Ch. 2
When Vance reached Pewter City, he immediately went to the Pokemon Center, since it was getting late. However, he noticed that Nurse Joy was running all over the place, carrying PokeBalls, and having her Chansey's do the same. Vance walked over to the counter and decided to ask if Nurse Joy needed any help.
"Nurse Joy, is something wrong?" Vance asked, and the Nurse stopped running around and wiped the sweat off her forehead before sighing for breath.
"The Viridian City Pokemon Center is under attack by Pokemon thieves, and we're transferring the Pokemon from there, to here, for the Pokemon's protection." Nurse Joy said, and Vance was shocked at what he heard.
"What! Is there anything I can do to help?" Vance asked, and Nurse Joy shook her head.
"I appreciate the offer, but we have everything under control. Please just…" Nurse Joy was then interrupted by her computer beeping loudly, and the update scared her. "Oh no! The Pokemon Center was just caught in a massive explosion! The entire building was destroyed!" Joy said, and Vance immediately ran out of the building. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going back to Viridian! They'll probably need all the help they can get!" Vance said, and Nurse Joy just sighed.
"Good luck." Nurse Joy simply said, and she went back to getting the Pokemon settled in.
By the next day, Vance figured that if he hurried, he could reach Viridian City by the afternoon. However, unbeknownst to him, the notorious Team Rocket was ahead of him, digging a deep pit, hoping to catch a certain trainer and his Pokemon.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" The male member, James asked, and the female, Jessie laughed.
"Of course! As soon as that twerp and his Pikachu walk over our cleverly hidden pit, the twerp falls in, we grab Pikachu, and make a run for it!" Jessie said, when suddenly, their third member, the talking Meowth, noticed Vance running down the road.
"Quick! Hide! Someone's coming!" Meowth warned, and Team Rocket hid in the bushes. They realized that Vance would spring their trap before their targeted trainer showed up, so they decided to get revenge by stealing his Pokemon. As soon as Vance stepped on the spot where Team Rocket dug their hole, he fell through, causing him to hit the bottom, hard.
"OW! How'd this hole get here!" Vance asked as he rubbed his back. Suddenly, Dratini popped out of his Pokeball, aware that Vance was hurt, and was worried about him, as could be heard from his concerned whines and roars. "I'm fine Dratini. Just a little sore." Vance said, and he started petting Dratini's head, when suddenly, Meowth jumped down, grabbed Dratini, and jumped out of the hole. "HEY! GIVE ME MY POKEMON BACK!" Vance demanded, when he heard two people laughing above him.
"Why would we go through the trouble of stealing your Pokemon, just to give it back?" Jessie said as she held Dratini in a net.
"And speaking of trouble, you better…make it double!" James said.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all people within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, dat's right!"
"What are you two talking about!" Vance demanded, and Jessie and James laughed again.
"We're out to steal rare and powerful Pokemon, and yours is perhaps one of the rarest in the world!" Jessie said, and Vance just growled.
"If you think you're taking my Dratini, you've got another thing coming. Dratini, Twister!"* Vance ordered, and Dratini opened his mouth, and suddenly, a tornado appeared out of it, and the tornado quickly enveloped around Team Rocket, sending them around in circles.
"AHHHH! STOP THIS CRAZY THING!" Jessie demanded, and the twister began carrying Team Rocket down the road, forcing them to drop the net Dratini was in, allowing him to escape. Dratini then dropped down into the hole, and Vance caught him, and began petting his head.
"Good work Dratini!" Vance commended, and Dratini just roared happily, glad to be back with his trainer. "Now to get out of here!" Vance said to himself, and he began climbing up the dirt wall, trying to get a grip, but he kept slipping every time, and each time, Vance got more frustrated, but he kept trying, nonetheless.
"When are you going to pay me back for my bike!" Misty asked for the hundredth time, and all Ash did was groan in annoyance.
"I don't know! As soon as I can!" Ash said, but Misty wasn't convinced.
"Well, I'm going to keep following you until you pay me back!" Misty said, and Ash just groaned again, when he noticed a hole in the road.
"Hey, what's that hole doing there?" Ash asked, and he Misty walked over and noticed a pair of hands barely grab the edge.
"Hey! Is anyone out there! I'm stuck!" Vance yelled out, and Ash and Misty looked down the hole, and saw Vance try to climb up.
"Wha? How'd you get down there?" Ash asked.
"I fell! How else could I have gotten down there! Help me out!" Vance yelled, and Ash and Misty knelt down, grabbed Vance's wrists, and pulled him out of the hole.
"Are you okay?" Misty asked, and Vance looked over himself, and then at Dratini, and nodded.
"I'm fine. You okay Dratini?" Vance asked, and Dratini roared happily, causing Vance to smile. "Good. Thanks for helping us out. I owe you." Vance said, and Misty and Ash smiled.
"Not a problem. So, what's your name?" Ash asked.
"Vance Draco; Dragon Master in training. It's a pleasure to meet you." Vance said, holding out his hand, and Ash shook it, quickly followed by Misty.
"Yeah, nice to meet you. I'm Ash Ketchum! And I'm going to be a Pokemon Master!" Ash said, and Vance smirked.
"And I'm Misty Waterflower. I plan on becoming a Water Pokemon Master!" Misty said, and Vance nodded.
"So I take it you two are on your way to Pewter City?" Vance asked, and Ash nodded.
"Yeah! I'm going to get my first gym badge!" Ash said confidently.
"And I'm following him until he pays me back for my bike that he destroyed!" Misty said angrily, and Ash groaned.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled out, noticing that he hadn't been introduced yet.
