Hello there! Welcome to the world of POKéMON! My name is OAK! People call me the POKéMON PROF!
This world is inhabited by creatures called POKéMON! For some people, POKéMON are pets. Others use them for fights. Myself… I study POKéMON as a profession.
First, what is your name?
Right! So your name is xxx!
This is my grandson. He's been your rival since you were a baby. …Erm, what was his name again?
That's right! I remember now! His name is AAdeeef!
xxx! Your very own POKéMON legend is about to unfold! A world of dreams and adventures with POKéMON awaits! Let's go!
~·~
I woke up gasping. I looked around. This was still Route 6, we were still in the tall grass, and Dux still stood next to me.
We stared at each other, perplexed.
"I just had…" Dux began.
"…The strangest dream," I finished.
"Hurry up, you guys!" said Rattata. "We need to beat Adeef!"
~·~
Start Time: 2d 14h 52m
~·~
[DUX hacked away with CUT!]
"Damn right I did!" Dux said, swinging his leek. In an instant, he sliced the tree, clearing the way to Route 9.
"Alright, Dux!" Abby K. cheered; she and Jay Leno hollered and applauded.
"Incredible," I said. "You cut that tree down in less than a minute."
"Yeah, well, it's what I do," Dux said, beak held high. "Rain falls, fish swim, Dux cuts."
"You've done well," said Pidgeotto, patting Dux with one wing. "The Helix is with you today, it seems."
"That's right," Dux said, pointing his leek forward. "Today is Dux's day!"
~·~
[GEODUDE used SELFDESTRUCT!]
"Ah, crap," said Dux.
The explosion knocked Dux backward; he rolled against the dirt, feathers trailing behind him. He was out—and so was Geodude. The Hiker withdrew it and sent out an Onix.
"So, uh," Dux mumbled from the dirt, "you know how I said today is Dux's day?"
"Yeah?" Abby replied.
"Well, scratch that."
"Can't." Abby walked toward the Onix. "I forgot Scratch… but I learned this!"
[ABBBBBBK( used CUT!]
With a single, sharp claw, Abby sliced into the giant serpent's rock-hard flesh. The Onix groaned; it rammed into Abby. Abby rolled away, then used Cut again.
"Alright, we get it," Dux grumbled. "You know Cut. Big whoop."
"Jealously helps no one, Dux," said Pidgeotto. "Abby's abilities do not detract from yours."
"Yeah," said Jay, "Red can barely get anything done—so, the more help, the better!"
With one final Cut, Abby defeated the Onix, winning the battle for Red. Arms held high, shouting victoriously, Red ran west… then east… then west again.
"Where are we going, again?" Dux asked.
"To fight Adeef!" Rattata replied.
We stared at him.
"To the Celadon Gym," said Abby. "Well, eventually. First we gotta go through the Rock Tunnel—it's just east of here, on Route 10. That'll take us to Lavender Town. From there, we gotta go west—through Route 8, the Underground Path, and Route 7."
"And then we fight Adeef?" Rattata asked. Jay cackled.
"Sounds like a long way," Dux said, ignoring Rattata.
"Indeed," said Pidgeotto. "We should set off at once."
Red rubbed his face against a cliff wall.
"I don't think Red ever 'sets off,' really," I said.
But Red did, eventually, meander eastward. Soon, he reached a narrow ledge—less than five feet wide. To his left was a rocky cliff wall. To his right was a steep drop. There was only one way to go: forward.
Of course, Red couldn't go only one way. He had to go every way. So as soon as he reached the ledge, he jumped off. He landed about halfway down the steep slope, fell over, and rolled the rest of the way down.
"Huh," said Dux. Jay and Rattata giggled.
Eventually, Red made his way back to the ledge. This time, he spent a few seconds clinging to the wall. He rubbed his S.S. Ticket against it. Then he jumped off. Jay and Rattata laughed harder.
"You can do it, Red!" Abby shouted.
But I wasn't so sure. As Red made his third attempt, I did some mental calculations.
