After the two trainers managed to get out of the cave, hitchhiked in a car, only for it to crack against a Snorlax, where Rusty managed to caught it after the crash and leaving the Poké Center with their (or more accurately, Marcus's) healed Pokémon, leaving the wounded driver their, they continued on with their journey. "I still can't believe that you put that driver in that ball." Marcus said as Butter, Lancer, and Rose walked along side with them. "Well, the hospital was burned down by those Team Rockets guys, so the Poké Center was the next best thing." Rusty said as they walked through the town they were in. Just then, they came across a mall." That was near to them. "Say Rusty. Why don't you get some supplies here." Marcus said as he points to the mall. "Of course. If we are going to rescue Pikachu One from Team Rocket, we need to be prepared. I'll get the essentials stuff, you wait here." Rusty said as he went into the mall with the money given by Marcus. After seeing that Rusty is gone, Marcus sighs and sat down on a bench. "Woah! I didn't expect to see you here." Marcus turned to see that Professor Tree was here. "Tree! I didn't expect to see you here!" Marcus said surprised. "Yeah, well. I am just here to pick up a "special" bike." Tree said as he chuckles. He then noticed the Pokémon Marcus has. "Woah, you got like cool Pokémon. I am proud of you." Tree said to Marcus. Marcus couldn't help but smile by the compliment. "Anyway, I got to go now. Wish I could talk more, but the order is really important. See you later." Tree said as he entered the mall, waving bye to Marcus. Marcus waved back, and he looked on his phone to see which route he and Rusty should take. After a while, Rusty came back riding a bike. "Woah, Rusty! How did you paid for that?" Marcus asked as he knew he didn't gave Rusty that much. "Oh funny thing. I could pay for it since it costed like a million bucks, but then Professor Tree came in and paid it for me, but only after he took something green out it." Rusty said as he ride his bike. "Ok. Let's just get out before the police come to question about that." Marcus said as he begins to hurry his way to the nearest route with Rusty following him.
After a couple of days of journeying, the two trainers were stopped when Rusty was challenged to a battle with another trainer, with Rusty losing by having his Pokémon fainted in one blow. "Wow, you beat me faster than most trainers." Rusty said as he picked up his fainted Zubat. "Yeah, no duh. Your Zubat nature is fricking garbage." The EV trainer said. "Oh. You are one of those trainers. An EV trainer." Marcus said when he heard the word "nature." "Really? What does EV stand for, and what is an EV trainer is?" Rusty asked. "Well, it is just a trainer where they just focus on stats and strategics, counting numbers, and thinking about the Pokémon stats. EV also stands for Effort Values." Marcus explained. "Wow, none of that is fun." Rusty said. "Pokémon isn't about having fun. It's about math and winning. It is pretty much like a job where you don't get paid for, you dingus." The EV trainer said. "Wait. That is just like school! I didn't become a trainer be just learn!" Rusty said. "Well, you don't deserve to know my secrets on becoming the very best." Just then, a truck pulled up, where the two thugs got out of the truck. "Hey, prepare for trouble. Ya dildos. We are taking your Pokémon. We are Team Rocket, we do whatever. Peace!" The thug driver said as the other thug got out, knocked the EV trainer to the ground, and took his Clefairy. With that, the two thugs drove away, leaving the three alone. "No! My hours!" The EV trainer yelled in sadness. "Wait a minute. If we follow them, they could lead us to Pikachu One! Let's go!" Rusty yelled out as he rode his bike. "Hey! Wait up!" Marcus yelled out as he ran after him.
After a while, Marcus managed to catch up to Rusty, who was at the docks. "Rusty! You can't run off like that!" Marcus said to Rusty. "But, I need to rescue Pikachu One! And I saw them got in that ship!" Rusty yelled as he points to the ship. "Rusty! This is Team Rocket we are talking about! I checked them online to learned about them on my phone, and they are not the type of people you want to mess with. It is best if we forget this, and just go on! Or better yet, go home!" Marcus yelled back as his limits are starting to break. "Well, I don't care what you say! I thought you were my friend!" Rusty yelled to Marcus. "You know what, fine! Go rescue that Beedrill! But don't come crying to me when you get beaten to a pulp!" Marcus said as he walks away from Rusty. With that, Rusty ran into the ship, with Marcus just watching as he saw the ship is getting ready to sail away. Marcus groans and walks away, but he stopped for a moment. Rusty maybe a bit insane, but he can't just let him get killed. But then again, there were times that he could handle himself. After thinking for a while, Marcus made up his mind. It is about time that Rusty learned his lesson about life.
