Hey guys, I'm back! Okay, so I didn't start rolling these out like newspapers like I intended, but things are still hard. Even so, I don't wanna give up on this story. So I enlisted the help of galladefenrir44, my coauthor for A Deal With A God/ The Blade and The Embrace. If you haven't read those yet… well, what're you doin' here? This is just a prequel to that story (the first one, I claim no ownership over the second). Well, I'm rambling, but I've got one more important thing here; I don't remember if I've used this before (and I'm probably too lazy to check) but I'm using different notation from now on to indicate when something's being read. It will be the octothorpe (this thing #). Yeah, it has a name, and it ain't a hashtag. Anyway, enjoy the story!
Red woke up shortly before the break of dawn, as was becoming a norm for him. He was considerably stiff from sleeping on the uncomfortable floor, but he worked it out as best he could while waiting for Lostelle to wake up. Lostelle soon woke up and yawned, greeting
"Good morning." Red nodded and handed her a ration of his own food, eating his own in silence.
"So are we finally gonna get home today?" Red simply nodded and continued to eat.
"Why don't you talk?" Red pointed at his throat, then shook his head. Lostelle cocked her head, asking confusedly
"You have a sore throat?" Red shook his head, then drew an "x" over his throat. Lostelle still didn't understand.
"You choose not to speak?" Red sighed, then took out his notebook, scribbling something down. When he handed it over, Lostelle read
#I can't speak; I'm mute. # This surprised Lostelle, but she simply said
"Oh. Well, at least you can write." Red nodded and took his notebook back, returning to his meal.
"Thank you for helping me, by the way." Red smiled slightly and nodded, finished his meal, and began to pack up his stuff to get back on the road. Lostelle asked
"Time to go?" Red nodded, waiting for her to finish her food. She soon finished and stood up, saying
"Let's go." Red nodded and made sure any and all litter was picked up, to dispose it properly later. Once that was finished, he led the way outside, finding Blitz lazing around. He smirked and returned him, then started walking down the coastline, heading back to the main town of the island.
"Can't we just fly with your Charizard?" Red took out his notebook and scribbled again, and Lostelle read
#We could, but that would be pretty dangerous, especially since the currents around these islands are deadly. # Lostelle sighed disappointedly
"Then I guess we're stuck walking." Red nodded again and continued doing so, then thought of something. He pulled his Rainbow Pass from his pocket, pointing at her, then at the ticket.
"You want me to take it?" Red sighed and once again brought out his notebook, writing to her
#Do you have your Rainbow Pass on you? # Lostelle looked in her pockets and pulled it out, answering
"Yes." Red nodded and took his notebook back, but decided to keep it on-hand, since no sign- however simple he tried to make it- seemed to register with the girl. After a while, they cut through the small town where he had thrashed the Bikers previously, heading for the port to the ferry.
"You really have traveled alone for a long time. Haven't you?" Red nodded yet again, writing down
#I actually come from a completely different region; I decided to see what I could do here. #
"Don't you miss your family?" Red thought about that, then replied
#Well, yes, but things were hard back home; I had to leave for a while. #
"Really? So it wasn't a good place to live at?" Red shook his head and wrote down
#It wasn't that; it was more of a personal thing. Something happened to me, and I had to leave to try and escape my problems. #
"I see. Oh well, I'm sure you'll fix your problems soon." Red simply nodded and continued on, and after showing their passes and indicating which island they were going to, Red and Lostelle embarked on the ferry. On the ferry, Lostelle asked
"Is my dad waiting for me?" Red nodded, writing to her
#He's also sick with worry, so I'm sure he'll be relieved to see you. #
"Is he paying you?" Red shook his head.
