Viridian City
TANNER
"Charmanda, use Ember!" Tanner commanded.
"Char! Char!" his Pokémon replied. In obedient eagerness to please, the little fire salamander opened her mouth and ejected a short, quick puff of fire. Tanner exploded in a giggle fit of absolute delight.
"What are you doing?" Josh asked.
"Playing with Charmanda," Tanner replied.
"Charmanda?"
"That's what I'm going to call her," Tanner announced. "You know, she's a Charmander and she's female…like Amanda and Charmander combined: CHARMANDA!"
"That's the dumbest name for a Pokémon I've ever heard," Josh goaded.
"Your face is the dumbest name for a Pokémon I've ever heard!"
Josh's Squirtle proved to have a nature as Sassy as his own. His Pokémon stuck its tongue out at Charmanda and made a mean face. They had not traveled more than a mile out of Pallet Town and Josh already worked Tanner's nerves. Despite being childhood friends and having nothing but love for one another, they fought like siblings most of the time. In wrestling matches in the past, Tanner proved to be the better scrapper. Before he aimed his tackle, Charmanda blew an indignant flame at Josh, singeing the hairs on his arm.
"Hey! Watch it!"
"Looks your Pokémon is just as Rash as you are, Tanner!" Caleb called from up the road. Route 1 offered a lot of twists, turns, tall grass, and rocks small enough to jump off but too big to climb up. Caleb and his Bulbasaur waded through a nearby thicket, chasing down a rustle Tanner dismissed as the wind.
"I think we're less likely to encounter wild Pokémon if we have our starters out," Josh called out. "That Pidgey back there attacked me straightaway, but once we let our Pokémon out their balls, they stopped showing up."
"Depends on their natures!" Caleb called back. "The Brave and Jolly ones, for example, have no problem initiating a fight with a Pokémon stronger than them. I'd love to catch a Jolly Pidgey!"
As the trio continued their journey north, they did not encounter a single wild Pokémon, much to Tanner's chagrin. Josh acted as if he could have cared less and commanded his Squirtle to return to his PokéBall when they reached the edge of Viridian City. Caleb pointed to a building on the south end of town.
"There's the Item Shop. I'll go get Professor Oak's package so we can deliver it to him like he asked."
"I think you mean so you can deliver it," Josh corrected. "I'm going to find some trainers around here to battle."
"My feet hurt from walking uphill," Tanner said. "Plus, I think Charmanda is hungry."
"Char! Char!"
"So, you guys are really going to make me go all the way there and all the way back all by myself?" Caleb demanded.
"Yep! And because I'm so nice, I'm going to wait for you here in Viridian City before I move on to the forest. You're welcome!"
Josh sprinted into the city like a man on a mission, leaving Tanner and Caleb to eat his dust. Looking up at him with pleading puppy-dog eyes, Caleb requested without words for Tanner to accompany him.
"I'll go with you, but I'm not going back right now," Tanner offered. "I'm serious. My feet hurt!"
"Fine!" Caleb huffed. "My mom was right; I'm going to end up having to take care of the two of you the whole way."
Grumble-grumble-grumble.
Tanner tuned him out as they parted ways. While Caleb moved to the Item Shop, Tanner kept his trajectory fixed on the Pokémon Center. As the automatic double doors slid open with a hydraulic hiss and opened to polished marble floors, Tanner felt an involuntary smile hit his face. Couches, plush-cushioned chairs, and coffee tables comprised the areas to the right and left. People sat with their Pokémon and relaxed. One older gentleman sat sipping tea, his Growlithe snoozing at his side. Across the room, two young children, twins, a boy and a girl, ran in circles around a Jigglypuff, playing some sort of pattycake game. Some hotshot ace trainers loitered around the stairs, their Electabuzz and Magmar squaring off as if to fight. One of the nurses chased them outside before it could escalate into an all-out battle. If they hadn't returned their Pokémon to their balls, that's one fight Tanner would have followed them out the door to spectate.
"Excuse me, young man!"
Tanner turned to find a young woman, pretty and smiling, standing behind the counter ahead. She wore a nurse's uniform and wore her long pink hair in two long, trailing pigtails. He knew her by name and reputation though never acquainted officially. He strode up and rested his hands on the counter.
"You must be Nurse Joy! I'm Tanner! Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you too. Do you have Pokémon in need of care? Just put the PokéBalls on this tray and we'll take care of the rest."
"Chansey!"
Her Pokémon, unnoticed until now, walked up from the other side of the counter and put a stainless-steel tray with six round, semi-circular grooves down. Tanner reached for his PokéBall with Charmanda and set it down gently for the Chansey to take care of.
"You know," Tanner said, watching the Pokémon disappear behind the doors on the back side of the counter, "I heard an interesting conspiracy theory involving the nurses at Pokémon Centers around the region. Society accepted you are identical with the explanation of being siblings, but this guy from school I know thinks you're all the results of genetic experiments splicing human DNA with Pokémon—basically all Pokémon are half-Chansey-half-human Stepford Wives."
Nurse Joy gave a nervous giggle and blushed.
"You're a very peculiar young man aren't you, Tanner?"
