The Journey

Pokémon

The Journey - An Other Trainer story by BenRG

Legal Disclaimer

Pokémon, the Pocket Monsters and all characters and institutions connected with them are the property of Nintendo Entertainment, Game Freak Software and 4Kids Entertainment. This is a non-profit work written for free distribution through the worldwide web. No infringement of any copyright or legal property intended.

Peter Croft is entirely my creation, as are all the other original characters in this story, for now.

Author's Notes

Some New Trainer stories are good, some are not so good and some are just dire. I've never tried this genre before, so I'm going to try it now. If this is bad, then say so for pity's sake and I'll stop!

Okay, usual warnings apply. I don't know the continuity or the moves very well, so I'll be faking it most of the time. That doesn't mean that I want all you smart-alecs out there who know everything to tell me where I go wrong. K? K. Otherwise reviews are welcome. If my grammar is wrong, my in-story continuity is tangled and mixed or if my story is useless, please let me know so I can improve my work.

I wish to give my thanks to the team at www.PokeMasters.com for their excellent R/B/Y walkthrough. It has been of inestimable help in letting me learn the details of the Pokémon world. If the direction some of the non-plot events of 'The Journey' take is familiar, it is because I have taken it directly from Pokémon Red/Blue's in-game story. Oh, I'm not going to exactly follow the in-game story, but I will be 'borrowing' quite a bit. Thanks Game Freak!

Ann Starr is based (very loosely) on FanFiction.NET author Pikachu13.

Text in Italics is thought or psychic communication.

Text in "Quotes and Italics" is speech from some kind of loudspeaker, phone, etc.

Censor: PG – Because Pokémon fight, and fights can be unpleasant things.

Continuity Note: This story starts six years after Ash Ketchum started his own Pokémon Journey.

Chapter 3 – New Beginning

The Eevee known as Shadow looked down at his Trainer, Peter Croft, in some annoyance. The sun was up, the Pidgeys were singing and a new day awaited them. However, his Trainer remained firmly asleep. Shadow had tried just about everything he could think of. He had nudged the boy's face, made pathetic-sounding whimpering noises and had even managed to open the boy's sleeping bag and half-uncovered his body. Still, there was no response.

With an evil smile, Shadow decided to use his ultimate weapon. No Pokédex recorded this particular move, but (according to Shadow's dam) it was an effective one nonetheless. He leaned forward and pressed his nose against the side of Peter's cheek in an attack known only as Wet Nose.

Peter screamed in surprise and got up so quickly that he seemed to jump from his sleeping bag. On the other side of the camp, Lia McAlester, Peter's journey companion, also awoke with a gasp of surprise at the sudden loud noise.

There was a long pause while Peter looked at his Eevee while Buck (his Rattata) and Bugsy (his Caterpie) tried not to laugh at their Trainer's reactions too obviously. "Jeez, Shadow, did you have to do that?"

[Yes,] Shadow replied firmly. [It's past dawn and you were still asleep! You have still got a lot to do before you fulfil your dreams, Peter.] The Eevee grinned affectionately. [Besides, I'm hungry,] he added.

Peter tried to stay angry with his first Pokémon but failed. "Okay, I'm sorry," he said. He dug into his backpack and retrieved his spectacles.

"Are you letting your Pokémon push you around?" Lia asked in a smug, superior tone.

Peter looked over at his companion with an annoyed expression. However, when he saw the rich girl looking all ruffled and untidy from sleep, he couldn't sustain his anger. It is hard to get angry with someone who looks so… scruffy. "He's already figured out how to do it," Peter admitted ruefully. "One look from those mournful brown eyes and my heart melts!"

Lia snorted. "You won't get me falling over myself because of my Pokémon!" she declared. "My Chikorita knows his place! I'm the trainer in this team!"

"Now listen here, Little Ms. Rich Girl…" Peter began, his face flushing with anger.

Chikorita interrupted. [Do you really think you can resist me?] he asked. He looked up at his Trainer, forced his red-irised eyes to become watery and emotional and took an incredibly cute and coy body posture. [Hug me,] he commanded. [Hug me, hug me, hug me, pweeeese, hug little ol' me!]

Lia groaned and moved so she could give her Pokémon the requested hug. A few seconds later she realised what she had just done and blushed. Peter started laughing. He couldn't help it, the expression on the girl's face was just so comically dismayed. "Oh… you!" Lia shouted, going bright red in embarrassment and fury. She threw her sleeping bag's cushion at him.

About fifteen minutes later, Lia was struggling to brush her long hair free of the knots of the night, while Peter was working on putting together something for breakfast. The Pokémon were all more than happy to eat some of the Slate Corporation's 'Pokémeals.' Legend had it that Brock Slate had created this formula for the perfect Pokémon foodstuff while on his journey with Ash Ketchum and Misty Waterflower. Others said that the two greatest Trainers of their generation were merely the first to try out Brock's greatest gift to Trainers everywhere.

"I hate this," Lia suddenly snapped. "One damn day and my hair is nothing but a tangle of knots!"

"That's sleeping rough for you," Peter remarked as he watched the kettle boil. "Lia, ah, don't take this wrong, but I think you should have it cut short when we reach Viridian City."

"Maybe you're right," Lia said quietly, looking in her small mirror at the stranger looking back at her, her face without makeup and still puffy and red from sleep. "It's a shame, because I kind of like it long." She sighed. "I never knew how 'rough' living rough could be."

Peter shrugged. At that point, the kettle finally boiled. He pulled two foil sachets from his pack, opened them and tipped the content into to two mugs. He added water and, after a few minutes of stirring, he could offer his companion a steaming tin mug of something brown and rich. "What's this?" Lia asked.

