To the west of Lavender Town, after a short walk through the tight canyon pass the mist thinned and the walls opened up into a wide, stretching clearing. What began as a thin, dirt trail opened up into a wide paved path that cut right through the middle of an expansive field. Towards the west of the route was a small building, the entrance to the underground passage that connected to Celadon City.

While the canyon walls loomed over the field to the north and south, and the Pokémon Tower loomed to the east. They paled in comparison to the towering Saffron City skyline to the west. Huge towers of steel, concrete and glass poked through the mass of white and grey clouds above, disappearing from view. Amidst the field Pokémon of all sorts hurried about. Rattatta and Furrets scurried beneath the tall grass. Pidgey and Spearow fought in the sky for perches on the scattered, clumps of trees. Beedrills chased Butterfree, zipping along the top of the grass, drills whirring and wings buzzing. A pack of Growlithe lounged lazily on a pile of boulders, basking in the heat of the sun. Every single inch of Route 8 was packed with life, all except for one area. In an area where a small fire pit sat nestled amongst the grass, a kindling flame danced in the wind. Its orange flame flicked and whipped, reds flared in its core. Around the fire pit, black streaks scorched the grass, smouldering with fresh embers embedded in the blades. Two bags, one large, one small sat up against a nearby boulder unzipped.

"Alright, Primeape! Give it another shot!" Green yelled.

A couple feet away from the mass of scorched grass, Green and Primeape stood facing Abby and Dratini. Elekid and Charmander stood at their respective heels. Primeape slammed his fists together and bellowed.

"PRIMEAPE!"

His fists burst into orange flames with a shower of orange sparks.

"You too Dratini!" Abby shouted.

Dratini looked back at her and nodded. He closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. His tail swished side to side amongst the grass. Light blue sparks began to flicker off his body as his scales took on the same hue. Air began to blow in all directions around him, flattening the tall grass.

"Concentrate!" Shouted Green.

Primeape howled, slammed his fists and then shut his eyes tight. The fur along his forehead pulsed with the throbbing vein beneath. Red sparks began to shoot from his fists and whips of red flared through the flames. The red sparks left small black dots on the grass around him, causing the blades to burst into real, non-spiritual flames. The red wisps in the flame flared brighter and brighter until there was no orange left. Primeape opened his eyes and red flames erupted from them.

"Yes! Now use fire punch buddy!"

Primeape bellowed again as he punched at the air, creating showers of red sparks. The grass around him burst into flames, along with Primeape's fists. Real, hot fire mixed with the red spiritual flame. Although it didn't catch and spread along with Primeape's fur. He continued swinging his blazing fists at invisible enemies as Green cheered him on. Elekid smirked and copied Primeape from behind Green's legs, engulfing his own fists in electricity.

"You can do it!" Abby cried.

The wind blowing around Dratini picked up, swirling and whipping fiercely. His entire body began to glow light-blue but nowhere more than his fin-like ears. They gleamed powerfully, causing the light to flare blindly bright. He opened his eyes and they too shone light-blue. He flexed his ears and began to lift off the ground. Shaking and wobbling, he moved a few inches off the ground. His brow furrowed and he wobbled, his ears making constant corrections like the wings of a bird. They twitched hard and abruptly, the light-blue light snapped away. Dratini fell with a thud and cried out.

"Dratini!" He scowled and fired a flare of purple energy into the air, it exploded with an earth-rumbling boom.

Abby knelt down beside Dratini and stroked his back.

"That was great! You actually got off the ground!" She exclaimed, grinning ear to ear.

Dratini's scowl softened. He nuzzled her hand with a soft murmur. Abby's hand stiffened.

"Shit! Dratini, help him!"

Primeape hopped from foot to foot, yelling and waving his arms as the flames shot along his furry body. No red remained, only the real hot flames. They spread, shooting up his arms and spread across his face. Dratini whipped his head back and opened his mouth. Inside, it glowed a dark blue. His head whipped forward and a torrent of water fired from it, dowsing the flames. Immediately, Green hit Primeape with the beam of his pokéball, returning him. She sighed and smiled at Dratini.

"Thanks, guys," She clicked her tongue as she turned around and placed Primeape's ball in the healing machine, "That looked like the one," she muttered to herself.

Abby ran up to her side and patted her on the shoulder.

"That's the longest he was able to hold it, he's getting better!"

Green turned and smiled, a thin smile.

"Yeah, it's not good enough to face Erika with yet though."

"Or Tiberius," Green thought.

Abby shrugged.

"Better than not being able to do it at all," She turned back around and made her way back to Dratini who was busy putting out the flaming grass.

Abby beamed at Green and pointed to the side.

"At least they're making good progress."

A good distance away, across the field, Machoke and Graveler were working on their rock energy. They moved in sync, with hands engulfed in brown flames, waving around in slow, methodical circles. Boulders, the size of cabbages floated around them, orbiting in slow circles. Each one was consumed in a brown, shimmering veil. Graveler had sixteen in the air, moving in four groups of four. While Machoke had four, moving two groups of two. Green had never seen Machoke look so peaceful, he was off on in his own world. She found herself staring, watching his broad shoulders roll as his thick arms waved around him slowly. However, she was soon interrupted by a zap to the leg.

