blessing and then he no longer had time to think about anything other than his immediate moves to ensure his continued survival.
In the dark of the night which was only occasionally lit up by the Pikachu's Thundershocks, the attacking Poochyena were like shadows to him, lunging at him before slinking away into the darkness whenever their attack was fended off. The human and Pokémon duo fought with their backs to the same tree, limiting the angle that the Poochyenas could come at them from. The Electric-Type picked off targets mid-jump with accurate Thundershocks while Red transformed into a deadly whirlwind of steel, slashing and stabbing around him furiously, intent on dealing as much as death as he could.
Eventually, however, sheer numbers won out and the duo was forced away from the tree as they gave ground in order to avoid being buried by the bodies that were being thrown at them. Once they were driven away from the tree, the attacking coming at them became more vicious. Red had to rapidly give ground as sharp teeth nipped at his ankles, attempting to cripple him when he was occupied with another Pokémon. The canines started to get smarter as well, bouncing off trees and attacking the duo form unpredictable angles. The Dark-Types were also getting used to the Pikachu's attack patterns and the Electric-Type's attacks were starting to miss more frequently.
Suddenly, they were out of the copse and Red realised belatedly that the hounds had intentionally driven them out of the copse with actual strategy. Wild Pokémon did not have strategy, especially not on a large horde basis. These Poochyena were unlike any wild Pokémon that he had encountered before.
Lightning streaked across the sky for a moment, illuminating the hellish scene in front of Red for a moment before a peal of thunder erupted extremely loudly, causing the wild(?) Poochyena to flinch and whine slightly as they pressed their ears flatly against their heads.
Red and the Pikachu immediately took the opportunity while the Poochyena were distracted to sprint towards Pallet Town. They covered five metres before the horde noticed their prey escaping and split up to flank the escaping duo and cut off their route of escape. The duo continued sprinting ahead anyway; taking advantage of the fact that only a few of the fastest Poochyena managed to flank and arrive in front of the duo to kill the canines that were blocking their way.
Of course, this could not last long and soon they were forced to stand still as they were surrounding by a pack of angry and hungry Poochyena. Red and the Pikachu got into their respective battle stances back to back and then began the brutal task of defending themselves by killing anything that moved.
Teeth flashed near his ankle again and Red responded by quickly moving his foot out of the way and then stomping down hard on the Poochyena's skull, crushing the cartilage and killing the canine instantly. Another Poochyena sank its fangs into Red's left arm and the teenager responded by slamming his knife hilt-deep into the Poochyena's eye socket, ending its life instantly. Another canine went for his throat and, since his left arm was already hurt anyway, Red used it as a shield, enduring the pain as his arm was shredded and then lashed out with his knife and finished off another of his attackers. He was too busy with his own situation to pay attention to the Pikachu but from the continued pained yelps and the flashes of electricity, along with the fact that nothing had jumped his back yet, Red assumed that the Pikachu was doing fine.
However, he was still only human and, as much as he hated to use that cliché, his enemy was legion. Wounds would accumulate no matter how hard he tried to defend and those wounds started to take their toll on his body. His body became and his reflexes were dulled, which served to cause his injuries to increase and exacerbate the situation. It got so bad that he even dropped down to a knee on one point, although he quickly scrambled up to his feet as quickly as he could.
The smell of ozone suddenly suffused the air and his hair stood on end from the static electricity saturating the air. And then, to confirm his suspicions, he heard a loud cry from the Pikachu acting as his only warning and he quickly dropped to the ground as tendrils of overcharged electricity lashed out at any moving targets, one of them striking dangerously close to where Red was lying prone. There was another loud cry and the same attack was repeated, frying a few more canines.
The Poochyena were sufficiently daunted and cautious now as they backed away cautiously, although the growls they were emanating told Red that though they were wary, the canines were still unwilling to let their prey go, which was expected of their species. This short respite did manage to allow Red to get his second wind though. He looked at the Pikachu, trying to formulate a game plan in this short time. So far, the two of them had worked with amazing teamwork purely because of the amount of times that they had fought against each other. They knew the limits and the tendencies of the other party like the back of their hand and were able to instinctively compensate for the other party's shortcomings.
When he looked at the Electric-Type, however, he saw it repeatedly jerking its head in the direction of Pallet Town. The teenager furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, trying to decipher the Pikachu's meaning and then gasped in surprise when he finally understood the Pikachu.
"You want me to escape to Pallet Town?" Red asked uncertainly and received a quick nod in reply.
"But..." Red stuttered, confused as to why the Pikachu was willing to basically sacrifice itself so that Red, a human that it had been trying to kill for a while now, could escape. Besides, he did not want to escape at the expense of what had turned out to be an extremely loyal comrade.
