Delia didn't know what to expect one morning when she discovered the boys exhibiting strange symptoms. Charmander had what appeared to be a terrible fever, but the intense warmth could be felt from all over his body instead of only his forehead. Not to mention that he was occasionally sneezing small bits of fire. Squirtle had a similar sneezing problem with bubbles. Bulbasaur wasn't running a fever or a sneezing fit, but the bulb on his back grew two small stubs on the side. Delia's motherly instincts were insisting that Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle were sick since they'd never shown these signs before, but each of them insisted that they felt fine. Nothing added up. Delia resolved to make a house call for a doctor to examine them.
"Now open wide for me and say 'ahhhh,'" said Dr. Bearne as he placed a popsicle stick onto Squirtle's tongue. "Hmmm...well Mrs. Ketchum, if there is a problem with them, I can't seem to find it."
"Ahhh...AAH-CHOO!" Charmander sneezed as a few sparks of fire hit the floor. "Hehe…sorry," he said with a sniff as he wiped his nose. The orange lizard stamped his foot to put out the tiny flames on the floor.
"Then again, your…'boys' here aren't exactly common around these parts so their immune systems could function on a completely different scale than what I've worked with," Dr. Bearne continued.
"I'm telling ya, I feel fine!" Squirtle insisted.
"Me too," Bulbasaur agreed.
"Well, I suppose there's not much else I can do at the moment. However," he turned to Delia, "if things change and they do begin to feel sick, give me another call," he concluded.
"I will, thank you," Delia obliged with a nod. She followed Dr. Bearne out of the room to lead him to the front door. Delia greatly disliked all this uncertainty. She wanted to understand Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur so much. As far as she was concerned, they were her children and she loved them tremendously. She was simply concerned by their "symptoms." They were all she had left and all she could resolve to think about. Losing them as well would be too much for her to handle.
"M'kay, let's see if I can do that thing again," said Charmander out in the front yard. He took a deep breath and tried to shoot out sparks again, but his mouth came up empty.
"Hey, let me try!" Squirtle shouted. He took a deep breath as well and exhaled with great ferocity, but also came up empty. "Hey, what's going on? I swear I could shoot out bubbles a minute ago…," Squirtle trailed off with disappointment.
"Yeah, and I thought I could spit out flames," said Charmander.
"There has to be more to all of this...," said Bulbasaur as he examined his bulb-stubs.
"More to all of what?" a familiar voice chimed in. The boys turned to notice Serena walking up to their house.
"Hey Serena, we've got superpowers! Isn't that cool!?" Squirtle announced.
"Say what?" Serena asked.
"We don't know what it is, Squirtle." said Bulbasaur.
"What exactly is going on?" Serena replied curiously.
"Well see, we woke up this morning and we started doing all this weird stuff. I was sneezing fire, Squirtle was sneezing bubbles, and...well, I don't really know what's going on with Bulbasaur…," said Charmander as he turned to his brother. Serena looked over and examined Bulbasaur's stubs.
"So, you've got some kind of fire power up your nose, Squirtle can make snot bubbles, and Bulbasaur's going through plant puberty?" Serena concluded with a laugh.
"No! They were really cool and…ugh I wish I could just show you!" Squirtle shouted.
"What's puberty?" Bulbasaur asked in confusion. Serena felt awkward; not knowing how exactly to respond to the question.
"Well…uhhh…it just means you're growing up!" Serena replied. She couldn't think of anything more to say.
"Does everyone go through this?" Charmander asked. This conversation was getting too weird for Serena. She didn't feel like she was the best person to be explaining this. But she decided to try her best.
"Well, not exactly. I don't even fully know if that's what's really happening to you guys. I mean, you're so…different from everyone else around here," said Serena. The air grew silent for a moment as Serena's words sank in. A gentle wind blew in the midst of the silence. None of the boys enjoyed being reminded that they were different. It sort of hurt. To be looked down upon for not being like everyone else. It wasn't their fault after all. They had no idea where they were really from or how or why they ended up here.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just-," Serena added.
"It's okay, Serena. We know," Bulbasaur stopped her. Serena deeply wished she could take back her words.
