Warning: This story will mention child abuse later on.

Since most of my fanfictions are about Ash, I decided to start a story I could work on when I'm not in the mood to write about Ash. So here's a story about his game counterpart, Red! (I know just how much you "love" Red, Pikachulover14... xD ). I had a similar idea for a story like this while back, but I scrapped it. I stumbled across the idea for this story once more, and I have decided to rework it, and ended up with this chapter. Enjoy!

Bang!

The blast echoed throughout the base, the sturdy walls crumbling like paper under the intense psychic pressure. Alarms wailed throughout the vicinity as the remaining laboratories burst into flames, both people and Pokemon rushing out of the ruined buildings, scattering to avoid the falling debris.

And rising up from the destruction was a sleek, purple creature. Draped in psychic energy, the Pokemon hovered above the remains of the buildings, watching the fire slowly eat away at the falling structures. He raised his three-fingered hand, releasing another psychic blast on the compound below, eyes merciless, anger radiating.

And down below this scene, darting in and out of the chaos, was a boy.

The thin teen had raven black hair and pale skin, and he kept glancing back as if he were being pursued. He had a pair of deep red eyes, which were blinking back a few tears as he ran. His clothes reflected the buildings around them, burned and in tatters.

The boy scampered around a corner of a half-collapsed wall, falling to his knees and gasping for breath. One arm clutched his shoulder, while the other just laid as his side. He was visibly shaking, coughing as he inhaled the smoky air. For a minute it seemed he wasn't going to move from that spot, even as the sounds of the creature echoed across the early morning sky, screams of its victims feeling the air as the labs crumbled in on themselves. The boy closed his eyes, visibly shaking.

It wasn't until he heard sounds of footsteps coming his way that his eyes snapped open, wide in fear. He inched back, slowly stumbling to his feet as an urgent voice came closer. The boy withdrew down the ruins of the hallway, pulling himself around to the other side of the wall, trying to listen over the sound of his thundering heart.

"I'm looking for him, sir!" The voice hastily said, "I know someone said that they saw him this way, but they're panicked! Who knows what's going through their minds now that horrible abomination is free again! You remember what that thing did last time it escaped! You should withdraw all forces before we lose everyone at the base-"

"The boy is the only one that can approach Project M2," A deep voice cut him off, voice crackling as if coming through a radio. The boy froze up as he heard the familiar voice, skin going even paler than it already was. The boy didn't dare move even as the footsteps came closer, he was sure that they could already hear his racing heart, "Your first and only priority is to find Red."

Red shuddered at the sound of his name, wrapping his arms around himself. He couldn't run, he couldn't hide... He never could, he was always found... He choked back a sob as he realized what was going to happen. They were going to find him! Then all of the hurt would come... The unbearable pain... He couldn't handle it again- not again!

The boy sank to the ground, covering his head as he curled up, waiting for the man to find him. Waiting for him to drag him back... Help, The boy thought weakly in pure terror, Anyone, please!

"I'll find him, Boss, sir!" The man swore, "I won't let you down!" He clicked the radio off, and the sound of his footsteps could be heard has he walked away, then followed by a crash as Project M2 collapsed another building with its psychic powers.

After a minute of sitting there in stunned shock, Red realized that he had been holding his breath. He took in several large gasps of air, it was filled with smoke and dust, but it was air. He rocked back and forth, clearly surprised that the man had moved on. He had a chance still...

"Geo?" A small voice asked from next to him, and the boy jumped back. A small, rocky creature was sitting next to him, supporting itself on two bulky arms. The Geodude stared up at the boy, concern in it's brown eyes. He raised one arm, managing to stay balanced on the other as he placed a hand on the boy's leg. Red flinched at the contact, his bright crimson eyes not leaving the Geodude's as he studied the creature.

After a moment Red began to relax, as if he tell that the rock type meant no harm. Geodude smiled at him, then gestured away from the wall, wanting the boy to follow him. Red hesitated, but he realized he had nowhere else to go. Either he could sit here and wait for Project M2 to find him, or for one of the men to come and get him. He didn't know any way out of here, his only chance was to trust the Geodude.

He hesitantly followed the Geodude into the rubble of the building, constantly looking back over his shoulder. One hand still held his shoulder, but the pain was starting to fade, and after a minute he slowly lowered his arm as he trailed behind the Geodude. Occasionally he saw someone running away from the destruction caused by M2, but no one noticed him, and most importantly there was no one following him. Still, a look of fear never faded from his eyes.

"Shrew? Sandshrew sand?" A new voice asked, causing Red to flinch once more.

