Chapter 3: The Journey Begins
Lincoln was sleeping soundly, alongside Pikachu, as day light shone in through the window, causing both of them to stir in their sleep
"Morning already?" Pikachu asked groggily, as they both got out of bed.
"Yep. And today's the big day! We're setting out on an adventure through Kanto!" Lincoln replied, as he got a change of clothes, and went to get dressed in his usual attire.
"Sweet, road trip!" Pikachu whooped.
"Right, but before anything else, we should go see about getting the things I'm going to need to be an official trainer from the Professor," Lincoln replied, as the two of them exited the room, and made their way to the main lab area, where Dan, Runo and Marucho watching the Professor letting Gary, along with two other kids choose their Pokemon.
"I've already decided on my Partner Pokemon! I choose Squirtle!" Gary proclaimed.
"And I want to go with Bulbasaur!" a second boy decided. He was wearing a red baseball hat and vest, and blue jeans, and had black hair underneath his hat.
"And that means I get to go with my pick, Charmander!" the only girl among the three of them stated. She was wearing a black dress, with long, brown hair reaching all the way down to her hips.
"Then so be it! Here are each of their Pokeballs," Professor Oak said, handing each of them their respective Pokeballs, as they approached their chosen partner Pokemon.
"Let's work together, Bulbasuar," the cap wearing boy said, firing a laser from the Pokeball at Bulbasaur, turning it into red energy, and sucking it into the Pokeball.
"I'm glad we're going to be friends, Charmander," the girl said, doing the same thing to Charmander.
"I know I can count on you, Squirtle," Gary said, as he also recalled Squirtle into the Pokeball.
"Excellent. Now then, I'll distribute each of your Pokedexs," Professor Oak said. It was then that he took notice of Lincoln, "Ah, excellent timing, Mr. Loud!" he exclaimed, which caught the attention of Gary and the other two kids.
"So this is the American who's starting his journey alongside us?" the cap wearing boy asked.
"Indeed, Red. This is Lincoln Loud, from Royal Woods, Michigan. Lincoln, allow me to introduce you to Red Satoshi and Leaf Rose," Professor Oak said, introducing Lincoln to the other two new trainers, and vice versa.
"Pleased to meet you, Lincoln," Leaf said.
"Likewise," Red added.
"It's nice to meet the two of you too," Lincoln replied.
"Can we get a move on? Some of us have plans to get out on the road this century!" Gary called out, causing the other three trainers to give him annoyed looks.
"Although crudely delivered, it is true that the four of you should get started on your journeys. With that in mind, I shall now present each of you with your Pokedexs, Pokeballs, and Trainer ID cards," Professor Oak said, as he gave each of them a Pokedex, along with five Pokeballs, and ID cards, "Your Trainer Ids will act as a sort of credit card that you can use to go shopping. You can obtain more money for your bank accounts by winning battles or selling unnecessary items," he briefly explained.
"So we just have to make sure that our loss ratio is kept to a minimum, correct?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes. But as I said, you can also sell items you don't need during your travels at the Pokemarts located at the Pokemon Centers. Speaking of which, you four will need to register for the Pokemon League at the nearest Pokemon Center," Professor Oak explained, as he led them to the front of his lab.
"The closest one from here is in Viridian City," Leaf chimed in.
"Correct, and Viridian City sits just north of Pallet Town, just beyond Route 1," Professor Oak replied, as they reached the door. Opening it, everyone saw a large crowd of people at the bottom of the steps.
"Whoa, what's all this?" Dan asked.
"Everyone in town is here to see us off, apparently," Red replied, as they descended the stairs.
"People of Pallet Town, I swear that I will make the Town of Pallet known worldwide, as I embark on this journey to master the ways of the Pokemon!" Gary declared, getting a big round of applause. He then leaped into a brand new looking sports car, with a group of girls in the back.
"GARY, GARY, HE'S OUR MAN, IF HE CAN'T DO IT, NO ONE CAN!" they cheered, as the car drove off.
"Is he like that a lot?" Runo asked.