It has been a couple of days since Marcus saw Rusty. He managed to track back and earned the badges needed to take on the Elite Four and the Champion. Right now, he managed to defeat the gym leader in Cinnabar Island. "Rose, use vine whip!" Rose, who evolved into a Ivysaur, used her whips to attack the gym leader's Growlithe, slapping it around. It struggled before fainting. "We won!" Marcus shouted with happiness. "Huh. Great job. I never expected to be beaten by a trainer with just three Pokémon. Then again, there was this weird trainer who came in with only two Pokémon. Anyway, I am proud of you. Here is your badge." The Gym Leader Blaine said as he hands him the badge. "Thank you, sir. Wait. Was this trainer wearing glasses, and his name was Rusty?" Marcus said before asking when he heard about the trainer. "Yeah. He came in here, saying that he is here for his first gym badge. But you had to have a couple of badges before coming here. But, I decided to fight him, and he lost terribly. He ended up crying and ran outside. He was crying something about his friend leaving him behind. So, I tried to cheer him up by giving him a shell and telling him it is a participation badge. He went from zero to a hundred real quick, because he got cheerful and ran off saying something about stopping Team Rocket." Blaine explained to Marcus. "Woah. Maybe I was a bit rough on him." Marcus said feeling a bit guilty. "Wait, are you the friend he was talking about!" Blaine asked. "Yeah. I left him when he was talking about saving his Pokémon from Team Rocket. It is just crazy, like he could kill himself." Marcus said a bit frustrating. "That maybe true, but you need to remember. Being a Pokémon trainer isn't just about you and your Pokémon. It is about the friends you are with. Even though the kid is a bit... strange, he is still your friend." Blaine said. "Huh. I guess you are right. I never thought I would get some advice from the Gym Leader." Marcus said. "Well, now you did. When you meet this kid again, try to talk sense into him." Blaine said. "Ok. I'll try. Thank you for the badge and your words." Marcus said as he and Blaine shakes hands before leaving.
Marcus was now walking with Butter, who is now a Bibarel. They were walking through a field of grass, with Marcus thinking about Rusty. "I want to meet him again, but what am I going to say to him. I basically destroyed his trust when I refused to go with him." His thought was interrupted when they saw someone familiar in the distance. It was Rusty, wearing a Team Rocket Uniform. "Rusty?" Marcus said to him. "Oh hi Marcus. How are you?" Rusty said. "I am doing... fine. How are you? And why are you wearing that?" Marcus asked. "Oh well, I went off to find Pikachu One like I told you, only to join Team Rocket and Pikachu One is alive with them. Me, Pikachu One and my partner were about to steal some trainer's Pokémon, only to find out it was Red! He attacked us, knocking me out. I woke up to see that the truck that Pikachu One was in is destroyed. I think he and the other guy are dead, and Red left me an Autograph! See, isn't this cool!" Rusty said as he showed Marcus the photo. Marcus looks at it and chuckles. "I guess so." Marcus said before getting serious. "Look, Rusty. I just want to say that I am sorry about leaving you. I was just nervous about going to Team Rocket. I just don't want anything happen to you or me. Please, forgive me." Rusty then let out a goofy smile. "Water under the bridge my friend. I did miss you. Now, let's become the champions." Rusty said as he managed to change into his clothes and ran off. "Haha. Hey, wait up." Marcus said as he and Butter went after him.
