Amy and Ryan woke up at the crack of dawn the next day – or rather, Amy awoke and dragged Ryan out of bed. They ate, Amy dressed and packed, and then the two bid farewell to Mrs. Wright.
"Be careful!" The woman called out from the front door as she watched them walk down the pathway. "Have fun! Be safe!" She stood there watching them go long after they had disappeared from her sight.
The two reached the edge of town quickly enough and stood looking out into the tall grass apprehensively.
"Well, are you ready?" Amy asked Ryan nervously.
Though the Pokemon was nervous, he put on a brave face for Amy. "Squirtle!" He puffed his chest up, strutting into the tall grass as if it were nothing. Rolling her eyes, Amy followed.
Outside of Pallet there were massive fields of tall grass dotted with trees here and there, and a pale blue sky was above it, cloudless. Some bird Pokemon flew about flying so high that Amy couldn't tell what they were.
"Here goes nothing." She muttered quietly, steeling herself for the journey ahead. Luckily Viridian City was only an hour or so away.
For the first thirty minutes or so the walk was peaceful, tranquil even. Along the second half the duo started to notice other Pokemon around; a Rattata crouching in the grass, a Spearow flying overhead. As they marveled at the sight of the Pokémon in their natural habitat, they came closer to their goal, and Amy felt more at peace with the idea of traveling. She hadn't made her decision, but she was thinking it over carefully.
"Have you ever been to Viridian City?" Amy asked Ryan as they walked.
Ryan glanced up and shook his head. "Squirtle, squirt." Prof. Oak didn't take me on his trips.
"Oh." Amy looked ahead, keeping an eye out for road signs. "I was there once, a long time ago. With my Dad." She didn't elaborate. Curious, Ryan almost asked about the trip, but when he saw the somber look on the girl's face he left it alone.
"Oh, Hello!"
The two jumped, surprised out of their wits. A person suddenly stood up out of the tall grass. It was a young man looking rather sheepish.
"I didn't mean to startle you." He explained. "I had dropped something and was trying to find it.'
"Squirtle!" Amy glanced down. Ryan had picked up something off the ground.
"Are you a trainer?" The man asked.
Amy thought about saying no, but just sighed and nodded her head. "This is my friend Ryan."
Ryan chirped, walking over to the man and holding up a device he'd found on the ground. "Oh, you can have it!" The man proclaimed. "I work for the Poke Mart in Viridian City; we sell helpful items to trainers. Consider it a free sample!" The man smiled.
"Okay…" Amy murmured as the man waved and walked away. Ryan turned the item around in his hands.
"Squirtle." It's a potion.
"I'll put it in my bag." Ryan handed it to her, and the two were on their way.
0-0-0
Not long after, with sore legs and weary feet, the partners staggered into Viridian City.
It was large – much larger than Pallet Town – with well trimmed pathways and tall buildings reaching up to the sky. It was full of people, from trainers to shoppers; there was even a strange, elderly man lying in the middle of the street, complaining that he had no coffee. The duo bypassed him feeling uneasy as they searched for the Poke Mart that had Oak's parcel.
The place was hard to find. Though they often asked for directions, the two kept getting lost, unable to make sense of the maze of a city.
They eventually came across a giant dome shaped building that towered above the other buildings menacingly. It came at them suddenly as they turned a corner and came upon it.
"That's gotta be something important." Amy thought aloud.
"Squirtle!" Ryan agreed, racing towards it eagerly.
"Hey, wait!" Shaking her head Amy dodged between people to catch up. She slid to a halt near where Ryan was standing. The Pokemon was pointing at a sign.
For his benefit (since he likely couldn't read) Amy read aloud. "'Viridian City Gym'" She said. "It's closed. 'Until further notice'. Wonder why."
Some of the Viridian City citizens were walking nearby muttering about the gym. "It was open only a week ago… and now it's closed again…"
"That place never stays open…"
Amy listened, her curiosity peaking. Why in the world would the gym be open only part of the time? Standing akimbo Amy bit her lip. That's so weird…
She looked down and saw that Ryan had disappeared, and her heart skipped a beat. "Ryan?" She glanced up just in time to see him racing around the side of the building, turning the corner and fading into the crowd. "Ryan! Wait a minute!"
Amy pushed herself to race after even as her muscles cramped. She turned the corner and saw Ryan headed towards a less populated area behind the gym. She hurried after.