"Coffee," Peter said, his expression puzzled.

Not from where I come from it isn't, Lia thought, remembering the wonderful rich Colombian blends her father preferred and the wonderful Cappuccino she got from a shop in the Mall every Saturday afternoon. She took the mug and gingerly sniffed the boy's offering. Well it doesn't smell poisonous, she admitted to herself. She took a sip and was relieved that it at least tasted like coffee.

Peter dug back into his pack and pulled out a breakfast bar. Once again, Lia felt slightly unhappy for no reason she could really identify. She pulled out a bar of her own and looked at the fruit-filled cereal bar unhappily. "I wish we had a real breakfast," she said with a sigh.

"So do I," Peter agreed fervently. "Unfortunately, neither of us is strong enough to carry around a whole bag full of real food so…" He took a bite of his bar, chewed and swallowed before continuing. "So we are stuck with this military-style stuff."

"Call me a conscientious objector," Lia muttered as she finished her bar.

Peter, ever the gentleman, graciously allowed Lia to have some privacy while she changed her 'You-know-whats.' He was tidying up the camp and packing his sleeping bag. However, Peter was focussing his attention on training matters. He had Buck and Bugsy training together. He had a little brainwave while eating breakfast and now he was trying it out. It was a kind of Pokémon 'tag.' The objective was to connect with a Tackle attack on the other. Hopefully, it would let the two newer Pokémon develop a greater skill in Tackle and Dodge.

Meanwhile, he had used some sticks, leftovers from the campfire, to create a basic obstacle course and had asked Shadow to get through it as quickly as possible. He watched in satisfaction as the Eevee dodged through the slalom course and finished off with a Tackle and a Bite Toss on Peter's sleeping bag (now rolled up). "Well done, Shadow," he said. "You're getting faster all the time."

The Eevee's eyes were shining in excitement as he turned to face his Trainer. [You bet I am,] he said with a big grin. There was a sudden blur of motion and Peter was lying on his back with Shadow sitting on his chest. His glasses went tumbling away. [Ha! Tag, you're it!] He barked and jumped away.

The world had suddenly turned to a series of indistinct brown, green and grey blurs and Peter felt a bit scared. "Hold on, Shadow," he commanded and began to search grimly for his spectacles.

Peter heard some familiar laughter. "You should have seen the look on your face when Shadow tackled you!" Lia laughed. "I've never seen anyone look so surprised." Peter didn't immediately rely, although he did shoot a poisonous glare at the white and blue blur that he presumed was Lia. "Now what are you doing?"

"I'm looking for my glasses," Peter replied tersely. "Help me out, will you?"

"You've lost you spectacles?" Lia taunted. "Poor baby." Peter saw her move and she bent down. "Now, what is it worth you to have these back, hmm?"

"Lia," Peter said. "If you have them, give them to me."

"Not until you tell me that I am the better person and the better Trainer," Lia said primly.

"Lia," Peter snapped.

"Or maybe you would prefer me to keep them," Lia continued in a taunting tone of voice.

Under normal circumstances, Peter would have noticed that she wasn't really being mean, she was just playing. These weren't normal circumstances however. Peter got to his feet and charged the blur that was his current perspective of Lia McAlester. "No! Give them back!" he shouted. He got just over halfway to the girl when he suddenly went flying and hit the ground. There was a bright white flash and bells started ringing in Peter's head.

"Oh dear," Peter heard Lia laugh. "Didn't you see that rock?"

"No I didn't," Peter said. He pulled himself to his knees and looked at the girl. Tears were starting to form in his eyes. He was remembering a time, years ago now, when Adam stole his glasses. He and the other bullies taunted him for hours, keeping out of clear sight and making the boy chase what might have been his glasses as they tossed it around. "I can't see more than a few inches in front of my face without my glasses," he said. "Please, give them back, Lia," he continued. Tears began to run down his cheeks as he allowed his desperation to enter his voice. "I… I can't see anything right now. I'll do anything, just… just please give them back."

There was a long pause before Lia spoke in a strangely firm tone of voice. "Now you're being silly," she said. "There's no need to exaggerate, Peter. How many fingers am I holding up?"

Peter squinted at the blur, but it didn't do very much good. "Lia," he said hoarsely, beginning to cry now, "I… I can't even tell what hand you're holding up!"

There was another long pause. Lia walked over to Peter. As she got closer, she slowly came into focus. As she knelt in front of Peter, he could at last see the surprise and horror on her face. "How short-sighted are you?" she asked.

"Enough… so that I… I only barely scraped through m… my League pre-licence physical exam," he sobbed. "Without my spectacles, I am functionally blind at anything over about a foot away." He sucked in his sobs and looked at Lia's concerned face. "Please give them back, Lia."

Without hesitation, Lia put them in his hand. "I'm sorry, Peter," she said in a remorseful tone of voice. "I… I didn't mean to scare you. I can't imagine how frightening it must be not to be able to see."

Peter put his glasses on and sighed in relief as the world snapped into focus again. "Just don't do it again, okay?" he said harshly. "I don't want you around if you are going to be just another rich bully."

Lia nodded and, much to Peter's surprise, she seemed on the verge of tears. "Please forgive me, Peter," she said desperately. "I really am sorry… I… I didn't realise…"

"You didn't realise how frightening it might be to be helpless," Peter hissed. He stood up and had to walk away. Shadow, Buck and Bugsy had all crowded around him, having sensed his fear, panic and anger, but unable to see a cause for those emotions so they could help him fight. Peter knelt again and took a moment to reassure them.

