Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Pokémon or any of its parent companies. I am merely a humble storyteller. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this journey with me.

Note: I am English, so some of the wording, spellings, and expressions will be those commonly used in England.

Chapter Three

Red traversed the streets of Viridian City, not sure of where to go. His Town Map would not help him here.

He needed a place to stay, that much was obvious. But where could he stay? He did not want to waste any money on a hotel, even a rundown one that would probably not cost as much. Heading to the outskirts of Viridian and camping there was also an option, but that would be a last resort for him.

Viridian was far most vast than Pallet, as evidenced by the former being a city and the latter being classified as a town (which maybe did not need to be pointed out), its buildings standing proudly as vehicles, people, and Pokémon scurried around their feet, bumping into Red (obviously not the vehicles because then Red would probably be put into a coma… or worse: very, very… hurt).

Red explored Viridian, going everywhere but not truly seeing anything. The wind picked up and he shivered, thinking about how warm Charmander was and how nice it would be to carry it in his arms at that moment.

It was a tempting thought, and he was about to do so when someone called out, "Hey! Hey, kid! Yeah, you with the cap!"

Red jumped as a man in a cobalt apron jogged over to him. Red gripped Charmander's Poké Ball reassuringly.

"How's it going," the man said after pausing to catch his breath.

"I'm doing well," Red said, trying to be as polite as his mum always told him to be. "Thanks for asking."

The man eyed him shrewdly. "Are you sure? You look lost."

"I'm not… er, lost," Red said, turning his gaze away from the man. "I'm just… wandering about."

"Are you sure about that?" the man said. "Listen, I'm a shopkeeper at the Viridian Poké Mart, and it's right next door to the Pokémon Centre. I can take you there if you want."

"The Pokémon Centre?" Red repeated, befuddled.

"It's a hospital for Pokémon," the shopkeeper explained. "They heal your Pokémon for free and provide food and shelter for Trainers too."

"That sounds too good to be true," Red said, although a tiny voice at the back of his head was informing him that quite possibly Leaf had mentioned something about this before. It would not have surprised him if she did.

The shopkeeper let out a sudden guffaw. "It does, doesn't it? But they get most of their funding from the government and use Pokémon to assist them in their daily duties, so they don't need to charge Trainers a fee to receive help from them."

He turned back the way he had arrived. "Are you coming along?" he asked.

Hmm… continuing to wander alone in the cold and the dark in a large city or head into the warmth of a place that seemed like a dream? Tough choice.

"Yep, I'm on my way."

o~o~o~o~o

Leaf sat beneath a large tree which housed a flock of Pidgey, one of her new Pokémon! She squealed and gave Bulbasaur a quick pat, who was curled up on her sleeping bag. She was doing it. She was doing everything a real Pokémon Trainer does.

Her Pokédex laid next to Bulbasaur, with a catch to seen ratio of six to four. She grinned as she recalled Bulbasaur fire a seed from its bulb and trap a Spearow who was already high in the air. That solved the issue of ensnaring Pokémon who were out of range, at least until Bulbasaur grew stronger and gained more powerful moves.

"It's been a good day, hasn't it, Bulbasaur," she said, her eyes suddenly growing heavy. "And tomorrow we'll reach Viridian and stay at the Pokémon Centre. I hope Red remembers them. He probably won't, the dummy."

Leaf got changed into her pyjamas and slipped into her sleeping bag, her Bulbasaur in her arms. But just when she could not fight against the weights pulling on her eyelids any longer, two pin-prick lights appeared out of the darkness.

Leaf bolted up, ignoring a protesting Bulbasaur. Those were not just any lights, not in the slightest. Those were eyes.

The owner of those eyes crept closer and Leaf took a deep breath. "It can't be, can it? Not on Route 1." She laughed. "Either way, I'm going to capture you."

She scrambled to her feet. "Let's go, Bulbasaur."

The plant dinosaur growled, ready to take on this new foe. It lowered its head and glowered.

"All right! Start off with a Leech Seed!"

o~o~o~o~o

"And here we are!" the shopkeeper proclaimed. "Viridian's very own Pokémon Centre."

Before Red stood a building two floors high with a red roof. On the side was the image of a Poké Ball and a sign that did indeed confirm it was a Pokémon Centre. Soft music pealed from inside, and the light that poured from the window filled Red with such inexplicable warmth, 'inexplicable' because he was still standing in the cold.

"Whoa," he said, being more impressed than his reaction belied. He turned to the shopkeeper. "Thanks for bringing me here. I would've still been wandering about if you hadn't helped me."

The shopkeeper inclined his head. "No problem," he said. "We all need that little bit of help in the beginning, don't we?" The shopkeeper paused before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small spray filled with a purple liquid. "Here. Take this."

"Huh? No, I can't take that," Red said, waving his hands wildly. "You've helped me enough just by bringing me here."

"It's just a Potion," the shopkeeper said, good-naturedly. "Just think of it as a sample of all the great products we sell at the various Poké Marts across Kanto."