When she arrived where Ryan was she saw he was pulling at wooden boards nailed over an open window leading into the gym. "Ryan, stop it!" She shouted angrily, but he had already crawled inside.
Sighing disgustedly the girl muttered angry comments under her breath. She stomped towards the window. For a moment she hesitated, but she knew she had to follow, and pulled on the boards to give her room to climb inside.
It was dark in the gym, and when Amy first pulled herself inside she tripped and fell to the ground. It hurt a lot, and Amy found the ground was cement like a warehouse. Reaching out, she grabbed her hat (which had fallen off) and put it back on as she stood.
"Ryan?" She called softly. "Oh Ryan?" No one answered but the echo in the large room. Huffing Amy moved about blindly.
The room was full of crates and boxes. After a little moving, Amy saw the light of a door partially opened nearby. She moved towards it, and began hearing noises… the sounds of fighting?
As she pushed the door open and stepped out Amy found she was in a hallway, and from her left originated the sound of battles. Nervously hoping her Pokemon hadn't gotten in trouble the girl moved down the hall.
There he was, crouching by an open door into the Gym's main room, the giant arena. Inside a battle was occurring, but it was quite the strange battle. It was something Amy had never seen the like of.
A tall creature, with a long tail and wearing metallic battle armor, was facing off against a form of technology – floating balls which shot attacks at the creature. Sometimes they'd fly at him, and he would fling his arm out and stop the thing midair without touching it! Was he some sort of psychic? Whatever he was, Amy could tell he was special and was in awe at the sight.
Ryan was too, staring intently at the battle. The purple creature had grace and skill like no other dodging with ease, destroying the objects with a mere glance or flick of his wrist. Gasping in delight Ryan began inching into the gym, his mouth agape.
Though she was stunned by the feline beauty of the Pokemon, of its agility and power, Amy knew it was time to leave. "Enough running off Ryan, now let's go –"
At that precise moment Ryan raced out into the gym, his only thought to meet the amazing Pokemon. Gasping, Amy reached out trying to grasp his shell, but he slipped from her grasp. With a bounding leap the Pokemon raced out into the gym, happy as can be.
"No, dang it!" Shaking her head Amy knew she was caught, and raced after her friend anyway.
In his haste to run towards the powerful Pokemon Ryan didn't notice that he was leaping into the way of an attack. Two of the balls had locked onto him, about to blast him with powerful volts of electricity.
"No!" Leaping forward, Amy caught Ryan round the waist, rolled over, and braced herself for the impact.
A person Amy hadn't noticed before sauntered towards them, snapping his fingers suddenly. As if obeying a command the purple Pokemon spun about and his eyes flashed. The two balls, crackling with electricity, suddenly burst apart, showering metal upon the human and her Squirtle.
After a moment, as Amy realized she wasn't about to die, she sat up, slowly. Beneath her Ryan stirred, confused. He hadn't noticed the danger.
Amy leapt to her feet, adrenaline rushing through her, and she saw the floating objects powering down, floating to the gym floor. For a moment she looked into the mask over the Pokémon's face, trying to see his eyes. "Thank you" She murmured a tear going down her cheek. "Thank you so much!"
"Who are you?" A shrill voice shouted suddenly. Amy jumped looking to its source.
A blonde woman about Amy's age stood in the corner of the room next to a taller man. The male was cloaked in shadow so Amy could hardly see him.
"Is this your gym?" Amy murmured nervously, stepping forward. "I am so sorry about this. My friend here got curious and snuck in, and I came in trying to find him. I'm afraid I didn't stop him in time." Sighing, Amy glowered down towards the little creature who sheepishly and ashamedly hung his head.
"Ah, I see." The man said suddenly. His voice was low, dark, and so powerful that Amy felt her knees go weak from it. Her heart skipped a beat. As the man stepped forward, his blonde assistant stepped aside; Amy felt the overwhelming need to run for her life. "And what is your name, miss?"
He was tall – not as tall as the powerful Pokemon, but tall for a human. His hair was dark, his build large, and his shoulders broad. The man wore a burnt orange suit, which looked rather expensive.
"My – my name…" Gulping Amy frowned and spoke louder. "My name is Amy Wright, and this is Ryan. We're from Pallet Town."
The tall man and the blonde woman shared a quick glance. "What brings you to Viridian City, Ms. Wright?"
