A.N. The following is a nonprofit fan fiction. Pokémon is owned by The Pokémon Company and Satoshi Tajiri. Please support the official release.
Thanks for the reviews. And thanks for putting my fic on your favorite and follow list but I would appreciate it if you sent me reviews about your thoughts on it.
AU: In this story, trainers must be sixteen before embarking on a Pokémon journey, some Pokémons will be bigger than they really are and legendaries will be able to breed.
Chapter 2: Viridian City
Lara went through the streets of Viridian and looked around. Having grown up in the countryside Lara was not used to city life but she needed to get to the Pokémon Center in order to register to the Indigo League. She asked someone for direction and soon found her destination. It was a large weird looking building with a large Pokeball on the roof. She entered the building and found a few Pokémon trainers were already there. She walked over to the reception to find a nurse there.
"Excuse me. Hi, I wanna register to the Indigo League." Lara said to the nurse with a smile.
"Okay then, miss. May I have your Pokedex so I can register you?" The nurse replied with a polite smile and Lara handed to Pokedex over. "This won't take long. One moment, dear." The nurse said. About a minute later, the nurse handed the Pokedex back to Lara. "There you go. You are now signed up for the Indigo League which will take place in a year from now."
"Alright!" Lara said with much excitement. "Imma become a Pokémon master. First I'll need to win eight badges. Nurse, where can I find the Viridian Gym?"
"Oh, you're gonna challenge Giovanni?" The nurse asked. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but Mr. Giovanni has left on business trip."
"What?" Lara asked in disappointment.
"Yes, Giovanni isn't just a gym leader. He is also a business man. He said he would be gone for at least three weeks. That was about two weeks ago so he'll be gone for another week." The nurse said.
"Aw, you I'm stuck in this city for a week?" Lara asked.
"Afraid so. But in the meantime we have rooms for traveling trainers where you can sleep." The nurse assured Lara.
"Thanks. I guess I could use this time to train my Pokémons." Lara said bringing out her Pokeballs. "Speaking of which, could you please have a look at them, nurse?" She asked as she handed them over.
"Why yes, of course. And please, call me Nurse Joy." The nurse replied.
"Got it, Nurse Joy." Lara replied, using the nurse's name.
Somewhere else in Viridian City
Meanwhile, two familiar faces were also in the city. Drake and Dominic drove the truck towards a building with a large garage door on it. It opened up to allow them through. When they exit, several other figures wearing suits like them approached the truck. Drake walked over to one of them.
"Where's Giovanni?" He asked.
"Not here. He's still out on business. He won't be back for a-"
"Typical for that cunt to not be here when we deliver what he asked for." Drake interrupted the other guy.
"Well … he still wants you to contact him, sir." The grunt said.
"I will speak with him when I'm in the mood." Drake said in annoyance.
"But sir, he has another assignment to you. He says it's important." The grunt replied. Drake sighed in annoyance and left the room.
"Dominic, come with me." Drake called for his companion.
"Yes, my love." Dominic said and happily skipped towards the man she was in love with, red riding hood style, receiving odd looks from the others.
Moments later, the duo was in front of a large screen. When it activated it showed a man in his forties, wearing a business suit, with a Persian next to him.
"Giovanni," Drake greeted.
"I trust the mission was a success," Giovanni said from the screen.
"A couple of trainers tried to get in my way. They didn't get to live to regret it though." Drake replied.
"So did you get it?" Giovanni asked with a glare, losing his patience.
"Yes, I got it." Drake said without looking at Giovanni. "Don't get your panties in a twist."
"Careful now, Drake." Giovanni warned. "The only reason why I keep you around is because you're the best one I have. But there's only so much of your rude behavior I can tolerate."
"Yes sir," Drake said, looking his boss in the eyes. "Now what was this other assignment you had for me?"
"I'll put your punishment aside for now." Giovanni said with a glare. "I've received reports that Team Magma has moved into our territory here in Kanto. Show them how Team Rocket treats their enemies."
"Gladly, sir." Drake said, grinning.
"Their base is located in Mt. Moon. I've already sent a scouting squad there. They will provide you with the rest of the information you'll need."
"Understood. But I would like to bring my brother with me." Drake replied, this caused Dominic to look nervous.
"Why on earth would you want to bring that simpleton with you on a mission like that?" Giovanni asked with a raised eyebrow.
"He may be simpleton. But you know as well as I do in battle he is a force to be reckoned with." Drake replied, crossing his arms.
Giovanni sighed. "Very well. But if he gets out of control and endangers the mission I will hold you accountable. Just make sure you follow through with this mission. I want Team Magma out of my territory. Understand?"
"Understood, sir. It will be done." Drake replied, smiling wickedly. The screen then was turned off and Drake turned to Dominic. "Come! We're gonna go fetch my idiot brother."
"Yes, my love. But do we really need him? He is very unpredictable." Dominic said.
"He is also the world's strongest human telekinetic. He is as much valuable as he is useless. Now come on!" Drake barked and Dominic followed.
Unknown location
With Giovanni, he was patting the head of his Persian while his butler was pouring him some tea.
"That damn Drake is always going on my nerves," Giovanni growled.
"Quite so, sir." The butler said. "Maybe you should reconsider his position as a member of Team Rocket."
