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 Twenty-Five: The Tomboyish Mermaid
Charmander's Metal Claw clashed against Beedrill's stinger, grimacing as he was pushed back by the giant bee. His grimace tightened as he was struck by Beedrill's other stinger, knocking him to the ground.
"Good work, Beedrill," Red said. "Your Fury Attack's really coming along. And don't worry, Charmander, just get back up and go for it again. You can do it."
Charmander did get to his feet and his claws shone a metallic grey, but not as shiny or as sturdy-looking as it was prior. Beedrill knocked him away again.
"Are you okay, Charmander?" Red asked, jogging to his side. Beedrill helped Charmander to his feet, letting him pull himself up with her one of her fore stingers.
Charmander gave him a small nod but kept his eyes on his claws. He sighed, his scaly tail lying on the ground like a dazed serpent, his fire not burning as brightly.
"Is what Blue said still bothering you?" Red asked, softly.
No answer confirmed that fact to Red.
Red placed a hand upon Charmander's head. "You don't need to worry about anything he said, okay? You're going to get stronger, and you'll make him eat his words. Remember that we're going to go to the Pokémon League, and we'll continue to go on all sorts of adventures. Me, you, Pikachu, Beedrill, and whomever else wants to come along with us. We're all going to work together to better ourselves, all right?"
Beedrill buzzed something in their Pokémon language and Charmander glanced up at her, his mouth forming a small, unconvincing smile. Beedrill poked him playfully in the belly and buzzed again, coming off as some sort of insectoid giggling.
"Anyway, I think that's enough training for now," Red said. "Let's check how Pikachu's coming along."
Red, Charmander, and Beedrill found Pikachu still working on his Zippy Zap, following the orders Red gave him. He ran from one place to the other, body crackling with electricity, stopping on a dime, no skidding whatsoever. Red's chest swelled with pride at how quickly Pikachu was coming to terms with his new technique.
"That's awesome, Pikachu!" Red exclaimed. Pikachu stopped darting everywhere and looked to Red, his little body rising and falling rapidly. "It's like you've been able to use Zippy Zap for years. You're going to be so awesome in the Cerulean Gym!"
Pikachu rolled his eyes, as though saying 'Tell me something I don't know'.
Unbeknownst to both Red and Pikachu, Charmander's head drooped a tiny bit more. Beedrill rested a stinger lightly on his head.
"Well, training's over, Pikachu," Red said. "We're to do some more tomorrow and hopefully we'll take on the Gym the day after. It's going to be awesome."
But despite the smile on his face, there was a frown hidden underneath. The next Gym was a Water-type one, as evidenced by the video of Evan's battle against the Gym Leader. Misty was her name, wasn't it? Anyway, Charmander would not be very effective, especially since the field was basically a pool with floating platforms. Red heart seemed to be speared by an icy shard as he recalled Charmander's Pokédex entry:
Charmander, the Fire-type Pokémon. From the time it is born, a flame burns at the tip of its tail. Its life would end if its flame were to go out.
No, he would not risk Charmander's life in a Gym Battle. Even though it appeared that it would be a three-on-three, Charmander would not be part of his three, which was funny because he only had a party of three. Oh, if only Misty was not a Water-type Gym Leader! Charmander could really use a pick-me-up, a battle where he could shine. But that would have to wait.
It was training tomorrow, that was Red said, wasn't it? Yes, training. And that training would also consist of something else.
They were going to add a new member to their family.
o~o~o~o~o
"Wow," Red said, wishing he had eyes on the back and the sides of his head. "This looks amazing, doesn't it, Pikachu?"
Pikachu shrugged.
"Don't look too excited, buddy."
Cerulean City was a fascinating place during the day, but it became something else at night. Across virtually all the buildings were tiny lights that shone with every colour of the rainbow, and more. The smell of baked goods and other delicious delicacies lingered in the air, so potent that Red could practically taste and identify what each treat was. Music played, not loud and raucous, but fast and upbeat, getting some of the Cerulean locals to get up and dance, and others to clap and sing-along, their Pokémon joining in the fun.
But as amazing as it all was, it was the Pokémon Centre that beckoned to Red. A quick meal and bed for all four of them and tomorrow's adventure would follow. Yes, that was the plan. Such a simple list of tasks to follow. Nothing would distract him and delay him from returning to the Pokémon Centre.
Oh. Who was that girl staring at him? She looked familiar, but he could not for the life of him place her face. And why was she staring at him? Did she… did she want to challenge him to a battle?
