"Red was a laughingstock. But his journey fascinated people. Inspired them, even. Why? Because Red challenged the very concept of predictability."
—Champion Lance
~·~
Start Time: 2d 6h 58m
~·~
"I love Spearow!" the little girl said. "Wanna trade yours for my Farfetch'd?"
Red was pacing around in her house, tapping things with the Helix Fossil. "Up, b, start… Farfetch'd learns Cut gotta trade Spearow… right, b, left…"
"Can I, um… can I see your Spearow?" the little girl asked.
Red threw Rattata at her.
"This… is a Rattata," she said.
Red threw Jay Leno at her.
"This, um… this is also a Ratta—"
Red threw the Helix Fossil at her.
"This isn't even a Pokémon!"
Red threw Spearow at her.
"That's it! That's Spearow!"
"I suppose this is goodbye," Pidgeotto told Spearow.
"Yeah," said Abby. "It's been fun."
"Not really," Spearow murmured.
"Aw, don't be like that," said Jay. "Remember all the good times we had together? Like that time you… um… like that time we… uh…" He paused. "Well, I'll remember them later."
"Oh my gosh—look!" Rattata said, pointing at Spearow. "A wild Spearow! Catch it!"
~·~
As we wandered around behind Vermilion Gym, Abby opened the new Poké Ball on Red's belt. A beam of light shone; it took the shape of a small bird with a flat beak. The light faded, revealing light-brown feathers and a black, V-shaped unibrow. He was grasping, in his wing, a stick of leek.
The Farfetch'd, Dux, introduced himself. We told him about our team. Dux put the leek in his mouth and nodded sagely. But I could tell, from reading his mind, that he had no idea what we were talking about.
"That's our destination," Abby said, pointing at the back of Vermilion Gym. "But to get there, we have to go that way." She pointed to the path around the gym. Almost all of it was blocked by a fence, except for one narrow gap. That gap was itself blocked by a short, gnarled tree. "And to do that, we have to cut down that tree."
"A tree, eh?" said Dux. He spun his leek theatrically. "You've come to the right Dux!" He hopped over to the tree. "They call me the Slayer of Trees, y'know."
"Who calls you that?" I asked.
"You're about to," said Dux. "After I chop down this tree."
With all his might, Dux swung his leek. It hit the tree—and bent. Jay laughed; Rattata laughed with him.
"You have to learn Cut first," Abby said, trying to keep a straight face.
"Well, obviously I knew that!" Dux spat. "I was showing you what I will do after I learn Cut!" He hopped over to Red. Then he held his chin up confidently. "Okay, trainer!" he declared. "Bestow me with your wisdom!"
Red smacked him with the Helix Fossil.
"OW!" Dux exclaimed. "Goddammit! What the hell was that?"
"He has blessed you with the holy Helix Fossil," said Pidgeotto.
"Blessed me? He hit me in the goddamn face!"
"Over time, you will learn to appreciate the Helix's blessings."
"Yeah, right," Abby said, rolling her eyes. She whispered to Dux: "Don't listen to this guy. He's a religious fanatic."
Red smacked Dux with the Nugget.
"OW!" Dux exclaimed. "What the hell?"
"You've been blessed by the Nugget!" Abby cheered, raising her arms. "Praise the Nugget!"
"What the hell is this team?"
Jay was laughing hysterically. Rattata was, too—though I sensed that he was just imitating Jay.
"You think this funny?" Dux asked, grimacing.
"I do," Jay wheezed, chortling.
"Well, you're right," said Dux. "It is funny. But that doesn't mean I like it!"
Red smacked Dux with HM01.
"OW! Goddammit!"
[DUX did not learn CUT.]
"Wait—I didn't?" Dux said, rubbing his sore beak. "Wasn't that the HM?"
"It's not enough to just touch it," said Abby.
"Anything you and Red do together," said Pidgeotto, "must be done in a moment of pure connection between trainer and Pokémon."
"Hey, I'm not the problem, here!" Dux spat. "I've had a human trainer longer than any of you amateurs. I know how this stuff works. The problem is this guy!"
Red was slobbering all over his HM01 disc.
"Amateurs, huh?" Abby said, smirking. "Well then, let this 'amateur' show you how it's done."