"Unfortunately, that is out of the question. He is the only one who can control that idiot brother of his. We all know what happened last time that guy went out of control. They're still repairing the city." Giovanni replied. "That guy has the potential to destroy the world. And we have him under our command. Drake is too valuable because of that. I need to play my cards right if I want to use Vladimir in the future."
"Understood sir," The butler said. "Drake did seem awfully pleased when you gave him that mission though."
"What did you expect?" Giovanni said, taking the tea cup. "This is Drake we're talking about. He loves to kill." He said before taking a zip.
Team Rocket HQ
Drake and Dominic were walking down a hallway in the large base of the infamous criminal organization. One of the grunts walked up to him and said "So glad that you're back Drake, sir. Your brother has been a handful during your absent. He's killed three of our members during that time."
"What did they do that made him kill them?" Drake asked.
"They were new recruits who didn't know any better. They went into his room and started bullying him, taking his toys from him and mocking him." The grunt replied.
"Did you warn them about what my brother is capable of?" Drake asked.
"We did but they didn't believe us," The grunt replied.
"They deserved to die," Drake said with a cold attitude. At the end of the hallway, the trio came upon a metal door. Drake pressed the button that opened up the door to reveal a playhouse filled with many different toys but the most notable thing was the large blood stains on the wall, obviously from the three members the grunt had told Drake about. At the center of the room, was a young man in his mid twenties. He had pale skin, pale hair and a rather unappealing face. He was sitting on the floor, playing with some toy cars, while stuck in his own world. Drake formed a smile and spoke. "Vladimir, your brother's here."
The man called Vladimir turned around and smiled when he saw Drake. He got up on his feet and rushed over to his brother who embraced him. "There, there, my beautiful little brother. Did a bunch on mean men pick on you while I was gone?" Drake said as he patted Vladimir's head. The weird man nodded while making strange noises. "But you showed them, didn't you?" Drake asked and Vladimir nodded happily. "Good. That's my little brother. I'm so proud of you. And mother and father would be proud to." Drake said and Vladimir smiled happily. "Vladimir, your brother needs your help in taking down some bad people. Will you help me?" Drake asked and Vladimir nods while moaning. "Good. I can always count you. Afterwards I promise to take you to that new toy store you've been interested in and I'll buy you whatever you want." This made Vladimir smile even brighter.
As the two headed for the exit, Drake turned to the grunt. "While we're gone, I want those giant blood stains on the wall removed." He ordered.
"Y-yes sir," The grunt replied nervously.
"Which reminds me, why haven't you cleaned that up yet? My brother's room smells like shit." Drake asked angrily.
"W-well, the thing is, n-no one dared go in here after what he did to those three guys." The grunt replied as he was shaking terrified.
"That's no excuse. My brother won't attack anyone who doesn't bother him." Drake said in annoyance. Right then, Vladimir's eyes was glowing blue and Drake turned to his brother. "What?" He said. Moments later, Drake nodded his and turned his attention back to the grunt. "My brother says he doesn't like that you're afraid of him. It makes him sad." This made the grunt look even more terrified. "He's asking if he can have you for his new plaything." Now the grunt was sweating bullets. "But I'm feeling generous today. If the room is spotless by the time I get back you may live." He said before he and Vladimir left the room.
Dominic, who had been silent the whole time, looked at the grunt's mid area when she heard a running sound. She saw his pants were now wet. "A word of advice when talking to either of those two, take a piss beforehand." She said before following her love interest and his brother.
Viridian Pokémon Center
The next day, Lara got her Pokémons back.
"Here you go, Lara. Your Pokémons are as good as new." Nurse Joy said.
"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy." Lara said, accepting her Pokémons with a smile. "Seeing as I'm going to have to wait a week for Giovanni to get back, I should spend the time training my Pokémons. Do you know somewhere I can train my Magikarp?"
"Sure. We have an indoor swimming pool for trainers to take their water Pokémons to." Nurse Joy replied.
"Sweet," Lara said happily.
Mt. Moon
Inside the heart of the famous Mt. Moon, a little over a hundred men and women were working on building a base of operation. They were all dressed in red and wore hoods with horns on them. These people were Team Magma. A Pokémon criminal organization from the Hoenn region.
"Progress," The leader of the operation asked one of the workers.
"We're ahead schedule. The base will be ready before nightfall." The worker replied.
"Good," The leader said with a satisfied smirk. "Maxie will be pleased."
Outside the cave, Drake, Dominic, Vladimir and a dozen Team Rocket members were looking at the large gate with the Team Magma logo on it.
"Someone should teach these guys to be more discreet about where they're putting their base," Dominic said with her arms crossed.
"Sir, shouldn't we have brought more men?" One of the grunts asked Drake. "Our reports say Team Magma has a hundred men in there. There are only fifteen of us."
"That would be overkill," Drake replied. "All I need is Dominic and Vladimir. The rest of you are only to make sure no one escapes." He said sternly.
"Y-yes sir," The grunt replied.
"Now come along you tow," Drake said as he started moving towards the gates.
Dominic however was just looking too happy to hear his order as she had her hands to her cheeks and wiggled her hips. "He-he said he needed me! My love has finally reached out to him." She squealed happily.
"I said move out, idiot!" Drake spat, snapping Dominic out of her girl fantasy.
"Huh? Oh, of course my love." She said and happily skipped down the hill like a happy school girl, receiving odd looks from her followers.