"I must journey on to honor my friend. Pikachu One. You are truly irreplaceable." Rusty said. "I beg to differ." Marcus thought to himself as Rusty drags a Bidoof with a leash. "Come on Pikachu Three!" Rusty then yelled to the Bidoof. "We got to find some wolf Pokémon to battle." Just then, a man wearing sunglasses came out of nowhere. "You two looking to battle? Then you came to the right house! BATTLEHAUS!" The man then said as he reveals a large building with lights and a roller coaster attached to it. "Woah, this is got be to the coolest thing I have ever seen." Marcus said in awe. "It better be. The name is Battle Bart. Come on in." Battle Bart said as they entered the building. "Here at Battlehars, we've got all the cutting-edge new battle styles. Except for Horde Battles, cause they're cheap, f*ing Trubbish sh*t!" Battle Bart said before angrily saying out the last part. "Wow, you're really mad!" Rusty said, not being a bit dazed by Battle Bart swears. "Yep. Mad for borttles! Let's go!" Battle Bart said as he leads Rusty, while Marcus stays behind. "You go on ahead Rusty. I am just going to look around." Marcus said to Rusty as he and Battle Bart walked away. With that, Marcus begins to look around the BattleHaus, only to see that it is empty. He got confused and begins to look around the rooms, only to see that they are empty. He entered one to see two men playing some sort of card game. "Hey there. Do you know where is everyone? I walked around and the place seems empty." Marcus said to the two men. The two men looked and was surprised to see someone. "Woah. I didn't expect someone to come here." One man said. "Yeah. As for your question. Our friend Bart keeps complaining that there aren't any new types of Pokémon battle, so he came up with all new sorts of battles. And just when things got weirder, he went ahead and build this Battle House. He even call himself Battle Bart and speak in some sort of weird accent." The other man said. "Yeah, he invited us in because we are his roommates, and wanted us to think how this place is. And if I am being honest, this seems like a waste of money." The man said. "Speaking of money, I heard that he had to borrow a millions of dollars from Team Rocket. It is only a matter of time before they come for his head." Marcus sat down right next to the men as they tell the story of Battle Bart and the BattleHaus. "Jeez. Thanks for letting me know about this. I should get my friend and get out of here before things gets worse." Marcus said, with the two men nodded as they continued to play their card game. Just if it was on cue, Battle Bart and Rusty came in. "Hi Marcus! Wow, what kind of battle is this?" Rusty said excitingly. "It is just Blackjack. Anyway, we're heading home Bart. See you there." The man said as he and the other man packed up and left the room. After the men left, Rusty, Marcus and Battle Bart left the room. "Marcus, you have no idea there are so many types of battles! Each one more necessary than the last." Rusty said. "Well, actually..." Marcus was about to say something, only to get interrupted by Battle Bart. "Well, there is only one more battle to show you. BattleHaus battle. It is you two, versus the BattleHaus." Bart said only to drop his accent when revealing the last battle and handing the two a gas canister full of gas. "Wait, what?" Rusty said confused. "Listen, I know that your friend here know about how this place came to be by my roommates that just left. This place costed millions, and Team Rocket new boss is calling in debts. I need the insurance or I am done for." Bart said seriously. "Ok. Listen here. This is between you and Rusty here. I don't want to get involved, but you do whatever you want Rusty. I'll be waiting outside." Marcus said as he leaves the building. As he waits outside, he heard an explosion and turn to see that the BattleHaus is burning up with Rusty outside. "Rusty, what happened?" Marcus asked calmly as he is getting used to Rusty's actions. "I didn't want to do it, but I want to win a blarttle." Rusty said. "Wait, where is Pikathree?" Rusty said only for him and Marcus to see that it already dead and burning from the fire. "Pikathree! You're evolving!" Rusty said amazed.