"Elekid!" Elekid declared, grinning.

Green gasped and laughed.

"Hey! What did I say about zapping?"

Elekid snickered and shrugged. He pointed to Dratini with his sparking, round fist.

"Ahhh, I see. You wanna battle?"

Elekid jumped up and down, nodding furiously.

"Elekid! Elekid!"

Green giggled and walked back over to Abby with Elekid running at her heels.

"What do you say? Elekid versus Dratini?" She asked.

Abby pursed her lips and looked down at Dratini warily. Dratini slithered forward and held up his head tall.

"Dratini!" He declared.

Abby sighed.

"Yeah, okay. We do have to get stronger I guess."

Behind her, Charmander was carefully walking through the grass. He waddled with his arms outstretched and tail swaying side to side with each wobbly step. As his foot connected with the ground, he swayed his tail too far and came crashing down. He landed on his belly with a thud and began to wail. Abby flinched at the cry, her eye twitched as she turned around and picked him up. He flailed in her hands, waggling his stumpy arms and legs with tears streaming down his face. Green opened the pouch on her belt and handed Abby a spray bottle. She took it and sprayed the bruise on Charmander's soft, beige underbelly. In an instant, the bruise cleared up. Charmander stopped crying and peered up at Abby with big, wet eyes.

"Char…" He sniffled.

"It's alright, you're okay now," Abby muttered as she stroked Charmander's head.

Charmander cooed gleefully at her touch. The flame on the end of his tail flared. Abby carried him over where their bags and the healing machine were set up. She placed him down next to the healing machine.

"Stay here okay?" She commanded stiffly.

Charmander beamed at her and nodded.

"Char char!" He babbled.

He whipped his tail around to his front and began singing the tops of the surrounding grass, giggling at the embers he left behind.

"He's just a baby. He'll get stronger," Green heard Abby mutter to herself as she returned.

Abby trudged past her and back to Dratini. She frowned at him and looked over at Green.

"Let's do this," She turned on her heel and walked a few paces away, putting a good distance between them. Dratini slithered after her.

Elekid pumped his lighting covered fists and took his position. He narrowed his eyes at Dratini with a wild grin.

"Elekid…" He murmured in a low voice.

Green chuckled and folded her arms. She couldn't help but agree with Elekid. It had been too long since her last fight. The prospect of this one, made her heart race.

"You ready?!" She called to Abby, grinning.

Abby's face was neutral. She took a deep breath, rolled her shoulders and gave a nod.

"Ready."

They both pointed at the other and shouted their commands.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Dragon rage!"

Dratini moved first, in the blink of an eye he charged a shot and fired a blast of purple energy at Elekid. The lightning between Elekid's tall ears surged and as the flare of dragon energy rocketed towards him like a bullet, lightning cracked through the air. It struck Dratini's Dragon rage and both attacks exploded into a cloud of black smoke, incinerating the grass beneath. Green went to shout her next command but Elekid was already moving. He charged forward, right into the black smoke and created a gap. Through the gap, Green saw a bewildered Dratini dodge out of the way of a thunder punch. Elekid's fist swept past his face, coming within inches of striking. Before Elekid could whirl around and throw another punch, Dratini swept his tail into the back of Elekid's knees, sending him crashing onto his back. In a flash, Dratini was above him, mouth open and glowing a fierce dark purple. Elekid's eyes widened and he rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the purple flare that fired from Dratini's mouth. It hit the ground exploding cloud dirt and black smoke. Dead, singed grass went flying and the ground beneath Green's feet rumbled. Elekid and Dratini were both sent flying in different directions and crashed into the ground. Elekid got to his feet, the thin yellow fur of his right side was singed black but as far as Green could tell there was no real damage. Dratini appeared completely fine. His scales shimmered dark purple, undamaged.

"Dragon Rage!" Abby shouted.

"Dodge!" Green responded.

Dratini charged another Dragon Rage as Elekid began to rush towards him.

"Elekid!" He cried. The bolts around his fists whipped violently.

Dratini fired his shot but Elekid hoped over it. It sailed beneath his feet, rocketing past him and exploding a couple feet away. Dratini's eyes widened as Elekid continued to close the gap. Dratini charged and fired again. This time aiming high but Elekid went low, skidding beneath the shot along the ground. Dratini charged another shot but it was too late. Elekid slammed his fist into the side of Dratini's head. Yellow sparks exploded on impact. The blow snapped back Dratini's head but left only a small singe-mark behind. Elekid furrowed his brow and scowled. He swung another punch but Dratini ducked out of the way, charged and fired a Dragon Rage point-blank into Elekid's head. It exploded, sending Elekid shooting back. He skidded across the ground, bouncing a few times before coming to a stop a few feet away from Dratini. He lay on his back, unconscious. The blast left a horrible burn on his face. Abby looked away, wincing while Dratini stared at the defeated Elekid with a broad grin and head held high. Green returned Elekid to his pokéball. She laughed and ran up to Abby.