"Vladimir," Drake said, "open these doors for me."
Vladimir stepped in front of his older brother and held his hands up.
Inside the caves, in the monitor room, the security guard saw the trio in front of the gate. "What the…? Those are Team Rocket members." He said jumping out of his chair. He pressed a red button and the alarm went off.
The sound of the alarm could be heard from the outside.
"They know we're here," Dominic said.
"It doesn't matter," Drake replied as he watched Vladimir work on the door. His eyes were glowing like before, as well as his hands. The large doors were suddenly engulfed in the same light as his eyes and hands and were starting to shake.
Back Inside the base, several Team Magma members, armed with machine guns, had gathered in front of the door and were surprised at what they were seeing.
"What's going on?" One of them asked.
Suddenly the doors were burst open. They all made a run for it so they wouldn't get crushed by the large metal door. Four of them weren't as lucky as the rest as they were crushed, resulting in a sickening sound of flesh and blood being smashed.
"Stay alert," The Team Magma leader told his men. They saw three figures entering the gateway and they all aimed their guns at them. "Hold it right there! Come any closer and we shoot." He told Drake and his companions.
"Take your best shot," Drake said with a grin.
The leader sneered and cried out "Shot them!" They all complied and were about to fire. Vladimir had stepped in front of Drake and held his hands up in front of them. The Team Magma members fired as Vladimir's hands glowed and to their surprise, the bullets stopped.
"Don't take so long next time, Vladimir. I was getting worried there." Dominic spat.
"What happened?" "That guy's a telekinetic." The Team Magma members said amongst each other.
"Vladimir, removed them of their guns," Drake said and Vladimir focused his attention on the guns as his brother said and all of a sudden, the Team Magma members lost their guns as they hovered above them. Drake smiled as he brought out a Pokeball. "Now, how about a fight between our Pokémons? I hope at least one of you are able to make it worth my while."
"Fuck you!" The Team Magma leader said and took out a Pokeball from his pocket. "All of you, attack!" He shouted and tossed his Pokeball as did the others. They all unleashed fire type Pokémons.
"Now things are starting to get interesting," Drake said with a grin and unleashed his Pokémon. "Come on out Charizard!" He cried out and unleashed a dragon looking Pokémon. This however is not a dragon type despite its appearance. It was the final evolved form of Charmander. This Charizard was covered in scars and had sinister red eyes.
"You made a mistake coming here with only so few of ya. You're hopelessly outnumbered!" The Team Magma leader spat with confidence.
"True, but you don't really stand a chance." Drake said with a cocky expression, causing the leader to look furious.
"Attack!" He cried out and every Pokémon went to attack.
"I'll help you my love," Dominic said and brought out all six of her Pokeballs and tossed them into the air.
Charizard was looking ready and Drake had a sinister grin on his face. "Let's murder them all, Charizard." He said.
Viridian Pokémon Center
At the pool, there were already a number of Pokémon trainers in their swimming wear and with their water Pokémons. When Lara entered however, many eye averted to her. Especially the boys. Lara was, to say the least, astonishing looking in her whit bikini. Several of the girls were glaring at Lara because of the attention she was taking from their boyfriends. They grabbed their boyfriends by the ears and dragged them away. Lara heeded no attention to what was going on around her. She didn't even notice any of it. So once she got to the pool she unleashed her so far only water Pokémon.
"Come on out Magikarp." She said and Magikarp appeared in a flash of light in the water. Once the flash died down, Magikarp was splashing in the water. Lara jumped into the water that went up to her belly button. "Time to get you into shape. Magikarp, let's see you do tackle." Lara said but Magikarp only splashed in the water like a dimwit. "Uh … tackle please." Lara said, only for the Magikarp to keep splashing in the water. "Don't tell me you've forgotten how to swim."
"HA! Figures you'd catch a Magikarp." A familiar voice sounded. Lara turned around and saw the jerk who had taken the Rattata she intended to capture earlier that day.
"You," Lara said, surprised to see Danny at the edge of the pool.
"I told you didn't I? Pokémon training isn't meant for girls. Just look at what you caught. A useless Magikarp. It suits you perfectly." Danny said with a smug grin.
"Hey! You can mock me all you want. But you do not get to mock my Magikarp." Lara spat.
"Or you'll do what? Have that idiot Magikarp splash water at me?" Danny mocked.
"Don't listen to that dumbass, Magikarp." Lara said, hugging her water Pokémon. "You're perfect just the way you are." She assured and Magikarp had a pleased grin on its face as it enjoyed being petted by its new trainer.
"I guess it's true. Losers do stick together, don't they." Danny kept mocking. He then examined Lara's body figure. "You know, with a body like yours, you'd be better of being a stripper. I would love to see you doing a pole dance with a Lopunny."
"Oh really?" Lara asked. "So in other words, you're saying you wanna fuck a Lopunny? I didn't know you were into Pokéiality."
"W-what? You idiot! What kind of sick freak would be into that?" Danny spat in annoyance.
"Apparently, you." Lara replied. This had earned some snickers from by standing trainers who had heard their conversation. Danny was fuming now.
"Whatever," He said and walked away.
Lara was looking confused. "Wonder what got into him," She said before shrugging. "Oh, who cares? Let's get back to business Magikarp." She told her Pokémon. "We'll keep trying on tackle."