"So why are you helping me?" Red wrote down
#Because no one should suffer the loss of their family. And I realize that's hypocritical of me, but my circumstances are unique. #
"Well, I just want to be home right now." Red nodded again and sat back, relaxing for the duration of the ride. When the ferry pulled into the port, Red and Lostelle got off, walking through the exit and seeing the small island around them. Lostelle asked
"Where's my dad?" Red led the way back to the building where he had met the man who told him about his lost daughter, the Joyful Corner. Lostelle followed him and looked around, looking for her father. The man looked over, and almost immediately he launched himself, grabbing up his daughter and holding her tightly, sobbing out
"Lostelle! Oh thank Mew you're alright, I was so worried when you didn't come home!" Lostelle hugged her father and said
"I'm alright thanks to, Red." The man looked up, seeing the Trainer, and stood up, saying gratefully
"Thank you for finding my daughter and bringing her back to me. I really appreciate it." Red simply nodded and turned to leave, figuring his work was done. Lostelle quickly called out
"Wait!" She ran up to Red and handed him a berry, telling him
"It's an Iapapa Berry. I want you to have it." Red looked it over, then smirked and nodded in thanks. Just before exiting, however, he remembered Bill's package and quickly turned back around, grabbing the Joyful Corner's attention again.
"Oh? Did you forget something?" Red nodded and swung his pack in front of him, rifling through it for a moment before pulling the small meteorite out and handing it over. The man's eyes lit up, and he declared
"Hey, I like this! Did Bill send this over? He said he found something I would find interesting." Red smirked and nodded, and the owner thanked him once more. Red finally left the building and headed for the dock, taking the Seagallop Ferry back to One Island. He went to the Pokémon Center, where Bill and Celio seemed finished with their business. Upon seeing him, Bill said
"Oh, hi Red! Did you deliver the package I sent with you?" Red nodded, and he responded
"Great! We finished up here, too, but unfortunately we gotta get back." Celio told him
"I'm sorry we couldn't hang out or anything; next time we'll make sure to do that." Red just nodded, but couldn't foresee a return trip to do so. Bill said goodbye to his friend, and both he and Red went back to the ferry Bill's friend used to take them from Cinnabar Island.
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Red disembarked back onto Cinnabar Island, stretching himself out in relief. He thought about his next move as he looked around, and by chance his gaze fell upon the lab where he remembered dropping off his Dome Fossil. The very thought made him sweatdrop as he realized how long he had left it, and quickly made his way to see if anything had come of it. Upon entering, he was greeted by the same scientist from before, who demanded
"What took you so long?! I've been waiting forever!" Red gave a nervous half-smile, and the scientist continued
"Anyway, the revival process was a success." Red smirked now, wondering what he would receive. The scientist walked back into a room and came out with a strange Pokemon with glowing red eyes. Red was surprised and immediately took out his PokeDex, which told him
"Kabuto, the Shellfish Pokemon. It is thought to have inhabited beaches three hundred million years ago. It is protected by a stiff shell." Red was astonished, to say the least.
"This Pokemon will eventually evolve into a very powerful Pokemon for battle." Red smirked, looking at the Kabuto for a moment before taking out a pokeball and holding it out to it. The Kabuto looked at him and then gave a motion like nodding. Red grinned and tapped the Kabuto gently with the pokeball, sucking it in. The pokeball shook three times and then stopped a click was heard. Red grinned, then nodded to the lady at the desk before heading back out and putting the ball back in his pack to keep it from dematerializing into a PC account. Then he walked out of the lab, giving a last wave to the scientist there.
Red headed to the shore of Cinnabar, thinking hard about his current position; at seven badges, he was almost ready to take on the Elite Four, though perhaps that warranted some further training, if only to make sure he didn't lose outright upon reaching them. Moreover, he was expecting to receive an egg from Green, as per their agreement, and he would of course have to train that extensively. However, they weren't set to meet for a few more days, which meant he still had some time to kill. Driven by that, he decided to head up the route leading to Palette Town; perhaps there would be a few Trainers he could take on there.
