Chapter 3 – First Battle!

Zac and Chris are walking down the main path of Pallet Town, heading for the road that leads to Viridian City. "Hmmm..." says Zac. "Did Oak say anything about how long the trip will be?" "No, I don't think so," Chris replies. "It probably won't be that long."

Zac takes out his Pokedex yet again and looks at the time... yet again. "It's 9 o'clock," he says anxiously. "This is when those kids are supposed to go to Oak's and pick their Pokemon."

"Don't worry," Chris replies. "He said they're nice kids, and they'll understand. Why are you so worried?"

"I dunno..." Zac says slowly. "I mean, think about it. How would you feel if you've been looking forward to this day since you were, like, 4 or 5 years old, and suddenly, these two complete strangers just walk in town and completely ruin it for you? I'd be pretty damn upset, myself..."

"I guess..." says Chris, obviously not as upset as Zac is. "You know, I've never seen this side of you before. I've never seen you care about someone's feelings so much! I mean, look at our positions. We're stranded here. We have no way of getting home, and no way to protect ourselves. I mean, what was Oak supposed to do? Just ignore us? I don't think so."

They both stay silent for a good while. Zac looks at the time again. Ten after. He sighs.

Suddenly, someone behind them shouts. Zac and Chris stop and turn. They can make out three figures running full speed towards them.

"You don't think...?" Chris gasps.

Zac bows his head. His eyes become hidden in shadow. "I knew it," he mutters. "They're angry."

They stand and wait for the three kids to catch up to them. After about a minute, they finally do. Two of the kids go down on their knees, trying to regain their breath. The kid in front stays standing, glaring at Zac and Chris, sweating and breathing very heavily.

"You... two... give us the... Pokemon... NOW!" Chris looks at the kid yelling at them and the two on their knees behind him. The two kids behind him are a boy and a girl. They both are redheads. They have very neat hair, freckles, and blue eyes. They look like twins. The one yelling at them has wild green hair, and a lot of it. It looks like it hasn't been brushed in ages. His brown eyes are filled with anger.

"Those Pokemon belong to us. Hand them over!" At this point, the two kids behind him get up and start glaring at Zac and Chris along with their companion. "We are meant to have those Pokemon! Professor Oak told us 6 years ago! They are meant for us!"

"Um... well... you see..." Chris fumbles with his words trying to figure out what to say.

"Look," Zac suddenly cuts in. Chris gives Zac a surprised look. He still has his head bowed. "I understand where you're coming from, but..." Suddenly, Zac's head snaps up. He looks at the green-haired kid with an almost angry look on his face. "...these Pokemon are ours! Oak chose to give them to us. We need them! We're stranded, and-"

"I don't wanna hear it!" the kid practically screams. "I don't care if the Professor suddenly decided to change his mind when he woke up this morning! He made a promise, and if he doesn't intend to keep that promise, I'll keep it for him!"

Zac shakes his head. "Well, then... we have a problem here, don't we?" He stops for a second. "So, you gonna tell us your names, or not?"

"I'm Frank, and these twins behind me are Dylan and Dalyla. Yours?"

"I'm Zac, the fat one's Chris." "HEY!" "Calm down, it's just a joke..."

"Well, Zac," Frank declares, "if you won't give them to us, we'll take them from you!"

"Yeah?" Zac rolls up his sleeves. "I'd like to see you try!"

"Hey, uh, guys," Chris cuts in tentatively. "We don't need to settle this by fighting, do we?"

"GRRRR. What's wrong with you, Chris?" Zac growls. "What the hell are we supposed to do? Flip a coin?"

"No, you idiot," Chris retorts. "Remember where we are now? We settle things with Pokemon battles!"

Frank is now thoroughly confused. "All right... um... if you guys are done, can we get this thing started?"

"Yah, you'll be goin' against me," Zac declares. "One on one, I guess?"

Frank chuckles. "In most cases, yes. I would normally have only one Pokemon, my Charmander. But this is a special case." He smirks. He lifts his jacket up a little to reveal two Pokeballs attached to his belt. Zac's eyes go wide. "How did you-!"

