'Though there remains no official culprit behind the attacks on several pokémon sanctuaries in the Northern areas of Kanto, authorities reassure us that they are close to arresting the persons responsible.

'Meanwhile, authorities are still investigating a string of recent pokémon thefts that occured on the Nugget Bridge near Cerulean. Reports say victims were distracted by a battle in which both trainers fell into the river, and only later discovered their pokémon were missing. We have-'

Gary turned off the television and fought the urge to sigh. It felt like more and more people were turning towards crime. He could remember Grandpa's stories about the world when he was a younger trainer. Gary knew in his head that eradicating all crime was a pipe dream that would never be achieved, but in his heart he wanted to do just that. When his thoughts drifted away from claiming vengeance on Team Rocket, ridding the world of the criminal elements was the thought that he went to bed dreaming of.

He rolled off the bed at the sound of the door closing and hid his face behind a yawn. Despite not actually scowling for once, the lines seemed to be permanently etched into Silver's face. He collapsed onto his bed with a sigh and stared up at the ceiling.

"The gate to Saffron is still shut," he grumbled. "That stupid alcholic guarding the gate is only letting people through if they bribe him with a bottle. When I asked how the hell I was meant to get some for him, he told me to go see his friend in Celadon to get some tea." He snorted and folded his arms over his chest. "Because I want to walk into what sounds like a kidnapping ring."

Gary laughed. "Oh please. Like anyone would be able to stand up to my pokémon." He grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulders, smirking down at Silver. "I suppose we could use you as a distraction on the off chance they pull a dragonite out of their ass."

That got Silver to sit bolt upright and glare at him. "Don't act like I wouldn't be carrying you through any battle." He smirked back. "I can always get you some pom-poms and you can be my cheerleader as I show them what a battle really is."

"Tough words from someone who got his nickname for always being second best."

The moment the words left Gary's mouth, he felt like he had strayed too far. His stomach dropped and he felt a shudder race down his spine.

To his surprise, Silver managed a small laugh as he pushed himself to his feet. "Big words from someone who has to hide behind the name of a geriatric professor."

Gary sucked in a breath and forced himself to bite down on the retort he could feel about to escape. "Okay, I'll give you that," he said through gritted teeth. "In that case I'll make sure that I become Champion Blue, and then you can be my cheerleader."

"Sure," Silver said, chuckling as he put on his own backpack, "and then you can tell me where you've found the Jirachi that's granting those wishes."

"Ass," Gary said, without any malice. He found himself still laughing as they left their room in the pokémon centre and dropped the keycard back off at reception.

Five days of hiking from Cerulean had led them to the gates to Saffron, and it was only the whims of one deadbeat that kept them from going any further. Gary wondered if there was any big metaphor or meaning behind it, or if it was just a series of annoyances designed to test him and give him the patience of a saint.

"So what now?" he asked. The morning air was cool, crisp. He saw a hoppip dancing on the breeze, angling towards the distant Mount Moon. Thinking of that brought his mood back to Team Rocket and soured his mood once again.

Silver answered with an exaggerated shrug. "What about that school that's near here? I could do with beating some spoiled brats into the ground and getting some extra spending money."

"That place?" Gary snorted. "It's full of pansies and pushovers. If you can't rely on your pokémon's strength to qualify for the League, don't even bother taking a spot that could have gone to someone worthwhile."

"You sound put out. Don't tell me - they rejected you for being too stupid to join them."

Gary laughed. "Please, I'm Gary Oak. If I don't know something, it's not worth knowing."

"What about having sex with women?"

Gary felt the heat rise to his ears. "Of course I know about that!"

"Really?" Silver laughed. The wind caught his long red hair and scattered it over his shoulders. "You're ten. Have you even grown your first pube yet?"

He was still laughing as Gary punched him on the arm and rolled his eyes. "You're an asshole, I swear."

"Didn't answer my question though," Silver said. The smirk on his face only grew as Gary felt the heat rise in his cheeks. "As fun as annoying you is, it isn't helping us get any closer to the next gym."

"And here I thought Holly was the most annoying person I knew," Gary muttered. He sighed before shaking his head and hiding his own doubts behind a smirk. "Well Silver, you're lucky you're with me. Ever wonder why Saffron hands out the marsh badge? Saffron used to be a desolate marshland up until about two hundred years ago and was an extension of Fuschia's domain. Anyway, the Imperial ninjas donated the land as a 'peace offering' to the Psychic Monks of the time. It was intended as more of an insult than anything, but the monks took the land and spent two generations turning it into the big city it is today."

"Fascinating," Silver said, his tone completely deadpan. "And how does that help us?"

Gary smiled. "Ever wanted to explore the restricted areas?"

-O-O-O-

The sun beat down on them endlessly. The air was hot and heavy. Each breath felt like it was constricting his lungs, making it harder to breathe. There was a distinctly egg-like tang to the way the air smelt and tasted. Tiny flies were buzzing around them, crawling over their skin.