"I hope you all are aware," I said, "that this ledge is two hundred feet long."
"Yeah?" said Dux. "So what?"
"So, in order to pass it, Red must walk two hundred feet in a single direction, without ever losing his footing."
As I spoke, Red fell off the ledge.
"Well, crap," said Dux.
~·~
"Right!" Pidgeotto chanted. "Right!"
"Up and right!" cheered Abby.
The six of us led; Red meandered forward, bumping against the cliff wall.
"He's almost halfway there," I said. "Remember: 'right' means 'east.' Go right, go right…"
"Wheee!" Rattata squealed, jumping off the ledge and sliding down.
Red jumped off the ledge.
The rest of us groaned. "Rattata, no!" I shouted.
"Remember, Rattata," said Pidgeotto, "a trainer is subconsciously influenced by his Pokémon. If you jump off, Red may follow."
"Oh, oops," said Rattata, barely concealing a smile. "Sorry. I won't do it again."
~·~
"Almost," I whispered. "Just twenty feet more…"
"Wheee!" Rattata squealed, sliding down the ledge.
Red jumped off.
"Damn it, you stupid rat!" Dux shouted, frantically waving his leek.
"Oops—I forgot," Rattata said, his eyes big and innocent. "It's just so fun, though!"
I heard Jay chortle next to me. I gave him a curious look. "Oh, come on," he whispered, "it was kinda funny."
~·~
Red fell off the ledge.
"That was his 110th try, right?" Jay asked. Below us, Red cursed the Dome.
"112th, I think," I replied.
"Eh, I lost count after 50," said Dux.
Abby and Pidgeotto were still trying to guide Red, but the rest of us had given up. We sat on the ledge, watching Red fail, distracting Rattata with some pokétreats we'd snatched from Red's bag. Red sidled close to us, then stopped to check Bulbasaur's cry.
"Well, I don't want to alarm anyone," said Dux, "but I'm pretty sure we're stuck here 'till we die."
"We'll make it through," Abby insisted. "The holy Helix Fossil will guide us!"
"No, look!" said Jay. Red was rubbing the S.S. Ticket against his ear. "He's consulting the S.S. Ticket. The S.S. Ticket will guide us!"
Abby and Pidgeotto gave him strange looks. "Dude… it's just a piece of paper," said Abby.
"But…"
"He is not 'consulting' the S.S. Ticket," said Pidgeotto; "he is merely rubbing it against his face."
"But…"
"Yeah, you're being pretty weird about this whole Ticket thing," said Abby.
"But… the Helix Fossil…"
"The Helix Fossil has lain dormant for millions of years," said Pidgeotto. "The S.S. Ticket will decompose in a landfill. The two are not comparable."
"But… the S.S. Ticket is at the top of Red's bag now," Jay protested, "which makes him look at it way more than the Helix Fossil. So the whole 'consult Helix' joke doesn't really work anymore."
"The Helix Fossil ain't no joke!" Abby snapped.
"Be patient, Abby," said Pidgeotto, solemnly shaking his head. "It will take time before nonbelievers are ready to accept the way of Helix."
"Wait, look!" said Jay. Red was rubbing a silver disc against his ear. "Now he's consulting TM24. Maybe TM24 will guide us?"
"I just hope he doesn't toss it," I said. "Thunderbolt is an extremely powerful move. If our team ever gains an electric-type, we could—"
"Yoink!" Rattata jumped, snatching the disc in midair.
[RATTATA learned THUNDERBOLT!]
"Ooh, that felt tingly!" said Rattata. We stared at him. Jay burst into laughter.
"Did… did you guys know that Rattata can learn Thunderbolt?" Dux asked.
"I didn't even know," Jay chortled, "and I am a Rattata."
Red was laughing, too. "YEAH ZAPRAT! Noooo we were saving that! WAIT WHAT THE FUCK RATTATA CAN LEARN THUNDERBOLT?"
In all the excitement, he jumped off the ledge.