She walked up to Red, looked him in the eye, and reached out, extending a limp claw. Red stared at her. He took HM01 out of his mouth. For a moment, he was still. For a moment, they looked into each other's eyes. A moment of pure connection. Slowly, disc in hand, Red reached out to Abby, his arm shaking.
"Yoink!" said Rattata, slapping the disc away mid-jump.
[RATTATA is not compatible with CUT.]
"Dammit, Rattata!" said Abby. "Quit doing that!"
"Hey, you came pretty close that time," said Jay.
"Just hurry up with it, already!" Dux shouted at Red. "It shouldn't take ten minutes to use a damn HM!"
We all laughed.
"What?" said Dux. "What's so funny?"
I whispered to him: "We've been doing this for two hours."
"TWO HOURS?" Dux bellowed. "Two…" He clutched his leek tightly. Then, gradually, his body relaxed. He nodded sagely. "Okay," he said, "okay, so, this team has some issues. I get it. And that's why you've come to me, a Pokémon training veteran, for help. I understand." He gazed intensely at Red. "So let me show you how it's done! I'll learn Cut in five minutes flat!"
~·~
An hour later, we'd made no progress whatsoever.
Dux jumped for the HM. He leaped and flapped. Sometimes he managed to touch it—but nothing happened. Sometimes Abby touched it—and nothing happened. Sometimes Rattata touched it, for no reason.
Abby was fired up; she kept shouting words of encouragement at Red. Dux was disgruntled; he kept shouting obscenities and stomping the ground.
"This isn't good," Jay whispered. He, Pidgeotto, and I were watching from a safe distance. "At this rate, it'll be like Spearow all over again."
"Not at all," said Pidgeotto.
"He's perfect," I added.
Jay gave us perplexed looks. "What are you talking about?" he said. "He's hating this. He isn't fitting in at all."
"No, you couldn't be more wrong," I replied. "Watch closely, and think about what you're seeing."
We watched.
"Hurry up, dammit!" Dux spat, slamming his leek for emphasis. His feathers were disheveled; some were falling out. "It's been a frickin' hour! Just teach me the frickin'—"
Red smacked Dux with the Nugget.
"OW! Son of a—"
"That's right, Red!" Abby cheered. "Consult the Nugget!"
"Screw the Nugget!" Dux hissed. "Screw the Ticket! And screw the frickin' Helix Fossil! Just teach me the move, goddammit!" With each syllable, he slammed his leek on gravel. "Teach. Me. The. Damn. MOVE!"
"Yeah, he's having a great time," Jay muttered sarcastically.
"Now," I said, "ask yourself: what would Spearow have done in this situation?"
Jay thought. "Spearow wouldn't have done anything," he answered. "He would've gotten bored after, like, a minute."
"Precisely," said Pidgeotto.
I nodded. "To get so invested, so quickly…"
Meanwhile, Red had taken out HM01, and was holding it above his head.
"Don't worry about it," Abby told Dux, reaching for the HM. "I got this."
"Got this, my tail!" Dux replied, reaching with his leek. "You've been screwing this up for three hours!"
"Oh, and you think you can do it faster?"
"Damn right I can!"
I smiled, watching. "We couldn't have asked for a better teammate," I said quietly.
~·~
Another hour passed, in which nothing happened. They tried, and tried, and tried…
[DUX learned CUT!]
I woke up, startled. Everyone had gathered around Dux, who was holding his leek up triumphantly. Red was running around, shouting: "YES YES YES WE DID IT WE FINALLY TAUGHT CUT YES BASED DUX HM01 SPEEDRUN WORLD RECORD!"
"Wow," said Jay. "Congratulations."
"Well done," said Pidgeotto.
"Yeah, it was no big deal," Dux said, holding his beak up high, trying (and failing) not to sound utterly exhausted. "I'm sure someday, you'll—"
"Wait a moment," Abby interrupted. "You haven't won yet!" She pointed to the gnarly tree. "You can learn Cut, but can you use it?"
"Well, obviously," Dux said, confidently striding over to the tree. "Watch and learn, buckos!"
He whacked the tree with his leek. Nothing happened.
"Uh," Dux muttered. "L-like I said—watch and learn!"
He whacked. Nothing happened.
