The grassy fields with patches of sand scattered across, the lush trees and the scarce wild Pokémon running around were some of the things Rei took notice of when they got there. She had never been outside of Pallet Town— not that she remembered, anyway. She had only seen Route 1 from afar, never taking a step past the place where she always stood after a morning jog or before returning home. She had always loved watching the fields from afar, orange dyed over the land as far as her eyes could see, giving everything a surreal mood. She would take a detour and walk over to a small hill that separated Pallet Town and Route 1 after finishing a shift from her part-time job— nothing too hard for a thirteen-year old— just checking that the supplies at a small grocery store were in their place, help clients with their bags, and make deliveries for the elderly. The money she had earned was safe in a bank account her mother had opened for her— all she had for her journey were the tips she had earned from some satisfied customers.
"So you finally got here! I thought you wouldn't show up," the already familiar voice of Mizuno Nakao called out from somewhere nearby.
"I don't back out from any challenge; you should know that if you plan to be my rival until we reach the Pokémon League," Rei turned around and came face to face with the extravagant boy.
"So you think you'll make it to the Pokémon League?" Nakao asked while taking his place a few steps across from Rei.
"I know we will," Rei defied while taking Charmander's Poké Ball from the belt Mrs. Arisugawa had bought a few months ago for both of her children, "I just hope to see you there."
"You will… You'll see me holding the Champion's Trophy, so don't worry," as soon as Nakao's last words died out, Squirtle's Poké Ball came hurtling towards the space between the Trainers, releasing the aquatic Pokémon.
"You're a little too sure of yourself, Nakao-kun," Rei commented in a hushed voice, "Charmander, let's go!" Charmander came out of his Poké Ball, stroke a pose, and awaited his Trainer's command.
Both Trainers stared down at each other for about a minute, as well as their Pokémon, who were standing at a defensive stance, probably out of instinct. Rei's thoughts about what was to happen raced, the realization of being in her first battle now attacking at full force. Who would go first? Was it about courtesy? Should Nakao, the opponent, go first? What if that was what he thought? What would they do, call in for a break and toss a coin? All this thinking was so useless!
"Charmander, use Scratch!" Rei shouted at the Fire-type, making the Pokémon dash at his opponent with a sharp claw up in the air.
"Dodge it, Squirtle, and use your Tail Whip!" Charmander had gotten close, but Squirtle was able to dodge the attack, turning around and landing a solid hit with its tail on Charmander's back. The lizard Pokémon cried out, retreating further away from his opponent.
"Charmander, use Scratch again!" Rei commanded, getting a quick reply as Charmander reached out for the turtle Pokémon once again and grazed its face with sharp claws, red marks streaking across.
"Squirtle, hang in there!" Nakao screamed at the top of his lungs, a frightened look on his face. Rei took that as a 'Go!' sign and commanded again.
"Nice, Charmander! Go for another!" Charmander reached out with its other set of claws and scratched at his opponent once again, this time pushing Squirtle on its back.
Squirtle had fallen, and Nakao look horrified, at least for a second, "Squirtle, get up!" the aquatic Pokémon obeyed, leaping into action once again, "Tackle him!" and that was all Squirtle needed to run full force at the Fire Pokémon standing a few feet away, crashing into Charmander and knocking him away, seemingly taking some air out of him.
"Darn it. That must've been a critical hit…" Rei thought out loud, "Charmander, Growl!" Charmander got up, shook his head a bit, and growled at Squirtle, making it take a couple of steps backwards, "Now, Scratch him up!"
Charmander moved as fast as he could towards his opponent, not wanting to miss the opportunity Rei had created by having Squirtle startled with that Growl. The Fire-type ran into the marine Pokémon, struck with his sharp claws, and crashed with it into the ground. Charmander realized he was on top of Squirtle a split-second later, got off of him and backed off, taking precautions just in case his opponent tried retaliating against him.
"Squirtle!" Nakao cried for his Pokémon, but it didn't as much as twitch from the ground, "Squirtle, get up!" he was starting to sound desperate, his voice breaking a bit.
Rei looked at Squirtle, trying to catch a glimpse at its face, but she wasn't able to from that distance. Charmander looked at his adversary with a worried expression on his face, uttering a soft cry. Concern started to swell up deep within Rei, as Nakao ran to his Pokémon's side, tears filling his eyes. Nakao picked up the marine creature, hugging it close, as Rei ran up to them.