"Unfortunately, yes. Since he is the Professor's Grandson, he kind of let the fame go to his head, making him believe that he's the best Pallet Town has to offer," Red replied, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, in any case, we should all get going too," Leaf said, as she and Red took off, leaving the Brawlers with the Professor.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Professor," Marucho said.
"You're most welcome, Marucho. And Mr. Loud, remember what I advised about contacting your family," Professor Oak said. Lincoln had an uneasy look on his face at the mention of his family, but maintained his composure. His uneasiness did not go unnoticed by Pikachu.
"I'll see about contacting them when I get to Viridian City," Lincoln replied, only to realize something, "Wait, am I able to call them from Kanto?" he asked.
"You should be able to. The Video Phone I gave Marucho's parents to give to your family should be installed by now," Professor Oak replied.
"I see. Well, in any case, I'll be in contact, with both my family and you," Lincoln said, as he and Pikachu began to walk off.
"Good luck on your journey, Brawlers!" Professor Oak called out. They all waved back to him, as they set out on their adventure.
"Okay, so according to what we were told, this path should take us directly to Viridian City," Lincoln said, as he, Pikachu and the Brawlers walked along a dirt path through an open field. "Since we're out here, should we try to catch a Pokemon?" Lincoln asked.
"It would be smart to try and strengthen up the team a bit," Marucho replied.
"Great! So, what kind of Pokemon do you think we can find in this area?" Lincoln asked, looking at Pikachu.
"I've been through here tons of times. The most I've seen are Pidgey and Rattata, fairly common Pokemon, and easy to catch," Pikachu explained.
"Hmm, well, maybe having a Flying Type wouldn't hurt. That way, if we get lost, we can have some eyes in the sky," Lincoln commented, as they began to look around. They soon found a small brown and yellow pigeon like Pokemon.
"There's a Pidgey!" Lincoln quietly said, pulling out his Pokedex, and pointing it at Pidgey.
"Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokemon, a Normal and Flying Type. Pidgey is docile by nature, and dislikes fighting. Despite this, it will flap it's wings to kick up sand as a cover to get away." the Pokedex explained.
"Hmm, not much to offer, but it'll still be worth it to catch it. Ready Pikachu?" Lincoln asked.
"You bet!" Pikachu replied, as they engaged the Pidgey.
"Alright Pikachu, let's start off with a Thundershock!" Lincoln instructed.
"You got it!" Pikachu replied, as he fired off a Thundershock, which Pidgey was promptly able to dodge.
"Can't a Pokemon enjoy a nice day in peace?! Take this! Sand Attack!" Pidgey yelled, as she flapped her wings, and kicked up a large cloud of sand, blinding boy Lincoln and Pikachu, as she flew off.
"No, wait!" Lincoln yelled, throwing a Pokeball at Pidgey, attempting to catch the Tiny Bird Pokemon, but to no avail, as the ball just fell to the ground, "Dang it," Lincoln grumbled, as he collected the Pokeball.
"Well, there are still other Pidgey out here that we can try to catch," Pikachu commented.
"Right. Let's keep searching," Lincoln replied. Just then, everyone's stomachs began to grumble.
"Oh man, we were so excited to hit the road, we forgot about breakfast," Dan sighed, as everyone rummaged through their backpacks.
"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any of that red stuff that humans put on food, would you?" Pikachu asked.
"'Red stuff'? You're going to have to be a bit more specific than that," Leonidas replied, his head popping out of Lincoln's pocket.
"I think I saw a picture of a tomato on the bottle. I think it was called 'catch-up' or something," Pikachu explained.
"Afraid not, but we can hit up a grocery store when we get to Viridian City and stock up on food supplies. For now, this will have to hold us over," Lincoln replied, as he pulled out a sandwich and a big red apple. He gave the piece of fruit to Pikachu who began to happily eat away at it. Lincoln began to chow down on the sandwich himself, as the rest of the Brawlers started eating their own sandwiches, "So, you like ketchup on its own?"
"Yeah, it tastes amazing!" Pikachu replied.
"I can agree with you on that, if it's with another type of food like hamburgers or fries, but on its own, that seems like a bit much," Lincoln replied.