Red ruminated over who the girl was and what she might have wanted when she walked over to him. She was a pretty girl, a year or two older than Red, her red hair tied into a sideways ponytail; Red would swear she was the first person he ever saw with that hairstyle. Her cyan eyes twinkled.
"Hi," she said.
"Er… hi," Red said. He looked behind him just in case she was talking to someone else, you know, like one of those embarrassing situations where someone waves in your direction and you wave back, only for it to turn out they were waving at someone else behind you. Fortunately for Red, there was no one behind him, thus logic dictated there was no reason for him to be embarrassed.
The girl knelt and held out the back of her hand to Pikachu. "Hey there. Aw, aren't you a cutie?"
Pikachu sniffed the back of hand, gave it a quick lick, and smiled at the girl.
"Whoa," Red said. "How'd you do that? He looks so at ease with you."
"Do what? Hold out my hand and greet a Pokémon?" The girl smiled cheekily. "Well, it does require an expert touch because it is difficult. You start off by allowing the Pokémon to sniff the back of your hand and then you say hi to them. Got it? It is hard to follow, isn't it?"
"Oh, ha ha," Red said sardonically, his own smile showing he knew it was in jest.
The girl got straight back up and held out her hand to Red. "My name's Misty."
Red took her hand. "And I'm Red. I'm from Pallet and… wait…" He furrowed his brow. "Did you say 'Misty'?"
"I would hope so. It wouldn't be the first time I forgot my name."
"No, I mean… Misty. As in the Cerulean Gym Leader Misty." Red recalled the video of Evan's friendly Gym battle, putting Misty's face to the figure on screen, the one who devastated the Move Tutor. "You're that Misty?"
"The one and only 'Tomboyish Mermaid'," Misty said with a roll of her eyes.
"Is that what other people call you or do you call yourself that?" Red asked.
"What do you think?"
"Er… the second?"
"Oh yeah, because I've such an ego," Misty said sarcastically. "If you really want to meet a Gym Leader with a real ego, go to Saffron City."
"So… you don't call yourself that?"
"Of course not!" Misty said, shaking her head. "This introduction isn't going so well, is it?"
Red shrugged. "I don't know. I've had worse."
A smile spread across Red's face; the same appeared on Misty's. "Hey," she said. "I was going to head over to one of the cafés. If you're not doing anything do you want to join me? I usually eat with my friends, but they've got their own stuff going on now."
"Really?" Red said.
"You're doing the Gym Challenge, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, that means you're going to battle me soon, aren't you? I don't get to talk much to the Trainers, before or after the battle, so this would be a good change of pace for me." Misty gestured to herself. "You can ask me questions about Gyms if you want too." She held her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I know, this has come right out of the blue and –"
"That sounds awesome," Red said. "Yeah, I'll take you up on it."
Misty's eyes lit up. "Really? Well, okay, then. I know this little bakery just down the street we can sit in. It'll be quiet at this time. We can have a nice, long talk."
"Is the food delicious there?" Red said, the scents of all the food he could smell before overpowering him. His mouth watered.
Misty swivelled on the spot and started jogging away. "Follow me if you want to find out."
Oh, Red did want to find out, and he and Pikachu sped after their new red-haired friend.
o~o~o~o~o
"You're right, Misty," Red said through mouthfuls of sandwiches. "This food is amazing!"
"Glad you're enjoying it. Looks like everyone else is too."
Red beamed at Misty as he continued stuffing his face, his Pokémon eating in the same manner as their Trainer, sitting in what was dubbed as the 'Poké Corner'.
Pastries and cakes and sandwiches and pies and tea, the bakery had everything for humans and Pokémon alike. It was a feast! It delighted his taste buds and restored the energy every Trainer lost when travelling and training their Pokémon.
And what could make it better than having an engaging conversation? Well, unless you're an introvert, of course, where one would rather do anything else than converse with another person because it is just so darn hard. The only thing worse would be talking to TWO people. Or three. Or a whole room of them.
Anyway, Red and Misty were having a pleasant conversation.
"How did you even become a Gym Leader?" Red asked. "Is it something you'd always wanted to do?"
"Honestly, yes," Misty said. "I've always loved Water-type Pokémon, and Cerulean Gym has always traditionally been a Water-type one. I actually became the Gym Leader here on recommendation."
"Recommendation?"
"Yeah. The year before last I was training in Hoenn, and when I was there the previous Gym Leader left the position. It was sudden, and the Pokémon League were desperately searching for a replacement. That's when my teacher heard about it and contacted them, recommending me. It all made sense, you see: Cerulean's my hometown, I love Water-types, and I was receiving training from a master, so I knew my stuff."
"They didn't think you were too young to be a Gym Leader?" Red asked.