"Wow, I'm learning so much!" said Rattata. Then he whispered to Jay: "What's going on? I haven't been paying attention."
"Ha!" Abby laughed. "Just like I thought. I'll learn Cut and use it before you can prune a single branch!"
Dux swung again and again. Nothing happened.
I yawned. "Well, here comes another exciting two hours," I said. "I think I'm going back to slee—"
[DUX hacked away with CUT!]
I gaped. Everyone did. Within moments, the chopped-up remains of the gnarly tree lay at our feet.
"TOP PERCENTAGE FARFETCH'D!" Red cheered, running past.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Dux said, striding up to Abby, prodding her with his leek.
"Great job, Dux," she said, smiling slightly.
"Oh, is that what you were saying?" Dux said, raising his beak triumphantly. "Not 'All hail the Slayer of Trees!' or 'Thank goodness we finally have an expert on this team to teach us how to…'" He looked around. Everyone was gone. "What the…?"
"We're over here!" Abby shouted from the gym entrance. "Hurry up!"
Soon Dux joined us—grumbling to himself—and we entered Vermilion Gym.
Bright lights assaulted our eyes. The gym was like a massive warehouse—but far more well-lit. From one end to the other, large trashcans were arranged in perfect rows and columns.
"Ha, what a trashy place," Jay joked. "Get it?"
Rattata laughed. "Yeah!" he said. "Trashy!"
"The hell's up with all those trash cans?" asked Dux.
"This must be the gym puzzle," said Abby. "Red gets all distressed whenever he talks about it."
"Indeed," said Pidgeotto. "Do not underestimate these waste bins—for they may provide us with our greatest challenge yet."
"Our greatest challenge… is a trash can?" said Dux.
"I've heard of this before," I said, scratching my chin. "A switch will appear, at random, in one of the trash cans. To challenge Lt. Surge, a trainer must find the switch—and then immediately find a second switch. Failing to find this second switch will reset the entire puzzle, and the first switch will relocate. With Red's lack of coordination, however…"
Just then, a gym trainer challenged Red, and we found ourselves locked in battle.
It didn't go well. Soon, everyone had fainted except Abby and Pidgeotto. Abby battled against Pikachu while Dux, Pidgeotto, and I stood back and watched. Jay and Rattata were muttering to each other, laughing about something.
"Such amazing synchronization," I marveled, watching Red and Abby battle with surprising harmony.
"Abby is Red's Starter," Pidgeotto said, smiling. "They share a special bond."
"Even so," I replied. "For a single Pokémon to receive so many thousands of wills, yet fail to become overwhelmed… that is quite a feat."
"Seriously," Dux muttered, rubbing his head. "Battling with Red gave me a damn headache."
"But you've been no less impressive," I said, grinning at him. "That quick Cut outside the gym bordered on miraculous."
"It was a miracle," said Pidgeotto. "The Helix has smiled upon this Farfetch'd."
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Dux said, holding his beak up, apparently forgetting about his headache. "A Dux has gotta do what a Dux has gotta do."
I looked at Abby. "This aura," I muttered. "When thousands of souls connect with a single Pokémon, the aura it produces… I've never seen anything like it." I grinned. "Such a fascinating trainer. I sincerely hope he advances further."
"He will," Pidgeotto said confidently. "I believe that Red is destined for greatness."
But I wasn't so sure. One miracle was one thing. Red, however, would need a thousand miracles. Starting right here, in this gym. The infamous "trash can puzzle." Could Red really solve such a thing? How many hours would it take him? How many days?
And then there was the Safari Zone. Every trainer in Kanto had to pass through the Safari Zone eventually. But there was a time limit. And every attempt cost money. If Red were to keep failing, and run out of money… his journey could end right then and there.
Though, the Safari Zone was still a long way off. It seemed optimistic to assume he would make it that far. Many, many obstacles awaited us. As much as I wanted Red to succeed… realistically, I knew that the odds were low.
Eventually, Abby defeated two Pikachu, and Red won the match. "ABBY K WILL CARRY TEH URN!" Red cheered, raising his arms and running—toward the grid of trash cans. "Right, right, down… TRASH CAN PUZZLE WILL KILL THE RUN RIP… up, left, a…"
I gritted my teeth. "It begins," I uttered, bracing myself.