"But it's not all bad, right? I mean, you've got a great home, Mrs. Ketchum and me, and Pallet Town does like you," said Serena in cheerful reassurance. Charmander stopped listening to the conversation at this point and walked across the yard over to a wooden swing under a tree and sat upon it. Bulbasaur and Squirtle may have felt accepted by Pallet Town, but he certainly didn't.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I don't know where we would be without you guys," said Squirtle with a smile.
"Maybe someday we'll find out where we came from," Bulbasaur suggested with optimism.
"Yeah but for today, how about we go into town and find something fun to do?" Serena asked.
"Yeah, let's go!" Squirtle shouted.
"Hold on, I'd better make sure Mom is okay with it," said Bulbasaur as he scurried back up to the house.
"Alright, but make it quick!" Squirtle replied.
"Can we go into town with Serena?" Bulbasaur asked Delia inside the house.
"Of course you can. Just stick together and be careful out there," she instructed.
"Heh! Don't worry! We will!" Bulbasaur shouted back as he raced out the door in excitement. He caught up with Squirtle and Serena at the edge of the hill, and stopped when he noticed they were one brother short.
"Hey Charmander, you comin?" Squirtle shouted. Charmander was still sitting alone on the swing. He turned his head and looked at the group.
"Yeah," he replied as he jogged down the hill to meet up with his companions.
"Something wrong, Char?" Bulbasaur asked. Charmander paused for a moment before answering, deciding not to stir anything up this time.
"No, I'm fine." He replied; forcing a smile without too much effort.
As the group headed into the heart of Pallet Town, they passed through the market square, which lined both sides of the street with rows of tents and stands selling all sorts of foods, crafts, and pottery. The children stopped when they noticed a menacing group of teenage boys dressed in dark purple jumpsuits harassing a young man a few feet in front of them.
"Why don't you quit making a scene and just hand it over?" asked a short, chubby boy with mop-shaped brown hair.
"Yeah, quit stalling and give us the sketchbook!" a thin, tall, blue-haired boy added.
"What!? Why would you want my sketchbook!?" asked the young man being harassed. He was wearing a light green shirt, red shorts, and dark blue sneakers. His long, black hair extended to the tips of his ears and his forehead was covered with a light-orange headband.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head about why we want it," said a boy standing in the middle with spiked, violet hair. "Just give it up before you get yourself in a world of trouble; meaning: us!" he threatened.
"No way! This book means too much to me to just give it away!" the victim shouted.
"Yeah, yeah. Cry me a river," said the middle boy. "Kail, grab the sketchbook. Kai, punish this delinquent for me, will ya?" he instructed. As the scene began to unfold, the denizens of Pallet stood by and watched in horror; too afraid of this group to intervene. Someone had to stand up to this injustice.
"Leave him alone!" a voice roared from a distance. The trio of purple jumpsuits turned their heads and watched as Charmander approached them with a determined look on his face.
"Awwww, are you talking to us, widdle guy?" the middle boy taunted.
"You bet I am!" Charmander yelled. "What's your problem; picking on people like that?"
"Obviously, you don't know who you're dealin with," said the middle boy as he, Kail, and Kai surrounded Charmander. But the orange lizard stood his ground.
"Charmander, stop!" Serena shouted from a few feet away as she, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle ran up to help Charmander.
"I can handle this, Serena!" Charmander shrugged her off. Kail and Kai burst out laughing at this declaration.
"Bahahaha. Isn't that cute, boys? The widdle lizard baby is gonna 'handle' us!" the leader laughed. Charmander was angered by the taunt.
"Guhhh hahahaha! Hi-larious, Kim!" Kai cackled.
"What did you call me?" Charmander shouted.
This is getting bad. Bulbasaur thought to himself. We have to stop Charmander before these guys tear him apart. He scanned his surroundings and with nothing immediately nearby, resolved to pick up a wad of dirt from the ground. I guess this'll have to do! Bulbasaur chucked the dirt at the group. A direct hit. The brothers winced and covered their faces as the ground particles invaded and destroyed their vision.
"Gahhh! Hey! What's goin on!? Where'd this dirt come from!?" Kail screamed. The dust left behind from the airborne dirt brushed past Charmander's nose and irritated him. He suddenly felt the urge to sneeze.