"No, I-" Red began before he was cut off by a bolt of electricity that struck extremely close to him and the Pikachu began jerking its head towards Pallet Town more insistently. It seemed like the Pikachu was very serious about this.
Red stared at the Pikachu for a short moment before he eventually nodded his head.
"I will be back." He stated firmly before he took off in a sprint.
Seeing that their prey was attempting to escape, the Poochyena burst into a flurry of action. Red never faltered, trusting that the Pikachu would cover his escape. There was another loud cry and the familiar sound of Thundershocks impacting against flesh.
Red kept running.
The Pikachu panted heavily as he glared at the Poochyena around it menacingly. Three of those massive attacks in a row had been extremely tiring for it but at least the human had managed to escape. For a human, it was a pretty good human and the Pikachu appreciated that.
Ignoring all the times that they had fought each other and intentionally left the other party alive, earlier, when the human had woken up before he had, it could have just run and left him behind as a decoy. Instead, it had bothered to wake him up from him, thus saving his life. The numerous apples it had given to him were also quite important but more importantly, he was supposed to be dead already. If he could save the human's life by sacrificing himself, then it wasn't too bad of a deal.
"Come at me, you mangy mutts." The Pikachu snarled, baring his teeth at the Poochyena who snarled back in defiance.
"I might be going down but I assure you a lot of you are going down with me. Now, who's first to die, hmm?"
One canine lunged forward at the taunt and was promptly zapped by a quick Thundershock from the Electric-Type. Several others howled in anger and charged forward, intent on avenging their fallen brother and then the fight was on.
The Pikachu collapsed onto the mud, his strength having given out on him as the heavy rain pounded relentlessly on his fur. The Poochyena were having fun at his expense now, trying to torture him for as long as they could before he died in return for their brethren that he had killed.
The Pikachu looked at the numerous corpses that littered the battlefield and smirked. They might kill him for this, but at least the human had escaped and he had killed off a lot of them in the process. These plains would be much safer in the future, especially when the human alerted more of its species and they swarmed the plains with their powerful metal thingies in search of the Poochyena.
The hounds saw the smirk on the Pikachu's face and tore into the rodent's flesh savagely hoping to wipe the smirk off his face but the Pikachu kept smirking anyway. This might be his loss but at the same time, his victory; a concept that he understood only after fighting the human so many times. Perhaps those stories he had heard about being partners with humans were true after all. The Pikachu wondered idly what had happened to the human that he had saved. Was it safe in his den now? He sure hoped so.
The atmosphere changed abruptly as the Poochyena stopped their assault on his defenceless body and stared off into the distance. Curious as to what they were looking at, he raised his head and saw, to his horror, a familiar shape running towards the battlefield. That fool! Had he not told it to run away and stay away? What in Mew's name was that idiot doing back here?!
The human reared one if its arms back and the Pikachu saw a long metal rod in its hand that he had failed to notice before. The human threw his arm forward and the metal soared threw the air and landed right beside him, sticking into the ground with ease thanks to the mud that had formed from the rain.
The human shouted something out and made a grabbing motion with its hands before it was forced to abandon its game of charades and defend itself against the onslaught of attacks courtesy of the Poochyenas.
He supposed the human meant for it to grab the pole, although he had no idea what it was for. Humans were widely credited by Pokémon worldwide for their ingenuity though so he supposed that there must be some purpose behind it. Although it pained him greatly to move, the Pikachu crawled over to the ground and embraced as though hugging his very lifeline.
The human shouted something again and gestured upwards in one of the few seconds that it was not being attacked.
Upwards? The Pikachu craned its head to the sky and saw nothing but the torrential rain and storm clouds pouring down on them. Was he supposed to see something up there? Or perhaps...was he meant to send something up there? The human was most familiar with his electric attacks. Was he meant to send a Thundershock up into the sky? With no other course of action available to him, the Pikachu gathered up the remnants of his strength and expulsed all of that into the most power Thundershock he could generate into the sky.
The child of thunder beseeched its parents for help, and the heavens answered.
A massive bolt of lightning crashed into the metal pole that was acting as a lightning, melting it almost instantly but not before the current of electricity flooded the Pikachu's body, instantly energising him as his depleted reserves were restored.
However, it did more than recharge his reserves. A bolt of positive lightning carries an electric current of around 300kA and contained at least a million volts of power, which was more than a single Pikachu could contain.
Just like a volcano that was about to erupt, the energy within the Pikachu kept building up until the Electric-Type could take it no longer and he released all of the energy contained within him in a massive electrical discharge, and then his vision blacked out and he collapsed onto the ground.