"Why do we have to be here?" Rusty groaned. "Well, if you want to be the very best, you got to learn a bit more about Pokémon. And what better place then at the nursery." Marcus said as he drags Rusty into the building. As they got in, they saw the EV trainer they have met a couple of days ago, holding some sort of egg. "You did it again Julian. After a year of breeding, I have finally created another perfect Pokémon." Julian said only to turn to see the two boys. "Oh. Hello there. Have you finally changed your mind about my training?" Julian said. "No. Also, you can make Pokémon?! How?!" Rusty said. "Ugh. It's easy. You just need to take..." "No, no, no. I meant how do you make a baby? As in the Delibirds and the Combees." Rusty asked. Julian sigh and was about to tell him, only to be stopped by Marcus. "Tell him, and I will have Rose vine whip you face off." Marcus said as he held out a Pokéball. "Ok, how about I teach you about make Pokémon?" Julian said. "Then I want to make a new Pikachu." Rusty said. "And before you say anything, he meant his Beedrill, which died in some sort of accident. He only got Bidoofs." Marcus said in order to avoid confusion. "Then we will craft the perfect Bidoof! Just hand me all of your Bidoofs, and I'll do the rest." Rusty then handed Julian all of his Bidoofs and Julian released his Dittos, and the two Pokémon begins to mate. "OK! That is not something he should be seeing!" Marcus said as he puts his hands over Rusty eyes. "Well he said that he wants a perfect Bidoof, and he will get one in a couple thousand attempts." Julian said. Just then, the egg begins to hatch. After a couple of seconds, the egg hatched revealing it to be a Ralts. "Wait, what? What happened to my perfect Cleffa?!" Julian said in shocked. "Sorry about that. Here is your Cleffa. We had an extra egg, so we gave it to you." A woman said as he brought out a buffed Cleffa. "Oh thank goodness. I shall name her, Cleffaye Valentine, after the woman of my dreams!" Julian said in relief. "Wait, what about the Ralts?" Marcus said as he carefully held the Ralts in his arms. "Keep it, cause I have her." Julian said as he held his Cleffa. Just then, a truck burst through the wall, killing all of the Dittos and Bidoofs. Two Team Rockets thugs came out of the truck and looked around the room, before eyeing on Julian and his Cleffa. "Look, I told you. That guy makes the best Pokémon you can ever have. Let get him and that sexy baby." With that, the two thugs jumped on Julian, then dragged him and his Cleffa into the truck and drove off. Rusty, Marcus, and the Ralts just look at what had happen in shock. "Ok, let's go before we get blamed for this." Rusty said. "Agreed." With that, the two left with Marcus getting a new Pokémon. But before Marcus left, he turned to the pile of corpses. He felt some sort of weird feeling coming from the pile. He decided to ignore it and continue on with Rusty, not knowing that the pile was starting to move.
After walking for a while and escaping that haunted tower where the Pokémon that Rusty have killed tried to make him give up his dream, with the Ralts new name as Athena, the two continued their journey, with Athena on Marcus's shoulders. "Huh, it is like she is your child." Rusty said. "Yeah, it does feels like it." Marcus said as he noticed a familiar face entering a herb store. "Wait a minute. I think that was Professor Tree!" Marcus said as he and Rusty ran into the store. It was filled with smoke, that was being made by a smoke machine inside. "Hello. Tree? Are you here? Marcy said that you are here." Rusty said outloud. Just then, Tree came out of a room, high. "Woah. Marcus! Rusty! What are you doing here?" Tree said dazed. "Well, we saw you entered here and want to see you. Also, I could ask you the same question too." Marcus said as he and Tree hugged. They then broke off the hug. "Oh yeah. My friend Nugget invited me here to watch a Pokémon documentary in the back. Want to join?" Tree said still dazed. The two boys nodded in agreement. "It would be good to sit on something soft for once. And I brought some chips." Rusty said. With that, the three entered the back with a dazed bearded man watching a tv. "Hey Nugget. This is my adopted son and his friend I was telling you about. They even brought chips." Tree said. "Wassup chips. It's starting." Nugget said as the three sat down on the couch. The tv then shows the documentary, which just consists about Pokémon and their appearance. After a while, Tree and Nugget fell asleep, leaving Rusty, Marcus, and Athena watching it. Just then, the documentary was interrupted with breaking news about a nearby gym being surrounded by the police in Viridian. "Oh dang. A gym. That's where badges live. Rusty love badges! Second badge, here I come!" Rusty said out loud. Marcus would just try to convince him to not do it, but decided to go along so he can protect him. "Sure, why not." Marcus said as the three exited the building, only to see two Pidgeys flying above them. The two bird then entered the shop, while the two boys decided to just go, ignoring Tree screaming something about the chips.