"What may be proven more difficult than you think," A boy in swim shorts said. The boy was at the same age as Lara. He had black hair, silver eyes and pale skin. Next to him was his Pokémon. "Magikarp isn't exactly known for its fighting power."
"Is that right? And who are you?" Lara asked.
"Name's Jack," The boy replied.
"Lara," The brunette introduced herself. "That's a Squirtle you got there, isn't it? You wouldn't happen to have gotten that from Professor Oak did ya?"
"Yes I did. I got him today actually." Jack replied.
"Sweet," Lara said with grin. "I just got my starter Pokémon from Professor Oak to. I got Charmander."
"Good for you," Jack said. "Anyways, you'll find it very difficult to train a Magikarp. They're not only the weakest Pokémon they're also among the most hopeless ones."
"Oh shut up!" Lara spat, making Jack jump. "People can talk shit about me as much as they want, but if they talk shit about my Pokémons I won't forgive them."
"I'm sorry. I was just telling you how things are." Jack said with his hands raised in front of him.
"Well, go tell someone else." Lara told Jack and went back to Magikarp. "Just ignore that nasty boy, Magikarp. We'll make fighter out of you yet. I just wish I knew what your gender is so I can name you."
"It's a male," Jack replied, catching Lara's attention once again. "You can tell by a Magikarp's whiskers. Female Magikarp has white whiskers while the males are yellow."
"That so?" Lara asked. "Well then, you name will be … blaster."
"Blaster?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes. What's wrong with that name?" Lara asked with a glare.
"Nothing," Jack said quickly. "I'm curious about why that name?"
"No reasons. I just like the name." Lara replied.
"Okay then," Jack said. "So are you gonna challenge Giovanni also?"
"Yup. But he's not in town at the moment so I'll have to wait here until he returns before I can have my first gym battle."
"So am I. so I guess we'll be both be spending some time together until he returns. What say we become friends during that time?" Jack suggested.
"I would love that," Lara replied with a smile.
Mt. Moon
The base Team Magma had built was in ruin and on fire. The grunt Team Rocket members had entered the ruin and had gathered up the few surviving members of their rival team. They were on their knees and had their hands tied behind their backs.
"Now," Drake said, standing before the survivors with a long knife. His Charizard was next to him. "Which one of you is the highest ranking officer?"
"I am," The Team Magma leader said, who was covered in blood and bruises.
"Good," Drake said. "Then you may watch as your mean gets their heads chopped of, one by one." He said right before he used his knife to chop of the head of one of the Team Magma members. One by one they all had their heads flew. They all begged for mercy but Drake was cold as ice. The Team Magma leader glared as he watched his men get axed of one by one. Eventually it was only him and one female member.
"No. Please." She begged as Drake stood before her. "Please!" She said louder with her eyes shut and tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Drake raised his knife above his head but to the girl's surprise, the swing went for the leader's neck, chopping his head off. The girl opened her eyes as the head of her dead commander rolled before her knees. She looked up at Drake with horror in her expression. Drake dried the blood of his victims of on the girl's shoulder.
"You were lucky," He said. "Whenever I do this sort of thing I always spare someone who can tell my enemies what I do to them when they try to move in on my turf."
"Don't you mean Giovanni's turf?" One of the Team Rocket grunts asked and Drake aimed his knife at him, silencing him.
"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking to someone, understood?" He sternly told the grunt, who nodded with fear on his expression. Drake turned his attention back to the last surviving Team Magma member. "Now, as I was saying." He said and stretched his arm out with his knife and his Charizard breathed fire on it. "I'm going to let you return to your superior. You tell Maxie and all of Team Magma what happened here. Tell them that you lived by my mercy. And tell them what happens when small fries try to pick a fight with the big boys." He said right before Charizard finish heating up the knife as it was now glowing red.
Two of the Team Rocket members got behind the girl and grabbed her so she couldn't move and held her head tight. "W-what are-are y-you going to do w-with that?" She asked horrified.
"Don't worry about it," Drake said. "Wait. Maybe you should worry about it." He said with a sinister grin. He grabbed the girl's head and pointed the knife to her forehead. A loud painful scream could be heard from the cave.
Viridian Pokémon Center
Lara had left the pool, got dressed and went outside. Her training with Magikarp was less than successful so she decided to start training her Charmander instead.
"Come on out Terry," She said and her fire Pokémon appeared in a flash of light as it was released from its Pokeball. "Let's work on getting you to use flamethrower. I wanna see you breathe fire by the time Giovanni comes back." Charmander inhaled and exhaled only for smoke to come out. "Well … nobody succeed in the first try."
"Telling your Charmander to do an attack isn't going to do," Jack said as she approached Lara. "Your Pokémon needs battle experience before it can learn how to use a certain attack. Has it been to many battles?"
"Just one. We fought a Rattata on our way here but that jerk from earlier caught it before I could." Lara replied.
"What?" Jack asked in surprise. "What an asshole. Well, anyways, you need to build up your Charmander's experience before you can teach it any moves."
"Yeah, that makes sense." Lara replied and knelt down to pat Charmander's head. "I'm sorry for making you do more than you could handle, Terry." She apologized to her fire Pokémon. "Hey I know. What say you and I fight?"
"What?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You said my Charmander needs battle experience and you have a Pokémon. So what'd ya say? Wanna help me help my Charmander?" Lara asked.