"An errand. We're supposed to find the Poke Mart and pick up a package for Prof. Oak. But we got lost on the way."
The man nodded his head, and the blonde sauntered toward Amy. "Come on." She muttered angrily, motioning for Amy to follow. The girl turned to leave just as Ryan hurried over to the tall purple Pokemon.
"Ryan!" Amy spat fed up with his antics. The blonde woman frowned angrily displeased but said nothing.
"Squirtle, Squirtle!" Ryan began, speaking enthusiastically to the taller creature. When he started to speak, Amy listened intently, her mood changing. Her eyes lost their fierce anger, and she smiled a little.
Hi! I'm Ryan. I just saw your battle and that was really awesome! Thanks for saving me and my friend. When I get bigger I want to be just as strong and fast and amazing as you! You're really cool! The Pokemon chirped and leapt for joy, expressing his feelings.
Giggling, Amy spoke softly. "Come on. Time to go."
Ryan didn't move quiet yet. He stood still waiting expectantly for the other Pokemon to speak. He did not; the creature simply stood motionless. The little Squirtle's face fell, his mouth quivering sadly.
Shaking her head Amy kneeled and held her hand out to Ryan. "He's the strong stoic type, Ryan." The little guy turned to her. "He has to keep his image." Amy nodded towards the door. "Come on." Looking one last time at the other Pokemon, Ryan walked over to his trainer, taking her hand. She stood, and led him towards the door. As they walked, he looked over his shoulder and waved goodbye to the armor wearing Pokemon. Amy too, glanced back one last time.
"Thanks again!" She called out.
"You are most welcome." The man in the orange suit said; yet, though he thought Amy was speaking to him, her eyes were on the Pokemon, and remained on him the whole time.
0-0-0
The blonde woman led them from the gym to the Poke Mart, where Amy picked up Oak's parcel. She proceeded to bid them farewell by disappearing without a trace.
"That was really weird." Amy said thankfully as she and Ryan headed out of town.
The little Pokemon didn't hear her; he was lost in daydreams of his new Pokemon hero. Grinning "ear to ear" (though his ears weren't noticeable), he replayed the battle scene in his head over and over like a fan boy with a new video game. Unable to keep in the joy anymore Ryan leapt up and squealed happily.
Surprised, Amy shrieked and jumped back. "What is your problem today?" She asked, frazzled.
Ryan looked up. "Squirtle…" I didn't mean to cause trouble…
The girl sighed. "Well…" She smiled. "It was kind of worth it. Whatever that Pokemon was… he was kind of cool wasn't he?"
He heartily agreed. "Squirtle Squirtle!" He was the man!
Laughter could be heard all through the streets as the two left Viridian.
0-0-0
It was just past noon when Amy and Ryan entered the tall grass and headed home. But not long after, they found their limbs so sore that a break was necessary.
Immediately Ryan leaned back and fell asleep, snoring, most likely dreaming of his enigmatic hero. Amy sat near him looking out over the horizon, her mind concentrating on the events of the past hour.
The man in the orange suit… with a voice that could make the Pokemon Trainer Elite tremble. He hadn't even told her his name. Something about him was off; and the Pokemon… Amy had never seen anything like him. And why was he dressed in metal armor?
Letting it all run through her mind Amy suddenly remembered something. Her hand flew to her bag, and she removed something small from the front pocket.
It was Ryan's pokeball. Amy hadn't thought of using it to call him back to her.
And yet… Amy didn't think she'd ever want to use it.
What was it like, inside there? Was it dark, like an empty abyss? Lonely? … Cold?
Shaking her head Amy cleared her mind of such thoughts. The pokeball was tucked back into the bag, and the trainer followed her Pokémon's example; she went to sleep.
0-0-0
"Pidgey! Pidgey!"
Sleepily Ryan sat up, rubbing his eyes. It took him a moment to notice that a loud commotion was coming from the tall grass.
"PIDGEY!"
The loud calls woke Amy, who sprang up, confused. At that moment a Pokemon bounded through the area – a little brown and white bird. Surprised, Amy leapt away suddenly as two more birds flew by, but they looked different. These had red colored faces, and looked very mean; Spearow.
"Spearow! Spearow!"
"Spearow!"
"What in the world?" Amy stood and ran after trying to figure out the situation. Ryan followed.
