Having fled from both Rocket and Law, we, the unholy trio of human, pidgeot, and magikarp, discovered that our sojourn into criminal activity mattered little, for the dread Team Rocket's hold on the region of Johto was stronger than ever it was in Kanto. This was very disheartening; was our crime for naught?

We were fearful; had our deeds been known by the Rockets in Johto, our lives would be forfeit. Thankfully, we had thought ahead and procured new identities to allow us survival. Actually, only the human needed such a thing. You humans have never been able to distinguish one member of a certain species from another, so long as the species in question wasn't a human, and as such, the pidgeot and I needed not new identities, for who would know us?

Upon our arrival, the region of Johto's professor greeted us. He politely commanded us to follow him to his laboratory. Having just arrived in the region and honestly knowing nothing about it, we felt it applicable to comply.

The professor's laboratory was nothing short of amazing; honestly, the man was a brilliant scientist. We passed all manners of machinery and pokemon as we followed him to a room in the rear. He motioned for us to sit, and again, seeing no reason why not, we complied.

Let me pose to you a question. Are you aware of the vast number of training simulations? A company called Nintendo (the New Innovators of Novel Technologies for the Emerging Need of Developing Operations) uses them to train soldiers. Once word got out, a civilian copy was created and soon became extremely popular.

That's right! The company you think of as a gaming company started off as a war industry. The company eventually marketed to upcoming and emerging trainers as well. This was useful, for it allowed the basics of our world to be known by all, but unfortunately... Well, let's just say that several species have gone extinct as a byproduct of the simulations...

Anyways, I suspect you fail to see the relevance. Thing is, the original simulation that Nintendo profited on was a joint effort by Professor Oak of my home region, Kanto, and the good Professor Elm of Johto. All of this would occur years after, for the downfall of Rocket, the main premise of plot in the simulations, had not yet occurred. How could they create a plot? Game designers are not entirely original, you know.

Off the record, I have no fondness for the simulations. They do not portray my species in a good light.

Tangent resolved, this brings me to the reason he confronted us. He knew our history. This was off-putting, for if one professor in an entirely different region knew of us, then so too would Team Rocket. As we made to flee, he spoke again, assuring us he harbored no love for Team Rocket. This we knew from his words, and so we stayed.

He felt our passion about the crusade against Team Rocket, and desired to help us; the fact that he had heard about the all-powerful magikarp surely contributed to it. Hey, his words, not mine!

I thought at first that he would give us some sort of advanced weaponry, but alas, I was not to find myself in metallic armor.

No, what he had for us was something else entirely. He pleaded for us to wait while he searched for an artifact of his creation, and again, we did not desire to stomp upon his hospitality. So we waited while he looked. We waited not long, I assure you, so we did not get into any boredom induced trouble.

He returned to us with several things in hand. The first was a small silver sphere, nothing at all like the demonic sphere your people are fold of. No, for some reason... it felt benign.

How can this be, you ask? I know not, for I am but a magikarp. However, it did indeed exude an aura of divinity. This is a strange fact which I have never been able to explain.

Anyhow, he told me to swallow it, and at once, I did. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't particularly like humans, but something about that professor made me trust him.

After it flew down my throat, he inquired of me to speak. I, the almighty magikarp, saw much wrong with that. How was I, a fish, supposed to speak the tongue of the humans?

From what I understand, humans have advanced enough in the arts of science to essentially scan thought waves and record them. This human, ages ahead of his time, not only created this scientific subspecies, but also expanded upon it, allowing the conversion of strong thoughts to speech. It essentially translates the language of pokemon to that of any desired language. Granted, it doesn't translate the words themselves, but instead emits the translated words louder than the voice. If one yells, the original language can be heard, but it is easier not to speak at all and practice thinking thoughts.

As I was soon to discover, with the help of the spherical device he imparted upon me, I could speak! I was delighted; I could speak the tongue of the humans! (To be fair, no matter how much I say I dislike humans... All pokemon desire to be human at some point. Yes, even I have felt such a desire.)

It was at this point I discovered the professor's true intentions.