A few hours later…
"Dang it...not another one." muttered Lincoln in annoyance as he brushed aside some tall grass in hopes of finding a Pokemon he wanted to capture, only to see what felt like the eighteenth Pidgey the Brawlers had seen so far in the last hour or so.
"Ok, this is getting ridiculous!" Runo yelled.
"We might have better luck finding some Pokemon in some of the routes beyond Viridian City," Tigrerra advised.
"Yeah, you may have a point there. Plus, those clouds don't look too friendly," Runo commented, taking note of some pretty heavy looking clouds that were rolling in.
"Yeah, we should be getting to Viridian City." replied Lincoln before taking his map out of his bag and unfolding it. "Okay, looks like we just need to head north. iIf we hurry, we can make it before the storm hits."
As he started to put the map back into his bag, a female voice from nearby called out "Hey, you're said that you're heading to Viridian, right?"
Turning to face the source of the voice, everyone saw an older girl sitting on what appeared to be a high-quality bike which had a fishing rod and tackle box attached to it. She was wearing a pair of cargo shorts, a cropped top and jacket, red sneakers and wrist-length fingerless gloves, but the most noticeable feature however was her orange hair, which was tied into a short ponytail on the side of her head.
Giving the girl a cautious look, Lincoln asks "That depends - why are you asking?"
Noticing his wary expression, the girl says "Easy there, squirt. I'm not looking to start any trouble. I'm just asking if you're heading to Viridian or not."
"First off, don't call me 'squirt'. Secondly, yeah, we are heading to Viridian City." answered Lincoln pointedly. "What I want to know is why you're asking in the first place."
"Well, I'm heading that way myself in order to rest at the Pokemon Center there." replied the girl as she looked at the dark clouds in the distance. "After all, there's a storm coming in and I don't want my Pokemon or I to get caught up in it."
"So you're a Trainer too? What's your name?" Runo asked
Crossing her arms with a scowl, the girl retorts "It's rude to ask something like that without giving your own name first."
"The name's Lincoln Loud..." started Lincoln, only to be cut off when the girl started snickering. "Hey, stop laughing! It's not funny!"
"Sorry, but you have to admit that a name like that is pretty laughable to be honest."
"She has a point, you know." Leonidas said, which the girl didn't notice.
"Whose side are you on anyway?!" Lincoln whispered, before turning back to the girl. "Well, I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter when it came to that, now did I?" he said with a frown. "So what's your name?"
"Misty - I'm a Trainer that specializes in Water-Type Pokemon." replied the girl before turning her attention to Pikachu. "I'm guessing this little guy is yours? He's a cutie."
While Pikachu preened slightly at the compliment, Lincoln snarks "Well, he's sitting on my shoulder, so the answer to that question should be pretty obvious." with a roll of his eyes.
"Ooh...looks like the squirt's got some verbal bite to him. I better be careful otherwise you might end up hurting my delicate feelings." replied Misty mockingly.
"Stop calling me that! It's Lincoln, not 'squirt'!" replied Lincoln, irritated at the nickname she had given him. "You're starting to remind me of my oldest sister and not in a good way either!"
"Aw...I remind you of your sister...how sweet!"
Struggling to keep his temper in check, Dan stepped up and asked "You said that you were heading to the Pokemon Center in Viridian, right? What does it look like?"
"You don't know what a Pokemon Center looks like?" asked Misty before snapping her fingers in realization. "I'm guessing you all are not from the Kanto region, are you? You don't exactly look like natives."
"You're right, We're not - We came here from the United States." Marucho stated.
"So not only is the kid a squirt, but a complete outsider as well? Hmm...I guess I can help you all just this once."
'Great, another nickname for her to call me. Just wonderful.' thought Lincoln with a scowl.
"Just keep an eye out for a large building with a round red roof - you can't miss it." replied Misty before she rode away. "See you later!"
Watching as she rode away with an annoyed frown, Lincoln mutters "...She's going to keep calling me that, isn't she?", getting an amused chuckle from Leonidas in response. "I thought so. First I get blasted with sand by a Pidgey, then I meet some girl that's just as annoying as my sisters. What's next?"
As if to answer his question, the sound of thunder boomed through the area, followed by a sudden downpour of rain.