"You guys did great!"

Dratini beamed and slithered up to her.

"Tini!" He agreed.

Green giggled and crouched down. She scratched him behind the ears, making his tail slap the ground. Abby eyed the singe marks on the side of Dratini's head with a frown.

"Yeah, I guess."

Green stood up and shuffled her feet as she got a spray bottle out from her medicine pouch. She handed it to her. Abby took it and sprayed the side of Dratini's face. He shook his head as the mist enveloped his head, grumbling unhappily. The singe marks faded away.

"So, uh, how come Dratini wasn't hurt by his own attack?" Green asked, clutching the back of her head.

Abby's face lit up.

"That's actually really interesting! You see Dragons are weak to the attacks of other dragons but are completely immune to their own draconic energy. No one really knows why but I reckon it's 'cause each dragon has a unique kind of energy and that their scales are infused with the same energy they use to attack. So it shields them from their own attacks!" Abby rambled, blurting out her words at lighting speeds all with a huge grin.

Green giggled, letting her ramble on further. She nodded along but she found herself fixated on Abby's lips as the memories of last night played in her mind. A thundering roar from above interrupted Abby's rambling and Green's daydream, shaking the ground beneath them.

"GYARADOS!"

Gyarados plunged down through the clouds, his body gleaming a bright light-blue. He zoomed down back to the ground, landing with a thud before them. His long body curled around as he rested his huge head before Abby. His jaws opened wide, stretching up taller than Green's head. Hot air blasted from his mouth as he yawned, blowing back Abby's and Green's hair like windsocks. Dratini flinched away.

"Dratini!" He complained.

He slithered up onto Abby's shoulders and curled around her neck, holding on tight. Abby just laughed.

"You did great! You lasted way longer than you did before!" She shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Gyarados finished his yawn and smacked his lips. He grinned lazily at Abby and rested his head on the ground with droopy eyes. Abby fished through the pockets of her denim shorts and pulled out his pokéball. She returned him with a huge flash of light. From Abby's hair, Dratini poked out his head and snickered at what he saw. Green followed his eyes to find a bewildered-looking Machoke and Graveler staring at a bawling Charmander. He was hiding behind Machoke's leg, his face buried into the back of his calf as he clung to it. The boulders that had been orbiting around the were now scattered on the ground. Green nudged Abby with her elbow and nodded towards them. Abby groaned.

"I told you to stay put!" She called out as she raced over.

Timidly, Machoke plucked Charmander off the ground with his thumb and finger. Charmander sat on Machoke outstretched palm, bawling uncontrollably. The flame on his tail flared, shooting up high above his head. Graveler waddled over and peered up at him with a curious gaze. When Abby approached, Machoke held out Charmander. He handled him as if he were made of glass.

"Thanks, Machoke," Abby sighed and scooped up Charmander.

As soon as her hands touched him, Charmander stopped crying and beamed at her. He grabbed up at her as she held him out in front of herself.

"Char Char," He cooed.

Dratini peered at him from Abby's shoulder, his eyes flickering purple.

"Tini…" He whispered.

"Charmander!" Charmander replied in his high pitch, squeaky voice.

Cradling him in her arms, Abby rocked him gently with an exhausted look. Green giggled as she approached them.

"I think he likes you."

Abby shrugged.

"Apparently."

Green gave her shoulder a pat and gestured towards Saffron City with a nod of her head.

"Let's pack up, it's about time we head out."

Abby nodded and made her way back over to their bags. Green waved to Machoke and Graveler.

"Time to go guys!" She called out.

Gastly shot through the air like a comet, a trail of grey and purple followed behind him. He ducked and weaved through the scattered, rotting furniture at the base of the Pokémon Tower. Magnemite chased after him, lagging behind a few feet. His eye narrowed, the screw embedded in the top of his round metal body whirred and a yellow glow flashed across his body. A yellow ring of light erupted behind him with a shower of yellow sparks, shooting him past Gastly with a sonic boom. Gastly snickered and vanished into a puff of grey and purple smoke. Ahead was the chain-link fence surrounding the Pokémon Tower's land, the finish line of their race. Magnemite's eye widened with hope as he raced towards it, but with only a few feet between him and victory, Gastly appeared from thin air. He howled with laughter as Magnemite crashed into the fence beside him, getting slingshot as the fence bounced back. In a flash, Magnemite crashed into a wooden desk and punched a hole through it. The rotten wood splintered under its own weight and collapsed on top of him. Gastly laughed even harder. He zipped over and hovered above Magnemite, finding him embedded in the ground.

"Mite…" Magnemite groaned as he hovered back up into the air.

Gastly sneered and poked out his tongue.

"Mite!" Magnemite buzzed and charged at him.

He passed right through Gastly's body as if flying through a cloud. Again and again, he tried to slam into Gastly only to pass right through each time. Gastly watched with a smug look, laughing hysterically. Magnemite furrowed his eye and took aim at Gastly, preparing a thunderbolt. A grey orb quickly charged before Gastly, fired at Magnemite and struck his thunderbolt as it cracked through the air. The two attacks exploded on impact into a cloud of black smoke.