"Forget it," Frank interrupts. "Your two Pokemon versus my two Pokemon. First, I'll send out my Charmander!" The boy throws a Pokeball. It opens, and in a flash of red light, a Charmander comes out of it. The Ball flies back to its owner's hand. Zac's heart leaps. This is the first time he has ever seen a real live Pokemon so up close!

"Chris, you got this one?" Chris takes a step back, eyes wild with fear, and gulps. "Um... y-you sure about this?" "Yeah," Zac replies. "Go on. I wanna go against his second one."

Chris, visibly shaking, steps forward and takes out his sole Pokeball with his trembling left hand. (All right, this is it,) Chris thinks to himself grimly. "Go, Bulbasaur!" He throws the Ball. Bulbasaur comes out. "Bulba, Bulbasaur!" it says. It turns around and looks at Chris, its new Trainer. It has a look of determination on its face; it's ready to fight. "All right... Bulbasaur, use Tackle!"

The battle starts. Charmander takes the hit and grunts in pain. "Scratch attack!" Charmander spins around and hits Bulbasaur with all its might. Bulbasaur skids back about a foot, its eyes closed tight in pain. It shakes it off and glares at its opponent. Charmander is coming in for another attack. "Bulbasaur, dodge and use Growl!" Bulbasaur sidesteps just in time and growls menacingly at Charmander. It sweatdrops and takes a step back. "Good! Now use Tackle!" Bulbasaur throws his entire bodyweight into Charmander's chest, causing it to go flying. Bulbasaur lands on its feet and Charmander hits the ground hard and rolls a few feet. It gets up, battered and bruised. "Show that goddamn stupid plant! Scratch!" Bulbasaur takes the hit. It doesn't seem to hurt him as much as before. (Good,) Chris thinks smugly. (I don't know how, but Growl really does lower the opponent's Attack.) "Go, Tackle!" "Tail Whip!" Bulbasaur charges in for another full-body Tackle, but Charmander hits it away with its fire-tipped tail. Bulbasaur isn't really hurt, but the attack puts its guard down. "Scratch!" Bulbasaur takes the hit again. It hurts more this time. Now, both Pokemon are battered and worn out. "Charmander! Finish this, our first battle! SCRATCH ATTAAAAAACK!" "Charmander!" the Pokemon cries before flinging itself at Bulbasaur with its paw raised. "Bulbasaur, stand your ground!" Zac's eyes go wide. "What are you doing!" "Trust me..." Chris says quietly.

Charmander is getting closer...

Bulbasaur's face is getting grimmer...

Charmander raises its paw higher, eyes going wider as it sees the end of the battle...

"NOW, TACKLE!"

BOOM. Right in the gut. Charmander yells out in pain and goes flying. Bulbasaur just threw his entire weight into Charmander's stomach. Charmander hits the ground hard and doesn't get up. "It's over..." Zac mutters, almost disbelievingly.

"No, Charmander!" Frank lowers his head in defeat. Dalyla starts to sob.

"Hey, it's all right," Dylan says soothingly. "He still has his backup! She won't fail." Dalyla wipes the tears out of her eyes, looks up at her twin brother, and nods. Dylan scowls and clenches his fist. "That Bulbasaur was gonna be mine. Clobber this kid good, got it, Frank?"

Frank returns his Charmander and nods. "Don't worry... I will." A big grin suddenly splits his face. A slightly crazy grin. "A mere Squirtle can't beat her." He takes his second Pokeball and looks down at it. "Give up now, Zac! Spare your Squirtle a horrible, painful first defeat!"

Chris congratulates his Bulbasaur and returns it. He looks grimly at Zac. "Do your best."

Zac smirks. "This kid is so stupid. He won't beat me. No way." He takes out his Pokeball. He looks down at it in wonder. (Is this real? Am I really a... Pokemon Trainer?) He takes a deep breath and releases it. "All right, Squirtle, let's show this guy! COME ON OUT!" He throws the Ball. Squirtle comes out in a flash of red light. Zac catches his Pokeball, his mind completely numb.