"...You just had to go and run your mouth, didn't you?!" Runo snapped, making Lincoln yelp in panic.
"As much as I would like to laugh at your expense again, we really should get..." started Pikachu, only to spot a small avian Pokemon with rough brown plumage, a cream-colored underside and pinkish-red colored wings sitting in a nearby tree. "A Spearow? I didn't think any of them lived out here," Pikachu commented.
"So that's a Spearow?" Lincoln questioned, as he pulled out his Pokedex, and pointed it at the Flying Pokemon.
"Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokemon, a Normal and Flying Type. This Pokemon is highly territorial, and flaps it's wings at a high speed to stay airborne. Not recommended for rookie trainers." the Pokedex explained.
"Well, shall we try our luck with one?" Lincoln asked.
"You sure? You heard what the Pokedex said, right? About how Spearow aren't recommended for rookie trainers like you?" Marucho asked.
"I know, but I would like to have at least one new Pokemon on my team before we hit Viridian City," Lincoln replied.
"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try," Pikachu replied, as they ran off after Spearow, only for it to spot him and fly off into the nearby woods that served as the outskirts of Route 1. "Dang it! C'mon, we can't let that bird get away!"
"Right!"
Fifteen Minutes Later…
"Are you sure we should still be chasing after this thing? It looks like it's trying to lead us into a trap." asked Pikachu before looking skyward and noticing several flashes of lightning among the clouds.
"Not to mention that this storm's starting to get worse." Preyas commented.
"C'mon, we're so close to finally catching up with it - we can't just give up the chase now!" retorted Lincoln before noticing that the Spearow was starting to slow down, eventually coming to a stop at a nearby tree near a large clearing. "See? It's already come to a stop - we've got it right where we want it.
"I don't know, this smells like an ambush to me..." muttered Pikachu uncertainty.
"You're overthinking things. Now come on, let's go catch that stupid bird so we can get out of this rain." replied Lincoln before heading into the clearing and stepping in front of the tree that the Spearow was perching in. Pointing at it, he says "Alright, now we've got you cornered - get ready to be captured, Spearow!"
"Oh? I'd say that it's the other way around - it's us that have you cornered." replied the Tiny Bird Pokemon as a malevolent gleam appeared in its eye.
"What do you..." asked Lincoln, only to notice that there were several Spearow perching in the trees surrounding them, all of them with the same look of malice. "Oh."
"I told you that it was probably trying to lead us into something like this." groused Pikachu as he eyed the numerous Flying-Types warily.
"So...thought you'd chase after a member of our flock and try to take him away from us, did you?" crowed one of the Spearow as its eyes narrowed in anger.
"And not only that, but you're trespassing on our territory as well! What nerve!"
"Well, there's only one appropriate punishment I can think of for something like this..." chimed another Spearow before letting out a loud cry and swooping towards Lincoln, ready to strike him with its beak. However, before the attack could hit, a blast of electricity connects with the Spearow, knocking it out in a single shot.
Knowing who was responsible for the Spearow's defeat, Lincoln grins and says "Thanks for the save, Pikachu. That could have gone badly if you hadn't intervened."
"Hey, you're my Trainer! I couldn't let you face off against these things alone, now could I?" replied Pikachu before crouching down into a battle-ready stance as his cheeks started to spark with electricity. "We won't be getting out of this without a fight, though - are you ready?"
After grabbing a hefty stick from the ground, Lincoln replies "Ready!" before getting into a sloppy batter's stance, preparing for the oncoming assault as the multiple Spearow let out a loud and furious cry before diving at them all at once.
Twenty Minutes Later…
"There's three more coming in to your left - use Thundershock!" ordered Lincoln as he smacked another Spearow with the stick like it was a feathery baseball, sending it crashing to the ground. With a nod, Pikachu fires off another blast of electricity, dropping the rapidly dwindling numbers even further.
After Lincoln and Pikachu had managed to easily knock out a few of the Spearow at the start of the fight, the white-haired boy quickly came to a realization - despite all the tough talk they were doing earlier, the Spearow were actually a group of weaklings that relied on their numbers to do any damage...not that it helped them in this situation, of course.