"Stop messing around Gastly!" Jackson yelled.

He was stood on the gravel path leading towards the Tower's entrance, a scowl on his face and a pokéball in hand. At the sound of his voice, Magnemite quickly darted back through the mound of furniture to him while Gastly paid him no mind. He floated off lazily, investigating nothing in particular. When Magnemite returned and Gastly didn't Jackson stomped his foot and opened his mouth to shout again.

"Calm yourself, child," Esprit interrupted in her low, calm voice.

She was sat before him, cross-legged on the gravel path. Several purple candles surrounded her, their coloured scented smoke rose into the air to join the lingering mist. Esprit patted the ground with her fan.

"Sit."

Jackson huffed and did as he was told. He moved into the ring of candles and sat across from her, legs crossed and back straight. Magnemite hovered over his shoulder, watching them curiously.

"You said our spirits are bound. So why won't he get in the ball?"

"He is not your slave. In time he may, if he so chooses, get in the ball." Esprit said.

"But why doesn't he want to do it now?!"

"A bond you have, but not a friendship. Understanding, empathy these are what you need child."

"How? He's dead. I don't know what it's like to die," Jackson huffed.

Esprit whipped up her fan, making Jackson flinch.

"No, you don't. But you both know what it is like to live, no?"

She snapped the fan open, unfolding it into a full circle. The silver bells chimed melodically, causing the smoke wafting off the scented candles to shimmer. Her free hand plunged into the sleeve of her robe and retrieved a pokéball. Rather than the typical red, the top half was a painted dark grey with a yellow pattern. Her thumb pressed the release button and it popped open with a flash of light. A Gengar appeared before them. The roundish, dark purple body of the bipedal pokémon bobbed a few inches off the ground. Two large, sharp red eyes pierced down at Jackson. Jackson gawked at Gengar.

"He's so cool!"

"She," Esprit said.

Jackson paid the correction no mind as he continued to gawk at Gengar. He leaned close, his face was inches apart from Gengar's. Esprit gave a small wave of her fan and Gengar dashed to the side. She hovered above them, a grin spread across her wide mouth.

"Have you figured out why your attacks did not work against the Gastlies?"

The question snapped Jackson out of his awe-fuelled daze. He blinked a few times before shaking his head.

"No…" He admitted begrudgingly.

"Has this conundrum stumped the future champion?" Esprit chuckled.

Jackson scowled. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at her.

"If you make fun of me again I won't let you teach me anymore."

Esprit's smile disappeared. She snapped her fan shut, making Jackson flinch again.

"Tell me why my attacks didn't work," Jackson said.

"They did work," Her voice had become ice.

"No, they didn't!"

Esprit's fan moved and he shrunk back. It whipped up and pointed to Gengar.

"They did work." She repeated in a low, calm voice, "You treat ghosts as if they are physical beings. They are not. A ghost's body is a distraction, child. It can not be damaged. They have no stamina nor any of the foils that come with a physical body."

She waved her fan, causing the bells to sing their melody. A spherical grey veil shimmered around Gengar.

"To defeat a ghost in battle, you must break this. A barrier made from the essence of their soul. This is their real body. When it breaks so does their connection to the mortal realm and poof!" She snapped her fan shut, "they disappear."

A horrified look crossed Jackson's face.

"So I killed those Gastlies?!"

"You?" Esprit laughed, "No. Someone? Maybe. They are ghosts child, they are already dead. When they are defeated they just need time to recover their strength in the spirit world before they can return again."

Jackson breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, Gengar turned sharply. She gazed over Jackson's head, her grin gone. Magnemite's magnets twitched and he turned too, hovering up beside Gengar.

"Mite…" He buzzed.

"Gar," agreed Gengar.

When Jackson looked behind him, he saw the silhouettes of two figures approaching through the fog. One was short and round. The other was tall and lanky. Esprit rose to her feet and tucked her fan back into her sleeve. She kept her pokéball in her hand. Jackson moved to stand but her hand whipped out and flattened against the top of his safari hat. Her eyes pulsed grey.

"Stay."

"Why-"

"Stay!" She snapped.

Jackson sat back down without complaint, staring wide-eyed at the silhouettes. They began to take form, sharpening into two men in jackets. The short one had a jacket of brown and black while the tall one wore silver and black. Esprit marched down the gravel path and met them at the chain-link gate. She grasped the gate's handle, holding it shut as they approached.

"Why are you here? The Plateau forfeit their claim to this land."

"Whoa whoa whoa, calm down sweetheart!" Kerr raised his hands defensively, "we don't mean any trouble, do we Flint?"

Flint opened his mouth but Kerr spoke.

"We're just looking for a couple runaways, that's all. Now-"

"No runaways have come through here," Esprit said.

She flicked the lock shut and turned her back on them.

"Jeez…" Kerr shook his head and tittered, "Open the gate lady, we're not done."