(This feeling... it's amazing! The thrill of just releasing my Squirtle... It's like nothing I've ever felt!)

Squirtle looks up at its Trainer. Its face is full of curiosity as it sums up its Trainer in a glance. Zac looks back at it. He smiles. A small grin creeps onto Squirtle's face. (It's like a human. It seems more like a human to me than a... a creature.) Suddenly, both of their thoughts are interrupted as Frank laughs.

"Are you ready! This is it!" He throws his Pokeball. "GO... PIDGEOT!"

Zac's, Chris's, and Squirtle's eyes go wide in disbelief... and terror. Dylan and Dalyla smirk. Frank gives the biggest grin humanly possible... well, as humanly possible in anime, which is freakin' huge. Sure enough, the red light subsides to reveal a full-grown Pidgeot.

(Th-that's the fully evolved form of Pidgey!) Zac thinks in horror. (How is that possible? He's only been a Trainer for, like, a half hour!)

Frank laughs at the expression on his opponent's face. "What's the matter, huh? You look like you've seen a ghost!" He laughs even harder.

For some reason, Zac feels a shiver run down his spine when Frank says "ghost". (What was that? Forget it... I gotta concentrate on this battle!) Zac finds he's sweating in the January air. He wipes the sweat off his brow. "I wouldn't be laughing... if I were you!"

Frank just keeps on laughing. "Yeah? Is that so? Do something about it, then!" Zac just glares at him. "No? You're not gonna do anything? Fine, then. Pidgeot, Gust attack!

The second round begins. Squirtle gets picked up by the Gust and thrown a few yards. It gets up, grimacing. (Oh, no! The poor guy's already hurt! This isn't fair!) "Squirtle, hang in there! Let's get in there with a Tackle!" Pidgeot takes it like it's nothing. "Ha! Zac, you fool! Pidgeot, Wing Attack!" "Roll out of the way!" Squirtle does so. "Tail Whip!" Squirtle hits Pidgeot from behind with a Tail Whip. "Great, now Tackle!" Bam, right in the wings. Pidgeot stumbles forward a couple steps, eyes shut in pain. "Geot, geot!" she screeches. (Ha, this isn't about level at all!) Zac thinks with glee. (It's all about strategy and skill. Of course, a high level helps a lot, but we'll develop that in time.) "You like gettin' your ass kicked by a completely newbie Lvl.5 Squirtle? Ha! Jackass!"

A vein pops out in Frank's forehead and starts throbbing. "I suggest you shut your mouth... You still have no idea what you're up against!" "Oh, is that so?" "Yeah, it is! Pidgeot, Fly!"

Zac gets serious again. He frowns up at Pidgeot. (Damn, this is bad...) He looks at Squirtle, and judging by the look on its face, it's thinking the same thing he is. "Now, Pidgeot, come down! Hit Squirtle with all your might!" "Squirtle, dive to your left!" It does so. Pidgeot hits the ground, and before the dust clears, she springs right into Squirtle's face. Squirtle just about pisses itself. "WING ATTACK!" BAM! Squirtle goes flying into a tree. It gets up... barely. "Now, Pidgeot, finish it with Sky Attack!" Pidgeot starts to glow. "Quick, Squirtle, hit her with Tackle!" Squirtle does so. Pidgeot winces and stumbles back a few steps. "HA, HA! YOU'RE TOO LATE! IT'S NOT ENOUGH! FINISH IT, PIDGEOT!" "Jeez, man, calm the hell down, will ya?" Squirtle runs and hides behind a tree. Pidgeot soars into the air, and as quick as lightning, strikes the tree. The tree trunk smashes into pieces. The tree hits the ground.

"SQUIRTLE!" Zac cries out.

Squirtle comes out from behind the leaves unscathed. It was able to roll out of the way just in time. "Yeah! Great job, buddy!" Pidgeot flies back a little bit to her original position from when the battle started. Squirtle runs to the same spot on its side of the field. It's out of breath. Pidgeot nibbles at her wings trying to get some dirt off of them. It seems to coo to itself. "Well, Zac, got any last words?"

"Yeah. I do.

"YOU SUCK."