"Uhhh….uhhhhh…AHHHHHH-CHOO!" Charmander sneezed. At this moment, he spat out a series of orange fire bullets that pelted the leader boy's suit and sparked a small fire. The trio panicked.
"AHHH! AHHH! SOMEBODY! PUT THIS OUT! GAAAAAAHHH!" Kim roared. He ripped off his jacket and stomped the tiny fire out. His anger rose when he listened to the watching crowd chuckling at his humiliating dance.
"ARRRRRRGH! How dare you!" Kim yelled. "I'll teach you to make a fool outta me!" In the blink of an eye, the teenager grabbed a nearby crowbar from a stand and lifted it above his head, preparing to strike down at full force.
No! I have to protect Charmander! Bulbasaur thought as panic overwhelmed him and adrenaline possessed his body. Without hesitation, the bulb creature leaped forward and charged into the boy's stomach, knocking out some of the force behind the swinging arm. Unfortunately, the attack was not fast enough to stop the tremendous speed of the swing. The crowbar struck Charmander directly in the face, causing the tiny orange lizard to fall backward and hit the ground with a thud. He covered his right eye with both hands in a futile attempt to nurse the pain. Try as he might to fight back tears, Charmander could feel his breath grow short as groans of pain escaped from his throat. The stinging pain was just too much.
Screams of shock swirled around the crowd of the plaza. Kim rose the weapon again for another attack. This time, however, preparing to strike Bulbasaur as the bulb creature watched in paralyzed fear. Squirtle stepped forward from the sidelines and stood beside Bulbasaur.
"Hey! Leave my brothers alone!" the turtle shouted as he took in a heavy breath. Upon exhaling, Squirtle shot out a burst of gentle bubbles from his mouth that had no effect against the attackers. The teenagers laughed at Squirtle's mediocre attack.
"Hahahaha! Look out guys! The little baby turtle's gonna blow bubbles at us!" Squirtle was utterly embarrassed by the mocking roars of laughter from the enemies. He stepped back slowly and dropped to his hands and knees. No…no! It's not fair! I just thought…I could help them…. His confidence dropped. Feeling utterly defeated, Squirtle retreated his head and limbs into his shell and hid from the overwhelming torment all around him.
After a few seconds of fading in and out of consciousness, Charmander felt a surge of power course through his veins. He quickly gathered memory of the situation and rose to his feet. He removed his hands from his now swollen black-eye and returned them to his sides. It caused him great pain to try and open the afflicted eye, so Charmander focused all of his vision into his remaining one. The tiny lizard's body began to emit steam and the flame on his tail grew twice its normal size as the fire creature's anger rose immensely. When he noticed Squirtle hiding in his shell and Bulbasaur surrounded by the teenagers, Charmander could feel his consciousness slipping into blind, uncontrollable rage.
A sensation of intense heat swirled within the boy's stomach and quickly rose up his throat and into his mouth with nowhere else to go. When Kim, Kail, and Kai finally noticed Charmander, it was too late. The tiny lizard released a giant, swirling, beam of fire directly into three terrified faces. The attack was so intense that it left Charmander breathless as he dropped to his knees. The air fell to an eerie pin-drop silence as not a single sound was made. Nobody in the crowd said a word out of both fear and amazement.
"You….y-you're freaks! That's it! That's what you are! Freaks! The lot of ya!" Kim stammered hysterically. He turned to his henchmen. "Kail! Kai! I think it's time we split this joint!" he ordered.
"R-right!" the burnt teens yelped together.
"Not so fast!" an unfamiliar voice barged in. All faces turned in the direction of the voice's origin and noticed an elderly police officer making his way onto the scene. "Kim, you and your gang are under arrest for disturbing the peace," The officer announced. Kim, Kail, and Kai were too horrified by Charmander's flamethrower attack to even attempt a quick getaway and were quickly handcuffed and prepared for arrest. Before leaving the scene with the criminals in tow, the officer turned to Serena, who was standing behind him.
"I appreciate you bringing this fight to my attention, young lady. I've been pursuing these deviants for a few days now," he explained.
"My pleasure officer," Serena replied.