Esprit continued walking away. The stone door of the Pokémon Tower swung open and a handful of other Channelers poured out. Two moved to either side of Jackson, grabbed an arm each and dragged him back into their ranks. He didn't fight it, something about the dead look in Flint's eyes made his body weak with dread. One took the pokéball out of his hand and returned Magnemite. Kerr sighed and let out a sharp whistle. Gengar's eyes widened and she flew towards Esprit but not fast enough. A shadow shot down from the mist above and slammed into Esprit's back. A Pokémon pinned her to the ground. Two large blue pincers held down her arms while a two-pronged tail pinned her waist.

"Gliscor!" It shrieked.

Gliscor's black wings spread out above Esprit, shimmering with light-blue energy. Gengar moved to help but Esprit shook her head.

"No," she grunted, wincing as Gliscor's pincers tightened around her arms.

"Now," Kerr continued, "We're looking for two trainers. Both girls. One trains dragons. The other trains fighting types and ground types."

"I don't-"

"Cut the shit sweetheart! I'm not asking you if you've seen them. We know they've come through here. A few fellas a whole lot friendly than yourself told us so. You're gonna tell us where they went from here."

Gliscor squeezed his claws again. Blood soaked into the white and grey of Esprit's sleeves. She grunted and scrunched up her face.

"They left early in the morning, I don't know," She croaked.

Kerr sighed.

"Gliscor, pick her up."

Gliscor smirked and his large, yellow eyes flared devilishly. He flapped his black wings and carried Esprit into the air.

"Tell the truth, or you drop. And you'll keep dropping again and again until we get what we've come for." Kerr said.

The Channelers, all at once whipped out their fans and took a step forward but stopped when Gliscor's tail coiled around Esprit's neck. She stared at them, stone-faced.

"Protect the boy, he is the future."

At once, they lowered their fans but stiffly. One hesitated but when Esprit's eyes met hers, she did the same.

"No!" Jackson pushed past them, dodging their attempts to grab him, "They went west to Celadon!"

"Ah, you've got some sense there, Boy," Kerr said with a grin.

He whistled and Gliscor dropped Esprit. She fell a few feet onto the gravel, landing on her front. Jackson stepped forward and puffed out his chest.

"You better not chase them though!"

"Why not?" Kerr chuckled.

"Cause they'll destroy you! You're messing with strong trainers! Way stronger than you!"

"Is that so?" Kerr said.

"It is!"

"We'll take our chances." Kerr sneered.

With that, Kerr turned on his heels and disappeared back into the mist. Gliscor shot back up into the sky, becoming a black streak through the mist as he sped off west. Flint lingered, staring at Jackson silently. Jackson poked out his tongue at him. He smirked and turned too, disappearing with Kerr. As soon as they were gone, the Channelers sprung into action. They rushed over to Esprit, surrounded her and helped her to her feet. An explosion of chatter began.

"Who were they?" Said a young one.

"Are you okay sister?" Said another.

"Should we go after them?"

"Will there be more?"

"Who is the boy?"

Esprit shook free of their grasp and pushed past them. She rushed up to Jackson and grasped his shoulders with an iron grip.

"You can not go after them!"

"What? I hadn't even said-"

"They are too strong for you! You will not win!"

"I have to! I have to warn my friends!" Jackson protested and tried to break free of her grasp.

"You're friends know! They know more than you do, it is their problem. Let them take care of it!"

"You can't know that! You're lying!" Jackson struggled again to no success.

Blood trickled down Espirt's wrist, dripping onto the gravel below. The left side of her face was torn up by a nasty graze. Small bits of gravel was embedded in her cheek. She swayed and her knees shook but still her grip was unbreakable.

"I can know. I do know. You… mustn't go," She began to murmur, her words slurring.

Two Channelers grasped her arms and tried to pull her away. At their touch she relented and released Jackson, thrashing feebly as she was pulled away. One channeler stayed with Jackson and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Sister Esprit is wise, you should listen to her."

Jackson stared blankly at her. A silence followed and she shuffled away awkwardly, leaving Jackson on his own.

"Screw that," He said to himself and turned to leave.

Gastly appeared before him in a puff of grey and purple smoke. Jackson stormed through him and threw open the gate's lock.

"You comin' or are you gonna sift through garbage again?" He swung open the gate, crashing it against the fence.

Gastly snickered and zipped up beside him.

"Gastly!" He hissed.

Jackson stormed through the fog towards the faint red and white light of the Pokémon Centre. There was no way he was going to sit around while those assholes attacked his friends. He had to help. Especially considering he was easily the strongest of the three of them. Green had that pedigree pokémon of hers so she would be okay but Abby didn't have a single gym badge to her name. There was no way she could stand up to those guys. He had to protect her.

"That was pretty cool of you kid," A girl's voice said from beyond the fog.

"Who said that?" Jackson shouted, whipping around. There wasn't a silhouette insight.