Misty nodded. "They did, but they let me do the battle trials anyway. This is where a potential Gym Leader must battle select League members and prove their capabilities. I did well enough that I got the position." She smiled, lost in her memory. "I called my teacher straight after. He said he was so proud of me."
"Wow," Red said. "That's incredible. So, are you the youngest Kanto Gym Leader?"
"I am. I'm thirteen, so I'm the youngest by a little. I think the second youngest is Brock. You obviously know Brock, don't you, Red?"
"Yeah," Red said keenly. "I battled him twice. He's an awesome guy. He saved my life, you know."
"I… do know," Misty said, suddenly appearing quite guilty.
"You… do know?" Red looked politely confused.
"Yeah. Brock told me."
"Oh. Okay."
"He told me all about the incident in Viridian Forest with the Beedrill." Misty's mouth formed a tight line, and her eyes flickered to the scar on Red's wrist. "Honestly, that's one of the reasons I wanted to meet you. I wanted to meet the crazy kid who took on a swarm of Beedrill. I knew it was you because I heard that girl you were with call you 'Red' at the Pokémon Centre. How many people are called 'Red'?"
"Whoa," Red said. He finished off another sandwich and looked thoughtful.
"I'm sorry if it sounds rude to talk about you behind your back, especially when we've never met, but –"
"Do the other Gym Leaders know?" Red interrupted.
Misty bit her bottom lip as she tried to recall. "I think a couple other Gym Leaders know."
Red frowned.
Red smiled.
Red beamed.
"That's awesome!" he exclaimed.
Misty blinked. "Awesome?"
Red rocked back on his chair and called to this Pokémon, "Did you guys hear that? We've already got a reputation amongst the Gym Leaders." He righted his chair and leaned across the table, his delighted face inches from Misty's. "What else? Anything else about me you guys have talked about?"
Misty pushed Red back with a finger to the forehead. "Personal space, Red. The other things Brock told us about were your two battles against him. He said you used Pokémon with type disadvantages against him in both matches and actually succeeded the second time." She smirked. "We teased Brock a whole bunch for that."
"Yeah, it was such an awesome battle!" Red gushed. "Beedrill wasn't evolved then, but Pikachu and Charmander were rocking! We had to step back and train after losing, but we came back stronger than ever. Man, it was so amazing!"
Misty smiled, Red's joy infectious. "So, what about the rest of your journey?" she asked. "How's that gone so far?"
Thus, began Red's story time.
He told Misty of Leaf and Blue, how they started their respective journeys on the same day, with Misty chiming in that she had lost to Blue and his powerful Wartortle and Pidgeotto, the evolved form of Pidgey. He went into detail regarding the incident in Viridian Forest, explaining how, despite the hardships, he came out on top with two new Pokémon. He gave her an in-depth analysis of his battles with Brock, not forgetting his thankfulness to Mint and her training.
His excitement then dropped as he came to the events at Mt. Moon.
It would have been easier to not say anything about it, or to brush it off as a mere trek through Mt. Moon, nothing more, nothing less. So very easy. But what was the point in that? Besides, she was a Gym Leader, wasn't she? Would it not be wise to inform her that Team Rocket were about, that they were committing crimes in the vicinity? Yes, they seemed to have pulled out of Mt. Moon, but who's to say Team Rocket operatives were not skulking about across the entirety of Kanto, that there were a few hanging in the Cerulean shadows? Misty would need to be well-prepared just in case. That made sense, didn't it?
Red told Misty everything. From the Fossils to the Cleffa and Clefairy to reuniting and getting lost with Leaf to Team Rocket themselves, he left nothing out. He unconsciously clenched his fists when he recalled the harsh battle against Proton. Misty listened intently, not interrupting him even once, letting him complete his tale until he hit that final full stop.
"That sounds horrid," Misty said, her voice laced with disgust. "No one should have to go through all that, especially two beginning Trainers. I'm so happy you and Leaf managed to get out of that situation, but that shouldn't have happened in the first place."
"Yeah, I could've gone my whole life without dealing with them," Red said. "And here I was thinking my biggest problem would be being chased by an angry Rhyhorn."
"At least you would have more of a chance of reasoning with one," Misty said.
"Yeah," Red said, his smile reforming. "Heck, I'd have more of a chance of reasoning with a Gyarados with a headache!"
Red and Misty burst out laughing, the depressive chill of thirty seconds ago mitigated, yet not entirely gone. They moved on to other, happier topics, like talking about Misty's time in Hoenn and wondering how many Trainers were competing for Badges. Red hoped for as many as possible.