~·~
Red rubbed the Helix Fossil against his ear.
"The Helix Fossil has been consulted!" Pidgeotto announced.
"Praise Helix!" said Abby.
"Yeah, praise Helix!" Dux shouted back. Then he turned to me and whispered, "Psst, Drowzee—why are we praising Helix?"
"It's a fascinating case, isn't it?" I replied. In the distance, Abby and Pidgeotto guided Red back to the ledge; I watched them as I spoke. "When faced with chaos beyond our control, we seek an authority to guide us through it. Red's actions are pure chaos… but he does, somehow, progress. The Helix Fossil seems to have become associated with that progress."
"So this 'holy Helix' stuff is all bunk? It's just a dumb fossil?"
"That depends," I said, scratching my chin, "on whether you subscribe to a materialist or idealist attitude toward metaphysical ontology. After all, Red is the pure manifestation of a Hegelian geist—a single spirit uniting many. As such, the holy Helix may be 'real' as part of a dialectic—the thesis to the Dome's antithesis."
Dux stared at me. "…What?"
"Put another way," I said, "Red, as a collective consciousness, must also have a collective unconsciousness. It is only natural that Jungian archetypes would so readily manifest themselves to him. And are such archetypes not as real as the ground we walk on?"
Dux furrowed his brow. "You're using a lot of fancy words," he said, "about a kid who's been jumping off a ledge for five hours."
"Are we talking about the Helix Fossil?" Jay asked, stepping next to us. "Because that was funny at first, but now it's getting kinda creepy. Plus, Red hardly uses it anymore! He usually takes out the S.S. Ticket, now."
"Indeed," I said, "but that is a recent development. Once certain associations develop, they tend to stick. The Helix Fossil was in the right place at the right time."
"Hey, Jay," said Dux, "weren't you supposed to keep an eye on Rattata?"
Rattata slid down the ledge.
"Uh, oops," said Jay.
Red jumped off the ledge.
~·~
The setting sun cast a peaceful light on Route 9. Red jumped off the ledge.
"Seven hours," Dux groaned, tearing his feathers out. "Seven hours we've been stuck here."
"It's not all bad," said Jay. "We've been getting to know each other."
"You're right, Jay," Dux said, suddenly calm. "Making new friends is always good. And you know what a great way of making new friends is? NOT BEING STUCK ON A FRICKIN' LEDGE FOR SEVEN HOURS!"
"PRO LEDGE JUMPING!" Red cheered, jumping off the ledge. "Ledge jump simulator 2000!"
Meanwhile, Pidgeotto perched next to me. "Drowzee," he said, "you can see into Red's mind, can you not?"
"Red's minds," I corrected.
"Do you sense it, too?"
"Yes. But—how did you know?"
"I can feel it."
Red jumped off the ledge.
"It doesn't make sense," I said. "His Twitch tends to strengthen during intense battles and victories. This setback ought to have weakened it. Yet, for hours, it's been steadily growing stronger. Why?"
~·~
The sky darkened as the final sliver of sun descended below the horizon.
"This is it," Dux sighed. "This is where our journey ends."
"Dux…" I began.
"It was fun while it lasted," Dux continued. "Really thought we'd make it farther, but…"
"Um, Dux…" Jay began.
"Well, every trainer has their limit. It's just usually, you know, a Pokémon-related limit. Not a goddamn ledge."
"Dux!" Abby shouted. "Look!"
Red stood at the end of the ledge. To his left, uphill, victory awaited. To his right, below, was yet another fall.
He ran uphill.
We all cheered. "Praise the Helix!" said Pidgeotto.
"I never doubted him for a second," said Dux.
"YEAH!" Red shouted, arms raised in victory. "WE DID IT REDDIT!"
"Hey," said a child with a bug-catching net. He pointed at Red. "We locked eyes. That means we have to battle."
"NO!" Dux screeched, falling to the ground. "We're doomed!"