"Okay, but you have a fire type and my Pokémon is a water type. I don't see how this will be a fair fight." Jack said, scratching the back of his head.
"My dad used to say that regardless if your Pokémon is at a disadvantage there's still a way to overcome that disadvantage. Now I'm gonna see what he meant by that." Lara said with a confident grin.
"Okay. Suit yourself." Jack said and brought out his Pokeball. "Go Squirtle," He said and unleashed his starter Pokémon.
"Alright, now let's see here." Lara said, bringing out her Pokedex.
Squirtle, the tiny turtle Pokémon. Squirtle's shell is not merely used for protection. The shell's rounded shape and the grooves on its surface help minimize resistance in water, enabling this Pokémon to swim at high speeds.
"Alrighty then. Luckily we're not fighting in the water. Still, let's be careful Terry." Lara suggested.
"Alright Squirtle, tackle!" Jack ordered and his little Pokémon went into attack.
"Terry, dodge it then use scratch." Lara ordered and Charmander jumped out of Squirtle's range then went into scratch Squirtle's face, landing a direct hit.
"Squirtle, back away and use tail whip." Jack ordered and his Squirtle complied. Charmander however jumped out of the way and the attack missed.
"Hey, look. Those two are having a fight." One of the by standing trainers said and another responded. "Let's go check it out." And a few seconds later, about a dozen trainers were watching Lara and Jack's fight.
"Terry, use head but on Squirtle." Lara ordered.
"Squirtle, get inside your shell." Jack ordered and Squirtle complied. Charmander hit the hard shell with his head, causing him a headache as the Squirtle was sent flying a few feet. "Here's a surprise for ya. Squirtle, use water gun." With that said, Squirtle came out it's shell and shot water from its mouth at Charmander.
"Quick Terry, dodge!" Lara ordered and Charmander just narrowly dodged. "Water gun, huh?" Lara said bringing out her Pokedex.
Squirtle can only learn water gun when it has reached level seven.
"Level seven? That means this Squirtle is on a higher level than Terry." Lara said as she was beginning to look nervous. "Well, we're not giving up, are we Terry?" She asked and Charmander complied by standing his ground. "Good. Now again, move in for another scratch attack." Charmander did as he was told and started advancing and the small crowd they had attracted was cheering on.
"Squirtle, use water gun." Jack ordered and Squirtle complied and fired water gun once more.
"Terry, dodge and move in." Lara ordered and Charmander narrowly dodged every water gun as he advanced upon his opponent. Once Charmander got close enough he was about to use scratch once more.
"Squirtle, get back into your shell!" Jack ordered and all Charmander hit was a hard shell. "Now, come on out and use water gun."
"Terry, get out of there!" Lara cried out but it was too late. Squirtle was too quick as its head popped out of the shell and managed to land direct hit on Charmander's face, sending him flying. "Terry," Lara cried out with worry as her Pokémon landed on the ground. "Can you still fight?" Charmander complied by quickly getting back on his feet, determine on wining this fight. "Okay, let's keep going."
"That's quite a fighter you got there. But don't you think it would be best to end this fight for the sake of your Charmander?" Jack asked.
"You should worry more about your Squirtle," Lara said and ordered her Charmander. "Now, Terry, go in for another attack." Charmander complied and all of a sudden Charmander shot bullet like flames on Squirtle, surprising Lara, Jack and Squirtle.
Jack quickly recovered from his initial surprise and told his Pokémon. "Squirtle, get out of the way!" But it was too late and Squirtle was hit.
"What was that?" Lara asked her Pokedex.
Ember. A fire type move. The target is attacked with small flames. This may also leave the target with a burn. Charmander learns this move once it reached level seven.
"You don't say?" Lara said and suddenly her confidence risen. "Then that means our Pokémons are on the same level."
"Don't get so cocky. Your Charmander is still at an disadvantage. And I will not be so easily surprised twice. Squirtle, use water gun!" Jack ordered and Squirtle complied.
"Terry, use ember once again." Lara ordered and Charmander fired his attack, hitting the water gun. It was now a stand of between fire and water. "Keep up the pressure, Terry!"
"You to Squirtle. Don't let up." Jack told his Squirtle.
"Those two are evenly matched." One of the trainers in the crowd said. "This is so exciting." Another trainer said.
Charmander and Squirtle kept firing ember and water gun, neither one backing down. "Come on Terry. Full power!"
"You to Squirtle," Jack said and the two Pokémons increased their attacks. It resulted in an explosion, causing a large dust cloud. Squirtle was pushed back while Jack was covering his eyes. "Squirtle, be on guard." He said but by the time he said that, Charmander jumped out of the dust, covered in bruises. Jack quickly reacted. "Squirtle, get inside your shell again, now!" And with that said, Squirtle hid inside its thick shell.
"That won't work this time," Lara said with a grin. "Charmander, focus ember on the hole of Squirtle's shell." She ordered and Charmander grabbed Squirtle's shell and fired ember inside its shell, landing several direct hits.
"Shit!" Jack cried out. After the initial attack, Squirtle came out of its shell, covered in burn marks. "Squirtle, can you still fight?" He asked and Squirtle stood its ground. "Good."
"Looks like your Squirtle is quite the fighter to," Lara said with a smile.
"You don't know half of it. Squirtle, use water gun." Jack ordered and Squirtle complied.
