Nothing ever happens in Cinnabar Island. The worst part about it is that you can't just leave to some place where stuff does happen. You're stuck. Unless you have a Pokemon that knows surf or a boat, you're not really going anywhere. I don't have either. Too poor for the latter and can't say that I like water types too much. That's because Blaine, our gym leader, is a fire Pokemon trainer so we all try to be like him—fire trainers trapped on an island surrounded by ocean. Even though those Pokemon at the beach are pretty strong, I wouldn't trade Argos, my Growlithe, for any other Pokemon. He's what people call a Delta Species, he's part electric. It always surprises swimmers by the pier when Argos uses Spark. The looks on their faces! I do hate water types though, have I said that? We're getting stronger though. Argos and I are taking out every Pokemon we come across Route 20, water or not. I'm turning fourteen this week and Blaine thinks I'm finally ready.
All the kids on the island hang out at Blaine's gym. I like to help him with his experiments and he teaches me things about Pokemon. Blaine says he has a gift for me on my birthday. Maybe things will finally get exciting. Maybe he's talking about our volcano again. Maybe.
Today's my birthday and my parents told me to go to the gym. I made my way up the volcano, climbing the steep trail and conquering scorching tunnels with Argos following closely behind. Finally, I was there. All my friends at the gym were there with presents. Waldo and Lowell gave me some burning [cool] gadgets and elixirs. They're all incredibly smart and I really like them. People call them nerds and scientists, but I don't care, and neither do they—they love what they do. Dusty was hanging out with Blaine, his birthday is next month and I can tell Blaine thinks the same way of him as he does with me. Dusty handed me his gift, a small box wrapped in fire red.
"Here you go, Flash, and I didn't steal it!" said Dusty. He was known around town for being a burglar. Though, anything he stole he usually returned—usually.
"Thanks, Dusty. What is it?"
"Open it and find out."
I tore off the wrapping paper as quickly as he could and looked inside. It was a small, black log the size of his hand with a silver chain attached to it.
"Fire wood?"
"Charcoal. Blaine says it's supposed to power up fire-type moves for the Pokemon that's holding it," explained Dusty.
"Wow, thanks. Argos will be even stronger with this! Where'd you get it?"
"I bought it in Azalea Town when I went with my parents. It was pretty expensive, but don't worry about it. You're my best friend."
Flash smiled and gave Dusty a high five that turned into an arm wrestle positioned shake—their handshake. "You just wait until your birthday."
The two walked up to Blaine who had been watching from the corner of the Gym with a wide grin on his face. He saved that smile for trainers who beat him, not today. Not on Flash's birthday. There was a man who was joining Blaine, a man Dusty and I have seen on the television before. I can't quite remember where he's from.
"Happy birthday, my boy. Fourteen is a great age and with that comes greatness or, at least, the chance for such," said Blaine.
"Flash, Blaine has told me much about you and I have to admit, I'm very intrigued," said the elderly man alongside Blaine.
"Who are you, mister?" asked Dusty.
"Why I'm Professor Oak, Kanto's leading Pokemon Professor," responded the man.
"What brings you to Cinnabar, Professor?" asked Flash.
"Well, I have a gift for you. A very special gift that Blaine asked I give you."
"What kind of gift?"
"Usually, I let the children pick one of three but judging by your companion Growlithe, I have a feeling that you would've picked this one," said Professor Oak, handing Flash a pokeball.
Flash looked inside and his eyes lit up with excitement. "Dusty, look! It's a Charmander!"
"Woah, that's awesome! Does he get to keep it?"
"Yes, of course. I also want to give you this," said Professor Oak handing Flash a red device. "It's a Pokedex, I need you to use that to help me compile information on Pokemon for my research. That's the deal, okay? You can be one of our leading field agents on fire-types."
"Burning! Of course, Professor."
"Hey Professor, why is the Charmander orange? I thought they're usually red," observed Dusty.
"Yes, this unusual specimen was given to me by a friend of mine who lives in Charcific valley. She told me it hatched from one of the strongest Charizards in the valley, but unfortunately, the parents were appalled by its appearance and chose to cast it out. I was looking for a strong trainer who would be his friend. When Blaine told me of you, Flash, I knew you were the best trainer for him."
Flash nodded with understanding. He clenched his fist and vowed to never hurt Charmander from this day forth. Flash let Charmander out and immediately saw the difference. He was far brighter than most Charmander. That's fine, thought Flash, people will see that you're not like all the rest. You're stronger.
"I'm going to name him Vulcan."
Blaine chuckled. "Great name, Flash. I actually have a gift for you as well."
He handed Flash a disk. "TM50, it'll teach your Pokemon Overheat, a very powerful move. You can only use it once though so use it wisely."
Flash nodded. "I will. Thank you, Blaine."
"Now what are you waiting for? Go celebrate your birthday!"
The party went on for a few hours, fire shows, Pokemon battles, eating, a few wild fires—your standard birthday party on Cinnabar Island. After everyone had their fill, he thanked everyone for coming and made his way back home with Dusty. We rode back together on Dusty's Ponyta, Lancer, while Argos chased us down the volcano, electric shockwaves crackling the nearby air as he ran. It was always faster going down than up and faster still on the back of a Ponyta. When we got to the house the door was wide open. It's never open.
"You think it's a birthday surprise?" asked Dusty.
"I don't know. This doesn't feel right."
The pair walked into the large, two-story house, and found emptiness inside. They searched the rooms and called out for almost an hour, nothing. Everything seemed to be in place, his parents were just gone. Not even Argos could smell anything.
"Maybe they're out," suggested Dusty.