"Peter, I really am sorry, I really am," Lia insisted. She started crying. She wasn't ready to lose this one companion she had found through luck. She knew that she couldn't make it on her own. "Please forgive me."

Peter looked at the distraught girl and sighed. "O… okay," he said. "Just don't do it again, Lia," he added. "It really was scary, you know."

"I'm sorry," Lia said, meaning it with all her heart. "Uh… Peter…?"

"What?" Peter asked.

"Could I try on your glasses, just for a moment?"

Lia's request surprised Peter. She came over and knelt besides him. "Well… okay, just for a second," he said after a moment. Peter took off his glasses and the world descended into a blur again. Only Lia, kneeling next to him and Buck, on his shoulder, remained clear. He handed the spectacles to the girl.

Lia put them on and gasped and the world turned into a meaningless blur. Her eyes began to water and ache immediately and she had to pull them off and hand them back. "They are strong," she said. Peter shrugged and put them on again. Suddenly, Lia was very impressed at his being out here when he had such a disability.

Peter, meanwhile, was thinking that Lia wasn't a bad sort at all. She wasn't some stuck-up type at all, and she certainly wasn't a bully, although she could be as mischievous as anyone else of their age group was. Indeed she clearly had a decent dose of empathy and could be quite nice when she wanted to be. She was… human. It was quite a surprise to come to this understanding.

Soon afterwards, Peter, Lia and Shadow were walking along Route One again. After the massive misunderstanding that morning, there had been something of a strained silence between the two companions. Peter had his nose in a tourist's map of South-eastern Indigo. "So, will we reach Viridian City today?" Lia asked.

"We should be there by noon," Peter predicted.

Lia nodded in relief. "It will be good to be back in civilisation," she said. She self-consciously brushed at the dirt on her jeans and blouse, only to smear the stains some more. "I can't wait to have a decent bed and a shower! What hotel are you planning to stay in? The Viridian Rose is good, I'm told."

Peter shot Lia a funny look. "I'll be staying at the Pokémon Centre," he said. "Not only does it have plenty of facilities for Trainers, it is free."

"Oh, yes! I forgot about…" Lia's voice trailed off and she gestured helplessly, not wanting to remind Peter of his lesser financial status. Peter rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the map.

Lia thought about the situation for a moment. As much as she did have the money to stay in a decent hotel, she should save it for other, more important things. More importantly… She recalled the reason why she was out here. She wanted to prove to her father that she could make an independent life for herself. It wouldn't be a good start to start spending his money on a plush hotel for a night. "Peter," she said at last.

Peter looked at her. "What is it, Lia?" he asked.

"I'll stay at the Pokémon Centre too," she announced, feeling incredibly brave for doing so.

Peter smiled and nodded in approval. He was about to say something when Shadow stopped dead in the middle of the road so suddenly that Peter nearly tripped over him. [Do you hear that?] he asked, suddenly alert.

"Hear what?" Peter asked, instinctively speaking quietly, although he didn't know why.

[That! Do you hear it?] Now Peter thought about it, he could hear something chattering in a strange, almost shrill musical voice.

"Pid-gee! Gee!" the voice screeched.

A few seconds later, a subtly different voice replied. "Gee-gee!"

Surprise had frozen Peter and Lia to the spot. They hadn't really been looking for Pokémon, but it seemed like they had found one, and maybe more. Peter knelt beside Shadow. "Where is it coming from?" he asked his voice barely above a murmur. Shadow considered this question before finally pointing ahead and to the right with his nose.

"What do you think?" Lia asked nervously.

"I think we both need flying-types," Peter said, feeling a sudden mad confidence after the successes of yesterday.

Feeling incredibly weird, both youngsters slowly pushed into the light undergrowth, trying not to make any noise whatsoever. Finally, they found what Shadow's sharp ears had detected. They were near the edge of the forest, and there were number of bushes growing on the edge of rolling hills that stretched off to the north-east. In the nearest of the bushes, two brown bird-like creatures with multicolour crests on their heads were chattering to each other in between pecks at the berries growing on the bush.

Peter was about to attack when he remembered Professor Oak's words: 'You should use the Pokédex to determine any Pokémon's strengths and weaknesses before you try to capture them.' That was wise advice, and Peter intended to start heeding it. He had a feeling that he had enjoyed a lot of luck yesterday, and he wasn't going to trust in that anytime soon.

Peter pulled his Pokédex off of its' belt loop and opened it up. He pressed the 'mute' control and then scanned the Pokémon, which were still sitting in the bush, blissfully ignorant of the humans and the Eevee crouching less than ten yards from them.

"Pokémon #016 – Pidgey, a flying-type Pokémon." the Pokédex printed out on its' right-hand screen. "Pidgey is a common flying-type, closely related to the parrot family. Pidgey eats fruits and nuts, and is a very gentle and passive Pokémon. Because of this, they are generally easy to capture, although you sill must weaken it before you can snare it in a Pokéball of any type except the Master-type.

"While far from intelligent, Pidgey is easy to train. Pidgey can master a wide range of flying- and normal-type attacks. Like all flying-types, Pidgey has a type advantage over bug-types and a type disadvantage to rock- and ground-types. Overall, Pidgey is an ideal Pokémon for a new Novice Trainer.

"At experience level 18, Pidgey evolves into Pidgeotto. In turn, at experience level 36, Pidgeotto evolves into Pidgeot, the largest of the flying-type, which can even carry a human in flight."

"All right, a Pidgey," Peter said with a grin. "Even Master Ash failed to capture one of these on his first try! Well, I'm going to show him how it is done." Lia frowned at Peter's sudden blooming ego and confidence. The boy didn't notice. He reached behind him and pulled one of his Pokéballs off of his belt. "Okay, it's your turn, Buck; I choose you!"