With no other choice, Red took the Potion, its chemically smell barely wafting through his nostrils. "Thanks, again," he said. "Honestly, thank you. You've been awesome."

The shopkeeper held out his hands and Red shook it. "It's been nice to meet you, buddy. I hope your journey goes well." The shopkeeper pulled back his sleeve, revealing his watch. "Gosh, look at the time." He groaned. "I'm on the nightshift. Anyway, adios."

With that said, the shopkeeper swivelled on his feet and rushed down the street, disappearing into the darkness.

Red could not help but smile to himself. Maybe simply encountering Pokémon was not going to be enough for his journey. Perhaps the people, too, would make his adventure that much more remarkable. Sure, maybe they could not breathe fire or fly or freeze others with a single touch (as far as he knew) but they could still be interesting.

With his chest puffed out, Red turned to the Pokémon Centre's automatic doors, where the light poured through the glass, and entered.

The doors slid open, but they did not close behind him. That is because they needed electricity. And while the Pokémon Centre did indeed have electricity a few seconds ago, it did not have it any more, coincidentally the very moment the doors opened for Red.

Dark as black as pitch engulfed the inside of the Pokémon Centre, and from the darkness came the hushed and worried tones of people and Pokémon alike.

"What… what the heck happened?" Red whispered to himself. Almost automatically, Red unhooked Charmander's Poké Ball from his belt and pressed the button on it. In a flash of white light, all the brighter in the murk, came the little fire lizard, its flaming tail better than any torch.

Charmander stared into the darkness and shivered. It looked up at Red imploringly.

Red tried to reassure it with a smile. "It's fine," he said. "This is a Pokémon Centre – just good guys here. And I think the electricity's out, so let's see what's up, okay, buddy?"

Charmander nodded, but kept as close to Red as possible nonetheless.

The duo walked further into the Centre, careful to avoid bumping into anyone else (or stepping on them when it came to the teenier Pokémon).

They found themselves at a counter. Red plopped Charmander upon it, taking in everything the fire uncovered from the dark: on the counter was a file, opened, as though the person using it had abandoned it and hurriedly left to attend to something; behind the counter was a metal chair with maroon cushions; behind the chair was a large computer screen, dark and dead.

There was not a lot Red could see. There was not a lot for Red to do. So, he waited.

And he did not have to wait long.

A couple of minutes later, a pink-haired lady appeared at his side, wearing a nurse's hat, a warm coat, boots, and a look of annoyance on her face. Next to her was a pink, oval-shaped Pokémon which carried an egg within its pouch, standing at between three feet and four feet tall. At their feet were a group of blue Pokémon with no arms and a bunch of leaves growing from their heads.

Red took out his Pokédex and scanned them in turn, the first's image appearing on the screen followed by the other:

Chansey, a Normal-type. A rare and elusive Pokémon that is said to bring happiness to those who manage to get it.

Oddish, a dual Grass and Poison-type. It may be mistaken for a clump of weeds. If you try to yank it out of the ground, it shrieks horribly.

Red pocketed his Pokédex and stared at the lady and her Pokémon, none of whom had noticed him take out his device at all.

"Okay, Oddish," she said to them. "I want you to use Flash and give everyone light. And if you see whatever or whoever's doing this then try putting it to sleep, okay?"

The Oddish nodded (as much as something without a neck can nod) and their leaves glowed, outshining Charmander's flame. They scurried off.

The lady sighed wearily and patted Chansey on the head. "We've got to get this sorted. We haven't got enough power to run all the medical equipment back there."

Medical equipment? Red's curiosity was piqued, so he stepped closer to the lady and cleared his throat.

She jumped and turned to him sharply. "I'm sorry, I'll be with you in a second. Or I'll call one of my assistants over. Yes, that's it. Hold tight and I'll –"

"How come the power's down?" Red asked, cutting straight to the point.

"The power?" she repeated. She glanced from left to right, refocused on the young boy in front of her, and decided maybe it was not a secret that really needed to be kept. "Something's wrong with the generator, it suddenly stopped giving out power, as though something or someone has absorbed its energy. Chansey and I have gone out there, but we can't find anything." At her words she removed her coat, revealing her nurses' uniform with Viridian Pokémon Centre etched across the left breast area. "I think it's an Electric-type causing havoc. It must be." She groaned. "Why did I just remove my coat? I need to go back out there."

As she made to don her coat again, Red was suddenly struck by a great idea. Well, a great idea according to him, which according to Leaf may not have been that great of an idea. The nurse said it might have been an Electric-type. He could hit two Pidgey with one stone: testing Charmander out in a battle and catching a useful Pokémon.

"I'll do it."

"Do what?" the nurse asked, her coat halfway on.

"I'll go out and find this Pokémon or whatever it is," Red said. "You're in charge here and everyone's going to need your help as it is. Don't worry, my buddy and I are going to get this sorted." Red knelt and placed a hand on Charmander's head.