Unfortunately, the time for their little get-together to end had arrived, the bakery owner coming over to politely tell them the bakery had to close.
"Wow, I can't believe that's the time!" Misty said, confirming with her watch. "I've got to get up early tomorrow. I always need a morning swim to get myself in the mood for the challengers."
They went Dutch on the meal, Misty offering to pay for it, stating she was the one who invited Red out. Red naturally refused, and after a bit of a back and forth, they resolved to split the cost.
"Don't worry," Red said with a cheeky grin as they walked out the bakery, "I'll get the money off you when I beat you in our Gym Battle."
Misty snorted and punched him in the arm. "Yeah, right. You've got no chance against me. You're going to end up broke with the amount of times you'll lose to me."
"Nah," Red said, rubbing his arm. "We're going to win, and the next time you'll see me is with the Pokémon League trophy."
That gave Misty food for thought. Wow, that was true. Not the trophy part, although it was great he was reaching for the sky, but the fact that after their battle she would not see him again for a very long time. Now, that may seem a little silly considering they've just had one conversation with each other (albeit a long one), but they sort of clicked with each other. You know, when you meet someone and you get along really well with one another straight off the bat, as though you've known each other for the longest time. It did stand to reason that Brock did speak a lot about him, so maybe that added higher levels of familiarity to this new camaraderie that formed between them.
But she said nothing to Red about it. Why would she? People come and go.
"Well, Red," Misty said. She chewed her bottom lip. "Er… well, I'm going to go now."
"Yeah, me too," Red said. He jabbed a thumb over at his Pokémon. "These guys are completely tuckered out."
"Well, uh, see you later, then," Misty said. "I hope you enjoyed yourself."
"I did. I really did," Red said, beaming. "You're such great company, Misty."
Misty's cheeks tinged with red. "Really?"
"Yeah. And I can't wait for our battle."
"Neither can I," Misty said. She them made her way down the street, calling our a last 'see you' before disappearing around the corner.
"She's nice, isn't she?" Red said to his Pokémon. Beedrill buzzed a response because she was the only one who could respond; Pikachu was asleep on her back and she was holding a dozing Charmander carefully between her stingers.
"Okay, let's go, Beedrill," Red said, giving her an affectionate scratch. "We've got a lot of work to do tomorrow, and that includes catching a new Pokémon."
Beedrill buzzed again.
"Exactly," Red said as they headed down the dark, empty street. "We need to add more to our team so we can move further ahead. We'll search the tall grass, we'll search that river, and we'll break rocks if we have to. We'll search until –"
Red bristled. He suddenly had the strangest feeling he was being watched.
"Do you feel that too, Beedrill?" he whispered.
Beedrill nodded.
A sound. Oh gosh, there was a sound now. Definitely someone/thing about.
Red took Pikachu off Beedrill's back and returned Charmander to his Poké Ball. Beedrill brandished her stingers, pointing them at where she sensed the someone/thing could come from.
"Get your String Shot ready to tie it down," Red said.
They waited with bated breath, expecting the whatever-it-was to come from anywhere.
It then appeared before them.
o~o~o~o~o
Professor Oak yawned, his eyes straining against the glare of his computer. 'Just a few more minutes' was his mantra, pushing him forward. It was all in the name of science after all.
But maybe it was not because his work was in the name of science. Maybe it was a means of distraction.
Professor Oak ran his hands through his grey hair as he thought back to the conversation he had with Red's mother and Leaf's parents. As much as he did not want to, as much as it went against his better judgement, he did as Professor Rowan insisted he do.
Guilt ate away at him as he watched their horrified faces, but he kept his own quite stoic, speaking with the authority he would use when performing his Pokémon lectures. Leaf's father cursed Team Rocket and Leaf's mother never removed her hand from her mouth, but Red's mother simply frowned after purging herself of some of her own dark feelings, saying nothing.
They asked Professor Oak what was to happen next, what they should do regarding their children, giving him accusatory stares as to why he waited so long to tell them. Leaf's father appeared as though he wanted to give Professor Oak much more than a few harsh words.
Miraculously, however, Professor Oak was able to convince them to allow their children to continue their journey, vouching for them, telling them how far they had come already and how far they still had to go. It was a stressful event, but he succeeded, and he hoped never to have a discussion like this ever again.
The three children he had entrusted a Pokédex each to were more than a means to an end, more than encyclopedia fillers. They represented the future of Pokémon and would bring about further generations to go down the same path and spread the hope and love these fantastical creatures provided.
Even if that meant fighting back against the tyranny of those who wished to do the opposite.
Yes, only by wading through the murk could the light be reached.