"That won't work. Terry, fire ember on him." Lara ordered but this time only smoke came out of its mouth. "What the…?" Lara said in confusion. Which cost her dearly as the water gun hit Charmander, sending him flying. "Terry, no!" Lara cried out as she watched Charmander hit the ground hard with spirals in its eyes. "Terry," Lara said with concern as she walked over to pick up her Pokémon. "Are you alright?"
"Looks like I win this fight," Jack said but Lara ignored him as she was more worried about her Pokémon.
"Hey, come on. Speak to me." Lara said and Charmander opened his eyes and saw Lara's concerned face. Charmander gave Lara an apologetic look and Lara said "Don't look so sad Terry. You fought with everything you got. I'm so proud of you." She then brought out Terry's Pokeball. "Now return. You've earned some rest." She said and retracted her Pokémon.
"How's your Charmander?" Jack said, having walked up to Lara.
"He'll live," Lara replied, standing back up. "What about your Squirtle?"
"He's in better shape than your Charmander obviously. We won after all." Jack replied.
"Yeah. I don't know what happened though. All of a sudden, Terry couldn't use ember." Lara said with confusion.
"Don't you know? It's obvious that your Charmander learned ember just recently. He's not used to using that attack several times in a row." Jack explained.
"You sure know a lot about Pokémons, don't ya?" Lara said. "Wait a minute," She said as she realized something. "Then how come your Squirtle could use water gun more times than my Charmander could use ember?"
"I guess Squirtle was just on a higher level than your Charmander when Professor Oak handed them away," Jack concluded with a shrug.
"Kind of weird seeing as they should've all been on the same level right from the point they were given away." Lara said with a deadpan expression. "So are you gonna stay here until Giovanni gets returns for a gym battle?"
"I guess," Jack said with a shrug.
"Sweet. Then how about you and I become sparing partners in the meantime and help each other get our Pokémons stronger." Lara suggested.
Jack smiled and said "Sounds good to me. I could use a sparring partner who is just as determine as me."
"Good. I got a feeling that this is the start of a beautiful rivalry." Lara said with a satisfied smirk.
"If you say so," Jack said with a shrug.
Over the course of the next few days, Lara and Jack trained together, as promised, each one making their Pokémons stronger. Especially during battles. Sometimes Lara was able to beat Jack. Sometimes not. Lara also spent a lot of time training her Magikarp … with little results. Charmander was growing stronger as they trained, his level raising at a high rate, but quick enough to learn Flamethrower. Staying at the Pokémon Center also helped as their Pokémons could recover much faster that way. Until one day when the two went to their Pokémons back once again, Nurse Joy gave them the news.
"Your Pokémons are fully rested and ready to continue battle. And in good time to. I just received word that Giovanni has returned." She said.
"Really?" Lara asked and then her face lightened up. "Awesome. Now I can finally earn my first badge."
"So can I," Jack said with a grin.
"You'll have to wait a little longer though," Lara said. "I get to fight him first."
"What? Since when did we agree to that?" Jack asked.
"Since I said so," Lara said with a smirk as she rested her hands behind the back of her head.
"No way. Why should I agree to that?" Jack asked in annoyance.
"Ever heard of ladies first?" Lara asked.
"I've only known you for a week and I can tell you right now that you're no lady." Jack said with a deadpan expression.
"I should be offended but you're right," Lara said with a shrug. "Well, there's only one way to solve this problem. Race YA!" She quickly said the last part and sprinted for the door, surprising Jack.
"HEY! No fair! You cheated!" He spat, running after Lara.
Nurse Joy giggled at their enthusiasm. "Today's youth is full of energy." She said.
The two teenagers were running like crazy through the streets of Viridian, neither one slowing down, both determine to get to the gym first.
"Try to keep up, slowpoke. I'll get to the gym before you." Lara mocked.
"Dream on, girl. You'll never beat me!" He cried out and they both received weird expressions from by standers.
The two made it to the gym. (A.N. the gym's appearance will be from the anime) They ran up the stairs at the same pace, pushing at each other to get to the door and they both crashed into the door, ramming them open and burst in. the inside of the gym was a large arena and at the other end was none other than Giovanni, sitting on a chair on top of a balcony with a Persian next to him. He was looking down on the duo that had rudely busted through the doors to his gym.
"What in the name of…?" The gym leader said in confusion. "Who are you two?" He demanded to know.
Both Lara and Jack jumped to their feet and shouted at the same time. "I'm here to challenge you!" The two turned to face each other and started arguing again. "No, I'm gonna challenge him! I got here first!"
"What're you talking about? I won by a milli-second." Lara spat.
"No from my point of view," Jack argued.
"Seems like those two want to challenge me. I'll just wait until they've finished arguing and fight whoever comes first." Giovanni decided.
"Alright! Alright. Look," Lara said, raising her hands. "Here's what we'll do. We'll settle this the same way any wise and noble trainer has settled situations like this in times of old." She suggested.
"Alright," Jack said, clenching his fist, making cracking sounds. "Don't think I'll go easy on you though." He warned.
"I expected no less," Lara replied with a smirk as she stepped back. The two had a stare of for an intense moment. Sweat was running down their heads. Jack gulped and Lara tightened her fist. And then they both moved in, both shouting at the same time.
