"I think I get where the reputation comes from," I told my companions as we returned to the Pokemon Center. "Weird as it was, I appreciate his care for his team. It felt different from my other Gym Challenges, that's for sure.

"Yeah," Mac agreed, "It's not an orthodox style, but it really hammers home what he's testing you for. It was intense. I haven't had a chance to see him battle since he took over the Viridian Gym. He deserves it."

"So, how'd I do?" I asked him.

"You earned the Badge, didn't you?" Janelle said, "Is it even a question?"

I fixed Mac with my gaze, "He knows what I mean."

Mac grinned guilelessly at me. "Hmm?"

I narrowed my eyes.

He laughed, "Oh relax. Other than some personality quirks, you're not going to corrupt young minds into abusing their Pokemon, and your team is definitely growing. You're not going to be popular with the 'traditional' training crowd, and from what I understand of the program, that's the point."

I blinked. That was surprisingly professional for Mac. I'd been expecting something about continuing the adventure or something.

"And honestly, after all those team-building games, we're such good friends that I couldn't consider any other option."

There it was. Though it sounded more genuine than his usual frivolity.

"Anyway," Janelle said, shattering the mood as cleanly as I'm sure Mac could boulders, "are we going to the beach or what?"


We reached Pallet Town by that evening. I wasn't sure why Pallet and Viridian were distinct places; the area they occupied together with Route 1 was smaller than Celadon or Saffron, but maybe things out here in the country were divided up differently. The road zig-zagged down a series of small ledges, but Mac hopped down the first with minimal effort. Janelle and Cloppy followed like champion hurdlers, which left me little choice but to bounce down behind them on my bike or be left behind to navigate the normal route like a chump. Lucky and Spin, at least, found a great deal of joy in rolling and jumping down the hill, which partially eased my bruised feelings, if not my bruised bottom.

The Pokemon Center was both tiny and new; I think we might have been the first occupants in our rooms, based on the tags I found on some of the bedding. Since we were traveling together, Nurse Joy gave Janelle and I a room to share, while Mac was put with another trainer in the only other room of the four the building had with vacancy. We planned to meet up at breakfast before heading to the beach.

After an uneventful night's sleep, we got ready for the day.

"So, how do I look?" Janelle asked. I turned around from pulling my shorts over my swimsuit to see her modeling her bikini in the mirror. Based on the frilly, loose-looking ties, it looked like she was planning to do more sunbathing than swimming. Granted, I wasn't planning on swimming either, but if I was going to be fishing for a Pokemon, I was probably going to get wet. Still, she did look good.

"Um, yeah," I said, "You look good. I'll bet Mac's eyes will pop out of his head."

I tactfully did not say that it was just as likely she'd pop out, but I figured she knew. She preened a little at the praise, her happy little shimmy nearly making it happen then and there.

"Anyway, we should get moving. Lucky and Vola look like they're about to chew through the door, they're so hungry." Lucky looked up at me in confusion at his name from where he stood waiting next to me, but Vola helpfully put both forepaws on the door and began making whining noises. Janelle tore her eyes away from her reflection at the noise.

"Okay, yeah. Give me a second and I'll throw something on over this."

She was as good as her word, pulling a skirt on and tossing a tank top over her head, and we left to meet up with Mac. Vola played her part to a "T" and bounded along ahead of us while Lucky flounced around next to me as I walked at a more sedate pace. I wasn't sure how Janelle made such simple clothes look so good, and was sure I couldn't manage it. She wasn't showing as much skin as she had in the room, but the loose, shapeless clothes hinted almost tantalizingly at what was beneath, and I and I'm sure Janelle, caught Mac's eyes wandering more than usual.

He was discreet, and quickly got himself under control. "Shall we?" he asked, gesturing with a flourish to the spread he'd already laid out on the larger of the tables for us.

We let our Pokemon out to eat with us, and what probably looked like a gratuitously excessive amount of food disappeared in the blink of an eye. When Electabuzz and Magmar began wrestling over one of the last bits, he quickly went back to the counter and collected seconds.

By the time everyone had had their fill, breakfast had closed and Nurse Joy was giving us subtle but unmistakably exasperated glances. "We should get going," I said. "I don't know how long you normally spend fishing, but it's always been a pretty lengthy process when I've done it, and I'd like to be done with it today."


Any time someone describes Pallet Town, whether to a friend or in a travel brochure, the word "quaint" invariably pops up. Walking through the sleepy downtown area, or what passed for one, I had to agree. There were only a handful of small businesses, all of which were obviously owned and operated by, and mostly for, locals. Even Professor Oak's lab up on the hill, while internationally recognized, struck me as tiny when Mac pointed it out; it just looked like a small farm from the main road. For visitors, apparently even getting a tour required an invitation, though the Professor acted as a kind of mentor to the few kids in town.

"He's started several of Kanto's Champions on their journeys," Mac said. "Master Bruno says that he only ever uses his top Pokemon for Pallet challengers."
"Mm?" I asked, looking around, "Why? What's so special about this place?"

"Dunno," he said, "Some people call it internal League bias, since Oak is such a prominent figure. I doubt it, though. I've never seen Master Bruno act that way, at least, and I doubt Karen would go for it, but who knows what goes on behind the scenes? My guess is that the proximity to the Professor gives the kids around here a head start on their knowledge of, and relationships with, Pokemon."

That made sense. Looking around, the Pokemon seemed as much citizens of the town as the people. A Machamp with a hilariously small hat and sash seemed to be directing traffic at the town's only large intersection. A Scyther was practically running a small butcher shop for a little old man. On the small park's playground, what I thought was a play structure turned out to be an actual Snorlax. A few roaming Magnemite stopped and clanged onto the power supply of a street lamp every once in a while, then went on its way. I couldn't tell if they were "wild" or not; no-one seemed to be acting as their trainers, but maybe they were just that well-trained?

I was about to ask Mac about it when Janelle cut me off. "You have got to be kidding me," she turned to Mac, "Please say this is a joke."

We had just turned a corner and the beach had come into view. Well, the water had come into view. Based on her plans, I could understand her dismay. When she said "beach," she was probably thinking about soft sand and lapping waves, with nothing between her and the sun but some powerful sunscreen, and perhaps an umbrella. Instead, the river that we'd seen as we walked through town let out into a bay surrounded by rough, rocky beaches littered with broken shells, the forest so close that some areas had acorns among the other flotsam and jetsam.
Mac turned to her, confused, "What do you mean?" I was beginning to pick up on some of his tells, but I still didn't know him quite well enough to be able to tell if he was kidding.

Janelle gesticulated wildly at the shore, which was really a more appropriate term than "beach" in this situation. "This is where I'm supposed to get my tan?"
If he was keeping up an act, he was more talented than I'd given him credit for. "What's wrong with it?"

She goggled at him. "Are you kidding?" she repeated, stomping over to the closest area and pointing an accusatory finger at the offending sand. "Forget sand in my swimsuit, I'm likely to slice myself open rolling over on ground like this. Hmph," she spun on her heel, fast enough that her skirt swirled out and gave us an eyeful. She must have taken my remark about Mac's eyes to heart, because it was a move clearly calculated to show him what he was missing out on, and dismay warred with confusion on his face as she stalked away. "I'm going to visit the flower shop. Have fun with your cuts."
She was turning the corner when Mac said, still looking after her in puzzlement, "Huh. Wow. I did not expect that." He looked over at the shore, then at me, "Is it really that bad? Anyway, come on, let me show you where I caught Cloyster."