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Red walked into the Saffron Pokemon Center, looking around to see if Green had kept her promise. He soon saw her sitting on a bench with an egg in her arms. She was reading a magazine and was oblivious to the world around her. Red felt the strange sensation upon seeing her again, but by this time was getting used to it. He walked over to her, making sure he had everything he needed. Green looked up and saw him, greeting
"Oh! Hey Red! You made it." Red nodded, taking out his notepad, and wrote to her
#How long have you had the egg?#
"About a week or week and a half." Red grunted, then pulled out his Trainer Card, ready to make the transaction. Green nodded and said
"Thanks! I needed the money." Red nodded absently, then asked
#May I ask what for, exactly?# Green answered after a brief moment of hesitation
"I need it to buy one of my Pokemon some medicine she needs. I was short on the cash." Red frowned slightly, arguing
#Medicine shouldn't be over twenty-five thousand Poke, though.# Green retorted
"Not if your Pokemon doesn't have a life threatening condition." Red still didn't buy it, but he decided not to argue. Instead, he took her Trainer Card and deposited the twenty-five thousand he owed her, and once the transfer was complete handed it back to her. Green then handed him the egg and told him
"Please take care of it. It's ready to hatch soon." Red grinned and nodded, and after a moment of thought took his notepad and wrote
#Hey, since we're here, could I trouble you with making a trade evolution?#
"Of course not! Who do you want to trade?"
#My Kadabra; I think he's been waiting long enough, but I haven't found anyone I trust enough to help me with this.# Green nodded, replying
"Alright. My Machoke has been wanting to evolve too."
#Alright, then, let's head to a trade station.#
"Very well." Red led the way to the trading station, and he took Louie's pokeball from a pocket, setting it in the depression where the pokeball fit. Green put her Machoke's pokeball in the other indentation and said
"Ready." Red nodded and hit the button, starting the trade. After a moment, the computer began to beep and traded the Pokemon. The two pokeballs swapped places, but even after the trade was finished the pokeballs continued to glow, indicating that the Pokemon inside were evolving.
"Want to trade them back?" Red nodded and hit the button again when the pokeballs stopped glowing.
"Ready to see them?" Red nodded, waiting for her to conduct the trade on her side as well. Green did so and soon their pokeballs were returned to them. Red smirked and took Louie's pokeball, releasing the new Alakazam. Green then released her Pokemon and was presented with a new Machamp. Red smirked, greatly appreciating her help, and wrote to her
#Thanks for working with me today.#
"You're welcome. Still, we can hang out for the rest of the day." Red paused, considering the temptation. Red considered the proposal, then nodded, agreeing. Green smiled, telling him
"Great! Let's get some ice cream!" Red nodded again and returned Louie, putting the pokeball away in his pack. Green took his hand and said excitedly
"Let's go!" Red blushed as she held his hand, but came along compliantly. She soon led him to an ice cream stand and asked him
"What do you want to get?" Red looked at the choices for a moment, then picked a simple vanilla. Green ordered it and ordered her own cone and handed Red his ice cream. Red nodded in thanks, taking out his Trainer Card to pay. The clerk took the card and processed it. Green then asked
"So what have you been up to?" Red thought for a moment how best to explain, because he didn't want to keep surrendering his ice cream to write. So instead he took one of his pokeballs and mimed the throwing action.
"Just training?" Red nodded, glad it hadn't been excessively hard.
"I've been training too. I'm going to challenge a gym in a few days." Red couldn't help smirking, taking out his badge case and showing the seven badges he currently had. After perusing them, she remarked
"I need to beat Cinnabar. So I'm leaving tomorrow." Red frowned and cocked his head, then pointed at the golden Marsh Badge, raising an eyebrow.
"Do I have that badge?" Red nodded. Green nodded back, explaining
"Yeah. That's the latest one I got before returning home to visit my mom." Red grunted, but her comment got him thinking about his own mother, which was depressing to him.
"It was so good to see her. I'm going back tonight. Nothing like sleeping in your own bed." Red shrugged, not having done so for such a long time that he didn't really remember anymore.