"Rock, paper, scissor!" They both cried out at the same time and they both got rock. "It's a draw!" The cried out at the same time before shaking again, both getting paper. "It's a draw!" The cried out, shaking their fists, this time they both got scissor. "It's a draw!" They cried out and shakes their fists for the fourth time and this time Lara got paper and Jack scissor.
"HA! I win again!" Jack cried out in triumph as Lara looked at her hand in defeat. Jack turned to face Giovanni, pointed his finger at him and shouted. "Giovanni, my name is Jack. I challenge you for the Earth Badge!"
'What a bunch of energetic brats. Makes me wonder if I was like that when I was a child.' Giovanni thought. "And I accept." He said.
A referee stepped forward out of the shadows of the gym. "This will be a six on six battle." The referee said. "During the battle only the challenger may-"
"Wait!" Jack interrupted. "I'm sorry, but I only have one Pokémon." He explained.
The referee turned to Giovanni. "Then this will be a simple one on one fight." The gym leader said. "But the fact that you only have one suggests that you're a beginner. Tell me, what makes you think you have what it takes to stand up to someone as seasoned as me?" Giovanni asked.
"Don't sell me out short," Jack warned. "Come on out, Squirtle!" He said and unleashed his only Pokémon.
"A Squirtle, huh?" Giovanni said, unimpressed.
"I know you only use ground types. As a water Pokémon, my Squirtle as the clear advantage," Jack said with much confidence.
"You dumb brat," Giovanni said as he pressed on a computer screen next to his chair. "You will learn that sometimes, advantages aren't enough to win you a battle." He said as the floor next to him opened up and a small petal erected from the hole (A.N. Stop thinking dirty thoughts, you perverts!) with a Pokeball on top. Giovanni took the ball and opened it up.
In a bright flash of light, a tall Pokémon appeared on the arena. It was a draconian Pokémon that is primarily dark blue in color. It has red on its underbelly from the lower jaw to the middle of the abdomen, including the undersides of its arms. A patch of gold comes to a point below the red on its belly, and a golden star shape adorns the tip of its snout. Garchomp has horn-like appendages that resemble a jet or plane's engines, giving it an appearance similar to a hammerhead shark. (A.N. Yes, I know sharks don't exist in the Pokémon world, you little nitpickers. Just role with it)
"Wow! It's a Garchomp!" Lara said with gleaming eyes as she was amazed by the Pokémon she was witnessing at.
"Garchomp, eye?" Jack said, bringing out his Pokedex.
Garchomp, the Mach Pokémon. It flies at speeds equal to a jet fighter plane. It never allows its prey to escape.
"Hey, what gives? I thought this was a ground type gym. Where do you go of on sending in a dragon type?" Jack complained.
"Don't insult my fighting style, boy." Giovanni warned. "Garchomp is both a dragon and ground type."
"Really?" Jack said. "Then Squirtle should have somewhat advantage." He said, regaining some of the confidence he lost before.
"Do you still think you can win?" Giovanni asked in annoyance. "Tell you what? Since you don't seem to understand the position you're in I'll show you just where you stand. I'll let Garchomp stand where it is and you can attack it however you want." He said, surprising both Jack and Lara.
Jack snapped out of his initial shock and spat at Giovanni. "Are you for real? You think I'm just gonna attack someone who isn't going to fight back!"
"Don't be like that. You said you could win. I'm giving you an opportunity to end it quickly. Hit Garchomp head on. Stun it, blind it, lower it's HP by half, hell you may even take it out with a single shot." Giovanni said, further agitating Jack. "Just quit winning like a little bitch, and attack!"
Jack finally snapped. "Fine! I'll give you something I learned when Lara and I were training. Squirtle, use Bubble!" He ordered and Squirtle a spray of bubbles came shooting out of its mouth, jetting towards Garchomp. The later stood there, taking every hit, resulting in a blast. "Direct hit," Jack said in triumph.
"Is that it?" Giovanni asked, surprising Jack. The young trainer was even more surprised when the dust cleared and Garchomp was standing there with hardly any bruises.
"No fucking way," Jack whispered. Lara was equally surprised. Even though Garchomp is partly dragon type, being a ground type it should've been affected by Squirtle's Bubble attack.
"My turn," Giovanni said. "Garchomp, Dragon Claw." He ordered and in one swift move, Garchomp attacked Squirtle with blinding speed. Squirtle cried out in pain as it flew into the air after being cut by Garchomp.
"Squirtle!" Jack cried out with worry.
Squirtle landed on the floor with a loud thud, with spirals in its eyes. "Squirtle is unable to battle. The victor is Giovanni."
"Squirtle," Jack said, rushing over to his Pokémon, picking him up. "You alright buddy?" He asked with concern, receiving a response from his companion.
"That was a waste of time," Giovanni said, retracting his Garchomp back into its Pokeball. "I hope you will make it worth my while unlike him."
Lara looked at Jack then back to Giovanni with doubt in her facial expression. She then pointed at him and said, "We will fight. Just not today." Surprising everyone. "My dad used to say it's not cowardice to flee from a losing battle. It's just common sense. I will return one day when I'm stronger and I will earn that gym badge."
"The girl is smarter than you, boy." Giovanni mocked, receiving a glare from Jack. Giovanni watched as Lara was heading towards the exit. "Girl!" He shouted, catching Lara's attention. "I didn't get your name."