Peter threw the ball forward and his Rattata materialised halfway in between his Trainer and the Pidgeys. "Buck, close right up and then use Bite on the one closest to you," Peter said, pointing at the Pidgeys. Buck did as he was told. He connected with his first attack, making the Pidgey screech in surprise and pain. The Pidgey tumbled to the ground and the other took to wing, flying out of sight. "Great, Buck, now use Tail Whip," Peter ordered.

Buck slapped his tail around the flying-type's face and the bird staggered backwards. Peter ordered another Bite attack, but as his Rattata closed in, the bird lashed out with a wing, sending him tumbling backwards.

"Ouch!" Peter said with a wince. "That must be Razor Wing! Buck, get up and try to dodge behind it!" Buck jumped to his feet and circled the Pidgey, who turned too, glaring at the normal-type angrily. "Easy," Peter cautioned. "Easy… Go right! Now!" Buck darted to the right and was behind the Pidgey. "Now, use Tackle!" Buck lunged forward, but the flying-type took to the air and used Peck as Buck dived through the spot it was in just a few seconds ago.

Before Peter could react, the Pidgey flapped its' wings even faster, blowing Buck forwards with a gust of wind. Then it darted over and used Razor Wing again. Buck fell and didn't get up this time, his eyes glazed and crossed over. "Oh no," Peter groaned. "Buck, return!" The Rattata flashed into red light and was sucked into his Pokéball.

"That must be pretty high-level to know all those attacks," Lia said. "Now it's my turn! Go Chikorita!" Lia's starting Pokémon materialised in mid-air. "Chikorita, use Tackle!" Chikorita lunged forward and caught the Pidgey mid-air, knocking it crashing to the ground. "Great work, Chikorita," Lia exulted. "Now use Poison Powder!" Chikorita and Pidgey both disappeared in a cloud of grey poison dust that puffed from the plant-type's body. There was a long pause before the cloud dissipated. The Pidgey was lying on its' side, its' eyes glassy and blank.

Lia gasped in a combination of surprise and glee. Somehow, she worked an unassigned Pokéball into her hand, maximised it and threw it at the downed flying-type. The Pidgey vanished in a flash of red light that the Pokéball sucked into its' interior before snapping shut again. There was a long silent pause. "I… I caught a Pokémon!" Lia said, as if she couldn't believe that this had happened. "I caught a Pokémon! Wa-hoo!" The girl darted out of hiding and lifted her Chikorita into the air. "You are great Chikorita! I love you!" Lia hugged the laughing plant-type hard and petted his head-leaf lovingly.

After a moment, Lia put Chikorita back down and picked up her Pokéball. She held it up. "Yes! I caught a Pidgey!" She turned to Peter and Shadow, who had slowly walked out to join her by the bush. "Ha! I showed you, eh, Peter?" she asked, thrusting the ball in his face. "Well, who's the great Trainer now?"

"You wouldn't have had it so easy if Buck hadn't already weakened the blasted thing," Peter muttered bitterly.

"Jealous," Lia said, sticking her tongue out at Peter.

Peter's blood boiled. "Jealous? Ha!" he snorted. "What have I got to be jealous of you about, Scaredy Cat?"

"Why you…!" Lia went bright red. "Poor Person!"

"Spoilt Brat!"

"Four Eyes!"

"Bully!"

"Wimp… Ow!" Lia looked down in surprise to see her Chikorita biting her hand. "Chikorita… Why?"

Peter would have laughed, only he was lying on his face with Shadow sitting on his back. [Have you two stopped squabbling like a pair of hungry cubs?] Shadow asked severely. He got off Peter and watched with a severe expression as his Trainer stood up. [If this is how you two are going to react to each other every time you catch anything, I think it would be best if you went your separate ways now, or you'll just make each other miserable!]

Peter scowled at his Pokémon, then looked at Lia, who was rubbing her hand and avoiding Chikorita's accusing glare. "I…" Peter said. He looked at Shadow's scowl again before turning back to his companion. "Congratulations, Lia," he said quietly, not meeting her eye. "That was well caught."

"Thank you, Peter," she said quietly. "I'm sorry… about calling you names, I mean."

"So am I," Peter said.

[About time too,] Chikorita said severely.

There was an uncomfortable pause while Lia recalled Chikorita and put her new Pidgey on her belt. "Come on," Peter suddenly said. "We should be going."

The three companions turned to leave when Shadow stopped and looked over his shoulder, blinking in surprise. [Peter, you will not believe this,] he said.

Peter and Lia turned and stared stupidly. The other Pidgey had returned and was scratching in the dirt for seeds. Peter, still on an adrenaline high, reacted at once. "Shadow, use the combo attack!" he ordered. Shadow darted across the clearing and hit the Pidgey with a Tackle attack before it could react. As he had learnt this morning, he followed it up immediately with a Bite Toss that slammed the Pidgey against the ground hard. "Nice work!" Peter cried. The Pidgey didn't seem inclined to move, so Peter pulled out an empty Pokéball and threw it. The ball acted as advertised.

Peter cheered and ran to collect his capture (not forgetting to thank Shadow for his speed and skill first, of course). "See?" Lia said, wearing a strange smile. "It isn't that hard, is it?"

Peter tried to glare at the girl and say something cutting in reply to her incredibly condescending comment, but something caught his eye. Her lips were twitching with repressed laughter and there was a great deal of genuine happiness in her eyes. Peter grinned and walked over to her. "No it isn't is it?" he replied at last. The two of them started laughing and hugged each other hard.