Lady, you have no idea.
"I'll take your dodging the question as admission and confirmation of said conspiracy," Tanner grinned. "Where should I wait for Charmanda?"
"You can have a seat right over there in the waiting area," Nurse Joy replied. "There's no one ahead of you so it shouldn't be more than a few minutes before your Charmander is back to perfect health."
Tanner turned and left Nurse Joy to her uncomfortable contemplating. He kicked off his boots, yanked off his socks, and let the cool, conditioned air hit his feet. Using the cushions as pillows, he sprawled out to get comfortable and attempted a power nap. His brain never slowed down so he ended up on his phone, scrolling through social media in search for more interesting theories to pour over.
"Tanner! Your Charmander is ready!"
He found himself loathe to put on his shoes and socks.
"Wow! That was fast. Hey, I don't care if you are some weird result of gene-splicing, but I must know if all of you have some collective psychic connection. Like…is the Nurse in Pewter City going to remember this conversation when I talk to her?"
"Dude!" The exclamation came from a young trainer behind him. "Stop harassing Nurse Joy. She has other clients besides you!"
"Yeah!" a girl said from behind him. "Keep the line moving!"
Tanner put the PokéBall on his belt and turned around with a skeptical eyebrow raised. A long line of trainers with injured Pokémon formed behind him. He mumbled an apology and stood aside as he counted them. One-two-three-four-five trainers all at once. He let out a long, low whistle.
Someone swept the floor with these scrubs, he thought with a sneer. I wonder…
"Ugh! Is this the line?"
The indignant huff came from a familiar voice at the entrance. Josh stood in the doorway, Squirtle at his side. His Pokémon looked a little roughed up, but stronger than ever. Tanner came to stand alongside his friend.
"Did you get challenged by the trainer who beat all these guys too?"
"I am the trainer who beat all these," Josh replied, sticking his nose in the air. Tanner laughed and then realized he was serious. Wide-eyed and impressed, he gave an approving nod and a one-man applause. Even though Tanner was trying to give him genuine praise, Josh took it as a slight. "I'll beat you too, jerk! I won't even heal my Squirtle first. Come on! Bring Charmanda out so I can whip you both!"
"Whoa-whoa-whoa, man!" Tanner threw his hands up. "Why don't you chill all the way out. I don't want to battle; I know you'd win. Type advantage."
"Huh?"
"Type advantage?" Tanner pressed. "Fire is weak to Water."
Josh offered him nothing but a blank stare.
"Nevermind. Look, it only takes a few minutes for them to work their magic. See? The line's already moving. Get Squirtle the care he needs."
"I get it, Tanner," Josh jibbed. "You're scared to face an ace trainer like me in battle. You don't want to have to pay me prize money when you lose. It's all good."
Angry heat flushed into Tanner's cheeks as anger surged up like fire. He looked at Squirtle, looked up at the perfect Sunny Day and decided he was going to teach his friend a lesson he'd never forget.
"You're going to regret this, Josh," Tanner promised. "Let's go. You. Me. Outside. Right now."
He marched out of the Pokémon Center and into the grass clearing. Making a show if it, he performed some lunges and other stretches. Josh and Squirtle followed and stood fifteen paces away, both with smirks painted on their face.
"You sure you want to do this?" Josh asked. "It's not too late to back down, you know."
Tanner clicked the button on his PokéBall.
"Charmanda, Go!"
And the battle was on. Charmanda and Squirtle squared off and prepared to battle. Scratches, Tackles, Embers, and Bubbles traded back and forth in an angry tumult. Both Pokémon performed valiantly, but in the end, Charmanda landed a critical hit with her Ember boosted from the heat of the sun. Josh's posture sank so low he appeared to melt into a puddle.
"No way! I lost?!"
Despite the disagreement, the look of devastation on Josh's face tempted Tanner to come rushing to his friend's side with a "there-there-it'll-be-okay" speech, but he refused. His baser instincts told him to rub his victory like salt into Josh's wounded pride but didn't feel right about that course of action either. Instead, he stood his ground and called his Pokémon back to her PokéBall.
"You should have listened to me," Tanner said. "Do you know why you lost?"
His friend, always one with sensitive emotions, knelt and scooped up his fainted Squirtle, tears wetting his red cheeks. After carefully cradling Squirtle in the cook of his arm, he wiped his eyes with his free hand and shook his head.
"If both of our Pokémon were at full steam, your Squirtle would have made quick work of Charmanda, but you forced him to keep battling. My Pokémon has the speed advantage, full health, and a hidden ability boosting its special attack on a day like today. Don't let a few victories go to your head; if you want to be the champ, you need to learn to think about things like this. A few victories against some Pidgey and Rattata is one thing, but you're going to face trainers far better than me and you need to use your head."
"You're right," Josh said with a sniff. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize," Tanner said. "Pay me my prize money and get in line at the Pokémon Center."
"You're going to make me pay you?" Josh demanded. "Beating me and humiliating me isn't enough? You have to rob me too?"
"Nope," Tanner pressed. "Only after you've been beaten, humiliated, and paid the piper will you have truly learned your lesson. Would you rather fork over the dough to the next lucky scrub you picked a fight with, or me, your good friend who's only looking out for you?"