"Don't fret," Abby said, stepping into battle. "We just have to make it to Route 10 without blacking out."
"Doomed!"
"Although we are weakened," I said to Dux, "and you fell to that Geodude earlier, Red still has five active Pokémon. We have a decent chance."
The Bug Catcher sent out a Caterpie. Abby used Growl, weakening Caterpie's Tackle, then hit him with Bide.
"Just one more hit'll do it," said Abby. "Finish him off, Jay!"
"Okay!" said Jay. "Here it goes!" Jay Leno ran up to the Caterpie, and…
[JLVWNNOOOO used TAIL WHIP!]
"Jay, what are you doing?" I shouted. "Attack!"
"I'm trying!" Jay replied while Caterpie tackled him. "This is really hard!"
Several Tail Whips later, Jay finally managed to use Quick Attack; Caterpie went down. Next, the Bug Catcher sent out a Weedle. "Alright," said Jay, "I think I've finally got this."
Jay attacked, tackling Weedle over and over. Weedle uselessly shot string at Jay.
"It seems we're not the only Pokémon who have difficulty synchronizing with our trainer," I observed.
"Indeed," said Pidgeotto, "it is a common problem. Only the most elite trainers can maintain control during battle."
Unfortunately, Jay was weakened from previous battles. A single Poison Sting took him down.
"I'm next!" said Rattata.
Within seconds, he was down.
"Never mind!" said Rattata.
"I suppose I'll try," I said, stepping forward. Red rubbed the Helix Fossil against me.
As we dueled, Weedle switched randomly between painful Poison Stings and harmless String Shots. With Hypnosis, I managed to put him to sleep; then I used Pound. As he woke up, I resolved to disable his Poison Sting…
[DROWZEE used DISABLE!]
[Enemy WEEDLE's STRING SHOT was disabled!]
"Oh, crap," I said. Jay and Rattata laughed.
"Great job, Drowzee!" Dux snarked. "You showed that guy not to shoot string!"
I wanted to use Pound, but, unable to control myself, I continued using Disable. Weedle rammed his stinger into me over and over until, finally, I couldn't take any more.
"Well, at least you weakened him," said Abby. "Pidgeotto, wanna finish him off?"
"Very well," said Pidgeotto.
Not only did Pidgeotto finish off Weedle, but he quickly—singlehandedly—defeated Venonat, the Bug Catcher's final Pokémon. I was in awe. He made it look easy.
"WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!" Red shouted. "PIDGEOTTO ABBY JAY LENO HALL OF FAME!" He followed the path uphill, running into every cliff wall on the way. His Twitch was exploding to new levels. A seemingly impossible victory was at hand.
"We ought to avoid trainer battles," I said. "With only two active Pokémon, we—"
"Hey!" a Hiker shouted, pointing at Red. "Let's battle!"
"Doomed," Dux muttered.
Abby fought valiantly against Geodude—but she was weak to rock-types, and her moves had little effect on him. She scraped him with one last Cut before a Rock Throw took her down.
"SAVE US PIDGEOTTO!" Red cried.
Pidgeotto flew forward. He flapped his wings, but that only created a useless Whirlwind. Geodude tossed a sharp stone, clipping Pidgeotto's wing; Pidgeotto spiraled to the ground.
"This isn't good," I said. "Pidgeotto's hurt—and if he goes down…"
"…Eight more hours of ledge-hopping fun," Jay finished.
Suddenly, Pidgeotto stood up. "Then I will not go down," he said. He lunged beak-first at Geodude, skewering his rocky exterior.
[Critical hit!]
Pidgeotto flew back. Geodude threw a rock.
[Enemy GEODUDE's attack missed!]
Again, Pidgeotto used Quick Attack. Again, Rock Throw missed.
After one more hit, Geodude went down.
"YEAH BASED BIRD!" Red shouted.
"Wow, we might actually get past this," said Jay.
Next, the Hiker sent out a Machop. Pidgeotto rammed him beak-first. Machop chopped Pidgeotto's neck. Pidgeotto tumbled. Everyone gasped. "It's over!" Dux said, covering his eyes.