For some odd reasoning the brown and white bird wasn't flying, but was instead hopping along the ground frantically. He seemed to be running from the other birds, which were cawing and pecking at him.
"Spearow! Spearow!"
"Hey, leave him alone!" Amy knew bullies when she saw them. These two birds were tormenting the poor little Pidgey.
The Spearows ignored her, until Amy reached down and grabbed a rock, throwing it at them. "Hello!" The two birds finally noticed Amy and Ryan. "Leave him alone!"
"Squirtle!" Ryan supported his trainer.
The Pokemon eyed one another, and then turned from their previous engagement. Pidgey slowed down, glancing back to see what had preoccupied his attackers.
A pause, pregnant with anticipation, followed that moment as Amy's heart pounded. The two Spearows were about to attack, she knew that. Could Ryan handle a two on one battle? Could she? This was their first real challenge, a solo fight.
"Ryan…" Amy made her decision. "I'm going to run at them; you run to Pallet, all right?"
The Pokemon soundly refused. "Squirtle Squirtle! Squirt Squirtle!" We have to fight! We can't back down!
Worried Amy begged him, "No! It's two against one, there's no way you can win!"
A knowing smile came over Ryan's face as he looked at his trainer. "Squirtle, squirt." It's not two against one.
Amy bit her lip. "I don't know…"
Suddenly one of the Spearows squawked and flew towards them.
"Squirtle!" Ryan leapt ahead of his trainer, preparing to fight.
An instinct, powerful, overwhelming, took over Amy's body. It fought off her anxiety, her fear, and her nerves. It crushed her weaknesses, rising within her to give her strength. In some way it might've been the new bond between her and Ryan driving her to fight with him. But more than likely it was the basic human need to survive.
"Ryan, tackle!" Amy shouted.
Just as the Spearow dived towards them, Ryan leapt up, head butting the creature. It squawked and fell to the ground, shaking its head. The other Spearow, shocked and angered, flew at Ryan.
"Dodge left!" His trainer shouted.
Ryan obliged, and the Spearow missed, soaring over Amy as she ducked too. Both partners spun around in time to see the Spearow flying toward him.
Enemies surrounding them on either side, Ryan and Amy stood strong as the trainer thought over what to do. She had an epiphany; and glancing at Ryan, she saw that he had the same idea. They stood stock still as the seconds ticked by, and the Spearows came closer. The one from behind flew over Amy's head, diving towards Ryan. When they got close enough…
"Now!" Amy shouted.
Ryan dodged again, leaping out of the way. Both Spearows tried to avoid one another but it was too late. In a matter of seconds, BONK! They hit each other head on and were knocked unconscious.
Dead silence followed as both creatures fainted in the grass, cross eyed. The Pidgey flinched, looking through half closed eyes to see if all was safe. Amazed, the Pokemon chirped happily, thrilled to be safe.
Wiping her brow Amy gave a sigh of relief. Both Ryan and the wild Pidgey were safe, no thanks to the mean bully Pokemon.
"You okay?" Amy slowly approached the Pidgey, not wanting to frighten it. She looked it over… she could tell, as always, what sex it was; a boy, and he was injured.
Thanking whoever was watching over her Amy removed the Potion from her bag. "Don't be afraid." She told the little guy. "This might hurt, but it'll help heal you."
Surprisingly the Pidgey didn't move away. He did flinch when the medicine hit his wounds, but once they started healing, he cooed happily.
"So what was that about?" Amy wondered as Ryan walked up. "Why were those Spearows chasing you?"
The Pidgey's face grew sad as he began speaking. They were making fun of me, because I can't fly.
Ryan looked sad at the thought. "Squirtle…" I'm sorry.
It was very rare that a Flying Pokemon couldn't actually fly. So it was obvious that Amy would wonder why the Pidgey couldn't. "Why can't you fly?" She wondered.
Suddenly the bird flushed red like the faces of the Spearows. … I – I … I can't get off the ground. I'm… I'm too big.
Amy and Ryan looked bug eyed. Then, they looked down at Pidgey's belly.
The bird was right; now that they thought about it, he was the plumpest Pidgey they'd ever seen. His belly was not only fluffy, but rotund, and he looked like a walking fluff ball of feathers and pudge. If not for the fact that the poor creature had just been tormented about his weight, Ryan would've laughed. He put his hands to his mouth to cover it. Amy, on the other hand, thought the walking ball of feathers was absolutely adorable.