"Nakao-kun, is Squirtle alright?" Rei questioned after being close enough, Charmander in tow.
Nakao just looked up at Rei with bitterness sketched all over his face, "You… What did you do?! Don't you think you took it a little too far?!" he shouted while getting up as swiftly as he could, considering the fact that he was carrying a 20 lbs. Pokémon in his arms.
"What?" Rei almost choked on her words and took a step backwards, clearly intimidated by the younger boy, "But, it was just a battle! He should be alright… shouldn't he?" worry was taking over as Rei looked at Squirtle's face…
Squirtle was just lying in Nakao's arms, almost limply, with the… the goofiest expression she had ever seen! His mouth was hanging open, his eyes looking up at the sky in bewilderment. He was breathing evenly, his shell moving with every intake and outtake of fresh air. Rei's head cocked to the side to get a better look, but nothing was obtained as a familiar voice interrupted.
"Squirtle's unable to battle! Rei and Charmander are the winners!" announced a very enthusiast Kazuhiko Inoue, sporting a lab coat and coming up a hill behind them.
"So Squirtle will be alright, then?" Rei questioned, still a bit puzzled.
"Of course! These things happen," Inoue gave an accomplished grin upon reached the young Trainers, as apparently the task of going up the small hill had been hard for him. Rei and Nakao just looked at him, each with arched eyebrow, as if expecting him to ask for a prize or something, "Most new Trainers are too excited and eager to battle, so they just challenge each other right on the spot once they get their Pokémon; they normally have their battle behind the lab where I can act as referee. You two, on the other hand, must've been too eager to begin your adventures and thought about battling afterwards."
Nakao had a look on his face that Rei couldn't decipher completely, but tried to sympathize anyway, "Inoue-san, is there anything we can do to make sure Squirtle is alright?" she questioned with genuine concern.
"Well, there are no Pokémon Centers here in Pallet Town, if you can remember what we talked about this morning, so I guess we could always take it to the Professor's Lab," as soon as Kazuhiko finished informing, Nakao started walking back to Pallet Town, his Squirtle still cradled in his arms wearing that goofy face.
"Nakao-kun, wait up!" Rei was ready to run after the boy, but was stopped by Nakao's voice.
"Go on with your adventure, Arisugawa; we don't need your sympathy," came the cold reply, with not even a glance to acknowledge the concern in the eyes of his opponent.
Rei just came to a halt and looked at Nakao's retreating form. What would happen to Nakao now? Inoue-san had said Squirtle would be alright, and his judgment could be trusted on that, but Nakao was really something to worry about. He looked like a cheerful kid from afar, but once she was in sight, he turned into quite the different person; he had jumped into rivalry-mode before they even had a chance to meet formally, the way he talked to or about her was rather aggressive for an eleven-year old, and the way he had challenged them somehow felt like a scheme to try and prove he was better somehow, and it would've worked if he hadn't lost.
"Don't worry, Rei— Squirtle will be alright," came Kazuhiko's gentle voice from behind Rei, Charmander uttering a soft cry seemingly wanting to assure his Trainer as well.
"I know Squirtle will…" Rei turned around, looking directly at Charmander. If Charmander had been the one who lost the battle and fainted, Rei would've been just as distraught as Nakao was at the moment.
"Nakao-kun will be as well. It was just the shock of watching his first Pokémon get defeated by his rival's Pokémon. He'll get over it, and you better be ready for what will come after. He looks like the type who begrudges easily," Kazuhiko expressed himself hoping to ease Rei a bit.
"Yeah…" was the absentminded reply. Then Rei remembered something, "Inoue-san, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, that's right," he smiled at Rei's raised eyebrow, "I was looking for you, wondering if maybe you were the one I could trust with something; but after watching that match, I think I can confide in you."
Now it was the other eyebrow's turn to rise "You saw that? Oh, man…" Rei felt a little embarrassed at the thought that someone had seen her first battle, specially that ending, "So, Inoue-san, what can I help you with?" she inquired bravely, in spite of the reddish hue that had appeared on her youthful face. If Inoue-san had seen the fight, then there was nothing to do about it; she might as well find out how she could help.