"Oh, and this is my best friend, Pikachu!" Ash said, and Vance got on one knee and began petting Pikachu's head. "Eh, I'd be careful if I were you; Pikachu doesn't really like it when other people pet him!" Ash warned, but he noticed that Pikachu appeared to be enjoying the attention he was getting from Vance. "Huh?" Ash said in shock, and when Vance stood up, Dratini slithered up his leg and went up to his shoulder.
"This is my partner; Dratini." Vance said, and Misty's eyes grew big as she looked at Dratini dreamy-like.
"Ooooooooh! He's so cute!" Misty said, and she ran over to Vance to get a closer view of Dratini. "I always wanted one of the legendary Dragon Pokemon! I'm so jealous!" Misty said, and Vance just smirked, while Ash got out his Pokedex, and pointed it at Dratini.
"Dratini, the Dragon Pokemon. Dratini sheds its skin as it grows, often doing so while hidden behind large, powerful waterfalls." Dexter explained.
"He was a gift from my Uncle, to help me start my Pokemon Journey. I was about to progress on that goal, by challenging the Pewter City Gym Leader, but I heard that the Viridian City Pokemon Center was in trouble, and I was on my way to help when I fell in the hole left by some freaks called Team Rocket." Vance explained, and Misty and Ash rolled their eyes.
"Not them again!" Ash said, and Vance raised an eye brow.
"I take it you've come across them before." Vance said, and the two trainers nodded.
"Yeah; they're the reason the Pokemon Center in Viridian was destroyed. But things there are under control; Nurse Joy already has the Center running again, even if the building itself is in ruins." Misty said, and Vance smiled.
"Well, that's good to hear. I guess I can head back to Pewter then." Vance said.
"You want to travel with us? It'd be nice having someone else to talk to." Ash said, and Vance thought about the offer for a few moments, before nodding.
"Sure. Sounds fun. But if it's alright with you, I'd like to refill my canteen before we get started." Vance said, and Ash and Misty nodded.
"That's fine. I think we need to take a break anyway. That sound good Pikachu?" Ash asked, and Pikachu jumped up and down.
"Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes." Vance said, and he got the canteen he had strapped to his belt, and went into the forest to find a lake.
Meanwhile, in the forest, an unknown Pokemon Trainer looked at the Pokeball in his hand, and the brink of tears. He then opened the Pokeball, and out came a Horsea, who appeared in the small lake. The Pokemon looked at her trainer happily, but noticed that something was wrong.
"Horsea…I think…you and I weren't meant to be teammates…" The trainer said, and Horsea looked at him, confused. "Every time we get in a battle, we always lose, and you get hurt badly, and it's my fault. I don't want to see you get hurt anymore. That's why…I'm letting go!" The trainer said suddenly, and the Horsea began crying out to him, trying to reassure him that they worked well together. "I'm sorry Horsea, but you deserve a better trainer than me…goodbye Horsea!" The trainer said, and he took off running, tears running down his cheeks, while Horsea cried out, pleadingly.
When Vance finally found a lake to refill his canteen, he was surprised to find a Horsea there, swimming in small circles, looking depressed about something. Horsea weren't native to the Viridian Forest, and he was curious about how one got into a lake.
"Hey there, little fella. How'd you get here?" Vance asked the Horsea as he got on one knee, and the Horsea turned towards Vance, but began to swim back in fear. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you!" Vance reassured, and he reached into a pouch on his waist, and pulled out a Pokemon food pellet. "You hungry? I have delicious piece of Pokemon food for you." Vance offered, and the Horsea started to slowly move towards Vance and the food. Once Horsea was close enough, she began smelling the food out of curiosity, and when she thought it was safe, she took a bite. Horsea began chewing the food, before crying happily, enjoying the food, causing Vance to smile. "How'd you get here, girl? Were you abandoned by your trainer?" Vance asked, and Horsea looked down at the water sadly, and that was Vance's answer. "Hmm…a lake is no place for an oceanic Pokemon like you; how about you come with me? I can take you to the nearest Pokemon Center; they normally have large aquariums for Pokemon like you. I can take you there, and then find a way to take you back to the ocean." Vance offered, and Horsea began jumping around in the water, splashing Vance playfully, causing him to laugh. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." Vance said, and Horsea jumped out of the water, and Vance caught her, and began carrying her back to where he left Ash and Misty.
When Vance rejoined Ash, Pikachu, and Misty, he ran over to the three, who were surprised to see that Vance was carrying a Horsea.
"Vance…where'd you get that Horsea?" Misty asked, and Ash once again got out his Pokedex.
"Horsea, a Dragon Pokemon. In this unique Pokémon species, thousands of eggs hatch every spring, and then the male raises them himself." Dexter said, and Ash put the Pokedex up.
"I found him in a nearby lake. She was abandoned by her trainer, and left her in the lake. A lake is no place for a Horsea to grow up, since it's an oceanic Pokemon, so I'm going to take her to the Pokemon Center, where they should have a large aquarium, and then try to find a place to release her." Vance explained, and Ash and Misty nodded.
"Sounds like a good plan, but why not just capture it?" Misty asked, and Vance shrugged.
"If Horsea wants to join us, that's fin; but right now, I think we need to get Horsea in a large water source." Vance said, and the three trainers began to make their way to Pewter, with Vance and Ash having the Pewter City Gym in their sights.
'With their newest friend, Ash and Pikachu rush towards Pewter City, ready to get their first gym badge. But first, they have to get out the Viridian Forest. Will they ever reach Pewter City? Find out, in the next adventure, in the world of Pokemon!'