In fact, aside from a few scratches, he and Pikachu had hardly taken any damage from them at all while the flock had lost well over half of its earlier strength.
"If we keep this up, they might be able to scare these guys enough to get them to leave us alone." said Dan with satisfaction as he noticed that the Spearow seemed much more reluctant to fight with over half of their flock lying on the ground unconscious.
"What do we do now? They've been kicking our butts for the past twenty minutes!"
Glaring at the two outsiders hatefully, the Spearow from before replies "Just keep attacking them, you featherbrains! They can't hold out forever!"
"Speak for yourself - you've been sitting there barking orders at us while we're getting completely wrecked!" snapped another Spearow as it gave its cohort an angry glare.
"Shut it! Someone has to make sure you idiots know what you're supposed to be doing!"
Before the other Spearow could retort, a much louder and menacing-sounding cry echoed through the forest, causing everything to go silent. After a few seconds, the Flying-Types turn to face the Brawlers once more with glints of satisfaction in their eyes.
"Looks like you're in for it now - the boss is awake and she doesn't like it when her flock gets attacked. There's going to be nothing left by the time she gets done with you." chimed the bossy Spearow smugly before turning its attention to the stormy skies above. "Speaking of which, there she is now."
Looking upwards, everyone spotted a much larger bird-like Pokemon with golden-brown feathers, a red-colored crest on its head and a long, thin spear-like beak flying through the air above them.
"What is that thing?!" Preyas with widened eyes before Lincoln took out his Pokedex and scanned it.
"Fearow, the Beak Pokemon, a Normal and Flying Type, and the evolved form of Spearow. Its large wings enable it to fly for an entire day. The crushing power of its beak is tremendous." the pokedex said as the large Flying-Type let out a loud screech before coming to a stop in the middle of the clearing.
Turning to face one of her subordinates, the Fearow asks "Alright, what's causing all of the ruckus? I was enjoying a nice nap in my tree and...", only to stop upon seeing the knocked out Spearow littering the ground. "...What in Arceus' name happened here? Why are members of my flock lying on the ground like this?"
Pointing one of its wings at the brawlers, one of the Spearow replies "It's their fault, Boss! Not only did they try to catch one of us, but they trespassed on our territory and even defeated over half of our numbers!", hoping that its words would be enough to provoke Fearow to attack the two without mercy.
Instead, much to the rest of the flock's surprise, the Beak Pokemon glanced at Lincoln and Pikachu with interest before answering "So you saying that these two managed to defeat over half of my flock? Interesting..."
Quickly flying over and coming to a stop in front of Lincoln, the Flying-Type continued "Listen closely, human. While I'm not happy about the fact you and your friends had trespassed on our territory and defeated so many of my subordinates, I'm willing to offer you an out. If your Pikachu can defeat me in a battle, all of you will be free to go. However..."
"However...?" repeated Lincoln, though he was certain he wouldn't like what came next.
"However, if you lose, none of you will leave this forest alive - I'll make sure of that myself." answered Fearow with a dangerous glint in her eyes. "So what do you say - do we have a deal?"
"It's not like I've got a choice in the matter now." replied Lincoln before giving Fearow a strange look. "But why would you offer something like this to us?"
With her beak forming a bird-like smirk, Fearow answered "It's been a long time since I've had a good fight and I feel that your Pikachu will provide one that I'll thoroughly enjoy."
As soon as the two Pokemon had gotten ready for battle, Lincoln points at Fearow and orders "Alright Pikachu, let's start things off with a Quick Attack!", prompting the Electric-Type to speed towards her in an attempt to take her down quickly.
"Straightforward, aren't you? That's not going to work so easily." replied Fearow as she easily banked around the attack before smashing Pikachu in the back with her wing, sending him skidding across the ground.
After coming to a stop, Pikachu slowly gets to his feet with a groan of pain - Fearow's attack had hurt a lot more than he had expected it to.
With a smug look of satisfaction, Fearow says "I see that you're wondering how I was able to damage you that much with my Pursuit attack. It's quite simple, really - I have the ability Sniper, which makes any critical blows I land hurt a lot more than usual."