"No," I replied, "look!"
Pidgeotto got up. He lunged at Machop.
[Enemy MACHOP fainted!]
Before we could even celebrate, the Hiker sent out another Geodude.
"Okay, now we're screwed," said Jay.
Red rubbed Pidgeotto with the S.S. Ticket. "SAVE US TICKET!" he cried.
Pidgeotto breathed deeply. "There is too much at stake," he said. "I cannot lose!"
He lunged into Geodude. Geodude threw a rock—and missed. Pidgeotto flapped his wings, creating a powerful Gust, tearing bits of rubble off of Geodude's body. Geodude curled up to defend himself.
"Pidgeotto OP plz nerf," said Red.
"Unbelievable," I breathed. "He's actually winning."
Pidgeotto flapped his wings, creating…
…A useless Whirlwind.
[Enemy GEODUDE is unaffected!]
Geodude threw a rock. It hit Pidgeotto; he fell out of the air.
[PIDGEOTTO fainted!]
"Doomed," Dux whispered to me.
[RED is out of useable POKéMON!]
"This is the end," Jay sang. "My only friends, the end…"
[RED blacked out!]
~·~
"I failed," Pidgeotto lamented.
We were in Cerulean City, inside some random person's house. Red ran back and forth, clutching his head, cursing the Dome. The house's owner sat calmly, watching TV. Such was Kanto's open-door culture. Kantoans assumed that, wherever you were, that was where you were supposed to be. No point in locking you out.
"You did great," Abby told a downcast Pidgeotto. "We all screw up with Red. It's amazing how long you didn't screw up for!"
"The chances of victory were almost zero," I added. "You gave a better fight than anyone expected. It's infused Red with unprecedented excitement."
"Yeah," said Jay, "and now we're all pumped to try the ledge again! Well, except Dux."
Dux was crouching in the corner, rocking back and forth, chanting "All ledge and no play make Dux a dull bird…"
"Look, guys!" said Rattata. "Jay Leno is on TV!"
"That's impossible," Dux said, coming over to see. "Why would anyone watch Jay Leno?"
But Rattata was right. We were all on TV. It was a local news channel, and Red was jumping off the ledge. An anchorwoman spoke: "…But when footage of this strange boy leaked, it became an Internet sensation, instantly garnering thousands of views…"
We kept watching. I wondered: was this related to Red's Twitch growing stronger?
"This is ridiculous," said Dux. "Who the hell would watch some kid jump off a ledge for eight hours?"
"Us?" Jay suggested.
On TV, the anchorwoman was interviewing various random people.
"It's something we can all totally relate to," a young woman said. "It's like… we all have our own ledge to overcome. You know?"
The screen changed.
"He falls, he tries again," and old man said. "He falls, he tries again. That's grit. You don't see that often, these days."
The screen changed.
"You can do it, Red!" a little girl said. "I believe in you!"
The screen changed.
"Honestly," said a teenage boy, "I just think it's hilarious how he keeps falling down."
The screen changed. "Holy crap," Abby gasped. "That's…"
Indeed—the chyron made it very clear who this man was.
"This new obsession is yet another symptom of our national despair," said Koga, Fuchsia City's Gym Leader. "Kanto has been taken over by mobsters and crooks. Champions come and go, always promising change—yet nothing ever changes. It often feels as though our true enemy is the sterility of the world itself. As if Team Rocket exemplifies a set, scripted path from which we cannot deviate.
"This boy, however, has no set path. Even he cannot fully predict his own actions. Yet he tries, against all odds, to forge his own fate. Is it any wonder that Kantoans are so drawn to him? He challenges the sterility we've all become accustomed to—and, in doing so, gives us hope that things may yet change."
"Wow," said Jay. "I had no idea that ledges were such serious business."
I was watching the man on the couch. Something within him had changed. He was shifting his eyes between Red and the TV. He was questioning the routines that defined his life.