Frank laughs again. "You truly are pathetic. Determined, I'll give you that... but pathetic." He smirks. "It's time to end this. Really end this. Pidgeot... TAKE DOWN!"

Zac's eyes go wide in shock again. (How is this possible? Gust, Wing Attack, Fly, Sky Attack, and Take Down... That's five moves! I could have sworn it was four!) "You're cheating!" "Oh, yeah, is that so?" "Yeah! Pokemon can only have four moves!" "Ha! Shows what you know! Where have you been? It's been five for about two years now!"

Zac frowns heavily. (Damn, I can't believe it.)

Frank scowls at Pidgeot. "Well, what are you waiting for? Take Down! Now!" Pidgeot glances back at her Trainer. She ruffles her feathers indignantly. She braces her legs, but before she can start the attack, Squirtle freaks out and runs to its Trainer, hiding behind his legs. It peeks around his legs, looking at Pidgeot with a terrified look on its face. "Hey, what's the big id-" Zac stops himself as he looks down at his poor Pokemon. His eyes and his voice soften. "Hey, buddy, it's okay. We can do this together, right?" It firmly shakes its head. "Squirtle, Squirtle," it says in a shaky voice.

"Gah, I don't have time for this! Pidgeot, plow the Trainer over if you have to! Just FINISH THIS BATTLE! Take Down, go!"

Pidgeot squawks its compliance. She braces herself... and takes off. Zac's eyes go wide in shock. (No...!)

He stays in front of his Pokemon. He crosses his arms in front of him in an X formation, closes his eyes tight, and turns his head away. Squirtle looks up at his Trainer, standing there to protect it, then looks at the charging Pidgeot. Its little face goes serious and it jumps out in front of Zac. It goes into its shell in front of Zac's chest. Zac opens his eyes and instinctively grabs the shell. Pidgeot hits the shell, hard. Squirtle's shell rams hard into Zac's chest. He yells out in pain and goes flying back a couple yards, but he never lets go of the shell. He lands hard on his back. He doesn't get up.

"Zac!' Chris cries out. He runs up to him and his Squirtle. Zac opens an eye. Squirtle comes out of its shell and looks into its Trainer's eyes. Its battered face breaks into a smile. Zac smiles back. Chris kneels down beside them.

"Oh, god, this is so touching, it makes me sick."

Chris glares at Frank. "Have you no heart?" "Yes, I do! Enough to realize how devastated my two best friends are, enough to win back the Pokemon that rightfully belong to them! Grrrr... AAAH! I'm getting sick of this! This has gone on long enough! Pidgeot, Take Down!"

Chris scrambles out of the way. Squirtle forces itself out of his Trainer's hands and jumps up into the air to intercept Pidgeot; except this time, it doesn't go into its shell.

It uses Bubble.

Zac's mind goes numb once again. (I-I don't believe it! Doesn't a Pokemon need to finish a battle before it levels up and learns a new move? And even if that's not true, how the hell did Squirtle learn something new in the middle of its FIRST battle?)

The Bubble doesn't hurt Pidgeot much, but it stops her dead in her tracks. She falls a few inches back down to the ground. "Tackle!" Bam. Another hit. Pidgeot stumbles back. However, she is still only barely hurt, while Squirtle can barely move.

"Amazing! I can't believe that Squirtle learned Bubble so fast!" Frank looks back at Dalyla. "See how amazing that Squirtle is? It'll be rightfully yours again in just a couple minutes, okay?" "Yeah," Dalyla replies happily, nodding her head. Frank smiles, then turns back to the battle and glares at Squirtle. "That's it... Let's see your precious Bubble stop another Sky Attack!"

Pidgeot nods, fully understanding. She starts glowing. She soars into the sky...

Chris gasps. Zac scowls, not knowing what else he can do. Squirtle just gives a tired, battle-worn smile, knowing the end has finally come...

"No! Stop!"

Pidgeot stops glowing and freezes in midair, looking behind her to see the source of the voice. The three kids from Pallet look back, too. Zac, Chris, and Squirtle look past their opponents to see who it is, too.