"Now, I must be going." He turned to Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. "Under normal circumstances, I would be taking you three into the station for taking part in this fight as well. However, because your efforts did help me catch these delinquents, I'll let you off the hook just this once. In return, I suggest you boys head on home before your parents catch you out here. Afternoon." The officer turned and raised his voice to the crowd to begin clearing a path for himself. "Alright, nothing to see here! Fight's over! Break it up, all of you!"
Serena kneeled down to help her friends up to their feet. "Charmander! Your eye! Are you okay!?" Serena panicked when she caught her first glimpse of Charmander's throbbing purple eye.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry about it. I knew I had it in me to show those creeps a thing or two," said Charmander confidently. Immediately, Serena slapped him across the face, though taking special measure as to avoid his inflicted eye.
"You are such an idiot picking a fight with those guys! You're just kids and you could've been killed!" Serena reprimanded. "You're lucky I went and found help when I did or who knows what they might've done to you!"
"Excuse me!? You're forgetting the part where I saved the day with that awesome fire blast!"
"You are so stubborn, Charmander!"
"You really are. Not to mention stupid," Bulbasaur inserted. Charmander and Serena turned to notice him rubbing Squirtle's shell and trying to coax his brother out of hiding. "Have you forgotten that it was you who stepped in and turned this into a fight in the first place?"
"Well I…-," Charmander began.
"I made a promise to Mom that we'd be careful. If I hadn't thrown that dirt, you would've gotten creamed! Thanks to you, I probably got a concussion trying to save your sorry tail, and Mom's going to freak when she sees your eye!" Bulbasaur continued.
"Why do you keep calling her that? You know Mrs. Ketchum isn't really our-"
"Now is NOT the time for that, Charmander! Now come on, we're going home." Serena looked around to find the man who was originally being attacked by the gang, but he was nowhere to be seen. She turned and followed behind her friends. None of them were looking forward to the evening that they each knew awaited them.
"Come on in boys, dinner is almost ready!" Delia called out merrily when she heard the front door open. Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle each sat down at the table without as much as a word. They couldn't think of anything to say. They were each lost in their own separate thoughts. They knew in what direction the conversation would turn just as soon as Mrs. Ketchum would look at them.
"You three are awfully quiet tonight. Is something wrong?" their mother asked as she continued to stir a pot of soup.
"Well, you see...something happened in town today," Bulbasaur began. Delia turned and dropped her stirring spoon on the floor as she ran over to the table when she finally noticed them. They were each covered in dust from the plaza ground. Of course it was nothing in comparison to Charmander's black eye. Delia was furious when she finally noticed it.
"WHAT HAPPENED? EXPLAIN YOURSELVES THIS INSTANT!" Delia shouted angrily. Charmander then told Mrs. Ketchum all about their encounter with Kim, Kail, and Kai; pitifully attempting to neglect getting smacked in the eye with a crowbar. Delia held Charmander's chin with her hands and tilted his head left and right as she examined his eye closely. She sighed heavily in frustration; futilely attempting to contain her anger.
"Can you still see out of it?" she asked Charmander.
"Not really…"
"I'll put some ice on it and we'll have to wait for the swelling to go down before we'll know for sure if you'll regain vision or not. You'll be lucky if you can ever see out of this eye again. I can't believe you'd be so irresponsible, Charmander!"
"B-but-"
"You've gotten into trouble before, but this is an all-time low! What were you even thinking!?"
"I was just trying to-"
"You're lucky you weren't killed! Can you even imagine what would have happened if-"
"MOM! Are you ever gonna let me get a word in!?"
"Don't raise your voice to me, young man! How can I ever teach you to behave properly when you're always acting out and being defiant and-"
"Whoever said I wanted you to teach me!?"
The room fell silent as Charmander's words took their course like a storm.
"Just because what you do works for Squirtle and Bulbasaur doesn't mean it works for me! You can't tell me what to do all the time! You're NOT my real mom!" Charmander shouted. He winced from the pain as tears leaked out of his eyes. Without another word, Charmander leaped from his chair, ran out of the kitchen, and dashed upstairs to the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
Delia, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle sat still at the table; too shocked from Charmander's outburst to move or speak. Bulbasaur and Squirtle felt helpless. They simply sat by and watched as Delia turned her head away; obviously she was trying to hide how hurt she was feeling at that moment, even though they could still see the steady stream of tears flowing down her cheek.