"There's something I've been working on, you see," he took a small package from his lab coat's pocket. It looked like a small box that had been sloppily wrapped in brown paper, like the kind grocery bags were made of. Rei guessed Inoue-san had been hasty about wrapping the thing, maybe because he was so keen on finding either one of the new Trainers, "If everything works as planned, this will help Trainers all over with their battling, not to mention making the referee's job of judging Pokémon battles at the Pokémon League so much easier," he began to tear at the brownish paper, revealing a cerulean box.
Rei was quite anxious to find out what was inside the little box— if it could help in the Pokémon League, and Inoue wanted someone of trust to handle it first, it had to be big. Well, big in terms of importance, at least. As Kazuhiko opened up the box, she noticed how Charmander stood on his tiptoes—he was most likely as curious as she was regarding the object. Inside the box was a pair of…
"Shades?" Rei questioned while peering inside the box, her disbelief as obvious as the flare on Charmander's tail.
"What?" Kazuhiko's jubilant smile faded at her question—he had been engrossed with his 'invention,' not noticing how the young Trainer's apparent expectations darkened at the sight of the object in the box.
"Shades. You know, tinted lenses, sunglasses… Shades!" Rei pointed at the contents of the box with that last word, trying to make the explanation easier for Inoue-san.
"Um, actually, it's a visor," he was the one who cocked an eyebrow this time, "You're supposed to wear it every time you have a Pokémon battle and it presents you with the necessary data for each Pokémon on the battle field."
"How does it do that? It sound complicated…" Rei scratched the back of her head in slight confusion.
"Well, you just put it on and—"
Inoue's voice was soon drowned by the sea of Rei's thoughts on the visor. Could it really be possible to have all the necessary data on Pokémon, just by using a thing so small? She stared at it blankly for a while— it was just a pair of azure shades, no bigger than the ones her father wore on that picture he had sent them while he was working in Cinnabar Island. And Professor Oak had already given her a Pokédex, which was supposed to record detailed data on the Pokémon she captured, so what else could those shades inform her? Inoue-san seemed very excited about what he was talking about, so Rei figured she should at least listen to whatever it was he was explaining.
"—that's just about everything it can do for now. Pretty useful, isn't it?" he smiled expectantly at Rei.
"Uh…" he was finished? He had explained everything and she didn't hear a word of it because she spaced out?! "Yeah, it looks useful," she smiled awkwardly, hoping he wouldn't notice her ignorance.
"You… didn't hear me at all, did you?" he regarded her with disapproval.
"I'm sorry, really. I just began wondering how it worked and missed your whole explanation—it happens at home all the time," she gave him a remorseful look to which Inoue just smiled.
"It's alright, don't worry about it. If you take it with you and try it out, you'll find out what it does at your own pace. And, if there's anything you don't understand, you can just call me at the Professor's Lab," his right hand reached his chin and his face took a contemplative look, "Besides, I think it could really help my research if you gave me your opinions on the features after having used them unexpectedly."
"Alright, I'll do that, then," Rei smiled radiantly and extended her hands. Inoue placed the visor on her right hand, reached for another of his coat's pockets, took something out and placed it in Rei's other hand.
"It's just a little something as thanks for the favor. I'm sorry I couldn't get something better," he said apologetically as Rei looked at the Potion she now held in her left hand.
"Oh, this is plenty. Thanks a lot!" she smiled radiantly as Inoue Kazuhiko waved farewell and made his way back to Pallet Town.
This is were her journey finally began—effortlessly walking on the dirt road that stretched along Route 1 in search for Pokémon. Everything was going smoothly: she had finally received her first Pokémon from Professor Oak and aside from that, she had been entrusted with the task of completing a Pokédex. She glanced at the visor in her hand and decided to try it on, just to see what it felt like and how things looked behind the blue-tinted lenses. It felt rather loose, not sinking anything into her skin, as if it had been made for her. The only problem was that, she was still wearing her baseball cap, and that made it a bit uncomfortable around the ears. The world had turned blue, and it didn't look too bad.