Red stopped, and peeked into a trash can.
And then I witnessed a miracle.
Red reached into the trash can, and flipped a switch.
[The 1st electric lock opened!]
Immediately, Red turned around, ran to an adjacent trash can, peeked inside… and flipped a switch.
[The 2nd electric lock opened!]
[The motorized door opened!]
A large door retracted, revealing the Gym Leader's room behind it.
We gaped. Red laughed. "HAHA WAIT WHAT ALREADY holy crap that was fast WAIT WE ALREADY BEAT THE TRASH CAN PUZZLE HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? Up, up, left, a, b…"
Jay and Rattata laughed. Dux scratched his head. "Huh," he said.
"That was awesome!" Abby cheered.
"The Helix Fossil has blessed us with a path forward," said Pidgeotto. "Praise Helix!"
"Praise the Nugget!" Abby countered.
I didn't know who to praise. I didn't know what to say, or what to think. But I knew that something strange was happening. I felt it in the deepest pit of my gut. It wasn't based on any kind of logic. I was too dumbstruck to do any sort of analysis. But I was overcome with a feeling—a deep, powerful feeling—that Red was far more unusual than I had ever imagined.
To me, Red's journey had been an oddity. A fun ride. A fascinating case study.
Now, for the first time, I suspected that it was something more. Something cosmically important. For the first time, I realized that I may very well have become part of a world-historical event. An event that would shake the very foundations of our reality.
"RAISE YOUR DONGERS!" shouted Red, the world-historical figure.
Soon he engaged in battle with another gym trainer. Red won—but now Abby was quite weak, and she and Pidgeotto were both paralyzed. Nonetheless, Red approached the Gym Leader's room. Then he ran away. Then he approached it again. Eventually—after running in circles for a while—Red entered the room. A blond-haired, camo-clad man awaited.
"What do you think you're doing here?" he barked, glaring daggers at Red. Red, meanwhile, was listening to Bulbasaur's cry on his Pokédex. Lt. Surge grunted. "You don't belong here," he growled. "You don't belong anywhere near a Pokémon gym."
Red listened to Bulbasaur's cry over and over.
"Go home to your mother, kid," growled Lt. Surge. "I'm sure she misses you."
He sent out a Voltorb. Abby scratched it, but quickly fell to its SonicBoom attack.
That left Pidgeotto—still paralyzed—as Red's sole remaining Pokémon. And Pidgeotto was weak to electric-type attacks.
Nonetheless, he gave it his all. After a brief struggle, he took out Voltorb. After another brief struggle, he took out Lt. Surge's Pikachu.
Then came Raichu.
There was no struggle. With a single Thunderbolt, Pidgeotto went down.
[RED is out of useable POKéMON!]
[RED blacked out!]
"NOOO!" Red lamented. "RAICHU OP! RAICHU IS FALSE PROPHET OF THE DOME FOSSIL! HELIX SAVE US!"
Lt. Surge was still tense. "You think this is all a joke?" he growled, fists clenched. "Do you have any idea what's going on out there? We're at war, kid. The biggest city in Kanto is occupied. This whole country is on the brink of collapse. If we're going to fight back, we need soldiers. We need warriors. We don't need you. So get the hell out of here!"
~·~
The sun began its ascent over Vermilion, casting the port city in yellow light. The ocean glimmered and sparkled in the golden rays of the rising sun.
From the Pokémon Center, Red made his way to the gym. But once again, he found his path blocked.
"The dang tree is back!" Dux said, whacking the gnarled tree with his leek. "What the heck? I just chopped up this thing!"
"It's a trainer-tree," Abby explained. "They can grow back in just minutes. They were created to keep non-trainers and low-level trainers away from certain areas—only trainers who teach Cut can get past them."
"Well, obviously, I knew all of that," said Dux. "I was just venting my frustration." He nodded. "But I'm glad that you explained it for the less informed among us."
I whispered to him: "You know that I can read your mind, right?"
He whispered back: "Yes, and I also know that you can keep your mouth shut."
"IN DUX WE TRUST!" Red shouted, rubbing the Nugget on Dux. "SLAYER OF TREES WILL WIN! Down, down, start…"
"That's right," said Dux. "And this time, I'll beat my own record!"