Gastly gave him the answer. He stared to their left, eyes narrowed. Sure enough, a silhouette appeared and a figure stepped out of the fog. A girl stepped out of the fog wearing the red and black of a ranger. Jackson couldn't help but notice her eyes, grey and speckled with red. He stepped back and reached for his pokéball belt.

"You're with them!" He popped open Beedrill's pokéball container.

The girl stepped forward.

"Wait no! I'm not!"

"Liar! That's a ranger's jacket!" He snatched up Beedrill's pokéball.

"I'm a good ranger!" She insisted, stepping back and raising her hands, "I've been sent to stop those guys. They're rogues, they've been stealing young trainer's pokémon all over Kanto."

Jackson gasped and lowered the pokéball.

"Like Team Rocket?"

"Yeah, exactly," She looked him up and down, "You seem like a strong trainer. Wanna help me stop some bad guys?"

"Yes!" He put away Beedrill's pokéball and extended a hand, "my name's Jackson, what's yours?"

The girl ranger shook his hand and smiled pleasantly.

"Leah."

Huddled in the corner of a wide, open field sat a small building with a slanted red roof. Flanked by tall, thick trees to its back and side. Amongst the solid walls of brown and green, the building was a bright red speck. A square, blue glass door on the front slid open and Green stepped out. She shielded her face, squinting as the sun attacked her eyes. Blindly, she stumbled forward out onto the thick blanket of ankle-deep grass that stretched out all around, making room for Abby as she followed. She too raised her hand and squinted her eyes.

"Who's idea was it to make the sun so bright?" She complained.

From her thick mass of auburn hair, Dratini poked out his head. He gazed up at the sun, cocking his head as he stared directly into it.

"Tini…" He said softly, his eyes flickered purple.

"Definitely not whoever designed the lights down there," Green said.

She reached for her pokéball belt and unclipped the first pokéball from its silver canister. It popped from the magnet with a click and nestled into Green's palm as her fingers embraced it. She tossed it into the air. The small holes along the white, bottom half of the ball ignited into a hundred tiny bursts of white smoke as the ball hovered before her for a second. It popped open and with a flash, Machoke was standing before her. His huge frame cast a shadow over Green as he loomed over her. He stretched out his arms and rolled his shoulders, a lazy grin spread across his face.

"Machoke," He sighed as he basked in the sun's warmth.

"Better?" Green asked.

Machoke nodded and took a step towards her. He grasped her waist with a gentle, tender touch.

"Machoke…" He said in a low, soft voice.

Green's heart fluttered in her chest. She felt a million times smaller with his hands grasping her. Abby let out a giggle.

"Need some privacy?" She asked as she walked past them out into the field.

"What if we do?" Green sneered, placing her hands on Machoke's chest.

"Well," Abby spun around and began walking backwards. "Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't you the one who said we needed to get moving and that we'd already wasted enough time?"

Green sighed.

"I might have," She wrenched her hands away from Machoke's chest. "Later, I promise," She whispered, patting his hand.

Machoke frowned, looked her up and down, and then let go. It took every ounce of strength Green had to turn away from him and follow Abby. Dratini snickered as she caught up, flashing a mocking grin at Machoke. Machoke huffed and shoved his finger into Dratini's face, pushing him back into Abby's hair.

"Dratini!" He protested, his voice became muffled as the hair consumed him.

Machoke laughed and moved his finger away. Dratini popped his head out from the hair and scowled, only making Machoke laugh harder. He moved to Green's left, walking beside her as Abby walked to her right. As a group, they strolled across the field towards a wide paved path that cut through the green blanket. The bricks started off as grey and uniform but the further west they travelled along the path, the more colourful and oddly shaped the bricks became. What started as the occasional green or yellow brick, soon became a collage of vibrant bright colours. Flowers decorated not only the grass around them but the trees too. A rainbow of colours shepherded the group along Route 7 up to a tall, wooden archway. Vines twisted around the arch, sporting round green leaves and colourful blooming flowers. Beneath the foliage were painted, bold words.

"Welcome To Celadon City"

While the others marvelled at the beautiful archway Green pressed on. There was no time to waste, she agreed with her past self. Now was not the time for relaxing. She climbed the short staircase beneath the archway, hopping them two steps at a time. However, when she reached the top any sense of pragmatism was washed away. Celadon City was art in city form. The colourful path widened further and cut right through a sprawl of multicoloured buildings. Each had a different shape, size and colour. Flowers grew in every feasible location, sprouting from vines climbing walls of lattice and poking out of the cracks in bricks. Vines hung between the buildings like electric wires, knitting a canopy above the wide path. Bellsprout, a plant-based pokémon, scurried along with the vines on their thin, stem-like legs. They held out their arm, large flat leaves attached to brown stem-like arms, on either side for balance. Their yellow, bell-shaped heads bobbed side to side with each quick step. A hand grasping her shoulder snapped Green out of her awe-fuelled daze.

"You alright?" Abby asked with a giggle.

Green blinked and gave a firm nod.

"Yeah, let's go."