"Geo," Geodude replied, approaching a small tan creature. The little Sandshrew dashed up to the Geodude, prancing around him happily, then raced over to Red. He went still as the Sandshrew sniffed his ankle, and she let out a cheerful squeal, then pointed to something on the ground.

The Geodude peered down into the hole, which looked freshly dug, then quickly up at Red. He realized that this is where the Geodude must have come from, since it clearly wasn't owned by someone at the base. The Sandshrew dove into the hole that she had been widening, burrowing in deep, small chirps echoing up towards them.

The Geodude slipped into the tunnel after her, paused, then gestured for Red to follow. The teenager stood there for one moment, hesitating. But the sound as the destruction around him was enough to urge him to enter. He had to crawl on his hands and knees backwards in order to fit in it, since it was dug by small ground types, but it was now his path to freedom.

After a minute of tunneling downwards, and getting stuck twice, the tunnel opened up to a large, level cave. Red stumbled into it, clearly glad to be free of the small tunnel. After managing to brush away some of the dirt that clung to his clothes he looked around at the large cave, surprised that this had been under the base. Red suspected that it had been created by an Onix, due to the size and round shape. The Geodude took a deep breath, like the earthy smell was fresh mountain air, then it began to go through the cave. The Sandshrew pranced about him, and Red slowly followed behind them.

For once a pulse of excitement raced through him, no one else knew about this place, and there was no way anyone from the base would be small enough to fit into the tunnel after him. He was safe!

But as this thought entered his mind, doubt immediately crawled right back in. Memories of what could happen if he was found crowded his mind, and the consequences would follow. Red bit his lip and began to subconsciously rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the thin web of scars that ran down it.

"Geo geo!" The Geodude called, a ways up the cave, and it pointed to a small puddle of water. Red jogged to catch up, and he looked at the puddle. Red fell to his knees, and cupped his hands, taken a small sip. The water was gritty and tasted like dirt, but Red drank it greedily. The chaotic night and morning had left him more than thirsty, and the water was a welcomed refresher, despite the taste.

"Shrew!" The Sandshrew came up next to him, drinking as well.

"Dude, geo geo!" The Geodude encouraged him to keep moving when he leaned against the wall of the cave, exhausted. He looked at the Geodude, not quite sure why the Pokemon was helping him, but he didn't disobey. Red took one more sip of the water, then scuttled after the Geodude and Sandshrew. Some dust and dirt rained from the cavern ceiling above, causing Red to look up at it uncertainly, would it collapsed on them?

The Geodude growled threateningly to a few Digletts and other Sandshrews that were in the cave as they approached. The wild Pokemon eyed Red wary, as if they might attack. Red went still as they stared. The wild Pokemon blinked, then shrugged after a moment, forging in the dirt. The Geodude then continued on.

"Geo," Geodude said, pointing up ahead and to the right. Another tunnel, similar to the one they came in, was off to the side, tunneling upwards towards the surface. Red looked at it, he would be able to fit through, if it stayed the same width the whole way up. His stomach twisted as he realized his time to leave the safety of the cave had come.

Red turned and bowed slightly, as if trying to thank the Geodude. The Pokemon seemed surprised by the gesture, but waved a rocky hand in farewell. The Sandshrew leapt up onto the Geodude's head, letting out a few chirps. Red turned towards the tunnel, took a deep breath, and slipped into the narrow tunnel and wormed his way up.

The tunnel narrowed as his continued upwards. Red stucked in his stomach, sacrificing precious air, and continued the climb- until his head struck something hard. Panic rushed through Red, and claustrophobia set in. Had the tunnel collapsed? Would he be able to get back down? Was there any other way out of the cave, or would he have to go back to the base?

His hand pushed against the rock blocking the tunnel, and it shifted upwards. Red paused, and pushed once more with both hands. The rock slid to the side, and morning light streamed into the tunnel. Red pulled himself out of the hole, taking in a few breaths of fresh air. He fell to the ground, looking up at the gray sky. He laid in the field for a moment, the events of today racing through his mind before he finally managed to drag himself to his feet. He frowned at the rock, and shifted it back so it covered the tunnel, it must have served as some sort of door for the rock and ground types.

The rising sun glared down on Red, and after being in a cave, it seemed even more intense. Red dug in hand into his jacket pocket, and pulled out one of his few possessions, a hat.

The red and white cap was in mint condition, but it was very old. Red have had it from... from since before he had been brought to the base. Unlike the rest of his clothes, it wasn't covered in dirt and burn marks. He plopped it on his head, and for the first time in his life he appreciated the rim for keeping the sun out of his eyes.