~·~
Ten minutes later, nothing had happened.
"Okay," said Dux, "so, I didn't beat my record. But it won't be long now!"
~·~
Ten minutes later, nothing had happened.
"Dammit!" Dux grumbled, swinging his leek. "Fall down, already!"
I yawned. "I'm going to take a nap."
~·~
Ten minutes later, I woke up.
Nothing had happened.
I went back to sleep.
~·~
"Dang it," Dux muttered, catching his breath. "Why was this so much easier last time?"
I yawned. I stretched, trying to wake myself up. Meanwhile, Red ran back and forth, back and forth. It was dizzying to watch. He was all over the place—even more so than usual.
"His mood isn't right," I explained. "He's too excited, and too frustrated." I paused. "And after that last battle, his Twitch grew stronger than ever. That, in itself, isn't harmful… but when combined with his current emotions, it's pulling him in too many directions at once. His wills can't harmonize, as they did before."
"Huh," Dux said, pretending to understand. "I guess that explains it."
~·~
Red stumbled around, muttering: "Down, left, right, b, a, start…"
"Hey, Drowzee," Dux said, walking up to me. "Since you can read Red's mind and all, can you tell me what all this 'down' and 'left' and 'start' stuff is all about?"
"I've been wondering that too, actually," said Jay.
"Yeah, me too," Rattata lied.
"They're commands," I answered, focusing my gaze on Red. "This is how the Mob coordinates. They've condensed the entirety of Red's movements to just a few simple inputs."
They stared at me, half-comprehending.
"Hey, what are you guys babbling about?" said Abby. She and Pidgeotto came over to join us. I explained our conversation to them.
"Oh, that?" said Abby. "So, I've been listening to Red a lot, and I think I've figured something out. I'm pretty sure that the directions he's always mumbling are actually compass directions. 'Down' is south, 'up' is north, 'right' is east, and 'left' is west."
"That's exactly right," I replied, smiling.
"Yes!" Abby cheered, pumping her fist. "Called it!"
I nodded. "Sharing a body with thousands of other souls… if they can't communicate, then Red becomes deadlocked. So, one soul utters 'down'—and other souls hear it. Thus, Red knows to step southward."
"Oh, and also," said Abby, "when he says 'start'—that actually means 'stop,' right?"
"Mostly, yes," I answered. "The 'start' command seems to have a pausing effect. However, I believe that it can be combined with other commands for more complex actions."
"Is that where 'a' and 'b' come in?" asked Abby. "I could never figure those out."
I nodded. "As far as I can tell, 'a' is typically an active command, and 'b' is typically passive. However, their meaning seems to change depending on context. I must admit, I don't entirely understand some of these combinations."
"This is greatly helpful, Drowzee," said Pidgeotto. "By understanding Red's words, we are better able to guide him down the correct path."
"Yeah, that's right," said Abby. "Trainers are subconsciously influenced by their Pokémon. So if we want Red to move south, we just gotta shout 'Down!' at him."
"What if we want to cut down a tree?" said Dux. "What do we shout for that?"
I shook my head sadly. "Those commands are too complex," I said. "We can still encourage him, of course—but those specific words are of no help here."
~·~
Dux whacked the tree. Nothing happened.
~·~
Red ran up to the fence atop the cliff. Past the cliff, the ocean spread from horizon to horizon and beyond.
Red was clutching the S.S. Ticket. He moved his arm, preparing to throw it into the sea.
[That's too important to toss!]
"NOT TOSS TICKET!" Red shouted, running away from the cliff.
~·~
Red was clutching HM01. He moved his arm, preparing to throw it into the sea.
[That's too important to toss!]
"NOT TOSS HM!" Red shouted, running away from the cliff.
~·~
Red was clutching the Helix Fossil. He moved his arm, preparing to throw it into the sea.
[That's too important to toss!]
"HELIX IS IMMORTAL!" Red shouted. "ALL HAIL THE HOLY HELIX FOSSIL!"
"Do you see now, Abby?" Pidgeotto said, grinning. "Even your former master understands the importance of the Helix Fossil."
"Dang it, Professor Oak," Abby grumbled. "Well, I'll show the old man what's what. With the power of the Nugget, we'll—"
[Threw away NUGGET.]