"Then I'll just have to hurt you even more to compensate for it! Thundershock!" replied Pikachu before launching a sudden blast of lightning at Fearow, striking her in the chest. Despite the type advantage however, the Beak Pokemon easily shrugged off the attack a few seconds later.
"Much better, but still weak." replied Fearow before diving at Pikachu and attempting to jab him with her beak, causing the Electric-Type to start frantically dodging the attempted skewering. Upon seeing an opening, Fearow cuffs him with her wing once more. "Is this the best you can do? Perhaps I had overestimated you."
Struggling to get to his feet once more, Pikachu mutters "Quick Attack doesn't work...Thundershock isn't working that well either...so I guess..."
"Time for what? To give up and accept your punishment?"
"...No." replied Pikachu before a wily smirk appeared on his face as he glared at Fearow. "...It's time to give my new attack a try."
"New attack, you say? Interesting." replied Fearow with a glint in her eye. "But even it won't save you from defeat - you're only delaying the inevitable."
"Don't be so sure, birdbrain - I don't intend on losing here to something like you." countered Pikachu before leaping into a nearby tree and climbing up to the top-most branches. Once he felt that he was high enough, he leaped out of the tree and into the air.
"This is your new attack - jumping into the air and attempting to land on me? What a joke! And here I thought you would be a challenge." sneered Fearow with narrowed eyes. "I've toyed around with you long enough - it's time to end this so my flock can exact their rightful revenge."
After quickly taking to the air, the furious Beak Pokemon cried out "Time to end this once and for all - Aerial Ace!" before speeding towards Pikachu as her wings shimmered with a blinding white-colored aura.
In response, Pikachu focused as much electricity as he could towards his tail, causing a sphere of electricity to start gradually forming on it. However, unknown to the Electric-Type, the ball started to rapidly increase in size as the flashes of lightning in the skies became more and more frequent with each passing second.
By the time it had finally stopped growing, it was well over twenty times the size of Pikachu's body.
"I may only have one shot to take you down with this, but with what's at stake, there's no way I'm going to miss!" shouted Pikachu before flipping forward and slinging the massive orb of electricity with all of his might at the oncoming Fearow. "EAT THIS! ELECTROBALL!"
Not having enough time to move out of the way of the oncoming attack, the Beak Pokemon could only widen her eyes in complete disbelief before the Electroball connected, encasing her inside and heavily electrocuting her.
"Alright, that's the way to do it!" cheered Dan, only for his smile to fade when he notices that the massive ball of electricity started to warp and distort, unable to hold its current form. "...Uh-oh. That can't be good."
Acting quickly, Lincoln quickly scooped up Pikachu into his arms before he and the Brawlers ran away from the clearing to find cover as soon as possible - they had seen enough of Lisa's failed experiments to know what was going to happen next.
As soon as they ducked down behind a large rock, everyone heard a loud cracking sound, followed by a deafening boom as the Electroball finally self-destructed, creating a large outward blast of electricity that illuminated the entire area.
Once the blast had finally died down, Everyone peered from behind the rock to see if it was safe to come out. What they had seen left them completely dumbstruck - blackened grass, several knocked over trees, scorched earth, a heavy burning smell that lingered through the air and all of the Spearow from before laying on the ground, completely unconscious alongside their leader.
Gaping at the destruction left behind, Runo mutters "...woah..."
"You can say that again...I didn't expect Electroball to have that much power in it." added Pikachu tiredly. "And it really took a lot out of me, too - I'm completely tapped out of electricity..."
"Are you going to be alright?"
"It's nothing a little rest can't fix - a few hours of sleep and maybe a quick recharging and I'll be good as new." responded Pikachu before a smile appeared on his face. "Though I wouldn't say no to a bit of ketchup right now."
"You must really love that stuff to be thinking about it at a time like this." joked Lincoln before glancing at Fearow, who was still laying on the ground with small bolts of electricity waltzing over its body.
Noticing what Lincoln was glancing at, Drago stares at the Fearow before asking "So...what are you going to do with her? By the looks of things, it doesn't look like she's going to be getting back up any time soon."