~·~
"Come down, you damn tree!" Dux growled. He slapped his leek against the Route 9 tree, but to no effect.
"This went a lot faster last time," said Jay.
"You've grown impatient, Dux," said Pidgeotto.
I couldn't blame Dux. We were all pumped up, now, ready to face the ledge head-on—and unready for anything to stop us.
"Let me try," said Abby. She slashed at the tree with her claws.
"Nuh-uh!" said Dux, hitting the tree harder. "Either I'm cutting this tree down, or—"
[ABBBBBBK( hacked away with CUT!]
"…Or Abby is?" Jay finished.
"THIRTY MINUTE SPEED CUT!" Red cheered, running past the chopped-down tree.
"Hey, that was my tree!" Dux complained. "You…" He noticed Pidgeotto's harsh glare. "I mean… thank you for your assistance, Abby K."
"Any time," Abby said innocently.
"Now, come," said Pidgeotto, flying east. We all followed.
~·~
I have fond memories of the next three and a half hours. Some of my fondest, in fact.
I don't know why. Nothing happened. Red jumped off the ledge again and again. That's it.
But there was something in the night air, now. An excitement like I'd never felt before—an emotion within us, yet at the same time, beyond us. The sky darkened, and Red ran, and it felt like the world was running with him.
We all helped, this time. Even Rattata (well, he tried). We all ran with Red, cheering him on, guiding him. We knew he could do it, now. We believed in him. And we believed in Pidgeotto. The battle had created newfound respect for him. Red seemed to follow Pidgeotto more than any of his other Pokémon.
No one got tired, or complained about how long it was taking. This was life, and for one beautiful moment, we were all a part of it.
"Gotta check Bulbasaur's cry," Red muttered, mashing buttons on his Pokédex.
"C'mon—you're halfway there!" Dux said. "Don't get distracted now!"
"No—this is intentional," I observed. "He's distracting himself so that he doesn't fall off."
"Will that work?" Jay asked.
Red stepped forward. He played with his Pokédex. He stepped. He played with the S.S. Ticket.
Slowly, he approached the end of the ledge.
We watched, our hearts racing. Dux chewed his finger-like feathers.
He reached the end. Just one more step…
"Wheee!" Rattata cheered, jumping off the ledge.
"Oh no you don't," said Abby, grabbing Rattata by the tail and pulling him back.
Red walked uphill.
We applauded, our hearts with ecstasy. "Red! Red! Red!" we chanted, led by Abby. Then she led a chant for the Helix—and even I joined in.
"WE BEAT THE LEDGE!" Red screamed triumphantly, running up the hill. "UPVOTE PARTY IN HERE!"
"Yay us!" said Rattata. "We did it together!"
"We did it in spite of you, you stupid rat!" Dux growled, bonking Rattata on the head.
But Dux wasn't angry. How could any of us be? After fourteen hours, the impossible had happened: a kid had walked past a ledge.
And the victories didn't end there. Red walked to the right—and passed the Hiker completely, never locking eyes. Then Red followed the path downhill. We followed, cheering the whole way. Soon enough, we looked eastward—where, under a moonlit sky, Route 10 awaited us.
"I know this'll sound pathetic," said Jay, "but this might be the best moment of my life."
"I'm so happy," Dux said tearfully, hugging me. "You guys are the best!"
"I'm glad too, Dux," I said, patting his wing.
"Remember this moment, you guys," Abby said wistfully. "Moments like these make you realize…"
Red jumped off the ledge.
Our jaws dropped.
No one spoke. I think our brains had melted.
Red, babbling incoherently, walked back to the beginning of the ledge. Our eyes were glued to him. I don't think any of us fully believed what we were seeing.
Then—in one single, smooth walk—Red crossed the ledge.
He walked uphill, past the ledge.
Our eyes bulged.
"Cool," said Rattata. Jay Leno burst into laughter.