"I told my mom about you." Red looked at her questioningly.
"I told her we were meeting in Saffron City and she wanted me to invite you to stay the night if you would like."
"I told her we were meeting in Saffron City and she wanted me to invite you to stay the night if you would like. We could fly there and be there in half an hour." Red shook his head, declining the offer.
"Alright. I just figured that you would enjoy a warm bed and a nice meal. Still, I guess that's not your style." Red just shrugged, but remained strident in his decision. She then looked around and saw a movie theater.
"Let's watch a movie." Red nodded and worked to finish off his ice cream. Green did the same and took his hand again as she dragged him to the theater. Red once again blushed at the contact, but didn't protest. Green asked him
"What do you want to see?" Red shrugged, not really caring what they watched. Green then asked the teller
"Can I have two tickets for The Gorebyss Adventure?" The teller nodded, saying
"Sure. One for you and your... boyfriend?"
"Oh no. Just a friend." Red stood passively, though in his mind he entertained the idea. The teller then gave Green the tickets and she walked with Red into the cinema that the movie was playing in. After the movie, Red and Green walked out, satisfied.
"What did you think of the movie?" Red shrugged, then wrote
#It was okay.#
"True. The acting was good, but the plot was lacking. So, what do you want to do now?" Red shrugged, not really knowing what they could do. Green then asked him
"Once you beat this region, you're leaving, aren't you?" Red nodded, but also pulled out his Town Map and pointed to the left of the map.
"You're going to Johto?" Red nodded again, rolling the map back up.
"You're going to take on the gyms there?" Red nodded once more, grinning.
"Have you been there before?" Red shook his head now.
"I see. Well, there's a train here in this city that's supposed take you to Johto." Red thought for a moment, then wrote down
#What does it take to use it, and where does it go?#
"It will go to Goldenrod City in Johto, but it's still under construction." Red remarked
#Then it sounds like I have to do it the old fashioned way.#
"What do you mean?"
#Well, I can't fly there because my Pokemon don't know the area, so that makes it dangerous, and there doesn't seem to be very many modes of transport that'll take me wherever I need to go. So the only reliable way to do it is to walk.# After a bit of thinking, Green suggested
"Maybe my mom can arrange to get you there. I have an uncle in Violet City." Red shrugged.
#I just want to start from wherever the first city or town is that has the gym and work my way up.
"That would be Violet City."
#I see. Then I might take you up on that.#
"My uncle's a good man. He'll even send you to Professor Elm." Red cocked his head, asking
#Professor Elm?# Green explained
"He's the lead Professor in Johto." Red grunted, replying
#I see. Alright, but I don't have to worry about that for a while; first I'm going to hatch this egg, raise it up, then take on the Viridian Gym before the Elite Four.#
"You know, you can rest for a bit, maybe call home." Red told her evasively
#I'll take care of things my way; don't worry about me, alright?# Green watched him for a second, then dropped the subject by saying
"Alright. Just be careful in what you do." Red grinned and replied
#Of course. That's how I prefer to go.#
"Don't do anything reckless." Red smirked and responded
#Reckless? Me?# Green shrugged, telling him
"Well, you took on Team Rocket without another thought." Red asserted
#I had my reasons for that, and I knew I could take them on, anyway.#
"I see. Well, just be careful. It'll be sunset soon and I have to get home." Red nodded, having one more thing to say.
#Thank you for everything, for the egg and the help trade-evolving.#
"You're welcome. You're my friend. I'm always here to help you." She the suddenly hugged him tightly and said
"Well, goodbye. I wish you the best of luck on your journey. If you ever want to visit me, you know where my house is." Red nodded and headed off, feeling much lighter than he had in a long time. He turned around and saw her waving at him before walking off in the opposite direction.
Well, that's all I've got for now; I know it's shorter than usual, and it's been a long time since I've updated anything, but I'm doing what I can. I'm not gonna bother with empty promises anymore, but I am still going to continue this story. So, see you all next time.