Chapter 2--Welcome to Kanto
Willow stepped off the ship into Pallet Town. Pallet Town was usually a quiet, peaceful place...but not today! Today, trainers form all over the World had come here to receive Pokemon and Pokedexes from Prof. Oaks, a renowned Pokemon expert. Usually, the Guardian presided over the ceremonies, but today, she was somewhere else. Willow didn't know it, but trouble was brewing. Happily, this would not affect her quest. Willow already had a Pokemon (now, she had two of them!), so she only received a Pokedex from Prof. Oaks.
"Ah! You're from Winter Isle, I see. We don't get many trainers form the islands these days. Oh, dear. There are so many trainers each year...it's a good thing not all of them come to Pallet town. Well, here's your Pokedex, Willow. Good luck on your journey!"
Willow thanked the Professor and looked around the town. Trainers were everywhere! "Well, I guess I had better not waste any more time looking around. We have to get going. I'll buy a town map, then we can leave."
Willow hurried to the nearest map store. "Hello, young lady! I suppose you're a young trainer looking for a map? You'll probably be needing Pokeballs, too...lessee now..."
Willow blinked. "Pokeballs? I forgot! I need them too! I hope I have enough..."
Willow did, but she could only afford two Pokeballs. Only trainers getting a Pokemon from Prof. Oaks received Pokeballs from him as well; other trainers had to buy them. Willow hurried on her way. She had to reach Viridian City; according to the map, it was the first town ahead.
"Well, let's get going, guys. Viridian City, here we come!"
-o-o-o-o-o-
It takes most trainers very little time to reach Viridian City. Willow took only a few hours, going at top speed. Sadly, she caught no new Pokemon on her way. Willow was worried.
"I need to catch more Pokemon if I want to win my battles! What am I going to do?" Oh well...I suppose I should look around the town."
Willow headed to the Pokemon Center. "Excuse me, Nurse Joy? I'm here to find out about the Gym in this town. Do you know where it is?"
Nurse Joy smiled. "Well, young lady, I'm afraid that the Gym in this town is above the level of any rookie trainer. Most people face the leader, Giovanni, last. His Pokemon are very powerful, and I recommend that you face Brock, leader of Pewter City's Gym, first. That's through the Viridian Forest, but make sure you don't get lost! Stay in the marked areas; the others are restricted to trainers. If you keep to the path, you should be fine. Good luck!"
Willow nodded. "Thank you, Nurse Joy. I'll do that."
So, the leader Giovanni was powerful, was he? Well, she would certainly wait to face him. How strange that he should choose to live in Viridian! It was near the Pokemon League, though. In any case, she would have to travel through the Viridian Forest. Hmm...she certainly didn't want to get lost!
"I had better be careful to stay on the path." Willow set off once more.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Three hours later, Willow was on the verge of tears. She was hopelessly lost! A wrong turn had taken her deep into the forest, an area not marked on her map. Willow sat down in a open glade. She didn't know which way to go next. Willow might have cried, and even given up her ambitions right there, if not for a sudden, high-pitched cry. Willow recognized the sound of a Pokemon in trouble.
"Someone must be hurting that Pokemon! Come on, we have to help it!"
Willow ran towards the sound. Whoever was hurting the Pokemon, she would do something about it!
-o-o-o-o-o-
Willow was unknowingly running toward the path. Just before she reached it, however, she saw two boys, barely older than she was, poking a Caterpie with sticks. The green, foot-long caterpillar Pokemon cried out in pain as its soft exoskeleton was punctured, the red feeler on its head twitching.
Willow shouted at them. "Hey, you two! Knock it off! Can't you see that you're hurting that Caterpie?"
The two boys stood up. "What's it to you?" one of them snarled.
The other chimed in. "We aren't lettin' no stupid girl push us around! Let's get her!"
With that, they sent out two fearsome-looking Pokemon. The first was an angry Spearow, a bird Pokemon, which ruffled its fluffy brown-and-white feathers, clicking its sharp beak. The second was a large Oddish, a blue radish Pokemon with green leaves sprouting from its head. It blinked its red eyes in the bright sunlight, more used to night conditions.
"Go! Sleet! Use your Hail Storm attack!" Sleet's type advantage allowed it to blow the opponents away. "Great job, Sleet! Return!"
The other two trainers looked furious. Quickly returning their Pokemon, they shouted to Willow as they retreated hastily, "You haven't seen the last of us! We'll get you for this!" With that, they were gone.
Willow looked at the Caterpie. It was bleeding profusely, and it needed to be taken to the Pokemon Center right away. Luckily, Willow found the path. Before long, she was racing toward Pewter City, carrying the injured Caterpie.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Willow reached Pewter City quickly, although she feared that too much time might have been wasted already. Rushing to the Pokemon Center, Willow brought the Caterpie to Nurse Joy.
"Oh, my! Is that your Caterpie? Well, you certainly haven't taken very good care of it! Come with me at once!"
Willow, following Nurse Joy to the examination room, stuttered her explanations. "Nurse Joy--it isn't my Caterpie, it--I found it in the woods--do you think--will it be okay?"
Nurse Joy hurried into the examination room. "Wait out here, young lady. I'll do what I can."
Willow waited for an agonizingly long hour. Finally, Nurse Joy returned. Willow jumped up.
"How's Caterpie? Will it be okay?"
Nurse Joy smiled. "Caterpie needs some more treatment, and a lot of rest, but I'm sure that it will be fine. It may not have been yours when you found it, but I'm afraid it is now. This Caterpie can't be returned to the wild for a long time, and I can't raise a Caterpie properly. This Pokemon belongs with a trainer. You can sleep on this couch over here; I'll wake you when I'm done."
The next day, Willow got up drowsily. Remembering her mission, she immediately went to see Nurse Joy. "Well, here's your new Caterpie. It shouldn't do too much for a day or so, but it will be perfectly fine for battling by tomorrow. I'm sure you're going to challenge our gym leader, Brock, after all?"
Willow nodded. "Thank you, Nurse Joy. I have to go; goodbye!"
Willow left the Pokemon Center, wondering what to do in preparation for her impending battle with Brock. Knowing that the Gym Leader used mostly rock-type Pokemon, she looked carefully at her lineup for advantageous type matches. Sleet would certainly be useful with his ice-type attacks, but her other Pokemon were all seriously disadvantaged against a rock-type!
"Oh, no! What will I do now?" Willow knew that she would have to trust her Pokemon to do their best. She headed resolutely off to the gym.