She was humming a carefree tune as she walked on, until something hit her squarely on the back of her head. The sudden impact had knocked her baseball cap a few feet away from where she stood and the visor slid a bit down the bridge of her nose. She grumbled under her breath as she massaged the back of her head, trying to feel a lump or something out of the ordinary, when she saw some kind of bird trying to pick up her hat from the ground. She placed the visor in its place and noticed words forming rapidly in the air. She tilted her head to the side as she tried to read the small letters.
She then realized it was the visor giving data on the Pokémon—Pidgey— just as Kazuhiko had tried explaining moments earlier. She smirked as she reached for the Poké Ball that contained Charmander, fully intent in capturing the little rascal who had knocked into her. The Pokémon glanced at her, tilting its head to the side, as she threw the Poké Ball in its direction, the Trainer's intentions becoming apparent. Charmander stood at the ready, waiting for his Trainer's command.
"Let's start with Scratch," she ordered, and not a minute later, Charmander dashed toward the small bird.
The Pidgey took off by flapping its small wings, dodging the attack, and kicking up a lot of sand. The words 'Sand Attack' appear across the visor, and Rei figured it was the name of the attack. She then took notice of Charmander, who was rubbing his eyes in a very frustrated fashion— that must've been what the Sand Attack was intended to do. She advised Charmander to blink a few times as she scanned the skies for the rogue Pidgey, hoping it hadn't escaped. An arrow appeared at the edge of the visor, she turned around, and the words 'Tackle' flashed upwards as she located the tiny bird, already swooping down towards Charmander.
Her eyes grew wide as she yelled at Charmander to dodge, the Fire-type crouching low, but to no avail, as the Pidgey crashed into him and knocked him into the ground. Rei dropped the duffle bag on the side of the dirt road and took off her backpack, rummaging for one of the Potions.
"Charmander!" she called out to her partner, making the Pokémon perk up, "Do you think you can do it?" she questioned as she noticed the Pidgey flying high above them, possibly preparing for another attack.
The fire lizard nodded stubbornly and faced the monster in the sky, ready to make a stand. The words 'Scratch' and 'Growl' appeared, seemingly floating in the air, as she looked at Charmander— those were obviously his attacks. She commanded a Growl and the flame-tail obeyed by directing a powerful cry at his foe and Rei took notice of the slight flinch the bird had made. Nonetheless, it swooped down once again ready to strike. Rei directed her Pokémon to keep still, in wait of the coming attack, and to prove his trust in her. The Starter Pokémon stood his ground, unmoving, besides the fact that his opponent was coming down to crash once again into him. When the Pidgey looked close enough, Rei hollered the attack and Charmander jumped into the air, ready to meet his adversary and use his Scratch attack.
Charmander crashed into his opponent, his claw striking the bird's abdomen. The smaller Pokémon's face changed from a confident attacker to that of a wounded rival, his eyes void of emotion as it collapsed into the dirt below. The word 'Fainted' appeared on the small screen Rei wore over her eyes. She appreciated the indication as she swiftly unfastened a Poké Ball from her belt and threw it almost expertly at the fallen Pokémon. The spherical object collided with the small bird, bounced off of it and shot out the red beam of light— it engulfed the Pokémon, making it glow the same shade of red, and eventually absorbed it.
"This is it…" Rei cautiously approached Charmander and they both watched as the Poké Ball rocked back and forth, the button in it center glowing a bright crimson.
After a few more shakes, it finally came to a halt and the glow in the center button dimmed until it fully disappeared. Both Rei and her Pokémon companion released sighs of relief, making Rei chuckle a bit. Just a few hours together and they were already beginning to act alike. Rei smiled as she walked towards the Poké Ball that contained her first captured Pokémon, picked it up, and held it in her hands for a while. Charmander stared at his Trainer, wondering why she wasn't moving. He inched forward, trying to figure out what was wrong with her.
"Charmander…" she address her Pokémon, "We did it—we actually did it…" she turned around to reveal a huge smile spread across her face, "We captured a Pokémon, our very first!"
She lunged at the Fire-type, embracing him tightly and spinning around in circles, ending the impromptu carousel with a pleasurable sigh. She released Charmander onto the ground, who staggered back and forth before regaining his poise, and jumped around for a bit more while saying 'I captured a Pokémon' in different tones. Charmander looked at her slightly amused and decided to sit down on the dirt road, predicting it could be a while before she recovered her sanity.