The two boys, after a couple of hours of walking, had finally made it to Viridian City. "Ok. Now that we are here, how do you think we get through those policemen?" Marcus asked as he points to the policemen shooting as the gym with the thugs inside shooting back. Just then, a truck drove up at the back of the gym that was unnoticed by the police. Then suddenly, some Team Rocket thugs came out of the back carrying boxes of illegal goods into the truck. "Come on! We got to take our goods out of this gym, so we can crime it up elsewhere." A female thug said as the other thugs load up the truck. "Quick, now's out chance to skip the line." Rusty said. The two boys then quickly ran without being noticed, and entered through the back. As they entered the building, they saw that it was bigger in the inside. "Well, this is going to be a pain. We'll never find the gym leader. But luckily, I got a plan. Let's split up." Marcus said with confidence. "I don't know Marcus. Maybe we should just leave." Rusty said. "I guess you want to go back to the Deli?" Marcus said with a smile. "On second thought, let's do it. Stay safe." With that, the two split. As Marcus carefully walk through the building, Athena got out of her ball, surprising Marcus. "Jeez, Athena! Don't do that!" Marcus whispered to her. Athena responded by pointing at where Rusty was at, then at him. Marcus seems to understand that she was asking on why he is with Rusty and why he suggested in splitting up. "I honestly don't know at this point. It just felt easier to be with him than being alone. Besides, what I did is because I just want some alone time to myself. He'll be fine." Marcus replied. Just then, they heard some muffling in a room. Marcus opened the door slowly, revealing to be Julian tied to a chair while being punched by a large thug. "Listen here bud. You can either come with us or I will leave your mangled corpse in this room. "Athena, use Thunderbolt!" Before the thug could do anything, he was shocked by the Thunderbolt before falling unconscious. Julian was shocked to see Marcus and the Ralts he had given him. "Woah. I didn't expect a Ralts and a kid to save me." Julian said in shock. "Same here. But here we are." Marcus said as he tried to untie the EV trainer from his bondage. Just then, a policeman wearing swat armor come into the room. He aimed his gun at them only to see that Marcus was trying to help. "Oh sorry about that, I thought you were more of them." The police man said as he lowered his gun, before grabbing his radio. "This is Officer Mike, I got us a hostage that needs medical attention. Get here asap." Mike said to the radio, before bringing out a knife to cut Julian out the chair. Marcus is relieved that the police came in to save the day, only to realize about Rusty. "Excuse me officer. Have you by any chance seen my friend? His name is Rusty and he wears all red." The police man then frowns by the question and begins to think about what to say to him. "Are you his friend by any chance?" Marcus then got concerned. "Yeah, why? Is he ok?!" Marcus said a bit panicked. "Woah there. He is ok, but. He is the owner of the Beedrill that was the new boss of Team Rocket." Marcus was shocked that Pikachu One is still alive and the new boss of Team Rocket. "Ok, but what does that have to do with him?" Marcus said a bit frustrated. "Well, we can't legally prosecute a Pokémon, only their master since they are responsible for whatever their Pokémon does. So, since your friend admits he owns the Beedrill... I am sorry to say that he is being arrested for what his Beedrill did. And considering what the Beedrill did, i don't think that he will get out for a long time." Marcus was in shocked by what had happened. Rusty was going to jail because of something he didn't do. His cruel actions had finally caught up to him. But Marcus was the one that made sure that they don't harm him. But because of what Marcus did, he had left Rusty for dead. Marcus then fell to his knees and held his head. "Oh god Rusty! I am so sorry!" Marcus said as tears fell from his eyes. "I am sorry about that kid. Maybe you can visit him from time to time if he gets lucky." The police man said as he got Marcus up and help him and Julian get out of the building. Athena followed behind and used her powers to understand why Marcus cared so much for someone who is cruel to Pokémon. She then felt the joy those two were when they are together. She the understands why Marcus is with him for so long. He is what appears to be Rusty's one and only true friend.
End of Chapter 2.