As the group headed down the main path, heads turned to follow them. The people of Celadon City gawked at Machoke as he passed by. The crowd was a mixed bag, some wore extravagant robes of bright colours and wore flowers in their hair. While others wore uniform, matching black suits with neat and tidy hair. The one's in suits gave Machoke but a quick glance before hurrying past while the men and women in their robes stopped everything to gawk. Machoke beamed as he basked in the attention, he made a clear effort to puff out his chest just that little extra more. Along the sides of the main, wide street small paths snaked off and winded between the haphazardly placed buildings. Apart from the main path, not a single one followed a straight line. Up ahead, the main path lead to an open courtyard with a large, round mound of earth in the centre covered in a collage of flowers. The flowers worked to create mesmerising patterns, all in the shape of what was vaguely a Tangela. A short, grass-type made up of tangled blue vines. In the centre of the flower mural, was a large stone fountain with a tall spraying spout of water. The group stopped before it and Abby and Green faced each other. Green could feel the lingering eyes as the crowds surged around them.

"The Pokémon Centre's over there, you coming?" Abby asked, gesturing behind her.

"Nah, I'm gonna challenge Erika right away," Green said.

"Really?" Abby raised an eyebrow, "You sure you're ready? Primeape hasn't even begun to master his fire punch yet."

Green shrugged.

"If I lose, I lose. I just want to get a feel for her strength."

"Don't get me wrong I love the enthusiasm!" Abby laughed, "but shouldn't you at least check out her team online first?"

"There's only so much to learn from datasheets online, battle is where I'm going to find what I need to come up with a proper plan," Green said.

"Alright, makes sense to me!" said Abby. She gave Green a light punch on the shoulder, "Good luck you two, I'll get us a room meet back there okay?"

"One room?" Green asked, smirking.

Abby blushed and gave a small nod.

"Yeah, if that's okay."

"It's definitely okay," Green said.

Machoke chuckled and Abby practically shrunk as her face and neck flushed. Quickly, she spun around and ran off.

"Good luck!" She called out, waving to them over her shoulder.

Green looked up at Machoke and grinned.

"Let's go win buddy, we're gonna need the adrenaline for her."

"Machoke!" He agreed with a bellow, sporting a hungry look.

Green looked around the ring of buildings surrounding the large courtyard for the symbol of the Pokémon City Gyms. She saw many signs, the large rotating golden coin of the Celadon Game Corner, the red symbol of a house for the Celadon Condominiums, the green shopping bag for the Celadon Department store and the blue symbol of capital H for the Celadon Hotels. But the slashed blue and red pokéball of the City Gyms was nowhere to be seen and with no signs on any of the streets, Green was at a complete loss for where to go. Desperately, she looked back and forth, scanning the ring of buildings hoping she'd just somehow missed it. She hadn't, it still wasn't there. However, as she scanned she did spot two women dressed in brightly coloured Kimonos. The dense crowds parted out of their way and those who didn't move profusely apologised when they noticed their apparent mistake. Green pushed through the crowd and hurried over to them with Machoke strolling casually behind her. As she got closer she got a better look at them. One was dressed in purple, while the other wore pink. Both had cherry blossoms pinned in their hair.

"Excuse me!" She called out as she ran up to them.

The girl in the pink kimono stopped for her while the other continued on a few more paces, only stopping when she noticed the absence of her companion. She huffed and stormed back to her, grasping her companion's sleeve.

"Yes?" The girl in the pink asked.

"Stop that, she's a trainer." The one in the purple hissed.

"Do you know where the gym is? I can't find it," Green asked.

"No," Purple said, stepping in front of Pink.

"Yes," Pink said, peeking out from around Purple.

"Uhhh," Green looked back and forth between them unsure, "Can you show me where it is?"

"Of course!" Pink shoved past Purple.

"What are you doing?" Purple tugged Pink's robe and pulled her to the side.

Pink turned to face Purple with a defiant scowl.

"Erika's a Gym Leader, it's her job to battle challengers," She shot back, loudly.

Purple grimaced and glanced around.

"Alright alright, just leave me out of it." Purple shot Green a dirty look before hurrying off into the crowd.

"Sorry about that," Pink said as she approached Green again, she smiled at Machoke, "that's a really big Machoke, you must be strong." Her eyes flickered down to Green's belt.

"Oh, uh thanks," Green said.

Pink took her hand, "come on, I'll show you where the gym is."

Before Green had a chance to respond she was being dragged through the courtyard. The bewildered gazes of strangers followed them as Pink hurried them into one of the narrow, snaking alleys.

"What's your name challenger? Mine's Mavis."

"Uh, Green."

"Like the colour green?" Mavis giggled.

Green could sense where this was going.

"Yeah, like the colour."

"Wait, Green? You're not Red's-"

"Sister? Yeah, I am," Green sighed.

Mavis stopped at once and whipped around to face, eyes wide with awe.

"Whoa! Really?!"

"Yeah, really," Green forced a smile, even it was tight and thin.

"Wow, you're definitely strong then," Mavis's voice rang with giddy glee.

"Where are we going?" Green asked, stepping forward so that Mavis would keep moving.