"Nice capture, Peter," Lia whispered gently into Peter's ear.

"Thanks, Lia," he replied.

"So, what are you going to call your Pidgey?" Peter asked Lia as they continued down Route 1.

"Pidgey, of course," Lia said with a strange expression on her face.

Peter was about to rephrase the question, then decided not to. Not all Trainers named their Pokémon. Many, like Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak, actually claimed that doing so demeaned the Pokémon. That worried Peter, but Shadow, Buck, Bugsy and Avia (his Pidgey, who his Pokédex had revealed was a female) all seemed to accept their names with equanimity. Maybe it depended on the Pokémon, whether they wanted a name. "Well, whatever suits their fancy," Peter said.

"That's one thing I don't understand," Lia said. She lowered her voice and spoke to Peter in a discreet tone. "Why do you keep asking them if they want something?" she asked, genuinely puzzled. "I mean… surely we should lead them and train them to obey what we say?"

"Do you remember what Professor Oak taught us about the 'Happiness Quotient?'" Peter asked. Lia nodded. "That is a measure of their health, and it is affected by how we treat them. If we treat them as 'things' and order them about, then, no mater how well we train them, they'll never be the best that they can be. They are intelligent creatures, Lia. I think we should treat them as friends, not property."

Lia nodded as she absorbed this. "Do you think I should give my Pokémon their own names, then?" she asked.

Peter shrugged and grinned. "That is up to them, isn't it?" he said. Lia chuckled slightly in response.

"Come one, come all!" shouted an amplified voice. "The Viridian City Pokémart is ready to serve all your needs!"

"What the hell is that?" Peter asked.

Bizarrely, there was a wooden stall sitting in the middle of the forest path. The stall had a sign with the Pokéball emblem of the Pokémon League and the name 'Viridian City Pokémart' printed on it. A man wearing a bright waistcoat, a bow tie and a straw boater hat (with a 'smiley face' pin stuck in its' hatband) was shouting at them through a megaphone while waving a bamboo cane for emphasis. "More brave young Novices!" he blared through the megaphone. "Step right up, my bold friends!"

Feeling like they were in some kind of strange dream, Peter and Lia walked up to the stall. "Er… hi," Peter said. Lia waved nervously.

"Welcome to the Promotion Stall, my young friends," the man bellowed in their faces with his megaphone. Peter stepped back, squinting at the noise and the sheer weight of sound blew Lia's hair back as if she were walking into a strong wind. "I'm sure you've found that your Journey is one full of many hazards! Fortunately you are not alone! The Pokémart at Viridian City has all the equipment you need to face any threat! From potions, to antidotes! From camping equipment to Pokéballs! We have it all!"

Peter shook his head, his ears ringing. Lia's eyes were glazed and she looked like she was going into shock. After Peter was sure he could hear again, he looked at the grinning man uncertainly. "Okay, so what is it you want?" he asked lamely.

"The Pokémart wants to help YOU!" the man bellowed. "We want you to know that…" At that point, Peter grabbed the megaphone and pulled it away from the man's face. "Hey, what gives?" the man asked, looking a bit annoyed.

"If you don't stop screaming at us while we are less than three feet away, I will have my Pokémon feed that thing to you," Peter snapped. "Now tell us what you are selling!"

The man blushed slightly. "Ah… sorry, kid, I was getting a little carried away," the man said in an abashed tone of voice.

A little carried away? Lia asked herself, shaking her head to try to restore her hearing to normal service.

"Anyway, we're just running a promotion for our services," the man explained to Peter. "We just want new Novices to know we're there, you understand?" Peter nodded and wiggled his pinkie in his right ear, trying to stop the ringing sound in his head. The man handed Peter an advertising flyer for the Pokémart. It included a map of Viridian City showing the location of the Pokémon Centre, the Earth Gym and the Pokémart. "We're doing a special on Treatment Creams this week," the man continued. "Burn Heal and Paralyse Heal creams are both at half price, don't forget to come in!"

"We won't," Peter said. "Thanks for letting us know, mister." Lia rolled her eyes, realising that Peter was playing the 'wide-eyed kid' just to get them away from the man. She couldn't blame him, as the guy made her nervous too. "Anyway, we've got to be going," he continued. "Best of luck with your… er… work." That made Lia giggle a little.

"Oh, wait," the man said as the two youngsters moved off, "I forgot something." The man turned to his van, which was parked under a tree, and opened a plastic picnic hamper. He pulled out two plastic bottles, about the size of nail varnish bottles, of a blue fluid. "A free sample, just to show you what we offer," the man explained. "This is a single dose of Restore-HP Potion." Peter and Lia took the bottles with a nod of appreciation. "Best of luck on your Journey, kids," the man said and walked back to his stall. As Peter, Lia and Shadow continued on their way, they soon heard the man shouting through his megaphone again.

"Weird guy," Lia said.

"Well, at least he likes his work," Peter said with a wild grin. He looked at the potion bottle for a moment. "You know, I want to see if this stuff works."

"Shouldn't you keep it until you really need it?" Lia asked.

Peter looked at her thoughtfully. "Um… I think I need it now," Peter said at last. "Buck was knocked out by that Pidgey, and I think I should try to heal him now."

Lia shook her head. "Look, Peter, how close are we to Viridian City?"

Peter pulled the map out of his jacket and looked at if for a moment. "Uh… we're going to be there in less than an hour," he announced.

"Buck can wait until we reach the Pokémon Centre," Lia said. "Keep the potion until you are in a corner and need to heal your Pokémon in a hurry." Peter looked at the bottle for a moment, looked at Lia and finally nodded in agreement. He slid the bottle into his medicine bag and tucked it away in his backpack.