"Sorry about that," she apologized to her companion after she was finished strutting up and down a very small portion of the road, "It's all thanks to you, Charmander. You've earned a good rest."
She reached for Charmander's Poké Ball and pressed the button on its center, increasing its size, and pointed it at Charmander. But, before she called him back, Charmander leaped forward and ran towards her. She became confused as the Pokémon dashed past her at breakneck speed, and tried following him with her gaze. She had to turn around completely to notice what was happening: a rodent was trying to take off with her baseball cap, which had been forgotten on the road because of all the commotion the Pidgey had caused. She gawked at the scene as Charmander lunged toward the scoundrel, missing it by mere inches.
"What the heck is that?!" she screamed in frustration moments before the visor identified the burglar.
It was named 'Rattata,' and it was making haste while carrying her cap in its chops. She ran a few steps forward, only to be reminded that her things were lying a few feet back. She dashed in the opposite direction where Charmander was pursuing the bandit, picked up her belongings, and then made her way towards her buddy. She ran as fast as she could, realizing they were just a few feet away, where Charmander had the little crook cornered against a tree— it looked like he was trying to convince the Rattata into handing over the accessory. Sadly, the bucktoothed rodent refused to give up its trophy.
"Nice work, Charmander!' Rei congratulated him upon reached them, "Give that back!" she reached for the cap and the small Pokémon dropped it, but only so it could try to bite her.
Rei retracted her hand, barely dodging the large front teeth of her attacker. Charmander took a step forward, ready to protect his Trainer, and Rei became conscious of the situation: she had a Pokémon that would fight for her, the crook was a Pokémon, and even better, one she hadn't captured. She smirked at the situation and turned to her Pokémon.
"Should we go for it?" she questioned, gaining a confident reply from her partner, "Alright then."
She took a few steps back, earning a questioning look from the Rattata, though it still wouldn't let go of the cap. Charmander stood at the ready, not taking his emerald eyes off the opponent— another potential partner for the road towards the Pokémon League. The rodent finally regarded the lizard in front as an enemy, its whiskers twitching in anticipation. It dropped the baseball cap and took cautious steps forward; a fight was about to take place and it just wasn't important anymore.
"Begin with Scratch, and then follow up with Growl," she ordered in a soft voice.
Charmander swiped at his opponent with one sharp claw and, just when his opponent was about to strike, he gave a powerful Growl, making it stumble backwards. The Rattata fell back blindly, bumping into the tree behind— it was cornered, but it wouldn't give up so easily. It charged at the Fire-type as the visor covering Rei's eyes announced a 'Tackle,' hitting Charmander squarely on the chest. He staggered back a bit, but stood strong. Rei ordered another Scratch attack, to which Charmander complied, but missed. The little rat took the opportunity to slam its tail into Charmander's head in a surprising Tail Whip, leaving the flame-tail at a loss. The Fire-type Pokémon then used Scratch once more, knocking his adversary into the ground with a vacant expression on its face. Rei didn't even notice the flashing 'Fainted' word as she threw a Poké Ball automatically at the knocked-out Pokémon. The Poké Ball rocked for a while, much like what happened to the one used on Pidgey, until the red light on its center dimmed into nonexistence.
"Yet another capture for the day!" Rei triumphantly announced while her Pokémon stroke a victory pose, feeling proud of himself. They were getting better at the whole Pokémon capture thing, and Rei was gaining confidence as a Pokémon Trainer, not to mention the fact that Charmander was growing stronger.
Rei called Charmander back into his Poké Ball for a well-earned rest, one that would last until they reached their destination or if an emergency occurred. He had been wonderful, a real fighter throughout the day. Three battles in the same day without rest, and he still looked ready for more. But Rei knew better than to drive her Pokémon into exhaustion— she knew relaxing also played a big part in getting stronger. She reassumed her walking towards their next stop, Viridian City, while making a mental recap of the events that had taken place so far. They had defeated their rivals, agreed on helping a friend in need, made new friends and they were bonding at a steady pace.
A drizzle began, making Rei look up at the now graying sky. The gentle shower, accompanied by the thoughts of her newly caught Pokémon, made her feel like dancing joyfully. And though she pushed that urge aside, she regained the bounce on her step and continued on her way to Viridian City, the confidence of her abilities as a Trainer building up deep inside.