The narrow side street had been snaking between the multicoloured sides of houses with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Sometimes the bends were wide and curved, or sharp and jagged, occasionally even turning directly into an L bend. Flowers were everywhere and inescapable, every crack and crevasse was home to some brightly coloured flower. Window sills were declared with lattice boards, tangled with green vines and multicoloured flowers. Even the vines that stretched between the rooftops were littered with flowers. A pack of Oddish, pokémon that were no more than a round purple ball on legs waddled towards them, dashing between their feet. The fan of leaves on top of their heads' brushed Green's knees.

"To the Gym," said Mavis brightly.

"But why is it down here of all places?" Green ducked below a low hung windowsill.

"All design decisions are Erika's," Mavis answered in a bitter tone.

They rounded a sharp left bend and came face to face with a dense wall of tall trees. Mavis pulled Green into the thin gap between the trees and the buildings and guided her to the right. In either direction, the gap stretched out into a narrow path. To the left, it was overgrown by tall grass, bushes and thorns. While to the right it continued on unimpeded. The gap was so thin that Machoke could barely fit as he followed after them down the strange, hidden path. A few curious faces followed them from windows along the back of the buildings. A little boy waved to Machoke as he squeezed past the window. Machoke grinned at him and waved back before the boy was pulled to the side by his mother. After a few moments of quick walking, Mavis suddenly halted to a stop. Green looked around confused.

"Where-" She began until she faced the backside of the building before them.

At least what should have been the backside. Green was greeted by a set of glass, sliding doors with a symbol of a slashed Pokéball painted above them on the moss green wall. Mavis approached the door and tugged Green's wrist, pulling her in as the doors opened for them. Machoke followed after them, ducking underneath the doorway. Inside, Green was met with a large open area brimming with flowers. They hung on the wall on vines, weaving between lattice and spiralling around support pillars. Large walls of lattice sat in rows countless rows that seemed to go on forever down the length of the open space. The roof was pointed and made of glass, flooding the whole area in dazzling sunlight. Young girls that couldn't have been older than 10 hurried about dressed in brightly coloured kimonos. Most wore yellow kimonos, tied with white sashes. While a few of the older looking girls wore green, tied with yellow sashes. They worked along the rows of lattice, working with Bellsprouts and Oddish to weave flowers together. An older girl, around Green's own age, strolled up and down the corridor left between the rows, stopping occasionally to help one of the younger girls before continuing on her patrol. She wore the same pink as Mavis, with the same green sash.

"Sister!" Mavis called out and waved to her.

The older girl frowned when she saw Green and Machoke. The younger girls in the front rows stopped their work and gawked at them. A cacophony of hushed whispers and excited giggles filled the air. Even the Bellsprouts and Oddish stopped to stare. The older girl lifted her robes from the ground and hurried over, looking side to side nervously.

"Why did you-" She began in a hiss.

"Go get Erika, she has a challenger," Mavis inserted before beaming back at Green.

The older girl glanced at Green and then Machoke.

"No way, you get her if you're so insistent."

"Fine," Mavis shrugged.

She let go of Green's hand and hurried off, disappearing through a side door before the first row of the lattice. A few of the younger girls came running over with gleeful looks, eyeing Machoke and Green. Before they could arrive, however, the older girl spun around and waved them away.

"Back to your projects! They're due today and I know some of you are nowhere near ready!"

The girls went wide-eyed and scrambled to hurry back to their stations. Green watched the older girl curiously as she shouted but when she whipped her head back to face Green, she dodged her gaze. As Green stared at her shoes, she could feel the girl's gaze boring into her. They waited in agonising silence, with only the hushed chatter of the girls and their pokémon to fill the quiet. At last, Mavis emerged from the side door, grinning madly. The older girl turned her gaze away. She moved the Green's side and stood still like a statue to her left. Behind Mavis, a girl who Green through was the girl Mavis had been with originally followed. Dressed in a purple kimono with a pink sash. But Green quickly realised she was a different girl. Although she shared the same nervous grimace. Behind her, a short woman dressed in a red kimono tied with a purple sash followed. A woman Green recognised immediately as Erika. Despite further shouting from the older girl beside Green, the younger girls rushed to meet her. They grovelled around her, holding up ornaments made of woven vines decorated with flowers. Erika greeted them with a smile, stopping to inspect each and every one. She gave each project the same care and courtesy, despite the apparent quality. Each girl, one by one ran off with a happy grin and a spring in their step back to their stations, pouring back into their work. Each moment of having to stand next to the older girl made Green uneasy but she didn't dare move from where she was. Somehow, she figured that wouldn't end well. Finally, Erika turned her attention towards her and Machoke.

"You're here to challenge?" Erika asked as she approached.

Green gave a stiff nod. Erika's face was ice and stone as she stared at them. Mavis hopped in between them with a grin.

"She's a strong one Erika! She's Red's brother."

Green flinched as the name sent murmurs through the younger girls. Even the two older girls reacted to the name, shooting Erika curious glances.

"Okay," Erika said with no visible reaction, "prepare the arena."