Peter, Lia, Shadow and Chikorita were standing on a slight rise, looking at the sprawling conurbation before them. "There it is," Peter said. "Viridian City!"

"Thank God," Lia said with a slight smile. "I don't think I could take another day on the roads!"

You're tougher than you think, Lia, Peter thought and then shook his head to clear it. "I don't know," he said. "I've never liked the smell of big cities." Lia chuckled a little. "Come on," Peter said with a grin. "Let's find the Pokémon Centre."

That was easier said than done in a city of two million inhabitants. Even with the map that the man on Route 1 had given Peter, finding their way through the city's dozens of criss-crossing streets was a difficult task at best. They got very comprehensively lost for some time and they had to eat their lunch at the point where Routes 1, 2 and 22 met.

After circling for a little while longer, they came across an impressive building with two cylindrical towers rising above the main drum-shaped building. The sign sitting by the vehicle entrance read: 'Viridian City Earth Gym. Gym Leader Gary S. Oak.' There was also the Pokéball emblem of the League and the emerald green cross-in-a-circle of the Earth Badge.

Peter pulled the flyer out again and examined it thoughtfully. "So," Lia said into the silence, "should we challenge the Gym Leader for the Earth Badge?" She wondered briefly at how quickly it had become 'we.' Of course, she still was glad to have a companion.

Peter looked at Lia with an expression of shock. "You're kidding," he said. Lia shrugged, affecting a confident pose. "Lia, Gary Oak is the third best trainer in the League! Only Master Ash and Master Lance can beat him in competitive matches! We've been on the road for two days and have six low-level Pokémon between us. He would cream us! Our only hope would be for him to laugh so hard he sprains a muscle and has to concede the match on the grounds of injury!"

"I was only kidding," Lia groused. "No need to bite my head off. Now are we going to the Pokémon Centre or what?"

Peter nodded decisively. Peter pointed back towards the centre of town. "This way," he said. He didn't say it out loud, but Lia definitely heard the silent qualification: I think!

Surprisingly, Peter was right. Within five minutes, the two companions and their Pokémon friends had reached the Pokémon Centre. Like most of its' kind, it was a low, drum-shaped building like a tire lying on its' side. "Hooray," Peter heard Lia mutter and blushed slightly in embarrassment at having got lost so easily.

They entered through automatic doors, which slid open with a melodious 'bong.' Inside, the two Novices walked past the Aztec-style stone murals of the nine Legendary Birds, the three Legendary Dogs and Mew. A pleasant young woman in a nurse's uniform with red hair in tight, looped braids was sitting at the main desk. "Welcome to the Viridian City Pokémon Centre," she said pleasantly. "Can I help you?"

"Er, I hope so," Peter said after staring for a moment and getting Lia's elbow in his ribs for his trouble. "I'm Peter Croft and this is Lia McAlester. We're Novices and we'd like a room for the night."

"Of course," said the nurse. Her nametag revealed that her name was 'Joy Quinn.' "Could I see your Trainer IDs please?"

Peter and Lia got out their smart cards and handed them over to the woman, who ran them through a magnetic strip reader on her computer terminal. "You're both from Pallet Town?" Joy asked as she looked at the two database windows that had opened up on her computer desktop. Peter nodded. "And you are on the first year of your Journey!" Joy smiled. "Well, I must congratulate you on reaching your first Pokémon Centre!"

"Ah, it wasn't so difficult," Lia said in a tone of demur.

"Lia," Peter hissed, horrified at his companion's display of ego.

"What? I was only being polite," Lia hissed back.

"I can see you two are very close friends," Joy said with a laugh. "How long have you known each other?"

Peter and Lia both went bright red at that suggestion. "Known…? Er… two days maybe…" Peter mumbled, not daring to look in Joy's bright, intelligent green eyes. Joy was surprised to hear that and her expression reflected that.

"Well," she said after a moment, "we aren't so busy at the moment, so I can give you both individual rooms. Peter, you have room 115, and Lia, you have room 116. They're next to each other on the first floor, so you will be close to your friends on your first night in this strange place." Joy emphasised those last words and chuckled a little. Lia was about to say that Peter was her companion and colleague, not her friend, but something stopped her. "Can I heal your Pokémon?" Joy asked.

"Oh, yeah, they've all seen some action so far," Peter said, beginning to pull his Pokéballs off of his belt. "Can you check my Rattata carefully? He was knocked out while fighting a wild Pidgey."

"I'll look him over myself," Joy promised. Peter enticed Shadow to jump up on Joy's desk and Lia lifted Chikorita up and placed him beside the Eevee. Joy grinned slightly. All Trainers soon got 'favourite' Pokémon who almost never were in their Pokéballs. It looked like these were the two young Novices' favourites all right. "Could you put your Chikorita and Eevee in their Pokéballs, please?" Joy asked. "It makes it a bit easier for us to move them about."

"Oh! Right!" Peter said, rather startled. He recalled Shadow to his Pokéball and Lia recalled Chikorita. Joy put the six Pokéballs onto a five-by-five pallet and gave them to a Chancey that appeared at her side. "Chancey, can you put these six Pokémon into the rejuvenator? And be especially careful with PHC-0002, he has been injured in a Battle."

"Chanc-cey-cey-cha!" Chancey said. She took the Pokéballs and walked through a set of double doors into the Treatment Rooms.

Joy handed Peter and Lia their ID cards and stood up. "I've just got to help a Wartortle that got badly hurt in a battle at the Gym. Make yourselves at home here at the Centre, or feel free to explore the city. There is a lot to see, you know."