He glanced around, trying to get a sense of direction. Off to his right he could see smoke rising in the distance, the burning remains of what was left of the base. Red turned so the smoke was facing his back, and hiked in the complete opposite direction. He didn't care where he was heading, as long as it wasn't there.

After two days of his new found freedom, Red was sick.

He didn't know if it was because of the elements he was now exposed to, the water he drank, or the few berries he had eaten. Or maybe it had just been his luck and he caught a virus after being on his own for the first time.

Red stumbled along, pausing to throw up the little food in his stomach. A shudder ran through him, a foul taste lining his mouth. Everything hurt, and his limbs trembled with the desire for food. No Pokemon crossed his path, mostly due to the amount of fear he was radiating. He didn't know where to go or how to survive. Sometimes a Rattata would drift in his wake, dropping a berry or two, then it would dash off. He was thankful for the food, but he couldn't keep anything down.

On the third day Red collapsed, his vision blurring. His head was humming with pain, and he could do nothing but lay there. Tears poured down his eyes, thirst scratching at his throat, yet the only noise he made were several whimpers. Several Pidgeys that were flying over head paused, then landed around him. They lightly pecked at his leg curiously, cooing softly. He shifted, causing them to scatter. After a few minutes they began to approaching him again, cocking their heads.

Red looked at them, only brown smudges in his muddled vision, but he could sense their presence. He silently plead for their help- for anything. The Pokemon glanced at each other, then at Red, then they flew off.

The last thing Red remembered was a large orange creature approaching him, with a blurred figure of a man leaping off of it.

The next few days after the Pidgeys had found him were just a collection of vague of moments for Red as he slid in and out of consciousness. He remembered the sound of someone pounding on a door, "Mary! Mary open up!", and then being placed on something soft. There had been more voices, but their words were lost as he slipped back into sleep.

He remembered waking up, he didn't know how long later, but someone was carefully feeding him soup and water. He had chugged down the liquids with a ranovus hunger, before sliding off into sleep once more. Red was too exhausted to open his eyes, but his ears picked up every sound around him as he laid there. There was often gruff voice talking to a woman with a sweet voice, and despite him understanding every word he could never seem to comprehend what they were talking about.

Then there was the girl's voice. It was high pitched and annoying, in Red's opinion at least. It always seemed to come right next to him, whenever he was conscious: "Mom, will he wake up yet? Mom, his breathing is so quiet! Mom, is he dead?" And so on, with no end in sight.

After many days of darkness and sounds, Red finally found the strength to open his eyes. He let out a small groan as a soft light reached his gaze. He shifted, stretching his neck and limbs, which were stiff after laying down for so long.

"Mom!" The girl's voice gasped, causing Red to flinch, "He's moving!"

"Quiet Aoi," The sweet voice came, "You don't want to scare him."

Red slowly moved his head, gathering his surroundings. He was in was laying in a foreign bed, a soft pillow under his head and a thick blanket covering him. There was a lamp table by him, which was covered in medicine and dishes. He could faintly smell the same soup he had eaten... a few days earlier? Red didn't know for sure.

Sitting in a large chair was a girl, perhaps a year younger than Red. She had strawberry blonde hair and light skin. The most outstanding feature though was her eyes, bright, intense sky blue eyes. They were focused right on Red, and he averted his gaze, biting his lip. He had learned quickly that if someone was paying to much attention to you, that it wasn't a good thing.

Red tried to push himself into a sitting position, his bones aching from days without movement. After a failed attempt of sitting up he allowed himself to slid back down into the bed, and he stared up at the ceiling, memories rushing through his mind. He was no longer wearing his clothes he had ran off in, but blue flannel pajamas that barely fit him. He closed his eyes, something felt off, and then after a panicking moment he realized his hat was gone.

His eyes flickered around the room, over the girl and a woman leaning in the doorway, but nothing familiar met his gaze. His heart started racing, his hat was gone. The last thing he had from his mother was gone!

"Hello!" The girl said, bounding over to him, oblivious to his lost, "My name's Aoi! What's yours?" She sat down on the edge of the bed, right next to him. He tried to inch back, saying nothing, looking away.

She leaned over, peering at Red's face, "Hey," Aoi said, "I asked you a question, what's your name?"

Red turned away, pulling the blanket up in an attempt to cover his face.

"Aoi," The women said, and Red recognized her as the same person with the sweet voice, "Give him some space, he just woke up."