From Abby's perspective, it happened in slow motion, with an angelic choir singing in the background. The golden Nugget escaped Red's hand, flew upward in an arc—and then plunged downward, splashing against ocean waves, plummeting to a watery grave.
"NO!" Abby screamed. She reached out—but it was too late. She retracted her arm, and gazed forlornly at the sea.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Jay said, patting her shoulder.
Abby sighed. "So dawn goes down to day," she whispered. "Nothing gold can stay."
Pidgeotto smiled, but said nothing.
~·~
Dux whacked the tree. Nothing happened.
Twenty minutes passed.
Dux whacked. Nothing.
"It's hopeless," Abby sighed. "We just keep losing our saviors. First the Moon Stone, then the Nugget… at this rate, we'll never—"
[DUX hacked away with CUT!]
"YES!" Abby screamed. "Dux, you did it! Praise Helix!"
"You converted fast," Jay muttered, chuckling.
Abby didn't hear. She was celebrating with Dux—cheering, embracing, high-fiving (or… high-winging?). Then Dux held his beak up, smiling. "Yeah, it was no big deal," he lied. "I mean, sure, it took me a while to get a good angle. But when you're an experienced Tree Slayer such as myself, you have to…" He looked around. Everyone was gone. "What the…?"
"We're over here!" Abby shouted from the gym entrance. "Hurry up!"
Soon Dux joined us, and we entered the gym once again.
Luckily, the motorized door was still open. We could clearly see Lt. Surge standing behind it. Red slowly made his way there—bumping into every trash can on the way. "Up, up, down, start," he muttered, rubbing the S.S. Ticket around the rim of a trash can. "RAICHU TOO STRONG NEED TO GRIND JAY LENO… up, up, start…"
"This won't be easy," I said quietly. "Dux and Pidgeotto are vulnerable to electric-types. The rest of us are low in level… except Abby. She's likely the only one who can defeat Raichu."
"Don't sweat it," Abby said, pumping her fist. "With the Helix Fossil on our side, I'm sure we'll win!"
"So you've finally seen the light," Pidgeotto said, smiling.
Abby shrugged. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."
"Regardless," I said, "I hope we win. Because if we don't…"
"…Then it's two more hours of tree-cutting fun," Jay finished.
Dux tensed up, grimacing. "The stakes have never been higher," he muttered.
Finally, Red entered the Gym Leader's room.
"You again?" Lt. Surge grumbled.
"CONSULT HELIX!" Red shouted, rubbing the Helix Fossil on his ear.
Lt. Surge scowled. "Do you know why I planted that trainer-tree?" he said. "Do you know why I set up those electric switches?" He pointed at Red. "It was to keep out idiots like you. Charlatans, who think this is all just for fun." He lowered his arm, and clenched his fist. "All these kids, raising bio-weapons like pets, thinking they're big heroes just because we hand a trainer's license to any loser who asks for it. I'm sick of it. Is it any wonder Team Rocket is mowing us down? They take this seriously. We don't."
"RIP NUGGET REST IN PIECES," said Red, rubbing HM01 on his forehead. "Rip in RIP in pepperoni! RIP RIP RIP…"
Lt. Surge grunted. "Even here, I can't escape the idiots," he growled. He grabbed a Poké Ball. "Maybe if I annihilate you, you'll understand."
He sent out a Voltorb—a round, red-and-white ball, staring angrily.
"IT'S JIGGLYPUFF SEEN FROM ABOVE!" shouted Red.
"Just leave this one to Dux!" said Dux, jumping forth.
Voltorb loudly screeched. "Gah!" Dux said, reeling. "Cut that out!" He flapped his wings, and blew sand into Voltorb's eyes.
"K LATER THANKS BYE," Red said—and he tried to run away.
[No! There's no running from a trainer battle!]
Lt. Surge palmed his forehead. "Misty lost to this fool?" he muttered.
Voltorb rolled into Dux, knocking him down—but Dux quickly got up, and sliced away with his leek. Voltorb rolled again—and missed. Dux sliced.
Already, I felt Red's Twitch growing stronger. He was tense. Nervous. But also bursting with excitement. Colors became vivid. Motion became fluid. Reality became real.
"Great job, Dux!" said Abby. "Now—time for the finishing blow!"