"Did I just hallucinate?" Dux asked. "Or did Red just cross the ledge, jump off, and then cross it again in like two minutes?"
"I… think so?" I replied.
"Hey, you!" said the Hiker. "Let's battle!"
He sent out a Geodude. "Abby," said Pidgeotto, "what is it you were saying earlier?"
"Dude, I don't freaking remember," Abby replied. "My mind is mush." She clenched her claws, grinning. "But I still remember how much I hate this lump of rock."
The fight was intense. Abby used Growl and Leer. Geodude threw rocks; Abby took the hit, then sliced away with Cut. For a minute, she held still while Geodude pummeled her. But just when I thought she couldn't take any more, she unleashed energy, slashing Geodude vigorously until he fainted.
"Next victim!" Abby cried.
When Machop kicked her, I thought she was done. But she got back up and sliced him with one sharp claw.
[Critical hit!]
"CLUTCH!" Red cried. His Twitch was exploding.
Finally, after another Low Kick, Abby fainted. Pidgeotto replaced her. He quickly finished Machop off.
Out came the second Geodude—the bane of our existence.
"MORE LIKE GEODOME!" said Red.
It was a team effort. Dux fought as hard as he could, but fainted to Rock Throw. Pidgeotto fought next. Red switched me in for a bit. Then he sent out Rattata.
"Don't use Thunderbolt!" I called out. "It's useless here!"
"'Kay," said Rattata, and—to my surprise—he disappeared under the earth.
"Oh, right," I muttered. "I forgot he knows Dig. But it won't be enough to—"
Rattata burst upward, ramming Geodude from below.
[Critical hit!]
[It's super effective!]
[Enemy GEODUDE fainted!]
"…Never mind," I finished as everyone applauded.
"TOP PERCENTAGE!" Red cheered.
"I'm sorry I called you a 'dumb rat,' buddy," Dux said, patting Rattata on the back.
"It's okay," said Rattata. "I wasn't actually listening."
"Way to go, Zipzap!" said Jay.
Dux gave him a strange look. "Zipzap?"
"Yeah, because he knows Thunderbolt. He's the Zipzap Rat!"
"But he just won with Dig. Wouldn't 'Digrat' make more sense?"
"Nah, that sounds weird," said Jay. "I think 'Zipzap' is the nickname that'll stick."
Red walked downhill. We held our breath. This path touched the ledge again just before turning east to Route 10. Hence, why Red had jumped off last time.
He approached the ledge. Closer and closer…
Red turned, and walked east.
After eighteen hours, Route 9 was finally behind us.
~·~
All healed up, we exited the Route 10 Pokémon Center—a lonely light among the sprawling, shadowy mountains.
"Man, what a day," said Jay.
"I had fun!" said Rattata.
"Strangely enough," I said, "so did I."
We peered into the cave entrance. Although the night was dark, that was nothing compared to the pitch-black cave ahead.
"Will we… be able to see in there?" Dux asked nervously.
"Nope!" Abby cheerfully replied. "Most trainers use a move called Flash to get through… but since Red just stumbles around anyway, it won't be any different in the dark than in the light."
"HELIX WILL LIGHT THE WAY!" said Red.
He stepped into the Rock Tunnel.
~·~
End Time: 3d 7h 32m
~·~
Current team:
ABBBBBBK(, lv.31
• Charmeleon (Fire)
• Cut, Bide, Growl, Leer
···
RATTATA, lv.13
• Rattata (Normal)
• Thunderbolt, Body Slam, Quick Attack, Dig
···
JLVWNNOOOO, lv.12
• Rattata (Normal)
• Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, BubbleBeam
···
DROWZEE, lv.14
• Drowzee (Psychic)
• Pound, Hypnosis, Disable
···
PIDGEOTTO, lv.30
• Pidgeotto (Normal/Flying)
• Gust, Sand-Attack, Quick Attack, Whirlwind
···
DUX, lv.16
• Farfetch'd (Normal/Flying)
• Cut, Sand-Attack, Leer, Fury Attack