Now, any adult would never willingly put a child in danger – a normal adult that is – but in a world where children can befriend and train powerful creatures and compete against Trainers even six times their ages, then all that goes out the window. As in this case. The lady (who introduced herself as Nurse Joy) graciously accepted Red's help, before running over to attend to those who were sick, scared, or both.

Red and Charmander headed outside, back into the biting wind, and towards the generator, which was situated at the Pokémon Centre's rear.

"Okay, buddy," Red said to Charmander, "we're possibly looking for an Electric-type. If it is an Electric-type, then I hope we can recognise that beforehand." He grimaced. "Personally, I don't want to get shocked. You?"

Charmander shook its head.

The generator was a bulky contraption, towering over Trainer and Pokémon, complete with knobs, buttons, and a gauge which was very nearly on zero. Glass panels lined the upper area, and at the bottom was a labelled diagram.

"Whoa," Red said slowly. He took a gander at the diagram. "Oh, I get it, I think. Hey, Charmander, listen to this: it also gets its power from solar energy – kind of like a Solar Beam – and can store heaps of it for a long time. Then it converts it to electricity. Wow, science is amazing!"

Charmander's bemused expression suddenly made way for one of caution; its eyes sharpened, and it crept a few inches closer to Red.

"What's up, buddy?" Red asked. Charmander pointed out into the darkness, and where it pointed at came a creature.

It was a small, yellow, rodent-like creature. Its cheeks were circular and red, the tips of its long ears were black, two brown stripes lined its back, and its tail was shaped like a lightning bolt. Its nose twitched.

"That's a Pikachu," Red said under his breath. "Everybody knows that."

He and Charmander watched as the Pikachu scurried over to the generator, completely disregarding them. It hopped on to one of the cables, as thick as a man's arm, and sunk its tiny fangs into it. Electric sparks shot from its cheeks as it chowed down contentedly on the little voltage that remained.

Witnessing that brought Red out of his stupor. "Hey!" he shouted, storming over. "You can't do that. Think of all the Pokémon in the Centre you're harming!"

The Pikachu gave him a glance before going back to its 'meal'.

Red gritted his teeth. Fine. If that's how this Pikachu wanted to play, then he would go even harder. "Let's go, Charmander. We were expecting something like this to happen."

Charmander shook its head.

"Don't worry," Red said. "You'll do fine. Besides, you don't have to defeat it. Just weaken it enough and then I'll capture it, okay."

Charmander appeared thoughtful for a second before taking a reluctant step forward.

Pikachu raised its head from the cable, its eyes shining in the moonlight inquisitively.

"Charmander, use Growl," Red commanded.

The fire lizard let out a loud scream, distorting the air around it as a heatwave or mirage might do. The Pikachu stumbled from its perch. It glared at its opponents, its tail raised, its body crackling.

"Now, Scratch!"

Charmander's rushed forward, its claws outstretched, and swiped them at the Pikachu. However, the Pikachu leapt nimbly out the way, and responded by wagging its tail in Charmander's face.

"Tail Whip?" Red whispered. Louder, he said, "Keep going with Scratch, Charmander!"

And Charmander did. It lashed out at Pikachu again and again, each strike more fierce and faster than the last, its confidence rising, the fire within burning ever hotter.

Finally, Scratch hit, sending the Pikachu rolling away. Red cheered. "All right, Charmander! One more hit should do it. Scratch!"

Charmander grinned.

The grin became a grimace.

Static ran across its body.

"What?" Red said, his voice hushed as Pikachu got back to its feet and fired off a weak jolt of electricity at poor Charmander. "No, Charmander!"

Charmander dropped to its knees. It mewled weakly.

The Pikachu dropped to all fours and bowed its head.

"Charmander! Come on, use Scratch!" Red cried. He recognised this. It happened in last year's Pokémon League Final: one of the finalist's Pokémon was hit by a Thunder Wave and could barely attack. Paralysis. The Pikachu must have had an ability or such for that to happen.

But Charmander could not move quickly enough. Red half-shut his eyes as he waited for the Pikachu's Quick Attack to leave Charmander on the verge of fainting.

The Pikachu attacked.

It veered from Charmander.

It smashed straight into Red's midriff.

The wind was knocked out of Red, and he fell to the ground, clutching his stomach, groaning and curled in the foetal position.

"What the heck?" he muttered. He looked up through watery eyes; the Pikachu was walking away, backwards, scowling at Red. Then it made a sign with its fingers that would have been more vulgar had they been longer and humanoid. It disappeared into the bushes.

Red awkwardly crawled to Charmander, clutching his stomach with one arm, and cuddled it. "I'm so proud of you," he said to the shivering Pokémon. "Your first battle, and it was just bad luck that got in our way. We're going to get way better from now on." Red thought back to the Pokémon League battles he so enjoyed watching and lightly tapped his forehead against Charmander's. "You know what? We're going to get all the Gym Badges and we're going to compete in the Pokémon League. And we're going to win it."

Charmander looked up at him, its eyes shining despite the wincing it was doing.

Red smiled. "We're going to do all sorts of cool things. This is our first adventure, and we're going to be the best that we can be. We're going to be awesome, Charmander."