"Aw, I'm so sorry. Those jerks… they just don't get it." Amy frowned. Pidgey looked confused, cocking his head. The girl explained. "Just because you're larger than them and you can't fly yet doesn't mean their better than you. One day, you'll get stronger, and you'll be strong enough to fly then."
Pidgey's eyes grew wide. R – Really?
Amy nodded. "Of course."
His wide eyes became full of love and adulation, as the bird leapt up and down. It was kind of like watching a bowl of Jell-O bounce, but neither Ryan nor Amy commented. They didn't want to kill the Pidgey's good mood.
Giggling, Amy smiled at him. The Pidgey stopped bouncing, and looked from Amy to Ryan. He spoke again. How can I get stronger?
Ryan responded. Well, training works well! Like going around battling. Then you'll evolve eventually.
At the word evolve the Pidgey's eyes sparkled with hope. Evolve… I need a trainer!
That was an easy fix. Ryan pointed eagerly at his trainer. "Squirtle!" Pidgey's eyes followed his hand, and the thought occurred to him too.
"P – Pidgey! Pidgey!" Please help me get stronger! Pidgey begged once again bouncing like Jell – O.
Amy looked a little startled from the sudden declaration, but she should've seen it coming. "Well…" She couldn't think of a reason not to. Sighing she nodded. "All right. You can come along."
"PIDGEY!" The bird leapt especially high, his stomach bouncing. Ryan happily bounced with him, as Amy shook her head and walked back over to her back pack.
"What have I gotten myself into?" She wondered, turning to head home.
The bouncing Pokemon followed, and soon enough, Pallet Town was in their sights.
0-0-0
Physically and mentally exhausted Amy dragged herself home with Ryan and Pidgey in tow. Everyone cheered when Pallet came into view, deciding to stop home first and then drop Oak's package at his lab. Pidgey was fine, as he hadn't been traveling with them the whole time, but Ryan and Amy were about to drop to the floor. They had skipped lunch after all the excitement at the gym, and were starving. So, dinner first, then Oak's lab.
But they found dinner was not available when they arrived at the Wright home. Amy's mother refused to feed them, and when asked why, explained, "I invited Prof. Oak and his grandchildren, and the Ketchums over for dinner tonight. You'll just have to wait until then." Though she did feed Ryan. "It's your fault that you didn't eat, but I can't let the poor little guy starve because of you." She fed Pidgey too. So, sulking, Amy left the Pokémon to eat and ran out to deliver Oak's parcel.
Pallet Town was beautiful at night… Amy let her eyes wander the little pathways and the white picket fences. Too soon she arrived at the lab, still thinking of how much she loved Pallet Town. She'd never thought about it before, but the idea of leaving home for an adventure… a horrible sinking feeling pulled at her heartstrings.
A trembling hand pulled the door of the lab open. Amy stepped in, being welcomed by the various aides in the room.
"Is Prof. Oak here?" The aides directed her to the Professor. He was standing with Gary at the back of the lab.
"Gary, what do you need?" Oak asked as Amy walked towards them.
"You never told me why you called me, Gramps." The younger Oak huffed.
Amy stayed back as to not interrupt, but Oak noticed her and motioned for her to join them. "Amy, you're back! Just in time; I have something I'd like to give you."
With the package tucked under her arm, she walked over, and Oak took it from her. Setting it down, he turned back to the two.
"I've already given one of these away but I have two left for the both of you." The teenagers were intrigued, even Amy, who was still feeling a little down.
The aging Professor turned to his desk again, revealing two red book-like objects. He turned back around and extended one to either trainer.
"This is it." Oak smiled. "My greatest invention – an electronic encyclopedia for Pokémon – the Pokedex!" Gary and Amy each took their Pokedexes, looking them over. When Amy opened hers the screen flashed, then showed the title: Pokemon Pokedex, 1st Edition, by Prof. Samuel Oak.
"So… it's a Pokemon encyclopedia?" Gary muttered.
"It will be." His grandfather corrected. "It will record information on any Pokemon you see or capture. I hope that one day the Pokedex will be a complete guide on Pokemon – but I'll need you two to help me."
"So you want us to take these with us?" The boy said catching on. Oak nodded befoe looking at Amy.
"Yes… that is, if both of you are going." He sent a thoughtful look towards Amy.
The girl looked down at the Pokedex.
She didn't say a word.