Red groaned as he gingerly got up from the ground. Being the only one who was expecting that explosion to happen, the teenager had turned tail and fled the moment the Pikachu sent its Thundershock into the sky but he had still been caught by the kinetic force of the explosion and was sent hurtling through the air until he crashed painfully on the ground.
On a positive note, he was not going to be hunted by any more wild Pokémon tonight. Not after that crazy light show. Red let out a low whistle as he surveyed the battlefield and the carnage that a single Pokémon had wrought. None of the Poochyena that had pursued them had survived that blast.
The teenager slowly limped his way to ground zero where his saviour lay unconscious and picked it up, cradling the Pikachu in his ruined and supporting it with his good arm.
"Thanks, bud, and good job." Red murmured as he looked over the battlefield once more before he selected the biggest and meanest Poochyena that he could find that was closest to Ground Zero and proceeded to drag that along with him as well on his trek back home.
Red knew from his reading that almost all wild Pokémon were omnivorous, if not downright carnivorous and those that did consume meat liked to eat the flesh of their conquered foe directly from the source as a trophy.
This Pikachu had just saved his life and if all it cost was some pain and effort to thank his saviour, then he was more than willing to drag the corpse with him back home.
When he arrived home, once again through the back alleys, Red immediately set about dressing the wounds of himself and the Pikachu. Having taken care of his wounds by himself almost every day for the past month, this was by now an easy act that he could do without conscious thought. Therefore, he spent most of his time worrying about the Pikachu that was still comatose.
he had no idea how to fix what was wrong with the Pikachu and if its situation did not improve by tomorrow, Red would have to go Professor Oak for help in his labs even if he did not want to as that would lead to a lot of uncomfortable questions.
He placed the Pikachu on his bed gently after he was done and then, because he had nothing else to do and because he was worried, resolved to sit at the corner of the bed and watch over the Pikachu until the next day. He realised that it was stalker-like but since Pikachu could be considered to be one of his very few friends, perhaps the only one, it was expected for the teenager to feel overly protective for his friend.
Thankfully, for his peace of mind as well as his secret, the Pikachu woke up from its coma soon after dawn broke, although it was notably groggy and confused and only calmed down when it noticed that Red was nearby.
When the human presented the Pikachu with the corpse of the Poochyena, the electric rodent leapt onto it with glee and began feasting with great satisfaction. It paused midway through its meal, chewing thoughtfully as it cocked its head to the side before it tore a shred of meat from the corpse and handed it to Red before it returned to its meal.
Red had never particularly liked dog meat and this specimen of dog meat was horribly cooked, charred in some areas while still more than a little raw in others but truthfully, it was the best-tasting thing that he had ever eaten in his life.
Green has persuaded me to do this and Professor Oak has agreed that it is a good idea which is why the reason why you're reading it right now.
Yes, after years of media silence, I have finally decided to write an autobiography; partly because the tales of my exploits have grown too ridiculous (I assure you, Mount. Silver did not decide to spontaneously sprout beneath my feet) and partly as a tribute to the amazing trainers that I have met on my journey.
You will have undoubtedly heard of my conflict against Team Rocket, and my 'legendary' showdown with Giovanni where the two of us are the only ones who know what happened on that day. After much struggle, I have decided to shed light on that battle as well.
Most importantly, however, is the fact that when people are talking about me, they only mention 'Champion Red' but rarely do my Pokémon get the acknowledgement that they deserve. Without my team, my family, I would never made it to where I was.
That is why I will begin this with how I met my Pikachu, my most loyal Pokémon.
-Champion; Foreword.
Trainer Name: Red
Gym Badges: 0
Pokémon captured: 1 (?)
Pokémon Registered: 0
Pokémon Nickname: N/A
Pokémon Species: Pikachu
Type: Electric
Level: 14
Moves Learnt:
-Growl
-Thundershock
-Tail Whip
-Play Nice
-Thunder Wave
Trainer Notes:
Pikachu was the first Pokémon I caught and the meanest I had ever met up to date. I have no idea why it was in Route 1, so far away from Viridian Forest, but I guess I'll find out soon enough. Pikachu's body size is extremely small; probably half the size of a regular adult Pikachu but its tail, on the other is much longer than a Pikachu's tail. That tail might explain why Pikachu's electric attacks are much more powerful and focused than other Pikachus'.
It has displayed cunning as well in the way it sets up ambushes and has proven itself to be a quick learning, adapting quickly to new situations and then improving itself from each encounter.
I look forward to working together with it.
-Red