"Lara Bane," The young trainer replied.
"Bane?" Giovanni said, as if he had heard that name before. "You wouldn't happen to be related to a Terry Bane?"
"You knew my dad?" Lara asked with a jump.
Giovanni was looking initially surprised. "You're Bane's daughter?" He asked.
"How do you know my dad?" Lara demanded to know.
"I met him a few times during his travels as a trainer." Giovanni replied. "He was someone worthy of respect."
"I know," Lara said, holding her necklace, which had changed color from yellow to blue. Giovanni stared at the necklace as he finally noticed it and was even more surprised to see it.
"I don't believe it," Giovanni whispered so low that only the Persian next to him could hear him while staring at the necklace with great intensity.
"Can you tell me about him?" Lara asked.
Giovanni snapped out of his shock, regaining his cool and sat back down and retorted. "I'm a gym leader and a business man. Not a story teller."
Lara frowned and replied. "Fine," before turning for the exit. "I'll see you for our next fight soon enough. But then I want more than just the badge. I want you to tell me about my dad."
"Oh, we might meet again sooner than you think." Giovanni whispered, low enough so Lara wouldn't hear. After she and Jack left, Giovanni turned to the referee. "Contact Drake. Tell him I have a mission to him of highest priority." He ordered.
"Yes sir," The referee obeyed and left the arena.
Back at the Pokémon Center, Jack was sitting outside the room his Squirtle was being treated when Lara walked up to him with her backpack on her back.
"How's your Squirtle?" She asked.
"It's not so bad," Jack replied. "Nurse Joy assures me it will make a full recovery. But it'll need to stay bedridden until tomorrow."
"That's good news," Lara said with a smile. "Well, I'm off to Pewter City. No sense in lingering around here anymore."
"We both should've left right from the get go. All of the time spent here was a waste." Jack said solemnly.
"Huh? What are you talking about? This was no waste of time. We both were able to increase our Pokémon's level and I got me a friendly rival. That's not a waste if you ask me." Lara said with enthusiasm.
"Yeah, I guess that's something." Jack said with a light hearted smile.
"So will you be going straight to Pewter after your Squirtle has recovered?" Lara asked.
"Nah, I think I'm gonna take a turn in Viridian Forest towards Route 16 and head for Cerulean City." Jack replied.
"Okay then. Next time we meet, let's have another fight. You better get strong, cause I'm gonna beat you into the dirt." Lara said with determination.
"Dream on. You've only won three out of seven battles. I still have the lead." Jack retorted with a grin.
"Yeah? Well, I will win the next two battles and take the lead." Lara spat as she was set on fire.
"I'll win three battles and we'll see who takes the lead," Jack said, jumping to his feet and was also set on fire.
"Well, I'll win ten battles." Lara retorted.
"Then I will win a hundred battles." Jack spat.
"Then I'll win one thousand battles!" Lara spat back.
"I'll win a million battles!" Jack spat back.
"I'll win a billion battles!" Lara spat back.
"I'll win a billion trillion battles!" Jack spat back.
"I'll win infinite battles! So there!" Lara spat back with a grin.
"I'll win infinite battles plus one! And that's final!" Jack spat with a mocking grin as Lara's jaw dropped. They both pressed their heads against each other while glaring at each other. Then, after a few moments, they cooled down and smiled at each other as they pulled their heads back. "You have a safe trip," Jack said, holding his hand up.
"You to," Lara replied with a smile as she grabbed Jack's hand with her own.
Back in the Viridian Gym, Drake had arrived at Giovanni's office.
"You wished to see me, sir?" He asked his leader.
"You're not gonna believe this," Giovanni said and began explaining.
Moments later, Drake was looking very surprised. "Are you sure it was that necklace?" He asked.
"Do you think I have bad eyesight? I wouldn't forget what it looks like. I spent years trying to catch that necklace. And for years we thought Terry had thrown it into the ocean, never be found again." Giovanni said, staring down at the floor.
"Of course, we did think he had lied and sent it away. But we didn't think he would've sent it to his family. He wasn't the kind of guy to put them in such jeopardy." Drake said with his fist clenched. "And to think it would walk right into your own gym and you just let it walk out after you spotted it."
"Watch your tongue while you still have one." Giovanni warned. "You know what that stone on the necklace really is. Which why I'm entrusting this mission to you. Find that girl, take the necklace and bring it to me. That shouldn't be too simple. Terry was a formidable foe. But his daughter is but a child. A beginner. Of course, as long as you don't find it difficult to handle a little girl." Giovanni said with a smirk.
"You will have your price. But what should I do with the girl?" Drake asked.
"I don't give a fuck about a stupid child. Do whatever you want with her." Giovanni said and Drake smirked.
"With pleasure. Not only will I have the privilege having killed Terry Bane, I will also get to kill his precious daughter now to." He said before leaving.
Route 2
Lara had left Viridian City far behind her and was standing at the entrance to Viridian Forest. "Well," She said, rubbing her hands together. "I got a whole region with gyms to beat, an army of Pokémons with my name on it and nothing but the wilderness to keep me company." She said and sprinted towards the forest. "Look out, bitches! Imma catch you all!" He said, jumping into the air with much enthusiasm and determination, completely unaware of the vicious killer that has set his eyes on her.
Next chapter: Viridian Forest