Tell me, have you ever heard of Professor Elm? He is a strange being, but not an unpleasant one. He is a scientist of pokemon, or, more specifically, a scientist of evolution. The relevance to me was difficult to see, until he mentioned that I had evolved past magikarp standards. Now I understood; the professor's true intention is to study me, not to help us destroy Team Rocket.

Anyhow, I answered all questions he asked of me to the best of my ability. I was feeling slightly grateful for the gift of speech, and I desired to use it, so I did.

After the questions were through, he gave several things to my traveling companion. The first was a small red device he called the Pokemon Encyclopedia. After inquiring on its use, he told us that he worked for years to compile data on pokemon. All the human had to do was continue working on it for him, and he would not go to the law with our whereabouts.

He demonstrated the contraption by pointing it at me. In a robotic voice, it spoke of my various information, including age, sex, and stats, among other things. It was an invasion of privacy, and was also very insulting. How dare it call me useless!

...The second of his gifts was the entrustment of the human with another companion. I knew it at once for what it was: a charmander. The poor thing grew up in captivity. This did not bode well, for the charmander is not supposed to grow docile.

The charmander eventually grows up to become the terror of the skies, charizard. The little flaming lizard is a good partner, for it is devoutly loyal to the extent of some cult-like behaviors. The human was lucky; the charmander would be a marvelous protector.

Charmander are rare beasts. At one point, it is said that the race faced extinction, only to be saved by the discovery of a nest of eggs. The charmander's early life is both different yet similar to that of the magikarp. When hatched, the mother must quickly light the hatchling's tail, for without the initial spark, it will die.

Have you heard the rumor that when a charmander's tail goes out, it will die? That is the origin. A charmander in later stages of life will not die when its tail goes out – at least, not immediately. Only in the early stages of life is an extinguished tail flame fatal. The experience of a charmander with an extinguished flame is not pleasant, I assure you, but neither is it lethal at first. If left too long unburning, yes, the charmander will eventually die.

After the mother sparks the young's fire, the newly hatched is left to fight the world by himself, to an extent. The mother does not truly depart, for she loves her young, but she knows it necessary. She will only intervene when it seems the young's fate is death. As such, the charmander must get through all necessary experiences to become the proud and fierce beast it eventually will.

Unfortunately, when a charmander hatches whilst under the care of a member of another species, be it human or otherwise, the beast grows docile. Nothing is quite as tear-inducing as the naturally proud beast reduced to a laid-back creature. The charmander makes up for the lost ferocity with the dedication he places into protecting his master. The small fire lizard is far more loyal than any growlithe or houndour.

I haven't really had any good experiences with the charmander line. Damn things hate me for some reason. It isn't like I attempt to annoy them... but I must have done something.

The third, final, and most important thing he gave the human was a small mechanical weapon. I was slightly confused, but when he pointed it at one of his many assistants and pulled the trigger, the assistant fell twitching to the ground. It was strange that such a thing could occur, for how does one harness the power of electricity? (To be honest, he wasn't actually the first one to create such a weapon. Many millenia ago, one of the ancient and advanced civilizations had done the same thing, but the professor was given credit because only pokemon know of the treasure town society.)

Whatever the reason, the human accepted the gift with giddy anticipation. I know that she sees herself destroying the leader of Team Rocket in the future, but that is a path she should not dwell upon. It is a dark road, and Arceus himself be damned if I let the human walk it alone. I had come to enjoy the company of the human in the time we had known each other.

Just as I went to tell the professor to keep the device, he nonchalantly mentioned that Team Rocket had been sighted at the Lake of Rage. My hopes that the weapon never see use were dashed at the light in the human's eyes.

Sighing, I inquired of the professor how to navigate to the lake. He told us that the most time efficient method was to fly there, but since I had not yet been caught, I would have to swim the stream north of the town. I, seeing no alternative, demanded that the human wait for me at the lake, for I would not let her take Team Rocket on without me to keep her sane. She complied and I left for the stream.

Little happened on the swim, so I shall bore you not. Keep swimming, friends.