Realizing that a golden opportunity was right in front of him, Lincoln turns to Pikachu and asks "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" as he took an empty Pokeball out of his bag with a wry grin on his face.
"Wait...you're actually going to catch that thing? You DO know that it almost tried to kill us just a few seconds ago, right?" Runo stated.
"Yeah, but the opportunity to catch an evolved Pokemon this early is too good to pass up." replied Lincoln before tossing the Pokeball against the unconscious Fearow's head, causing it to quickly pull the Flying-Type inside.
"...Alright, but if she tries anything funny, I'm going to give her an encore performance." Pikachu said.
"Fair enough." replied Lincoln as he watched the ball wobble around for a few seconds before going still. After pocketing the Pokeball with a grin, he picks Pikachu up and places him on his shoulder. "Come on, let's get out of here before the rest of those stupid birds start to wake up."
"Alright, now that this is taken care of, we should get going before the rest of these birds wake up. Besides, I'd like to have a little bit of RR," Lincoln commented, as he let Pikachu climb up onto his shoulder.
"Yeah, and once we get to Viridian City, you can get me that ketchup you promised," Pikachu replied.
"Right. I'll see about getting you a bottle of it while you and Fearow are being treated at the Pokemon Center," Lincoln said, as they once again hit the road, just as the storm died off.
One Hour Later…
"About time we made it...it's already night time." Lincoln said as they stepped through the entrance to Viridian City.
"Alright, now we just need to find this Pokemon Center place and…" Dan said.
"Hold it right there!" shouted a female voice from nearby, causing everyone to let out a groan of frustration.
Turning to face the source of the voice, Lincoln says "Look miss, we're in a hurry here and don't have time to...", only to stop speaking upon seeing a green-haired woman clad in a police uniform standing beside a police car. "Dang it."
Pointing at him, the woman replies "Dang it is right, young man - the name's Officer Jenny of the Kanto Police Force and you're all under arrest!"
"Under arrest?! For what?" shouted Lincoln incredulously as Jenny took out a pair of handcuffs.
"For the crime of Pokemon theft, of course!"
"Officer, please, I think there's been a misunderstanding here. I've only just arrived here a few seconds ago!" Marucho said.
"Is that right? And what exactly are you doing here out here, hmm?" inquired Officer Jenny with narrowed eyes, watching everyone for any signs of deceit. "Especially while walking around a Pikachu outside of its Pokeball?"
"Well, first of all, Pikachu is my Pokemon. He's not too fond of staying in his Pokeball, which is why he's sitting on my shoulder." replied Lincoln before pointing at the route behind him. "Secondly, we're trying to find the town's Pokemon Center so we'll have a place to rest for the night. We had a bad encounter with some Spearow earlier and..."
"A flock of Spearow? Did they happen to be led by a Fearow by any chance?" asked Jenny, getting a nod from Lincoln in response. "Of course it'd be those pesky birds - they've been attacking Trainers and Pokemon alike over the past couple of weeks. You'd be surprised at how many complaints we get about them."
"Well, while I'm not too sure about the rest of the flock, I don't think you'll need to worry about the Fearow anymore, Officer." replied Dan while Lincokn took Fearow's Pokeball out of his bag, "Lincoln managed to capture it shortly before coming here."
"You actually managed to capture their leader?" asked Jenny before snapping her fingers in realization. "Wait...are you by any chance the ones responsible for that large blast of electricity that came from the nearby woods?"
Sheepishly scratching the back of his head, Lincoln mutters "...Yeah, that was us."
"I was wondering what caused that." replied Jenny before putting the handcuffs away. "Well, since you mentioned that you had an encounter with those pesky Spearow, I guess I can take it a little easy on you. Just show me some form of identification and you can be on your way."
Lincoln nods before taking his Trainer Card out of his pocket and handing it over to her. After looking over it carefully, Jenny takes a strange-looking device from her pocket and gives the card a quick scan with it. Once the scan had completed, she smiled before handing the card back to Lincoln.
"Alright, everything checks out - here's your card back, young man. And I wish to express my apologies about almost arresting you like that - we've been hearing reports about thieves being in the area lately and since you looked unfamiliar..."