Abby ran forth, and with one Scratch, Voltorb was out.
Without speaking, Lt. Surge withdrew Voltorb, and sent out a Pikachu.
"I suppose it's my turn," I said, feeling Red call out to me. I ran forth, staring down the yellow rodent.
There was that feeling again. That intense, chaotic feeling—like being a puppet with a million strings. I thought I was used to it. But now it was more intense, more chaotic than ever—each string vibrating rapidly. The Mob was loud. Too loud. I couldn't concentrate.
But I fought, surrendering my body to the moment. It was all a strange blur. Like an out-of-body experience. I ran, and dodged, and pounded. Pikachu's red cheeks lit up; he zapped me with a ThunderShock. Then another. I struck back, barely conscious, consumed by an overabundance of reality.
Then I couldn't strike back. I was paralyzed. And I was aching, and panting. I suddenly realized how much damage I'd taken.
"Allow me to finish this," said Pidgeotto. He flew forth. Pikachu's cheeks sparkled; he zapped Pidgeotto's wings. Pidgeotto fluttered painfully.
[Critical hit!]
[It's super effective!]
"Oh, crap!" Dux yelled.
But Pidgeotto regained his composure, and powerfully flapped. A strong Gust threw Pikachu across the room.
[Enemy PIKACHU fainted!]
"YELLOW RAT GOT REKT!" Red shouted triumphantly. "PARTY TIME!"
Lt. Surge grunted. "Warm-up's over," he said. "Time to bring out the big guns."
He sent out his final Pokémon—large, orange, and furry.
"RAICHU OP PLZ NERF!" Red shouted.
Pidgeotto flew into Raichu, knocking him down.
[PIDGEOTTO used QUICK ATTACK!]
"Hey, none of us have fainted yet," Jay noted. "We might really have this."
And then…
[Enemy RAICHU used THUNDERBOLT!]
It was, perhaps, the most powerful attack I'd ever seen. An electrical jolt that brightened the whole room a hundredfold, exploding with a painfully loud BOOM.
[It's super effective!]
[PIDGEOTTO fainted!]
"L-looks like I'm up next," Dux said, nervously fluttering forward.
Then, suddenly…
[Enemy RAICHU used THUNDERBOLT!]
[It's super effective!]
[DUX fainted!]
"OW!" Dux shouted, retreating. "Crap, that hurt!"
"Well, here goes nothing," Jay said, running forth.
I looked around—and noticed something. A few gym trainers had gathered at the sidelines, watching. That was odd. They had barely paid Red any attention before.
Jay ran into Raichu—a Tackle. Raichu glared. His cheeks sparkled.
He zapped.
[JLVWNNOOOO fainted!]
"Ugh." Jay stumbled back, his fur charred and burnt.
"Oh, me next!" said Rattata.
He ran into Raichu—a Quick Attack. Raichu glared. His cheeks sparkled.
Zap.
[RATTATA fainted!]
"Wow, that hurt a lot!" Rattata said cheerfully, running back. "I had fun, though!"
"Only Abby and I are left," I muttered. "And I'm in no fighting shape. Which means…"
"ABBY KABBY BO BABBY!" Red shouted, slapping Abby with the Helix Fossil.
[This isn't the time to use that!]
"That's where you're wrong, old man," Abby said, stepping forth. "It's always time to use Helix!"
She glared at Raichu. Raichu glared at her. Red licked the Helix Fossil.
"C'mon, Abby," Dux muttered, nervously biting his feathers. "Please don't lose. Please don't lose…"
I looked around—and noticed something. Every gym trainer had gathered at the sidelines, watching. This was highly unusual. Why were they deviating from their routines? What made this battle so special?
But then, Red was anything but usual. His battles were anything but routine. He brought chaos to our drab, predictable world. He brought color to our monochrome reality. Who could ignore such a boy? Gasoline cannot ignore a spark.
Abby scratched with her claws. Raichu retaliated with a ThunderShock.
"Yes!" Dux bellowed. "Good! Almost there!"
"Raichu was greatly weakened from the others' attacks," I noted. "Just a couple more Scratches ought to finish him."
"Sure," Abby said, grinning. She took a fighting stance. "But these guys want a show."
[ABBBBBBK( used BIDE!]