"If it's okay, Nurse Joy, I want to wait until you've finished with my Pokémon," Peter said.

"Speak for yourself, Peter," Lia said with a laugh. "I'm going to have a shower, then I'm changing into some clothes that don't smell of sweat and fear!" Peter shrugged easily and waved once as Lia walked off to the dormitory area of the Pokémon Centre.

Peter walked over to the Atrium's waiting area and sat down. As he watched, Nurse Joy entered the Treatment Rooms. The door closed and the red light with the silhouette of a hypodermic syringe on it turned on. Peter sighed, leaned back, closed his eyes and let himself relax.

"Been on the road for long?" asked a friendly feminine voice.

Peter nearly jumped out of his skin. Sitting on the row of benches opposite him was a teenage girl. She had been sitting so still that he hadn't even seen her before that moment. The girl had blonde hair and icy blue eyes (much like Peter's). She had the strangely rueful smile of someone who had to grow up far too quickly. She was wearing blue jeans, a white vest top and a sleeveless denim jacket. A Pikachu was sitting on her lap, who was grinning at Peter in a friendly way.

"Pikachu-chu-pi-pi-ka, Pika-ka," the electric type said.

"I didn't scare him, Pikachu," the girl said. "Did I, mate?"

"No, no I just was deep in thought, that's all," Peter replied, making the girl smile. "I'm Peter Croft from Pallet Town. In answer to your question, I've been on the road for two days now."

"Ann Starr from Pumello Island," the girl responded. "I've been Journeying, oh, for four years now." Peter was suitably impressed and it must have shown in his expression. Ann's world-weary face split open into a good-humoured smile. "Don't look at me as if I'm a creature from another world, Peter," she said. "I'm just like you, only I've got a few more Pokémon and a lot more bruises, right Pikachu?"

"Pika!"

Peter laughed. "Sorry, it's just that I haven't met anyone who has been Journeying as long as you have," he explained. "Your home is in the Orange Islands. Why aren't you competing there?"

Ann shrugged. "Been there, done that," she said. "I beat the Orange Crew to get my Challenge Cluster when I was 13. That was last year, by the way. I didn't beat Ash Ketchum's record, but even so I wanted to expand my horizons. I've come to Indigo in search of some new challenges."

Peter nodded. He could understand that. An adventure only remained an adventure when new things beckoned. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"I've reached my last Gym," Ann replied, with a little pride leaking into her voice. "Gary is a pretty tough opponent, you know. I'm here because Fireball, that's my Charizard, my Espeon and my Wartortle all got pretty badly beaten up in the Battle."

"Did you win?" Peter asked eagerly. Ann smiled tiredly and opened the lapel of her jacket. Proudly displayed on the inside of the lapel were all twelve Gym Badges of the Indigo Division, including the hellishly rare Unity Badge from Dark City and the Liberty Badge from Gunjo City. "As you can see, I won the badge," Ann said with a broad smile, tapping her Earth Badge. She yawned and rubbed her eyes in fatigue.

"Um… if you excuse me, Ann," Peter said hesitantly, "you don't seem too pleased."

Ann looked at him levelly. "Peter, I became a Trainer because my family was falling apart; my parents were getting divorced and they were planning on fighting over me as if I were part of the house's fixtures and fittings. Going on a Journey was a kind of escape for me." The girl paused before continuing. "It was nothing like I expected. It's been a hard fight, dodging Team Rocket and living hand-to-mouth. It is enough to take years off your life!"

"Well, at least I won't have to worry about Team Rocket," Peter said.

"What makes you say that"? Ann asked, suddenly alert. "Don't be fooled, Peter. Master Ash and his friends might have broken Team Rocket and put their boss behind bars, but there are a lot of them left out there. I should know! I've been fighting them on and off most of this year! Someone is trying to put the organisation back together and wandering Trainers are their number one prey."

Peter was shocked and couldn't reply as Ann continued, her voice returning to its' rueful, tired tone. "I'm going to try to beat Ash and the rest of the Indigo Crew this year for the Indigo Challenge Cluster… And then, win or lose, I'm going to go home."

"You mean back to your family?" Peter asked.

"My new family yes," Ann confirmed. "My old one is dead and gone in my heart. My best friend, Claire, and her boyfriend Joe work at the Breeding Centre just outside Pumello City and my boyfriend, Brett, is Gym Leader Drake's assistant at the Dragon Gym. I want to decide what I'm going to do with the rest of my life before I go running off to Johto or Crystal."

Suddenly, there was a movement at the other side of the atrium. "Trainer Starr?" called Nurse Joy as she walked out of the Treatment Rooms, stripping off sterile latex gloves as she did so. "Your Charizard, Espeon and Wartortle are all healed," she said. "I want you to go easy on Wartortle, though. He will take a while to get over those electric burns.

"Well, I was going to swap him for my Starmie anyway," Ann said. "He deserves a vacation after this! Thanks, Nurse Joy." Ann took the three Pokéballs and turned back to Peter. "Just remember, Peter," she announced, "this is going to be the best adventure you've ever had in your life. Just remember to have something waiting for you on the other side, or you are on a long, hard road to nowhere." Ann put the Pokéballs onto her belt and turned to leave. "Come on, Pikachu," she said with a grin.

"Pika-pika-chu-pi, Pika-ka," the Pikachu chattered. He ran over, jumped onto Ann's shoulders and the veteran Trainer turned to leave.

"Bye," Peter called.

"I prefer 'farewell,'" Ann called back. "Who knows? We might run into each other again!" Ann waved in a friendly way and her Pikachu waved too. He winked once at the boy before Ann walked through the automatic doors and into the city.