"That's okay - you were just doing your job, Officer." replied Lincoln with a dismissive wave. "Can you show us where the Pokemon Center is?"
With a salute, Jenny says "Of course - it's one of the many duties of an officer like myself to assist someone in need! In fact, get on and I'll take you there myself."
"Really? Thanks!" answered Runo before everyone got in and buckled themselves, as Lincoln then gave her a thumbs-up.
Taking the gesture as her sign to go, Jenny starts up the engine before slamming her foot down hard on the gas, causing the car to speed towards their destination with the Brawlers screaming in fright at the top of his lungs along the way, while Dan just cheered.
At The Viridian Pokemon Center
"Alright, here we are - the Viridian Pokemon Center!" chimed Jenny with a smile as the car came to a stop in front of a large building with a rounded red-colored roof with a white Pokeball design painted on it. A few seconds later, her smile faded as she realized that everyone was still clinging tightly against their seats, their body trembling, except Dan. "Um...you know you can let go now, right?"
"T-too fast...too fast..." muttered Lincoln fearfully as he remained in place.
Sighing, Jenny muttered "Dang it. I just had to go and scare them out of his wits."
Dan, who was in the passenger seat, reached around with one of his arms and tapped everyone on the head. "Hey, we've arrived. You can let go now."
"We...we're here?" stammered Runo before opening her eyes.
Upon seeing the red-roofed building, a sensation of relief overcame everyone as they quickly let go of their seats and shakily got out of the car. "Thank goodness! I thought I was going to end up having a heart attack there for a second..." Marucho stated.
Upset at the comment, Dan whines "Oh come on! Her driving wasn't that bad, was it?"
"Maybe to you, it wasn't..." mumbled Lincoln before removing an equally rattled Pikachu out of the car. Once he had managed to calm down enough to speak without stammering, he turns to Officer Jenny and adds "Well, despite the fact you scared the living crap out of us earlier, We're thankful for the ride, Officer."
"Not a problem. And...uh, I'm sorry about scaring you all like that - I sometimes forget that most people aren't used to moving around at high speed like I am."
"It's alright, Officer. You didn't mean to do that. Just...try not to do it again, please." Marucho politely asked.
"Well...alright, if you say so." replied Jenny before starting up the car once more. "Have a good evening."
With a nod, Lincoln responded "You too, Officer. Take care." before heading towards the entrance to the Pokemon Center and going inside. As they entered the building, they were completely unaware of the Meowth-shaped hot-air balloon floating above them through the night sky.
Inside of the balloon's basket, two adults clad in white uniforms with a red 'R' emblazoned on them stared at a wanted poster with a look of disgust on their faces. One was a woman with long red hair that curved behind her head while the other was a man with mid-length lavender hair.
"What an awful picture of us. Isn't that right, James?" muttered the woman as she sneered at the poster in her hand.
"I know what you mean, Jessie - they didn't even get our good side." replied the man, now known as James, as he idly played with a rose in his hand.
Sitting in the basket with them was a male Meowth that watched the two with amusement as they continued to comment on the poster. With a mocking grin, he said "Whaddya talkin' about? You two knuckleheads don't have a 'good side'!" before cackling loudly.
The two turn around and glare at the Scratch Cat Pokemon before punching the top of his head, shouting "Shut it, Meowth!" in unison.
"Ow...ya didn't like to hit me like dat. I was just joking..." muttered Meowth as he rubbed his head. "So what's the plan - we're gonna hit the Pokemon Center?"
"That's the idea - the boss wants us to pull off a raid during the night and swipe every single Pokemon the place has to offer." replied Jessie with an evil smile. "All we need to do is cut the power and it should be easy pickings from there."
With a smirk, James adds "And when the boss finds out that we managed to pull this job off, we'll be sure to make him happy. We might even get a promotion!"
"And then I'll be the top cat in Team Rocket once again!" piped in Meowth with a wide smile on his face before the three break out into a fit of villainous laughter as the balloon slowly continues its flight.
Author's Note:
The first Bakugan Battle won't be for a couple of chapters, just letting everyone know that now.
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