Sweat raced down Gary's temples and his back. His armpits were saturated. Even his legs were coated in sweat. The muddy ground was almost impossible to walk in. Each step sunk into the marshy, muddy ground beneath them. There was mud in Gary's boots. They squelched with every step. Each time he pulled his foot up to take another step, the mud made a sucking sound.

It was easily one of the stupidest decisions Gary had made in a long time.

"What did I tell ya?" he asked, breathless. The trees were dancing in a breeze that felt like someone had pointed a hairdryer at him. He imagined that any hoppip that floated anywhere close would burst into flames before they got to wherever the wind would blow them. "Isn't this a great workout for our pokémon?"

"Sure."

Gary honestly envied Silver's ability to sum up an entire argument's worth of disdain into one simple, one worded statement. His tone was enough to make Gary grimace and sigh.

"Look at Ulric," Gary said, gesturing vaguely at his abra. The pokémon was levitating itself barely an inch above the muddy bogs. The lilac glow that surrounded it was steadily getting weaker. Soon Gary would have to recall him and be left without any of his pokémon that could truly battle to the best of their ability. As if to hammer the point home, Gary saw the snaking form of an arbok slither past in the distance and shuddered. The mud rolled away like waves parting for Moses.

He forced himself to remain calm. He had planned for coming here. He had plans for fighting tougher enemies. It was all training to get stronger to truly take on Team Rocket. The thought of having to call his grandpa in again left him with a bad taste in his mouth - one that had nothing to do with the sulphur in the air.

"I don't understand how this is going to make us stronger," Silver complained. He scowled as he pulled a leg out of the mud and it filled the air with the stench of faeces. "This isn't doing anything other than ruining my clothes."

Privately, Gary agreed. Out loud he said, "And what if you go to battle someone and they turn the battlefield into something like this? The end goal in Kanto is getting a badge from Giovanni - you know he's going to be able to do something like this."

Silver fell quiet at that, a dark expression on his face that had nothing to do with the heat, humidity, or the generally unsavoury environment they found themselves in.

"Getting ourselves killed won't help us do anything," Silver said. He sighed and shook his head. "If we're wanting to take on him we'll need to do more than just train our pokémon. We need to be strong and smart. Prepared for anything." He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. "Relentless. Willing to do anything to win."

"Sure," Gary said after a moment's hesitation. "But I don't think that-"

Not safe.

Gary spun at the moment the world air got thick, almost impossible to breathe. He sucked in a breath subconsciously and nearly choked on the taste alone. It felt like his tongue was bubbling. His stomach flipped and he had to fight the urge to be sick.

Through teary eyes he saw Silver was just as affected. "T-talon," Gary cried between coughs. He tried to give a command, but his throat already felt like it was constricting. It was getting harder to breathe. Each breath felt like it was agony in his lungs. He started to panic. Breathe quicker. His vision grew dark.

Then blessedly fresh air swirled around him.

Gary sucked in a greedy breath. His eyes were still closed. He pushed himself from the ground, half wondering when he even started resting against the soft, sticky mud. He grimaced as he trudged forwards and found Silver doubled over, coughing into the dirt.

Talon shrieked from above. The fearow circled around them, attempted to land and clearly thought better of it. Instead he continued to arc gracefully through the sky above them.

Gary glanced over to Ulric, only to find the abra was on the floor, levitation forgotten. The air had faint wisps of lilac in it whenever the light caught it just right. Gary thanked his abra and recalled him, angry only at himself for letting the situation get so bad.

At Talon's shriek Gary saw the cause of their agony - a passing weezing, floating through the air, ignorant to the way the weeds curled up, withered and died when exposed to its noxious fumes.

Gary felt Silver's hand on his shoulder. He was watching the pokémon with an equal mixture of disdain and longing. It was both humbling and insulting that they had nearly died, and the pokémon responsible had never even noticed them nearby.

"I think maybe that's a sign we should head back to Cerulean and take Rock Tunnel through to Lavender," Gary grumbled.

"Fuck that," Silver sneered. He squeezed Gary's shoulder before shoving him, gently. From his waist Silver pulled free a poké ball and released a magnemite from within. It made a low droning sound that made Gary's ears feel like they were about to pop. "If one of the pokémon here can nearly kill us without even noticing us, we're staying. That's how we're getting stronger. Prepared to do anything to win, remember?"

"I guess," Gary said. He looked up at Talon and hoped that the nearby arboks were unable to launch up and snap him out of the air. "We'll need to camp in the trees. And hope we don't get eaten by a victreebel hiding in them."

"Don't puss out on me now," Silver said. His smile was borderline manic. There was a fire in his eyes, one that made Gary equal parts excited and terrified.

Oddly, Gary found himself already dreading the day they would have to part ways.