Peter was still pondering over Ann's parting advice as he waited for Joy to finish working on his Pokémon. Strange that a Trainer who had achieved so much could be so downbeat. Well, she had just finished a tough Gym Battle and she was probably tired. On the other hand, that comment about having 'something waiting for you on the other side' deserved a lot of thought.

"Hey Peter!" For the second time that day, Peter nearly went flying when someone sneaked up on him and touched him on the shoulder.

Peter blinked a few times and then smiled. "Hi, Lia," he said. His companion had changed into what Peter thought of as 'rich' clothes. She was wearing a fine silk blouse and a long skirt plus a pair of lace-up-the-shins sandals. She had combed out her black hair, which now flowed loosely down her back like an ebony waterfall. She had also got rid of her backpack, which was probably in her dorm room by now. "How was your shower?" Peter asked.

"Refreshing," Lia said. She walked forward and sniffed her companion. "Yuck, you need one too," she said. Peter was about to protest, but Lia hauled him to his feet and pushed him in the general direction of the shower stalls. "Go on!" she said. "I'll wait for our Pokémon, but you'll feel a lot better when you are clean!"

Some time later, Peter returned to the atrium, just in time to see Nurse Joy come out with his and Lia's Pokéballs. "Here you go," Joy said. "They're all back to full strength."

"Thank you Nurse Joy," the two Novices said. When they realised that they had said it virtually simultaneously, they started laughing. How could they not?

It was still early afternoon, so Peter and Lia went walking through the metropolis of Viridian City. There was a lot to do, and, for two starting Novices, the world was still a big and fascinating place. They visited the League Headquarters building in Victory Plaza, opposite the Indigo Division Stadium (the Champions' League Stadium at Indigo Plateau remained a vision for fantasies for now). They visited the Colonial History Museum, which told the story of Kanto, from the first tentative explorations in the 1700s, the long lost period, when the islands mysteriously vanished from the map, up to the rediscovery of the region in 1999.

Finally, they visited the commercial district. Lia was suitably impressed by the fashions in the boutiques and Peter, being a boy, was more interested in the wares of the sports and electronics retailers.

"Hey, look at this one, Peter," Lia said excitedly, hugging Peter's arm.

Peter looked at the rather impractical gold dress in the boutique's window without enthusiasm. "Very nice," he lied.

"I don't think so," Lia replied with a grin. "It's just that my Mom was the one who designed it!" Peter shook his head and smiled at Lia in apology.

As the two of them walked north through the city, Lia asked a question. "Um… Peter," she said, "have you ever thought of having contact lenses instead of glasses? Or maybe even a corneal correction operation to cure your eyes?"

Peter shrugged. "You called me a 'Poor Person' once, Lia," he said quietly. "Unfortunately it's true. Corrective lenses are the best my family can afford, but I don't like contacts. Putting stuff on my eyes?" He shuddered. "For all they are impractical sometimes, I prefer my glasses."

Lia nodded quietly. One of the problems that people of average income levels in Kanto frequently faced was that, apart from emergency healthcare, you had to pay for medical treatment. Of course, there were medical insurance schemes, and the Governing Council had its' own state scheme, but only the richest could afford the miracle cures that the frontiers of medicine were beginning to provide in this latter half of the 21st Century. Lia herself had nanotechnology cochlea implants to correct a hearing malfunction.

Suddenly, a mad scheme popped into her mind. Her credit card account was quite large, her father had seen to that. She could pay for Peter to have the laser surgery that would correct his vision and cure him forever. Why couldn't she do that? She was shocked by her own thoughts. She had only known Peter two days and she was planning to spend most of her money to help him? Besides, Peter was proud. He didn't need her help anyway. He'd proven that to her.

Almost driven by an unconscious desire, the two youngsters turned west, following Route 22 out of Viridian City to the west. Route 22 was the main Journey trail to Dark City, the Burning Desert and, far, far to the west, Johto. However, what brought Peter and Lia to Route 22 was something else entirely.

"Victory Road," Peter said. They were standing in a small forest clearing by a mighty gateway built with two megalithic stones and a cross-lintel like something from a stone circle in Europe. They were looking past the gateway at the wide paved road heading north from Route 22. "Indigo Plateau is at the other end of that road, Lia."

"I know," Lia replied quietly as she looked down the road. "Only those who are ready to go to the Champions' League go down there." She shivered thoughtfully. "That seems so very far away, Peter."

"Hey, don't worry," Peter said with a wild grin. "We'll make it with no trouble."

Then something startling and terrifying happened.

"Did you say trouble?" asked a male voice.

"Well prepare to make it double," continued a female voice.

Peter and Lia staggered back in amazement as a man with his hair dyed purple and a woman with long blonde hair jumped out of cover and posed right in front of them. They were wearing black uniforms, the man's a kind of trouser suit and the woman's a one-piece dress with a miniskirt. Their gloves and boots (shoulder-length and thigh-length respectively in the woman's case) were pure white. On the centre of the chest of their black uniforms was a blood red stylised capital letter 'R.'

As impossible as it seemed, there was only one thing that these two young adults could be. Peter and Lia could only look on in shock as they began to recite something that seemed part motto, part song and part credo.

"To infect the world with devastation,"

"To blight all people in every nation,"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

"Ned!"

"Kelly!"

"We're Team Rocket: circling Earth all day and night!"

"Surrender or die in the fight!"

"That's right!" This last stanza was delivered in unison.

"Team Rocket?" Peter blurted, unable to believe what he was seeing.

To be continued…