"No, they knew when I would be back. They said we were going to have dinner."
"Even parents can be irresponsible sometimes."
Flash had no idea what to think. What is happening? He went back to the last place he looked, his room, and saw something out of place on his desk. A small box—a present. Flash read the card: To our son, Flash. Happy Birthday and best of luck on your adventures. Use this when the time is right. Love, Mom and Dad.
He tenderly opened the box and found inside a firestone. I know what this is for: Argos. This is how he was going to evolve. Flash's thoughts were interrupted, something was wrong. Argos began growling and Lancer was neighing loudly.
"Quick, call Blaine!" Dusty shouted.
Flash dialed the number on his phone and quickly explained the situation to the gym leader.
"Don't move and no matter what you do, don't try anything. I'm on my way with the trainers from the gym and Professor Oak."
Lancer ran inside and protectively stood next to Dusty. Argos was on edge and barking at the wide open door. It slammed shut. Darkness filled the entire room. The only light was the light from the flames that were Lancer's mane. A small area of light and vision allowed the two to see a few feet ahead of them. Two shadows formed from the pitch black. They were Pokemon, a Munsharna and a Dewott.
"You two should have never come here," said a loud hollow voice. "Now you and your Pokemon will never live to regret it."
"A chance for greatness," Flash said. Dusty's eyes were filled with passion.
"Lancer, tackle!" commanded Dusty. Lancer was fast, the fastest Pokemon Flash had ever seen and probably the fastest on the island.
Ponyta slammed into the Munsharna with frightening speed and sent the creature flying out of sight until a loud crash resonated from the dark.
"Argos, Helping Hand," ordered Flash. Argos blew a blue flame that enveloped Ponyta and transformed Lancer's fires into a blazing blue. Flash and Dusty have used this tactic many times before in double battles. They never lost. The Dewott fired a massive burst of water at Argos but he was too quick and evaded it easily. There were much faster water guns from Pokemon on the beach. Flash could hear the Munsharna trying to move, but it seems that Lancer's attack was so powerful that the Musharna flinched and was unable to strike back.
"Get him while he's down, Lancer! Stomp him!" yelled Dusty. Ponyta leapt as high as the ceiling allowed and came crashing down on the Musharna with his front hooves, landing with a loud crunch. Both Dusty and Flash winced at the sound.
"That's the end of that one," said Dusty. Flash nodded in agreement. "Argos, hit the Dewott with a bite!"
Argos lunged forward and chomped down on one of Dewott's arms. It screamed with pain and threw Growlithe back at Flash, knocking the wind out of him. Dewott raised his arms and the pair could hear the sound of rushing water, getting louder and louder by the second.
"Flash look out! It's a Surf att—" Dusty never finished. His words were drowned out by the tsunami of water that came crashing through the house, smothering all the noise and possessions. Flash could see Growlithe and Ponyta being swept away underwater. The water seemed endless. I don't know how much longer I can hold my breath. I know Argos won't last much longer either. Flash returned Growlithe to his pokeball and clutched his firestone tightly. Everything went black.
"He's waking up!" said a voice. "Get Blaine!"
"Where am I?" asked Flash.
"You're in the hospital. After your mysterious encounter you were nearly swept into the ocean. We found you several kilometers down the mountain from your house, tangled in a pool of water and debris," answered Waldo.
"Where's Dusty? Is he alright?" questioned Flash.
"He's in critical condition, he suffered a lot of head trauma and took in quite a bit of water," replied Waldo. "But the doctor said he should recover in a month—just in time for his birthday."
"What about Argos and Vulcan?"
"We found them safe in their pokeballs, Flash. It's a good thing you decided to put Argos back in or else he might not have made it," Blaine interjected. "Lancer, was… not so fortunate."
Flash eyes flared in anger and sadness, conflicting emotions tearing him apart like the event that just tore his life into pieces. "I want to see him."
"That's fine, but the doctor said you should take it easy."
Flash nodded and slowly climbed out of his bed, every bone in his body ached. He hadn't felt this sore since the day he was beaten up in Cerulean City back when his family used to live there. They decided to move to Cinnabar that day. Blaine led the way to Dusty's room and what Flash saw made his heart ache more than any wound or injury. Dusty was unconscious and connected to several machines, his entire body was covered in bandages, and he looked like he could die any moment. Flash grabbed Dusty's hand.
"I don't know if you can hear me, Dusty, but I want you to know I will find out who did this. I will make them pay. You don't deserve this. No one does. You were only trying to help." Flash turned to face Blaine. "How can I find the person who did this?"
"There was a strong psychic aura left behind from the attack that should have some kind of effect on yours. I am sure whatever was done to you will remain for quite some time. The next step is to find some kind of psychic to interpret whatever happened and lead you onward," explained Blaine.
" Who would know about such things? " asked Flash.
"Sabrina, the gym leader in Saffron, is a very powerful psychic, one of the most powerful in the world. You should begin your journey there."
Flash nodded in understanding. He turned to Dusty in his sleeping state. "I'm sorry I won't be here when you wake up, but I know you'll want to come with me and I can't let you do that. Not right now."
"I'm leaving Blaine, thank you for everything you've done," said Flash. The two embraced each other in a familial hug.
"I don't want you leaving right now with the state you're in, but I know there's no stopping that ambition, I've seen that ambition before. I want you to know your parents and I talked a lot about you becoming a trainer and starting your journey. This is what they would've wanted, they believed the time is right and I believe the time is right. If you ever need me, Flash, find me."
Flash smiled and shook the gym leader's hand. He left the room with the determination that every battle he fought, every trainer he faced, all the obstacles along the way, will be for his parents and for Dusty.