"CRAP!" Dux shouted. "NO! BAD!"
"Abby, what are you doing?" I shouted, on edge. "You'll be a sitting duck! Uh—no offense, Dux."
"SAVE US HELIX!" Red shouted, hugging the Helix Fossil.
Abby just stood and grinned.
[Enemy RAICHU used THUNDERSHOCK!]
Abby kept standing, and kept grinning. Her fighting stance didn't budge.
[Enemy RAICHU used THUNDERSHOCK!]
Standing. Grinning.
I stared in awe. Abby knew exactly what she was doing. In spite of the chaos. In spite of the Twitch. The Mob's voices were louder, more energetic than ever before—and Abby was absorbing them all, adding fuel to her fire. Red's aura was expanding, and exploding—and Abby stood firm, and ignited it. Because she knew what Red wanted. He wanted the unexpected. He wanted the unknown.
Red was screaming, tense and nervous. He hadn't expected this move. He hadn't asked for it. And yet, at the same time, Abby had never been more in synch with him.
Such was the contradiction named Red.
[Enemy RAICHU used THUNDERBOLT!]
A devastating blow. We gasped. We watched, eyes wide.
It was too much. Abby fell down.
…And then stood back up.
She lunged.
[ABBBBBBK( unleashed energy!]
She slashed and punched rapidly, giving Raichu no chance to escape.
[Enemy RAICHU fainted!]
Everyone cheered—all of us, and all of the onlookers.
"CLUTCH CLUTCH CLUTCH CLUTCH CLUTCH!" Red was screaming, over and over. "THE K IN ABBY K STANDS FOR KLUTCH!"
"Hooray!" Rattata cheered. "We beat Misty!"
Soon enough, the crowd dispersed. Back to their daily lives—their unbending routines. But this moment would stick with them. I was sure of it. Once you've seen color, you can never go back to monochrome.
Lt. Surge just stared. His face bore no expression. He wasn't sure what to make of this.
"ABBY KLUTCH!" Red shouted, literally jumping for joy. "…A, a, a, b, down, a…"
Lt. Surge approached him. "I can't deny it," he said. "That was a good battle. A great battle. I don't know if it was luck, or…" He trailed off. "You have something, kid. I don't know what. I just hope you use it wisely."
He handed Red the Thunder Badge, plus TM24—the TM for Thunderbolt.
"It was a great battle," I admitted.
"You performed tremendously, Abby," Pidgeotto said, smiling.
"Seriously!" said Jay. "I mean, I thought you messed up when you used Bide—and then there was that Thunderbolt—but you held on, and came back with a vengeance!"
"It was no mess-up," Abby said, grinning, flexing her claws. "I was giving Red exactly what he wanted. He just didn't know he wanted it."
"Dux," I said, "are you… crying?"
"Of course I'm crying!" said Dux. He sniffled. "That…" He wiped a tear. "That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
~·~
[DUX hacked away with CUT!]
"DUX HAX!" Red cheered, running past the fallen tree. "…Up, up, start, b, start…"
Dux put his leek in his mouth and nodded, admiring his handiwork.
We walked, leaving Vermilion Gym behind us.
"So, what's next?" asked Jay.
"Erika," said Abby. "The Celadon City Gym Leader."
"Celadon is a long way off, however," said Pidgeotto.
"Yeah," said Abby. "And there are some trainer-trees blocking our way."
Dux raised his leek. "Just leave it to Dux—the Slayer of Trees!"
~·~
End Time: 2d 11h 48m
~·~
Current team:
DUX, lv.15
• Farfetch'd (Normal/Flying)
• Cut, Sand-Attack, Leer, Fury Attack
···
JLVWNNOOOO, lv.11
• Rattata (Normal)
• Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, BubbleBeam
···
RATTATA, lv.10
• Rattata (Normal)
• Tackle, Body Slam, Quick Attack, Dig
···
PIDGEOTTO, lv.28
• Pidgeotto (Normal/Flying)
• Gust, Sand-Attack, Quick Attack, Whirlwind
···
DROWZEE, lv.13
• Drowzee (Psychic)
• Pound, Hypnosis, Disable
···
ABBBBBBK(, lv.30
• Charmeleon (Fire)
• Scratch, Bide, Growl, Leer