Chapter 1: Starting Again
Red's Point of View

"So if you see this girl, please contact the police immediately." The TV showed a picture of a girl. The girl in the picture had light brown, brunet hair, and brown eyes. She was wearing a light red skirt, with a baby blue top, a blank undershirt, turquoise socks and a white sunhat that resembles somewhat of a Premier Ball. "Now back to Catherine with the weather-"

I turned off the television during the man's talking. I sit up from my bed and threw my TV remote against my pillow. "I can't believe-" I cut my sentence short and turn to look out my window, seeing little kids running and playing all about in the grass. I take a deep breath and stare at the closed down school that would soon open. "I can't believe they are still searching for that girl. It has been a year already…almost two at most, why don't they just give up…." I pull my red hat down, trying to cover my eyes from any light. "She's been humiliated enough already….."

"Red!" my surrogate mother called out. "Why don't you come on down, it's time for lunch!"

A small smile formed upon my lips. At that moment, I raced down stairs and run to my chair in the kitchen. "Hi mom," I said as I smiled at her, keeping the pitch in my voice from rising.

"Afternoon Red, as usual, you stayed up all night playing your pokemon games and just woke up now. Am I right?" She glanced at me, smiling as she handed me a plate of scrambled eggs, with warm toast covered with butter and bacon on the side.

"As usual mom, you know me so well," I said as I started jamming her delicious eggs in my mouth. If anything, she would always cheer me up when something was always troubling me. Even though she knows not much about me over the year she adopted me, she still treats me as if I were her own.

"You know…Professor Oak is giving away only three pokemon for those who are eligible, and think that are ready to set off for a journey." Arceus damn, I forgot that he's already giving out pokemon, and he's only handing out three! "If you go and receive a pokemon from him, please come back and see me one last time.

I stare at her once I finished my plate. She gave me a heartwarming smile and I give her a smile back. "Okay mom, I promise. But when I come back from my journey, I'll be the Kanto Champion!" she giggles softly and I noticed that I was already up on my feet and raising a fist. "Uh…heheheheh…."

"Hurry and put your shoes on or you'll miss your opportunity."

I run back upstairs and find my black and red shoes. "Good, but…I still can't believe I'm…even after…," I sigh and grab my backpack then tie my shoes. "I hope I can get a Bulbasuar." I love grass type pokemon, much better than water and fire. I check myself to see if I have everything I need then I run out of the house as I yell out to my mom, "I'll be right back!"

As I was running to Prof. Oak's lab, I heard a screech for help. I turned and it came from the forest that led out of Pallet Town. I looked over at the lab then at the road and took a deep breath. I knew I was late already so why not. I ran towards the road out of the town to find the person calling for help.

I got there to see a little orange lizard lying on the ground, if I remembered, it was called a Charmander. I couldn't see the girl that shouted out for help, but the flame at the tip of its tail was starting to die down. It lay next to a tall patch of grass, surrounded by two Rattata, and a Spearow. It was a three against one fight and that little Charmander is losing…badly.

"Hey!" I yelled out at the three pokemon. They turned to me, glaring with hatred in their eyes. I got a bit scared but I didn't back off. "Leave that little Charmander alone!"

"Get that boy!" shouted the Spearow.

H-hold on, hold on, hold on…the Spearow shouted out human-arg! The Rattatas' launched at me, they tried to scratch my eyes out. The scratching hurt so much but they were busy attacking me and not the Charmander. It weakly looked at me; I could see tears in the little pokemon's eyes.

"Hurry! Go back to Professor Oak and stay safe!" One of the Rattata's sharp teeth gazed at my arm and I screamed. And no…it wasn't a normal guy scream you'd expect, it was a scream that comes only from a girl.

The Rattatas that were on me were burned and ran away. I looked over and it was the Charmander that saved me. The Charmander glares over at the Spearow, about to spit out another Ember attack.

"Okay, okay we'll go!" the Spearow said. It flapped its wings and flew away.

I sat up, still amazed that pokemon are talking human language. Maybe I'm imagining things but…the speech patterns sounded so real to me. I looked over at the Charmander and saw it limp over to me. "Are you alright?" I asked it.

"I-I'm fine…just a little bruised all over…." I blinked, my eyes grew wide, the voice on the Charmander was so feminine. So this Charmander Is a girl and, that could mean-

"Were…were you the one who called out for help?"

Her eyes widen. "How…how did you know I called for help? Can you…understand me?"

"It seems so…and I thought all of you could speak our language," I sighed. "Arg, my arm, it hurts so much!" I held my left arm, seeing blood streaming down. The Charmander also groaned in pain.

"W-we…need to get to the professor…," she said weakly.

I picked her up with my right arm and started limping towards the lab.

I kicked open the door, since I had no other way to get in, with me holding the Charmander in one arm and bleeding in the other. I limped over to the professor who only looked horrified with how I and Charmander looked like.

"Oh Arceus," he said. "What happened to you both, and Charmander, why were you out of your ball?" He led me to a seat and took out bandages. "I thought you'd be with Gray to Viridian City by now?" Gary…he's Oak's grandson, and the town's favorite boy. He was so nice to me but after the school incident thing, he stopped playing nice guy and started acting like a jerk.

"W-well…the thing is…about that…um…." I felt the little one tremble. "He sorta…dumped me and took the Squirtle instead... Then I was attacked by Spearow and two Rattata, then this boy saved me…."

The professor let out a huge sigh. "Gary…ah how he will never learn." He finished bandaging my arm, and started to treat her wounds.

"Wait, professor, how can you understand Charmander?"

"People who have bonded with pokemon, not one, but many are able to open their hearts and communicate with any pokemon, no matter what the language." He glanced at me. "Why, can you understand them? Only those who've started a pokemon journey before can speak to them at a young age."

At that point I started to get nervous, I can feel sweat running down the back of my neck. "Oh of course not professor pff, I don't even own a pokemon, let alone when on a journey!" My speech went by so fast ugh I know he wouldn't buy it.

"I see, well…since I can already see that this Charmander has already grown attached to you and that you are able to communicate with her, I'll let you keep her as her new trainer."

My eyes lit up, "R-Really?" I stared down at the Charmander who was staring back at me, happiness in her little blue eyes.

"Knowing my grandson, he would've actually released this Charmander so she's catchable again," he said, holding out a pokeball in his hand."Here, you'll be a great trainer to her, I know it."

"Thank you ever so much," I said as I took the pokeball. "You're going to be mine…and I promise…I will never treat you the same way that Gary did." I lightly tapped the ball on her forehead; the little lizard's body turned into a bright red energy and was zapped into the ball. The button blinked three times then clicked. "I promise…Lucy."

Caught: 1
Deaths: 0
Team:
Lucy-Charmander