"But Mom, he's been here for so long!" Aoi emphasized, dragging out some of her words. She jerked her head up to face her mother, "Ever since Professor Oak showed up here with him on his Dragonite I've been dying to know who he is! You thought he was dead, you screamed, and the professor told you to calm down and then-"

"Yes, yes, I know. I was there," The women said tenderly, and she came over and gently guided Aoi away from the bed, then she turned towards Red, "I'm Mary, would you like something to eat?"

Red glanced up enough to look Mary in the eye, then looked back down, nodding slowly, shaking. Mary looked a lot like her daughter, light skin and strawberry blonde hair, but she had hazel eyes, not Aoi's bright blue ones. Mary smiled at Red, and left the room, and soon the clanking of dishes could be heard from down the hall.

Red kept his head down, but a shadow told him that Aoi was now standing next to the bed.

"Soo~ Where're you from?" She asked.

Silence.

"Come on, you just got to tell me! Professor Oak said all these Pidgeys showed up at his lab freaking out, and so he and his Dragonite followed them, and they found you! You were half dead and you're clothes were all burned up! What happened?"

More silence. Red didn't shift as he was bombarded with questions. He just needed to sit there, just wait, then he'd be excused-

Excused to where? A faint pulse of joy bloomed in him, he was longer there. Not anymore, and never again.

"Meowth got your tongue?" Aoi asked.

Red flinched at the word 'Meowth', but didn't reply.

"Aoi," Mary's voice warned, "Give him some space."

"Sure thing Mom!" Aoi chirped, and she scurried away as Mary came over, holding a tray of food. She set the food down on the lamp table, pushing older dishes away. She then approached Red, who stiffened as she placed her hands on his back, trying to guide him into a sitting position. After a moment of panic Red realized what she was doing, and allowed himself to sit up. His muscles screamed, but Red stayed quiet as pillows were propped up behind him to help him stay up.

Mary handed the tray to Red, which he took, and he picked up the fork. He quickly glanced at the two girls, then began to eat, keeping his head lowered the whole time as he quietly transferred the meal to his mouth.

No words were said while he ate, well, Aoi tried to say a few things, but a glare from her mother silenced her every time. The two girls didn't seem to realize that they were staring as he ate, but he offered no complaint. Red slowly pushed the tray away once he was done, and Mary reached out to take it.

"What's your name?" Mary asked sweetly as she placed the tray on the lamp table.

"That's what I was trying to ask him!" Aoi cried, annoyed.

Red looked up at Mary, she looked down at him in concern as he didn't say a word. Red lowered his head once more.

"Are you scared of us?" Aoi asked as his silenced dragged on.

Mary placed a hand on Red's shoulder, and he flinched, cowering. Mary took a step back in surprise, the boy didn't change his position for a moment, then he uncertainly looked up at her. She was taken back as she saw the fear in the boy's bright red eyes.

She knelt so she was eye level with him, she sat there for a moment, trying to decide what to say. He looked away once more, clearly shaking, "Can- um, well, do you speak?" She finally decided to ask.

Red didn't make eye contact, but he shook his head.

"You're a mute?" Aoi cried, "That's so sad! What's it like, not being able to talk?!"

Red and Mary looked at her for several moments.

"Oh," Aoi said as she realized the redundancy in her question. She rubbed the back of her head Mareep-ishly, "Sorry...?"

Mary turned her gaze back at Red, as if trying to decide something. She closed her eyes for a moment, then walked to the other side of the room, grabbing a bag off of the dresser. She approached Red once more, but much more slowly than before. She set the bag in front of him, "Here," She offered, "These are some clothes I had a neighbor of mine pick up last time she went to Viridian. I hope they're your size, and you can keep those pajamas. The clothes we found you in were ruined."

"Except for that hat he was wearing," Aoi chimed in, and Red jerked his head up, looking at her with hope in his eyes at the news that the simple hat wasn't gone.

Mary watched Red's reaction for a moment, then took a deep breath, "You just woke up, so take your time getting up. Once you feel ready then change into those clothes, then you can go with Aoi."

"Where?" Aoi asked, following her mother out of the bedroom.

"I think this young man should meet his rescuer, you'll take him down to Oak's lab once he feels ready."

"Okey-dokey Mom!" Aoi chirped as Red slid into the bathroom, "Just hope grumpy-old Forest isn't there!"

11/11/16 - I went back I reworked most of this chapter, to make it flow better, and there are a few minor changes, but nothing that will affect the over all story. The next chapters will be edited eventually.