"Fine."
Josh paid up with all the scorn and disdain a diva of his caliber could conjure. Tanner tsk-tsked as he watched his friend enter the double doors of the Pokémon Center and stand in the back of the line. The trainers in front of him all looked back at him with darts in their eyes; Josh kept his glued to the floor. Tanner chuckled as the double doors closed behind him. He took a moment to count his winnings, happy to enjoy in the spoils of Josh's previous victories. He looked at the Item Shop across town and thought he might need to stock up on provisions for the journey.
"You should deposit that money in the PokéBank."
This scolding came from Caleb. He approached, covered in thorns and thistles, looking a little worse for wear. By his out-of-breath panting, Tanner figured he ran uphill all the way from Pallet Town back to Viridian City.
"What the hell happened to you?"
"Well, my good-for-nothing friends left me to deliver Professor Oak's parcel alone," Caleb complained. "I had to traverse Route 1 by myself—twice. It's absolutely invested with Pidgey, by the way, and Bulbasaur is weak to Flying-type moves, so he's barely conscious. I had to run away from every encounter just to keep from getting Gusted to death. Good thing I found a Potion in the grass or we'd have been goners."
"Sorry, man I just—"
"I know!" Caleb cut him off. "Your feet hurt, Josh wanted to battle trainers, and both of you are too busy to think about anyone but yourselves; I got it. Here's your PokéDex. It took me all kinds of begging and pleading for Professor Oak to let me leave with three of them. They're one of the most expensive electronic devices on the planet, but I didn't want the two of you to go without, so here."
While on his angry rant, Caleb retrieved a small, red mobile device from his bag and gave it to Tanner. Before he could work up a better apology, his friend rounded him and sauntered towards the Pokémon Center doors, leaving Tanner feeling thoroughly guilty as he held the PokéDex in his hands.
A stray piece of paper fell from Caleb's backpack as he left. It started to blow away in the wind, but Tanner caught it with his boot and picked it up.
"Hey, Caleb!" he called out. "You dropped…"
"What?"
"Nevermind," Tanner shouted back. "False alarm."
Caleb dropped a shopping list of sorts. All kinds of things the three of them should purchase and prepare: PokéBalls for catching, Potions, Antidotes, and Paralyze Heals for Pokémon care. His friend might be too mad to hear his apology now, but Tanner resolved to make it up to him. He pocketed the shopping list and trotted over to the Item Shop.
Grabbing a basket, he loaded up with thirty PokéBalls, nine Potions, six Antidotes, and three Paralyze Heals. His winnings and money he left home with proved enough to cover the expense. The nice lady working the counter gifted him three Premier Balls, and an official Indigo League backpack for spending so much at the store.
Happy as a Shellder in the summer, Tanner carried the bags back over to the Pokémon Center where he found his friends cuddled up together on one of the couches watching videos on their phones. Bulbasaur and Squirtle were out of their balls, playing together at their trainers' feet. By the looks of things, Caleb had forgiven Josh. He offered a friendly smile to Tanner who took a seat on the couch across from them.
"Someone went on a shopping spree!" Caleb noted.
"Yeah, with my money," Josh said snidely.
"Formerly your money," Tanner corrected, "and mine after I beat you fair and square."
"With an unfair advantage!"
"One you could have avoided if you had bothered use the organ between your ears," Tanner shot back. "Don't get your panties in a twist; I bought stuff for all of us."
Josh's eyes brightened as he repositioned himself from under Caleb's cuddling and leaned forward to watch as Tanner opened the paper sacks. Before he started, he let Charmanda out of her ball so she could play with the others. Like a good girl, she made fast friends, even with Josh's Squirtle. Tanner separated the goods into three piles: ten PokéBalls, three Potions, two Antidotes, and three Paralyze Heals. He kept the backpack and the Premier Balls for himself.
"How much do I owe you for all of this?" Caleb asked.
"Nothing," Tanner replied. "These are apology gifts for being such a jerk earlier. By the way, is Bulbasaur okay?"
"Bulba! Bulbasaur!"
"He's fine after receiving the finest care that Viridian City's Pokémon Center has to offer," Caleb said. "Thank you for asking—and thank you for this. We can get started bright and early tomorrow morning and won't have to wait in line for the rush at the store."
"So…apology accepted?"
"Apology accepted," Caleb confirmed. "You know me; I can't stay mad at either of you for long."
Tanner stretched and let out a yawn. Looking out the window, the sun had finally gone down. He didn't realize how exhausted he was until now. He could only imagine how Caleb felt.
"Why don't we call it a night?" Tanner suggested. "We want to start the day rested and refreshed. We got a long journey ahead of us and still have to decide if we're going to catch the wild Pokémon around here or move on to Viridian Forest."
"Sounds like a plan," Caleb said. Josh only yawned in agreement and wiggled his way back into the cuddle puddle. Tanner stretched out on the couch and fell asleep in just a few minutes. He dreamed Charmanda skipped over her Charmeleon evolution straight into Charizard. The look on Josh's face was priceless.