It's none other than Professor Oak. He reaches the kids. He doubles over, trying to regain his breath. "Stop... this nonsense... Frank... That Squirtle... can barely... defend itself... It was low of you to use... your brother's... Pidgeot like that!"

"It's not just his," Franks mutters sulkily. "It's mine, too."

"I know," says Oak. "I know you and that Pidgeot grew up together, but don't forget it was your older brother who found her and saved her life."

Zac gasps in understanding. (So that's how he got that Pidgeot!)

Dylan looks at Oak angrily. "But, Professor, it's not fair! When we were six, we swore to take the three Pokemon and get the Badges together when we were finally old enough. We swore it! And you promised to help fulfill that dream! That Bulbasaur is supposed to be mine, and that Squirtle belongs to my sister!"

Oak shakes his head. "Why do you kids doubt me like this? You should know I always have good reasons for doing things. I know this seems crazy to you, but... these kids are from a different world. They have no home, at least not here, and they are stranded here, probably for a very long time. They had no money, no supplies, no Pokemon to protect themselves with... I had to do it. I'm sorry, kids, but life goes on. I can help you two twins catch your first Pokemon. Frank, I am proud that you tried so hard to help your best friends, but you did more harm than good." Oak gives a warm smile. "But, hey, everyone makes mistakes."

Frank shakes his head. "Th-they even tried to explain what happened to them, why they got our... I mean, the Pokemon... instead of us." Frank turns back to Zac. "I am so sorry." Zac is shocked about this sudden change in his opponent.

"It's okay." Everyone looks at Chris's smiling face. "Like the Professor said, everyone makes mistakes sometimes." "Yeah," Zac agrees. "Just never make such a big one again."

Everyone laughs, even Frank. "What?" says Zac. "I mean it." Chris sighs and hits Zac upside the head. "You're dumb." "I'll let that one slide..." Zac mutters dangerously, rubbing the sore spot on his head. Squirtle runs up to Zac. It looks up at him and smiles again. "Squirtle, Squirtle!" it says cheerfully. Suddenly, it passes out. "Squirtle!" Zac cries out.

"Don't worry," Oak says calmly. "It just passed out from exhaustion, nothing more. Nothing a little visit to the Pokemon Center won't fix." Zac nods and returns his Squirtle back to its Pokeball.

"Oh, yeah," Zac says thoughtfully. "Professor, what are our Pokemon's genders?" "Hmmm... ah, yes. Squitle is a boy, and Bulbasaur is a girl." He looks at Frank. "And Charmander is female as well." "Thanks," says Frank.

Everyone is silent for a moment. Frank speaks up. "Professor, I'm not going on the journey." "What!" the twins cry out. "Not just yet, anyway," Frank adds. "I obviously have a lot to learn. I really lost it back there. My understanding of... well, life, is very limited... I guess. I'm gonna stay with Professor Oak for a while and learn new stuff from him. Here." He throws a Pokeball to Dylan. "Take my Charmander. She doesn't really know me as her Trainer yet, so she should listen to you."

"I'm proud of you, Frank," Oak says happily. "Okay, I'm sick of this," Zac declares. "Let's go, Chris. Thanks for the battle, Frank."

Frank blinks in confusion. "You're... welcome... I guess..." Chris sighs and shakes his head at Zac again. "You're unbelievable..."

"Goodbye, you two," Oak says cheerfully. "Good luck with your journey, and don't forget to catch as many Pokemon as you can on the way!"

"We won't," Chris replies. "Bye, everyone!"

"I hope we can meet again!" Zac calls over his shoulder as he and Chris start walking away. "I'll beat you; badly, too!"

Frank, Oak, and the twins call back their farewells.

Zac sighs happily and looks down at his belt where the Pokeball containing his Squirtle is attached. (Sleep well, little guy...) "You know, Chris, a guy could really get used to living here."

"Living here, huh?" Chris replies slyly. "We haven't even been here a whole day."

"Not the point," Zac says shortly. "I'm just saying... looking for a way home isn't going to be as bad as we thought it would be."

Whew, that was a long one. Well... pretty long. Did ya like it? Please review!